Happy New Year, January's here, fly with the fledglings to get clutter clear

[ToffeeChristmascake]

Welcome to the January Fledgling Flying thread. A very big thank you to Ellie, our intrepid leader, for guiding us through the frantic Christmas month.

We are not strict followers of the Fat Fairy and take some of the babysteps - such as getting dressed to lace-up shoes - with a pinch of salt. We also strongly advise against signing up for the FlyLady emails.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's tips on restoring order to our homes, using one of the following methods:

1. Babysteps
2. Babysteps + 15 mins daily decluttering
3. Babysteps + daily missions

Following the babysteps helps to establish daily routines and build a weekly plan.

This month's motto is: You can't clean clutter! See here for Flylady's advice on decluttering.

If you are overwhelmed by the mess in your home, start with just one thing: shine your sink.

And if you need to sort out the house after the New Year revelry is over, a crisis clean is what you need.

Back shortly with tomorrow's babystep .

(With apologies to Ellie for plagiarising some of last month's intro')

PA - hope today is much less stressful.
No hysterics does NOT equal uncaring Mum, just a much more practical, sane one in my book. However DD is only 7, I may have joined the hysterics brigade given a few more :)

Toffee - going to have a look at Flylady weekly routines and see how I can adapt mine. I have an idea of what I do when but a bit more structure might help.

Lair - hope you get DS to school and have a quiet day today

Got most of yesterday's list done again and managed to list a few more things on ebay (it seems to take forever!)

For today I need to do:

• Morning routine - nearly done
• Work - taking longer to catch up than I thought but getting there
• Make Brownies as promised - was going to take some to friends for birthday coffee but forgot I have...
• Maths workshop at school
• 15 mins - craft hell collection again
• 5 mins in DS's room
• Hoover upstairs
• Mission - does anyone actually do this? Might do floor instead (rebel :))
• Easy tea - bolognese from freezer (note to self - take it out!)

Need to get on, waves to everyone :)

few more YEARS

Morning all. I didn't manage to post yesterday due to being too sleep deprived! Synchronicity is weird

Bit better today and working from home this morning so hoping to sneak some flying in under the radar. Today's list is going to be shortish though or I won't get any work done!

Take clean washing upstairs and put away
Clean bathroom tiles/grout
Room rescue kitchen
Room rescue living room
Laundry *2
Dishwasher
Make tea for BIL
Hoover stairs (maybe!)

Morning all

Sorry to harp on about fortnightly ironing lady [she says, harping on ) but I can't tell you what a difference 3 hrs of someone exclusively ironing makes. (Particularly someone skilled at the job. I'm reasonable at it but would have taken 3 days to complete the same amount she did!) I've said it before and I'll say it again, once the laundry is under control, the house starts coming back under control. Well, certainly true in this household anyway. And just knowing she is coming will help me keep on track with the laundry and "aim" it for her arrival iyswim. One bit of the puzzle coming together anyway. And first bit motivates one for next.

This house has been getting me down so much. Have had the attitude that I can't really change much until we renovate (which is true to a large extent). But - taking inspiration from Swan's mantelpiece - I am DETERMINED to make some improvements where I can. So fed up of being depressed by EVERY room.

Best friend and family coming to stay after we get back from Easter hol so that's my next decluttering deadline and I intend to do a more thorough job this time!

Thanks for round up and steps Toffee Like you, I tend to stick roughly with Flylady weekly plan. I think it works well. Divide home blessing thing between Mon and Fri before and after work. Laundry every day. Tuesdays "me" day (or 'half a day' at least) where poss. Wed = admin + errands + work. Thurs = main supermarket shop + bulk cooking. Fri= errands.

PA so glad your fledglings made it safely back to the nest!

Hope your day gets better Lair

Hope your migraine shifts Ihate

Nettie hope you managed to stay awake for your evening out yesterday and that you had a good time!

Today:
morning routine including s&s, dw & wm on done
dye barnet fair
continue laundry
FINISH TIDYING sitting room
carry lots and lots of boxes upstairs
carry lots and lots of different boxes downstairs
supermarket shop
CONTINUE TO DIG OUT MASTER BEDROOM

• sort shoes
• sort pant & sock drawers
• tidy other drawers
• put away ironing!!!!

make fish pie for tomorrow (or separate elements) make soup for Saturday letter to god-daughter afternoon/evening routine

Big wing flaps back to Optimistic,Arabella, Ellie Ogre, Pushme, linzer Bob Feetheart and everyone else!!

Good morning, sneaking in at work quickly to list post.

had lovely nice with girlies last night. and a good nights sleep, made dh get up (all better now) to deal with errant dc. DS was trying to put the washing machine on and has filled it full of comfort!!! is that flying at 5.50am? should that be rewarded with a sticker?

right today so far,
wm on
s/s
bed made
dc nurseried
rubbish out
work attended-computer has fault buckets!!!???!!!??? Buckets of Faults??
moved money to pay credit cards here also
cheques written

still to do
work lots of
shopping for dnephews clothes
gym
try on sale clothes bought online on dc make sure dont need returned. Tidy up all sale clothes now scattered accross lounge floor.
pick dc up from nursery bathe and bed.

I think that'll do nicely.

sc i have cleaning lady who does ironing. i think all garlands and red carpet are always due.
PMPY hope you got some sleep and you feeling well.
feetheart REBEL RAISER [GRIN]
lair have nice gentle day
om hope dd feels better soon.
pa glad dc are ok. hope you find relaxing smell. well done at work meeting, glad it went ok. hope what transpires at next doesnt cause you any grief.
toffee go your DH go. Think he needs a gold star and need to come and teach my dh how to do it.
ihate hope head getting better.

Sorry gonna have to wave to those ive missed must get on with work.

bye for now.

read everyone's posts, but a bit out of it today, and tidying kitchen...
piano now..

feeling v. anxious, nad think it probably best to just press on blindly

bblater more constructively

Only just come back from my morning get-together with some friends so will have to shelve errands till tomorrow .

Got to focus on list now:

S&S done
D/W done
B/fast done
W/M doing next
Lunchboxes done
School run done
Meet friends done
Back home -
Make beds
T/D
15-min declutter
Hotspots
Errands - library, buy present, post parcel defer till Friday
Lunch
School run
Put washing away
Scrub dining-room chairs (caked in ReadyBrek blush)
Dinner
Evening routine
Tesco delivery
Bed at decent hour

Sorry for not staying to chat, but I have done enough of that already this morning and need to catch up now.

(By the way, I actually found myself scrutinising my friend's bathroom and thinking, "Hmm, she obviously doesn't swish and swipe!" Argh! What is happening to me?).

Toffee and surveying friend's toilet!! I must confess to having done that too. My RL friend's think I'm OCD I think!!
Nettie as a primary school teacher I feel authorised to hand you a sticker!!

Good day so far! All jobs on the list are done and more to follow...

BBL

'at' surveying
RL friends - where did the apostrophe come from??

Definitely losing my momentum since earlier in the week. Second half of list:

Make beds cba
T/D done
15-min declutter nope
Hotspots nope
Errands - library, buy present, post parcel defer till Friday
Lunch done
School run done
Put washing away to do next
Scrub dining-room chairs (caked in ReadyBrek) later?
Dinner next
Evening routine
Tesco delivery
Bed at decent hour

Had a nap this afternoon, which is a sure sign I'm going to bed too late. So I'm going to post the babysteps etc now and then not come back till tomorrow. That way, I can't start browsing MN and go to bed too late.

Sorry for lack of personal messages again.

Tomorrow's babystep is to include laundry in your routines.

Tomorrow's mission is here.

Flylady suggests Friday is for tackling paperwork and doing miscellaeous jobs. Friday night is 'date night' .

Back tomorrow. Have a good evening, fledglings.

Wednesday's evening's list that was abandoned in favour of hot soak in bath:
Washing 2nd load about to go on
Folding
Write birthday Invites half did last night
Early night -soooooo tired Must do this tongiht!

Thursday's list:
Sort books for taking to bookbarn bookbarn overwhelmed atm and cant take
Bank done
Shopping done
Drive out in countryside (part of bookbarn and shopping trip but very pleasant 1hr each way) done and very much enjoyed, also had lovely coffee and chat with friend
Pack for ds' weekend away - He might be going as his dad is poorly.
Change car headlight bulb done
Attacked bathroom with cleaning spray done
Clean toilet soaking it with cleaner

So tired here too, I am having a busy week. Have also been spending far too much time on here watching all these threads that have made the national headlines today. Hmmm.

Anyway, today, managed work, then home for clean kitchen and bathroom floors, washing, clean bathroom, get DCs clothes ready for tennis at 4 (15 min turnaround when we get home from school), get kids, go to tennis, come back, have tea, evening routines are underway. No packed lunches needed tomorrow, hoorah!

Lair - glad you had a nice drive out today

SC of your ironing lady. One of my friends is an ironing lady and makes a pretty good living out of it.

PA - glad DD4 is OK

Toffee - I too am scrutinising my friend's houses a bit more closely these days, hope they aren't doing the same to me!

Waves at everyone, need to go and find something to eat, sort out my major handbag hotspot as it is overflowing and settle down for The Good Wife at 9. Oh and write a list of everything I need to do for this party on Sunday. Tomorrow is cake baking day.

Typing in bed! only way to get an earlish night!

sink not shone..
but generally a good day as got kids under control again..they were being very unruly or was it me? yesterday
Stickers for all not real ones though..star charts only work for one child here, and he earns so many it's overkill, turnign others into sulky resentful hobgoblins...

PA hysterics sign of showoff imo! After all at that age they are allowed to travela round on their own anyway. I think it shows enterprise in dd4, however probably not good to tell her that.You may have to pretned you have Sat tracking on her every move from now on.

zzzz
toffee hope you are asleep!
and Lair [stern]

sorry miss...

SC sits in naughty corner with Lair

had very late night too (dh only got in at 1am after flight delay)

Um, and on Flying front, um, am at work and then have to do, er, yesterday's list

Today I am constructing the solar system. When I have done that i will see if there is time for flying

Lair - DD would love to join you in your construction project, loves making stuff and her current 'thing' is the stars. I blame Brian Cox :)

Very quick list as want to mooch around charity shops as well as do weekly shop:

• Fail on non-shouty Mum - done
• Morning routine - done
• Bit of work - filing and trying to sort out a return (no doubt he will call back when I am in Sainsburys )
• Finish menu-plan and shopping list
• Shop and mooch :)

Will leave other stuff until later.

Happy constructing Lair and big waves to everyone :)

Will someone please explain to me why I am creeping around my kitchen trying to out-do the sense and spray thing, cos it gives me the eebie-jeebies every time it squirts.
The cats are stupidly scared of it, too and are quite funny to watch. (probably not quite as funny as the sight of me trying to avoid it )

By the end of the week my energy level is dwindling, so no flying done here!!!

My energy level is dwindling too, PA. Am going to attempt a declutter in the bedroom so that I don't feel a complete failure on the flying front.

What is this sense and spray thing? I had tea with a friend yesterday and I kept looking for the hyacinths I could smell, but there weren't any. Do you think it was a sense and spray thing too?

Hope you had a lovely 'mooch' in the charity shops, Feet.

Still and Lair - early nights for you both tonight!

Didn't do my errands today because I had to take DS1 to the minor-injuries clinic at the local hospital. He came limping out of school yesterday. He'd been injured playing football during playtime, then had been told that he still had to play rugby in PE afterwards . Had to take him to the minor-injuries clinic at the local hospital this morning, as he still had to hop and his ankle was swollen and very painful. It's bruised and sprained, so he simply needs to rest it and take Calpol and Ibuprofen.

Hopefully, will have some decluttering to report on when I get back...

SC I'm at work and still on yesterday's list too . oh well, at least I have the weekend to catch up on!

Just a quick check in. Car cake for DS and birthday tea was a huge success but very messy. Both kids are with their dad fir another half an hour or so, which means I need to finish recovering from that chaos quickly!

Chairmum - glad to hear birthday tea was a success. Well done!

Have done bugger all Flying today. Sorry, but I am an errant leader. Did not even manage to declutter the bedroom, thanks to DH arriving home with a bottle of wine. Think I can just about manage to download the babysteps before putting DS2 to bed, then going off to watch 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' with DS2 and eat popcorn .

Tomorrow's babystep is to check out 'Ask Flylady'. I have never looked at these questions, but have just had a look and have to say, grudgingly, that some of the advice is quite useful.

Tomorrow is Saturday - 'Family Fun Day'. In my case, tomorrow, this means sticking the telly on whilst I get on with a 'crisis guest clean'. You might have better ideas.

There are no missions at the weekend.

Make sure you all get an early night. It sounds like we all need it.

No Flying to speak of today, played tennis, coffee at a friend's after, lunch with DH who works near said friend's house, supermarket, browse charity shops, get kids.

Have started preparation for the dreaded double birthday party on Sunday, one cake is in the oven, the second is about to be mixed. DD has thrown a hissy fit that she only wants her school friends there, not DS's as well, and not our ante-natal class friends. We all agreed before I booked anything that this was how we were going to do it this year, but now Madam has other ideas. Still so long as she keeps quiet about it on the day.

DH is about to arrive home with takeaway, I'm glad your birthday tea went well Chairmum.

PA - am smiling at the though of you tiptoeing round your airfreshner! My ILs bought one a year or two ago and had it right behind the sofa, I couldn't work out why there were periodic waves of extremely heavy perfume wafting round the room, it was way too strong to have about a foot away from your head. Luckily they moved it the next day.

Might not get on again this weekend, catch up soon.