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')

Swan what type of corner cabinets?

Up bright and breezy this morning.

Just seen the news and thought of your DH Ogre. - he is a Birmingham fan, isn't he? I bet he was jumping around the house last night!!

Toffee I hope you got to bed eventually. I am sure you enjoyed your ancient Egyptian lecture at midnight.

So far this morning I have:
S & S while in the wetroom
Cooked chilli con carne for slow cooker
sorted some washing (looking for a particular top I wanted to wear, but not found yet.
done a little work that I needed to get done before a big meeting tonight.

Before I go for the boat I need to:
Sandwiches
Turn slowcooker ON! (must not forget!!!!!)
Dishwasher Unload/load
clear out handbag
have breakfast

This evening I need to be perky for a meeting that could be more than a little feisty. So I plan to have a rest when I get home. This is the meeting where a certain man could try to make it look as if a serious mistake was partly my fault. I am armed with every bit of evidence I could extract from the computer, so am ready for him!! He has nothing to pin on me, but I feel it could be more a case of what he does not say and what he implies by incomplete information. I have got a friend ready to pick him apart and get the truth out if necessary.

I need to go and wake up my bag carrier DH and off we go!

Big waves to everyone

Swan - sorry I missed you last night. I ended up in bed with DS until he had settled back to sleep. Managed a few hours in my own bed before he called me again. Have been up since six. OK at the moment, but I know it will hit me later. Just making coffee...

PA - you are a whirlwind this morning! Makes me tired just reading it. I hope you have a lovely time on the mainland. Best of luck this evening at the meeting.

The kitchen is a mess. It's amazing how quickly everything degenerates if you don't keep up the routines.

Right, off to get dressed and see if DS1 is well enough for school today. DS2 clearly isn't.

Morning all!!
PA - have a lovely time on the mainland and good luck for tonight! I'm sure the man in question will crumble into a heap in the light of your preparation!! Even so, not nice, best to shop!

I do agree that menu planning is a bit tricky with fussy eaters/DHs but I still find that at least I have the right ingredients and have some sort of clue as to what I'm doing. I also have a DH who gets in any time between 8 and 9.30 (the joys of working for Americans - they don't wake up til lunchtime!!)but I just put his on a plate to microwave. It does mean I make stuff like fish pie, casseroles etc rather than stir fries etc, but it is one solution.

Today's list:
morning routine
paperwork
Doctor's appointment
zone stuff/missions

Can't think of anything else

Catch up later.

Dh has gone to Stuttgart

We had a Birmingham mornng here two football mad dss checking computer for footage and then reenacting with balloon in playroom

Have not slept since dh left at 6.00, fitfully worrying I should get up and be organised, but not actually getting up - worst of both worlds . Children slept peacefully till 7.45...morning without dh went surprisingly well and we got to school on time [sighs with relief]

kitchen now appears to be a mess again???

todo
breakfast dishes
laundry upstairs
unload dw

tile chart to estimate further quantities of colours
visit SIL and baby do I dare take baby out in pram to give her break..- think I've forgotten everything...
practice piano

and everyone except ds2 doing after school sports so a nice relaxed time till 4.30 for once...(mustn't forget to pick up ds2

loads of other things to do - which I am not menioning for fear of panic - [car to garage - work out how to get to catechism and to choir on Sat at same time, tidy house, get dd to do her singing and violin practice, how to get rid of rubbish in front garden without car which functions...)

Cobweb sort of like the Ikea freestanding corner kitchen cabinet (can't remember range) but less modern..to fit across an awkward corner.. and be extra worktop near cooker.

Off to a very late start this morning, as I've only just got back from the doctor's, dropping DS off at kindergarten on the way home. It wasn't really worth losing two hours of my morning to - we were just represcribed some medicine for DS, told to go back to the ENT specialist and go back for a follow-up appointment in a month.

I was feeling very rough yesterday afternoon, but the early night did me good (I was asleep by 9, and only woken three times - two of those times by DD2) and I'm back to normal today. DD2 now seems to have caught the virus, however, so is off school; it's a shame it had to be today as the school photographer is coming, but there's nothing we can do about it.

List:

Doctor's appointment done
Morning routine
Phone to cancel playdate (apologies for terminology!)
Type out questions to help DD1 revise for test
Afternoon routine
Collect prescriptions
Thank you letters x2
Update calendar (recycling dates)
Evening routine

swan I hate it when DH has an early start as I can never get back to sleep afterwards (although his early starts are usually at 4-5 am so at least I don't need to think about whether I should get up).

OM I also find menu planning very helpful despite fussy eaters, although I rarely need to make more than two or three meals a week - and there's still lots left over for the freezer. DS and DH have a hot meal at midday at kindergarten/work (DH just makes himself a snack when he gets home), and very often I'm just cooking for the DDs as I'll have a different dinner myself (usually from the freezer) unless they're eating something vegetarian.

Toffee Sorry to hear that you've had yet another interrupted night; I hope your DS is better soon (and that you're able to catch up on some sleep).

PA Enjoy the shopping! Hope the meeting goes OK this evening; you sound very well prepared, at any rate.

PA - enjoy shopping (love the mancreche idea Ogre :o) and hope you are able to nail toady colleague if he tries to implicate you.

Glad various people seem to have slept better and hope poorly DC make very rapid recoveries.

Swan - may have to pick your brains about bathrooms/tiles/etc. It seems I may be in charge of 2 bathroom refits and an extension including shower room this year
Thanks for sympathy and encouraging words re yesterday. In fact I think I woke up out of sorts as DH's alarm went off at 5.45am VERY loudly and my nerves never recovered. I hate being woken up like that.

Right, much better start this morning. Have stuck religiously to Morning routine and things feel more under control

• Morning routine - done + 2nd lot of washing
• Bought Family Railcard online (25% off code thanks to MSE) so part 1 of Operation Aquarium sorted :)
• Now awaiting Accountant. He and DH go to early Networking meeting and I have a feeling they may have been drinking coffee held up
• 15mins in our bedroom
• Hoover upstairs (maybe!)
• 5mins in living room
• Maths workshop at school

That will do for now, don't want to overdo things :)

Impressed by all your lists (and scared by cobwebs' one!) The systems household is much more minimal but I did achieve great things (for me!) last night:

• watched TV rather than crashing again, hooray
• tidied up living room! while watching TV
• loaded dishwasher, so back in routine with that
• wiped kitchen counters, which makes a big difference.

This morning went to pot rather as ds was hyper - or what I need to learn to call, displaying sensory-seeking behaviours - and all my time was spent getting him ready for school, right up to the point where he jumped on my foot and nearly broke it, so then spent 10 minutes sobbing on the sofa and didn't get to empty dishwasher or even shower (ewww - fortunately am just in my office with no human contact today).

Have tried delegating the things I didn't get done to dp, fingers crossed. He is home with dd today and has no food in the house 'cos I forgot to order the ASDA - ooops - so I do feel a weekly routine coming on - at least including bins, ASDA order and sheets.

Life has thrown a curve ball and there is no sleep never mind flying atm. Just tryiung to keep one foot in front of another and keeping going. Sorry. Will be awol for a bit.

Haven't had chance to get on before now, my mother has been over for the day, so lots of chat and limited work happening.

Morning routine done
DS to playgroup done
Vacuum through house done
Washing up done
Clean washing away done
Washing on airer done
Make beds done
S/s done
Hotspot done
Make tea done
Order oil done
Pretty covers for preserve tops done
Start sorting Christmas presents to take this weekend done
Lunch done
Collect DS done
Make bread - doing
Make biscuits done
Activities with DS done
Argue with broadband supplier done
Tea
Bedtime routine
Evening routine
Filing
WI paperwork
Playgroup paperwork
Zone cleaning - doubt its going to get done (just didn't seem polite to abandon my mother for part of the day while I tackled another chunk of the bedroom hell)
Zone mission - ditto

Tomorrow, I must find the rest of the Christmas presents to take with us to DN birthday party (DH family will be there, so I can hand out presents AT LAST).

Ihatecobwebs - you call that list 'limited work' ?!

Lair - hope life gets better soon.

Have had DS2 at home with me all day. He's very poorly, but sadly not enough to sleep. No chance of him going to school tomorrow either, but I am still hoping DH and I will get our night out at the cinema.

I was doing so well with my routines last week, but lack of sleep and looking after DS2 have proved too much for me. I am doing the basics, but no decluttering or laundry today. And I'm surviving on coffee (which I don't normally drink).

Back in a minute with tomorrow's stuff.

Tomorrow's babystep is: what's for dinner?. (Very relevant after recent discussion on this thread about meal planning).

Tomorrow's mission is here.

Friday is the day to do paperwork and miscellaneous stuff. Friday is also 'date night'.

I feel unbelievably tired (can't believe any of the rest of you manage to get up at 6am on regular basis )

have had a lovely visit to new little niece (baby went to sleep in my arms
SIL's house is immaculate - I wanted to warn her that immmaculate house is not necessary at this stage (although of course delighful

almost relieved to return to my incredibly messy house where I can conk out on sofa if I please

walking

piano lesson

children

boiled potatoes

zzzzz

perhaps better check their bookbags in case they have some homework

zzzzz and dcs zzzzz

DD2 seemed to improve around midday but is worse again now and I'm still not feeling 100% either. DD1 is being very difficult and refusing to do absolutely anything we ask of her - she won't do her piano practice, won't go and fetch DD2's schoolwork and homework tomorrow... I'm wondering whether all the revision is getting too much for her.

Flying has been temporarily abandoned as I just don't have the energy for it at the moment.

swan The only way I can manage to get up at 6 am (actually, that's DH - my alarm goes off at 5.35) is by making sure I'm in bed by 9.30 pm at the latest. I need my eight hours' sleep now that I'm getting older.

Got to tell someone before I explode...... I am going to get a kindle!!! I am so excited. I will be getting it next Wednesday, when I am on the mainland again for a hospital appointment with DD4.

Good day today, feeling absolutely done in, but buzzing. Didn't get too much exciting today, some nice new bed covers, but just a really good day with DH.

Ellie, you can come out of the corner, or shall I come and join you?

Off to meeting now..... see you all later.

toffee I remember watching that with my cousin, and we had a fit of hysterical giggles at the [very serious]end as we thought Lion was trying to dig up Dennis Were we teenage or 20's I can't remember, evidentally very silly...

linzer oh poor you, what a difficult day. The only thing that cheered me up re: all the refuseniking (not just piano in our house, we had teeth a while back with dd, and before that something else - I think stretching back till she was about two (then it was not wanting to walk anywhere!)was that my piano teacher told me her own children would never practise, and she knew how impossible it was to make children do anything when they weren't in the mood...All you can do is try and turn things into habits, rather than issues.

PA terrified that kindles will make dh redundant! He sells books for a living. No doubt he'll come home with one soon

Oh I have swept the hall floor after builder, cleared up a bit of debris
and am now going to tackle dd's newly repaired chestofdrawers which is in bits in her room.

Dcs watching the rest of last night's film neverendingstory to remind them of absent Dad who is reading it to ds2 (it's German Linzer by Michael Ende - did your dh have it as a child too - the book I mean)

must dash

Lair - best wishes

Children are finally in bed, after stories cuddles, footmassages, room tidying, laundry collecting...cat removal...

Now staring at enormous pile of washingup.
(I am posting this to motivate myself)

15 MINUTES

swan my dp used to sell books for a living too. He is now a SAHD but we have a house full of proofs and freebies I am trying to get him to sell!

Dh is good at selling things, but they have to be 200 years old!
Systems you have distracted me...
done
dw loaded and on

todo
sink
worktops
recycling
laundry upstairs
wm on

15 minutes!

By the time I persuade him to declutter some of these books they will be 200 years old I think

kitchen swept, wiped and de-recyled
sink bleaching
breakfast bowls and cereal out

still a fair bit of mess and muddle around the corners

but I think I will clock off now

systems so true