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')

Oh my word.

I sooo do not have my flying head on. But am getting my head sorted. So hopefully next week will go smoothly or as smoothly as possible for a new routine week in a house where change is a nightmare. And there is lots of panicing due to be very disorganised and running out of time to complete a project.

I have coffee. I hope to crawl out of bed functioning after having consumed it.

Today's list:
mend school trousers
laundry
prep for tomo
Take off monday's 4:30am alarm and lie in until 7:30 Yippeeee! and done
Set reminder for late night training done

Feck - really must find car insurance document so can tax my car tomo. 5 boxes of paperwork here i come :(

Oh and PMPY - my month as leader wasnt the bestest in terms of organisation. i have just had to come to terms that i am not a calm organised person. I am a chaotic manic kinda person. However, it is still structured and that works boths ways

You'll be fine. And thank you for taking the lead.

Lair if you renew by phone, they find your car insurance automatically!! It is true, and it is heaven [no more searching for five boxes of docs] I know because I've done it two years running now.

done
took ds2 out to buy lots of delicious food (trouble over a lost football, and I ended up with him after all)
micro-scootering all the way
cooked lunch
cleared lunch
persuaded ds2 to play with his toys and no computering before lunch
swept floor again
cleaned scribbles off the new paintwork

Also washed and hung out two loads of clothes
ds1 has returned, now everyone watching film Hocus Pocus, ds2 watching football upstairs

Going to attempt visit to B & Q now whilst dh minding all

what the day it is due? i wont have atax disc to display for the first. Is that right? how do i i deal with that when i get stopped by the over eager police that reside around here?

Lair yes, I see what you mean. Sorry.
I have got away with four days displaying wrong tax, when it was in the post to me from the renewal place, and I think I just crossed my fingers and hoped that legally I was covered.

Lair - you have a little leeway if its 'in the post' Over zealous officers can check on computer if you are taxed. Certainly done it like that this year (and possibly last)

You can renew car tax online as well as by phone, Mine was last month and I renewed before the end but it didn't turn up for about a week due to general postage dedlays / snow. I didn't get stopped.

Evening all

Liar I think our car insurance company e-mailed a copy over to us so that we could tax our car when that happened to us. May be worth a try.

Well Peter Kay was fantastic yesterday. We were in second row and right in the middle so fantastic seats but I was on edge all night that I would the the butt of his jokes - managed to escape though.

Up early this morning for a dry run to placement school - is over an hour away but seems nice - is a nursery class so quite looking forward to it after my year 6 class last time.

Today have

• Washed towels
• Been to gym
• Been shopping
• Recycling and emptied bins

To do tonight

• Find 'appropriate' school clothes
• sort out hem on black trousers
• Read up on Early Years framework
• Put some songs on iphone for journey as lose local radio half-way there.
• lunches for me and dd
• iron and put out DDs uniform
• Wash hair as forgot shampoo at gym so is now a mess

DH has taken DD to swimming so going to try and get stuff done whilst its quiet

Will try ringing tomo then. Thanks.

evening all

day quite productive...but I am generally exhausted!

Done:
tidied downstairs
dusted downstairs
45 mins gardening - cleared half of veg patch
wrapped present for dd4 friend
nagged encouraged girls to finally tidy their room
tidied littlies room
reading/homework with DDs 1-4
3 loads of washing
put clean washing away
been for 6 mile run (gosh it nearly killed me tonight LOL)
Roast gammon for dinner
put coats into wash (finally!)

Now have to:
Write specific instructions on how to make risotto for Nanny tomorrow (fingers crossed LOL)
littlies lunches
hang coats on airer to dry
put on dark washing
BED!

hope all have had nice weekends
BBtomorrow

MC which school are you going to? Good luck - hope you enjoy it.

Evening

Dashing on before starting the bedtime routine - DS has been on a go slow trying to put off bedtime (or more specifically bathtime).

Might not have been all r&r here, but definitelty no rr's!

Yesterday we took DS to a birthday party - two hour drive to a softplay centre. We were late, he didn't like the noise, number of children etc, and DH & I ended up with thumping headaches from the noise and heat. Not the most sucessful of trips. Came back via airport, but they've closed the viewing area , then hobby shopping for DH & I before coming home. It was late, I was tired, so it was snack tea and bed for all of us.

Today, we've been pottering about.
Morning routine done
Breakfasts done
Make beds done
S/s done
Lunch done
Gardening done
Fill green bin and take down drive done
Food bin out done
Recycling out done
Cook tea done
Emergency first aid on bleeding cat paw done
Financial report for playgroup done
Tea done
Phone mother to check re babysitting tomorrow done but she's ill so need to cancel tomorrow's meetings
Email financial report as can't go to meeting done
Bedtime routine - trying to do
Evening routine
Email SIL to organise her visiting for day
Email other SIL to organise her visiting for day
WI end of year

Hi all
We have had family fun day here today, it's been fab. DH been very chilled and relaxed, playing with the DC all day!
Meant to be home blessing tomorrow but having a smear test in the morning and will be time to feed Baby DS when I get back etc, then nursery pick up so it will be postponed. Flying is difficult with a baby I find. I should USE MY TIMER (notice the stern voice to self)
See you tomorrow

OFM 6 miles - I remember when you first started. I am banned from trying to start until I have sorted my various ailments out so want to get into it as well.

I am going to a Nursery school in Ilkeston this week, then a special school in Chesterfield the week after. Looking forward to it, except the M1!!

I was very good tonight and have been and had a 15 minute session in my bedroom (it needed it) I can see some floor and throw out 2 bags of rubbish.

I have also booked myself onto a Yoga class on Thursday (apparently will be good for my falling apart body) and have e-mailed about adult 1-2-1 swimming lessons (can't swim and scared of water )

Right off to finish off school research then earlish night

furtherdones
AA mended car [whoopee] 3 hours of hanging around waiting but that's alright on a Sunday when you are at home I guess...
piano practice
washed another few loads

not exactly FFunDay but just about managed to get through with only a few cross words with dh
he helped me move some furniture upstairs
and did some colouring with dd (almost unheard of for her to do colouring so v.clever of him)
we made ds1 tidy his roo a bit

still can't see bedroom floor though, and now about to read dd a story

OFM excellent to start on veg patch
and hope risotto and Nanny meet eye to eye. Risotto can be tricky. Dh's mother always makes it with Uncle Ben's Rice!

Today didn't start well, as I ended up having one of my regular nervous breakdowns about the state of upstairs. Felt slightly better after I'd got the DDs to tidy their desks and packed away all the Bob the Builder Lego into its original boxes ready to go to the charity shop.

We had some Family Fun this afternoon when we took the DC plus two friends to the cinema, then played Creationary (but I've discovered that I'm not creative enough to build anything recognisable with Lego). Had the usual Sunday evening piano practice struggle (lesson tomorrow) but got the DC to bed at a reasonable time, and have prepared most of this week's English lesson now too.

Makingchanges I've also been wondering whether I should start doing yoga - I noticed in the adult education prospectus today that there's a course starting at the end of February. I am sadly lacking in willpower when it comes to exercise, but really must make the effort at some point.

Evening all,

Family day out at the seaside today (40 mins drive away), lunch at a cafe that I've been going to since the early 80s [old emoticon], a stroll down to the beach, crazy golf, throwing stones in the sea, ice cream, lovely, lovely. House is in a state, but I am planning on staying in and blitzing it tomorrow (got to wait in for something to be delivered). I've hurt my knee, which is annoying because I was just getting into a good running routine (I'm doing the couch to 5k thing). Respect to OFM for 6 miles!

Makingchanges well done about the swimmimg, I didn't really learn till I was in my 20s, despite terrifying lessons as a child, I'm still not brilliant, but am able to plough slowly up and down a pool and no longer in fear of drowning.

Right, better go and start sorting out book bags, school shoes etc, see you tomorrow.

Right plan of action for monday:

Laundry
Finish making and attaching the moon
hoover the lounge
wash bedding
settle ds into the new monday night routine
go to training
empty the general stuff and nastiness out of car (fuck knows what is lurking in there atm- it will be ugly)

You are all too healthy for me.

If it makes you feel better lair in the last half an hour I have eaten a creme egg, a fudge and a slice of cake . And I am not even lying to make you feel better . quite a successful day back on the flying wagon. Have tidied whole house, cleared half of mount washmore and generally prepared for the week ahead! Thanks for the tips on dd's birthday present. We do already have a scooter but sylvanian families may be worth a shot! She has told me today she wants a big cuddly peppa pig but that's all I've got out of her.

Sorry for lack of personals, will be back on form next month....promise!

Evening all,

I'm being crap again and just posting to make myself feel I've achieved something!

I've been struggling a bit and asked XH for more time without any children. He didn't respond directly but at least took the toddler out for a couple of hours, which was better than nothing.

Today I have:

-dealt with growth spurt baby feeding almost constantly from 3am till when we finally got up at 6.30. And she kept waking the toddler so I was constantly cuddling one or both!

• shouted at the toddler while doing morning routine
• put beef in the slow cooker
• cleared up 2 toddler poo incidents
• took kids swimming with XH and XSIL and niece (brother's ex, plenty of divorce round here!)
• spent an hour cleaning and decluttering bedroom while playing with / entertaining the baby
• tackled washing
• made 'family' dinner ready for x's return
• tried not to complain too much that X failed to get most of what I asked him for at ikea :-/
• ran round crazily clearing up while X played with the baby
• got kids to bed
• decluttered spare room a bit while watching lark rise.

Hopefully I'll get a bit more stuff done tomorrow as DS is at nursery 9-1 but as DD gets older she requires more attention! It just feels like an insurmountable mountain of clutter that, as flylady says, I can't keep clean! I'll get there though, one day!

Chairmum
that was a very busy day - how can you say you were crap , admire you for taking the children swimming too, - potty training was truly enough to break my spirit, and sometimes weekends can be a struggle, worse than any weekday, and such an early morning - not suprised you are feeling exhausted and need a break from little ones - sometimes you just want someone to take them all away. It must be difficult asking ex for help, still you are completely entitled to

hope you can rest a bit tomorrow and not rush around too much whilst ds is at nursery. I don't think little dcs notice the mess, just that we are sad or miserable (which is of course a good reason to clean it - but still, they don't judge us like we judge ourselves)

Now I must go and sort out uniforms and go to bed early.
Was going to think of a good list for tomorrow, but it may just be a stumblign block...will scrawl a few things on paper

including SORN declaration for off the road car in Sussex [thank you Lair it's about to expire! and was on my fridge)

Sorry to miss all the chat on here today (and the new thread). Had my weekly lie in this morning, then took DS2 to the playground (it was freezing and I hated it, but he needed the running around time), then did make-and-do with him, then started losing it a bit because I couln't bear the mess everywhere (noticed you had the same feeling today, Linzer) and he was being so clingy. We only have small rooms so the slightest bit of clutter makes me feel as if the walls are closing in on me. He stormed off in the end, which at least gave me time to wash up and put stuff away in the kitchen. Later, he came downstairs and handed me a note and said, "Sorree, Mummy". He had written 'Sor' on the note, which was his attempt to write sorry.

DS2 is definitely ready to go back to school tomorrow. DS1 still has a temperature and has almost lost his voice, so he will be at home, but he is no trouble and will just want to read or go on the computer.

Have a very, very long list to get through tomorrow, which will hopefully get me back on track again after losing it last week.

Back with steps....

PS: No time for personals, but have had a quick read through and just wanted to say to Wendy that yes, I agree that it's incredibly difficult to keep up with housework with a baby. Babies (and toddlers) are a full-time job. Watched a video of baby DS2 today and could see mess and clutter everywhere in the background . Mind you, I hadn't discovered Flylady then.

Right, really am off to get the babysteps and mission now.