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')

hope you dont mind sent bob our best wishes

Tomorrow's babystep is to check your calendar for next month's events.

Monday's mission is here.

Monday is the 'weekly home blessing' hour (see here. The full Monday routine is here).

Thanks, Lair.

Am getting fed up with the fact that I need to spend virtually every waking minute tidying if I want to keep the house looking halfway decent. I think I need to focus more on decluttering, which I am also struggling with. Clutter affects my mood too, Toffee (our rooms are also all quite small) - and for some reason it gets to me most at the weekend, possibly because I can't do so much about it then with DH and the DC around (creating yet more mess). Oh, why do we have so much stuff?

Anyway, onwards and upwards:

Bank done
Morning routine
Photocopy kindergarten form
15 min decluttering in living room
Change sheets
Empty bins
Made appointment with ENT specialist
Make appointment with paediatrician specialising in allergies
Make appointment at photographer's for DD2
Finish planning English lesson
DDs to piano lesson
Afternoon routine
Thank you letters x2 (really MUST be done before February!)
Evening routine
Update calendar (recycling)

Linzer I could have written that first paragraph of yours myself, word for word. No matter how much time I spend tidying, there seems to be stuff everywhere, on the floors, on tables, aargh. Small rooms here too.

Staying in to wait for something to be delivered today so I really ought to go and do yet more tidying I suppose.

ds sleep meds not working great. i need to start taking some so when he does sleep so do i. flying on hold for favour of sleep.

Me too, Linzer and Ogre. Too much clutter here (and some of it belonging to DH's father who died about 18yrs ago - the joys of living in your DH's childhood home ) and it DEFINITELY affects my mood.

Sick boy at home today so plans completely altered, hopefully in favour of a bit more Flying. He's parked in front of Ben 10 at the moment so need to get some work done.
Quick list:

• Morning Routine
• Ironing away
• Work - end of month stuff including paying DH and I!
• Salmon out of freezer for dinner
• Hoover downstairs (including Mission)
• Tidy/sort stuff in DS's room, hopefully with help :)
• Hoover upstairs
• Bathroom
• Pack up ebay stuff
• Book People order for DH and DD's birthdays
• 5 mins in living room

That should do for now!! Results will depend on how many games of Uno/Frustration/Playmobil knights will be required in between :)

DS1 still poorly so he is at home, but I managed to get DS2 to school. It's nice to have some time alone with DS1 for a change. He is being very funny and entertaining today and has already made me laugh a lot.

Linzer, Ogre and Feet - me too! Small rooms; too much stuff. It really gets me down. Weekends and holidays feel worse because there are too many people in the house and not enough free time to fight the mess. Plus I am the only one who tidies up, so no sooner have I tidied one room than another needs doing.

Scary list today:

Get dressed etc done
Buy teabags done
W/M on done
B/F done
Lunchboxes, water, book bags done
School run done
Bring recycling boxes in done, but someone has taken our bag for recycling bottles
Ring recycling dept and ask for new bag
S&S
D/W - unload
T/D
Chk calendar done
Reload d/w
W/M - 2nd load: DS2's sheets (nosebleed this morning)
Make beds
15-min declutter in our bedroom
2mins on hotspots: kitchen, dining-room table, shelves in dining-room
Weekly clean (1hr):
Empty bins
Hoover
Dust
Mop kitchen and bathroom floor
Clean mirrors and windows and pictures
Purge mags/papers
15-mins ironing (or more)
Put DS2's playhouse away
T/D - 2nd load
Put all washing away
Remake DS2's bed
Spend time with DS1 (he wants to show me round his 'virtual office' on Roblox - he has an impressive office, with a desk, wonderful views, a fishtank and a bookcase. And lots of people who call him 'sir'. Must make a nice contrast with school life!).
Lunch
School run
PM routine
Dinner: turkey meatloaf (start cooking by 4pm)
Eve routine
Bed at decent time

Best get started then.....

Feet - sorry you have a sick boy at home today too. Hope he feels better soon.

Good morning all! Am sensing a lot of frustrated people on here this morning . Conversely, I am feeling quite positive this morning so I shall shower positive dust around the thread . Was a very good girl this morning. I have:-

Put washload on
Put washing in drier/on radiator
Made beds
Swished/swiped
Tidied away breakfast pots

Tonight I will:-

Tesco
Beavers run
Pay Ebay bills
Cook dinner
Iron/Put washing away
General tidy
Washing on
Banking

Hope Bob's DD is ok.

Busy day today. CM has day off as it is the anniversary of the birth/death of her DT's so DD is currently running rings around BIL who has her for the day. His facebook status sounds stressed already .

Back later.

Hoovers up Elllie's positive dust virtuously no dust here!

I have been out of house all morning, apart from brief interlude successfully persuading dd (coffee which dd made for me on a tray! story, snuggle) that yes she did feel well enough to go to school. She went at 10.00am, and then I had a coffee with my friend round corner who whisked me off

Tomorrow dd is having FOUR BACK TEETH out in hospital, so I can see why she was feeling a bit stressed.

Toffee love the virtual office, and I too find craft activities can be v. stressful at home unless you ring fence a large section of day.

It is a beautiful day in London today, but so cold, still feel I don't want to go out much.

todo
SORN
order more tiles [done] fingers crossed got colours right
homebless (I hour)
find specific singing book for dd from shop which I should have ordered ages ago
find out hospital info

PUT AWAY CLEAN LAUNDRY

Hope all goes well for your DD tomorrow, swan. I was a nervous wreck when DD1 had to have just one milk teeth extracted at the dentist's (although she was absolutely fine about it) - four back teeth out really doesn't sound like much fun, but at least it's all in one go I suppose.

Thanks for the positive dust, ellie - much needed here.

That is one scary impressive list, Toffee - good luck with it!

feetheart Sorry to hear your DS is ill; hope he's on the mend soon.

Lair Good idea to prioritise sleep over flying; you'll be far more productive flying-wise once you've caught up on some sleep.

Ogre Glad to hear I'm not the only one feeling overwhelmed by the constant tidying.

List update:

Bank done
Morning routine done
Photocopy kindergarten form done
15 min decluttering in living room
Change sheets in dryer
Empty bins
Made appointment with ENT specialist done
Make appointment with paediatrician specialising in allergies done
Make appointment at photographer's for DD2 done
Finish planning English lesson done
DDs to piano lesson done
Afternoon routine
Thank you letters x2 (really MUST be done before February!)
Evening routine
Update calendar (recycling)

Actually got an appointment with the paediatrician (recommended by a doctor friend of mine) this evening, so I hope we'll finally get some answers as I feel like we're going round in circles at the moment. At least DS's cough has been better this week, but he still wakes coughing in the night. Am slightly scared about driving on the motorway to a town that I don't know very well (about half an hour away), but I had the feeling that the sat nav I bought DH for Christmas would come in useful at some point.

Done
Sorn declaration
ordered music book to be biked round

Linzer good luck with the journey and finding reasons for the cough -strange journeys always add tension, it is so much easier once you are used to visiting particular hospitals and doctors

now mid-home bless - mustn't get sidetracked and start feeling knot of tension again about all the other things that might need doing

wendy hope your morning at doctors's went alright and baby was happy (if even it meant no Flying)

Still no parcel, been stuck inside all day, need to go and get DCs in an hour, it's bound to arrive then. I've already missed it once, and if I miss it again I will have to make a 90 min return journey to the depot to pick it up, grrr, why can't they just use Royal Mail? I'd better start ringing friends to find someone who can pick up the DCs from school.

Found dental admission stuff
still house blessing - hour
pile of dates to put in my calendar rounded up

music not arrived and I need it urgently for dd's lesson at 4.10
Ogre deliveries are grrrr (sometimes)

it's arrived [phew]

Swan - I'm relieved to hear that your house blessing is taking longer than an hour too. My morning routines and weekly clean have taken me at least three hours. What am I doing wrong? The house looks much better, but I still have all the laundry to do, not to mention dinner to cook and the school run. Am feeling frazzled.

Updated list looks like this:

Ring recycling dept and ask for new bag
S&S done
D/W - unload done
T/D done
Chk calendar done
Reload d/w
W/M - 2nd load: DS2's sheets (nosebleed this morning) done
Make beds
15-min declutter in our bedroom
5mins on hotspots: kitchen, dining-room table, shelves in dining-room done
Weekly clean (1hr): hollow laugh
Empty bins done
Hoover done
Dust cba
Mop kitchen and bathroom floor done - also did dining-room floor
Clean mirrors and windows and pictures done
Purge mags/papers done
15-mins ironing (or more)
Put DS2's playhouse away done - he won't be happy, but it takes up most of the dining room
T/D - 2nd load
Put all washing away
Remake DS2's bed
Spend time with DS1 (he wants to show me round his 'virtual office' on Roblox - he has an impressive office, with a desk, wonderful views, a fishtank and a bookcase. And lots of people who call him 'sir'. Must make a nice contrast with school life!). done - and one of his minions was there, calling him 'Sir!' and obeying orders
Lunch done
School run going right now
PM routine
Dinner: turkey meatloaf (start cooking by 4pm)
Eve routine
Bed at decent time hmm

Back later.

toffee is it meant to be a very perfunctory whizz round perhaps? And we are being too perfectionist, and thinking it's like a proper clean.
Maybe the house was meant to be rather cleaner to start with

done
some serious paperwork catching up
long phone call re: paperwork
2 x envelope addressed

snacks out for kids
laundry in the bedrooms
dw on
hall kept orderly
present for dd friend wrapped (nearly forgot that)

oh yes, I think my friend star and I worked it out..you tidy the first day for an hour, and clean for an hour on the second day, otherwise you get bogged down.

Parcel arrived just as I was about to leave for school, phew.

Well, I don't think I could manage to do homeblessing in an hour either, but it might help if I managed it more often and switched off the computer. I have managed to tidy the entire house fairly well in between Mumsnetting, but no cleaning. One lot of washing done. Back later.

Just time to dump list and have a cup of tea while the kitchen floor dries. Then carry on cooking tea. DS had a bad morning, cried for 45 mins on me, didn't know why he was crying, just kept asking me to stop the tears. So late morning, revised list and everything is behind. Midmorning DS decided he would like to go to playgroup so I had a bit of time to get things done this morning, but not as much as usual.

Morning routine done
Playgroup payroll done
DS to playgroup done
RR/tidy house - living room, kitchen, DS room, our bedroom, bathroom done
Send apologies, as mother is ill, so can't go out this evening to meeting done
Washing up done
S/s done
WHBH done
Email to move tomorrow evening meeting to here done
Make tea - started lasagne
Make thank you card with DS done
Post thank you card with DS done
Bins in done
Washing in machine for tonight done
Pay bills
Zone cleaning
Zone mission
Item from to do paper file
Our finance onto computer
Tea
Bedtime routine
Evening routine
WI paperwork for meeting tomorrow
Cut material for cushions
Exercise

Swan - you made me laugh with your 'maybe the house is meant to be rather cleaner to start with' . Well, yes. And I suppose I was being a bit perfectionist, but I hate ignoring mess and dirt once I start. What do you mean about tidying one hour one day and cleaning one hour the next? The home blessing thingy incorporates both.

The problem is that there are four people living in this house and only one of them (this mug here) is cleaning and tidying up. I need to get the others involved. Why is it so hard to get DH to at least pick his socks up from the floor or to take his mugs downstairs? Maybe I should do a reward chart for everyone, including him.

Ogre - I try not to turn the computer on before starting my routines - it's lethal.

Ihatecobwebs - sorry your DS was so sad. Whatever you did to cheer him up, it obviously worked because he was able to go to playgroup. He probably just needed some 'mummy time'.

I have done the school run, had a cuddle with DS2 and read him a story, given the boys their snacks, cooked dinner (in the oven now) and am staring at the basket overflowing with washing. I should do something with it. Am trying to summon up the enthusiasm.

It is sadly lacking.

Will try using the timer. Just 15 mins.

car tax done
sleep done.
extra training need to leave at 7:30pm, essential other wise will end up killing myself during training.
Scheduled training

Not a lot of time to due stuff between now and then has have to fit in sorting tea out, new bedtime routine for ds (which has potential for being a nightmare) and an hour of physio exercises. Eeeeeek!

In case I don't get back on here later (lots to do tonight) just wanted to say thank you for being a brilliant leader to Toffee and thank you for agreeing to take over for Feb to PMPY