If your nest is cluttered and getting you down, join February's Fledgling Flyers and turn it around

[elliepac]

Morning everyone,

I didn't know if pmpy would get on today and I didn't want the thread to run out of space for our chat housework musings so thought I would create another one.

Hope you don't mind pmpy!

Hi Linzer:)
This evening I will:
a) shine my sink
b) spend 15 mins in my bedroom clearing out unwanted and unnecessary items

Hi Osella - that sounds like a good way to get started, I find it's surprising how much clutter you can get rid of in 15 mins.

Dcs are ensconced in front of the Wii, so I had better go and get on with a bit of Flying.

Swan glad you found the glasses, I wear contacts most of the time, but sometimes take them out and then realise in my blind as a bat state that I should have found my glasses first. I have been known to wake DH up to find them for me if they have fallen off the bedside table, I literally cannot see past the end of my nose without some sort of lens.

Quick update

• Morning routine - still not finished
• Make yummy choc fudge icing for DD's cake - done
• Make DD's cake - done, just need to make it into a dolphin now
• Make pineapple sorbet done
• Print out Hama bead templates - done

Still need to do:

• Wrap DD's presents
• Book meal for DH and I on Weds
• Make pizza dough for tomorrow
• Sort out glass paints and glass bits
• Cards etc for DD and DH
• Tidy up downstairs
• Get DD to tidy her room enough for me to hoover it
• Dinner from freezer
• Collapse in heap

Children now gone next door to play (taking some of Playmobil world I think (it will involve the whole street by the time they return to school :)) so need to crack on.... sort glass paints next I think.

Will try and catch up later.
Hello and welcome to osella

Children (and little girl from next-door) back and in front of Scooby Doo.

Further update:

• Morning routine - finally finished
• Book meal for DH and I on Weds - done
• Sort out glass paints and glass bits - done
• Tidy up downstairs - done
• Dinner from freezer - heating up and rice on
• Tidy up downstairs - done

Getting there but still need to:

• Wrap DD's presents
• Make pizza dough for tomorrow
• Do cards for DD (can do DH's tomorrow now)
• Get DD to tidy her room enough for me to hoover it - seems unlikely
• BUY SALMON for requested dinner tomorrow (rather BIG oversight )
• Collapse in heap - getting closer :)

flying is helping me make money!! had 2 bags of unwanted clothes DD had grown out of, phoned a company who collects and pays money for it per kilo - they send it to charities who then send it on to developing countries. managed to gather another 2 bags of clothes of DH and mine and was given £19! for stuff i would've thrown out!

Right, have been sitting down and spending "5 minutes" on MN every time I walk past the computer this afternoon (which is every time I go from the lounge to the kitchen) so I am going to post now and turn it off.

Morning routine - managed, we didn't need to go out till 10.30 this morning and it still ended up being a mad rush of lost trainers, teeth not brushed etc

Washing - 3rd lot on
Food shopping - done while DCs were at a party
Tidying - well, a bit done.

Still need to do some decluttering in the our bedroom, and DD's also need to measure DD's room as it is small and she is desperately in need of some new furniture.

so far my peaceful day has slightly gone off with the fairies

done
tidied children's rooms
half tidied kitchen
dw loaded
supervised creative play several times during dd's friend's visit (who was clearly not used to playing at all and kept asking to go on computer) but that was ultimately a success - gosh, getting children to "play" can sometimes feel like hard work
to and from from cinema
rushed round shops trying to buy present for party at eleventh hour before pickup
went to park with dd and friend on way back from cinema
picked up boys on scooters

stopped boys from watching telly for a bit so that dd kept "playing"

now feeling utterly exhausted by to-ing and fro-ing and too many different activities happening simultaneously on the premises!

ds1 loved the day of sport, ds2 said it was too long, and wants to come home at lunchtime tomorrow, so I'll go with that plan.

Quiet day here, following on from a quiet weekend. DS is now staying with my mum until Wednesday. She phoned and asked if he could, as they are having fun. I'm happy with that as DH and I still have flu. Only a short list today, as I feel very weak and feable every time I do a job.

DH has been banned from the office until Thursday, so is "working" from home (sitting in living room, watching TV and fiddling on computer ) and getting in my way!

Morning routine done
Washing up done - yesterday night's as well
RR living room done
RR kitchen done
Clean washing away done
Washing on airer done - raining again
Washing in machine for tonight done
Change towels done
WHBH done
S/s done
Make bed done
Zone mission done
Zone decluttering done
Bins in from end of drive done
Cook tea (find meal portions in freezer and give DH quick choice of which I shoved in Aga) done

To do
Sow seeds - leek, sweetpea, onion
Our finance stuff
Playgroup paperwork
Evening routine

Good evening all,

Very little done today, as I ended up spending extra time at work to do the dreaded annual fire training refresher.......(I nearly fell asleep it was sooo boring).

Morning routine (holiday version) done
Shopping done
Collect kids from gps (half term week for us) done
Dinner done
Supervise kids in search for Nintendo DS game cartridge done and found!
Supervise DD (aged 10) shower doing

To do:
sort work clothes for tomorrow (I'm only off on Thurs & Fri for this week)
And.....leave everything else to DP as he's off tomorrow! He's even got to take them to the dentist

Hello, may I join you all here please.

Yep, I've been a bad flyer, blame Facebook and Gary Lightbody, but I'd love to come back

Today's DONE list is

Made bed
S&S bathroom
Clean the loo
Empty Dishwasher and reload
Put away
Make a kilo of vanilla sugar
Tidy work surfaces and ktchen table
Collect DS from out of school club and take for lunch
Shopping
Take him to the dentist (we both got a good report)
Visit a friend who I haven't seen since before Xmas

Lets see what tomorrow brings x

oh dear, Cobweb again I think you've done more than the rest of us when we're well hope you can just enjoy peacefully snuggling up with not too getting in the way dh.

Dd now in meltdown mode after too busy a day, friend's party etc, junk food [sigh] Boys seem calm.

I am looking forward to watching an uninterrupted episode of Glee as it's usually Scouts tonight.

swan - good luck with meltdown, hope it doesn't last too long and interfere with Glee.
We also have a friend who is unable to play due to excessive reliance (in my view) on screen-based entertainment - he is even allowed to play his DS in church which DD and I at a recent christening! Tis v wearing when he is here.

grouchyoscar - hello and welcome back. Good list, especially liked "Make a kilo of vanilla sugar". That's my kind of Flying :)

cobwebs - STOP Flying and get better. Not only will the feak and weebleness last longer if you don't stop but you will continue to put the rest of us to shame :o

Playmobil world (including puppies and Polly pockets!) all put to bed as are DC - top and tailed in DD's bed :)

The final update on today's list looks like this:

• BUY SALMON for requested dinner tomorrow - done
• Ice dolphin cake - done though seems to be sliding off! Will scoop it up and tart it up if necessary in the morning

Now must:

• Wrap DD's presents
• Get croissants/pain au chocolat out of freezer
• Wash up - DH currently working in kitchen so not yet
• Make pizza dough for tomorrow - see above
• Do cards for DD
• Collapse in heap - trying not to do this now but I have sat down

I will sign off now before I get sucked into the MN vortex.
Thanks for putting up with my mega-lists today, back to normal tomorrow :)

Night night

Welcome back Grouchy

Ihatecobwebs I was also thinking thats not a short list.

Darts Fire safety training does sound boring.

Right busy day here. DH has been on DD duty as had the day off. Has taken her to dentist, hospital, cinema, swimming, Mcdonalds and Build-a-bear. Shes doing housework the rest of the week

I have been to uni this morning and my first 'intense' swimmin lesson this afternoon. Have also

• Stripped DDs bed, washed,dried and remade
• Dark clothes wash
• Shopping
• Uni research
• Kitchen clean up
• 2 more chapters on book
• lots of e-mailing and texting re mess-up at uni
• Requested information re local Zumba class - Really fancy it but most seem full, hoping this one has a space so I can try it

Going to have a quiet hour in front of Telly with DH who has just returned from physio then early night before more swimming and uni work.

Hope everyone is well and surviving the first day of half-term

Ha! Serves me right for feeling smug that DP is in charge tomorrow! The boiler has just conked out... grrr

We tried the House insurance, but their get-out clause is that boilers need to have had an annual service, and ours was a little more than a year....

Oh well, DP is getting in touch with the plumbers who did such a good job on replacing some radiators 18 months ago, and I'm wrapped up with an extra jumper.

I need a or maybe even a ! (OK, I only did that as I've not used these emoticons before

Hello all!
Just wanted you all to know that i am still alive, after today!
Am so so tired!
DD needs fed again,just woken up.
Shall hopefully be back in a while, and shall manage to catch up on today's thread - soo many messages! :)
Hope everyone has had a lovely day, for a Monday!
xx

Evening all

Just got back from work and wrote out lots of entertaining and insightful () messages and my laptop has eaten them all .

Anyhow to summarise...

I've just got back from work having piclked DD up from PIL and gone to ikea (for work purposes rather than home). I am empathising with missjulie as she is showing no signs of going to sleep despite a long drive in the car and 5 bed time stories. If I try to go to bed before she drops off she will know and shout for me for hours !

We're very please to welcome three new starters/restarters over the past 24 hours - longtimeinbrussels, osella and grouchyoscar .

toffee is staying with her mum and having a welcome break from flying and is going to the cinema with her DH.

ellie is back at work and had a 5am start with her DD this morning. I wonder if there's some kind of toddler conspiracy going on as mine was the same today

missjulie has had a very busy and productive day, and even better has survived it

swan is tackling improving literature, including some history books on Victorian politics . Although, having announced this she promptly lost her glasses

systems has grasped the beauty of decluttering whereby less stuff = less time taken to tidy . I've found the same over the last month or two, although tbh we are starting to get a bit overwhelmed with stuff again here and I think another decluttering push is due.

SC flapped by with a list. She is already ahead of us this week having tackled the master bedroom (this weeks zone) over the weekend.

Linzer is another one contemplating a cinema trip.

leo has had her DS's party over the weekend and made a cake. She has promised (or is at least contemplating) putting the photos on her profile, so it must have been pretty impressive . Looking forward to seeing it so let us know if you do .

ogre has been flying well, but distracted by mn. A familiar scenario for many of us!

ihate is still feeling fluey and tired and really should be taking it easy rather than posting and achieving humungous lists

darts is in a similar position to me where paid work has compromised her flying ability. Although looking at her list she has managed to achieve rather more than I have!

makingchanges has been to uni and done lots of flying. What are you studying??

All quiet here. No contractions, no baby. Although DD did say on the way home 'You go to the doctors now with your baby. He's crying and wants to come out'. Hope I don't go in to labour tonight as I will be well and truly freaked out by that forever!

feetheart is enjoying a lazy start to half term, which promises to be busy as it is the week of many birthdays at her house.

Here are tomorrows links...

The babystep is to check your control journal every morning and evening. I guess the point of this is to hep you get your routines etc well and truly lodged in your head and becoming second nature. I don't have a control journal myself, but I do find taking the opportunity to remind myself of my routines from time to time quite helpful.

This week we are in Zone 4: The Master bedroom.

Tomorrow's mission is to spend 15 minutes sortin g out your clothes pile. This is one I definitely can't miss as I got home this evening and realised i can't actually fit in to my bed at the moment with all the laundry that needs putting away .

Hello lovely ladies!
DD is wide awake, and showing NO signs of looking like she is going to bed and time today!!! :(
Done: Got all chores done b4 parents landed! , sorted DD into lovely pink party frock! especially for her grandad!
Had Indian lunch with parents and DD at local restaurant.
Gave dad presents (Knockhill experience voucher), cake etc...
Fitted new toilet seat.
Tidies up, dishes, re-shined sink.
All meals etc prepared for DD for tomorrow, and clothes looked out too.
All washing is done, and dry, just got 2 baskets now to fold and put away......tomorrow!!
Am pooped!!!

swan, crikey, that was early for a friend round! Enjoy history books! It was just a bog standard victoria sandwich cake hun. Glad found glasses. You had a busy day! Hope meltdown didn't last too long, and you enjoyed Glee.

toffee, yes, naps are great! . - but is def child depending! Hope it is a phase, you are right though, doesn't feel like it!!! Today went well, thanks. My amazing list - lol!!! Ha Ha!!! - needs must! Mn def a distraction - is a good motivator though to do list, then come on and post it! Enjoy staying with your mum. King's Speech good? Get any clothes shopping done?

PMPY, Any more Braxton Hicks? Hope DD wrong re baby! Lol! Keep us posted! Shame re laptop munching messages, grrrr! Hope DD sleeps!!! (sympethise!) Hope you managed to get into bed after you moved your laundry!

leo, glad party went well, pics of cake would be fabby!

linzer, DD slept til I woke her around 10.30am, so got all chores done! , she wasn't impressed at being woken though!!! Yes, was parents, Dad's 60th today. We had a nice day, thanks.

ogre, yes, MN IS contagious! Lol!

ballin, £19, wow!!!!!! Impressive!!

system, well done on de-cluttering!

ihate, Hope you feel better soon hun - I agree with feet, and PMPY though, stop doing so much, and rest! You've been so productive, despite feeling crap!

long, welcome. What a shame your dad didn't start well, hope it got better. Hope DH did dinner!

darts, shame you had boring day! [yawn] Oh no re boiler!!!! , hope you are not too cold.

still, hope paperclip counting was productive!

making, how did swimming lesson go?

feet, nice start to day! Happy organising re birthdays! Yiu have been sooooo busy! Wow! Hope you are resting!

osella, hello, welcome. If you kick my butt, i will kick your's!

grouch, hello, welcome.

xxxxx

long, day, not dad!!!
feet, you, not yiu!!

Tired!! xx

evening just crashing, well attempting to crash. not really tired as is norm for a monday. Had lazy day with ds but did some washing and some banking and let ds play in the snow. Training was good.

Tomorrow/later's list:
washing
folding
ironing
dw
hoover
clear out car
hoover car
ds' swimming lesson
pack
early night

right must try to sleep. alarm is set for tomo.

Evening cold, sounds like you had a nice day. Snow??? Where are you?? xx

We had snow here yesterday too - it's all gone now, but it's still absolutely freezing (-8°C at the moment).

Was very excited to discover yesterday that both The King's Speech and We Want Sex Made in Dagenham will be on at my ILs' this weekend, so we'll be going a day early so that we can fit in two visits to the cinema. DD2 was standing next to me when I found out that Made in Dagenham would be on too and wanted to know what I was so pleased about, wanted to know the name of the film - I obviously told her the UK name -and then wanted me to show her where it was on the screen. I took the coward's way out, told her that I'd made a mistake and pointed out The King's Speech instead!

missjulie Hope you got some sleep in the end. Your DD reminds me of how DD1 used to be when she was a baby - if she was asleep by midnight, she'd be up and ready to start the day by 3 at the latest. Glad to hear you had a nice day with your parents, anyway.

Makingchanges Laminating your monthly menu plan is an excellent idea - I want to make a 3/4 week rotating plan, but am struggling to find recipes that the DC actually like.

Today's list:

Morning routine
Mission
15 mins decluttering in DDs' room
File paperwork
e-mails
Take metal and glass to be recycled
Polish mirrors
Afternoon routine
DD1: letters x2
DD2: letters x2
DDs: Music theory homework
Send school photos to GPs
Pay kindergarten Bastelbeitrag
Pay friend for flowers for kindergarten teacher
DD1 to computer course
Ice skating with friends
Evening routine

No snow here, just grey drizzle, have been cheering myself up by looking at holiday possibilities on the internet and ordering stuff from John Lewis.

Today I have invited friends round at 11, plan is to let the DCs go on the Wii for a bit now then boot them upstairs so I can blitz the lounge for 15 mins.

Linzer - is the film really called that in Austria? How funny! I laughed at you having to swerve the explanation to DD.

PMPY I'm doing my PGCE - training to be a teacher so very half term here just means working from home instead of uni. They even have seminars on in half-term very unfair

Linzer my DD eats anything but my receipes are all weightwatchers - I'm attempting (and failing) to lose some weight.

Busy morning - DD has been up for hours, we have played shop, school and doctors. NOw she is off to GPs for a couple of hours and I am off swimming. MissJulie swimming is doing well, teacher says I am progressing well although a few panicking moments yesterday.

When I come back I have to

• Was our bedding
• Wash DHs cricket whites and my gym clothes
• Hoover through downstairs
• 15 minutes on clothes pile
• decide whats for tea -WW toad in the hole I think is today
• DD is insisting on pancakes today having looked at pancake day at school so work out those (i've never had a pancake before)
• Start uni essay
• Recycling
• Tidy DDs bedroom
• Sort out gym bag
• Sort out childcare for tomorrow
• another chapter of book
• clean en-suite bathroom

Back later

It is indeed, Ogre - I get the reference (have seen a picture of the banner in the film), but who on earth thought it would be a better title than Made in Dagenham?!? It's not as if the "German" title is actually in German either - it really is We Want Sex (in English). We will no doubt end up sitting next to all sorts of dodgy types at the cinema.

Am very of you being able to order from John Lewis; it's always one of our first ports of call whenever we're in London. We used to live a 15 minute walk away.

Makingchanges My three also used to eat anything until other children started coming round and announcing that they didn't like this or that (admittedly, it may have been a stage they'd have gone through anyway). Btw pancakes (with jam or chocolate spread) are quite a common evening meal in Austria, but I refuse to do them too often as - nutritional value (or lack of) aside - I find them a bit of a hassle, especially if we have visiting children (I can't make them and supervise the DC at the same time).