If you're house is cluttered and you're Mad as a Hare, join March Fledgling Flyers and get it all square

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Following on from the February Fledgling Flyers thread, welcome to March. This is the thread that follows the Flylady website (loosely) for getting your home decluttered and your housework into routines, whilst dispensing tea and chat freely.

A big thank you to PushMePullYou for leading us through February ably assisted by ToffeeFudgeCake. We had a huge influx of new posters as well, which was lovely, anyone else who is lurking, please say hello, you will be very welcome.

We have a fairly relaxed attitude to Flying 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.

If you are overwhelmed by the mess in your home, start with just one thing: shine your sink. It's amazing what you can achieve by just doing a bit at a time!

Ah, but I only had five pages Toffee - which will pay virtually nothing. I was looking at how much I've earned so far this year earlier this morning, and it was really quite depressing. As much as I would probably complain about it, I would love to have 40 pages to get my teeth into - even if the house would fall apart in the meantime. I honestly don't know how you fit home edding in as well, but am full of admiration.

DD1 has just got the plastic bags (to collect all the sweets that will be thrown from the floats) ready for this afternoon, ready to add to the pile that she and DD2 brought home from school earlier. They quite often get sweets as rewards for good work at school too, which I'm a bit about.

That sounds like an excellent strategy, Systems. I really need to concentrate on decluttering more, but you're right about there always being so much to pick up and put away - sometimes I feel like I spend all day tidying.

Enjoy your lunch, Celestial.

Quick flying visit to let you know I'm still here!
RL has got in the way of posting on here at the moment and I haven't a hope of catching up.
Have been decluttering though so house starting to reach a baseline of where I want it to be - quite a low baseline though

Going to struggle to function today as woke at 2.30am and didn't get back to sleep. Need a list to survive the day I think:

• Morning routine - need to finish
• Sort out builder, electrician and light-fittings for rental house - done
• Constantly check email for word from friend re above - in the vain hope that she has changed her mind about the half-arsed job she is making me do and is going to agree to getting it done properly (loooooooong and very frustrating situation ) - doing
• Book osteopath appointment - done
• Work - need to do stuff but may cause more problems than I solve due to lack of sleep
• Pancakes for dinner
• DD to Brownies
• Collapse

Will try the work thing for a while but may end up going for nap with good book instead.

Hope everyone is OK.
Do we have another thread baby yet?

Hello lovely ladies.
Hope everyone is having a good day. Sorry have been awol for a few days!
Thank you all for the sleeping potions, gin, flowers, and sleeping pod!! - I think it all helped!
DD is still real miserable, not like her at all. Last night was a bit better, not up so much, and i did get a little sleep too!
Hardly got any flying at all done for days! I haven't even managed to do dishes or shine sink or anything! :(
Chaos has resumed!

Good luck PMPY - thinking of you!

Might be back later, DD depending. We are currently watching some Mr Men! x

Today:
Dr appointment done
Dishwasher emptied done
Beds made done
Mission
Yesterdays mission done
Hotspot
Mop kitchen floor
Load in washing machine done
Breadmaker on
Swish and swipe done
Rehome clutter from dd's room
light fire done
clean mirror and window in dds room done
pay credit cards done
sort out customer order
clean microwave done

My list appears to be getting longer.

Can I come for lunch with you Celestial? Sounds like fun!

Wow, have managed to do a few things, between sorting the snot!
done list:
did mammoth set of dishes, cleaned kitchen, shined sink. Made up bottles/meals etc for rest of today.
Hoovered whole house, quick wipe down of bathroom, put some clothes away. Phew!

Good morning all

missjulie so glad you got some sleep.
celestial enjoy your lunch.
babieseverywhere welcome
PMPY thinking of you

I went straight from school lunch to the shops and by the time I got home it was lunchtime so I haven't done any flying in the house yet. Hoping to catch up before I need to pick up DS2 and DD from school.

Done

Pancakes - gave the DCs pancakes for breakfast as there might not be time later on!
Food shop
replacement swimming goggles bought and a spare pair in case DS 1 loses the new pair
plain top for DS1 concert - bought
DD First Communion dress - ordered
Put away shopping
Shiny sink

To do

Swish and swipe up and downstairs
Hot spot x 2
Put washing on
Put dry washing away
Pack up DCs swim kit for lessons this evening
Make packed tea for DS1 who has a rehearsal this evening.
Pack DS1 PE kit for tomorrow
Various emails
Give supermarket vouchers to school
Label goggles to they don't get lost again
Lay out clothes for tomorrow
15 mins declutter and/or mission

Might get done

Clean hob - this was on yesterday's list
Complete DS2 passport form - lucky his passport doesn't run out till July, this never quite gets done.
Menu plan

straight from school run not lunch. Can you tell I was starving when I got home?

Afternoon.

Done:
Trip to Blackpool
2 loads washing
buy new school shoes for ds
find about a new music thingy to survive training
get new hair bobbles
empty upstairs bins
put plants in to soak
collect washing in kitchen

to do:
make swimming kit up for later
make up batter for pancakes (prior to school run)
cook up and eat pancakes (post school run, prior to swimming)

right, I'm off to shops, having completed:
some
ironing
dusting
further wiping

menuplan for this week is
honey mustard chicken with green beans and tarragon (dh nice meal tonight!)
meatballs and couscous
macaroni fish
lentil bolognese
cheese burgers
shepherd's pie with green lentils as well as mince!

and a citrus sponge cake, and apple crumble in there somewhere and lots of veg!

off to shops

Funabulist the things on your list are familiar I now have five pairs of swimming goggles, but can only find three or even two at any one time..passport application dramas took up the whole of one year I seem to remember, and as for the First Communion (that was last year x 2 and Linzer I recall...

Update:

Home ed done
Work nearly half-way through

DH has just told me he'll be at home on Thursday, so I'll be able to get more work done then.

Haven't touched the kitchen. Sadly, neither have the kitchen elves, so I will have to deal with it before the school run.

Swan - I hadn't thought of DS seeing me working, but you're right - that is good for him. Especially as I think he thought I just browsed on MN lazed around at home all day. Our (very small) garden is a mess too, by the way. Neither of us have time to deal with it.

missJ have you checked for earache?

now lost my money - dh gave me some cash and can't find where I laid it down
too much tidying obviously

forced to ring bank - which is a good thing
and check funds update, and that's fine (can withdraw money again), so hope I'll find the cash later....

Earache? Erm...no. How would one check for that?
Seems 'just' like a cold - very, very snotty, and coughing, and generally quite miserable

shopping done
recycling nearlydone

off to pickup, pancake making next

missJ if you took her to dr's they could check her ears and see if they were inflamed; earache isn't always evident (they don't always pull at their ears or whatever) and does go along with colds, esp. snotty ones, bungs the tubes between nose and ear up. My son used to get loads of them and it does disturb their sleep. But, if she is getting better anyway, I wouldn't worry too much, would just keep her dosed up on painkillers in case she is uncomfortable with something. Hope you get better sleep tonight!

Thanks!
Have just phoned HV, who put my mind at rest! Just says to carry on doing what i am, and if she is no better, to phone the doc tomorrow. Am now in a pile of tears!

[shudder] I do hate pickup. All 3 dcs start shouting at me simultaneously, however many cheese strings I hurl at them and the minute they get in the door, it emerges they all desperately need a pee at the same time! Well, luckily we didn't go to the park

I am hiding in the kitchen - it is cosy here in the naughty corner!

Now, I think I'll start again and be serene and lovely...and ask them about their day...

MissJ - when my DSs had ear infections, they cried everytime I laid them down (makes the pain worse), so I either had to hold them on me or prop up the mattress a bit with a cushion or pillow (underneath the mattress). Babies don't always like sleeping on a hill though. Glad your HV was reassuring. Hope tonight is better.

Swan - I am hiding in my kitchen too! DS1 had a meltdown on the way home: he pushed his little brother and swore at him (a very rude word ). As a punishment, I told him he couldn't go on Roblox this afternoon, which prompted an explosion of rage and more swearing. He is upstairs in his room. I have hidden his computer. Such a shame, as we had had a nice day until then. All his little brother was doing was chatting, but DS1 got furious at him for interrupting him (because he was excitedly chatting away to us after a day at school). Really unfair of DS1. It's horrible when our 'dear' children act so unpleasantly, isn't it?

Must go and tackle the kitchen, which still has all the breakfast things out .

aaarrraaaggghhh just dunked my iphone in my coffee. you see you should never sit down for a break!!!! looks what happens!!!!!

desperately trying to get itunes to finish downloading new versions so i can sync my phone before it dies!!

missj ah poor you its so hard especially when not getting sleep.
swan thx for admitting that you hate pick up, i feel the same sometimes. Its one of those things you are supposed to rejoice in being extremely happy to see your children whom you have desperately missed all day . feed them some pancakes then theyll be happy. hmm i wonder if anyone would notice some lentils in my shep pie. dh wont eat any pulses at all. takes one look and sticks his nose up. well done on meal planning.
sends kitchen elves over to toffees
ghf like nickname. not a chance of forgetting you
babieseverywhere welcome to our little thread, ive been here a year now and things are better in my house.
fun keep meaning to ask about your nickname, is there a story?
molly well done on list

aarraagghh got to restart computer. back in a mo...

Am back home and warming up after going to watch the carnival procession. DS was getting fed up (when are the sweets coming? cold, earache, etc.) after about five minutes and crying continuously for the last half hour or so. Keeping track of five children (seven at one stage, when the friend I was with popped into a shop) was quite exhausting, but I didn't lose any. Did bump into another kindergarten mother who had lost her son though, and was understandably in a state of panic - thank goodness he turned up after about 10 minutes (long enough). And thank goodness it's over for another year.

funambulist / swan Yes, first communion and passport applications sound very familiar - am enjoying having a break from them this year (one first communion and two passport renewals coming up next year). We were talking on the German thread earlier today about the extortionate cost of passports here (almost ?200 for me, about ?150 for the DC) and I decided I would have stopped at two DC if I'd known how expensive it would be. (Alternatively, I could get them Austrian passports at about 1/5 of the cost, but I like the idea of them having British passports...)

missjulie Really hope that DD is better soon and that you can catch up on some sleep. Sleep deprivation is just horrible.

Hope your iPhone is OK, Nettie (did you think it was a biscuit? )

Toffee The breakfast things didn't get cleared away till midday here.

Have just remembered I still have tomorrow's English lesson to prepare and no inclination.

Nettie - thanks for the kitchen elves. Between us, we have managed to load up the dishwasher, clear and wipe the surfaces and empty the bin.

Do the elves make dinner too? . Hope your iPhone is ok, btw.

Linzer - thanks for reminding me that I am not the only one leaving breakfast stuff out. If I have work, housework always has to come last on the list of priorities. Well done at not losing any children at the Fasching.

Swan - are you still hiding in your kitchen ?

DS1 is watching 'Tom and Jerry Christmas Special' with DS2 now. It seems to have restored a happier atmosphere. Hope the cartoon violence doesn't give him anymore ideas though.

Toffee Housework was definitely at the botttom of my list today. Still, it would be worrying if we were prioritising housework over paid work and the children! I always tell myself I can catch up with housework once paid work is out of the way (one of the advantages of not having a 9 to 5 job).

The friend who we went to the Fasching procession with has invited DD1 and DD2 to stay overnight on Friday. Sadly no prospect of a third Friday Date Night in a row, however, as I've already arranged for a friend of DS's to come and stay on Friday. Not sure I could cope with the excitement of three Fridays out in a row, anyway.

Now done:

make swimming kit up for later
make up batter for pancakes (prior to school run)
cook up and eat pancakes (post school run, prior to swimming)
More washing

list complete.
ready for bed. just waiting for bedtime to shove ds into bed. soooo tired.

trying to be good and stay of mn = not having time to catch up properally. sorry. child free this weekend so will try to catch up a bit.