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!

Congratulations PMPY. The name "boy" sounds fine to me. Saves confusion!!

Wow this thread is manic!! Struggling to keep up with you all.

After 18 months of flying I can honestly say my house is the looking pretty good and I dont even consider what I am doing is actually housework anymore. It really has become second nature for me to S&S, clean my sink, declutter, make the beds etc. The one routine that I have never quite grabbed, is the laying out clothes in the evening. I tend to grab what I can in the morning because I then go and get changed before I run out the door to work. MAybe I will give it a go, though. Laundry always has the potential to get on top of me, with so much all the time, but I think I am getting better at containing the mountain.

Nice day planned today:
Work
Take DD2 and DD3 out for lunch
Clean rabbit hutch
cook!!

So, have a good day everyone and keep going with the flying, make it suit you and it really does work!

PMPY - CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to Boy :)
8lb 4oz is a perfect weight - its what both of mine weighed, as did I many many years before :o

Not sure about my list for today, it will mostly consist of:

• Sort out bathroom for rental house. Bl*dy friend has finally seen sense 2* days after the builder stared work and now wants to completely refit the bathroom. This is the right option (and SO much better than the half-arsed option she wanted us to do) but why oh why has it taken her this long to get there - arrrrrrrrrggh

I'm up a bit early [for me]
dh off on business trip in a moment, but dcs still asleep.

done
put some laundry away
made coffee

Nettie phone

Morning all. Caffeine fix under way here.

Taking DD3 swimming this morning. DD1 has piano later. Also meeting at school. Hmm what else to do?

Seem to have inadvertently completed most of todays mission yesterday! Will list when I get back from swimming. Have emptied dishwasher and cleaned up after breakfast. Just becoming second nature to get these things done now.

Enjoy girly time with DDs Positive. Nothing better!

Thinking of PMPY and her lovely new baby. Oh that new baby smell!

PMPY Many congratulations hope all is going well

at everyone else

Just wanted to say my house is looking impressively clean and tidy as a result of all my recent flying which is completely down to the great advice and support from this thread. And the fact that in my head, I kind of feel I'm letting you down if I don't complete my submitted 'to do' list, if that makes sense! Thank you everyone

List for today:
A.M File last bits of paperwork
P.M Make lemon cake with DD2

Feet dealing with both builders and dithery/meanie friends [sympathy] - I suppose sometimes it is only when work is in progress that those of us who are spatially challenged can actually see what we want.
My parents recently renovated a flat to let, and it took them a long time to get their head round the fact that corporate tenants needed power showers, smart tiles/complete refit, and they kept insisting it all the bathroom needed was a coat of paint and a regrout. (As they never had a power shower in their own bathroom at home and the tiles were 50 years old) In the end they did what letting agent (ie: you?) advised and got a much better return.

Ds2 is at home. Having been up too late and had hysterics over his party, and streaming cold...
I am waiting for Aga service.
Long chat with friend who updated me on various issues to do with school etc..
And also gave me number of someone who supervises football parties [yay!) anywhere you want them to..

done
recycling first thing
two dcs to school
dd violin practice

LIST
piano practice
ds2 handwriting - going to get him to copy a funny poem out
ds2 piano practice
order lakeland cleaning items
buy mop
order new hoover bags
sew curtains
cook lamb meatballs
make beds
put away ironing
put out green recyling (QUICK!)

then Piano lesson ds2 3.45
take dd to Brownies, and take dss to Beavers as helping

Good morning all.

I ended up swishing and swiping the upstairs bathroom at 11.45pm and failing to lay out my clothes as DH was already asleep. Determined today to get the morning routine done in the morning and to lay out my clothes when I lay out school uniform for DD and DS2.

Good flying this morning so far

Done list

swish and swipe up and downstairs done
dishwasher unloaded and restacked done
kitchen and bathroom bins emptied done
recycling bin emptied done (by DH )
give vouchers to school done
book DS2 into late club done
hotspot x2 done x1
mark DS2 maths done

To do

hotspot x1
15 min declutter/mission
packed tea for DS1
pack music bag for DD
church (Ash Wednesday)
send various emails
collect parcel from Post Office
buy birthday present
lay out clothes for morning (DD, DS2 and me)
buy visitor parking permits
put away dry washing
hang up wet washing
mark DS2 english
get ready for pick up

might get done (ever hopeful)

DS2 passport. Need to find birth certificates to fill in birth towns etc for DS2, me and DH.

clean hob

buy paper for printer

Must dash.

Post and get on with it this morning.

Morning routine done
Collect DS from DM and take to playgroup done
Get DH packed & out of door (he's away tonight) done
s/s done
Make beds done
Make bread - doing
Playgroup invoices - doing
Washing up
Zone cleaning - need to get this finished today
Zone mission
Clean fridge
Menu plan
Blanch leeks
Collect DS
Lunch
Our finance
Activity with DS
Filing
Paper file item
Mending
Cook tea
Tea
Bedtime routine
Evening routine

funambulist Can I ask how you label the goggles? My two have gone through so many it's driving me mad- both lost again this week so another expense.

PMPY Do you have a name for your little bundle of joy yet? I found this quite hard with all of ours.

Today's List

All laundry washed!!!
All laundry dried
15mins declutter
Go to Book club
Phone Uncle to wish Happy Birthday

That's it for today, keeping it small but i'm also assuming the laundry will take me all day.

I love your Tuesday list, PMPY! Congratulations! I hope you are enjoying the lovely new baby smell and all the cuddles . . We had real trouble naming DS2. Took us 6 weeks! Family were getting very cross with us by then. 'Boy' will do just fine for now.

Swan - we have tried karate twice with DS1. He enjoyed the atmosphere of the second, smaller, class, but he couldn't really 'get' the karate (he finds following and remembering instructions very tricky and found that embarrassing). I wish I could find him something though.

DS1 wrote a note to DS2 to say sorry, btw (I insisted, to bring home the seriousness of his 'offence'). They are fine now. DS2 is very forgiving of him.

Ballinderry - that is a long time to wear a patch. Have you tried posting a thread about it?

Bit of a panicky, too-much-to-do day here today.

School run done
Quick meeting at school done
S&S done
Crisis clean doing
MIL arriving (any minute)
Home ed
Work
Washing on
Write letter for childminder
Lunch
Make up beds
Tidy DS2's bedroom (friend coming over this PM)
School run
DS2's friend and mum here
Dinner
Eve routine

Bed at decent hour

Feeling that 'rabbit in the headlights' panic now.

push congrats on your baby boy!

whoknows, its for children aged 4-6 the one before beavers which is for ages 6-8 (think its 8?)

ballinderrymum, my ds had to wear an eye patch for ages. he hated wearing it and a friend of mine told me about these drops you can get instead. i brought it up at the next clinic app and she ended up putting him on them as he 'just about' met the treshold. after being on the patches so long and them not doing much due to him not wearing them for very long periods at a time the drops worked miracles after only 2 weeks! they are put into the eye that would usually be covered and it prevents them seeing through that eye therefore working the other eye harder. def worth suggesting since she has to wear it for so long.

ok todays list

morning routine done

ds1+2 t0 school/nursery done

ds3's glasses picked up done

ds1's birthday pressy for friend done

to do

washing machine/drier loaded

dishes

hoover/brush

mop floors

do assignment

NickNacks I use the cotton name tags with the child's name embroidered on them. I loop a tag round the strap of the goggles and sew the ends together. It works well when I get round to it!

Quick update:

MIL arriving here
Home ed done
Work a bit done [worried emoticon]
Washing on nope
Write letter for childminder
Lunch doing
Make up beds
Tidy DS2's bedroom (friend coming over this PM)
School run
DS2's friend and mum here
Dinner
Eve routine
wine
Bed at decent hour

Have unloaded d/w, reloaded it, cleared and wiped surfaces and washed the kichen floor. Swept everything from the blazing hotspot on the kitchen worktop into a box and hid it in our bedroom . Kitchen looks better now.

Back later.

Update on my list to spur me into action as DD1 has just gone over to the neighbours' (DD2 and DS are at friends'), so I have time to get on with a few things now.

Morning routine done
15 min decluttering done
Mission done
Empty bins (if necessary) not needed
Recycle paper, metal and glass done
Polish mirrors
Purge magazines
Buy birthday present for DD2's friend
Pay friend for flowers (saw her yesterday and forgot again)
Afternoon routine
DD1: letters
Send photos to GPs
Pick up DD2 from friend's and take to ballet
Buy stamps online
Evening routine

PMPY HUGE congratulations on the arrival of your baby boy - lovely news!

So far:

Hoovered everywhere downstairs - Done
Washed all the floors downstairs - Done
Several hours admin in office - Done
Cleaned kitchen surfaces - Done
Cleaned bathroom - Done

To do:

Clean loos
Put yesterdays ironing away
Have lunch having to wait for downstairs floors to dry before i can eat (badly thought through in hind sight)
Homework with DD - hateful spellings and sentences
Make huge vat of bolognaise for dinner plus extra portions to freeze
Bath DD and normal bedtime routine
101 other things too numerous to mention including running business from home until 9pm every evening.

Just home and have to be out again in 40 mins! Argh!

Just be basics today I think -
decide on something for dinner
dry laundry away / damp on to airer
Quick tidy up of every room

Write letter for childminder do now
Lunch done
Make up beds
Tidy DS2's bedroom (friend coming over this PM) done
School run
DS2's friend and mum here
Dinner
Eve routine
wine
Bed at decent hour

Just marked the SATs Maths paper DS1 did this morning. He got Level 3 in yesterday's. Today, he got...er... 12. That's 'No level'. Argh! I think we might have some work to do there. I asked him if they'd covered all the maths at school and he just said, "I dunno" .

I've read the thread, but no time to comment. .

Have now:

Put ironing away - done
Made huge bolognaise - Done
Had lunch (yey) - Done
Cleaned all loos - Done
Done school run - Done

So just homework and bedtime routine to do oh and have large glass of red (opened from making bolognaise) - think i can manage that.

DH has just phoned to say he'll be back at 6 - the DC were all very tired and cranky this morning, so I've decided that I really must make an effort to get them to bed by 7 pm and DH said he would come home early to help. They're all still at friends', however, so I've been frantically phoning round to make sure everyone's home on time - DH would not be best pleased to get home and find only me here!

Update on the still-to-do items on my list (now have half an hour to get things done):

Polish mirrors done
Purge magazines done (although spent too long reading them)
Buy birthday present for DD2's friend no
Pay friend for flowers (saw her yesterday and forgot again) will do in about half an hour
Afternoon routine doing
Menu planning done
Write shopping list done
DD1: letters no - she's been out ever since she finished her homework
Send photos to GPs
Pick up DD2 from friend's and take to ballet yes and no - change of plan; ended up bringing her home from her friend's so that she could do her homework, and then taking her to another friend's house
Buy stamps online
Evening routine

About to dash off to DS1's concert with DS2 and DD (who are still eating tea. Hurryuphurryuphurryup!

Quick update as I probably won't have time later.

To do

hotspot x1 done but needs doing again
15 min declutter/mission done
packed tea for DS1 done
pack music bag for DD done
church (Ash Wednesday) done
send various emails sent some
collect parcel from Post Office yes
buy birthday present yes, finally!
lay out clothes for morning (DD, DS2 and me) not yet
buy visitor parking permits done
put away dry washing not yet still wet when last checked. Oh for sunny, blowy days. Come on Spring.
hang up wet washing done
mark DS2 english no
get ready for pick up done

might get done (ever hopeful)

DS2 passport. Need to find birth certificates to fill in birth towns etc for DS2, me and DH. no

clean hob no

buy paper for printer no forgot.

The house has cluttered up since we got back from school, music lesson and after school club as have been rushing around rather than tidying, but it was quite tidy before we got in so I'm hoping it won't take long to get straight again.

PMPY hope you and Boy have had a peaceful day.

MIL back from hospital. She is very happy because she has been told she probably doesn't need to have an operation after all .

Have managed bits of work in between watching 'Tom and Jerry' with DS2, being a horse , getting numerous snacks for DS1 and making dinner. DH has just poured me a glass of , so I'm not sure how much more I'll manage tonight. Not a lot, I suspect. I'm fed up with puzzling over hyphens anyway.

DH says he's going to go through the SATS paper with DS1 tomorrow. Rather him than me. DS1 thought a toothbrush would be 15mm, which made us laugh. And he still can't tell the time properly.

Dinner's ready.

Fun - hope the concert goes well .

Hello everyone,

I'm going out tonight, will do the links when I get in, but won't have time for a roundup, if anyone else could do one, that would be great, otherwise will do a catch up tomorrow.