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!

Am I too late to join?

DH does a fair amount of house work but it still looks like a tip since I went back to work. It's a combination of a lack of time and too much stuff I think.

Am about to scream - DS has driven me dotty this afternoon, and has now refused to put his toys away. Will take a deep breath, count to 10 (or 20, or 100) and go and deal.

Right, DS is now in bed, and I'm off to have a bath before tackling the rest of this list. Have had a sore throat and earache all day, so not felt overly motivated

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 done
Playgroup invoices done
Washing up done
Zone cleaning done
Zone mission done
Clean fridge done
Menu plan done
Blanch and freeze leeks done
Collect DS done
Lunch done
Our finance
Activity with DS done
Filing done
Paper file item done
Yards of WI paperwork done
Mending

Cook tea done
Tea done
Bedtime routine done
Evening routine

IHateCobwebs Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I've also felt a bit 'off' for a few days now but can't really put my finger on what exactly is wrong with me. Impressive list though, well done.

Zisforzebra Never too late to join, welcome!

Tomorrow's list (won't get on till tom. night so may as well post it now)

Morning routine
take DD swimming
buy DS1 goggles
watch ds1 swim
visit uncle to give birthday card
help ds1 with beaver homework
read with ds2 (got a bit lax on this so highly important i do it)
empty and clean fish tank
15 min declutter
TD towels
online shop
make outfits for dressing up day at school
evening routine

Lots of these are MUST do's so if you see me on here give me a kick up the behind please!

Good evening everyone

feetheart i can feel your frustration. well done perservering. I like swan comment about spatially challenged people, i am one of those but im a bit challenged when it comes to opening my wallet too!
fun love your list for pmpy id like a list like that too. well done on getting ds to do room challenges, my ds (4) is challenged daily to get dressed never min anything else.
pa i feel the same after a year of flying, sometimes it all gets on top of me and then i post a list and see that ive done a lot.
molly well done on preempting missions always saves a little time
simone brill list and well done, glad you like it here and that flying is going well
swan result on football party supervisor. Hope ds calmed down a bit
snot hmm squirrels, is that run by the scout movement then?
zforzebra welcome come away in have a
toffee enjoy your
ihate well done on tackling the no no no's. hope you got through. if its any consolation i spent half hour arguing with my ds that his E was written the wrong way round. he assured me it wasnt despite many book pulled out to show.
nick good luck with list
whokonws fab round up last night.

huge waves to anyone ive missed, sorry.

I have been at work all day and managed to make the bed this morning and that was that.

so i still have to
finsh emptying dishwasher
put on washing
lay out clothes
s/s
clean kitchen
tidy lounge
make bed again as dh had afternoon napprior to work
morn the loss of my iphone, a man has taken my pride and joy and is intefering with my whole life that lives on there. I might not always post but i check in at several intervals through the day and i couldnt today!! My phone is a squished bugslife.

I better getting posting and move my lazy bottom or ill still be here when dh gets home from work!

nite all

back from Beavers & (Brownies pickup), a bit tiring having both dss there today, as dh away.

ds1 had a nervous breakdown earlier about hating being on stage and saying lines in school assembly, twins are still ballet crazy and danced around front room for a while (that's something
supper done

now I need to go and finish putting everyone to bed
(I can see this is going to be an allnighter ds2 demanding bagels, ds1 doing just 1 minute of caterwauling violn practice, and dd already rearrangng her stationery drawer (she always does this at 8.45pm)

cobweb I was looking at photo of angelic lttle two year olds and wondering how I ever got stressed by them, but I definitely did, poor you, just don't forget to PYB (pick your battles) I bet you will have a lovely tidy helpful 4 year old though, which is more than I ever ended up with...surveys wreckage of playroom.

I gave children challenge of putting away four things each. I don't dare see whether anything has happened..Dh sometimes has fits of re-training them, but even he has given up I'm afraid

ALthough re-reading my post, I see dd likes tidyng her stationery drawer - a glimmer of hope

oh I need to read a story to dd now...she is calling.

I have done some washing, been training and been to the bank twice.

Ds has gone to bed with a cool 'n' soothe on his head and olbas oil on tissue stinking his room out.

Nettie, Swan he'd been in a "pushing the envelope" mood all day. He knows the rules re playing after tea - last play, clear up toys, get ready for bed - the same routine most every night. When he refused, I gave him the options a)he clears them up, or b)I do it, and they aren't available for play tomorrow. "Don't want to play with them tomorrow" was the response. So I said "fine" and we went into bedtime routine. Then.. he decided to change his mind, and was very unhappy with me, when I said "too late" - I'd already done it. Why do they have to make life so complicated??

cobwebs ah yes what a charming way to send them to bed too. I dont know why and i still do not know how to pick my battles.

example ds threw a huge paddy in pizza hut posh restaurant cos he though his dsis was drinking his drink. It wasnt the actual whose drink is who it was the caterwallling like a baby that got me. my dfriend look clearly said is she mad why is she telling him off! i was. to try and deal with unnessary paddy or let him scream place down or by default let him have the drink and have dd scream place down double

oh i meant to just sneak in a wee question to you fab ladies. Does anyone know a suitable book of rhymes for 2-4 yr olds. DS loves rhyming and his second cousin 8 taught him some delightful ones...'ib dib doo the dog has done a poo' something like those kinda silly rhymes but without the poo

cobwebs sorry read that back and doesnt sound good. what i meant is i often have to send mine to bed on the back of a punishment or threat off. Not that you were wrong in any way takes foot outta mouth

No but i know some slightly altered versions of nursery rhymes.

tinkle tinkle little bot
tinkle in your little pot.

hey diddle diddle the cat did a piddle all over the kitchen floor.
the little dog laughed to see such fun so the cat did a little bit more.

hey diddle diddle the cat did a piddle all over the kitchen mat.
the little dog laughed to see such fun and then piddled all over the cat.

Actually yes. i got ds a book of lymmericks when he was 4 and he loved it. they are grown up but silly. cant find out what it is now as he is poorly and i dont want to wake him but will try to linky for you tomo.

Evening all,

Well, I've been out, but it was only to Sainsburys . Was supposed to be going to PTA meeting followed by drinks at the pub, DH had said he might have to work late, then phoned at 5pm and said he would be home at 7, rang at 7 to say it would be 8, turned up at about 9, really didn't feel like showing up 2 hours late, so I decided to knock one of tomorrows jobs off the list by doing the shopping instead.

Also been to work, been to a friend's house to do mutual DC passport photo countersigning session, school run, took DD for a haircut, etc etc. Needless to say not much flying, although did manage 2 loads of washing, change one bed, 5 min tidy of DS's room and excavate my way through a pile of papers on the coffee table, not too bad really. I'm not starting a roundup now, but will do the links.

Nettie if DS likes rhymes have you tried Fox in Socks by Dr Seuss?

Thursday

Babystep You can do anything for 15 minutes, especially if it is throwing stuff out

Mission

Who's In The Loo Nettie a rhyming book of sheer genius

There are so many nursery rhyme/poem books - I think you might have to go to a library to see the range. Puffin/Oxford/Random House did good selections too. Our school library is out of action at moment otherwise I could check for you..Ours are mostly for older kids - we love anything by Michael Rosen.

Lavender's Blue is a good traditional nursery rhyme book though - by Oxford Universty Press/Kathleen Lines.

children are asleep (I hope)
need to tidy kitchen [sigh] not watch telly, and go straight to bed
done
clothes laid out
some paperwork earlier in day and posted

Nettie DH was too frightened to go en famille to (perfectly child friendly) restaurants for a loong time. When we did go (youngest at four perhaps?) DH never ate anything, as he was just racked by tension waiting for the next terrible thing to happen...He used to come home and make himself a cheese sandwich when the ordeal was over.

toffee Ds1 seems to have lost confidence in his academic abilities again - he spent most of this afternoon saying he was rubbish at everything, and I know this is partly due to his Maths. I am dreading tackling the SATs workbook which I purchased two weeks ago, but I know I should. I think he is level 3 too. Anyway I need to speak to his teacher, who I still haven't had parents' eve talk with...He hates me doing his homework with him, so I probably have taken my eye off the ball as far as Maths is concerned..

Oh yes
Quangle Wangle's Hat by Helen Oxenbury/Edward Lear
Owl and Pussy Cat illus?/Edward Lear
Jumblies illus? Patrick someone??not Benson, maybe wrong, quite recent 10 years recent/Edward Lear

all thin colourful picture books

another book

Where's My Teddy,
Help Said Eddy I've Lost My Teddy
Eddy's Teddy's Name is Freddy
He's Lost Him In the Woods Somewhere
It's Dark and Horrible in Here

another book

This is the Bear [that fell in the bin]
This is the Boy [that pushed him in]

and so on...there are so many rhyming picture books alas, I have decluttered most of them to friends

maybe if he's 4 you have all those, sorry...

thats brill, thanks.

in fact i havent got any of those. Think a library trip is in order indeed.

aw i used to love the owl and the pussycat.

Oh flippen 'eck...so much to catch up on. Right off to make a and i'll have a read through the thread when I get back

good morning everyone.

todays list

get up, dressed
dc nursery me work
try and sneak out from work to go to new next store at lunchtime
home to bathe dc and bed
put away clothes (which will hopefully have been ironed by cleaner who promised today was the day)
go out for a nice meal with friends.
home to bed.

have a lovely day everyone.

Morning everyone,

I've just been out for coffee, so am late getting started this morning - it was lovely to catch up with my friend, who I hadn't seen for a while, although I'm now very as she's off to Oslo for a child-free weekend.

Anyway, will quickly post my list and then get on with things:

Morning routine part done
15 min decluttering
Mission
Clean fridge
Buy birthday present for DD2's friend delegated to DH (as his office is above a bookshop)
Afternoon routine
DD2: letters
Send photos to GPs
Book hotel near Playmobil FunPark (on-site hotel fully booked until August)
Buy stamps online
Plan next week's English lessons
Evening routine

Nettie I would second WhoKnows' suggestion of Dr Seuss, as the DC used to love his books (we still read them, although not as often as we used to) - their favourites are The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and One Fish, Two Fish. Can also recommend the Quangle Wangle's Hat (which swan has already mentioned), Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl (although possibly for a slightly older age group) and When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne.
Allan Ahlberg is very good too - Heard it in the Playground is good for primary school age children, and DD2 loves Cops and Robbers (with Janet Ahlberg).

Enjoy Next - there's one coming to the town where my parents live, so I'm hoping it will be open by the summer.

Still no chance to catch up but:
Nettie - 'Revolting Rhymes' and 'Dirty Beasts' by Roald Dahl - one is an updated version of fairy tales, I remember Red Riding Hood whipping a 'pistol from her knickers' and ending up with a wolf-skin coat :o, and the other is various poems about animals. Great rhymes and wonderful dark Roald Dahl bits that kids love.
Also Spike Milligan for mad nonsense stuff - The Ning, Nang, Nong anyone?

Today's list was meant to be Work, Work and more Work but DH remembered late last night that the car insurance runs out today so guess what I am doing?!

Comparison websites here I come

Linzer - great minds :)