Part 2 - If you're house is cluttered and you're Mad as a Hare, join March Fledgling Flyers and get it all square

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

This is the second March Fledgling Flyers thread, all newcomers are welcome.

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.

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.

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!

Ellie - :o at 'worm'

Busy here and need to get DC up so better go.
Will try to get on later but not sure it will happen.

First Mother's Day craft session went really well and was surprisingly calm :)

Enjoy sunshine if you have it

Morning all,

Really need to do a crisis clean today, as the house has descended into chaos yet again and I was too tired to do much about it yesterday evening. I didn't get the early night I was hoping for, as the DDs decided to keep me company while DH is away and I didn't want to go to bed until they were asleep (which didn't happen until around 9.30 pm; I think they were overexcited by the change of bedroom scenery). Instead, I ended up spending far too much money online - spotted a Boden code on a thread, didn't think I'd actually be tempted as I'm not usually that keen on their clothes and ended up buying three dresses (at least one of them only cost a pound).

Right, really must get on - otherwise my "quick look" at MN will turn into the usual half hour. Will try to come back later to catch up on the chat!

Morning all

Have a good day at worm Ellie!! (I am still fushed with success!)

Wierdly wide awake this morning and have six free hours in which to catch up on everything I didn't get done yesterday:

morning routine + s&s, + boudoir swipe, + dishwasher + wm on done
start laying out clothes/paperwork for trip
office laundry
important phone call
quick supermarket shop
TWO HOURS IN HOME OFFICE
prepare meal for freezing
menus for w/e after next
final check office function debacle arrangements

Have a good day one and all!

Morning. So tired. I hate early morning training sessions. I am either dead on my feet or hyperactive when i finish. Having had about 3hrs sleep I am dead on my feet and cant even curl up and sleep as have doctors appointment. So the plan for today is:
long soak in hot bath
ironing
Doctors appointment
quick nap
swimming lesson for ds
early night

off to West End today! Some business and some pleasure..
hope to meet up with Dh

kitchen cleanish, but we are all exhausted by two wet beds, ds2 not going back to sleep since 5.30 and fidgeting...and today is ds2's piano exam! [help!)

ellie lovely about ds, and my Mondays are similar (well apart from no job I did (for dcs of course) singing, ballet x 2, football, scouts, homework x 2 and cooked 2 x butternut squashsoup, pilaff, deep cleaned kitchen and collapsed....

Morning all and apologies for the long absence. I had a busy couple of days at the end of the week and it felt more important to get things done than to post about doing them. DS1 had his birthday treat (a cinema trip) on Saturday but unfortunately the rushing around and noise of DS1 and his friends resulted in a 3 day migraine which meant that I've been struggling recently. Unfortunately DH had to go into work during the weekend so I had to get out of bed to cook for the DCs, feeling very sorry for myself.

However the migraine has now gone so I need to get going properly today.

done

dishwasher unloaded and restacked
shiny sink
washing machine on

to do

shopping list
menu plan
big shop
put away shopping
start the houseblessing
hotspot x 2
swish and swipe x 2
introduce myself to new next door neighbours
get DS1 to do some thank you cards
DS2 and DD parents' evening
cheque for DS2 cricket
lay out clothes

Worm's going quite well today .

Good to here it ellie

Glad to hear worm is going well, Ellie . And that you are still fushed with success, Still (felt sorry for you having to work so late last night). Linzer - a dress for £1! I think you can allow that! Swan - enjoy your West End trip. Fun - sorry about three-day migraine, but I'm glad it's worn off at last. Lost - hope you get that nap. Feet - am impressed by calm Mother's Day craft session. WhoKnows - you achieved loads yesterday. Am very impressed (and filing too - don't mention filing to me! Makes me feel panicky at all the filing I should be doing).

House is a tip again. Am going to do Monday's weekly clean today, but felt I should spend time with DS1 this morning. Have supervised him on MathsWhizz, as he tends to drift off to other sites if I don't keep a beady eye on him. He's completing an English tutorial on the BBC website now, then he's going to do a SATS paper (the long writing paper, where he'll have to write his own story. He should enjoy this).

Tomorrow we (me, DH and DS1) are going on a 'home-school' trip to the London Aquarium .

I have a list in my notebook, but it goes on and on and on, so I don't think I'll post it. Will do what I can and try not to get stressed if I can't get through it all.

Bye for now.

knee is officially fucked. Going to dose up on pain killers and go for a nice cake or something. Its just not my life atm.

Going to try to go mn cold turkey for a few days I am spoiling for a fight that probably isnt warenteed. Pissed off with people who cba to post on a regular thread but then feels the need to tell me I should feel strongly about the fact that long standing regular thread is dying death due to cba. So stepping away from the computer is the best thing that i can do imo.

Hope you can all have productive flying days, life is manageable and as problem free as possible.

Good Morning everyone

linzer i have being eyeing up the compost caddy for a while. let me know what you think. Ds got postcard and said wow "can i go there?, can i see LDS?, can he come watch Ben10? Can we go to Thomasland with him? (the big wheel looks terrifying to me). good bargains at boden well done.
scatty lol at running to washing line with eyes closed.

toffee check your washing machine fitlers including possibly a second one you dont pay any attention to. just in case, mil has had a problem for weeks tried all sorts of cleaning materials and it turned out to be a blocked filter with a soggy bounce sheet in it and some money.
ellie aw that is a lovley school report for your ds, well done him and you. loving the worm, i think ill go worming tomorrow
lost so sorry knee is not happy. hope it improves soon. sorry bout thread busting up, hope it calms down, see you in a while.
sc glad you got your work done and hope you "fushed" clears up soon
whoknows i am left wondering who knows how you managed to get all that done i one day well done. thanks for info on links.
toffee oo cool,think that the best thing about home school, educational school trips which you have to go on too. enjoy.
fun glad you are feeling a bit better.
swan have a nice time in West End.

waves at feetheart mm pmpy pa and anyone else ive missed.

Yesterday had a lovely day, went crabbing followed by fish and chips, followed by ds swimming, then i went out for a meal and cinema with the girls. Even managed to squeeze in some time for dh but not a lotta flying.

Consequently bit behind and rather in a panic (someone just kick me) but my cleaner is definately not coming back(i know most of you dont have this one and manage just fine), after 3 weeks of lacklustre coming and goings and then no word i text her and she has lots of really unfortunate family issues but as a result cannot come back to work. It also leaves work without a cleaner too, so may have to clean caravans and clubhouse and laundrette etc.

So onto my list

Ginormous 3 weeks worth of ironing pile
s/s
d/w, w/m, t/d
put away clothes in dc rooms
tidy up toys
tidy and clean kitchen
tidy and clean boudoir
pick up ds from montessori
deep breath
sort out birthday cards for next month
mop kitchen, conservatory, snug and living room floors
make dinner
lay out clothes
gym

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.clker.com/cliparts/b/1/9/5/11954311072083473378don_t_panic__dan_gerhard_01.svg.hi.png&imgrefurl=www.clker.com/clipart-10733.html&usg=__Dlq8JpWjf5FMIqwvbnBFPu6khTQ=&h=518&w=600&sz=97&hl=en&start=16&zoom=1&tbnid=xszAVdF-H07JqM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=135&ei=ZNWRTdeJD4HKhAeq5c2HDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpanic%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D537%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mumsnet

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.clker.com/cliparts/b/1/9/5/11954311072083473378don_t_panic__dan_gerhard_01.svg.hi.png&imgrefurl=www.clker.com/clipart-10733.html&usg=__Dlq8JpWjf5FMIqwvbnBFPu6khTQ=&h=518&w=600&sz=97&hl=en&start=16&zoom=1&tbnid=xszAVdF-H07JqM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=135&ei=ZNWRTdeJD4HKhAeq5c2HDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpanic%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D537%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">practise and fun

Hi everyone. Been busy working so not much flying atm. Doing an Easter party for DD and her friends today after school so have made crispy bird nest cakes with mini eggs in them and am cooking them a boiled egg for tea (they all have cooked lunch at school) which they are going to fill with damp cotton and cress seeds and then decorate. Have also hard boiled lots of eggs for them to paint and decorate and have to hide some choc eggs around the garden and house in a minute. Love doing parties and don't need much of an excuse tbh. School breaks up this week for us and so it does seem a bit early for an Easter party but hey...............

Have hoovered everywhere, changed beds, done washing and hung it outside, shined my sink and tidied all downstairs. Still need to clean bathroom and do some more work but think that will be all today.

ellie It's lovely to have a positive parents evening - well done to your DS and to you

Sorry to hear about your knee Lost, how did the Dr's appoint go? I had a Baker's Cyst a few months ago and it still troubles me if i exercise too much now

lady your Easter party sounds fab can I come please. Dd and ds would love it too

Course you can nettie the more the merrier. Have also hidden 12 mini books which tell a story but you have to find them in book order. Have put a choc chick on top of each hidden book. Thought i could have a sit down at this party . May be my last year doing these parties (do Hallowen and Christmas parties too) as DD is turning 7 in a few months and will be going up into year 3 and probably won't want organised fun for much longer - correction, she will but her friends probably wont

Have now cleaned both bathrooms and scrubbed the loo's so no limescale in sight - yippee. Have just discovered Cillit Bang which works wonders though i do still love my trusty white wine vinegar.

Hi all.

lady My dd would love you for a Mam. she loves those sort of parties (I am not very good at them). she having a party at home on Sat (she is 6) and has planned the 2hrs to the max!

I have a happy hour (well 50mins) as dd at friends and ds at choir.

To do:
hoover
wrap dd present
banking

Had rubbish day at work. We had a staff meeting (always make me anxious), ongoing cuts mean no vacancies to be filled therefore more work all round. We are under pressure to see more patients, give them shorter treatment sessions and fewer sessions, inpatients need to be sent home quicker (before they are ready/have all equipment in place etc). I have no idea where this will end up! [angey].

Right, where's the hoover?

lady and Scatty I like the idea of those parties, and can sometimes rise to challenge, but they bring me out in a cold sweat generally..I think it is the mud at this time of year... Having said that, I think the children tend to find it all wonderful fun, and are not nearly so perfectionist as we are...

Scatty your blood must be boiling. What a shame. Very sorry it's got so bad Hope dd's happiness on birthday cheers you up a bit.

Nettie how many caravans? will anyone help you?

toffeeit seems like a rubrik's cube, one bit is always out of kilter. Aquarium is what I would do on a lovely March day

Lost sorry about knee.

Done
tube/bus
helped SIl in town to apply for foreign passport (baby necessary)
failed to fit in the pizza/coffee with dh, as I ran out of time
rush home on bus
had to get back at 2pm to pick up twins to take one to music grade test
long walk to music test (no parking and relatively local)
test for ds2 (no pass or fail, just comments luckily - examiner said his playign was "smudgy" in parts
long walk back

collapse in exhausted heap and dd has friend round now!

SOO NOO FLYING WHATSOEVER!

Ds2 was delighted with his "smudgy" cert though, and just saw the words "Good" [followed by Start...but he missed the start part I think So I think his enthusiasm for piano is undimmed for now.
And dd may do some practice just to do a test herself, I think she's jealous now, although a grade ahead in violin...never taken a test yet...

swan well done your dc, you do a great job with all their music. I was when Ds signed himself up for the school choir (to be fair I think he misunderstood the concept), yet he is loving it and is in a concert next week . I had assumed that my 2 wouldn't be musical (as neither dh or I are) but now think that I should give them the opportunity to try more musical activities.

Tomorrow is dds birthday + friend for tea + beavers/rainbows so BB Thurs.

Hi all, hope you are well, and I'll catch up soon.

After a hellish week (ish) I finally have a bit of time to myself (albeit the dcs are busy watching Mythbusters...).

My spare time has been used to either search for holidays in UK (in a very narrow date range), or more significantly, I've been sewing some stuff to approximate victorian Style for dd to wear for a school trip.

I'd ordered a pinafore and bonnet from a website, to go with a long skirt and white frilly shirt I'd managed to get from charity shops and modified. On Saturday, I get a call from the website people, telling me that the items I'd ordered were delayed and would be another week. I needed them for TODAY. So cue a frenzy of getting material and cutting and sewing (at least I got a chance to appreciate my new sewing machine).

Took a photo to show parents, and may upload when I get the hang of that.

Having said that dd's got a tartan shawl over the top, very fetching!

DP has gone off to a works quiz night, the first works night he's gone to in a very long time (he does work about 20 miles away so often doesn't want to go out if it's just meeting in pub for a drink).

So far today I have:
morning routine
work (standing in for boss, who's away, trouble is I got a fast ball to sort, but it was done)
shopping
dishwasher
washing
cooked tea
evening routine
And kids to bed in ten minutes.... (bliss)

Tomorrow it's
morning routine
work (Am virtually certain to get the redundancy I applied for - won't miss the 60 mile round trip at all)
collect dcs
go to post office for tax disc
swimming lesson for ds
cook tea
evening routine
DARTS MATCH (collect Mum)
...And flake

I may get 5 mins to come and catch up as well.

ooh those costumes Darts
and then one always meets the clever mothers who somehow managed to give semblance of victorian dress with copydexed teacosy and a dishcloth attached to normal clothes

how on earth does one make a bonnet? Although Isuppose it was a ubiquitous item then, and everyone made them.

Just creating the 3rd sitting of dinner a wild garlic risotto for dh.

kids back from football
dd complaining about something..
lovely friend encouraged her to do some painting (rare activity)

Scatty noo keep away from Activities. Wait till older it will keep...Choir is fine, as no practice needed and you feel great when you've sung!

Easter party went really well, they loved the hidden Easter books and did all the activities with gusto. While I was chatting to the mums in the kitchen though the girls decided to bath the baby dolls in the shower and sink and wrap them with loo roll so a bit of a tidy up after the'd gone as didn't discover it until later. DD had lots of homework which she has now finished and is watching a bit of TV to unwind.

Happy birthday to your DD scatty for tomorrow and hope the party goes well on Saturday.

Congrats to your DS swan on his piano cert, it makes all the difference i think. Sure DD would practice her guitar more if she received certificates.

I'm dreading it when DD asks me to make her a Victorian (or whatever) outfit for school. Well done you DartsRus for making it - very impressed but Grrr for the store letting you down on the outfit ordered though.

Night night all, see you tomorrow no doubt

Good evening, signing in and signing out as off to watch lots of charmed cos i like it!

my list today
Ginormous 3 weeks worth of ironing pile-oh no dh is going to tackle at some point
s/s-done
d/w, w/m, t/d-done
put away clothes in dc rooms-done
tidy up toys-done
tidy and clean kitchen-done
tidy and clean boudoir-done
pick up ds from montessori-done
deep breath-done
sort out birthday cards for next month-nope tomorrow
mop kitchen, conservatory, snug and living room floors-done
make dinner-done
lay out clothes-done
gym-nope but only just sat down after cleaning floors.

swan aw glad ds is chuffed. i think sitting and exam is cause to celebrate. prob only two or three caravans but only work 2.5 days a week so gonna be difficult to squeeze it all on. think ill just go on a cleaner hunt.
scatty hope dd birthday is lovely
darts hello good to see you not seen you in such a long time or have i missed you hope meeting at work goes well and you get what you hope for.
lady glad it went well, i can picture the scene in the shower made me laugh

Humungous waves, nite nite all

update of this morning's to do list

shopping list done
menu plan done
big shop done
put away shopping done
start the houseblessing bins and dusting only
hotspot x 2 almost done for second time
swish and swipe x 2 done
introduce myself to new next door neighbours done They seem very friendly.
get DS1 to do some thank you cards need to buy some tomorrow
DS2 and DD parents' evening done all okay, though as ever DS2's presentation needs work ie he is very messy.
cheque for DS2 cricket done
lay out clothes still to do

I have tried to concentrate on basic tidying and decluttering today. I am more or less managing to keep the main hot spot (kitchen table) under control by clearing it first and last thing, but the book shelves that run along one side of the room where we spend most of our time have been getting worse and worse, so I've had a good 20 minutes chucking and organising the clutter that accumulates there. There is lots so it is only looking slightly better.

Despite the almost daily room challenges the improvement in DS2's bedroom has slowed to a snail's pace so tonight we had a sustained attack on the hundreds of pieces of Lego that litter his floor. I said that we would see who could gather the biggest pile of loose Lego in 5 minutes. He won, which he was delighted by (he is very competitive) and then we put the Lego away. This is no easy task as DS2 by virtue of having the biggest bedroom has DS1 and DDs Lego in his room as well so I can't put it away solo as I don't know which little figure belongs to who and if I put it in the wrong tray or crate there would be hell to pay. DS1 came in occasionally to check on us but it quickly became apparent that DD and DS1's Lego was actually made into recognisable vehicles and structures and the loose stuff was almost entirely DS2's. I can actually see a difference now, albeit a small one, and (hurrah) a piece of floor that I can hoover. (Faints.)

DH still at work and will be there late tonight so I suddenly feel at a bit of a loose end. I find it hard to motivate myself to cook for just me though I know I ought to and a bit down at having to do all the preparation for the morning on my own. (DH normally does the clearing and washing up after we've eaten and packed lunches for the DCs. I do cooking and getting clothes and PE kit etc ready.)