New Year FLYers - part 2

[bessie26]

carrying on from where we left off!!

[bessie26]

long you are very good giving up MN - I would be so much more productive (& less tired) if I could limit my time on the internet (damn you iPhone!)

sponge I agree with carrots, just ignore the missions (& the detailed cleaning) until you've finished the babysteps - you definitely don't want to burn out! and Flylady seems to think that decluttering is THE most important thing ever, and if your DH is a hoarder I reckon you must have a fair amount of that!

My DD is 2.5, and likes to (try to) help! She likes wiping down the fronts of the kitchen cupboards (although she sometimes uses the cloth she cleans her blackboard with ), and she has her own little broom, and dustpan & brush which she "helps" me clean the kitchen floor with. Although she's not actually helping, she does enjoy it & I figure with another year or two's practice I can leave her to it!

carrots Mirin is a kind of sweet Japanese rice wine (I get it from sainsburys) - google suggests you could replace it with sake, sweet sherry (or dry sherry + sugar) I think I've just replaced it with half the quantity of water in an emergency before!

The smoky tacos sound nice, does smoked paprika taste alot different to regular paprika? I only ever have the regular stuff, but notice that quite a few recipes say to use the smoked stuff.

Am impressed you vacuum your car! I get mine washed every couple of months by the men in the supermarket carpark & DH takes both our cars for a full valet once or twice a year - how lazy are we!?

But am even more impressed by your non-repeating menu! - you need to publish your meal planner so I can copy it we can be inspired!

[Carrotsandcelery]

Thanks bessie - I hope to pop into Tesco tomorrow so I will see if they have any. Now I know roughly what sort of thing I am looking for so have a vague idea where it might be.

The smoked paprika does taste a bit different. It has a stronger flavour and obviously is a bit smokey. Tbh you can't taste it in the tacos recipe though - I would be tempted to put in more next time.

The meal planner is not inspiring but I will try and publish it and give you a good laugh.

[Carrotsandcelery]

Hello again - I think I have published my menu plan on the blog. It is as it was on my laptop so not exactly as we ate it but it give you a rough idea.

[bessie26]

Hope you're all having a good weekend?

DH is banging & sawing in the dining room (he's trying to finish laying the floor today) DD & I went to play at a friend's house this morning, who gave DD 2 big boxes of books - not sure yet where i'm going to put them! I've made casserole & cheesecake, washed up a mountain of things & should have been sorting the spare room, but had a cup of tea and put my feet up instead .

Off to wake DD from her nap now

[Carrotsandcelery]

Hi bessie - I am marinading tofu. Dh is scared!

[Carrotsandcelery]

bessie we are all after our ginger tofu. Dh and I were cowards and very casually let the dcs tuck in first and watched their faces [sneaky emoticon]

We haven't done a lot around the house today. Mostly endless rounds in the dishwasher and endless tidying of the kitchen table and sweeping of the kitchen floor - but Sunday is family day

I have finished the Maltesers anyway - ds had turned the little box into a little puppet with a flappy mouth - so I will need to find a new motivation this week

We have vistors galore coming at the end of the week and I have to say that, as long as they stay out of the study I don't have to go bananas in the house to get ready. I reckon if I follow my usual routines all that is needed is an extra shop at the end of the week and an extra house blessing on Friday.

Thanks everyone for helping me stay motivated and for making me actually look forward to visitors!! Whoop!

[dylsmum1998]

Hello all. how have you all been. skimming the thread looks like all ok

things have been crazy here so haven't got on. Am still (just about!) FLYing. I have a few days off now so need to get everything back up to date. I went away with friends for the weekend. had a fab time. left dc home with grandad and nanny. nanny works sunday so my lovely clean house was not quite so clean when I got back last night. nevermind. I have tidied through now need to hoover and wahs the floors after bikes got dragged through over the weekend- back gate use??

[Carrotsandcelery]

Hi dylsmum - we missed you . Glad to hear you are still flying. It sounds like life is busy.
I have done my house blessing this morning, the dishwasher, the washing machine, and kitchen worktops so my house looks pretty nice (as long as you don't go in the study or the dcs room!) It is a good start to the week
I am off to clean the fridge then go to Tesco and walk the dog.
This week's zone is the living room for those who are up to that.

The mission for the day is here

I am not sure what babystep we are on - sponge can you enlighten us? The babysteps are here to look up.

It is a good mission and one I need to do in the kitchen and living room really. Kelly says 5 mins so I think I can manage that.

The fridge comes first though.

[spongefingerssavedmylife]

Hello.
On babystep 11 - do a mission!
Have done morning things + sorted DD's crafty stuff into new set of plastic drawers. We may actually be able to do some making things again! Told DH about flylady after wine at the weekend. He was quite pleased abd has even been regularly at emptying bins / taking recycling out. He is banned from teasing or telling anyone else though! I think he is starting to get the fact that the house will never look nice with crap clutter everywhere!
The one thing I'm struggling with is the 15 min daily declutter - it's not easy with DCs around, but I'm trying to do stuff when they've gone to bed. Being more organised in the day seems to be meaning that I'm not spending all evening trying to catch up and feeling grumpy.
Now need to hang up washing (inside or outside? hmmm) and do menu plan!

[Carrotsandcelery]

sponge don't be too hard on yourself with the 15 minute declutter. Any decluttering is better than none and there is also no law that says it can't just be done one minute at a time. I find it difficult and my dcs are 6 and 9 (and at school 6 hours a day!) so I can easily see how it is more of a challenge when they are so little. I would just try to do a bit here and a bit there and you will be amazed how much does actually happen.

Fridge is done here, shopping done and in clean fridge and bags put away and the dog is walked. Tonight's tea needs to be made fresh so that will have to wait. I need a wee break anyway.

I might get the dcs to help with the sofa diving mission if they don't have too much homework. I suspect they might find it quite entertaining!

[bessie26]

sponge ditto what carrots says about the 15min declutter, anything is better than nothing & I bet if you thought about it, you do those 15mins a day without thinking about it - tidying up before you vacuum, putting toys back in bedrooms, dirty socks in the laundry, mugs left in random places throughout the house in the dishwasher ( or is that just my DH? )

I've done some of my home blessing this arvo. Spent most of this morning on my feet so my legs are aching now & mopping the floor is going to have to wait until tomorrow.

DD & I had a lovely time in the garden earlier, did lots of running around in the sunshine, then she tormented looked at ladybirds, while I dead-headed the daffs (I'm counting that as today's decluttering!)

carrots am so pleased you liked your ginger tofu! I remembered another recipe involving some "silken" tofu and a bar of chocolate - I'll try to blog it tonight when I'm doing our meal plan for the next week

Hi dyls! am jealous you've been away (again?) We've got nothing planned until august & that's a week away with DH's parents & sister

[Carrotsandcelery]

bessie I am at you dead heading daffodils! Ours haven't come out yet! That has really made me laugh. It definitely counts as decluttering though. Well done running anywhere that heavily preg as well. I could barely waddle by then!

[bessie26]

carrots i am alot further down south than you (East Anglia) and our garden is quite sheltered - think we had our first daff out early/mid Feb, but even friends who live locally were at that!

I found my first tulip at the bottom of the garden, which I'm quite excited about - Tulip is my pet name for #2 (don't ask me why, it just popped into my head last summer) so I'm taking it as a "sign" (must get to bed early tonight!!)

[Dosey]

hi everybody, I had an awful week last week so I wasnt around much. I lost a friend through cancer which really stopped me in my tracks and also the computer got a virus so I was unable to report in. Anyway a new week and a new start. Going to try very hard and stay focused this week. Its a good job we are in the living room this week because ours really needs some tlc.

Hope we are all well

xxxx

[Carrotsandcelery]

Oh Dosey that is really sad news. I am so sorry. I hope you are ok.
I am very glad to see you back though.

[dylsmum1998]

bessie first time I have been away this year. It was one night in Brighton with uni friends. we drank, danced and laughed an awful lot I feel so much better for it. Have had more bad news recently so was nice to let off steam.

Dosey Sorry to hear your sad news.

My daffs and tulips haven't come out yet! Although I went down to my new allotment this afternooon and there are daffs there so guess they are technically mine now

I have done 5 loads of washing and ironing today. Thorough clean of the living room and dusted as well as usual list. So fairly productive. Now need to sort my uni work out for my tutorial tomorrow.

[bessie26]

dosey sorry to hear your sad news, hope you are ok & have some RL friends to talk to about it.

5 loads of washing and ironing dyls ?? wow - I am very impressed! and feel very lazy, I haven't even started the meal plan for this week yet - off to shine the sink now, must at least try to get to bed on time!

[Carrotsandcelery]

Hello everyone. How are you getting on today? We have had a bit of a bizarre morning as ds had a little accident which had to be treated at the doctor's surgery. All is well, hopefully, now though and he is reclining of the sofa eating his packed lunch.

I have managed to put a wash on (as had to wash all the bloody clothes etc) and I have got some ironing done as well. Thank goodness I did so much yesterday so I feel reasonably on top of things for our visitors at the weekend.

Today's mission is here I did this yesterday when I dusted the lounge so that is not a problem [smug]

The babystep is no 12 I think

I haven't done yesterday's mission yet so I am going to try to fit that in if ds stays settled (apart from the sofa he is on just now of course)

[bessie26]

oh poor carrots DS! hope it was nothing too nasty?

I have spent most of this morning cleaning the utility & kitchen floors... with a pan scrubber! It's lino-type stuff, but it has little grooves in so every few months I have to get down on my knees to clean it properly.

Off to the vets now to get some worm pills for the cats, then to see the midwife & then I'm going to continue the seemingly never ending task of tidying the spare room.

[Carrotsandcelery]

bessie I am sure that given your condition, your dh could have got the floor scrubbing job at least this time and the first time after the bump appears

Baby carrot is fine thanks - seems more or less recovered and is currently hard at work spraying drawings and toys everywhere. My mum tells me salt and cold water to soak blood out of everything. It could take some time!

It has meant that our normally manic Tuesday afternoon has been cancelled so many clouds do seem to have silver linings as it has taken some pressure off.

Your spare room is beginning to sound like my study bessie - the difference being that you are doing something about it!

[dylsmum1998]

quick post before dinner.

Have managed a general tidy round today, cleared the shed and dug over part of the garden. Have spent most of the day meeting with friends.

Bessie I've not meal planned for this week yet either.

Carrots glad baby carrot is ok. Diluted white vinegar is good for removing stains

[bessie26]

Oh bugger - totally forgot about the meal plan for this week!

[Carrotsandcelery]

Wow dylsmum you were going for it today!
My mum came round, concerned about baby carrot and also worried about little celery too who sustained a head injury at school. What a day!
Both seem fine though so fingers crossed.
We didn't get much more done around the house but had great fun making mini pies and decorating them with pastry leaves and hearts etc. They were yummy too - I will post the recipe soon on the list.
We are having your Spanish Casserole tomorrow bessie and looking forward to it.
We did do bits and bobs though - it is surprising what has become habit since the start of the year. It is automatic for the dcs to declutter the table with (minimal) persuasion, dh just automatically sorted out the last few things for the dishwasher and I have kept on top of the work tops (almost).

I will try the white wine vinegar dylsmum - can I use it on a pale beige carpet do you think?

[Dosey]

hi everybody, thank you for the messages, I am ok and have lots of friends to talk to. Loosing my friend is horrid but it has made me appreciate my lovely life and family.

So far this week I have managed to do a little decluttering in the living room and stick to my daily routines. I will catch up on my cleaning list and home blessing on my days off.

Carrots please send your pie recipe and your spanish casserole recipe, my tummy is rumbling.

I am hoping to get on top of all my housework and missions before sunday so I can enjoy mothers day without worrying about housework and hopefully enjoy a massive box of choccies

Hope you are all well xx

[Carrotsandcelery]

Morning everyone.

Dosey I am glad you are getting the support that you need. These events make us review our own perspective too. I am just about to put the pie recipe on my blog here and the Spanish Casserole is on bessie's blog here I can thoroughly recommend bessie's ginger tofu as well - it was delicious and the whole family enjoyed it.

I am mostly ironing today and folding laundry. I am also still dealing with blood stains (why do dcs move around while they bleed?) and decluttering the mess ds made when he was off school yesterday. He has done most of it but there are a few bits and bobs still to tackle.

Today's mission is here and today's babystep is here

Have a great day everyone!