April Fledgling Flyers: April Fools we are not, babysteps and decluttering makes our thread hot, step right in and mark your spot.

[NettieSpaghetti]

Welcome, come away in you?ll have had your . This is the April Fledgling Flyers Thread.

Thanks to WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes who was champion at leading us through March.

We are trying to stick to the Flylady © Website and her baby steps and routines to help keep our houses out of C.H.A.O.S and ready for everyday, maybe the odd visitor or two.

Check her website out but don?t sign up for emails as they are likely to inspire but fill your inbox so full we might not see you till August.

The principles are:

Babysteps (one at a time)
Babysteps and 15 minutes daily decluttering
Babysteps and daily missions.

This month I will be posting the links and leading you down the road to building a routine and keeping your house under control.

It is amazing what you can achieve in a simple babystep,15 minutes a day and a little chat.

Woke up at normal time in spite of late bedtime, as did DS. We will both feel the effects later, I expect. DS1 managed to make me a card after he woke up - he said, "It's not a five-minute card - it's a six-minute card!" Realised, as I was looking at my own cards, that I hadn't sent MIL or Mum a Mother's Day card. I had done the flowers/presents - but not the cards. It's always me who organises it, so, naturally, DH had forgotten a card for his mum too. After the misunderstanding over us visiting yesterday, it just gets worse and worse. He rang her and said it was in the post and is dashing over to Tesco now to buy one . She will get a bouquet, but she does like to have a card too, preferably large and pink with some dum-ti-dum verse in it.

Have sent my own mum a funny e-card.

Haven't done a thing on my list yet (still in bed), but am just about to start on the lamb casserole now and bung it in the slow cooker. I do like coming home to a readymade meal.

CheerfulYank - glad your house is looking better already . The bedtime at a decent hour thing is the hardest bit for me too. I'm working on it, but the boys are working against me .

Myhouse - We have our own towels, but I need to colour code them, like Cold does. I keep meaning to sort that out. They are hung up to dry after each use and get washed once a week. The hand towel in the bathroom gets changed daily, after I have swished and swiped.

Linzer - hope the Golden Wedding do goes OK today. I don't blame you for not staying overnight after last time.

Off to sort dinner and get dressed.

Thanks for the advice re towels. However there are 4 of us in my house and not enough room to hang all towels in between washes so I am still unsure.

Anyway quick update:

1)Get all towels washed, dried and put away - all in dryer We have an exceptionaly large drier
2)Do some ironing, 1hr and it should pretty much all be done
3)Sort out a kitchen drawer, I know there are 3 pairs of scissors, cling film and sellotape in there, but what why does just that fill it up?
4)Put some clothes in the washing machine ready for it to be turned on first thing in the morning - done
5)Clean and shine sink

Also Ive asked DH if he will help me sort out a particularly bad corner in our front room and now he's talking about also doing other stuff in the room too. We have ordered a book case from Argos to put all the DVD's, Video Games, his magazines, CD's etc. Will see how far we actually get tomorrow anyway.

Will post final update tonight in regards to how I have done today and my list for tomorrow.

One thing re: towels - when my DDs had swimming lessons I cut down on the washing by making that the day they changed their towels, so they'd take the towel they'd been using to the swimming pool and I'd put it in the wash with their costumes when they came in. Before that they had separate swimming towels so we had more to wash each week.

We have our own towels and I dry them in the airing cupboard. DH and I have showers in the morning, so ours dry during the day, and the DDs have baths at night, so theirs dry overnight. So we only really need space to dry 2 at a time, if you see what I mean.

Good luck with your corner, mhwbcthy - hope it works out and you're pleased with it.

Took ds out, but didnt manage what had been originally planned for the afternoon due to the weather. it was a lovely change of plan and really chilled ds out. Which was more then needed. He is currently curled up on the sofa, having been dosed up on meds and looks like he is about to fall asleep. Which, tbh suits me as i feel a bit like death warmed up today and i need my bed.

We hang our towels over the tops of doors to dry. It dosnt look very tidy but needs must with 5 people in the house and not enough space to dry towels. We still have swimming towels though as the chlorine was a problem and ds needs a bath post swimming so still needed a towel for that. But it means that there is a complete swimming kit to go down to his dad's with him that doesnt mean i want to kill the ex if he forgets to return it as we have spare trunks and towels here.

As for flying - assumes normal position in the naughty corner.

Had quite a good day in the end after an inauspicious start - DS1 woke us all up at 5.30 so everyone tired and grumpy!

Phoned my mum and half wrote the shopping list.

Tonight we need to sort out the bathroom ready for the plumber tomorrow - new shower, yay! - and DH needs to fix various things belonging to the boys.

Tomorrow -

• washing and putting away
• weekly shop and putting away
• shine sink

-swish & swipe x2 Maybe keep on with dining room if I get a chance and play with boys as it's our main afternoon in of the week.

Toffee - yes I should declutter the hamper. Maybe put it on freegle.

1)Get all towels washed, dried and put away - done although I DID miss one :( but will get it in a normal load
2)Do some ironing, 1hr and it should pretty much all be done - done
3)Sort out a kitchen drawer, I know there are 3 pairs of scissors, cling film and sellotape in there, but what why does just that fill it up? - done
4)Put some clothes in the washing machine ready for it to be turned on first thing in the morning - done
5)Clean and shine sink - done

I have actually done everything I wanted to do today.

Thanks janey good point in regards to them drying. Right thats the plan then: We each have our own towels and they get hung up and put away once dried. We can even blast them in tumble drier for 10 mins if we more than one person has a bath/shower in quick succession. :)

Now tomorrow's list:

1. get up, washed and dressed (not difficult as already have this routine)
2. start washing machine and get it dried in drier or hung up.
3. get kids to school
4. a bit of grocery shopping and to Argos to pick up bookcase we have reserved (will be put up on Tuesday)
5. sort out corner and move some of DD's toys upstairs or put away for DC3 or thrown out if no good.
6. Do my last bit of ironing from my backlog and tomorrow's washing for 1hr
7. Put clothes in washer ready for Tuesday morning
8. shine sink

Phew, I am starting to feel a bit more positive regarding the state of my house, its still in CHAOS, but at least we're starting to get SOMEWHERE or at least Im starting to get into the habit of doing something a day so will get somewhere eventually.

Right now kids are in bed Im watching the cube then going to put disc 2, season 4 of Ugly Betty on.

Hi all thanks for the welcome back- I'm ready and raring to go!!

I've thrown a bit of a hissy fit this evening. Due to me deciding not to do anything this weekend (much to the horror of my own mum, she used my full name when hearing that fact!) the house is now a complete and utter pigsty. Awful awful awful.

Any tips on how to get the family doing there bit? I have a husband who admits he doesn't 'see' what needs doing so needs direct telling, two boys of 7 and 4 and a baby. Boys are pretty good but obviously need exact telling what to do. I just get really fed up of thinking for everyone, is this the only way?

Anyway tomorrow is day 1 again .

List

Declutter hall
hoover hall
clean bannister
declutter boys' toy cupboard
lunch with friend
mop kitchen floor
hoover downstairs
fill 'phil the bag'

See how i get on with that but i hope to do more.

xxxx

NickNacks - been feeling exactly the same about my lot (DH, DS7 and DD5). I had a bit of a go at DH about a week ago about the lack of input into running the house, he has subsequently been a bit more proactive about making meals at the weekend and washing up and tidying. I have also implemented a couple of general rules, and I am just reminding people all the time until they become habit. The number one rule is that at the following times: bedtime and any time we are leaving the house, all the following items are to be removed from the front room - clothes, shoes, crockery, rubbish. Everyone is to take their own crockery to the kitchen after eating and drinking and everyone is to put their own clothes in the dirty laundry basket. DH never "sees" either, is quite capable of stepping over stuff on the floor indefinitely.

Towels - we have one each on the go for baths / showers and one hand towel. We have a heated towel rail in the bathroom, I keep my bath towel on the top rung and 2 or 3 spare hand towels for changing on the bottom rung. DH spreads his towel over the upstairs landing rail and the DCs towels hook over the 2 upright corners of the towel rail (they stick up a bit above the top rung of it). DH doesn't use the underneath bit because you have to take my towel on and off every time to get to it and finds it easier to sling his over the bannister.

Back later.

Good evening everyone.

Almost back to normal today I have accomplished

Breakfast in bed.
Feeling extremely hungover
Slight supervisory capacity of dc
Loaded dishwasher
Changed my bed sheets.
Had a lovely dinner at restaurant with inlaws.
Rang my mummy
My dh has been working in the oversized fishpond in the garden and is now emptying the dishwasher.

What has everyone else been upto?.I?m off to have a little gander.

cheerfulyank is a happy late night camper
linzer celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary. Not her her inlaws
toffee was taking lambs to the slaughter and had a 6 minute card. Love the descirption of dum-de-dum verse my mil loves them too.
CHB is occupying the corner for those who have been flyingly challenged.
swan at embroidering the titanic
darts sore arm may prevent future postings. Try this www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/17469987/MHP-Gel-Mouse-Mat-Black-Ergonomic-Cushioned-Mouse-Pad-Wrist-Rest-Support-Non-Slap-Base/Product.html?_%24ja=tsid:11518|cat:17469987|prd:17469987here
nicknacks welcome back to the fold solution to getting everyone else to do their bit, a reward rota? Just make sure there is a ginormous reward for you.
fun has mysterious gifts on the way, still don?t know what they are. Come on tell us tell us.
janey I have the home apps to but have not managed to use it yet. at 10k run and a bubble bath
my house had a towel dilema and a bookcase booking and Ugly Betty beckoning
blueyeshadow is going to be clean clean clean, thanks to her new shower
whoknows has had some success with towel slinging dh.

Be back with the links in a mo

its school decision monday here tomorrow. dh is going to play the website checker at midnight as a friend said it was possible to find out on stroke of midnight!! . i feel like im waiting on my exam results!!!

raised eyebrow step

mission should update tomorrow, i think.

ill post sneak peak in tomorrow when it has updated too

have good evening see you all tomorrow

oops mission didnt work

www.flylady.net/pages/FlightPlan_Missions.asp

Evening all

Hope everyone had a lovely mothers day. We decided to have a family day yesterday. Did DDs dance class,followed by all swimming and lunch at the gym. Then DH and DD went shoppingfor my mothers day things whilst I went sale shopping and bought myself some new jewellery. Then we went to the cinema together. Today we went visiting grandparents and then went out for lunch.

Very little flying done then - did 3 loads of washing and some paper and diary sorting but that is all. Now going to fill in a job advert and off for an early night

Have had a lovely day - lunch with my ILs was definitely far less stressful than last time, although still a bit on the early side for my liking. We arrived there at 11 am and five minutes later they decided we needed to leave - despite the fact that the restaurant is only a five minute drive away and the table was booked for 11.30 am. A glass of wine made it all seem much more bearable too. (I always feel quite decadent drinking wine at my ILs, as neither MIL nor SIL drink alcohol - according to DH, most women in that part of the country don't ). And the five hours in the car were made far more bearable (for DH and I, at any rate) thanks to Radio 4's Friday night comedy podcasts.

After lots of umm-ing and aah-ing, have finally decided to go to the christening in England in September - or rather, have managed to persuade DH that it is feasible and affordable for us to go (and that, as godparents, we really should make the effort). We'll have to fly from Germany and don't land back in Munich until 9 pm the day before school starts, which isn't ideal - and I have recklessly agreed to share the driving (have only driven on a scary German autobahn once before, when I had to hand control of the car back to DH after about five minutes as I was a nervous wreck), but I'm sure it will be worth it.

janey I must admit I tend to ignore the zones bit of the Home Routines app, but find the routines and to do list invaluable. You can customise the routines, so if you add items to them gradually they should seem a little less overwhelming (I kept very little of the original routines and have also added an afternoon routine).

myhouse AFAIK you can only use the app on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Have done very little flying today, but will be back to continue our challenge tomorrow morning Toffee, feetheart and everyone else who's taking part!

Hello,

Good luck with the school allocation, Nettie. Hope you get what you want.

I had a go with the home routines app today. I am quite pleased with it as it tells me I have accomplished 23 tasks today. What it doesn't say is that most of these were accomplished while avoiding having to help in the garden

Anyway, DD1 decided she liked it too, so she has downloaded it and made her own tasks for the morning and evening - feeding pets, emptying the dishwasher, putting her clothes away etc - so I am very pleased. I hope the novelty doesn't wear off too soon. I need to work on the others as well!

Well, fairly quiet weekend here, which was nice, as weekdays seem to be manic at the moment. Yesterday we went shopping in the afternoon, but DH and I took it in turns to stay in the park with the DCs while the other one nipped off and shopped, so we didn't get too much protesting.

We went to my parents this afternoon with a Mother's Day cake made by the DCs this morning which was nice, my parents house and garden are bigger than ours and the DCs love running around there. DS insisted on taking the Mother's Day card he made for me at Beavers this week to show GPs, he won a prize for best card when they made them and is so proud of himself, so that was nice.

Not much Flying really, just keeping things ticking over. DD's bedroom is the one area that is consistently out of control tidiness wise, it is bugging me what to do about it, the storage isn't great in there but it's a very small room. I don't really want to re-furnish it till she outgrows her toddler bed because once she needs a new bed there will be even less space in there, so I need to plan it very carefully, but want to put off spending the money as long as possible!

I've got the home routines app on my Ipad, but have not really used it, I find it is not a good idea to have the Ipad anywhere near when I am supposed to be Flying as I end up MNing instead. I am also one of those who has not found the need for a control journal though, so maybe it isn't the thing for me.

Nettie - good luck with the school places! I remember being very nervous about this when it was my two.

Nice day, church (Catholic and Methodist), dh mowed lawn, I took dcs swimming, then major row with dh about kitchen furniture [he moved the offending item - I think we were on point of calling a solicitor but now all tears dried thank goodness. Item is now in hall (a very large piece of brown furniture) Kitchen spacious and lovely without it! dd sad and wants it back....

Feeling utterly exhausted, about to crawl into bed with penitent husband

to join the towel debate. I've colour coded ours, but keep forgetting which colours are which, except dd whch is PINK. Dh has an large aquamarine towel on a special hook. They keep them in their bedrooms. Swimming towels I wash on very quick wash straightaway. They are the kitsch towels picked up on hols!

Row about furniture is tip of iceberg really to do with me wanting to make house more ergonomic/easy to tidy/easy to live in, and somehow not knowing how to do it. Anyway, all sorted for now until next big decision....

nettie also remember that lots of people get places on waiting list by end of summer, as original applicants change their plans, so don't despair if you don't get a place straightaway.

Also, there's sure to be other lovely people who don't get into school of their choice, and you might end up meeting them at the other school ifysim...Schools are just collections of people.

Hello all,

Busy failing on the getting to bed at a decent hour front yet again.

Nettie good luck with school allocation. We went through it last year with DS1 (secondary school) it's nervewracking. I hope you've had good news.

Well, my mysterious Mother's Day present was an i phone! I am fairly stunned as previous Mother's Day presents have been more along the lines of a bunch of flowers and perhaps a new top. I was also taken out for tea (DS2 was at a party this lunchtime). I have had a lovely day, save for a migraine in the middle of it and have done no flying worthy of the name, but I've decided that it you can't have a day off from housework on Mother's Day when can you?

The i phone is lovely and exactly what I wanted, but it's taking me a while to work out how to set everything up, particularly since DS1 has an i pod touch so we already have an i tunes account and library stuffed with all those Doodle games, which I don't really want . Nonetheless DS1 has been telling me all the games I really should get .

I think that I have managed to set up my own separate account but don't seem to know the password for my email address (I didn't know I had one ) so need to consult DH, who has very sensibly gone to bed.

I'll probably get nothing done tomorrow as I'll be to busy trying to download the home routines app to actually do any home routines.

Morning all,

After all this talk of control journals, I've had to get mine back out as my iPod has suddenly died on me. At least I have all my routines in there, although I've lost my to-do list for the time being as I don't have it written down anywhere else.

This morning's list:

Morning routine
15 min decluttering
Mission
Change sheets in WM
Empty bins
File receipts
Find receipt for iPod

Nettie Good luck with the school place!

Morning all! Quick post from me. Had an absolutely lovely weekend full of family time full of fun and sun. Did quite well when i got home and managed to unpack and clear all washing although it still needs putting away.

Minimal flying from me today as it is my birthday and i reach the ripe old age of 34! I am normally on easter holidays so it sucks having to go to work but hey ho! Have a nice day everyone!

Happy Birthday elliepac !!!

Good morning the sun is shining its a beautiful Home Blessing kind of day

i have a sneak peak for those of you who fancy getting organised for the week ahead. peaky

ellie Happy Birthday to you, Hope you have a big pot of stew. Happy birthday to you. Youngster sounds like an idyllic weekend, glad you had a lovely time.

linzer aaarrrraaagghhh that is not good, poor ipad hope you get it sorted. My ohone went recently and ive very careful about back it up now.

fun ooo lovely mothers day present. I love my iphone almost more than my dh hee hee enjoy

swan glad you had a nice day sorry it ended on an arguement. Glad you still managed to convince them that the kitchen was the wrong place for it. Thanks for your words of wisdom on waiting lists.

whoknows love the shopping trip, that would definately be a good way to do it. think ill try that myself another day. there is a brand new playpark opening in Colchester castle park and i like shopping there.

janey it is lovely being able to cross things off so easily

Huge waves to anyone ive missed.

We never got the school we wanted to get. but im going to ring the school and find out if we are on the waiting list or not. We have been allocated our catchment school but DH is not keen as we work in the village and are not on favourable terms with some of the local mothers (there kids have caused us problems) and one of the school governers hate us with a passion .

Anyway my list

get dressed.
get dc bathed and dressed
crisis clean
home bless/ strip beds
Fly spot mission
Proper mission
take dc out somewhere.
ds swimming lessons
ring hoped for school re waiting list
post belated birthday cards

15 minute burst are essential as is a whole load of coffee today.

Have lovely mondays

sneaky peaky

Morning all .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY elliepac . Hope you have a good one (despite work).

Had a busy weekend but went well. DDs party was lovely and somehow managed to feed/enterain and accomodate Dh family yesterday. Am a little worn out now though.

To do:
finish homework
school/work
multiple parents evening
laundry
recycling
whats for tea .

BBL