If your house is calling May Day, do not fear: May's Fledgling Flyers are here

[LinzerTorte]

Welcome to the May edition of the Fledgling Flyers' thread. Thank you to Nettie for her splendid leadership of last month's thread.

If you're living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome), this is the thread for you! We follow the tips on the FlyLady website in an attempt to restore order to our homes, but advise against signing up for the e-mails; all the information you need is on this thread.

Each day, I'll be posting the links that will enable you to do any of the following:

• start or repeat baby steps

• repeat babysteps and do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

or

• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

More information about the babysteps is here.

So please join us - there's always plenty of chat, tea, cake, encouragement and the occasional to help us on our way!

Happy birthday Blue!

Right, I'm back in the fold, with a list ready and everything.

Shine sink (with my new e-cloths - I find new gear always boosts my motivation!)
Washing machine on
Dishwasher unload and reload
Take ds2 to the physio, show off his new sitting skills
15 mins declutter
Wait around all afternoon for insurance people to inspect stained hall carpet (DH did phone in the end!)
Downstairs vaccuming
Batch cooking of finger foods for ds2

My longest list to date, let's see if I can do it!

Morning. Having and planning my day.

Happy birthday Blue! We are off to the IOW for our holiday too. Went in February for my step-brother's wedding and loved it so much we are going back in August.

Did mission last night and shone my sink so did better than expected. Kitchen looking good Strangely looking forward to doing the fridge today but that might be because I know it isn't too bad

Apart from that I am working at home today. Need to do a bit of pottering in the garden/greenhouse and try to get some wool to start FILs birthday jumper. Also need to turn up 2 new pairs of school trousers for DS and put his name in them and his new school polo shirts.

Have a good day

Happy birthday to blue

well have made

savoury puff tarts

tidied some more

scowls at fluffy dog......

and the morning is nearly gooooooooooone
so till later..

:o:o Happy Birthday Blue Enjoy :o:o

Quick change of plans as cooker engineer came at 8am . Couldn't fix it though as needed element and therostat :(
So:

• All up and out - done
• Coffee and chat with neighbour - going clothes shopping now as she has few weddings coming up. Coffee, cake and chat will be in one of the many cafes in nice shopping town :)

Rest of the day will happen at some point but I have a nice clean, slightly decluttered living room and now get to go out for cake - good day :)

Scatty did I read that correctly????? Where is IOW???? Isle of Wight, central south England, most beautiful place in the country with the nicest people living here!!!

Happy Birthday Blue have a lovely day whatever you have planned (it had better not be FLYing)

Sorry i missed you all yesterday, was on a school trip and the day kinda disappeared after that. DD had an impromptu friend over for a play after school and they hogged the PC playing moshi monsers and Club Penguin.

So far today i have done

School run then back again to bring DD forgotten water bottle Grrr
Food shop
Bank
Some home office work
Fridge cleaned just in time for new food stuffs to clutter it up again. Nothing to chuck out as always ruthless with past best stuff.

Still to do:

Opticians for me in half hour
Hoovering downstairs
Wash floors (if can be bothered as it's pouring with rain and i will be if mud gets tramped in on clean floors)
Clean bathrooms
Close door on DD pigsty of a room as can't bear to even look in it
Tidy lounge and put dry washing away
That's it for now

See you all later.

Linzer I'm loving the Ukraine excuse
Janey how rude anyone who did that in my house would be OUT

we're back, they loved the pyschotherapist and her house, on the other hand it is a long trek...and dd was in a very demanding mood on the way home on tube and bus, so I now feel even more exhausted. Pyschotherapist said they were lovely children with a rich imaginative life, polite, but that dd was a seething volcano underneath...We haven't got to the strategies bit unfortunately...

Back from shopping and lunch :)
Neighbour got beautiful dress and jacket without much difficulty but since getting it home has spotted a fault in the dress so I will take it back for her tomorrow. Such a shame as she was so pleased. We still had a lovely time which is just as well as we could be doing it again next week

Got about an hour before need to leave to pick up DC so refined list:

• Clear out fridge - I have similar yellow sticky stuff janey
• Menu plan and shopping list
• Maybe run hoover over living room to emphasize lack of clutter
• Bank work cheques

Onwards..............

I am really struggling today, not quite sure why, think twins' visit has set off an alarming chain reaction - took ages to get them back to school, and by the end I was fuming...and very upset by EVERYTHING (I think today started badly trying to get out of house too early)

However,
I am determined to:
put dw on
start new piano piece
make the beds
think of something for supper - baked potatoes, bacon, and veggies
then piano lesson ds2 (money for teacher!!!)

Feet
you are the soul of phlegmatism (sp?) lovely way to see it and enjoy shopping just for itself.

swan you must be pleased/relieved with the psycs impression of your twins. you have clearly done a good job with them Did she explain why DD is volcanic/ or is that part of her personality (i am always confused by what is personality and what is learned behaviour and what can be changed and what can't).

linzer I shall be trying the Ukraine line myself tonight!

PA, blue ahh Isle of Wight! Sorry. . (its a long way from Newcastle).

So far:
DS to school (with swim kit) - done
DD to growth clinic (fingers crossed they d/c her, I'm sure she's catching up) - done
home for lunch - done
dd to school - done
catch up with some work - done
collect dc (find ds jumpers and sandwich box)
beavers/rainbows (request another letter re trip)
usual routines
dust

Growth clinic went well. DD is growing at a constant rate but much slower than 'normal'. As she is otherwise healthy and totally unconcerned by her shortness no action is needed (except a final check in 12mnths). However they predict that she will go through puberty later than 'normal' and may be bothered when her friends shoot up and develop in their early teens and she doesn't, in which case they can offer hormone treatment .

BBL

scatty cousin's brother (also my cousin of course!)was thought to be too short at 8. Told they would need to intervene etc..serious upset...no intervention necessary, all fine, he is now 6 ft. Very odd that they say shortness is related to late development, I don't remember that being the case amongst my contemporaries at all. Dd is tremendously tall, but I don't think she will hit puberty any earlier than me...and I was very tall.

oh yes, Pyschotherapist said simmering was due to anger, which was learnt, not innate, but I knew that. So I think dd will see her for a while over next few weeks, and that might help a lot. I won't know what they talk about, because it is all confidential but I think that trust/confidentiality is part of dd feeling free and less angry..ifysim.

Hellooooooo everyone!!

Just popping in to wish Blue many happy returns!!

Hope you are feeling a bit better Toffee

Humungous waves to fledglings one and all ....

swan - hope psychotherapist works out.

feetheart have purged fridge of sticky stuff and it looks a lot better. Today was a good day for cleaning the fridge out because there is hardly any food in it...

scatty I am baffled by puberty/height etc, having two DDs 12 & 13. DD1 is about 5'6" and definitely in puberty, but some way behind many of her friends (in fact, some way behind many of DD2's friends). I am tallish (5'9") so I was expecting her to be tall, but many of her friends with parents the same height as me are still 5'0" or so. On the other hand, some girls tower over DD1 and have done for some time... Puberty came earlier for me than it has for my DDs, which surprises me, as I thought there was evidence to suggest it was generally coming earlier for girls now.

Standing outside a secondary school I am constantly surprised by 12 year olds who look 20 and 16 year olds who look 10 - perhaps I am just getting old and it's all perfectly clear to the kids themselves

Am now going to get a cloth and dust the top of all pictures, everywhere.

I could be some time ...

Interesting about puberty and height - I have always been tall (5'10" now) but was late to hit puberty compered with friends, certainly didn't start periods till nearly 15! Am I the exception that proves the rule or is it all bll*ks :)

janey - my fridge is sticky stuff free now too, most satisfying :)

scatty - think the Ukraine line could come in handy for a whole range of situations.

Update of list:

• Tidy, dust, declutter and hoover living room - done
• All up and out (and now back) - done
• Cooker engineer - done
• Shopping with neighbour - done
• Some work - banked cheques but that's all
• School Assoc stuff - posters and info for Car boot sales, Insurance checked, school booked, etc - nope
• Mission plus menu plan, shopping list, etc - done :o
• Sort photos with DD - down to 39 photos from 130 so not too bad

Now need to cook quick dinner for DC (pasta, cream cheese, spinach and ham) and make choc and banana cake to use up squishy bananas.
Might attempt to tame remaining ironing pile tonight as on a roll at moment.

Onwards................again..................

It's all bll*ks (am wondering if some of that will come out bold?)

Anyway, what I was trying to say is that teenagers seem to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and I'd be very hard pressed to identify 'average'...

I'm officially crap. Managed to make my opticians appointment (and some sneaky shopping to spend birthday money) but didn't manage to do any of my 'to do' list. In my defence my DH was tutoring from home today so i couldn't hoover which meant i couldn't wash the floors but i did get lots of work done from home but it does mean it's on my roll over list for tomorrow now.

On a happier note, I didn't have to fork out for new glasses as my eyesight hasn't changed - YEY!

Toffee how is DS" and his infected spot? Do you feel any better too?

feetheart I am now wondering if I am you??? Also 5ft10 late developer...
clearly not as industrious, sadly...
supper was horrendous, we all had a terrible row over the chicken nuggets as the dcs were fighting over them - dh was shouting, I was crying...oh dear.
Didn't go to Beavers to help as a result.
However, my tears have turned into grim determination and kitchen now looks very tidy unusual for a Wednesday

dd needs to be picked up from Brownies hey ho...

Hi
Not done much the last two days except routine washing, dish washing etc as I've been socialising too much :). Realising too I probably won't have time to post every day so will keep an eye on the thread and try to keep up with missions.
Happy birthday Blue :)

Lady - Thanks for asking - DS2's spot looks very yukky still, but I'm plastering it in antibiotic cream three times a day, so hopefully it'll soon heal. He'd been picking away at it without me knowing. At least it's hidden away above his ear and underneath his hair, so the inevitable scar will never show.

I'm on wonder pills for my cold sore and they are doing the trick: Aciclovir tablets, if anyone wants to know. Spent years suffering recurrent cold sores and finding that the creams didn't work, then someone told me you could take these tablets that either stop or minimise the outbreak. Why didn't the drs tell me about them?! Now I still get the cold sore, but it only lasts half the time and is never as bad.

Am going to bed earlier and earlier every night this week, so not feeling so bad today, thanks.

Saw hypnotherapist/counsellor with DS1 today. He had reacted furiously when I told him about it yesterday and was still very reluctant to go today. However, she was brilliant. She rumbled his attitude straight away and managed to get him to practise anxiety-reducing techniques without even really knowing he was doing them. She also managed to get him to chat about going to secondary school and focus on all the positives about it. I was really, really impressed with her. At the end, she gave him her card and said it was his choice whether he come back or not. He admitted afterwards that she was really nice. I suspect that he won't want to go back at the moment, but that he may think of her again when he is having a tough time or facing a challenge. I hope so anyway.

Lady - you are not crap! You were working!

Swan - glad to hear the psychotherapy appointment went so well. And there are only two more days of SATs to go!

Blue - Happy Birthday!

Still - thanks, I am (see above).

Scatty and Feet - I am also tall (5" 10') and was also late to hit puberty, so am confused by the short height/late puberty assumption. Seems a shame to give the poor girl hormones though. What's wrong with stuffing tissues in your bra?

Blue and Droit - ooh, IOW! We are going there in the summer too. I have never heard a bad word said about the place and everyone who goes always seems to go back again, so that must be good. We are really looking forward to it. Fab beaches, apparently. And everyone who lives there is very, very, very nice indeed .

Sorry, got to go, so no more personal messages. Waves to Linzer, Feet, Apuski, Cyber and anyone else I've missed.

You are all very welcome any time!! If you chose to sneak up on me there may be a shortage of cake to go around, give me notice and I will make a feast for everyone!! When are you all coming then???

Toffee really pleased that the meeting went well for DS today. and yes, we are all lovely over here!

swan toffee glad you got some help today. On 'Jamies dream school' Alvin Hall commented that in USA it is common for kids to have psychol to help with anger/anxiety. I wish it was more available here.

To clear up the confusion with height and puberty. DD has a specific growth disorder (can't remember what its called) which my sister had too (though undiagnosed). DD is too short for me and dh (we are average height). Short children with short parents would go through puberty normally (and tall children with tall parents would go through puberty normally) but dd is likely to go through puberty late (in late teens) and stop growing late and finish off averageish height.

All done. Back tomorrow.

Well, I have already failed on my pamper mission/early bedtime; ideally, I should have been in bed 40 minutes ago but I'm still nowhere near ready. I still have quite a bit of tidying to do (where's DH when I need him? - there's no putting it off as the cleaner will be here at 7 am tomorrow.

Anyway, must really do the round-up now before I fall asleep over the computer.

PA has a nicely hoovered house and enjoyed a day free of list-making in order to spend some time with her DH.

feetheart has the house to herself again but went out to enjoy some coffee, cake, chat and clothes shopping.

WhoKnows admitted to working in QA and loving it.

scatty was busy ferrying around her DC and had her mind put at rest at the growth clinic. (The paediatrician told us at our last visit that DS has a very small head [I?d never noticed!], but he decided there was probably nothing to worry about as neither I nor the girls have particularly large heads either!)

Janey had something yellow and sticky in her fridge (I?m not sure I would want to investigate too closely!) and had a guest who carried out a dust inspection (I hope he didn?t put a white glove on, Anthea Turner-style).

Apuski was feeling motivated thanks to her new e-cloths and was also waiting in for people.

DWM outed herself as yet another IOW fan, was working at home and pottering in the garden.

Cinders did yet more baking in her very short morning.

Lady is back after a school trip, went to the optician?s and closed the door on her DD?s room (one of my favourite tricks).

swan had an insightful but exhausting visit to the psychotherapist; her supper may have been horrendous, but she has a tidy kitchen as a result. Every cloud and all that...

SC popped in, waved and fluttered away again.

LiveLong has been too busy socialising to do much flying.

Toffee and her DS are on the mend, and she had a successful visit to the hypnotherapist with her other DS. She is also looking forward to her IOW trip. Are there any fledglings not going?

Back with the round-up tomorrow morning, when I shall hopefully be feeling more awake! Now to tackle that tidying...

Well, I want to go to Isle of Wight! Or anywhere, really! :)

I got up at 5:30 this morning and am a bit disturbed by how much easier it has made everything. Perhaps I will get to like it too much and keep doing it! Horrors! :o

I made the beds, did swish n swipe, listened to my Paul McKenna CD, rebooted laundry and dishes , took the dog for a walk went to work.

Came home and killed Laundry Monster stone dead ! Huzzah! There is much rejoicing in the streets!!!!!!!!

I am working on sweeping and tidying bathroom and living room. And will be getting dinner soon. :)