June know it's the fledgling flyers?

[Stillchuckingit]

A warm welcome to the June Fledgling Flyers' thread.

If the state of your house is getting you down, this is the thread where we follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style ) with lots of chat and support along the way and where lace-up shoes are definitely optional.

A huge thank you to Linzer for keeping us all on track so splendidly during May and thank you to DroitwichMummy for the thread title.

As usual, we will be following the Flylady three-pronged approach:

1. Baby-steps (a daily step to establish routines)
2. Then baby-steps + 15 mins daily decluttering
3. (And once decluttered) babysteps + daily missions

If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter and mess, you can make a difference, one step at a time.

For more information, have a look here. You don't need to sign up to Flylady e-mails (we advise you not to do so in fact - you will be overwhelmed - all the information you need can be gleaned from this thread).

All long-standing members, intermittent returnees, lurkers and newcomers welcome!!

Hope you've put the shopping away by now, PMPY!

SC DH has helpfully informed me that he'll be staying "in the city centre" the week after next. Upon closer questioning, he admitted he will be at a conference at Hotel Metropole (place de Brouckère) but cannot remember where he is staying (just that it's somewhere cheaper than Hotel Metropole).

Evening. back in the real world. mostly.
Should be back to the naughty corner as of tomo. As for today i have cleaned out and packed away a caravan. So relaxing in bed with the lappy. not long for bed as actually sleeping atm

Hello! Sorry for going AWOL but have been on holiday- back now and begrudgingly raring to go!

The last few posts have really struck a chord with me. Clutter is taking over m house and my life and it really is hindering my efforts to keep on top of the general housework.

The biggest problem is probably clothes. They are literally everywhere!! Baby DD is in the box room with a double wardrobe full to the brim and friends with girls keep passing on their hand me downs. Lovely gestures that i can't say no to! Two underbed storage boxes house the things she doesn't fit into yet and six drawers of socks, vests, bibs, PJ's, hats, mittens, muslins, shoes.... You get the picture!!!!

Two boys share a small double room and I have just manged to purchase a new chest of drawers for them plus the wardobe so their room is very reasonable at the moment.

Our large double room is horrific. Shit covers the entire floor, every surface and cupboards and drawers are rammed. It is literally like something from 'How clean is your house?' I don't know where to start and the whole thing makes me very depressed.

ARGH! I'm quite ashamed to have admitted that.

A very tempestuous evening here torrents of paperwork on SC 's stairs, and threatening rain clouds out of PMPY's door/window. PMPY I do that with food shopping often..one of the reasons I absolutely hate doing BIG shops as I never have the energy afterwards to put the food away (or the dreaded storage)

Linzer for all your worries, your home is obviously functioning very well as a lovely place for friends to come and play - what more could you ask for? My dcs do the ringing me up on the phone - [they find it hilarious (grr]

done
most things I wanted
but evening went pearshaped when Dh was delayed at Bookfair, I had to hire an emergency teenage babysitter so that I could help at Beavers, and drop someone's children home after Brownies ridiculous..Ah well we made helicopters in Beavers, it was great fun. Dh returned just when children were meant to go to bed -which meant they didn't They really don't take to having babysitters, ds1 particularily hates it.

House now thoroughly messy again (kind teenage babysitters don't clear up dinner, or pick up laundry do they? Luckily they understand Maths homework

I haven't strength to rescue any rooms but I need to remember for
TOMORROW
violins x 2
violin music x 2
mend Ds1's shorts
ratatouille in cold place
potatoes in cold place
food compost in cold place
Door key on hook!!!!!
large cheque for school trip x 2

Toffee I forgot to ask, is your husband at the London Bookfair? Not being nosy or anything...just wondered....

NickNacks it has taken me three lots of decluttering to deal with our bedroom and numerous moving of furniture round, and final inspiration, Vaselining the drawers which wouldn't close, and which DH wouldn't use. The zone missions really help do it step by step, although I found a whole weekend was required even better [blush It does take a long time, but you will suddenly find the room looks a bit better...
Sometimes the only thing that works is putting everything in a big pile in the corner, cleaning the room, and then slowly putting things back, the things you really need of course, not the clutter Even cleaning the dust off the stuff under the bed makes you feel better even if you don't actually throw it away..

So don't be ashamed, I think it is natural for bedrooms to silt up, alas.

Oh lordy, no point in being ashamed the master bedroom is the dumping ground for everything. When people come to visit it goes upstairs, when it is kids straight into my room. As for ds he likes to leave his stuff lying about in my room for some unknown reason. Aparantly it likes it in there. It is also the room that i have least chance to get sorted cos i am dealing with everything else. It is nothing to be ashamed about. it is an unfortunately common occurance, in most houses.

Good day at woek, but the house is a mess.

Done, dw, one load of laundry/drying, grocery top up, cooked as per menu plan, roasted chicken for salads tomorrow.

Plus left at 7.30 with 4 kids, then did an hour tutoring after work plus 2 pick ups from town 10 miles away.

Could be hoovering now, but watching You're Fired with a glass of red wine! That's why my house is a mess!

V nervous household - dd1 has driving test tomorrow.

swan thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I had it delivered!!

My master bedroom is definitely the worst room of the house. The main problem is that whenever I have time to tidy it it has DS asleep in it!

Just checking in very late to apologise for lack of round-up tonight

Had rather surprising encounter with doctor this afternoon. Now have completely different diagnosis to anaemia and am on totally different pills and felt rather spaced out this afternoon so went to bed straight after supper.

Just woken up now because I'm starving again (obviously can't be that ill !!)

I see all you lovely fledglings have been extremely industrious. Will catch up with everyone's posts at some point tomorrow morning if I may...

Just one quick note to NickNacks before I go:

"You are never behind. Jump in where you are." - FlyLady

We all have one (or in my case rather more!! ) "of those rooms". Honestly, our master bedroom was a pit before I started following FF system. You'll get there and the following baby-step will help !!!

In the meantime:

Tomorrow's step, no.9 for Thursday 9th June, is A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE here! It's where we start decluttering a few mins a day.

We are still in zone no.2: the kitchen

Your mission for tomorrow (counter tops) will appear here once the Flylady site updates itself.

However, for a sneak peak ahead look here

Thursday is grocery and errand day.

Oh and I should have mentioned this already - our new Flylady habit for this month is drinking more water info here!

See you in the morning!

morning SC

scuttles off to bed to sleep.

Swan - no, my DH isn't going to the Book Fair. We both used to go every year, but he hasn't been since he started in his latest job.

I am up late because I'm compiling 'to do' lists and a packing list for my holiday. Must go to bed in a minute, but my head is buzzing. I have printed out the Fat Fairy's 'Vacation Planning and Packing List'. She says: 'Keep your makeup and hair care items to a bare minimum'. Is she serious? I need extra items, not fewer!

On the subject of which, I had my eyebrows waxed and lashes tinted today. It was so cheap, but made a real difference. Even DH commented on it . Also had my legs waxed - ow! I'd forgotten how much it hurts.

Nicknacks - welcome back. Our bedroom is a dumping ground too. I sometimes lock the door when nosy relatives visit. They must wonder what on earth we're hiding in there.

Sorry you are having a rough time with your health, SC. Hope the new pills do the trick soon.

Apologies for not doing any more personal messages, but really must get some sleep.

Ta daaaaaa! I'm back!!

Super dooper broadband connection now, so life can start again!!

Work has gone crazy for the past few months and I am determined to crack that!! I have taken next week off job number 1, just so I can catch up with 2 &3!! BUT, in theory, then, things will be easier for me.
I am working from home today, so have high expectations of getting lots done.

DD3s 17th birthday yesterday! Lots of baking and entertaining, which I loved. She had a lovely day and last evening we were all exhausted!

I wont put a list for today as I just need to muddle though and get as far as I can.

Apologies for lack of personal, but now I am back I will be popping on more regularly and will catch up with you all again.

Have a good day, everyone.

Morning all .

nicknacks we have all been there/are still there hence this thread .

To do:
work/school
dd bookfair
post mums present
ds homework
clean bathroom

BBL

Yesterday's round-up:

PA has been reconnected to the Internet (and as we all know) is impossibly cheery in the morning

CHB and SC arent!!

Goingmadinthecountry has been so busy working and Flying ahead in terms of meals and uniforms and decluttering that she nearly forgot to post. Impressive eh? Good luck to your dd1 for her driving test today!!

Mummy is still courageously flying with one wing

Whoknows and Linzer have been discussing training tips.

(Good luck with your 20-min non-stop today Linzer!!)

Swan and Linzer, Scatty, Nicknacks and oh, practically everyone else have been discussing storage woes

Linzer and SC have been discussing Belgian chocolates

Feetheart has been eating croissants in the naughty corner (although I'm giving her a free pass out of there because she's been incredibly busy at work)

Toffee has been frantically packing for her holiday and has indulged in a few beauty treatments so effective that even her dh noticed ...good for you Toffee!

Yay CHB has returned from her holidays - hope it was a good 'un!

Swan had a tough evening, needing to be in three different places at once but true to her nickname, glided smoothly and competently on, while paddling madly underneath.

Yay Nicknacks has returned to the nest but expressed shame about her double bedroom and overflowing-clothing situation ... and we've all piled in to reassure her that our rooms were/are just as bad, if not worse .... . Wishing you more power to your elbow Nicknacks. Can you start by rounding up all the out-grown/worn-out clothes and recycling and giving away and then start tackling all the rest??

Pushme has as usual, very impressively, been Flying with a baby, shopping and working/report writing and contemplating storm clouds

SC goes off to consult Linzer's spacial stylist take an aspirin and lie down

x-posts Scatty flaps wings and waves frantically

Morning all,

Nicknacks - if I have an overwhelming room to deal with I usually start with paper (piles of it seem to accumulate all over the house here), just sort it into keep/recycle/shred and hopefully the keep pile is the smallest. Then in the bedroom, clothes, clear your bed and empty one drawer at a time onto it, again keep/put away/dispose. I have 3 underbed chests full of still too big hand-me downs. Next CDs, DVDs, books etc, then toiletries. The main thing is not to try and do too much at the same time. I don't necessarily stick to the 15 min bursts, but find doing one aspect at a time much more effective than just trying to madly tidy the whole room.

Welcome back CHB

Thanks for keeping us going SC hope your not-anaemia sorts itslef out soon.

Toffee - I am with the Flylady on this one, even if I take lots of cosmetics on holiday I don't use most of them, especially make-up, so don't bother anymore apart from handcream, vaseline and trusty eyebrow pencil (my eyebrows have never really recovered from me developing alopecia a couple of years ago, even though the rest of my hair grew back). Is the eyelash tinting good? Mine are looking quite bleached after last week, but I have very sensitive skin round my eyes.

Better go, stuff to do before going to work.
back later

Hope you're feeling better this morning SC and that your health problems are sorted out soon. Shall we go halves on the spatial stylist?

Toffee It takes me hours to pack cosmetics and toiletries to go away - not because I take a huge amount, but I seem to have accumulated an enormous collection of sample sachets and travel-size bottles (partly thanks to DH's kleptomania on business trips) and it takes me ages to go through them all and decide exactly how much I need to take (I now know that 1.5 ml of foundation will last me 3-4 days!). I still managed to forget my contact lens container when we last went away, but luckily DH - who takes about two minutes to pack - had three with him.

Well, I survived my 20 minute run this morning - it wasn't as painful as I was expecting, although I must admit it was more of a very slow jog than an actual run. The cooler weather, light wind and drizzle were ideal running weather (albeit not ideal for my hair, which is now even frizzier than usual) and I now feel slightly more confident that I'm not going to embarrass myself completely when I do the 3.5k at the end of the month.

I think I should probably do some Flying once I've finished my coffee.

Coffee is much needed. Already had two cups today.

I am just about to hang out my second load of washing for the day. Ds is seeing his gran. i have peace to pack. tis a wonderful feeling. especially as i have found a few favourite old tunes on youtube and they are rather lively and motivating. Cant wait to get home later though. Just not looking forward to the unpacking and straightening out post holiday.

Sorry so excited about life I forgot to say. Congratulations on the run linzer [impressed]

Thanks for free pass SC :)

Got quite a lot done work-wise yesterday but was blown off-track by DS being sent home from school with headache/nausea for second time this week. Had a 2-day migraine last week and hasn't been right since. Got eyes checked and hearing being investigated as school audiologist picked up a problem. GP has given meds for nausea and suggested he drink more
Does anyone have experience of 5 yr olds and headaches :(?

Feeling bit overwhelmed this morning as have masses to do by 1pm, none of which involves Flying

Will wave and disappear again..........................

not much to report, except it seems to be another case of

The Morning After The Night Before...

Good luck with the driving test GoMad, and if she fails she'll be an even safer driver when she eventually passes (someone once told me that...not sure if it was just to placate me)

listsinclude
buy trousers for Ds1 to wear whilst raftbuilding etc (PGL this weekend)
piano lesson for me
all the washing up
all the rescuing, particularly master bedroom which Ihave neglected again (not made my bed in days

Bit of a clunk head on the table day alas. Tears and Tantrums this morning. We are worried about ds2 (who is exhibiting more and more anxiety and aggression - shall we get him back on CAHMs bandwagon???), dd is in therapy, and poor ds1 desperately needs us to organise a birthday party for him (He was 11 in April 2months late) What a nightmare family we are.

Right I must press on.
I tore out a list of stuff from Argos to order, last night. But can't think of a single day when I'll be in to receive delivery, so that's now another organisational problem. Tears hair out and runs round in circles clutching packets of biscuits. Also airline tickets, when how where?

I MUST PRESS ON!

Feetheart hope ds alright. VERY GOOD LUCK WITH WORK you are brilliant at getting lots done.

feetheart - i had migraines from a very early age and not drinking enough in school was part of the problem, but also that my blood sugar levels dipped. Solution was compulsory drink and carrot stick type snack at regular intervals. Not sure if it helps you though.

Swan: Is ds having a testosterone surge? I fear this might be partially to blame for the recent behaviour deteriation in ds. Other then that it happens. Dont beat yourself up. Ds had stupid amount of specialists at one point. Its just life. As for birthday party (feb), remember the angst of ds' well he never did get it. Its still awaiting sorting out just havent had time. whoops. It happens you can only deal with what you have got. what ifs will drive you mad.

I am virtually all packed, and clock watching. So about to be a good visitor and hoover up cos i cant go pull some weeds. due to the rain and i am soooooo bored. Owner of house will appreciate so not worried about upsetting feelings. Why is it time moves so slow when u are awaiting for a specific time?

Feet - sorry, I don't know anything about headaches in five-year olds, although I'm sure you'll find someone who does on the health threads. Hope it gets sorted soon - must be awful for you both.

CHB - glad you are having a happy morning .

Swan - on the contrary, you sound like a lovely family having a stressful time. No harm in getting DS back to CAMHS, especially as they often take forever to come up with an appointment. I think you just have to keep trying things till something works. I have just contacted a dyslexia tutor about DS1 and we are meeting after the holiday. He can give advice on coping at school too, which we really need. It may not work out, but at least having that appointment ahead of me gives me hope.

Linzer - congratulations on surviving your run! You must already be fitter than when you started.

WhoKnows - you obviously look better 'au naturelle' than I do! There's no way I could ditch the make up. I'm fairly pale and people always seem to think I'm ill if I don't put any make up on. The eyelash tinting is great, by the way. It looks subtle, but there is enough difference for you not to have to worry about putting on mascara if you don't want to. I had a skin sensitivity test first. The dye might get just underneath and on top of the lash line, but that is the only part of the skin around your eye that it comes in contact with.

Found a brilliant website through Mumsnet last night: it generates a personalised packing list for you, based on your age and the ages of those travelling with you, your destination and the weather forecast. I'm so excited! If anyone else enjoys lists as much as I do, the website is here.

Have spent the morning nattering with a friend, so must get on with my jobs now, which include errands in town followed by getting the suitcase out of the loft and packing.