Anybody interested in joining me for a flylady thread, starting with the babysteps?

[Carrotsandcelery]

I joined a thread which started in January and it made an enormous difference to the condition and calm of the household.

I have lapsed and thought I would go back to basics and start again.

Anyone want to join me?

My dcs go back to school on Tuesday so I thought I would start on Tuesday morning.

The lofty is a nightmare, so I really have to do it though, as we are up nd down to it lots storing camping gear, the roofbox for the car etc. I did get up there to sort the stuff into piles, then I just have to box up everything and label the boxes I think. DH will also have a pile of old tools and DIY stuff we bought and never used to sort out, think I will just lock him up there one Saturday with a few beers and tell him he isn't allowed out till it's sorted!

I am feeling ready for school tomorrow, have organised all my files, done my planning, made lunches and ironed all my clothes, realised some things don't fit too well but cause I'm a shortarse have had to order stuff from next, just hope it all comes soon.

I have decided to apply flylady to my classroom, going to sort the hotspots (my desk and the drawers for students work mainly) everyday and do 15mins decluttering everyday too. Will try and keep the sink clean too but think that's even beyond flylady! It's caked in about 20years worth of paint.

Hope you all have a good Monday, I am going to be manic just trying to get back into it all, but will try to have a few minutes to myself before bed to post my lists etc.

Tomorrow:
up and showered and dressed before 6:45am
DD up dressed
DH makes bed
Breakfast
washing on (hoping delay timer on it works so it isn't sitting all day)
work
home and washing hung out, dinner on, hotspots, lunches made
15mins declutter
few more sewing/mending jobs
work for 2 hours or so
bed...and do it all again the next day, ad infinitum, or so it will feel.

Right, just going to check my planning for tomorrow, put everything else I need by the front door then bath and bed, perchance to sleep.........

Well, I washed 4. One hasn't even been in the dryer yet, and one still feels damp. I've not been doing them all day though, and I only have a washer dryer rather than a tumble dryer, which takes about twice as long and you can only fit one at a time in.

I like the laundry basket as a hotspot!

Oops, x-posted with missmakes, so my post didn't make much sense!

I often make my airer or clean laundry basket my hotspot - works well as it feels a bit like cheating which seems to appeal to the devil in me.

miss could cleaning your sink at work be the ultimate threat for the less cooperative pupils?

I often have y laundry as the hotspot, I think it's fair!

Angel, you made perfect sense, I thoroughly recommend laundrettes for duvets etc, got a mattress topper, eiderdown, pillows and very thick duvet washed and dried in less than 24hr for less than £25 - no hassle! plus I like going in ours, it smells a bit but it's a proper laundrette, with big orange retro machines and everything.

Yes, could get the boys to clean the sink, however I would probably have to do it again after them, bit of a perfectionist! Will see if I can get the paint scraper to it I think...

Right, really off to bed, I need to sleep! (I wont, will be awake for hours I should think)

Don't lie longer than 20 mins miss. If you don't drop off get up and do something for 5 mins or put the light on and read etc.

Good luck!

Morning all, Hoping to get back on track today after becoming somewhat derailed at the weekend!
Have started well,
Done:
Made bed
Sorted one load for washing (still have to put in machine)
Breakfast done for all (dd still to busy playing to eat)
Fed cat
done litter tray

I think I may have to put all toys into bedrooms before Wednesday morning to increase our chances of getting ready also might have to ban tv on school mornings until they are almost ready at least!
Does anyone have advice about school mornings? (getting dc ready, 2 yr old is particularly difficult)

Morning! Excellent start Cani... I've not been quite as impressive but still feeling cheerful. My long shifts Mon-Wed have derailed Flying in the past so have decided that each day I'll do 15 mins of decluttering, and leave it at that for the time being. Today I've decluttered DD's baby stuff cupboard (including v out of date Ranitidine and Gaviscon, valves for ancient, long chucked out sippy cups etc) and it looks GORGEOUS. Well, as gorgeous as a cupboard can...

I think I need another coffee to keep the momentum going!
I am trying to get used to getting up and ready early again as I have really got out of the habit!
(Note to self: Must turn computer off some time this morning so I can actually do some Flying!)

Morning all.

miss I hope you slept ok in the end

Good start Cani and Robot - sounds very satisfying.

So far I have:
Washed and dressed to trainers
Fed everyone
Loaded dishwasher and cleaned worktops
Put a wash on
Taken dcs to school
Made an appt for ds
Decluttered the craft cupboard in the kitchen for about 45 mins

Still to do:
Make soup the dcs will eat
Finish decluttering the cupboard - I am in the mood
Dry laundry and do a bit of ironing
Make bed
Hoover
Today's babystep easy one
Today's mission time to remove the sellotape on the ceiling that has been there since Halloween
No doubt more dishwasher loading

Morning everyone, whew beds all changed and washed. 3rd load of washing on. Very windy here so good drying day!

hotspots out, 15mins declutter of airing cupboard to do, empty and clean fridge, shopping for lunchboxs and then out to play.

Feeling quite pressurised by all this. must remember the 15mins relax and be gentle with myself - how do you fit it in?

best get on with it bye for now, wishing you all a productive day.

Cani you asked for morning tips

This is what I try to do (I don't always manage it but it does help if I do)

Make lunches in the evening and put them in the fridge for the morning

Lay out my clothes and ds's clothes for the morning. (dd is 10 so manages herself)

Have a chart so dcs get signatures for every stage in the morning routine they complete (I just make up a grid on a Sunday night with 50 squares in it.) When the grid is filled with signatures they get their pocket money/reward. (ds is not great with money yet)

I have a list on a cupboard door of what they need to do in the morning, with pictures incase ds claims he can't read it.

TV is banned. I put the radio on apart from when they do their music practice.

Have school bags (or nursery bags) ready by door.

Get dcs to lay out what they need for after school activities eg sports gear, music stuff etc.

It doesn't always work but I hate nagging at them so I am trying to find a system that minimises nagging and hurrying them along. The grid is a newish system so time will tell if it works.

How old is your dd again? Could you make some sort of pictorial chart where she gets a smiley face for every task done before 8am or something like that?

We also sometimes make it a race.

If you can face it you can also lay out the jobs as a sort of obstacle course so as they go along they get to the next item of clothing or the bowl of porridge or the toothbrush etc. I can rarely summon that sort of nonsense that early in the morning though.

One of the teachers has tidy up music. You could adapt that technique. Song A for brush your teeth, Song B for put your clothes on etc.

I have to be careful as ds has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and is easily upset so we only race if he is well ahead and has a good chance to win.

I think the main thing is to be as organised the night before as you can and for the dcs to know what is expected of them. If you can deal with yourself quickly it means you are free to help them stay motivated.

I am so pleased with myself. The cupboard looks so much better and nothing falls on you when you open it now. Yay!

I have also hoovered and dusted.

I love flylady because just as I was finishing that a workman phoned to ask if he could come over now. Normally that would have sent me into a frenzy but, although the house is far from perfect, it is totally acceptable for someone to come in the door now.

Thanks guys for keeping me going!

Carrots Thanks for all those hints and tips about school mornings. Dd is 2yrs so she might enjoy getting stickers for eating breakfast.
Well done on your cupboard!
It's good to have the support of each other isn't it? I find it certainly helps to keep me going unless I'm having a REALLY BAD day.

Afternoon all, haven't had a chance to read through but just wanted to post that I have continued to shine my sink, shower daily (get dressed everyday anyway so have substituted shower for that babystep), done my 2 minutes on hotspots a couple of days in a row, and am now on babystep where I can finally start decluttering, going to start with my bedroom which seems to have become something of a dressing room for my teenage children

I am on a roll. I have done everything on my list for today. Woo hoo!

I have also made pancake batter to make Scotch pancakes after school with the dcs.

I am using my dmum's recipe so if it works out well I will stick it on my recipe blog.

Good to see you again obri It gets a bit more satisfying once you get onto the decluttering and you start to see real differences in your house. Keep ticking away.

Well done Carrots!
Today I have done:
Breakfast
Cat litter tray / feed cat
Made bed
Get dressed
One load of washing (still need to dry it)
Clean table
Do lunch
Make a train track for dc.
wash up

Still To do:
hang washing out or on Airer (weather looks iffy!)
put away dry washing
cook dinner
wash up
Put name in school stuff
Put some toys upstairs

Hello everyone. I've had a lovely day off from looking after DS today.

Carrots, I agree on what a difference Flylady makes in even a short time - we had my PiLs here yesterday. Normally it'd take an hour or two of cleaning / tidying to get the house respectable, but all I had to do was run round the kitchen with the hoover and squirt some limescale remover at the bathroom sink. :)

Done
Got ready & out
Wiped kitchen surfaces & tidied
Swished & swiped bathroom
Put DS to bed
Put nappy wash on

To do

• physio
• make lunch
• lay out clothes
• hang out nappies when finished
• do some reading

Hi all, well I have been a fairly busy bee today we all woke up late as I had been fretting about my relationship status a bad nights sleep,
so I rushed around getting clothes sorted for the school run,
managed to wash up and shine sink,
took ds1 swimming,
mooched around town for a bit,
dealt with a 15 min tantrum and had to restrain nearly 3 yr ds2,
visited nan,
school run with ds1 meltdown.... again,
got home ... finally,
cooked tea,
5 min rr on hallway,
laundry,
2min hot spot on dining table,
hoovered,
put ds2 to bed unsuccessfully,
sorted relationship status with boyfriend (still with him )
put ds1 to bed successfully however he is still awake
and finally dusted the keys off my laptop.

well done everyone, we're flying now. Day 10 for me.
Today I have cleaned the fridge, put out hotspots (nearly) mucked out my car! (so overdue!) done shopping, shined my sink, washed, dried and put away laundry, DH and DS lunchbox ready for tomorrow. Played in the playground. put out DS school clothes and stuff to go in car.

must clear out the airing cupboard but not today. now

I have had a frustrating evening as my laptop kept crashing and ds would not settle. He has only settled now because he is in my bed. Dh is away so it won't be a squash at least. I suspect he is coming down with something.

Anyway, no laptop had its benefits as the sink is shining, the dishwasher is loaded and the work tops are clean. I have also read a chapter of my book so all relaxation was not lost.

Gossip I hope everything is ok.

Oh, and the pancakes were lovely. I will post the recipe when my laptop is being better behaved.

Carrots everything is ok, ds1 is an aspie (still waiting for apt from CAHMS to prove it) and ds2 has just learnt how to effectively throw one and does it around 4 times a day. But I've been dealing with tantrums and meltdowns for 8 years now so I'm very used to it. done my evening stuff now and now I'm going to bed so I'll see you all tomorrow, and well done everyone !!! blow your own trumpets !!!

Gossip my ds has mental health problems and we are very familiar with the tantrum too, despite the fact he is nearly 7. Very difficult to live with and even harder when you don't want to give everyone you meet a potted history of what has happened to him over the last year. I have found an amazing ability to be physically present but mentally in a cosy room under a duvet

Morning Ladies,
Today I need to get my a e in gear! (Sorry to be so blunt)
I Must try to set my self some sort of time table to get organised today (in preparation for tomorrow!) (Back to school for DS)
Please someone wave a "magic cyber wand" to help me get through it all!
Here's what I'm hopefully aiming for today:
(This is only Preparation so not the times I will have to do it tomorrow)
Done
Make bed
Get breakfast(dd still eating now ARRGGHHH!)
Have turned tv off!
She is now running round and round the table saying "I wann a Cow milk again"

To do
Turn computer off (to stop me procrastinating on MN all day!)
Get everyone dressed by 10.00am
Do some washing up(Have ran out of cups!)
Label all school stuff(and find all school stuff)
Have a break
Lunch
Hopefully get this post typed and posted before 9.30am as I keep getting distracted by dd who still hasn't eaten all her breakfast!
Do more washing up
If up to date with other jobs try to declutter(15 mins)
If needed go to shop
do dinner
do baths /showers
Bedtime for all