Back to Fly school for September Fledglings

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Welcome to the September 2011 Fledgling Flying thread! Hang up your microfibre cloths and park your buckets here!!

[Sorry - I've namechanged again - but remain SC]

This is where from the 1st of the month, we attempt to declutter and follow the 30-step wisdom of Flylady (minus cutesy language and a surfeit of e-mails) with lots of chat and support and mutual motivation along the way. (More info available here )

Humungous thanks to our previous thread leader Blue for navigating us all through the August school holidays...and for doing it so consistently and well!!

As usual we will be following a three-pronged approach - and don't worry - we are all at different stages. Some of us (SC stares at feet) -are even embarrassingly stuck at decluttering stage after two years

• repeat or start baby steps (again!)

• repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

or

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

All newcomers welcome!

Morning all

Wow Swan no wonder you are tired already. You really have had a busy morning.
Ellie Good luck with your list although I'm favouring the sitting in pj's drinking coffee part myself.
Linzer hope you get your work done.

Ok so we all overlaid this morning after a bad night of coughing and 'can't sleep' due to dds cold and blocked nose which meant no dance class this morning. DD has watched the rugby and made no attempt to get out of bed and help and dd has made a mess with toys in the living room. DH has now gone to cricket and I am yet again alone with DD. I have been to shop for some bread and done some kitchen tidying. I've also just tried yeast free pancakes for brekkie - quite nice.

Jobs for today

• Wrap birthday pressie and write on birthday card for birthday girl
• Take dd to birthday party. It's a swimming party and dd is a little nervous as she's only having lessons and isn't too strong a swimmer yet. (I'm also sure it'll not help her cold)
• Washing, washing and more washing
• Write presentation for interview on tuesday
• Write out lesson plan for interview on tuesday
• Make a start on three job applications
• Post office
• Hoover throughout downstairs
• Tidy out fridge and see what shopping we need
• Tidy both bathrooms
• Attempt ironing mountain. May move ironing pile and board into my room and iron whilst I catch up on sky planner.

Thats more than enough for a Saturday. Have a lovely day with families everyone and remember time for yourselves this weekend.

Swan - child free house and dh with a nasty glint? enjoy

Just woken up. sleep was much needed. No idea what i am going to do but i suspect a coffee is the best place to start.

Hope you all have fabulous fun days.

Well my allergies are really playing up today so no dusting/hoovering for me!

Have written shopping list for DH who is going to town today
done 1 load laundry, in dryer now
Cleared the stairs (there's a big basket on the 3rd step that is our 'dumping ground' for things that need to go upstairs)
Made a big brunch and cleared up.

I am now sitting with coffee watching the F1 qualifying, because nothing interrupts my F1 time!

To do:
Strip beds, wash & dry bedding and re-make beds
Weed the back garden (weather permitting)
Clean the spare room (had guests last week and haven't yet stripped the bed/tidied up)

DD has already started the "but my homework isn't due till next Thursday so why do I have to do it NOW?" We had this last year, she would say she didn't have homework, then suddenly panic the day before the non-existent homework was due in. Am going to have to be Mean Mum and put my foot down early this year I think!

oops DD1 somtimes doesn't remember that she has homework until breakfast time. Luckily DH is far better than I am at investigating the contents of her school bag and interrogating her. I'm also trying to get her to do some homework for next Thursday (on top of her normal homework for Monday) as I know that we'll just forget about it otherwise. The annoying thing is that she filled in exactly the same worksheet last year (it's for a back health project) but I seem to have decluttered it. Now I know why DH insists on keeping every single piece of school work, exercise book, text book, etc.

Ouch Yes, coffee is always a good place to start. You've just reminded me that it's probably time for another cup.

MC Sorry to hear about your disturbed night and lack of help this morning; I hope you can take it easy today, although that looks like rather a long list...

swan Nasty glints are such a nuisance when there's cleaning and tidying to be done, aren't they?

Work is progressing, although not at a very rapid pace - probably because I keep getting distracted when I see all the things that need doing. Have just filled out about 10 bank transfer forms (like cheques, but take twice as long to fill in) for various activities, payments, deposits, etc. but now need to get to the bank. I should really investigate online banking. I think it's made it over here. Am also rather worried that I've decluttered ?30 worth of vouchers that were a present from a friend; my only hope is that they're still in our (very full) recycling box, but I haven't got time to go through it at the moment - just need to ban DH from taking it down to the recycling bin.

not that sort of nasty glint, more a pyschopathic one which resented me skiving off childcare in favour of tidying
and sadly house was not childfree as ds1 was in it.

MC how are you going to get all that done with dd to entertain/party accompany? Am in awe..
Oops we are just blindly doing as much homework as possible and paying no attention to Wed Thurs next week deadlines , it can only get worse next week. Are you yr 7 too?

Dh as already made the unforgiveable mstake of telling me in front of ds that all this homework is cr*p. He is helping with it right now, and feeling fed up. Why can't he be all cheery and enthusiastic and jolly things along instead of sowing dissent [grr]
At the moment he is writing an essay on Germany for RE [????] with Ds, cultural heritage I think that's why it's RE, everyone has different countries according to parentage.

Linzer banking drives me mad, much as I love 'organizing' I just find all that paperwork mind-numbing. Luckily DH is a bit of a control freak with budgets so I just leave all that to him!

swan no DD's just started yr 9, they have chucked her in the deep end with homework in the first week which she is utterly disgusted with! One piece is to "create a poster on the theme of Respect" and she wasn't at all impressed with my suggestion to draw a picture of her bedroom, tidy, as that would show she respects my wishes!!! Love those teenage bedrooms...

Just posting my list to keep myself focused - As you were

Jobs for today

• Wrap birthday pressie and write on birthday card for birthday girl - done
• Take dd to birthday party. It's a swimming party and dd is a little nervous as she's only having lessons and isn't too strong a swimmer yet. (I'm also sure it'll not help her cold) Done went well
• Washing, washing and more washing Done 2 loads so far maybe more to go
• Write presentation for interview on tuesday
• Write out lesson plan for interview on tuesday
• Make a start on three job applications
• Post office done
• Hoover throughout downstairs
• Tidy out fridge and see what shopping we need Done
• Tidy both bathrooms Done
• Attempt ironing mountain. May move ironing pile and board into my room and iron whilst I catch up on sky planner.

Mmmmm just the big jobs to do then

Swan When DD has a cold she is mardy and just wants to sit and watch tv. There is no entertaining her so I have put Happy Feet on and she is well away, I keep going and checking on her and sitting with her for a while. She did the swimming party and bucked up but now is laying on the settee. I think she'll be asleep soon and I'll suffer for it tonight

oops I love the respecting your mum idea.

Swan DH sees cleaning as a skive from childcare too. But normally it is him doing the skiving by criticising my cleaning and 're-doing' it just to get out of entertaining DD. He tries it most Sundays but I'm wise to him now. Personally I don't see either one as a skive

Hello everyone

Sorry to be only catching up now! Bit of a frustrating day. Was all organised for visitors tomorrow but now their plans have had to change (through no fault of their own) and so I went from being up on the clock to massively behind. Cue lots of separate time-wasting trips and last minute re-jigging of menus etc. At least have all new ingredients (apart from one vital one) under roof - just have to start cooking it now!

Have to admit to feeling slightly wierd too but am putting that down to the hot sultry weather, 28°c here today. All change overnight apparently.

Swan/oops I hear you re: homework "ishews". Have done 40 mins with dd today (she was pretty rambunctious through most of it - I was gritting my teeth for England) and she's still got at least 30 or 40 mins to go plus revision of 3 times table and learning of 9 times table. Bearing in mind she has done approx an hour a night for 3 nights out of 4 this week - I think this is too much for an 8 yr old and will be saying so at the forthcoming parents evening. Not helped by the fact that it takes her and her befuddled mother at least 25 mins to work out what she is supposed to be doing in the first place! And this is only week one!! Aaarrrgggh!!

On a more positive front; my master plan [cue sinister Mummy cackles] to get dd back in to dance classes seems to have paid off. She loved the dance workshop she did in the summer and started back with lessons at the same place today and really enjoyed it. So far, so good!!

Linzer I don't know how you cope with such sparse school hours and different pick-up times. There are similarities to the system here and that of Austria (families living close to grandparents, long holidays (+ Wed afternoons off) but tougher on dc when in school etc) but there is always breakfast club/homework club provision and for younger dc, the cost of childcare as a percentage of income is only 7% (I think Austria is 9%) whereas in UK it is 14%. Not as high as Canada and Ireland though which I think are something like 42 and 55 per cent respectively! Don't know how mothers make that work! In short, most mothers work here once their dc are in school (and they start school young - every dc has a free place at 2.5 yrs - although not obligatory until 6yrs). Anyway, I really take my hat off to you juggling it all!

Back to post links and round-up

The baby-step for tomorrow, September 11 2011 (a poignant date ), is here and although it is totally ignorable in itself - it does contain a useful round-up of past steps and what we should now be doing every day.

No zones or missions tomorrow because it is Sunday which in Fat Fairy land is a day to renew our collective spirits.

As mentioned yesterday, from Monday next week we will be in zone 3 = bathroom + one extra room.

*

Forgive me Flyers, for I have sinned. It has been 3 days since my last post... but thankfully not my last fly-mission!

DS has a cold, DH has man-flu and I have a "mild" sniffle. The last few days have not been the most fun of my life.

And it's Saturday night, and I'm working while missing Dr Who

House is still tidy-ish, barring toys and tissues, but they're both in constant use. Finally got DH to change dead light switch in living room (shocking himself in the process! ) so now can see mess much more clearly Still, t'was necessary as the nights are drawing in, and the mornings are more than a tad bleak.

Away to do some work, but will catch up on posts while on pizza eating breaks.

waves to all and someone chill the for when I'm done?!

Round-up:

MC has been Flying high, looking after her poorly dd (hope she recovers soon!) and has been writing job applications and preparing for job interviews (I'm sure your efforts will be rewarded soon MC Good luck with it all.)
Oops has been battling allergies, finishing the laundry, watching Formula 1 and perfecting her "Mean Mummy" stance over homework (ditto the last one !!)
Swan did the football-run, the elementary string-run and the choir-run all before 11 am [crikey!] and did a violin-run after that! And then patiently prepared a shepherd's pie ... [treble crikey!] (BTW I wonder if Dr Who has ever met Beethoven ? Could be a good idea for a new episode if not! Loved the Van Gogh one!)
Swan's dh had a gleam in his eye!!
Linzer has been recovering from a nasty bug and trying to balance work with frequent school runs, banking, and preparing for a visit from her in-laws! Hope you get some time for yourself soon to recover properly.
[Btw I had to laugh at your work-sheet story: I am also in trouble over not being able to find a workbook from last year - now I know that we WERE supposed to keep them after all!!]
Ellie has been outlining her modest Flying ambitions for the day
Blue popped in to say hello! Glad the dinner went well ...
RowingBoat has survived the week, been Flying high and has accepted an apology from her rubbish boss! (Quite right too ...!)
Whoknows has (hopefully) been de-stressing and recovering from her brilliant accomplishment of getting up 45 mins earlier for the last 4 days to Shred!!

CNettle has been at the dentist - hope it went well. (Glad your ds enjoyed his first week btw!)

Huge waves to Toffee, Feetheart, Ouch, Silvery MissJ Madwoman Hattie PA Haunted Nicknacks Fuzzled and everyone else I've inevitably missed!

x post Fuzzled sorry you have been having a bit of a grim time of it AND missed Dr Who (we did too - I'm afraid it was a punishment for dd who was v. naughty last night). Hope your dh suffers no after-effects.

Don't worry about Flying - sounds as if you have enough on your plate.

For your sins, please go and drink

fuzzled I've missed Dr Who too, but from what I saw of it (two Amys?) it was as per usual incomprehensible

back from swimming, children quarrelling intermittently. Told Dh that's it, I'm not taking three again, two yes, in any permutation but not three [harumph]

Citizenship, RE, Maths and two library books taken out on Beethoven down,
just rest of the homework to go

Oops I can only think of Arethra singing Respect! And various phrases like Respect your elders. Or John Stuart Mill, freedom extends as far as anothe rman's nose etc etc

Good lord Swan you haven't been swimming as well?? How on earth do you do it!!

I hope you can now sit down and have a glass or three of

Probably v. nosy of me to ask but would your dh share the extra-curric ferrying with you on a Saturday by any chance??

Oops/Swan same thought occurred to me about elders, do to others as you would have them do to you etc etc and environmental stuff such as putting rubbish in a bin rather than dropping it on the street ....not very original sorry

Evening all! Thanks for the round-up SC. It's been a rather stressful day here, but we got through the dentist ordeal - boys' behaviour rather than the actual check-ups, which were fine.

This evening I was going to settle down in front of the TV and label DS1's uniform but I can't find the labels. :( If you were a strip of name labels, where would you hide??!

Evening!

Well surprisingly i didn't quite manage everything on my list . However I have still been quite productive.

Ta da list:-
Spend a couple of hours mooching round town en famille, having lunch and spending far too much money done
Manic cleaning downstairs including cupboard of doom done
Shut doors upstairs so i can't see mess done
Tesco shop done
dinner done
clear up after dinner done
Lounge on sofa watching x-factor doing

Back in a bit .

Just popping in before bed. Still pondering what to do re:vital missing ingredient. Don't like entertaining when I haven't settled on a menu - dh is the 'fly by the seat of his pants' sort of cook. I am boring old prep in advance and stick to recipe variety.

Oh Blue sorry - I missed the fact that you were at the dentist's today as well as CNettle Glad the boys' check-ups went well and it wasn't too onerous.

[SC leaves out paracetemol, wheat pillow (for heating) and oil of cloves for CNettle]

As for labels, let me think:

sewing basket (too easy I know)?
drawer in kitchen that holds everything that doesn't have a specific place?
dining room dresser drawer ditto?
button box?
bedside table drawer (maybe, like me, you sew in bed)?
brown envelope in pile of post (if labels recently arrived)?
in carrier bag on coat hook covered by a coat (if labels recently bought)?
down between cushions on sofa?
in car? (if you drive and intended to sew labels on while waiting for dc)?
in handbag? (if you'd intended to sew labels on while waiting somewhere else)?
knicker, bra or sock drawer??? (getting desperate now)

Hope you find them!

Yo Ellie you HAVE done well!! Well done on loads accomplished including cupboard of doom! at your lovely mooch!

Rubbish couple of days as have been ill and spent today resting doing nothing! DC's have all been terrible sleepers this week (usually all 7-7) and DH has had a stressful week at work which has triggered his sleep talking- so all in all no sleep for me!

Not helped by the fact that late shifts from DH all week means he sleeps in through the morning 'rush', leaves before they are home from school and doesn't return till we are all in bed!! I feel like I'm doing everything. He does the food shop but no cleaning. I think it goes over his head that although i'm working from home, i can't do proper housework. I try to keep on top of CM mess during working hours but the rest has be done at weekends like most working people.

Well put all that together and you can imagine how amused i am that he has played golf this morning for 5.5 hrs and this evening he has gone out with his work mates!

He's really not the complete arse I think he is right now but I'm thinking of all the things he can do tomorrow to make it up to me.

Tomorrows list

Laundry x a million
Iron uniforms
Pack swimming and PE bags
Mop kitchen floor
Clean bathroom
Change DC's beds
Fix kitchen cupboard door
Clean washing away
15 mins decluttering in DD's room
15 mins decluttering in bathroom

The most horrid of which will be given to DH plus he can cook the roast dinner :)

Night all- hope you had a lovely family fun day! Will be getting up early and will read the thread indeoth as i've missed loads.

Good night everyone.

Major barney this morning with dh then trip to dentist for teeth extraction followed but most of day sleeping it off in bed!

The one thing to make me smile was nicknacks quote of the day. (summed up my feelings about my dh this morning)
" he is really not the complete arse I think he is right now"

Sorry but that is fab

Catch up tomorrow with you all

Major house catch up in morning, slow cook meal and kids party.

Hope you all have good Sunday's

Morning all! Beautiful morning here and lots to do.

To do list:-
Washing loadonlineloadinmachine
ironing
Putting away
Tidy downstairs
Clean bathroom
Tidy/clean bedrooms
Cook Roast Pork/Apple Crumble
Visit friends this afternoon
Evening routine
School work

Back later.

Ha! Have found name labels in the overflow sewing box where I looked at least 5 times yesterday...

Hiya.
Just checking in, you'd fallen off my threads I'm on!!
Completed my control journal this morning, and it's looking good. I went for a typed version and put it all on a register style table so it's easy to just tick off tasks as they are done without faffing about with plastic wallets.

How is everyone doing?? I hope to find some time to catch up with the thread a bit later.

Have a good day all

Morning all!

Blue - well done on the name labels. Blame the house fairies (or thank them), s'what I do. Definitely not your eyesight
coostoonettle & nicknacks - with you on the DH front.
swan - got DW taped, but god knows when I'll get time to watch it, and the myriad of other things I've got taped
big listless waves to everyone else

Well, after spending Friday night on the inflatable beside DS's cot (he has a cold, needed a bit of patting to settle him, so it's easier), and a dozy day due to weather and colds all round, DH volunteered to spend the night on the inflatable, which I accepted. Then DS looked really settled, so DH came to bed after me... and DS then woke up later on so I had to go up and, yup, you guessed it, spend another night on the inflatable . Up at 5.15am, but cuddled into me for a bit, before up at 6 for breakfast. DH still sleeping.
He finally emerged at 7am (although how he slept through the coffee grinding and accidental loud noises I have no idea!), and said good morning, and that he'd be right back, he just wanted 5 mins to wake up properly. 1 hour later, he appeared a little shamefacedly.
So now, DS is napping, and I'm working, I have no clue what DH is up to (I'm upstairs in the hell-hole office cum spare room), but I think he's managed a shower. Possibly!

So today, as I'm making the assumption that DH will be as much use as a chocolate teapot, I have to:

• DS washing (once he is awake)
• Clean bathroom (hopefully if DH deals with DS for 20 mins or so)
• Work (and I CBA!!!)
• Make stew for dinner
• Lay away washing
• Stick some duvet stuff in plastic sucky bags to stick in eaves
• Stick some other stuff in the eaves (as sick of waiting for DH to do it. There may be spiders )

It may never all get done!

Got post-natal group on Tuesday again (to make up for the week I was sick) so crisis cleans are in order. I've warned work that I won't be doing work until the evenings on Monday/Tuesday so I can use nap time to tidy and clean.

Thank god for an understanding boss! Hopefully back later to report.

Fed up, fed up. Trying to limit the DCs screen time at weekends, but DH insists on watching every single grand prix, plus all the qualifying yesterday, needless to say DS loves it all and is mesmerised, now I could say no telly later, but that isn't fair on DD who hasn't watched any all day and it's almost impossible to let her watch it without letting DS. Every other bloody weekend it seems. So, instead of maybe going out somewhere, we are all stuck at home. I'm about to take DD out anyway, but it really is annoying.