Back to Fly school for September Fledglings

[substantiallycompromised]

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!

Oh dear, Fuzzled! But at least he did it in the privacy of your own home.

We went to a posh coffee house in Vienna with a visiting friend and her DS, and her DS started licking the mirrors.

SC you are right, lard is a "lost art" ingredient isn't it, as it has much higher cooking temp than butter or oil, so does special things. I have an Italian cookbook which recommends cooking sweet dough fritters in lard, and warns against any substitution. I disobeyed her and used sunflower oil, I have to admit..
There is plenty in our local Morrisons, lard I mean. As they have lots of olde worlde ingredients, and long lost cuts of meat too.

Have cricked neck and sore back.earache, sneezes from yesterday's bookcovering sessions and no doubt from being convulsed with rage at certain points.

Nicknacks like you I seem to veer between thinking DH a saint, and a complete [grrrrr]. I'm so glad he looked after you a bit, that's a very sweet story.

Major House Bless this morning required.
Early starts are very peaceful in a way, getting twins off to school without ds1 is a doddle, I can see I could get a lot more housework done first thing now. If I could be bothered -and not sit recovering with cup of tea

fuzzled licking and ripping things are what little ones like to do! It is programmed behavour.

Nettie please try and take it easy with tooth

Hi all,
This hurricane had the internet fecked for the weekend. Seems to be on and off at the moment, so will try to post short little posts :) will also try to catch up on the thread, but hope everyone is well.

Ok ta da list first:
Up dressed
dishwasher emptied and reloaded
washing machine emptied, wet washing hung up, tumble drier on, one more wash in so far
clean washing sorted and put away
swept sitting room and kitchen
swish and swipe in bathroom
kitchen cleaned

to do today:
dd1s room
swish and swipe en suite
make beds
hotspots

back later with update if I can :)

I've ended up tackling and deep cleaning bathrooms.

done
cleared all misc stuff out of baths
detached and soaked looseats
removed black gunge from inside shower screen rubber bit
bleach down one loo

swept kitchen floor
swept hall floor
swept front room floor
rescued front room (by dumpign all stuff elsewhere)
finally finished tacklign one of suitcase from holidays
put all chldren's stuff in right rooms (need to mega tidy though each room)
separated hotspot in kitchen into 3 different hotspots

now our bedroom as light relief

Sorry, WhoKnows - I somehow managed to completely overlook your post before. I have the Pocket Life Book; I did have the Family Life Book last year too, but decided not to reorder it as I found that I used the calendar (Family Weekly Planner) far more and the amount of time I spent entering every appointment in the calendar, Family Life Book and Pocket Life Book was getting ridiculous.

The Pocket Life Book is fairly basic - space for a shopping list, meal ideas and things to do on one side and a week to a view on the other, plus the "month at a glance" at the beginning of each month, but it's really all I need. (Could do with a few more notes pages at the back - there are only three - plus there's space for important addresses too.) The Family Life Book has much more: the year at a glance (which I found quite useful), pages for everyone's weekly routine (but I found I put that information in the calendar anyway), the diary itself, plus monthly planning pages, a section for Christmas planning, lots of shopping list pages, summer planning pages and a removable address book at the back. Great if you make use of it all, but I didn't really; like I said, having two diaries and a calendar was just too time-consuming so I'm sticking to the calendar (on the kitchen wall where everyone can see it) and the Pocket Life Book (in my handbag) this year.

fuzzled loving the story about licking... my dd used to kiss mirrors. With tongue.

Had to take the car in for servicing this morning, so I walked home and will walk to pick it up later (that's my exercise for the day!). Got home, made bread and popped it in the oven, cleared up from breakfast, then...

[[http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1298694-Fuckity-fuckity-fuck-Can-today-get-any-better this happened.]

Today is shaping up to be fun.

To do:
Laundry. With stain removal.
Meal plan and grocery list.
Online shop.
Deep clean bathroom
Paint drawers in kitchen
Pick up car
Sort out DD's Guide uniform (first meeting tonight)

Bugger.

proper link this time

Oooh oops, oops!

Right, update time.

Bedroom done (just waiting to get bedding out of tumble to finish)
Dining room dusted
Hellhole Study tidied, dusted and hoovered!
Paper recycling collected together
Cardboard recycling collected together
DS napped and fed

So now, once this break is over, it's a trip to ASDA via the local tip.

Then back to move bits in the garage so that prams can get parked in there tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a whole other story... already dreading it

Oh no, oops that sounds rotten :( Go to bed and cover your head and don't come out til the morning? :o

fuzzled I've said it before but I found dd2 licking the sole of dd1's shoes...a just cleaned mirror is far better :)

so, my ta da list now looks like this:

Up dressed
dishwasher emptied and reloaded
washing machine emptied, wet washing hung up, tumble drier on, one more wash in so far
clean washing sorted and put away
swept sitting room and kitchen
swish and swipe in bathroom
kitchen cleaned
dd1's room with bed done
dishwasher on again
more washing on

so still to do:
hotspots
-kitchen table
-coffee table
-above washing machine
-mantlepiece
-shelves
make my bed
empty bathroom bins, mirrors etc
towels away
tidy bedroom for 15mins
swish and swipe bathroom

But dp has said he will collect dd1 from school on the way back from the stuff he had to do, so I don't have to go out :)
be back again later with more updates

Afternoon. I have only done the important things today.

Done
school run
bank
glasses
play on the swings in the park

Am working on a scarf atm so that and school run are the remaining items of my to do list.

Ooops - rest up [biscuits]

THanks Linzer - what i need is something to write out my weekly plan in the form of to-do lists. At the moment I get control journal and calendar on a Sunday night and sit down with an A5 notebook and make a to-do list for every day of the following week, which can then be changed as I go along. I don't take it out of the house with me, anything that needs to be done out of the house I list on my phone. I use computer printed sheets for shopping lists, and don't really plan for Christmas very much (I have a separate book with lists of who bought what in the past and card list). I think a cheap diary would probably do just as well as an expensive Life Book.

Weather turned out very sunny and blowy in the end, so loads of washing done and dried on the line after all.

TaDa!

Morning routine, inc school run
Shred
Haircut
Coffee with friend - postponed
Errands in town

Home blessing, which took a good hour and a half without any bedchanging
Empty bins
Hoover
Mop kitchen floor
Mop bathroom floor (Zone cleaning)
Clean bath, basin, toilet thoroughly
Dust selected surfaces
Wash towels and bathmats

To do

Help at Beavers tonight
Finish Ocado order
Remake spare bed (sheets on line)
Remake DCs beds (sheets ready now)

WhoKnows I think you're probably right. There isn't really enough space in the Family Life Book for weekly to-do lists; there is space for "things to do" along the side of each week with about 20 lines, but I struggle to fit more than one word onto each line. You could use the weekly routine pages to write out your weekly routine (obviously enough!), which are divided into morning, afternoon, after school and evening for each day, but there isn't a lot of room in each box there either, and obviously that only works if your routine doesn't change from week to week (there are six pages altogether, meant to be for each person in the family).

Afternoon all.

Coming to the end of DS1's first day of school... I'm going to have to wake DS2 up to collect him in time I think! I have been very slack, however, and spent almost all the lovely quiet nap time on the pooter instead of FLYing.

I did do the bathroom mission and a (very) quick de-clutter in the utility room though so don't feel too bad about it. :)

I was intending to go to Zumba tonight, but I've been having a vertigo attack for the last couple of days and not sure if it would be a good idea ...

BBL

Hi again!
have to keep posting to keep up morale today :)

Tada:
Up dressed
dishwasher emptied and reloaded
washing machine emptied, wet washing hung up, tumble drier on, one more wash in so far
clean washing sorted and put away
swept sitting room and kitchen
swish and swipe in bathroom
kitchen cleaned
dd1's room with bed done
dishwasher on again
more washing on
make my bed
empty bathroom bins, mirrors etc
towels away
swish and swipe bathroom

so still to do:
hotspots
-kitchen table
-coffee table
-above washing machine
-mantlepiece
-shelves
tidy bedroom for 15mins

Will do bedroom now before dp and dd1 get back and dd2 is napping!

Argh. It's pissing it down so can't really take DS out to the garage to organise it.

Still, have been to the tip, ASDA, made my bed with clean stuff from the tumble, put another load of washing on, hung up first load and collapsed on the couch.

DS is playing while I catch up on an episode of Outnumbered supervise.

He's on a jar of food for dinner as I CBA making him dinner in the next 10 minutes.

So, on with the day... sigh

Ta da list:

Morning routine done
School run done
Put rubbish out done
Kitchen tidy up done
Natter with friend done
Home 'blessing' done - even polished the door handles!
Ironing, Part 1 done
Wash DS1's sheets doing
Phone calls done
School run done

Just had a text from DS1 saying he is going back to his friend's house. I'm feeling a bit weird about the lack of control I now have over his day-to-day life. I warned him not to watch any unsuitable films (will he listen? ) and checked that the boy's mum was definitely at home. Am planning to pick him up relatively early, so that he has time to unwind at home and, hopefully, get to bed at a decent hour, otherwise there'll be hell to pay tomorrow.

I'm finding it increasingly hard to find time to post on here, I must say, and it's going to get harder thanks to DH's plan to involve me in his new business enterprise (he's given in his notice at work and is setting up on his own). So if I disappear for days at a time, that'll be why.

Off to do Part 2 of the ironing now...

(PS: Oops - you poor thing! Hope you recover soon).

Fuzzled no it's an essential mummy survival trick.

it would seem I have managed to really annoy ds. Ah well, he can sulk another 5mins before I can be bothered to go nuke tea. (it's currently in freezer and is a defrost and cook in microwave meal of leftovers) [another essential mummy survival skill]

Yucky day.

Have had workman in to replace the boiler. What a mess! Had no chance of any flying although i was eternally grateful to DH for tidying up our bedroom. I usually just close the door when we have people round but they wanted to check all the radiators for leaks. Only blushed by DS's room but that was easy to pass blame as they weren't here.

Jobs tonight.

Collect DS from friend's house.
Put wash on and hang up.
Dinner and clear away.
Invoices.
Write wedding card.
Hoover downstairs and up.
Take down DD's cards.
Lay out tomorrows clothes.
15 mins in boys room
Have a bath! Much needed!

That will be enough today. Builders will be back on Friday and i'm not looking forward to that.

Be back later for personals! :)

Been ashamed to show my face around here

But I need to. I'm going to write out a massive, detailed list that may take me a few days to finish, so feel free not to read it! But I need to get it all down so I don't forget:

Finish laundry
Swish and swipe
Clean bathroom floor
Dishes
Shine sink
Clean stove
Wipe down cupboards and counter
Organize living room shelves
Tidy living room
Tidy dining room
Clear off table (MAJOR hot spot)
Sweep and vacuum
Vacuum carpet
DS's homework to preschool on Wednesday
pack DS's folder for preschool tomorrow (immunization forms and emergency contact list)
shake out dog bed and rug
sweep and mop entryway
wash and replace sheets and pillowcases
get to work/preschool on time
get to bed at a decent hour
lay out clothes the night before so not running around frantic in the mornings

Sigh....there're probably more. :)

Good Evening! My it's quiet on here this evening. Where are you all?

Anyway, my list

Collect DS from friend's house. done
Put wash on and hang up. done
Dinner and clear away. done
Invoices. not done yet but i will
Write wedding card. not done
Hoover downstairs and up. done
Take down DD's cards. not done
Lay out tomorrows clothes. will do when i go to bed
15 mins in boys room done
Have a bath! Much needed! had a shower- not as good

oops I hope your day got better! Cat sick [boak]
PA I see you had one of those weekends with DH too- I hope he mad eit up to you.
SC I am officially sending out the search party for you. How bad can your office be??
Fuzzled I have a licker here too! How old is yours? Worse thing is the cat flap! She presses her nose up against it to watch the boys in the garden. Do cute.
Blue I hope DS1 had a lovely first day. Sorry to here about the vertigo. Never had it but my aunt suffers, hope you feel better soon.
Whoknows I was also looking at the Life book but i think my current system works fine. I have the organised mum calendar (need to order the new one) and i also have a 'Listmaker' notepad. Pop the days at the top of each page and they have room for around 25 items.

Oh Hi CY- X posted.

Thats a mighty list you have there!

Hello. May I join?

I am just going to attempt the minimum and try, for once, to stick to it.

wipe kitchen cupboards
kitchen bin
load of washing
15 minutes decluttering the black hole that is the spare room
Take vitamins and drink water

As much of weekly blessing as I can

15 minutes in front garden
Sweep bus shelter
Make juice (AND WASH JUICER)
Make mushroom soup before the mushrooms go mouldy

Library
Take box to charity shop (hurrah! today's achievement)
Send letter to GP
Food shop

So help me flylady

Last one for the day.

DDDDDH tidied the buggy park garage for me, we've eaten, DS is asleep and we're going to risk not sleeping in his room, and I've shined my sink.

Tomorrow, I need to:
• Dust and hoover living room and hall
• Hoover downstairs
• S&S loo and bathroom
• Wipe kitchen and mop floor

And all before my guests arrive @ 1.30pm

Can I go to sleep now?!

Evening all!
Nothing achieved since my last post, except cooking tea. Oh, and washing up and wiping surfaces and cooker, I suppose. Having decided against Zumba I've been trying out a random Wii exercise game - quite fun but not exactly the same degree of work-out...

NickNacks - yes, DS1 seems to have had a blast, but can't remember anything they did beyond playing on the big field (twice!). The vertigo is considerably improved since yesterday so hopefully will be better still tomorrow.

Hi brokenwingedflier. Sounds like you're a pro already!

Oops - hope your day improved.

Fuzzled - hope you get a good night.

Waves to everyone else.

Tomorrow is toddlers day with DS2 so need to get washing on tonight. Would probably also be a good idea to pack up charity shop stuff to dump on the way... Better go and do that then.