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!

peers in

sorry Linzer,

okay

three things prep lunch
falafels, tomatoe salad, bake pitta breads

shopping

walk dog

till later

Just popped in to wish MC a very happy birthday!!!

[Waves to early fledglings Alice and Ouch]

DD and dh just out the door. Was v. shouty Mummy this morning.
Having spent a good 3/4 of yesterday evening sorting out dd's homework, school letters, present for someone who is leaving etc etc and preparing her school bag, she chose to inform me 3 mins before departure that her gym teacher is unhappy with stop-gap gym trousers already supplied.

Cue explanation from me that although I had new gym trousers ready, they were without name tapes and so she wouldn't have them for today and would have to manage and could she please tell me about this sort of stuff at least the evening before?

Cue massive meltdown from dd who said she would be told off for wearing inappropriately shaped trousers (leggings - too tight). Cue meltdown from her Mummy who explained new gym trousers were same shape, were ££££££, had been bought after visiting 4 different shops, and no where was it written that she needed differently shaped ones [arrrgggghghh] and if the gym mistress has a problem with that then she can talk to me about it so there with knobs on. Now desperately hoping dd won't repeat the last bit ...

Enough of trivial rantings ...

And... breathe ...

Off to gynaecologist now

Have a good day everyone

Morning

Happy birthday mc what a fab day to have your birthday (my ds birthday today too)

sc ouch at horrible gym wear tussle this morning. good luck at gyn

Huge waves to everyone.

Its my ds 5th Birthday today. Wahey He got dressed in record speed and is playing with his toys.
linzer ds loved your ds card, thanks very much

list
school run/nursery run/work
nursery pick up
school pick up
play with ds
if any flying happens ill be surprised.

Hope you all have good days

Right more coffee drunk and here is a list update. Expect this to get very long by the end of it:
Done
I am showered and up.
My bedding ready to go back on bed having been washed.
I have done a finance overview as complete as possible without getting an uptodate balance which i can't do til later.
Ds' lunch is made and uniform laid out.
Bread dough is in bread machine
Ds' kit is soaking in the bath
DW is running
Apply common sense to a situation I'd rather let my heart rule and now have to come to terms with the disappointment.
5mins decluttering in my bedroom
tackle the monster spiders in the bathroom - including the one trying to pretend it was one of ds' toy bugs.
Ds' bedding on to dry.
ds awake, breakfasted and dressed.
Apple pies and jam pastry role cooked.
Washing already done folded.
Ironing up to date.
bread made.

Might see if I can get ds to do some reading before school but not worried if he doesn't want to. will make him do it over the weekend otherwise.

Sorry it will be the day of many lists from me.

No lists from me, been up most of the nigh throwing up . Still at least I can postpone level 2 of the Shred .

Happy Birthday MC and DSNettie

Get well soon, WhoKnows. (Restrained myself from saying this on the other thread but I can't resist any longer - I'm going to start catching up on you with the Shred now. You do have my sympathies, though - stomach upsets are horrible, one of the reasons I was behind, and they should be banned.)

Ouch That's an extremely impressive list for 8 o'clock in the morning.

nettle Happy birthday to your DS; glad the card arrived in time (DS still doesn't understand why he can't come to your DS's party!).

SC Sympathies for you too over the preschool meltdown; it's just the worst kind of start to the day, isn't it? I think everyone turns into a shouty mummy in that kind of situation; I know I do. Hope gynae visit goes OK.

Waves to Alice.

Just back from my run, where my mind felt strangely detached from my body as I had so much whirring round in my head (but it did mean I beat my personal best ). Still can't stop thinking about friend and her DD; I've just rearranged DD1's dyslexia lesson so that we can go to the funeral next Friday (just have to sort out childcare for the DC, but it shouldn't be too difficult). They live in the same town as us, feetheart; I'm not sure what bereavement services are like here (have never had reason to find out, thank goodness). Have heard a lot of good things about Winston's Wish - please let me know if you do decide to raise money for them and I will sponsor you (a good friend of mine in England died a couple of years ago, leaving behind two young children, and I often think about them).

On a more mundane note, DH and I have decided to take the DC to London for a few days over half-term (the excuse being that we need to celebrate my birthday!) and I'm now struggling to find a hotel that isn't fully booked during the first week in November - is it half term in the UK as well?

SC you have my absolute sympathy over PE kit, as Ds1 and I got into a complete tizz over it this morning. His shorts don't fit (which is entirely my fault for thinking he could still fit into last year's so we had to cut down a pair of Adidas long shorts, and then I tried to black out the white piping with black pen, except I couldn't find a suitably furry black pen AARGH! All elegant little fine pointed handwriting pens.
Anyway I blame the PE department for not replying to my emails about kit for tomorrow - he's not allowed to do contact sports so I wasn't sure what was happening and too mean to buy Rugby boots in interim.. Sent him off wailing, I need a letter Mum..no, you'll miss the bus...and I've sent them two bloomign emails, and talked to your Head of Year..
Now feeling a bit guilty, possibly I should buy some new shorts and drop them off in school reception (a 3/4 round trip) just STILL don't know if he's actually doing any sport today.

SC another tip for labelly challenged is to put names on kit in indelible pen as short term measure, instead of before sewing on proper name tapes.

Whoknows poor you. I cooked some beetroot last night, and thought of you!

done
still purring over my chicken pie yesterday, delicious
dh roped into doing ds1's homework
went to bed early
piano lessons x 2 (ds2 apparently lay on the floor and did rythmn clapping from there as he said he was too tired to sit at the piano..oh dear)
Ds2 still obsessed with Beethoven

Cricked neck only just beginnign to subside, almost entirely related to Secondary School tension I fear. I think it is just fear of unknown, and all will settle down soon and we will return to sloppiness getting by...

Hi all,
ggrr I have just had one of those experiences where you type a bit post and then the stupid Windows updater switches of the computer - all gone!!!!
So just a quickie sorry!
MC sounds like a great day planned have a good one! What film?
Linzer very sad news.
SC at least if the unlabelled gym leggings get lost you can retrieve them from the lost property and perhaps pick up a few other items while you are there? Our janitor encourages people to take anything unlabelled which has been in the box for a while, as they chuck out stuff everything at the end of each term. Hehehehe.

Whoknows hope you are feeling a bit better now and have a chance to sleep it off. Don't know what the shred is, but you sound pleased to avoid so that has to be a bonus, plus possible pounds lost overnight?
Oh, and thanks for the routine tips, I love hearing other people's routines.

SC I didn't make the call, they were out, on the phone etc.. and then I had to go out so still got to do it.

OK have a bit of a headache so have been having a bit of a lazy morning.

Done
washing up (not much to wash)
surface wipe kitchen
hotspot
put away vegbag - DP has cleaned fridge good boy!!
washing in
not sure about washing out - doesn't look to promising out there!!!
brekkie
dressed
decluttered old shoes from cupboard for a couple of mins

to do
car insurance
phone property shower
drop off bags at charidee shop
glass in recycling
sweep floor kitchen
sweep bathroom
Try to figure out my new carpet shampoo thingy [very excited - jumps up and down]
lunch
go to work

that'll do for now

Half term's the week before for us Linzer.

CNettle many happy returns to your ds! Hope you all have a lovely day!

MC hope you and your sister are having a lovely day too!

Whoknows so sorry you have also been struck down by the wretched bug. Hope you and your ds recover soon. Take it steady.

Swan ouch - neck sounds painful. Do go carefully with it. Congrats on chicken pie success. (It is very gratifying when a home-made dish goes particularly well isn't it?) And at your ds and his horizontal piano lesson!

Linzer well done with the early morning run but re funeral arrangements. Dh sheepishly mentioned the other week that er, he happens to be going on a business trip at half-term [grrrrr]

Ouch way to go!! And approach spider with caution ...

Back from gynaecologist's appt ... who wasn't there ... owing to the fact that my appointment is er at 9.30 am on the 23rd (next Fri). Oh dear .... What isthat the Fat Fairy keeps saying about checking your calendar the night before?

Still, had my hair cut instead and 30 min mooch around shops. Picked up some craft materials needed for dd next week and some fresh veg to accompany fish cakes tonight. So time not entirely wasted.

Swan/Linzer/Nettle Glad it's not just me who has PE kit meltdowns of a morning. I feel awful about it now I've calmed down of course. I was particularly riled because I have had 'encounters' with this particular gym mistress before. V. strict RC school and she is obsessed with modesty but (imo) to an unhealthy degree. DD did gym performance on stage wearing sports skirt with built-in shorts last year and the comment that came home from Madame X was not "well done SC's dd - you remembered the steps and you overcame your nervousness" or words to that effect etc etc - but "the shorts under your skirt were too short". They weren't - they were just the normal shorts that come attached within a tennis skirt. Utterly ridiculous and I'm frankly worried about the message she is sending out to the girls in her care. It's also a bit galling because I'm quite careful about how dd is dressed anyway (everything age appropriate etc) and so it's doubly annoying to be accused of dressing her inappropriately. What in heavens name is wrong with thick cotton, navy blue long gym leggings for gym? Hopefully, I have got the wrong end of the stick about this - hoping so anyway ....

Right, have an 1.5 hrs before work to do the following:

Morning routine [dashed out house without doing it this am] inc dw on, wm on, s&s, boudoir tidy
Tidy dining room table hotspot
Tidy other hot spot in sitting room
Tidy hall and landings
Tidy up Playmobil in playroom
Eat a healthy lunch (salad-y bits)

Other things to do when I can:
Buy two birthday presents
Gp supplies
Wash dd's ballet kit

x post

Hands RowingBoat paracetemol (hope headache clears soon) Sometimes a spot of caffeine works too.

Oh it's so annoying when computer does that!

Have fun with he carpet cleaner (!) and well done to your dp for fridge cleaning ..

Oh and thanks for reminder. Must add, 'sew on name tape' to list.

Rowingboat

Actually, well done to you too for decluttering shoes and working through list

(Sorry - lovely though a fridge-cleaning dp is - should not give special praise to a man for cleaning and ignore your efforts!!!)

Another list update as I am starting to flag in energy:

Right more coffee drunk and here is a list update. Expect this to get very long by the end of it:
Done
I am showered and up.
My bedding ready to go back on bed having been washed.
I have done a finance overview as complete as possible without getting an uptodate balance which i can't do til later.
Ds' lunch is made and uniform laid out.
Bread dough is in bread machine
Ds' kit soaked in the bath, washed rinsed and now draining
DW is running
Apply common sense to a situation I'd rather let my heart rule and now have to come to terms with the disappointment.
5mins decluttering in my bedroom
tackle the monster spiders in the bathroom - including the one trying to pretend it was one of ds' toy bugs.
Ds' bedding on to dry.
ds awake, breakfasted and dressed.
Apple pies and jam pastry role cooked.
Washing already done folded.
Ironing up to date.
bread made.
School run
Bank and shop to pick up a few bits
get into garden to tame it enough to move furniture
Clear up storm damage - huge great big branches of tree were felled.
Move garden furniture and pack away for winter
Another load of washing.
Repot poorly looking spider plant
hoover up mess in kitchen from repotting
remake bed
15mins of project work.
training kit sorted for tonight (although not sure if i will go depends on how what state i am in later)

Right am about to crash for an hour or two before tackling the car and school run.

sorry obviously didn't edit the c&p properally.

SC i have done that with appointments recently. Annoying isn't it.

Quick update

car insurance got a quote but not paid yet...
washing on clothes horse done
phone property shower
drop off bags at charidee shop
glass in recycling
sweep floor kitchen
sweep bathroom
Try to figure out my new carpet shampoo thingy [very excited - jumps up and down]
lunch
go to work

Arrghhh... today's a write-off. DD on the couch feeling awful, sore throat, stuffy head, the works, and all she wants to do is cuddle with me. So I'm still in my pyjamas, just about managed to extricate myself long enough to load up with coffee.

Ouch am astonished at the many items on your list! Felling trees!

Oops what age is dd?

SC I have finally talked to PE dept on phone (it turns out their phone line was severed by buildign work last week, which explains lack of response to e-mails), en route for the sports shop. The matiest fellow ever reassuring me about everything I'd sent in, and giving me instructions about what sort of alumnimum studs on his rugby boots Ds1 needed to run on muddy ground, and mention of Light Cardiovascular Exercise . Feel soo much better...

Escaped from house, and have bought several new items of schoolwear to avoid inevitable complaints, tight leggings for Brownies [no-one in Brownies wears Those Trousers Mum), tailored trousers for ds2 (not shorts Mum! no-one in year 5 wears Shorts , black shorts without a white line for ds1.

Exercise

And a turntable so we can listen to our v. old and dusty record collection. Okay, that wasn't planned, but as I was passing recently looted and rebooted Disco shop, it occurred to me it might be a good idea to support local business by buying a turntable for all that vinyl.

Beethoven Vinyl stand up and be dusted!

Hi all,
the mid month slump has hit me hard which has meant no flying (clothes still in washing machine since yesterday) but will try get back on track.
The saga with the pencil case continues leading to lots of tears from dd1, and me moaning to just about anyone I can about the stupid school and stupid parents who cba to teach their children not to steal.

Anyway, am still on the hunt for a ticket to the football on Sunday :( no joy yet, but have not given up hope!

List for later
take washing out of machine and hang it up
put away dry washing
put away towels
tidy sitting room
hoover
pizza for dinner

back later hopefully with some progress and personals

We had another PE kit disagreement this morning - there must be something in the air! Ours was only minor though - DS1 highly suspicious of the whole idea and doesn't want to do PE at all... Legged it, hoping teachers would sort him out!

DS2 is asleep so I ought to get off here and go to do some decluttering...

Swan - glad you're feeling better and that you got to speak to someone about it.

Oops - get well soon to your DD. Have some more !

messy that sounds v hard on poor dd. Unfortunately all you can do is just move on. I suspect child has lost colours, and message got garbled between gps and parents and summer hols etc. Dd still talks about a "friend" who stole her Buildabear's school uniform and hasn't given it back, and it's not as if she even plays with Buildabear (Annabelle she's called actually much. Very very annoying and upsetting. But for your dd's sake I think you may have to get her some new colours. I can remember the excruiating agony of losing something belonging to someone else and not even daring to talk to them ever again, and it assumed quality of feud, which I suppose at 6 years it shouldn't

Gosh these "little" but not so little things about school/life get one down.

All week I've had hanging over me the fact that friend wants me to copy/write her a reference (a reference I've already written and sent by post two years ago in handwritten form and has already been put on file by Social Services) in Word docs and email it to different parts of social services. Now I don't actually know how to technically do this, but haven't dared tell her. Well, I did tell her I'd try harder to work it out.. It's got so out of proportion and feeling so cross that a) I can't do it, b) she's askign me to do something Officey when she knows that I'm hopeless at that sort of thing. Anyway now I've cut through Gordian Knot, typed the blooming reference as an email and sent it. Better than not sending it. So done

Back to work now.

Swan - Not whole trees, and the wind did the felling - I just had to remove the huge branches off the plants and chop into tiny pieces and recycle bin it.

Another list update.

Done
I am showered and up.
My bedding ready to go back on bed having been washed.
I have done a finance overview as complete as possible without getting an uptodate balance which i can't do til later.
Ds' lunch is made and uniform laid out.
Bread dough is in bread machine
Ds' kit soaked in the bath, washed rinsed and now draining
DW is running
Apply common sense to a situation I'd rather let my heart rule and now have to come to terms with the disappointment.
5mins decluttering in my bedroom
tackle the monster spiders in the bathroom - including the one trying to pretend it was one of ds' toy bugs.
Ds' bedding on to dry.
ds awake, breakfasted and dressed.
Apple pies and jam pastry role cooked.
Washing already done folded.
Ironing up to date.
bread made.
School run
Bank and shop to pick up a few bits
get into garden to tame it enough to move furniture
Clear up storm damage - huge great big branches of tree were felled.
Move garden furniture and pack away for winter
Another load of washing.
Repot poorly looking spider plant
hoover up mess in kitchen from repotting
remake my bed
15mins of project work.
training kit sorted for tonight (although not sure if i will go depends on how what state i am in later)
SLEEP!
Collect ds from school
ds had hair cut.
dealt with school letters (101 bloody bits of paper)
Sort out snack
put tea on to cook
transfer washing to dryer
make ds' bed
sort out kit for sunday's training session

Right best look at my original list and see if I have actually managed to cross anything off it

List for friday:
Up
ds up
school run x2
laundry one load
ds' bedding
tidy car out
hoover car
sort out ds' training kit that stinks ----
sort out my training kit for the evening
folding uptodate
Ironing uptodate
clothes away
tidy ds' room - Half did this earlier
tame the bathroom
wash the bathroom floors and ds' bedroom floor
tame the landing
tame the chaos so that passage into and out of my room is possible
see about getting some taming done in the garden so that garden furniture can be packed up for the winter whilst dry
feed the masses - about to do
Training. - not til later
get important email sent
finish filling out paperwork and get necessary extra bits for attaching
find library books, return and pay fine.
Pick up a new floor board for a project for ds.

Well that is a nice surprise. Normally on days like this i ignore my original list and gets loads of other stuff done instead, but I do actually seem to have achieve some of what I thought i needed to do today. The rest of it is pretty much nesbitted with exception of feeding and training.

Might not get back later so have a fabulous evening and hope you all have lovely weekends!

Oh my Giddy Aunt Ouch - you have been busy!

Todays list

Pay in cheque done
Return library book done
Pay mahooosive library fine done £23 later!!!
De-cobweb bathroom not done
Hoover stairs and hall not done
New boiler installed done
Exchange DD's doubled up b'day present done
Picnic with mindees done

Tomorrows list

De-cobweb bathroom
Tack down stair carpet
Hoover hall and stairs
Fill school charity bags
De-clutter kids books
Tidy out small toy boxes
Throw out old TV
Homework with DS's
Check online banking
Text mindee's mum re: late no payment
Text tree surgeon

I've just received a call confirming that my last space has just been filled so i will officially be full at the start of next yr!! So excited - will be very busy though! :)

No flying for 2 days.

D&V for me. DH has huge cold. DS is fine and running about.

Not amused. House=bombsite

Post more when well.

Evening everyone.

Sorry so many people are under the weather and hope those of you who are suffering get well soon!

Cnettle's ds MC(and MC's sister) - hope good birthdays were had by all!!!

My day ended better than it started with a lovely walk in the sunshine with a happy dd (no hwk tonight!) and finding something I'd lost. Managed to get some fairly serious Flying done in between work (v quiet)/school runs/non-existent doc appts and that has spurred me on to get back to proper decluttering and exercising this w/e.

Morning routine [dashed out house without doing it this am] inc dw on, wm on, s&s, boudoir tidy done
Tidy dining room table hotspot done
Tidy other hot spot in sitting room done
Tidy hall and landings hall done
Tidy up Playmobil in playroom done
Eat a healthy lunch (salad-y bits) done

Other things to do when I can:
Buy two birthday presents - Sat
Gp supplies - Sat
Wash dd's ballet kit done

• folded two loads of towels did two more loads of laundry dusted, cleaned and hoovered ground floor (quickly but looks good) dusted, cleaned and hoovered boudoir and bathroom (ditto)

The baby-step for tomorrow, Saturday 17th September is here. It's worth trying to stick to it although I'm very bad at doing so.

No zones or missions tomorrow because it is the weekend.

However, if you work full time and want to get ahead in next week's zone, details can be found here.

Saturday is family fun day.

Enjoy the last moments of the summer this weekend! (It's car free day here on Sunday which is always great fun: for one day a year it is possible to take your bicycle, wheelchair, pogo stick, stilts, or unicycle and pedal/bounce/freewheel like crazy down duel carriageways and around roundabouts that are normally choc-a-bloc with cars ... .)