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 Nettie, when I post from the blackberry it seems to always post twice. Tis right PITA!

What does nesbitting mean????

Welcome Gentleness. It's tough to keep on top of a house with such small babies ... All very laid back here. Baby-steps (horrible yuck term) are posted every day concurrently with date. Best to start by following those until they become second nature. Then time to do baby-steps + decluttering in the current zone. Then, once you've decluttered (you can't really clean clutter) you can start doing the daily missions. Don't worry - you don't have to understand it all before you start. It will become clear as you go along. Have a look around the Flylady website to give you a basic idea of what's what, but whatever you do, don't enter in to the Big Tent...

Ooooh, eeerrrrrr.; do I detect revolution brewing in the air tonight??

I probably shouldn't said it but the thought has crossed my mind that the entire Flylady system is a cunning psychological scheme to brainwash followers in to thinking they are just doing a few routines per day, when in fact, if you join em all up, you are doing just as much cleaning as before but in a slightly more regimented fashion. But forget I just 'said' that!!!

So, in response to Silvery.... "YES"
Rather embarrassed as thread leader not to know about detailed cleaning btw but haven't finished decluttering yet That will probably only take a decade or two ...

Hello to Noeyedear and anyone else I forgot to mention lower down the thread.

nesbit = to intend to do something but not quite get around to it

OK everyone. Here we go again. Back to school/work with avengence tomorrow (well, over here in mainland Europe anyway).

With huge thanks again to Blue for keeping track of us all during August.

BABY STEP no. 1 for 1st Sept 2011 is here

For the rest of the week we will be in Zone 1 again, details here Mission will update when website does.

But for a sneak peak ahead see here

Don't know if these Fat Fairy back to school tips are any good but including just in case here

This is for all newcomers here

And Ouch could I be a pain please & ask you to post the great link which lists all the baby-steps together. I've had a look and my fuddled brain can't find it. Would be useful to have on here for any newbies. Ta very muchly.

Silvery see my post 11.26.24 for explanation of "nesbitting"

If I think of anything else, I'll be back.

If not, see you in the morning with a large cup of strong coffee. Going to be a bit painful to get back in to the school/work routine.

Have a great start to the month everyone!!!

Nettle, thanks for clearing that up.
And re detailed cleaning, I don't have to do it all in 1 week then, I can draw up a list and tick stuff off and judt have it ongoing until all jobs have been done, regardless of how long it takes and then just start again. That would remind me where I was and would make sure I just don't do the same thing over and neglect something else.
Wow. Can't believe I didn't think of it like that before! [Idiot emoticon]
Anyhoo, best get to bed ready for new beginnings tomorrow.
See you all at FLY o'clock

To do list for tomorrow:
Hoover and mop floors
chase up builder
Aldi shop
Charity shop bag to drop off
Send off 2 translation projects
Start on tedious work-related stuff I was too busy for before...
Tidy desk
Experiment with lettuce soup...

That should do. And to think I was feeling bored today!!

Waves to newbies and oldbies alike. Nesbitting is good. I shall adopt it. Night!

Hmm, SC, the Fat Fairy lost me on the back to school link when she advised buying a secondhand limo for carpooling... !

Yes the bit about the limo made me cackle too!

Glad you got it all sorted Silvery
G'night!!

Well I personally would much rather have a brand new limo ! I
Mean to say secondhand

Hey September thread!
God I love Autumn :) now I can wear big jumpers, tights, boots, hats and scarves etc without looking like a weirdo, hurray!!

List for tomorrow is:
Up and dressed
Dishwasher
Washing machine
Swish and swipe
Get dd1 to school on time
Waste my morning chatting to other Mums, and calling in to my mother for forgotten cup cakes
dd2 lunch and ?nap (optimistic)
Supermarket
decluttering while dd1 is in school and dd2 sleeps
Time journey to school to collect dd1
Home, snack, uniform off, homework started
Dinner (depends on supermarket trip :) )

Also forgot to mention that I haven't had a cigarette since Sunday lunchtime. I usually smoke ten- twelve a day so pretty proud of myself. Hopefully I will keep it up :)
Got my emails from amazon to say my order (sink reflections) and another book I had forgotten I had ordered have been shipped, so won't have to wait long for those :o

Keep meaning to ask does anyone have the products that flylady sells? Are they any use or will I stick with what's working for me?

Hello September flyers I hope you're all well and have missed you all!

Well after an abysmal August on the flying front I am hoping for better things for September! Although I am going away for most of the first two weeks, so probably won't be back to any convincing degree until about the 13th

A lot to do to get ready before we go on Saturday though as the house is a bomb site! Here is my pre-holiday list....

Washing * about 100
Put away washing x 110 (guilty laundry pile lurking in the sadly outgrown moses basket!
Dishwasher x lots
Hoover entire house
Tidy house
Take a million bottles to the bottle bank!
Clean kitchen
Clean out fridge
Pack

... and work full time including writing our new work website. Ho hum

Today's list:

Exercise done, went for a nice bike ride this a.m.

Have self and DS up and dressed at decent hour massive fail

Finish helping the poor homeless clothing spread everywhere -Almost there!nope

Generally tidy up as having friend over this evening yes! done!

VACUUM STAIRS-there's an entire dog's worth of fur on them by the look of things no

Attend DS' preschool Open House done

Whatever else the day throws at me finished all the dishes, wiped everything in my kitchen down with hot soapy/bleachy water, mopped...yay for being able to see my counters again!

Tomorrow:

*GET UP AND DRESSED AT A DECENT HOUR! School/work is starting on the 6th and I really have to crack this one

*Exercise

*Slay the clothing monster

*Organize Living room shelves

*Vacuum stairs!

*Whatever Flylady says (helpless automaton :o)

Morning all,

Will pop back later if I have time, but just wanted to post the link to the list of babysteps.

Had a slight panic last night when we discovered DS was down to his last anti-allergy tablet (the paed we see about his allergies, who's over half an hour away, can only prescribe a month's worth at a time). DH is going to call in at our local paed on his way home from work; hopefully he'll prescribe the tablets without seeing DS. (I can't go this morning as he doesn't open till 1 pm). Otherwise the packing is all done, bar a few last-minute bits and pieces, so I should have time to fit in a visit to the hairdresser's this morning.

Right, must go and get up and get the DC out of the house.

[SC breezes in with bag of warm croissants, carefully steps around Ouch lays out plates, napkins, home made apricot jam and starts perking the coffee]

Morning all!!

Thanks for the list Linzer That's very helpful for anyone who wants to know what baby-steps are coming up. Have a great trip!! [Envy] of your last bit of holiday!! Hope you can sort the meds.

Hey Pushme !! Great to see you!! Good luck with the holiday prep (and the website)

Messy can only vouch for the Flylady book I'm afraid (and that has fallen apart on me) BRILLIANT news on cigarette front!! Go girl!!!!

CheerfulYank I'll be with you in spirit today slaying the clothing monster - my house is a tip

Waves at Coostoonettle

Right, where do I start?

Today I must do all the things I didn't get done yesterday plus some extras:
morning routine, inc dw on, wm on, s&s
tidy boudoir and entire ground floor (will need a tank to drive through the mess)
put away remaining holiday clobber
tidy first floor landing
get dd off to school
quick supermarket shop
cook warming veggie stew
personal grooming
prepare for work tomorrow
trip to chemist
write and deliver letter to gynaecologist
inscribe in evening class

Have a great start to the month everyone!! We CAN do it!!

Urgh, that last post is bordering on the hideously perky

I can't survive breakfast without Marmite and Radio 4

To Do List
morning routine
post college forms
submit gas/elec meter readings
check monthly budget
RSVP wedding
go to bank
make cottage pie for DP
shine shine shine that sink
meet mother for coffee at 3 ( may be needed)

Clearly I am unable to type/spell this morning and more coffee is needed than anticipated.

So have I got this right ;I need to do the baby step for today ( shine my sink...does anyone have any tips for keeping a porcelain sink white?)
Then focus on my entrance way and dining room ( haven't got a dining room but will look at dining area of kitchen .)

To do list today also
Finish hemming ds2s trousers
Bake cake for ds1
Haircut ds1
Shirt nametaping
Physio x3.

Hands Whyistherumalwaysgone double espresso

MrsWoodenTop well, officially, all you have to do is shine your sink. That's it!!

But it depends at which point you are at (see description of three-pronged approach in opening post of this thread). If you are a total newcomer, then all you have to do is the baby-steps every day until they become second nature, then go on to zone decluttering/cleaning thereafter. It depends how you want to play it. Best to adapt system to suit yourself but would counsel against doing too much at once. The main philosophy underpinning the Fat Fairy's system is that nothing is overwhelming, all chores are broken down in to succinct, separate tasts, and so you blitz things bit by bit in very focused, efficient, short bursts of time. Hopefully leaving more time to do much more interesting things instead!! Oh and the other bit of the philosophy is to resist perfectionism at all times.

Any other questions, don't hesitate.

(BTWI think bleach is the only solution for white porcelain especially for removal of tea/coffee stains but mine's stainless steel so not sure) Others may have better tips ...

messy Well done for cutting out the fags! That's great
Morning to everyone else.
So, SC and others I've seen the book mentioned a few times now, it is good then? You'd recommend it? Talk to me about it.........

To Do
Shower and dress
Swish and swipe
Boys to dress
Make beds
Tidy away
What's for dinner?
Babystep
Zone job (either mission, detail or declutter)
Sort clean clothes and put away
Collect prescription
go to shoe shop for plimsoles
Washing machine on
Clean kitchen
Pack toms lunch
Lay out clothes

Better get a move on! Think I might take the boys to a friends house today to see her new kittens and if it stays nice will also pop to the park.

A beautiful morning here,
spiders' webs and hydrangeas
snuggly children under woolly rugs on the sofa
Wimpy Kid on the DVD
Coffee has percked
my bamboo is catching the drip from the overflow very nicely

Dd is off to a playdate at 10.30 [yay!)
My plan is to:

continue arduous task of getting Ds1 to review book about Afghan refugee which cunningly disguised itself on cover as a book about football
take boys out to park/combine with school run trial on bus for Ds1
tackle Microsoft Office again. Dh was muttering to me about cutting and pasting from Word to email. I will consult my Senior citizen's guide to computers.

MrsW I use bleach on white porcelain sink. But not often, mostly just live with a bit of inperfection...and try to avoid the coffee grounds.. I do find a white sink, when it is clean quite uplifting, so do not regret the superior shininess of stainless steel..

Hi everyone .

I'm hoping to get back on track this month after being away and having parents here in August. DD has just started kindergarten, so I should have more time to organise myself, but here I am on MN instead of decluttering whatever zone we're in today.

I can't decide if I love or hate the word nesbit. It sums up so perfectly the cause of everything that goes wrong in my life .

Push hope baby is well
Messy hard slog giving up, Dsis used to have a fake cigarette which helped a lot. You can do it. I am also looking forward to my autumn wardrobe. For some reason I don't feel I got a lot out of my summer wardrobe, as I always seemed to have a gigantic jumper on top most days I even resorted to tights and puffa jackets.

Morning all!

No time for personals really today as work is hugely busy today, but am sneaking on to post my ta/to-do list so that I will keep motivated (given I check the thread every 20 minutes on my phone .

Ta/To-Do List
Up/Shower/Dress/Breakfast - Done for DS & I
Work - Will be ongoing during day
Work out what to wear for tomorrow's night out
Hoover!
Cook mince for dinner (if it defrosts)
Epilate legs while screaming quietly
Sort out kitchen worksurfaces which look like a bomb has gone off on them
Trip to tip with bottles etc.
Make menu planner for next week
Make shopping list based on above plan

It'll all get done... probably!