October's Fledgling Fliers: Seasons of Mists and Mellow Flyfulness

[elliepac]

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.

good morning (checks to see if it is still morning)

Day one of my Frocktober challenge mean a rather disgruntled dd who wanted to put on her party dress. Mummy in a dress=party. Well normally. Legs defluffed and smothered in anti biotic cream in the hope of clearing up some of the rash.

I had a lovely lie in this morning. and DH informed me he had bathed the children "for me"

anyway my tada list so far

washed dressed in a dress, dc washed and dressed
breakfast was eaten
my bed was made and hair straightened
Cleaned my sink
emptied and refilled dishwasher
shoes been on and off as been in and out of the garden collecting my homegrown grapes, rosemary and cucumbers and a mini pumpkin from the patch.

Now need to get off my lazy bottom and either properly clean the house or take dc to somewhere nice where they will have fun and therefore not drive me bananas.

Im leaning towards the second of those two options but feeling rather lazy.

Hope you all have a lovely sunshiney day.

Hi all,

Ouch sounds like a great night for you! Hope you aren't sitting with an icepack on your head this morning.

SC you are welcome! What is the plan for getting fit?? I'm trying too - got an exercise bike in front of the TV, and need to remember 10 minutes a day is better than none. I think my targets are too high and they put me off, but a little bit is manageable.
What sort of activities do you like? Are you a runner a dancer or a gym girl?

Can somebody tell me, is the shred a keep-fit thing? I keep noticing it and don't think it concerns destroying sensitive documents, which is the only kind of shredding I have come across.

Feet I hope you have a chance to powernap today, catch up with your sleep.

Droitwich I hope you are feeling a bit more 'up' now. Is Droitwich somewhere near London? It sounds very familiar for some reason.

Ellie it was a bit toasty last night wasn't it! It's quite overcast here today.

OK my list
morning routine done
washing out done
new load on
water outside plants
water inside plants
wash window again - it still looks a bit revolting
hoover
carpet shampoo under table and under exercise bike
vitamins done
lunch sanwiches
dinner shredded pork
find an online resource for language
plant bulbs
plant heather
cotton wool picture with DS

Wow, we're onto page 2 already! More to SC for last month and Ellie for this.

SC - you were asking about fish pie at the end of the last thread. There needs to be plenty of smoked fish for flavour, I reckon. I also add king prawns and hard boiled eggs, and grated cheese on top. In our house it is also compulsory to have a side order of ketchup!

Well, it was a fun evening out and we have a functional kitchen although not finished yet. I now have a shinable sink!

Ta da!
DW unloaded - 1st time it's been usable for a while
Library with boys - there was a colouring competition and Wii games so they didn't want to leave...
Washing on line
Picked beans
Bit of shopping

To do
Visit friend (DS2's godmother) with boys after nap time
Pick raspberries
Try out pizza function in new oven
Plan good use of new cupboards
Loads of TV to catch up on
Fold towels and put away
Read Sink Shining 101

Afternoon all! I can't believe how glorious the weather is. So lovely!

Thanks for the good wishes for DD. She seems a bit better today although her ear is still weeping. Yuk, bless her.

Todays list!

Attack kitchen! done
Listen to DS read. done
2 loads of washing, dry and put away. 2nd lot hung out
Meal plan for the week.
Make Lasagne, eat, clear up.
Bath the DC's, hair, cut nails.
Put towels away.
15 mins tidy of the downstairs.
Bath, Pj's, wine and chocolate ready for X-factor! :)

DH is working lates tonight and just left so i have to be lovely and organised

I am also sooo hungry! What is going on?? I just can't stop eating today. Blue your fish pie sounds lovely - I wish i could cook, I'm a Jar girl I'm afraid.

Be back later!

Afternoon all,

Lovely and sunny here today, so we've been out to visit some waterfalls and had a lovely walk in the woods. Now having a lazy afternoon (the DC are all playing with friends/neighbours' DC), although I really must put the washing away so that I can hang up the next lot. Am going out in about 20 minutes with the DDs to meet up with a friend and her triplets so that we can all go running together; the DC have been desperate to try it out ever since I started running.

nettle Thanks so much for DS's card; he was really pleased with it.

rowing The Shred is a fitness DVD - Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred to give it its full title - with three 20-minute workouts of increasing difficulty. WhoKnows and I are on a Shred thread - a spin-off from the C25k thread -and are aiming to stick to it for 30 days, although I have been slacking somewhat recently.

Thanks for the everyone!

Phwoar, it's 28°c (82°F) here or the other way around (always getting my centigrades and farenheits mixed up). It's scorching anyway.

DD is driving me bananas asking for a goldfish. Her class fish at school copped it during the week unfortunately and she was distraught. I am holding out for the moment and being a HORRID Mummy. I did however buy her a one euro bouncing eye-ball as compensation.

Ta da:
morning routine inc dw, wm, s&s, boudoir 'swipe'
sorted out pedometer
ballet run
food shop (veggies and fruit)
Boots equiv shop (shampoos, soap etc)
gibier shop for a chicken and a pigeon (the latter was dh's treat)
coffee on a sunny terrace with dh
red/pink/maroon wash done and hanging in sun
vegetable cous-cous for late lunch
watched rugby highlights

To do:
tidy up again
more washing
hwk supervision
October planning
more office laundry
exercise
French study
ironing
watch Masterchef x 2 (wierd scheduling)

Thanks Blue. Smoked fish + prawns is obviously the answer (I used plain cod and mushrooms with parsley sauce) and the end result was disappointing. Not unpleasant, just terribly bland "nursery" food. Will try your recipe next time! Good to hear you now have a functioning kitchen (with pizza oven no less!) V. swanky!!

Rowingboat

"Are you a runner a dancer or a gym girl?"
I'm afraid I'm an ancient and now rather plump curl up on sofa with a good book and some chocolate couch potato! Trying to change that though. Like you, have exercise bicycle (supposed to do 30 mins a day) Like horse-riding, table-tennis, tennis and badminton so hoping to do more of those more frequently. Not averse to a bit of cycling from time to time. Contemplating starting thai-chi. Doing a surreptitious bit of Rosemary Conley salsa of a morning (when there is no one there to witness it) But mainly I am starting (day one - 1st Oct!!) a walking for fitness/weight loss programme (power walking). For weight loss it's recommended that you take 10,000 steps a day (4,000 to 6,0000 of which are uninterrupted) (So far today I am only on 5, 226!) The idea is to build up slowly though. You've hit the nail on the head about setting targets too high etc. I'm going to try and be very realistic for the next 3 months and just do what I can every day - as you say the important thing is to keep going - using Flylady/Body Clutter principles ie small step/small changes at a time and building up routines gradually. (I hope to lose 10 Kg.) Good luck with your regimen!!! I haven't a clue about shredding - would like to know also!

Cnettle love the sound of your harvest - delicious! Good luck with Frocktober challenge!

ouch you deserve an easy day. YOu have Flown brilliantly throughout September - be proud of yourself !

Thanks and huge waves to Droitwich enjoy your day in the sun!

Huge waves to everyone else...

xposts Nicknacks (glad your dd is a bit better although must still be awful for her) and enjoy your run Linzer (waterfalls sounds lovely)

Shred sounds a bit strenuous for me as yet until I get fitter ...

Better step away from the screen and get that pedometer ticking again ...

Bugger me it's hot . October and I have the paddling pool out .

Have completed all of previously typed list (cba to retype as am on my phone). And done some ironing as well. I don't know about anybody else but the price of the supermarket shop continues to astound me. I know i got a few weeks worth of washing powder and bog roll but £126!!!! I shop at Tesco and despite their big tv ad about the big price drop it is clearly not a big enough drop. I remember the days when i could fill my trolley for £60. Plus the sneaky twats have risen the prices on other stuff to.

Have had a nice afternoon. Ds went to play out but has now decamped to the back garden with friend and they are currently playing battleships. Dd is faffing around in the garden, dh is having a snooze and i am on mn.

Tonight DN is sleeping over and her and ds are sleeping in the living room and watching x factor with popcorn.

Hope everyone is enjoying the last blast of summer. We are going to the caravan next weekend so i can guarantee it will be about 15 degrees cooler than today and peeing it down with rain.

Shredding is HARD. I have given up till the weather cools down again. I am struggling to keep all the balls in the air at the moment, with Flying, running and Shredding, not to mention work, the DCs, the PTA. The Flying is going pretty well, but it is not perfect (I have huge piles of clean laundry on the spare bed, my menu planning has fallen by the wayside again, and my paperwork is piling up). I'm definitely fitter than I was at the start of the year though.

CBA day today. Just lounging round the house. Well, not lounging, but pottering. Ought to go and put the laundry away.....

well all the balls are no longer in the air but have rolled under the sofa...

not that I have been anywhere near the real sofa

hot here, packign for outward bound trp for twins x 2 (6 pairs of trackies needed for each! and three pairs of shoes each [grr] endless hours in Sports Direct and Shoe Zone, Library to return some books and new ones for ds1 homework, with twins, avoid dh who was doing homework with ds1, music school etc etc etc etc

not so bad! When I returned dh has done model of cell in plasticine with ds, a Nero film poster and researched Hadrian (by mistake)

Feeling slightly cross that instructions are never detailed for the homework, just "make a model"? So, big small, how much info, how complex, how many hours should we spend on this work of art? Ditto film poster. Is it meant to have information about Nero? or just be a film poster.... with a one line caption and a rating...Nero was rated a 12, which was a bit optimistic..

needto
properly pack
sort out laundry
watch Dr Who as it's the last episode and I really should...

SC aah the eyeball treatment
fish pie - smoked fish, and plain white sauce, or plain fish and cheese sauce.
I used to have a layer of fried tomato, mushroom and onion, as well as the fish, prawns and boiled eggs and white sauce, under the mash, but that was probably taking things to extremes.
Other easy option is fish crumble, cheesy breadcrumbs over fish pie mix and serve with tomato salad, and boiled small potatoes.

Duties call..

Hi all,
well it's hot everywhere - except here! It is not cold, but it is grey and a bit drizzly. I've got droopy washing on the line.
I wonder if this is the end of the hot weather?
SC totally do what you can. Are you wearing a pedometer? If so that is a good idea, because how can you fail to take steps, unless you are bed-ridden or something.

OK my list
morning routine done
washing out done
new load on
water outside plants done
water inside plants
wash window again - it still looks a bit revolting done
hoover done
carpet shampoo under table and under exercise bike only under table, ran out of time - ds got home after the table and he hates the noise of the machine.
vitamins done
lunch sanwiches with a 'd' in the middle done
dinner shredded pork done
find an online resource for language done
plant bulbs postponing until next week
plant heather yep also postponed
cotton wool picture with DS he is refusing to make one
Show DS the language resource - it's the bbc bitesize thing, it seems very good.

Oooo I can help with the make model of a cell. It is an assessment task that they set for the kids and they should have been given instructions that they are not supposed to have help to do it. Its part of the app assessment system they brought in. Ds should have had a criteria sheet which details what is expected of each level. although some schools are not sticking quite so strictly to this. Basically the model doesn't have to take a lot of time to make but they are looking at things like labelling of the components and whether or not explanations are given and the accuracy of this information. One individual made a model in jelly. Very cool but wasn't worth the effort as the model wasn't labelled so only scored a very low grade. If that makes sense.

Ice is on leg and I am now dead. Ds however, has had a lovely day. please can we lose this heat now?

Just marking my place. Love the thread title, Ellie.

Hi Toffee howz things? Didnt catch up with the thread much last month, but have been wondering how DS is doing at school?

Evening all!

Ellie I could have written your post about the cost of the weekly shop lately. Ours is about £80-£90 at the moment but with at least one top up of milk/bread/something we've run out or forgotten. DH does our shopping now as he doesn't mind it and is less likely to make an impulse buy. I hate it and, it sounds daft, but i get really disorientated in supermarkets and can't concentrate. He tends to forget cleaning bits though!

Attack kitchen! done
Listen to DS read. done
2 loads of washing, dry and put away. done
Meal plan for the week. meat is done but need to sort the veggie options
Make Lasagne, eat, clear up. done
Bath the DC's, hair, cut nails. done
Put towels away. forgot
15 mins tidy of the downstairs. done
Bath, Pj's, wine and chocolate ready for X-factor! just about to do!

Whereabouts are you rowing to not have had the heat today? It's def warm here and I'm glad as its kicked another week off of the winter heating bill!

Blue Soooo jealous of the new kitchen- let us know how the pizza oven works out!

Tomorrow for me is much of the same. I really need to exchange DD's winter coat as its already getting a bit tight and she's not worn it yet! May pick myself up some new trousers for work as i've lost a bit of weight without trying (woo hoo!).

Have a good evening all! I'm off to watch sky + X-factor.

Hi PA thanks for your advice on my other thread! :)

Evening all

Thanks for leading so well last month SC and for offering to lead this month Ellie. I hope DDs ear is better soon Nicknack and that DSs isn't affected too much by his wobble at school. And I am so with you on the heat Ouch

So interview yesterday went well and they took me on, although pretty much I think if I knew what I was talking about in the interview then I was fine. Need to wait for ref and CRB now though so may not get started for 6 weeks and apparently even then there is no work . Today has involved tedious driving around Lincolnshire with DH, DD and in-laws looking for new caravan, static, caracan site, or any or none of the above. I'm not quite sure anyone knew actually as I don't think MIL and FIL actually discussed this together properly so I'm now that I wasted a lovely day sat in a car and that FIL invited himself around yesterday evening and tomorrow morning too .

OK off to spend some time with DH for the first time since Wednesday and will be back flying tomorrow.

Oh and last night I was stung or something on my tummy and ended up being really ill and now have a blister type thing there which is really irritating me and is being worse with the heat.

Hi, can I join in? I used to be on one of these threads about a year ago, but fell off. I also followed Flylady at the end of my maternity leave 4 years ago, it got me out of a rut. Now I'm on maternity leave again so hopefully with 9 months to get into a routine I may just make it stick.... the only problem is after 9 months I go back to work and it's DH who's the SAHD so I need to get him into a routine.

I've been on maternity leave for a week and I've done some major decluttering and cleaning (nesting) but there's always room for more.

So far today I've:
Cleaned kitchen
1 load of washing
Done 15 minutes of straightening up around the house. (So pleased it only takes 15 minutes now :) )
Flopped on the settee for long periods of time. It's too flipping hot to be 36 weeks pregnant!

I think I'll go and load the dishwasher, clear the sink then head off to bed.

Had fab day out finished off by a trip to the chip shop so just popping by to see what everyone else has been up to.

Welcome bilblio! If you have done this before you know what it is all about. Don't be put off my some of the wishlists - we often end up propping up the bar in the naughty corner

Hi all,

Droitwich, ahah! I see you! Quite near Birmingham? Is it Bham or Brum?

Nicknacks I'm in Southern Scotland. It has been 25 degrees for the past few days but rain was forecast so I'm not very surprised. It isn't cold, just cloudy and a bit drizzly.
Supposedly, the sun is back next week, but not so hot. My tomatoes are loving it!
My ds has his birthday at the end of October and he has always had a sunny day, so October must be a drier month usually, but not this sunny!

Biblio that's an interesting name? Are you a librarian? So when is your due date?
Might as well have a go at getting a bit of cleaning done before it all hits the fan in a few weeks!

MC nightmare being stuck in a car in the heat! Hope you didn't fry!

Ouch don't worry, it will probably snow next week!

SC I'm going to get on my exercise bike soon! Got to start somewhere haven't you! Just a gentle pedal whilst watching Emmerdale (with a can of beer)

Think I'm going to postpone the new load of washing on, as we still have a line full outside and a duvet mouldering on a clothes horse and a damp carpet. Can't wait for the mushrooms to appear on the ceiling!
So that's me pretty much, apart from getting some clothes for tomorrow and doing bit of washing up, I'm finished!
Off to work tomorrow, so not much flying...

Okay kitchen and living room now respectable for the morning, and cleaning the kitchen reminded me I need to take my tablets so it was definitely worth doing (I'm currently trying to fight off a chest infection and get my asthma under control before this LO arrives.)

Bilblio came about years ago when I was trying to direct a friend to an online bookshop, he kept typing it wrong and the mis-spelling amused me so I've had it as an online name since. Not a librarian, though I've always fancied it. I even got a job as library bank staff but never got phoned to do any shifts. :( I'm actually a speech therapy assistant.

I'm due on 24th October. I figured getting back into flylady, whilst the nesting instinct was strong would be a good idea :o It's working so far.

I'm also praying it doesn't snow though, we're one of the areas they've said it might, just on the Pennines, and my parents live the other side of the Pennines. DH's parents could get to us if it snowed... except they'll be on holiday on the other side of the world until 3 days before I'm due!

It seems very odd talking about the possibility of snow in this heat.

Right... I was meant to be going to bed. Night all!

Night Biblio! You take it easy and see if you can get 5 or 10 minutes unbroken sleep! I hope your chest infection eases off. There are antibiotics which are safe during pregnancy, I should know, I had them all.
Right off to do a bit of pedaling then bed. Stuff the washing up!

Well, in the end we didn't use the pizza setting, but it turned out pretty well just on the ordinary one. The oven actually came with a recipe book including ones for Sachertorte and Linzertorte...

Hi to Bilblio.

MC - glad the interview went well at least.

there's a lot of gusto going on here - ah, must be the beginning of the month.

i haven't done any flying at all today as i was up and out early at a guider training thingy all day, so left dh to fly on his own. oh, i lie, i vaccuumed all the downstairs when i got back as i was wading through dog drifts.

i did do an extra half an hour of decluttering and put out a monster hot spot on the kitchen side before i went to bed though, so i don't feel too bad.

he's cooked the dinner as well. result!

i'm going to do the sink before i go to bed tonight, and i'm going to put a load of laundry through, but other than that, i'm tv bound as i'm knackered. tomorrow is another day!