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.

Welcome to the new thread baby!!!!

Morning all! Apologies for lack of actual link but laptop is playing up this morning. Tge babystep for today is to check your control journal and there are no missions today as it is the weekend!

Had a crappy day yesterday as somebody, presumably a pupil, stole my purse at work . £40 and all my cards. The money is a bummer but i am more upset about the actual act iyswim.

Anyway, onwards and upwards and at least it is half term.

Back later when hopefully my laptop will decide to play ball.

ds1 is now in trouble at ss Having meeting with teacher after half term.
So feeling absolutely knocked out dealing with fallout from that, thinking about his difficulties (social I mean) He is being rude to other children in hs year as a way of getting attention from them, and eyeballing older children too, which led to an incident.
I've invited a child in his year (not his class) to come and visit next week, as I think he just needs to have someone to chill out with away from school setting.

My mum is in London next week to have a foot op, but she has been v.sympathetic to all school difficulties, as I think she had lots of them with three out of her own four, and herself Oh dear, bit of doomed family.

Ellie how absolutely horrible. I think stealing is one of those things which people do for all sorts of reasons not just the money, it is the subject of so many school stories and it causes such a lot of upset and fallout not to say breakdown of trust etc. It is also quite an insidious thing isn't t, as people justify it to themselves for all sorts of reasons, gettign their own back, opportunism, I needed money, she didn't..etc Anyway lots of I can see being a teacher must sometimes be a complete nightmare.

Both boys at tennis/footie now. Dd wandering around with dh doing errands. Feel a bit better now, think I might try and make lunch

Upstairs is looking terrible, sure it wouldn't take long to deal with it, just need to be in the right mood.

[Staggers in from naughty corner, collecting empties along the way]

Thanks for wine last night Nicknacks I think you may need some in return after sorting out your dh's wardrobe!!

What a bummer Ellie. Money aside, the sneaky deceit is horrible -not to mention the invasion of privacy and inconvenience of it all. Glad you have a bit of respite next week though.

Swan sorry to hear you've had such a stressful end to the week as well. It's so draining all this school business isn't it? Hope you and your ds1 can get a bit of distance from it all during the holidays.

I found a note in dd's pocket at the beginning of the week which has some quite racy language/innuendo written on it. My immediate reaction was an indignant "whose child would write such a thing"? Upon questioning, it turned out dd wrote it . She didn't understand what she was saying either on a (French) language or moral level - again it was a misguided bid to win friends - but I was still shocked and disappointed from my adult perspective. (And frankly relieved that another mother hadn't found it!) This parenting business is so difficult - being the disciplinarian and comforter at the same time.

Welcome back and sorry I missed you last night Darkness Hope you found the half-drunk bottles of red!!

Laurie I spend on average about Euros 20 a week on my guinea pigs They eat organic hay flavoured with camomile flowers and wild mint hand-picked by gypsies on the foothills of the Andulusian mountains (or so my dh claims! ) I just can't bear to buy them cheap hay and the good stuff costs a fortune. However, they do benefit from all the veg off-cuts when I make soup etc so I suppose that is quite economical.

Waves to Blue Whoknows MC et al

As for Flying, I feel a complete fraud being on here. It's been one fat Flying Nesbit this week. But my cleaner has been and my twice weekly ironing lady so things aren't too terrible. This should however, with basic stuff under control, be my opportunity to actually make advances in to hideous cellars of doom and pitiful home office. But, er, I haven't ...

DD at ballet now so I'd better go and profit and do a few chores/laundry before she brings a friend home and the afternoon disappears ...

Hope you all have good weekends...

Where's Andulusia.???

Andalusia

compromised 20 euros :-O I spent 50 pounds in pet shop last night but that was for toys and bits that I didn't really NEED to get, plus hay etc...where do you get your super posh hay from?

I have full intentions of cleaning out DD wardrobe this afternoon after rabbit collection...we'll see!!

I always think Andalusia is the place where the princess in Enchanted is supposedly from think it may be Andalasia ie: made up Think it's in Spain SC

Very busy here and so not much FLYing being done. Half term - YAY!!!

Did a Halloween party for DD and her friends yesterday as they had an inset day so the house is all spooky but a mess and we are hosting a wine tasting tonight and while we are drinking the kids will be upstairs - arrggh. Have just gotten DD to tidy up her room then it got totally trashed again yesterday and it's semi tidy again today but will get trashed again no doubt. DH has done the party food shopping and we are now cooking up a storm in preparation. We do love our parties but the tidying up the following morning is always daunting. Our house is only small too so the mess looks a lot worse.

Hope you are all okay and enjoying some sunny weather

Sorry for being away for a couple of days. Been to a family funeral (lovely Great Aunt and the most beautiful funeral. Her coffin was carried from her home to her local church (she always said she wanted to go home one last time after she died), the sun came out as we walked along the lane she had walked so many times, and the service was perfect. Although DS2 (5) did ask me why they had 'Dracula' music at the end and said it wasn't going to help her rest peacefully!).

Staying at my mum's at the moment, so no Flying going on. Will check back in next week.

Pink yes 'tis definitely in Spain (sorry - was just cryptically unintelligibly querying location of my mis-spelt version!) (Funnily enough went to amazing fiesta there a decade or so ago to visit my dh's ex-cleaning lady's family when her father was made mayor of their local town. Marvellous grub and horse-flesh but too many golf courses for my liking (hardly saw dh the entire time!). Don't know how with 8-yr-old dd but have somehow managed to miss Enchanted! Sounds like just the sort of thing she would love though! Sympathies as I am also clearing up after rampaging dc tonight but without the benefits of . Enjoy your party!!

Laurie Btw that was another typo this morning (sorry!) about hay. Spend Euros 15 a fortnight NOT per week. They are not that spoilt!! (Well they are very spoilt actually but don't tell anyone!!) Posh hay just comes from local pet shop - where it is (frustratingly) sold in tiny bags .... Hope your small furry one is settling in ok!

Had a good day today. And so did dd with her friend (plus friend's sister). We did some messy baking and house is trashed but they enjoyed it which is the main thing. Managed to do school uniform washing and other laundry too. Dh was so tired from travelling that he crashed hours ago so I am going to put the kitchen to rights and then enjoy sole possession of remote for a bit. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

[SC peeks head around door of deserted naughty corner looking for drinking partner... but everyone is out partying....]

xposts!!

Drat! Just missed you Toffee!

Sorry to hear about the funeral - but the service and the day sounds absolutely lovely ...and what a touching idea to 'go home one last time'.

[Leaves uncorked out on table in case anyone returns]

Hi all,

Toffee that does sound a lovely, lovely ceremony. She would have been happy with that I'm sure.

SC oh dear parenting certainly 'hots up' when children get a bit older. You will have to advise me when my ds grows up a bit more. I suppose it is a good opportunity for a 'chat' about the language, I don't know? Please ignore me, I'm completely out of my depth.

Swan I think the friend for tea thing would be a great idea, as you say, a relaxing time with another boy and, hopefully, friendship and support for your ds in the classroom.

Ellie how upsetting about the money being stolen. I hope it is all resolved soon.

Lauren did you get the wardrobe done?

LIP hope the wine-tasting goes well and is very civilised with no spillages.

Nicknacks hope you got those, authentic, eighties staprest trousers cleared out of your dh's wardrobe.

Blue we are nearing the end of the half-term and it has been quite restful, although it's a bit boring now because so many people went away we haven't had much of social life. Nice not to have a new strain of rhinovirus home each day.

Here's my party list again, just want to keep myself happy that I am on the path to party-heaven not sliding down the slope towards party-hell.
start making party bags
find a pinata somewhere - I might have seen a donkey version in Asda? DONE
ice and decorate some bought fairy cakes - probably should do that a bit nearer the time, day before?
put some music on a cd for the party - that is bound to take ages, but there's always the radio.
wrap the parcel for pass the parcel - rather annoyingly my mum has the present for the middle so I can't do it until she come tomorrow. Drums finger on table.
put things in pinata - oh dear, we don't have one yet - just pour things on floor and tick as done. DONE
find some stickers for 'winners' of things DONE
make a wolf hat for Mr wolf game -Hmmm!
Have to cook cocktail sausages, sausage rolls and pizza fingers before. Sausages DONE think I will do the cheese puffs tonight and the pizza and sausage rolls tomorrow night.

This has been the week from hell. here's hoping that next week is a lot less eventful. It has been a bit excessive. Even by my standards.

Enjoy the rest of your weekends. Am afraid I have lost track of the thread and flying is a grime prospect that seems stupidly daunting atm. I hope by monday I will be back on track.

Morning everyone I love Sundays!its the only day of the week I don't have to be up ready and out the house by 8 so we have a lazy morning

SC my rabbit has settled fine!he is really well handled and incredibly tame!not even scared of the dog! I want posh hay!!

rowing unfortunately no wardrobe done, so it's carried over on to today's list

This afternoons list (after laZy morning)

DDs wardrobe
Paper work
Accounts
Nice long walk in the woods with DD and dog
Ironing when DD is in bed (not worth the risk when she is awake of crawling baby and irons)

Have a lovely Sunday everyone!!

Morning all! Hi lauren

Jobs for today!

Shop for birthday present.
Drop/collect DS2 from the party.
Wash and remake our bed.
Mop kitchen floor.
Bath day for the DC's (I should like to take this opportunity to point out that the boys shower during the week but I bath them on a Sunday to tackle hair, nails, crevices and nit check- oh the glamour!)
Choose and cook dinner.
Good clean of bathroom.
Sundays wash.
Clean clothes out away.

That will be all for today!

rowing No eighties clothes in this house! We were born in the eighties and sadly no longer fit in our childhood clothes. I did manage to have a clear out of his wardrobe, didn't get rid of as much as i'd like to have done but at least everything is away-for now. Most of what I got rid of was too small for him but he keeps in the vain hope that he will somehow replicate the body he had when he was 20.

Morning.

Don't think I have said hello to you yet Lauren. that is most amiss off me. Welcome, and good news about the settled friendly rabbit.

Nicknacks, I keep ds' hair so short I can have a quick nit check of ds hair if he makes the mistake of standing still for 30 secs. Would love the option to have a regular routine day like that. Chaos in scheduling rules here. No two weeks are the same.

Right I have woken up a little more positive and today's list looks like this:

Unpack car
Bedding wash.
Shower and up (need stuff out of car to do so)
Clean car out
Training
Wash car outside
hoover car
Laundry
put ds' finished homework into his homework folder.
Look through the new lego catelog done wow there is stuff in there I would like. Have you seen London Bridge? Anyone had a lego advert calander? They worth the money?
5 min room rescue in my room
5 min room rescue in bathroom
Surface clean bathroom (will need a deep clean next week -yuck)
remake bed
Sort out training kit for monday - including a flame fix.
EARLY Night.

Whilst I am getting my head around flying here is the current list for monday:
Early training
laundry
wash upolstery and clean inside of car
finish project now marked urgent
Get project washed.
15min declutter my room
clean the bathroom incl bleach floor
tackle the landing lose clutter (ignore box of stuff)
Big burn of stuff needing doing.
Shower
early night

hmmm actually think i might take this offline. As I could do with planning out the week.

Yay! Deep tidied/decluttered three dcs' bedrooms. And stopped "landing drift".
Dh is drawing plans, and has cut down most of v.large fig tree and for once bagged it up, beautifully.
Car finally mended by AA (coils) and I managed to find car paperwork in the right place which cheered me.
still feel familiar sick feeling when I look at the house though and imagine halfterm in it with arguing teens and tweens.

But, New fence looks good.

So much homework to tackle over half term, and Dh away from Thurs to Rome for weekend
And dd wants Halloween party organised for Monday [shivers at thought] She has designed and printed invites for four friends, none of whom live nearby, which ups the whole ante.

Darkness lego advent calendar was good, admittedly with a nine year old who didn't much like Lego (Godmother sent it) So probably even better with Lego fiend
Playmobil one was a bit fiddly.

Oh yes, It is National Baking Week according to our neighbour's 12 year old son who came round yesterday and baked a cake with my children!

Enchanted would be just your cup of tea SC, I loved it. Toffee glad funeral was so inspiring, and arf at Ds2's intepretation of the organ playing!

Arrived home this afternoon and took up Flying with a vengeance, as the house was in a sorry state of disarray and I had two bagfuls of dirty washing from our trip away. Decided to let both DC have computer time to give me time to tackle the house, but it turned into an afternoon of me rushing between children trying to fix slow computers/ stem nosebleeds / fetch snacks / calm rows, etc etc. I'm afraid I did lose patience with the demands in the end. However, somehow, I managed to clean and tidy the kitchen and bathroom, complete a laundry cycle (even put it all away!) and polished all the brass door handles (this latter task always cheers me up).

We are taking DS1 to see the CBT therapist tomorrow and I'm now a bit worried he will tell her what a grumpy mother he has and she will blame all his problems on me.

Morning all! Just did big long post and it vamooshed. Grr.

Your babystep for today is is an important one...Swish and Swipe.

Your mission for today is here

This week we are in the [[http://www.flylady.com/pages/FlightPlan.asp Master Bedroom].

And don't forget today is the day for our Weekly Home Bleugh!

Have a good day everyone!

Morning all

Office cleaner just rang in sick so I'm off to clean lavs, empty rubbish bins, and scrub down kitchen surfaces and appliances. [SC dons tan tights and sings in shrill and malevolent voice "Oh what a luv-er-ly morning.. Oh what what a luv-er-ly day"]

Then I'll do some work and then I'll come back and have to tackle the house which (entirely due to my own Nesbitting yesterday) is in a bit of a state. Dd and friends made meringues at w/e and I am still finding little heaps of caster sugar and congealed egg white on the kitchen walls!

Was an unexpectedly warm and lovely day yesterday, so most of it was spent out of doors and I was hoping to have the time to go for a long walk in solitary splendour today. May be poss if I crack on:

Ta da:
Morning routine inc s&s, dw & wm and boudoir tidy
DD off to school

To do:
Hang up bed linen to dry
Clean office
Work
Home bleugh ground floor
Sort out dying flowers in vases
Clean out gps
General house recycling
Glass recycling
Iron rest of school uniform for week
Dates on calendar
Hwk supervision
More

Thanks for links Ellie
I like the sound of your 12 -yr-old neighbour Swan! Lots of "landing drift" in this household!

Well done for cracking on regardless Toffee
Good luck with your list today Darkness

Waves to Nicknacks, Lauren, Lauren's Rabbit, Feetheart, PA, Pushme, Whoknows MC, Madwoman Rowingboat LadyinPInk Blue Nettie and anyone I've missed

Right, must go and wield a lavatory brush ...

Busy day today. Am going away to North Wales tomorrow to visit my uncle with my mum and DC's so lots of flying going on today to ensure house is left tidy. Damage limitation whilst DH is left to his own devices .

Ta da so far:-

Washing on
Washing on line
Washing in drier
Washing up
Tidy downstairs

To do:-
Clean dc's bedrooms (DH did a sterling job yesterday of giving them a proper clear out and I just have to clean)
Find the floor in our room (it will take more than 15 mins!)
Ironing/Putting away
Pack
Dinner
Shopping for boots for DD and jeans for DS (boots for DD are a real problem as she has wide foot and high instep...tried numerous pairs so far and no luck.)
Dentist for me (dreading it, have give up trying to find NHS and gone private. This is first consultation so nothing too horrific planned but still am scared)

Thanks for kind thoughts re purse being stolen. I have been at the school 8 years and left all manner of things lying around because I am a scatterbrain and nothing has ever been touched. It is the fact that someone has stolen it despite knowing me that makes me sad.

Better get on!

Morning all!! Not much to report this end but hope everyone is well!

To do today:
Wash up
Clean hot spot on and around microwave (key and Letter dumping ground)
Wash down Sofas
Dust
Declutter bedroom (will take a while)
Wash kitchen floor (will wait until after tea to at least keep it shiny over night til breakfast!)

Boyfriends to do list as off work:
Finish constructing ginormous rabbit run monstrosity he started yesterday despite me pointing out it would be cheaper and easier just to buy a run

Good luck at therapist today toffeefudge I think the therapist will see that you are in fact a super parent and wouldnt blame anything on you!!!