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.

Afternoon all, I'm back from a lovely weekend way. Unfortunately DD is still intermittantly ill and sick at night although we suspect that this is due to an ear infection. So holiday was marred slightly with illness. I did take a microfibre cloth on holiday with us and made DH use it (he avoids it at home) and think I have converted him. I also managed to win dd two big smurfs in the grabber machines so DD thinks i'm the best mummy ever.

Today has involved washing and playing with DD who has insisted on a pj day. I booked a tesco shop late last night for first thing today so have avoided leaving the house too. Unfortunately DH has had to goaway for the rest of the week too so its just me and a poorly DD.

Ok have been catching up on thread so apologies if I miss you or mention something from last week. It all blurs eventually.

Ellie sorry to hear about your stolen purse. Hope you managed to cancel and do the necessary. I hope it doesn't stop you being trusting and I hope you enjoy your break in Wales with your Uncle and Mum.

Swan glad to hear your car is finally fixed. I drive a renault and the coils are the biggest pain. Sorry that you're having problems with DS1 too but hope they don't spoil your week. Well done on the cleaning that you and your cleaner managed, can you send her over here please

SC sorry that you are being dragged into work to cover for others so your plans are going astray. I was at 20 euros a week on Guinea Pig food. I'm still shocked at 15 a fortnight. I never knew such small creatures could be so expensive.

Toffee glad that the funeral went well for you and that you got the house sorted on your return.

rowing glad that the party went well.

Nicknacks and Laurenamium am at you being 80's children. I only missed out by months but still feel an 80's child at heart

darkness sorry things haven't been great this over the last few weeks for you. Hope they start to improve soon.

Ok i'm off to make tea as am trying early eating to try and keep the sickness at bay for DD. Also tried raising the bed head yesterday (as apparently laying flat causing the gunk in the ear to pool and this causes the sickness) it worked yesterday so hoping it does today. I'm not good with sickness in the night. Then tonight I have a tv remote and chocolate and i'm going to catch up on all my programmes - bliss.

Back later

Well other than the washing up and the daily wash loads I've been lax with my flying today!i put clothes away yesterday as part of declutter / badge earning mission

SC I'm at you being able to speak fluent French! I would love to be able to speak another language fluently, I know very basic french and German and that's my lot unfortunately.

making changes I hope your DD gets well soon, it's no fun with poorly children

Odd but nice pottering day here so far though DD is now in her room for whacking DS on the back - apparently he was licking her fingers......................because she was trying to steal his cake!

Must have done it really hard as DS cried a lot and his pain/tolerance threshold is usually very high.
When I went to impose computer ban on her for rest of today I didn't get a single complaint so she must have done it.
(Must get 'How to Talk..' book back from friend)

So far I have:

• Taken DH to GP - must be feeling ill (horrible labrynthitis)
• Washing up
• 2 x loads of washing, 1 lot out on line for a few hours then rapidly brought in due to rain
• Choc and banana cake baked (and some eaten)
• More stuff on to ebay
• Lots of stuff into car for charity shop
• Helped DC rearrange living room for Polly Pocket/Playmobil wedding that has been in the planning stage for about a year. Our REAL wedding took less than half that time to sort Their wedding still hasn't happened
• Cheese sauce for lasagne done though need to put it all together

If I get on and do that I can justify doing very little else :)

sc, i am very envious of you managing parent/ teacher in french we had ours on friday and it was laborious enough in english!

well, the basement is now three rooms two bedrooms for the girls and a utility room, all with the aid of eleven (count 'em) ikea wardrobes and a couple of gallons of blue paint. the girls are chuffed, dh is chuffed, i am chuffed. but now i'm realising the extent of the task as i have to go through the entire house and relocate stuff to the new place, instead of it being shoved mercilessly into anywhere it will fit.

i am, however, still hoping that my wedding and engagements rings will miraculously appear in the process. or i'm going to have to give up hope and claim on the insurance. it's been nearly 5 months now.

today is definitely master bedroom here - largely because it snowed yesterday (yikes) was -7 this morning, and i need to get all of the winter stuff out of my room and into the kid's!

normal flying will resume once i've found the thermals.

madwoman. Send some snow in this direction pretty please!

no can do, the first cross country track is open and the downhill season starts in 2-3 weeks. i'm keeping it aaaaaaaalllllll! but you can come and visit!

I wish I could. Cross country skiing would be marvelous right now. I have good memories of being put on cross country skis, on a track, on a mountain and told to bend my knees before being pushed off down the track Fabulous way to learn to ski.

I Want SNOW!!!!!!

I'll trade you the snow for the thunderstorm we've just had. I hate thunderstorms, dh is away and it took all the power off.

SC - arf at "have you been reading that how to be a good mummy book again?"!

MC - glad you had a nice w/e despite illness. Get well soon to your DD.

Madwoman - yay to Ikea room dividing and I hope your rings do turn up. Not at all envious of snow, although DS1 keeps saying he wants some!

I'm an end of the '70s child too. My little brother was born in '81 and is now ordained! We keep being scared by working out when University Challenge contestants must have been born, and thinking "Wow, they're too young to remember that" on random questions on '80s stuff...

Anyway, better stop waffling and try and do the bed at a decent hour thing. Tomorrow the boys are at the CM so it's house bleugh time. Will be back in the morning with LISTS!

Hi all,

SC thank you for the tips on herding children. I had a chat with my mum tonight and we decided that we had been too hesitant with the competitive games, just in case somebody cried. The most successful game had been a team competition, oh and of course pass the parcel which everybody does. The biggest fiasco was 'what's the time mr wolf'. They just didn't get it and when we asked the time they kept saying 10 or 12 o'clock, which, kind of, shortened the game considerably. I don't think anyone had a chance to say 'dinnertime' because the other children were breathing down their neck after doing 10 enormous steps. [groan]
Oh well, they all had fun and the other mums thought we were hilarious in our attempts to organise their children. Some children hit me instead of the pinata, but stopped as soon as I threatened them with 'no party bag!'

I'm in the sixties corner too, plops down next to Whoknows [can we have floor cushions?].

Could I please just ask again, [sorry] where you all are, approximately, just so that can understand the references to weather. I keep looking out of the window to see if it is snowing, but I realise this probably isn't in Scotland where I am.

MC I have an ongoing ear problem and get infections from time to time and definitely recommend a couple of pillows. I used to sometimes sleep on the opposite side from the infected ear, to kind of use gravity to help it to drain.
Other things which help me are Cider (or any) vinegar and a bit of olive oil dripped into the ear from a cotton bud (warmed ideally) helps an infected ear. Oh and I always take ibuprofen to help my ear because it relieves the swelling and acts on the nerve (trigeminal) next to the ear, it definitely relieves the sicky feeling for me. Drinking lots helps too and a steam bath, to thin the mucous, as does a saline nasal spray. I hope your dd is feeling better soon.

kitchen s&s, sweep, wash up 15 mins total DID IT and it's all messed up again
bathroom s&s, sweep, wipe DONE
washing up/out 10mins Done
new load 3 mins DOne

Phone Kalixa about weird account thing happening - done
vitamins 2 mins done
vacuum 10 mins done
5 min room rescue sitting room done
15 minute anything - organise walk-in cupboard
clothes away 10 mins done
get a babystep
Measure a bit of skirting board for the bathroom 10 mins
Collect ds and his friend and take his friend home done
dinner - sausages and squash done
pedal exercise bike 20 mins

So did a lot of the stuff on the list, but still have lots to do....
I'm off for the night, back soon..

Well, all I can say is that I was brought up on Little House on the Prairie, Flambards, The Waltons, and Pogles Wood (if you are too young you won't know what I am referring to!) And my parents were children of the 30's and 40's.

MC poor dd
SC I'm glad teacher was so responsive
Nicknacks even more impressed: I think baking is the only scientific experiment I can stand. Although I remember putting washing up liquid once in cake mixture to see whether the Fairy bubbles would make it rise better!
Madwoman I have been moving furniture round in my head mentally since you posted, very noisy, and as you say loads has gone missing since And there IS NEVER ROOM FOR THE PIANO

What have I done today?
swimming
cleaned/dusted/mopped front room to make it SIL friendly
SIL and her baby visited (very nice)
swept front path
dumpedentirecontentsofhallinplayroom rescued hall
cooked cheesy bake and cauliflower salad
moved some rubbish nearer the kerb
ds Spanish homework activated
talked to Mum on phone
Talked to Sister on phone

and loads of telly for kids apart from chat and swimming and SIL

so I suppose a relaxed and lovely day, and a bit less aggro than usual...

Oh yes, and I got rid of a Star Wars Annual and a Horrid Henry Annual..my decluttering for today to kind neighbours' sons. And lots of board books (except I only bought those on Friday from school stall for 5ps) to SIL.
So I got a few things out of the house.

And cleared out fridge.

that's really weird, swan. there's been a darn piano popping in and out of my head for weeks, and no-one here even plays!

Apologies for not replying individually to you all as it's a bit late and I'm just off to bed, but I just want to say hope your DD gets better soon, MC - ear infections are so painful .

Not a lot of Flying today, as DH and I took the boys out to an adventure park place and then on to Asda to buy cheap Halloween stuff. Oh, and we also bought them a sledge, so it had better snow this year.

Oh, and to add to the confessions about decades of birth - I'm a 60s baby, myself. Was quite shocked at the mum ( Nicknacks?) who confessed to being born in the 80s - I met my DH then!

Right, am off to drag my weary and old bones to bed...

Glad there are a few more 60s babies!

Rowing - I have been thinking for a while that I would like to know where everyone is etc, I know for some of you but others not a clue. So, to start the introductions:

Who Knows - Hampshire with DS aged 7 and DD aged 5. Works part time in science. Oh and it's pouring with rain here again this morning.

Morning all

I'm in redcar in the north east (don't believe the press it's not that bad!!) I have DD who is 10 months old and I'm a CM, but qualified teacher (wasn't ready to leave DD to go into teaching just yet) and it's frosty but sunny today

Great idea rowing - I'm starting to lose track of everyone on the thread too. Mind you, it might help if I posted on it a little more regularly. Work has been ridiculously busy recently, though, so I've had no time for FLYing or even for coming on to the thread to chat really.

Anyway, I'm in Austria, just south of Vienna, and it's pouring with rain here too. I'm a freelance translator and have three DC (5, 7 and 9).

Right, must get back to work, despite the fact that it's a bank holiday here today. And DH is off to Romania this afternoon.

I'm in Sheffield. One DD who is 5 and i've just qualified as a teacher but still looking for my first job

Ok DD is off to in-laws today and i hsve swimming lesson. Other than that i have black bags and toys to clear and throw away to make room for DDs presents next month (going to be ruthless whilst shes not here!!)

Also

• post office to post
• sorting office to pick up
• make yeast free bread
• empty kitchen cupboard and clear out
• print off info for 4 job apps
• DD to karate

Right best get on

Morning all!

I'm in Norwich, also a freelance translator and have two boys, aged 4 and 2. Sunny here. Yay!

Right, ta da!
Beds stripped and sheets washed
Charity shop bag dropped off
Morning routine
Sums for tax form
Washing out

To do
Freegle stuff
Fill in and post tax form (cutting it a bit fine. Eek!)
Tidy bedrooms
Dusting
Mirrors
Filing
Ironing
Remake beds.
What's for dinner?
If there's time
Hobbycraft
Buy shredder

of your sunny weather, although I'd probably feel like working on a bank holiday even less if we had sunshine.

Done:
Work
Checked in for flights on Sunday

Still to do:
More work
Drive DH to airport (I need to do a practice run before a friend arrives from England in a couple of weeks)
Get house into a cleanable state before cleaner comes tomorrow morning

I am a dickhead. I forgot to ask someone to do linkies while i an away. Please can some lovely lady do them for me today and tomorrow please as have no laptop with me.

For the fledgling record, I am in North Lincolnshire. 34 ( child of late seventies), 3dc's , ds 8, dd 3 and dh 37 . I am a history teacher for my sins.

Got to go. Am heading off into Snowdonia for the day.

I am in the Northwest, dont know what the weather is like as I have just woken up. much needed sleep I have a rather lively ds who is nearly 7.

Right i believe somewhere up ^ is my already posted list for today. PMT is giving me a strong case of cba. First job is coffee me thinks.

Give me 5mins and there will be a fresh pot over there >>> in the naughty corner.

To do today:
Washing up and drying
Mirrors
Playgroup
Clean out rabbit
1 tonne of paper work once DD is in bed

Ta da do far:
Washing out, another one in
Food shop and clean out fridge

I'll do the links in a minute, just off to make a first if anyone wants one.

***

OK, today's babystep is Check Your control Journal. If you've got one

Today's mission is Clean your nightstands. I'll have to tackle a few clothes piles first.

***