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.

LINZER! Star of the Sea is the most fantastic book! Of course v.horrific and sad too. A bit of Victorian gothic thriller in parts too. Like Woman in White etc. But all about language...family...emigration...different voices... We read it for our book club (recommended by a Dublin member) about 5 years ago was it? I still go round recommending it to everyone...and after that you can read Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry, just when you've dried your tears...
Family life seems a breeze afterwards

done
tidied (nearly)twins rooms
long phone convo with mum

Toffee have you thought of the Matrix? suitably scary. Or even Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse. Ds1 seems to like the way they are teenagey, loud music/kung fu like activities. Gone are the days when Star Wars was considered grownup alas.
I know I have to organise a sleepover for ds1 at some point. I am absolutely dreading it. He's really never had friends round after school, so we are all fingers and thumbs socially with having "teenage" boys in the house (although teenage girls abound not for ds1 I hasten to add, but dd has Yr 8 friends - ds1 steers clear!)

MC happy anniversary. I've been married since 1997. And we are still arguing I think we missed out some details when we made the initial contract but I suppose love gets you through. I hope.

Quick update to keep me going:

• WORK - done enough
• Washing out - on line with many pegs :)
• Breakfast washing up done and sink shiny - done

Now need to:

• Iron DD's dance top
• RR in living room
• 15 mins declutter somewhere - 'dining room' cupboard maybe
• Bathroom
• Meeting with deputy head
• Make usual Friday packed teas for DC - no time between school and dancing to eat and too late afterwards so picnic in car is way to go
• DD to dancing

Less than 40mins to get anything Flying-related done so best get on.........

Happy anniversary, MC.

Funnily enough swan, after reading the blurb on the back (which I normally try to avoid before reading a book), I decided that the Star of the Sea would be just the kind of book you'd enjoy - no idea why, although I do remember you enthusing about Wolf Hall, which I've been struggling with reading for months (i.e. you whizz through books that are too much like hard work for me; I fear my brain has been ruined by too much chick lit in my twenties). At any rate, I shall give it another go. Did you see my question about Oxfam btw?

Toffee Hope the cream helps. DS keeps itching his legs at the moment, although he insists he doesn't want any ointment on them; I think I'll have to overrule him, though. Belated happy birthday to your DS!

Have just realised I'm late picking up DD1 from her dyslexia lesson, so must dash...

Swan - Thanks for the recommendations. Actually, DH has just downloaded 'Escape from New York' and 'Cube', both of which are 15s, but not toooooo bad (he says - must go and check online for myself...). He says 'Cube' (sci-fi thriller) has quite a shocking start, which will probably trick them into thinking it's all going to be like that. The trouble is getting the balance between maintaining DS's 'street cred' and not scaring the pants off them all. The mother of one of them told me that he gets nightmares from scary films, but he won't admit it to his friends.

Right, some sheets are still in the drier, there's a duvet drying on the line, I've managed to put the cover back on the mattress and hoovered DS's bedroom. Am disinfecting everything because I'm so worried the boys will all come down with our terrible bug afterwards!

DH has escaped to Homebase.

Back to work now...

Linzer - we are running out of DS's usual cream, so your cream has come just in time. I'll let you know how we get on. He certainly needs it as the eczema has spread right along his inner arm, like a red rash.

Just read the plots of the two films my DH thought would be suitable for DS1's sleepover. Am wondering what planet he is living on .

Any more suggestions for scary, but suitable, films for 12-year olds?

Linzer yes I will check out the Oxfam shop! sorry, just suddenly obsessed with S of the S..and got distracted from everythign else.
toffee no, not suitable. Put your foot down What will be left for them to watch when they are 15! I think even Gladiator is unsuitable for ds1. Fgs, we went to Grease at 14 and thought it was risque... dd's already watched it. Perhaps scariness, unsuitability dates

Blade? What about the new Fast and Furious film. Not scarey per say but cars and fast?

Bugger late for school run. BBL

Forgive my fledglings for I have sinned. I have yet again failed to stick to the babysteps, not looked at a mission and today I decided to go training instead of flying

List:
Mend trousers did Last night as discovered it was photo day
Sign reading record book
Check ds' kit is ready to go for tomo
sort out my kit for today did, used and waiting to go for tonights training session
Applique stuff on half finished project
Put clothes away
Room rescue my room
Double check up coming events
Late load of washing training kit
Get present for party for sun
pick up stick on hook for ds' room

As I am yet to have lunch so am going to go cook something and sort ds out who is starrrrrrving

just a thought

Thanks Who knows - I won a course of Khmer on ebay. Selling price was £80, I got it for £3.99!!! Should be good.

Yep, DS1 was coming down with something. He went to school today but by tonight he was distinctly under the weather, poor little guy. DS2 isn't all that great either. Sigh. Bad night with DS2 last night and it looks like being a bad one with his brother tonight.

Not much flying done or likely tomorrow.

Hope the sleepover goes well Toffee. Well done on winning the course PA.

Hi all,
just checking in so I have done something on here.
PA I think you are right, ds is totally not with us when he is peeing up the bedroom door, sometimes he tries to go out of the front door.

Have not flown in the slightest apart from social flying
Met friend after drop off this morning and we walked around and went for a cuppa. Collected DS for the dentist (quick brush first) it was a bit embarrassing because the dentist found quite a bit of plaque on the inside of his back teeth. He doesn't have cavities, but is so resistant to having his teeth brushed. He screams 'OW!' in my ear if I brush his gum. So annoying!

We then met his friend and had a lovely play (with a bit of a punch-up) and then dropped off the friend on the way to work.
I have been shopping twice, so that's something, oh and put some laundry out, which I need to rescue.
Back tomorrow have a good night all!

PA cool deal on Ebay!!

Thanks for the tips, Ouch. In the end, one of the boys brought a comedy (Killing Bono, with Pete Postlethwaite in his last role), which they are watching now.

The sleepover is going OK, I think, but I can see that DS1 is flagging and his anxieties are getting to him. His OCD behaviour always gets more obvious when he gets anxious. I think he's worried about getting through the night ahead and will be quite grateful if I insist they go to bed soon.

Ouch - that comic strip made me

PA - what a bargain!

Blue - hope DSs feel better soon

rowing - I have the same problem brushing DS2's teeth (not the shouting, the resistance, I mean). And he always swallows the toothpaste.

Off to eat birthday cake and tidy up the kitchen now.

Night all.

Hope he has a good night Toffee. Must crash it will be a busy and emotional day tomo for both me and ds. Right now I am so chilled out I am almost horrizontal. Tis marvelous!

Hello! I hope no one minds, but I thought I would posts the links this morning so that Ellie can have some r & r in bed.

The baby-step for today, Sat 8th October is here Review of steps to date + start of control journal.

No zones or missions because it is the weekend.

Saturday is family fun day.

Btw, if you want to get ahead, then we are in Zone 2: the kitchen next week
here

Have a good day everyone!

Just doing that again because it doesn't show up very well does it?

Baby step for today here!!

No zones or missions because it is the weekend.
Today is family fun day!
We will be in the kitchen zone next week here

Gah! Big long post and it got lost. To summarise, getting better, drugs are working, at caravan, round-up tomorrow, steps in a sec, hope all ok!

Back for steps!

I am going to post today and tomorrow's now as I am at the caravan and the reception is a little intermittent to say the least (this is the third time I have tried to post this!).

Today's babystep is [[http://www.flylady.com/pages/bbd8.asp the beginnings of the infamous control journal].

Tomorrow's is an important one, and one I have still failed to get the hang of, decluttering.

Today is Family Fun Day so have a good one everyone!

Real boost to the spirits this morning to get up to a shiny house (new cleaner is v. good at her job thank heavens) and a fair amount of the ironing done (still loads to do because I am still washing - methinks we have too many clothes - must chuck some of 'em)

Definitely the start of autumn here - had to put central heating on for first time last night (much clanking and spluttering of boiler and cranking of handles).

Up with a lark after (relatively speaking for me) early night last night.

Plan today is - instead of mouldering around, not getting basic cleaning done - to profit from cleaner's recent present and go and do some serious decluttering! Whey hey!

Ta da:

morning routine inc dw, wm, s&s
put sitting room/kitchen to rights after friends came over for UK v Montenegro match last night!

To do:
apply thumb screws to dh and plan month ahead ie travel/social stuff/work
take photos in for processing
parcels to post
dd to ballet
food shopping
toiletries shopping
decluttering in home office!!
sewing
exercise
French
cooking that wasn't done on Thursday
hwk supervision
more laundry
afternoon/evening routine
early-ish night again

Hope abs start kicking in very soon Ellie and that you can recover properly this weekend

"Chum reap suor" or should that be "chumree-uhp soo-uh" to PA!!
Or, more informally "Sues'day" !!

A very happy belated birthday to your ds1 Toffee!! Hope you survived the night and that you all get a bit of a lie-in today ...

So sorry your boys are going down with something Blue Hope you are not confined to barracks all weekend.

Hope you and your ds OK today Ouch

Swan Believe it or not, I remember Grease being on the banned list when I was in the sixth form (!!) because it featured teenage out-of-wedlock pregnancy!!!

Hope you had a lovely evening last night MC

Waves to Linzer Feetheart Blue CheerfulY Pushme Ihate Madwoman Droitwich and Rowingboat AlicevanW and everyone else I've missed!

Morning all,

Glad you are starting to feel a bit better Ellie

Hope sleep part of sleepover went well Toffee

SC - we put the heating on for the first time last night too, had forgotten how noisy it is, but it is nice. Could I just say that you seem to be back on form, a month or so back you seemed very down about the whole Flying thing, it's good to hear you sounding so enthusiastic again.

PA - Ebay is marvellous isn't it?

Planning to go off and do some shopping this morning while DH takes the DCs to their swimming lessons, never seem to get time during the week apart from supermarket and local errands. Need to do some tidying first, although the basic routines and home blessing are working well, the daily tidying is not, the whole place seems to be full of random bits of paper and toys at the moment.

Sues'day, SC

Have a good restful weekend Ellie.

A normally manic weekend here. DD3 has some new furniture for her bedroom, so we have to remove all the old stuff and put together a new load.
TOwn for shopping
Take DS to tennis
Sort out summer clothes storage and hang up the winter ones - last time for a few years Weyeeeeeeeyyyyy!!!
Cook our regular Saturday night curry
Washing and drying to avoid any mishaps.
also I want to get a load of music on my phone from CD's in preparation for a week away with work in 10 days time.

HAve a good weekend everyone.

Glad drugs are kicking in Ellie!

Ooo PA do you prepare a curry yourselves for every Saturday then ? [SC pricks up ears] Sounds like a great idea - and I suppose you can eliminate the fat content that you get in takeaways (not to mention better in terms of cost). What is your main source of recipes if you don't mind me asking?

Whoknows well there is nothing like a cleaner to make one feel more enthusiastic about housework No, seriously, I get down about this house from time to time because it is unrenovated with holes in the walls and cracked floors, bare plastic, bits falling off etc etc so - in effect - whatever one does in the cleaning sense is undermined by the overall state of the place. It's never really going to be a home until we renovate it (I feel I can't spend money on decorating/curtains/frilly bits etc etc when basic infrastructure needs to be dug up) and that's not going to happen any time soon because we financially support dh's family, so it's a bit of vicious circle. However, you are right because it would be very easy to fall in to despondence and not do anything and let it all become overwhelming and Flylady saves me from feeling like that (most of the time! ) Enjoy your bit of freedom this morning. Nothing like a bit of retail therapy!

Came back on here to ask all of you with boys around the same age - what please do I buy an 11 year old boy (my god-daughter's twin) for his birthday? I have no idea!!