Remember, remember the fledgling Flyers: dusting, and decluttering a lot..

[DarknessSoothes]

Come one come all, fledgling reunite. 1st of the month and we survived the fright. Bonfire month and lets burn though the housework to prepare for the festivities of December.

As from the 1st we will be babystepping, mission and deep cleaning our way out of the C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome).

For newbies and those who need reminding here is the principles behind the babystep system.

The basic is this:

1. Do the babysteps.
2. When you do the babysteps with consistency add in the missions
3. When you are doing the babysteps and missions as a habbit tackle the deep cleaning.

This thread is a mishmash of people at different stages. The lists can look long, but look carefully, some of us are reposting lists and parts of lists from day to day.

Our motto is this: Do not strive to be perfect, Progress is progress and anything is better then nothing and my personal favourite part of the fly lady system is you are never behind, just jump in and start from where you are.

So on that note here we go. With much thanks to Ellie who lead us with amusing roundups last month.

Day 1: Babystep 1 - How to shine your sink

Mission here - this will update overnight ready for the early fledglings

Tuesday's reminders are here: It's planning day

And for those of you who are eagerly awaiting christmas here is the flylady's crusing into christmas page. Personally i did some of this last year and done some this year and it does take a chunk of the stress out of christmas.

Well now that I have suitably scared you, see you all tomo!!

Grudgingly allowed DS2 his reward for settling last night, although I was tempted not to as he was a little bit more tricky. No school today, of course, so I have had a houseful of extra boys all morning (just waved goodbye to one) and will have another two this afternoon. DH is out of action thanks to his night out last night. I seem to have been washing up all morning . I keep thinking of my stepmum's acerbic response when she saw the birthday cake I'd made for DS2 recently - "You have too much time on your hands". She never had children - can you tell? .

So, a ta da list to make me feel better about my 'lazy' life at home with children :

Breakfasts done
Everyone get dressed done
DS2's reading time done
DS2's Club Penguin time done
W/M on done
D/W unloaded and reloaded done
Extra washing up done over and over again
Kitchen surfaces - wipe done
Sweep kitchen floor done
DS1's and DS2's friends here done
Provide snacks and drinks done
Phone MIL to ask after her 'gammy leg' done
Arrange visit from friend this afternoon done
Wave goodbye to DS2's friend done

And a 'to do' list:

Put yesterday's dry laundry away
Ironing
Tumbledry today's load
Put clean crockery away
Shine sink
Lunch (soup, baguettes, pizza)
Make sponge cake for DS2's fake 'wedding' tomorrow (he is 'marrying' a girl from his class!)
Update DS1's CBT diary
Put payment for DS2's school photo in his school bag
Find DS1's broken glasses
Organise Xmas wrapping paper, etc
Dinner
Before-bed routine
Early nights for the boys
Evening routine - lay out clothes, etc
Bedtime at decent hour

Anything else is a bonus.

Swan - I wish DS1's tutor did that with the school diary. I have seen a note encouraging DS to write in it, but it's never checked and remains gloriously blank apart from my occasional notes (which he probably never reads anyway).

Yes, dreams are meant to be all about you, with everything in it a representation of a part of you. Your dream could be about your parental expectations and anxieties for your DS, but it could also be about you feeling that you are never getting to the end of the finishing line (which sums up domestic life neatly, I think).

Blue - thanks for offering to take over the thread. And thanks for running it so efficiently this month, Darkness, and for offering to run it after 22nd. I'm happy to do it in January if no one else wants to.

Just spotted you, LadyinPink. Good morning!

Late additions to list:

Tidy DS2's bedroom following playdate
DS2 finish writing thank-you cards
DS1 tidy his own bedroom (homework assignment - he has to do it for two weeks)

New thread!

Now I really need to get back to work...

Hi Toffee

a bomb has definitely gone off here
remains of lunch
remains of breakfast
remains of Santa puppet model [red paint everywhere]
remains of cake making
and the bare remains of my brain

also unaccountably I still haven't got dressed....

done
rung local team about ds2 and referral from school etc etc
bakedcake
delicious lunch for five
sent reluctant ds1 for run
now sent him to do his homework 500 word essay
lots of shouting from me I CAN'T STAND THE WAY THIS KITCHEN IS ARRANGED A MOMENT LONGER (the minute I have children doing anything creative in here (and they were playing Spin the Bottle at lunchtime I feel my brain is going to explode)

friend still here, they are making plasticine models upstairs now in front of Hook.

toffee well my mum had four kids and she says that sort of thing a lot too! Maybe it is just people who don't bake....Fwiw, the dcs love talking about past cakes I've cobbled together created.

December tomo and a new month that means I can find a new name for the festive period and run less risk of confusing people. Whoooopeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

On a slightly more serious note, having rl issues which mean I don't want links between the new name and this one. You will just have to spot me or something. Shame as i was really growing into this name. :( :( :(

see you all in December am heading out tonight to see if it improves my vile mood any.

After having DD home all day house is an absolute bombsite. Lounge is covered in discarded toys and cardboard.

I have however,

• opened and set up and played with 6 toys today
• Emptied my entire e-mail account and sorted into folders.
• Gained another interview for Monday (On top of the one I currently have for Friday)
• Done a few bits of shopping essentials - avoiding local manic shopping centre
• Taken back faulty present and exchanged
• Take DD to karate
• Seen best friend and been a shoulder to cry on
• Printed out paperworl for volunteer job and school visit tomorrow.

Now off to sort out another of DDs new toys and try and sort lounge before DH blows a fuse.

I think i'll leave a bottle of or two for the naughter corner too for all us mummies who have been home all day. Enjoy

We had terrible screaming from ds1 over homework yesterday. First Dh said it was because I hadn't been firm enough with him at beginning of Wed, and then admitted after a hour at bedtime dealing with him that it was a sort of endemic hysterical response to homework. In the end the homework was quite easy, and short (design a hacksaw, fill in a worksheet, listen to Daniel in Lion's Den that sort of thing), but it just created scene after scene, lost bits of paper, not my fault, why I am expected to do all this homework (actually you haven't done any yet , not fair, my brother doesn't have any..etc etc
I think we have another child that needs his routine and will procrastinate endlessly without it...

Then this morning, ds2 (yr 5, - ds1 was completely self motivated at this stage, hard to believe now, but he was) admits he hasn't done his homework, and doesn't even know what it is....His teacher sent his literacy book home peppered with comments about practising handwriting, yet he made no effort to show it to us until this morning, when he suddenly announced he needed a note to excuse him from homework! What homework????So I arranged a meeting with teacher and gave him a new ORANGE homework diary of my own construction.

Apart from that
done yest
long trip to park with bikes and scooters while ds1 stayed at home avoiding getting on with homework
dd had lovely time with friend all day!
dcs to school this morning with numerous signed bits of paper, violins etc
ds1 off to school bright and early and in a very good mood!
First choccies from the Advent Calendars