Fledglings dreaming of a FLY Christmas - December's fledgling flyers thread

[BlueEyeshadow]

Welcome flyers one and all, old and new, to the December thread! As the advent calendars go up, let's beat the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) and FLY through Christmas into the New Year (or have a go at it, anyway...)!

We take a three-pronged approach (and a large pinch of salt) to the FLYlady system:

-babysteps
-babysteps and 15 mins' decluttering
-babysteps and missions

The website is here: FlyLady - if you haven't had a look at it for a while it's worth a gander as the design and layout have changed for the better recently.

Whatever you do, though, don't sign up for the emails or your inbox will be bursting within seconds. Or so I'm led to believe... I will post the links to the babystep and mission for each day (the first ones to follow this evening) and there'll be plenty of chat, , and along the way.

A big thank you to Darkness for leading us through November with so much fun!

Right boys asleep, and dh out so have a list for this evening:

Finish washing up and shine sink
Tidy toys in living room
Hoover downstairs
Plan UNi work
Early night again, it did me so much good and I got so much done today as a result! So evening routine 10pm, asleep by 11pm (that's early for me)

Hiya All!

loving the 'velcro baby' phrase lok seems like you've got one too ouch!

sorry to hear about ds1's meltdown toffee!

waves to everyone else!

Had a bit of my own meltdown tonight, but looking back there wasn't much need in it really DP has taken the router to his grandads so grandad can skype relatives in New Zealand in his last months , so I bought another one for here. It's came and just wont work so I can't print out any of the lovely things I have made for DD's party, or any of the work I have done...strop one, so in a little mood I decided I would save them and wait for DP to get back tomorrow to fix router/ print them magically without one and instead would order DD's party food.

Im sure Tesco online was being slow and unresponsive and crashing on purpose just to see how short my fuse was, I hate A WHOLE box of pringles in frustration how many hours on a cross trainer will that take

Sorry about rant peace is restored! Anyway,

Ta Da:
Hoovered, swept and mopped kitchen floor
hoovered rest of house
washing/drying one load
washed up multiple times, dried and shined sink
kitchen hotspot
put away laundry
playgroup christmas party this morning
ordered DD's party food
made posters and arrow signs for DD party
prepared hungry cateroillar food pictures for DD party to be printed and cut out and laminated

I didn't manage to clean the bathroom but I will tomorrow...promise!

Off for my early night now!

oh bloody hell. may b absent for a few days girls. just got the shock of my life. am pregnant with dc3 - unplanned and tbh unwanted. the house can descend into chaos for all i care.
will b bac when i can think straight

bird gosh - what a shock for you. I hope you feel better about the news when you've had a chance to get used to the idea.

dashing by late and tired again so apologies for lack of individuals.
Survived today intact! managed:
DC up
S&S
breakfast etc
swept and mopped floors
quick tidy bedrooms
rebooted laundry
school/nursery run - remembering DS2 reindeer costume - hoorah!
Work
home (managed to get off work 1/2 hour early yay!)
super fast shower
greeted parents!
DC and DH home
left with parents for DD1 musical
watched show - she was brilliant - proud Mummy moment
home
elf mischief sorted (dont ask LOL)
replied to an email

now....BED cause I'm shattered!
tomorrow should be a bit less manic as DH is going to dd show, so I am just doing work, school/nursery pick up and bedtime routines but will then at least have a bit if evening time to catch up....

waves frantically at everyone else and promises better individuals tomorrow !

Good evening, all?

What?s been going on today?

Fuzzled is planning a pre-Christmas oven clean ? how very organised! Her DS hid the car key, but fortunately it reappeared.

Linzer was preparing for ILs and cleaner in the house at the same time.

Lauren is officially nit-free! Glad to hear it, and hope you enjoy the hairdresser. :)

ChitChat was having someone round to lunch ? hope you enjoyed it! (I?m not doing a whole lot of flying at the mo, but that?s due to work not the thread!)

Kate was trying to clean with a Velcro baby. Enjoy the time with your mum and DS?s birthday!

Toffee is decluttering ? which definitely counts as flying! We need to get rid of some toys in preparation for the mountains of new stuff after Christmas too? It was me having a melt down in this house this evening.

Ouch is feeling more human and has a lovely exciting parcel to look forward to.

rowing - nice to see you! What?s Joomla? Although I could always google it? [lazy]

bird was enjoying fresh sheets and getting stuff done. Slipper boots sound lovely and cosy. Oh Lord, just seen your last post. Take care of yourself ((hugs)). Don't worry about the house, but pop in to see us when you can.

MC had a traumatic morning. Glad you?re OK and hope concert goes well tomorrow.

Well, very little house bleugh got done here today, and not as much work as I?d have liked, either. Did manage to order DS2?s last stocking filler though, although it ate up far too much pooter time?

Anyway, links:

Babystep: the beginnings of a control journal.
Mission: big appliances.

Thursday is Errand Day, which is handy as I have several to catch up with!

Cross posted with OFM - waves! - glad show went well.

bird take the time you need. Flying can wait. Sorry you have had such a shock.

Lauren ds is not so much a velcro baby as he is nearly 7 but thankfully he seems to be feeling better. Perfectly happy to do his own thing now.

Have been being productive this evening. Will do a list in a mo. Watching HP and writing cards atm.

Bird - I hope the shock wears off soon. Not sure if you're ready to hear this and I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but a close friend of mine had a shock third baby. There were lots of tears and protestations about how she couldn't cope. Then Baby No 3 was born, she fell in love with him and rose to the challenge and he is now the cutest, happiest little thing you've ever seen and definitely a blessing.

Managed to get myself to bed before midnight last night and intend to do the same tonight, but am just waiting for the washing machine to finish (last-minute washing of school uniforms). Tomorrow, I will be grateful that I have sorted the uniforms out the night before. Much better to be looking for stray ties now, rather than at 7.55 tomorrow morning.

DC wouldn't settle till nearly 10 tonight, even though I packed them both off to bed by 8. It makes me so cross!

Right, I have no excuse to stay up now. I did feel better today for having seven hours' sleep last night. I would love to build it up to eight.

Night all.

Ta da!
Laundary 4 loads
finish christmas shopping thought had done but forgotten one - still have several to finish making though.
Wrap presents bought
Find christmas cards
Write christmas cards Most done
advent calendar pictures and get up to date
30mins room rescue on my room
Get lovely parcel

Am going to try to get presents that were previously wrapped labelled. Stocking stuff with identifiable paper but likely to forget who is whose cos my brain is quite frankly fried atm.

Early night is going to be a fail but going to try to get sorted for a 1am bedtime tonight. That is my aim.

Need to get organised. Need to get in control of the laundry and not constantly wrestling with a giantic laundry monster, be it waiting to be washed, folded, ironed or put away. It quite frankly needs a good kick in the balls and got shot of.

Hope you are all managing to grab good nights sleep.

Also got tea done for Thursday.

Need a list to focus me but going to try to stay off here to start off with tomo.

Get ds to school on time
Put picture frame up in ds' room
Laundry
Clear lounge window sil
Bathroom floor collection of homeless odds and sods
Utility room floor
Folding
Bench in study
Table in dining room
Dining room floor
Pack ds' training kit
ds to training
post cards that are completely addressed and stamped.
find address book for addressing remaining cards.
Post office trip if time.

More then enough for me to get done tomo. Night all.

Morning all,

The house is looking nice and tidy ready for the cleaner to clean, but the amount of tidying I had to do yesterday has made me see (yet again) how much decluttering is needed.

abird ((hugs)) Take your time and don't worry about FLYing; it will take a while for it to sink in, I'm sure. Three of my friends had unplanned third babies and were worried about how they would cope, esp. as the 2nd and 3rd DC were only 12/14 months apart in two cases - but they all did and can't imagine life without no. 3 now.

Must dash to do some last-minute tidying as cleaner due in 35 minutes. Waves to all!

Linzer please tell i am correct in remembering you are ahead of us time wise? Being up before 6am is pure craziness. then again going to bed at 6am when you need to be up 7:30am ish is a whole other level of craziness Well done on the tidy enough for the cleaner house!

You were off to bed at 6 am, Ouch? Yes, we're an hour ahead of the UK so it was nearly 6.30 am when I posted. I normally get up at 5.30 am during the week, but today is a bank holiday. Was still up at 6 am however, as a) I forgot to switch my alarm clock off and b) DS, despite normally being needed to be woken at 6.45 am on schooldays, decided that 5.45 am was a perfectly accepablet time to get up on a bank holiday.

acceptable

Morning all!

ouch at your bedtime!how can you function in the day?!

Just a list as on phone and mindee arriving soon, DP is back for the weekend today

To do:
Wash bedding and remake bed
Wash and dry DD washing
Clean bathroom
Wait in for DB Christmas present to arrive
Walk dog in awful weather
Hoover later
Make cottage pie for DP getting in
Today's mission, I like this one!

BBL...maybe!

Lots of coffee, Short small tasks, putting on foot in front of the other and not stopping. Terrible ear ach last night. But not a lot that can be done as it is secondary to sinus conjestion and anything i do to relieve the sinus conjestion isnt touching the ear ache.

Was helped this morning by the fact that ds is wiped and i have given him the morning off just to be. He slept til ten and has written some christmas cards. He is going in to school after lunch as he seems much better.

Not done much this morning.
Ta Da list
Picture is hung,
first load of washing is up
ds supervised writing christmas cards
sorted the cards out and stamped those had stamps for, put others in kit bag/ on side for delivering
sorted out the remaining no idea what to get present (plan done just need to pop into shop)
Sorted out Educational DVDs to be returned to Ex. Meant to do this ages ago
5 mins decluttering in my room
check fb and mn
look for cookie in jar recipie so can get this bit of present sorted. -need to buy ingrediants though.
put unused cards back into box.

Going to go have breakfast and tackle the decluttering tasks now.
hope you are having productive days.

Oooo I like the ingredients in a jar idea ouch that's an idea for next year

Ouch - I really have no idea how you function on so little sleep. I managed a whole six hours last night by managing to get to bed by 12.30 and then waking up with DS2 at 6.30. I am still aiming to get to bed earlier than that though. And how on earth do you get through your long lists after so little sleep? I can get through the day without much sleep, but I'm a zombie.

Linzer - hope you are enjoying a lovely, tidy, clean house now.

Lauren - enjoy your DP!

Bird - thinking of you today. Hope you are coming to terms with your shock news.

I love that cookie-in-a-jar recipe, Ouch - thanks for the link. Do you think it would be a suitable present for DS2 to give to his teacher and TA?

Well, have spent most of the morning catching up with a friend, but as DS2 is going to his friend's house after school till 6.30 , I still have plenty of time to get things done. I'm ignoring my routines at the moment, apart from the basics like washing up and laying out uniforms the night before, and just concentrating on decluttering the hotspots and then keeping them that way. The kitchen hotspot was on fire again, so I put that out this morning. I'm going to make a list, but just get as much as I can done each day, so I don't expect to do everything in one day:

Hotspot 1 - coats in hall
Hotspot 2 - mess on the upstairs landing
Hotspot 3 - stuff in bathroom
Hotspot 4 - my wardrobe
Hotspot 5 - our bedroom (DH is tackling this as I speak)
Hotspot 6 - DS2's bedroom (pack some toys away in loft)
Hotspot 7 - kitchen cupboards

Clear kitchen surfaces

Start writing Christmas cards
Sort presents and cards for DS1's tutor and DS2's childminder

Oh dear, I feel despairing now I've typed it all up. Suppose I'd better just make a start.

Flu not flying

I hope so toffee and that is what we are planning on using it for

Oh fuzzled you aren't having an easy time atm are you

I am pig headed and determined and don't know when to give up. Hoping for an early night. Have had ds off school all day. Nothing hideously wrong just end of term tiredness i think. He is very teary and whiney but happy to settle to his ds. Especially as I made him write a load of christmas cards and do his homework first.

*Ta Da list8
Picture is hung,
4th load of washing is on
ds supervised writing christmas cards
sorted the cards out and stamped those had stamps for, put others in kit bag/ on side for delivering
sorted out the remaining no idea what to get present (plan done just need to pop into shop)
Sorted out Educational DVDs to be returned to Ex. Meant to do this ages ago
5 mins decluttering in my room
check fb and mn
look for cookie in jar recipie so can get this bit of present sorted. -need to buy ingrediants though.
put unused cards back into box.
clear the window sil
folding is now up to date
Utility room bench tidied and cleaned
Utility room floor is 1/4 tidy now
Wash room bench has been tidied and cleaned (well the half that isn't waiting for the tip run so it is empty)
Bench in study is now half tidy

About to put card box away and then tackle my wardrobe so much clothes can actually go away in it. can't remember how long it has been since i didn't have baskets of laundry in various states lurking about.

Hi everyone
Thanks for the kind wrds. Still swinging between despair and acceptance. Not happy about it though - hopefully that will come
Can't even weep as I do the washing up because builders are in and out!

But after 1 day NOT flying the house is geting messy again. My bedroom was perfect yesterday and it's already messy. So I figure I'm going to need to fly even more with this horrible news, so will try to do evening routine tonight after work.

evening all
ouch I am also in awe of your ability to function on so little sleep!
I am generally in bed by 10pm, as I CAN NOT function when sleep deprived. I do get up at 6am every morning though, but find I am generally more productive in the mornings....
bird Hope the acceptance grows and you soon feel better about things. If it helps at all I found going from 2 to 3 much less challenging than expected ( so I just kept going till I got to 6 which is definitely challenging enough LOL)
toffee sounds a nice morning catching up with friend
fuzzled hope the Flu disappears soon
lauren dog walking in rotten weather is no fun. Luckily for us our mad dog refuses to go out in the rain LOL
linzer my dc do that...always have to be woken at 7.00 on school days, then at weekends decide 6am is a good getting up time....most annoying!
blue thanks for fabby round ups

right...well, I am still alive, but sooooo tired.Someone at work even asked me if I was OK today as they said I didn't look very well
anyway....have slight reprieve tonight as DH is going to the show, so I just have to get littlies settled and in bed then I can relax for an hour before a V early night LOL

managed to do today
up, breakfast etc....
rebooted laundry
tidied bedrooms
S&S
school/nursery run
work
school/nursery pick up
hoovered lounge and stairs
made paper chains with dc
clean clothes away in littlies room
dinner
cleared dinner

still need to:
Do reading with dd3 and 4 (a bit neglected this week )
stories
littlies bed
reboot laundry
me bed !!

BBtomorrow

Fuzzled - . Hope you feel better soon. Stay tucked up in bed, if you can.

Ouch - well, I hope so too, as I think I'll copy your idea. I suppose the jars need to be air tight. What did you use?

Bird - I'm sure it will take time to accept it. When do the builders finish? You need some time to yourself.

OFM - I really hope you get your early night tonight. Although I can't even seem to manage to get two children to bed on time, so I don't know how you manage with six...

Well, I have had a good decluttering session today and sorted out the bathroom and the kitchen (cleared all the surfaces ). DH is doing wonderful decluttering work in the bedroom - we can actually see the floor now. What I really need to do now is maintain the tidiness through Christmas .

DS1 came home from school a bit shaken up after witnessing the aftermath of a violent fight between two 16-year-old boys at his school. An ambulance and police were called. DS needed a cuddle and a hot chocolate, but he seems better now.

Just off to collect DS2 from his friend's house, which is how I've been able to get so much done today. And tomorrow he goes to his childminder's, so I'll have another long day to declutter .

Toffee I have some glass jars from ikea that look like the ones in the picture. One large, one smaller.

Sorry going to skip the personals, say that i didn't get the box of cards put away but did clear out my cupboard and put my clothes away. Have also been working on a chirstmas present. half of it now finished and third of a ball of wool left and it will be done. Marvelous.

Right now ds has been shoved into bed and i am going to shut down the computer and head in a similar direction. I have to admit being up was not through choice. And hoping that sleep is easier tonight. Bloody earache :(.

Wishing you all good fridays. Night.

Hello everyone. Sorry to be posting very sporadically atm. Life a wee bit stressful. Office drowning in work and dh travelling non-stop and is v. grumpy and tired when he is here with very low tolerance for any family stuff.

Have that awful "rabbit in headlights" feeling with everything that is going on + Christmas prep. Ridiculous really when I think what most of you are coping with ie lots more dc than me!! Wierdly though, with all the stress that is going on, dd is behaving absolutely impeccably atm. She declared tonight that she 'needed to be a bit more grown up now' and proceeded to do the washing up (dw still 'en panne') cleaned my spectacles and tidied up the play-room and laid out her clothes for school tomorrow - all without any prompting! Brilliant!! Amazing!! A minor miracle!!

Thank you so much for round-ups Blue - v. much appreciated

Abird Thinking of you. Hope you are OK.

Sorry no more personals but (I'm hoping) my fortnightly ironing lady is coming tomorrow and I haven't washed enough things for her to 'do' so must now descend to laundry of doom ....

Take care everyone. Remember to try and take a bit of time out each day to look after yourselves - it's a stressful time of year.