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!

feetheart

• Probably not, and I'm tempted!
• She's British and writes in a very normal, non-gushy style; certainly no talk of purple puddles and the like! Her website is here; I used to subscribe to her newsletters, which often contained very useful and sensible advice too, but they seem to have stopped a few years ago (although are still on the website).

We're more or less packed and will be off first thing tomorrow, but won't arrive at my ILs' until almost midnight so I won't be back until the New Year. Will check to see where you all are then. In the meantime, waves to everyone and Happy New Year!

:o

Safe journey Linzer

Accounts done and sent to accountant so feeling relieved smug.
Brian Blessed on QI now so I'm off.
Night night

Ta da:
2 lots washing done
get DC out for "fresh" air done
repack change bag done
sort out something for lunch done
dinner done (if I can count take away)
put away Ocado order done

unpack uh, not exactly
put some old toys away to make room for new no

I do wish I'd got more done, on the other hand we had a long trip out, and DS wasn't exactly happy after falling down half a flight of stairs this morning so had to give him a lot of attention today. He's fine except for a beautiful black eye, but I think he'll be a bit more cautious (until the next time). Having just been away for a week he simply forgot that he's not able to walk downstairs yet, and that he needs to crawl down backwards.

The new thread does look scary. I had hoped to make time to post most days, but I think it'll take all my internet time just reading it. People will drop off though.

Good night everyone.

Have to be another one who wondered if they noticed if we just popped in to answer questions and posted links.

I think i achieved everything i intended except the bed before midnight. But am heading in that direction.

Thanks to who ever was manning the naughty corner bar earlier. Much appreciated!

I'm lost... what other thread?

Justonemore here's the new January thread 24 hours to go and there is already 179 posts and well over 60 newbies!! Bloody hell!!!! Oh my goodness, I don't swear!! But tis mighty scary!!

Right, up early. loads to sort today. Going away on Monday and I can't leave the place like this. I must get organised today. Shops all closed tomorrow as well, so I need to do some meal planning for the DCs to cope with.

I would like to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2012 and thank you all for being a brilliant bunch!! Mwah, Mwah, Mwah!!!

Just had a quick scroll up through this thread and I agree with whoever said about sticking together and having a smaller "chat" thread. What about in OTBT so that people dont get offended? I would be happy to start one, but wont be around much, so maybe someone should start one over there. (so that the "leaders" posts are greened) You wouldn't need to post the steps or anything, just have it as a chat support fledgling thread. I certainly wont be venturing into the mad other thread!

Hmmm - hadn't realised my venturing out from behind the lurking curtain would coincide with everyone else's new year resolutions. Did the January thread do this last year? I just feel I'm floundering in a sea of incompetence; when I get the routines together life is much less chaotic, but RL keeps pushing them out of the way. My house is less dirty than it was before I found Flylady but I think I've rather glossed over the decluttering bits and now I desperately need to get rid of stuff rather than shunt it from place to place. Please don't all disappear elsewhere now I've joined!

Honu, you are one of us!! you are here. Anyone can be one of us. We are really not a cliquey group and we have always tried to welcome everyone. I do think that a lot of us, especially perhaps those of us who have been around for too long ages, are comfortable with a smaller, chattier thread, rather than an impersonal large thread. For me, the reason I love this thread and have been here since the very first month is because I feel as if I "know" most of the people here and we all support each other, and not just for housework, but for everyday things as well as for big life things. I would not feel like that if there were 60 people joining in on a conversation. I know the internet is open and millions of people can read it at any time, but I always feel safe here. I feel as if I am sat chatting to a group of friends. If that group becomes more like a hall full of people I seem to revert back to how I was at school!! I would not say anything, for fear of saying the wrong thing and being overwhelmed by too many stronger personalities. I would become the one no-one takes any notice of, so would just not bother joining in. Oh this now sounds like a real saddo post, I dont mean it to!!! Its just a personal thing for me I suppose.

I hope I am not alone with this,and you all think i am some kind of wacko if I am, then sorry!!

We have had a few manic months before, and I am sure last January was probably one of them. But nothing like this!!! I think it could be for a few reasons and no-ones fault at all!! I think the thread just caught people's eye when perhaps they were going to be thinking of clearing up after Christmas. I think it was the first thread opened like this for the new year - there are other groups so perhaps we were the first one to open our January thread, which opened the floodgates, whereas if another group had opened their January thread it would be more their problem than ours, or it would be spread out a bit more. Obviously people are signing up and jumping on the wagon and the more it is seen in active, the more people click to see what is going on and sign up themselves. I am sure that a lot of the newbies who signed up earlier on will not return when they see how much it has grown. I certainly would not join a thread that was so prolific.

Please don't feel as if you I am saying I want to exclude ANYONE, I am not. Having been an "outsider" all my life I am all for including everyone, but more on a quiet, get to know you, support each other, chat, have a laugh way, rahter than a massive party way, IYSWIM!!! I suppose it is my fear of crowds and inadequate social skills that are coming out here.

Flippin heck this is turning into a depressive post!! SORRY I didnt mean it to. I will go now, before i say too much and say the wrong thing!!!!

Okay pa take a chill pill and know that you're not alone! I've been onto the January thread and it's scary. I'd be happy to answer questions and post a general to/ta-da list, but not to post that DS has done x,y & z... so I agree with you; as it is, I've had to scroll through loads of posts and I know I've missed posts from people here.

I'm therefore proposing a "quiche" for us with a code word which we disclose to anyone who wants to join and a secret handshake (where a bottle of is passed surreptitiously!)
I don't know where OBTB is so someone would have to direct me, but I'm cool with that.

Anyone else in/who can lead a shiny new quiche?

Not much time to post now as we're getting ready to leave for the airport, but I just wanted to say I know exactly how you feel PA. I'm not good in crowds in RL either (for me, a "crowd" is more than about four people - obviously this doesn't apply to threads!) and am happiest just chatting to a small group of people. I really don't want to exclude anyone either and it's always nice to see new posters join in and get to know them too, just on a slightly smaller scale than is happening with the January thread!

I feel a bit bad about hopping back in now

I do understand how you feel though. We had a very closeknit group when I was a regular poster on the FLY threads years ago. Would probably have felt very intimidated if our little cosy thread had been taken over by hundreds of newbies.

The majority will probably fall away though over time and normality will return. FLYlady isn't something that suits everyome and does take a certain level of commitment and determination if one is to continue long term.

There's a January thread??

Of course there's a january thread - I've been on it

As you were.

Chill pill taken Flying

Hi all; I am on the new thread but have actually been 'watching' this one since it started... Meant to start flying in Dec (whoops!)

Just wanted to say I suspect that it wasn't clear that the Jan thread was an ongoing one, hence the number of new sign-ups... I can't imagine anyone would feel excluded if you run a January chat thread, as you say there are different Fly threads running anyway, and the sense of having a cohesive 'group' will be a bit hard hit otherwise!

Don't feel you need to go OTBT unless you want to, just open your code word thread here... You're not excluding people, just making sure you still have your own space!

Thanks Dharma - I've been thinking this, if the oldies carry on chatting as before on the new one it is going to seem cliquey, which is not the intention, we have always welcomed new people, but it is a bit of a shock having so many all at once when we had a fairly steady 15-20 people at a time on the thread for 2 years. On the other hand we don't want to stop our chatting, it is nice!

Will wait till Toffee appears before staring any new threads though.

Whats OTBT? And can I have a code word??

Just waking up and DD is still asleep! I could have got loads done if I wasn't so lazy

Right to do:
Hoover
Washing and drying *4
Clean bathroom
Declutter DD room
Dust DD room
Wash down doors
Clean kitchen if floor is done in time!

BBL to see the conclusion of januarygate

There tend to be different FLY threads anyway, depending on what stage of flying you are at.

Would you be happier leaving the new flyers to the january fledgling thread and you start a hardcore fly thread for advanced flyers?

I know it isn't ideal. But it will keep you all together and your threads in a format you are used to.

Just caught up with today's posts. Haven't dared venture onto the other thread yet. I ran last year's January thread too and I remember the same thing happening with loads of newbies signing up - New Year, fresh start and all that - but it wasn't as excessive as this time . I'm happy for us to have a separate thread for the fledglings for our own chats, so we can keep up with each other, if someone else wants to start it. I'll post the links and answer questions on the other thread.

I didn't realise it was the word 'fledgling' in the title that showed we were a regular group - sorry!

Lauren OTBT is "Off the beaten track" and its a topic on MN, but it doesnt go into active convos, so its not seen by many people and doesnt really attract that many lurkers or newbies.

You are part of a recognised quiche Toffee

I'm sure that it will all calm down really soon. It's like all the weight loss threads which start up in January. By March they are significantly quieter.

How about a separate Fledglings one for now in Good Housekeeping still but making it clear that it is ongoing and we'll all keep an eye on the main one too (don't worry Toffee we won't abandon you there!), then see how it goes, if there is a significant dropout rate we could merge in Feb. It would be a shame to hide in OTBT, I'm worried we will lose people who haven't been around in the last couple of weeks/months and we might get tempted to stop Flying and only chat!

I'm quite happy to start and run that one if people agree. Probably won't have time till later this evening though, we're off out in a minute.

Works for me - we can fall out of the nest so to speak.

I'd offer to lead but DS is still a bit young for me to have the time for the roundups. Hopefully in a few months...

I've just added the first babystep to the other thread, as so many of the new people are obviously desperate to get started and I may not be up to posting tomorrow (out at a party tonight, friend staying, might go out tomorrow). If anyone happens to know which zone we are moving into next week, it would be really helpful if you could add it to the new thread. We are in the living room at the moment and I think Flylady follows a set pattern. I'm not sure when Flylady updates her 'sneak peak' of the next week's zones.

Have just realised there isn't a mission on a Sunday, so I don't need to worry about posting that yet.

I love the idea of our own little thread so we can keep up with each other.

Hope you all have a happy New Year celebration tonight, whether you are out partying, at home watching telly, tucked up in bed or nursing your baby.

Afternoon all.

Have been ill all night so DH let me sleep in this morning but have just caught up on the thread. I too would be happier with another thread for the established and drop in on the other thread as well. I can't offer to lead though as don't know how busy I'll be with my new job.

Today's jobs are to try and finish tidying the spare room and clean clothes piles. Managed to do most of clothes mountain yesterday and tidied and de-cluttered my drawers as well. I also want to take tree down today to start new year as we mean to go on but DH and dd not keen. I also need to go shopping for food for nyd.

Best make a move then.

BBL