If tidying your home is your New Year's resolution, Flying with us could be the solution

[ToffeeWhirl]

Welcome to the January Fledgling Flyers' thread. A very big thank you to BlueEyeshadow and IceColdBitch for guiding us through the busy Christmas month.

Are you living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)? We know the feeling. We follow Flylady's routines, which aim to help you take control of your home, tidying and decluttering and setting up daily and weekly routines that keep your home looking presentable. We also chat quite a lot and swap tips on coping with housework and mess.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's tips on restoring order to our homes. There are three methods, depending on whether you are new to the system or have been following it for a while:

1. Babysteps
2. Babysteps + 15 mins daily decluttering in current zone
3. Babysteps + daily missions

Following the babysteps helps to establish daily routines and build a weekly plan.

If you are overwhelmed by the mess in your home, start with just one thing: shine your sink.

Oh, and don't - really, really ^don't^ - sign up to Flylady's emails.

The first babystep will be posted on 1st January 2012.

Happy New Year.

Is it too late to join? I'm not sure I really understand the whole thing, but we're living in a depressing state of chaos and it's really getting me down. DS is just starting to crawl and the thought of his soft little hands on the filthy kitchen floor just depresses me more...

smallmole It is never too late to start - just check out the links in the OP, and if you aren't sure, ask, and someone will be around to help.

Hi all
Just checking in as I haven't had the chance to come on here yesterday or today. I've been working and busy flying too.
Did a home blessing type thingy today (well a full house clean really, took a lot longer than an hour!!) as well as babysteps routines. I'm working for the next few days so not too sure I'll get the chance to do much or post on here.
Bitchy we had swimming lessons today too - I dread Wednesdays for that reason. At least it's over for another week!

Just had a proper read through and I think I've got the gist. It's like spinning plates, isn't it? Starting with one plate (the sink) and then gradually adding new ones until without really noticing you've got everything under control. At least, that's the way it seems to me. I actually feel a bit calmer just for planning to do this - three kids under five is never going to be easy but at least I'll feel more in control if the house isn't an absolute bombsite all the time!

Thanks for the support. I think I'm having a bit of a downer here at home so it's reflecting on everything.

The house is on the market (as we are supposed to be relocating now DH has a new job but with just 1 viewing in over 6 months, him away all week and even now not even sure he's made a good employment choice) so it is (visibly) quite clutter free - as long as you don't go into the garage! - though of course there is always the innevitable hot spots and stuff not getting put away.

I think I was just hoping for a basic schedule that says something like dust on monday, hoover on Tuesday, etc. Of course doing a little each day keeps on top of things which obviously hasn't been happening as I'm a "have a great occassional blitz" sort of gal!

I am quite an organised person so the diary/planning Flylady stuff I do anyway, plus the basics such as getting up and dressed. Have S&S today as well as shining sink, cleaning out fridge (as per todays mission) plus load DW and put a wash on. Had to make a trip to the post office and bought some birthday cards.

Glad to hear that everybody else is flying well.

Bitchy and Haagendazs - my DD has lessons twice a week and I love going to watch her

Evening fly babies. Not bad today, routines are all sorted but subject to the whims of a 2.11 y old and an 8 m old. "Waa!" "Not now darling mummy's doing 15 minutes in the zone" This morning it started even before morning routine was done. "No mummy don't fold the washing up, let's do paintng" oof. Nevertheless the house is tidier which I put down to room rescues and hitting hot spots twice daily. Very excited, work starts on our brand new shower room bathroom and downstairs loo on Monday. Swishing and sailing has never appealed more!

slowburner does your DH have a brother?

DD used to go swimming on Mondays, bloody hated it, was bad enough when she was a tiny to, but when she got mobile it was impossible. We stopped ostensibly for the winter but it was too expensive and DD never showed any signs of liking it, I like Mondays much better now.

Ta da -

Up & dressed to shoes, and jewellery and make up.
Unload dishwasher
Packed lunches
Walk and feed dogs
Kids to dentist then school
Run - last training run before half marathon on Sunday - yikes
Out to lunch with friend - carb loading for above!
School meeting
Home to tidy, shiny kitchen.

So not much done at home today but it is SO GOOD to come home to a tidy kitchen and hallway, still tidy from last week.

This routine is seeping into all parts of my life - I am more organised thanks to another thread, and feel less over-whelmed by the sheer chaos of my house.

cq this is totally utterly out of character for him. I have been ranting at length about his inability to help around the house for months and months. He also got DD to nap for two hours, granted she isn't well, but he had a two hour nap too!!! If only eh!

Ta da list:

Get ready for school routine done
School run done
Check Flylady's daily reminders done
Morning routine done
Emails and phone calls done
Ring friend to wish her a 'Happy Birthday' done
Chemist will do tomorrow on errand day
Missions for Mon, Tues and today did all three
Bedroom - declutter 15 mins done
Laundry - put away done
Ironing will do tomorrow
Make pea and lettuce soup for lunch done
Make carrot and coconut muffins done
School run done
What's for dinner? Lamb curry done
Washing up done
Bedtime routine done, but wish they'd go to sleep sooner
Before-bed routine done
Bed at decent hour

Also did a quick room rescue in the sitting room, tidied up my kitchen hotspot (5 mins), swept and wiped the kitchen floor with Flash wipes and shined my sink . All looking lovely and sparkly now.

slowburner - I really will have to get that app for my DH - I'm so impressed by your DH's achievements today! I hope he realises that not every day is that easy with your DD (I presume...).

Welcome to the thread, smallmole. I post the latest Flylady 'babystep' every day. If you are new to her routines, you start with the babysteps, which gradually help you to form new habits in running your home. Once these habits are second nature to you, you can start to declutter for 15 minutes a day (it's easier to clean your house once the clutter is gone). Then you add the daily 'mission', which is a quick cleaning job, eg wiping down the kitchen cupboards. The idea is that by doing a few jobs every day and working round the house, you never have to do a blitz or a spring clean.

dizzy - sorry you are feeling down today. You can drop in here even if you fall off the Flying wagon - we all do that sometimes, depending on what's going on in RL. If you stick with Flylady, you'll see that it really is a basic schedule, just like you want. She tells you when to do stuff (dusting and hoovering are both on Monday, by the way!) and if you follow her instructions everything starts to look better and you feel more in control.

Forgive me not doing a round up or any more personal messages today, but I really need to get to bed. It looks as if everyone has had really busy days today, but still stuck to their Flylady routines. It's incredible how determined you all are, in spite of babies, toddlers, work and all the other challenges of RL.

Reporting back here really helps me to stick to the routines too. My kitchen is looking so tidy and clean tonight, thanks to the basic routines, a hotspot tidy and the missions . It will certainly get me off on the right foot tomorrow morning.

Thursday, 12th January - babystep 12 : delete your Flylady emails - hopefully you haven't signed up to them anyway and won't have a zillion emails to delete. So, for today, just practise your babysteps - you are aiming to create new habits. Soon, you won't be able to go to bed unless your sink is shiny and your clothes are laid out! It will just feel all wrong.

Today's mission is to wipe down your kitchen countertops. (I thought that was Wednesday's mission and so I've done it already ).

Thursday is errand day. If it needs to be done outside the house - doctor's appointment, picking up shopping, etc - today is the day to do it. The day's reminders - for those who have progressed beyond the babysteps - are here.

See you all tomorrow.

toffeeany chance stealing carrot and coconut muffin recipe?
i blitzed my oven yesterday
nice to be able to see through the glass at whats cooking
just wanted to say did absolutely masses yesterday.kitchen is respectable(unless go in cupboards-thats a to do for today).i can see where ive been and makes the cluttered bits look more so.....
i like being organized.wish id discovered this years ago!

Just a quick check in as work been v busy last few days. Still managing to keep up morning and evening routines and always have a shiny sink! Almost finished in this week's focus zone-just need DH to disinfect trash can tonight

Oh and keep up the good work everybody!

Morning

slowburner WOW! I think the app is the key here (I'm sure if the computer asked dh to tidy up he would do it).

Today:
DD friend for tea
laundry
dw
recycling

BBL

Morning everyone,

You are all doing so well, I am really impressed. I have not done much Flying this week it has to be said, I am in the middle of organising both the DCs birthday parties and that has taken over a bit but hoping to get back going again next week.

Quick thread hijack, I noticed yesterday that Dalrymple is studying Human Biology at the OU, which is something I would like to do, but not sure if I'm up to it (my background is in chemistry but I'm rusty), do you mind if I pm you for a chat?

Today is a work day but as I had a really bad night with toddler and have some presentations to write for tomorrow I am working at home, and returning to bed for at least at hour after I have finished my tea and crumpets. I am going out tonight to a works dinner and I will be asleep at the table if I don't at least attempt to catch up.

DH and DD managed to turn t he neat house upside down in about twenty minutes this morning, there are clothes and toys everywhere, wet towels on the floor, toast crumbs all over the floor and the tablecloth clearly had a run in with some orange juice. So we have some way to go yet!

Will return with list...happy flying everyone!

Morning! Was up for hours and hours through the night unable to sleep. Absolutely knackered. Am mn is pants at 4am...

Anyway, in work this afternoon so going to detail clean the kitchen this morning. Fridge and inside the cupboards has already been done thank goodness.

Ta da

Up and dressed to shoes
Shined sink
Changed my bedding
Put washing on
Put away tesco delivery (arrived at the crack of dawn)

To do

Swish upstairs bathroom
Swish downstairs bathroom
Hoover
Dust
Hang up washing
Empty and refill dw

KITCHEN
Dust cobwebs (don't think there any but you never know)
Clean cooker (ugh)
Clean microwave
Clean worktops
Clean cupboard doors and faschias
Clean light fittings
Clean top of wall cupboards (ugh)
Clean cooker hood (ugh ugh)
Clean window and frame
Clean door and frame
Clean lightswitches
Clean light
Wash floor

Off to have breakfast then get started.

Morning ladies

whoknowswherethetime of course you can pm me

I feel tired today, kept waking last night and really had to drag myself out of bed.

Started my morning routine, didn't feel like it but I always find once I get going its quickly done and not as bad as I thought

Morning everyone
Back at work. All so busy trying to catch up on everything.
Out to ballet tonight! Should have a little while to catch up on stuff tonight before heading out.
DD2 recovered from norovirus now has cold which really aggravates her asthma. And boiler still broken

Hope to be back on form tomorrow

Hi all!

Really quick post... motivational quote I found:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle

We can fly!

Liveinazoo - I have PM'd you. Don't eat them all at once!

PerishStorm - that's a brilliantly apt quote! Funnily enough, I have been thinking about the importance of habits recently and how I needed to instill good habits in my own children (not to mention myself): habits of tidiness, of studying, of healthy eating, etc etc. At the moment, my oldest son has a habit of going on the computer too much . I have never written an inspirational quote in my control journal before, but I'm going to add this one. Thanks for sharing it.

Cristiane - glad you are feeling better and have made it into work. Hope DD is better soon. And that the boiler gets mended!

Dalrymps - well done on doing your morning routine in spite of tiredness.

Openyerlugholes - go back to bed! You should spend this morning catching up on sleep if you slept badly and have work this PM. Where are your babysteps? Those look like monster steps! You have permission to slow down.

slowburner - I hope you managed to get the house sorted quickly after DH and toddler wrecked it - hopefully, it was only superficial stuff. Very sensible to go back to bed (take note, Open ).

WhoKnows - good luck with the DC's parties! My Flying went completely out of the window when I was organising DS2's party in November.

Morning, Scatty. I think you are right about the computer and DHs (and, probably, sons too).

foxsbrush - well done at keeping up with the routines and zones whilst back at work.

liveinazoo - fantastic that you did masses yesterday!

Well, I have DS1 at home with me again today, but am going to set him some school work to do (they have sent him some, so he doesn't fall behind) and get on with my routines. So far, I have managed the going to school routine, school run and breakfasts. Now I'm doing emails and MN.

To do:

Morning routine
Mission done
Get DS doing school work
Order Co2 alarm
Errands - dry cleaners, chemist, library, bank, buy storage boxes
Ironing
Put laundry away
Lunch
Send deposit to stove company (we are having a multifuel stove put in - woohoo!)
School run
PM routine
Look after neighbour's son
What's for dinner? Oven-baked chicken with lemon
Evening routine
Bed at decent time

Hope you all have a good day.

Jas my fear is I still wont have got past just babysteps and decluttering in three years time, if I?m not careful!

Smallmole, just wanted to say I?m on day 12 of this and while there?s a huge way to go, I can see that in time this is going to work if it's stuck with.
Good luck. :)

Of to delete some random E-mails (as opposed to Flylady's)

cristiane glad you are feeling better now.

perish that's a brilliant quote - so true!

toffee I'm fine, honestly. Wide awake now - will probably collapse later on though haha. My babysteps are well behind me and no clutter in this house to speak of (well very little). Have had the flylady routines in hand for years now but I have fallen behind with the detail cleaning routines, which is what I'm working on. So as the zone this week is the kitchen thought I would finally get down to it!

Finished it and it looks great. Won't be half so bad to do next time it comes round.

Oh toffee keep meaning to say that you do brilliantly with this thread. You put such a lot of time and effort into posting the routines and supporting everyone - it doesn't go unnoticed. You are a star!

Okay so far this is where I am.

Ta da

Up and dressed to shoes
Shined sink
Changed my bedding
Put washing on
Put away tesco delivery (arrived at the crack of dawn)
KITCHEN
Dust cobwebs - there were millioms!
Clean cooker (ugh)
Clean microwave
Clean worktops
Clean cupboard doors and faschias
Clean light fittings
Clean top of wall cupboards - were gross beyond words
Clean cooker hood (ugh ugh)
Clean window and frame
Clean door and frame
Clean lightswitches
Clean light
Wash floor
Hoover
Empty and refill dw

To do

Swish upstairs bathroom
Swish downstairs bathroom
Dust
Hang up washing

Should get finished before going into work.