fledglings falling out of the nest thread

[IceColdBitchy]

Ok So a new year a new thread.
You know the ropes flying the fledgling way.
Decluttering 15mins at a time in each zone.
Babysteps and missions.

Sunday is renew your spirit day and seeing as today is new years days I hope there aren't too many evil hangovers in existance.

Babystep 1: shine you shine. yes we know this one but do you shine it the fat fairy way? cant remember? check here

And for a treat as it is sunday no mission.

Oh and can i just may 2012 bring you productive decluttering and flying so your houses step closer to those of your dreams and house work no longer be that evil monster that dominates.

Quiet on here today! I managed a few room rescues/hotspots this morning while DH did the school run, so feeling a bit better about the house today.

I like the poster, Flying - most of our house is magnolia too, but there are some mocha-type rooms and I think they go quite well.

feet - the match got going in the end though? DH was quite miffed to have wasted 5 hours of his life on it...

Linzer - the "dresser" thing has stuck in my head since needing to translate "Kommode" for an American speaker!

Honu - glad you came through the ironing mishap unscathed. It's only since I got a new, lightweight ironing board that I can actually lift that I've done ironing at all...

Waves to swan, lauren and Cheerful and anyone else who's around. Night!

Hi all.

Flying - Just read your other thread. Glad DS is fine.

Fell into a bit of a heap today. With all of the painting, my DF getting ill, (catching it from DSs, but only for 1 night fortunately), and putting up with both DSs at home for most of the week and DS2 being ill ovenight the last 2 nights I just crashed for awhile this afternoon.

Are we definitely going to merge the two threads? I like chatting to all of you, I hope that doesn't stop with a much larger group. But I do understand that it's easier to run just 1.

Now that the lounge is finished, I'm loathe to put everything back in - it looks so clean and uncluttered . But the toys must go somewhere, they certainly don't all fit in the DSs room. I can now get some better storage in there though. Something with doors so that the toys aren't openly visible all the time. It's certainly inspired me to declutter with a bit more enthusiasm.

Well not exactly date night tonight, but I did get a meal out with two school friends whilst DM and DF babysat, which was lovely. Now DH has come to join us for the weekend, so I might have a bit more time to post, or to plan next week. Unfortunately slowed down a bit on the decluttering of childhood front . What I would really like, would be a day off from being a mum, just to recharge the batteries.

Anyway, hope everyone has a good weekend, and that you all get some "family fun" as well as a bit of time to recuperate.

ChitChat - I have just counted approx nine 'newbies' on the other thread who have posted in the last couple of days, some only once or twice. The thread really has calmed down since the early days, so I don't think it will feel like a huge influx of new people if we merge the threads. I do enjoy running it, but there's too much going on in RL for me to continue, I'm afraid, so this does seem a sensible solution. Please don't stop chatting! The newbies are all lovely!

Just off to post the links and then go to bed. I'm so relieved it's Friday and I don't have an early start and the school run to cope with. I have been getting more and more exhausted as the week went on. Trying to go through the subject of Roman gladiators with DS1 today didn't help matters (I thought of you and your struggles with DC's homework, Swan). He wasn't interested in the slightest and kept asking how long we had to do this. In the end, I got him to dictate his 'interview with a gladiator' whilst I acted as scribe, as at least then he could speak fluently and didn't have to struggle with writing (not his strong point).

I did realise, later, that I was probably teaching him all wrong, as I was approaching it in the way I would learn (I love reading and scanning information), whereas he learns differently. Not sure how, but it's certainly not like me! I suppose the secret of teaching is to find out how your pupil learns and somehow help them to be interested in the subject. I need to work on that!

Glad you had a lovely evening out, Lifebegins. We are planning 'family fun' tomorrow with a trip to an aquarium and, maybe, fish and chips by the seaside. Whether it will actually be fun is uncertain, but we'll do our best .

Goodnight all.

Apologies for the late links - just back from an unexpected Friday Date Night. All the DC are staying overnight at friends' houses, so we thought we'd make the most of it and went out for a meal. I was actually planning to work this evening as a fairly large job has just arrived, which will involve me working over the weekend, but this kind of opportunity comes along so rarely that I gave myself the evening off.

**

Anyway, links.... or rather link, as there are no missions at the weekend.

The babystep for (later on) today is to eat good food, drink your water and get your rest.

**

I'm doing the second as I write (as DH and I have just shared a bottle of wine - there are definite advantages to having a lovely Greek restaurant just a few minutes' walk from us ) and had better go and do the third, so will catch up properly tomorrow. Night all.

suggestion...as it is so kind of anyone to run the thread at all, do you need to do Roundups on the Master Thread? I think it is a luxury (although lovely) to have roundups, and a lot of people do make the effort to make personal responses, (everyone responds to someone or other) so perhaps in light of the quantity of people they could be skipped? The previous fly threads never had round ups, only a kind person doing the links but in the end people did work out what was going on more or less with others. I hope you survived Toffee but it must have taken a lot out of you.
I am in awe of anyone who did the Roundups over last few years because when I did it for about five days it took me an hour each time to remember what everyone had said...

toffee very interesting what you say about learning styles. That's why we need a history teacher on this thread Ellie where are you?
Ds1 hates being told stuff or given stuff to "read". However, film clips and dramatic re-enactments, or story telling seem to do the trick. I think he is an entirely sensory learner, and absorbs nothing through his intellect only through his emotions. I also think he has no interest in learning anything by himself, he wants some involvement whether with his peers or a teacher at every stage.

I hate blooming sleep training.

DS woke at 4.15am, he did it in the week too but a bit later, and went back to sleep nicely, but just in time to make it pointless for me to go back to sleep.

The weekend? 4 oh sodding 15am and has taken over an hour to get to sleep again. And it's now too late/early to go back to bed as I'm wide awake. Still, I can't get too angry with him. It's his teeth, and while I've calpol-ed him, he's still a bit whimpery in his sleep

I'd clean, but it would wake DH up. Thank god for MNet!

No plans for Flying today. Out to see friends for coffee while DH looks after a hopefully napping DS, then out for lunch and a bit of soft play maybe. Possibly doing a bit of baking as DS has eaten me out of coffee buns.

Hope you all have good weekends.

Morning all,

Just flying by before I start work... The DC are still at their friends' houses so DH and I have just been out for breakfast, and he's now on his way to Vienna with a car full of things for the charity shop.

Sympathies on your early start, Flying. All three DC went through regular phases where they decided that between 4 and 5 am was an acceptable time to start the day. Hope the sleep training works soon; I only needed to do it with DD1, but it saved my sanity.

swan That's a good point about the round-ups. I'm going to be snowed under with work (am already, in fact) until Friday, so while I'm happy to pop on at regular intervals during the day to comment on posts and answer questions, and of course to do the links in the evening, I'm not sure I'll have time to do a big round-up in the evening as well. I also remember how time-consuming it can be to do round-ups when the thread is busy (or even normally), so if no one minds, I may skip them for the time being - at least until work has quietened down.

Talking of which, must get on with it...

Popping back to say that roundups are nice, but not essential for me as I've generally read the thread but not had a chance to post. And I don't think anyone would mind a question on the lines of "excuse me xxxx

Life - a complete day off from being a mum sounds heavenly.

Toffee - that doesn?t sound too bad then. The New Year?s resolutions didn?t last all that long then!! Reading and scanning is a skill that takes awhile to develop. I can do it well, but I still prefer to be physically present in a class or a lecture where it is ?told? to me. Reading firms it up, and adds a bit extra to the knowledge. I wouldn?t even know WHERE to begin with roman gladiators though, so well done for even trying!!!!!!

Swan a good idea about the roundups. It?s nice to be included, but it must be very difficult. I don?t always do personals for everyone, because it?s usually the non flying things that we chat about.

Flying - if you think he?s still in pain, can you also give him nurofen at the same time? I do that for my DSs when they are in a lot of pain or have a very high temperature which won?t budge. Or if it?s constant low level pain I give a half dose of calpol twice as often so still within the guideline amounts ? a tip given to me by a GP.

Disrupted sleep for me as DS2 still seems to have a very poorly tummy. Not sure how to deal with this, TBH. Gave him some pain relief this morning because he was holding onto his tummy and saying ?hurting? and crying, but I think the pain is partially from the extremely empty stomach as everything is just going through him at the moment. Hoping the Calpol in the tummy doesn?t make it worse. Made pancakes in an attempt to get him to eat a decent amount of food. He?s had some, and has finally brightened up now. The constant whining and tantruming is what is really getting to me though. He?s not happy and don?t we all know it!!!

To Do ? even though it?s Saturday (What's the difference between a week day and a Saturday if you have ill children and DH is away???!!!):

15 minutes decluttering boxes
15 minutes decluttering bedroom
Toys back into lounge ? NICELY!!!!
Tidy up of kitchen
3 loads of washing
Argos to buy DS1 a box of lego (the Pink box, mind you !!)

Hiya just stopping by to apologise for not being around. It looks like me and DP are splitting up as he can't be trusted...I'll be cleaning like a loony just maybe not posting just yet!! I'll be back in a day or two!!

Hope everyone is well

So sorry to hear that, lauren. ((hugs)) Pop into the thread whenever you feel ready. Hope you're OK (or as OK as can be in the circumstances). xx

ChitChat Sympathies on your disrupted night; I hope your DS is on the mend soon. Upset tummies are horrible and there's probably not a huge amount you can do about it, apart from just giving him plain foods (if he wants to eat) and plenty of water to drink. (Although I vaguely remember giving DD1 some kind of rehydration drink when she was little - I think you can also make your own with sugar and salt, but don't know how advisable those kinds of drinks are.)

Laurenamium - so sorry to hear that . Please pop in for tea or wine and sympathy whenever you feel up to it. ((hugs))

ChitChat - Nurofen is irritating to stomachs, but not Calpol, so your DS should be OK with that. I'm glad he's been able to eat and has brightened up a bit. Do take him to the dr if the tummy ache doesn't go away though. I wish I had some good suggestion about coping with the whining. It's incredibly wearing, I know. Do whatever you have to do to get through it, eg. favourite children's DVDs (and regular Calpol!).

Linzer - good luck with your work today. I agree with Swan re the round ups, as they are the most time-consuming part of running a thread. In fact, on the other thread I only did them a few times as I just didn't have time to go through all the names. So I agree that they can be shelved.

Swan - I had a very interesting talk with DS1's English tutor this morning. DS1 was too tired to have the lesson (he was up till 2am last night, thanks to the new meds), so I used the time to discuss how best to deal with schoolwork. The tutor - who is very wise and very experienced - pointed out that: a) DS1 would of course act up more with me; b) looking at some slides on a PowerPoint presentation and some worksheets was not very inspiring, whereas the teacher would have, hopefully, made it all interesting; and c) DS1 understandably doesn't see the point in learning about gladiators anyway. After discussing it all with him, I decided to focus just on Science, Maths and English as these, particularly the first two, are areas where DS1 may fall behind by missing chunks, whereas it won't really matter whether he misses elements of history (with apologies to Ellie and any other historians here ).

My problem is that I get carried away with projects and have to remind myself that teaching DS1 is not a project! He has to want to learn, not have it inflicted on him by me. I must try not to mind so much.

FlyingOutOfControl - sleep problems with DC are hell, there's no doubt about it. Is there no chance of a nap to catch up at any point today? I used to find that even 15 minutes' nap would restore me enough to get through the rest of the day (DS1 was a dreadful sleeper, sometimes woke every hour for the first year and never napped in the day. I think I went a bit crazy trying to cope with the sleep deprivation. Sleep training did work in the end).

Well, our Family Fun Day has been scuppered by DS1's lack of sleep last night (thanks to the side effects of his new medication), so DH has taken DS2 out and suggested I use the time to relax, rather than get jobs done . There is loads to be done, as always, but I have been feeling more and more tired this week, so I am going to follow his advice and give myself a break. Hopefully, I will then have more energy to do stuff later.

Lauren -so sorry to hear that. Pop in for support whenever you need to.

Toffee - thanks, I thought so about Neurofen so have been avoiding it.

Linze - fortunately DS2 is good at drinking and keeping his fluid intake up (unlike DS1!)

So sorry Lauren. Hope keeping busy with flying helps you through.

Chitchat I had similar thoughts about merging the threads, but as I'm posting so irregularly at the moment, I don't really feel right saying anything. On the other hand, if the people who've been around longest, and post most are happy then that should be good enough for me.

I've been a bit down the last few days. I don't feel like I've managed any useful decluttering here at my parents at all, yet I don't know what on earth I've done with my time. It certainly hasn't been relaxing in the way that a week here usually is, having extra adults around to help with the DC.

I also opened up some post that I brought with me from home because I'd got behind (Flylady would not be pleased), and I really had it brought home to me how important it is to keep up with the routines, including dealing with post as soon as it comes. I may now get chucked off my nursery committee because of some forms I haven't sent back, and I've only opened the reminder after the cut off date! I feel mortified at being such an idiot, even though I've been quite upbeat at how much my organisation has improved in the last few months. I think I get knocked back far too easily, especially at this time of year. Ok moan over. Sorry about that.

for anybody who needs it this evening. If nobody else has done so, I'm opening up the bar in the naughty corner.

Just popping by with for Lauren. Look after yourself and just do what needs to be done. We will be here when you need to vent

Lifebegins / ChitChat I must admit I prefer a smaller thread too, but the other thread does seem much quieter now - and it seems impractical to keep both running. Toffee has done an excellent job with it this month, but I think a month of leading such a monster (at least initially) thread is probably enough for anyone! I don't think there's anyone else on that thread who could take over - certainly no one has volunteered (although it hasn't really been up for discussion) - so inviting them to join us seems the most sensible option.

Sorry to hear you're feeling down, Lifebegins. I always declutter when I go back to my parents' as I like to feel that I'm doing something there! But I also find that having extra adults around can make things even more stressful in some ways.

Toffee Sorry you missed out on your Family Fun Day. I hope you followed your DH's advice and got some rest; it's very hard when you see how much there is to be done, but sometimes you just need to recharge your batteries.

Family Fun has taken place without me here today as I've spent virtually all day working. DH took the DC (plus the neighbours' DD) out swimming this afternoon; he said they were surprisingly well behaved considering how little sleep they'd had (DD1 was at the neighbours' and said she went to bed at 8 pm, but DD2 and DS - who both really need their sleep - didn't go to bed until 10.30 pm and were up at 7 am). Hopefully they'll have a lie-in tomorrow. I could do with one too...

**

Tomorrow's links:

The babystep is to do the weekly pamper mission. (I'd completely forgotten that this comes up as a babystep when I posted it on Friday. ) You can find some more pampering ideas here.

No mission again, but your reminders are here (or at least they should be tomorrow morning). And don't forget to renew your spirit.

**

Hugs and good luck to Lauren - not a fun time.

Am retreating to the naughty corner with a badge of shame labelled 'Mighty Procrastinator' pinned to my chest - I'm not ill, just a bit down and 'rabbit-in-the-headlights'-ish so, instead of getting on with the massive clearout as I should have been, I've been faffing about, done precious little and yet feel shattered. and early bed I think, and hope tomorrow is a better day.

Honu will join you there, so much I could have got done but didn't...

However, today I have achieved
cover whilst at catechism
catechism class well prepared
ds1 to orchestra if not trombone, and to party with a funny card, plus present later for his friend
talked to several lots of parents at two parties
dropped dd to her party/picked up dd, picked up separately ds1, dropped two other children off at their homes (seemed to spend most of my day hanging around Nando's surrounded by chicken bones
washing x 1
dry washing
read to ds1 his highbrow book despite protests then he got into it
dusted front room with odd sock!

DH now home at last since 3pm, very sinusy atm but he has done his bit

bit of a bleugh tired out eve though. have left everythng n mess and gong to bed..

lauren that must be a bit overwhelming, you are being very brave. Are you sure it is what you want? You are doing so much atm. The problems with his Grandad can't be helping. x

also (blearily remembers) took ds2 to football,
and arranged for dd to go to choir, and violin (luckily all in same place)

acquaintance met at Nando's said her daughter was enjoying the catechism class YAY! Today we had "choice" arrows and feet washing!

Toffee also yay for "cutting through the cr**p" English tutor.I think he's hit the nail on the head...what works at home doesn't work in school and vice versa...

Our sitting room is now cluttered with a surfeit of sofas and armchairs. I put them on freegle but not a single person wants to take the old ones away.

Good night.

Allowed myself a nap whilst DH was out with DS2 this afternoon (oh, the relief of having a child old enough to amuse himself whilst I sleep) and it did me the world of good. I got loads done this afternoon and now have not only a shiny sink, but a shiny kitchen . Sleep is the answer.

Off to get some more of the stuff now. Hopefully. Night all.

Waves to all, hugs to Lauren.

As you can see by the time - sleeping is not going well. Just been up with painkillers for DS and am hoping to god they kick in soon. Did get a nap yesterday and I think DH is on the breakfast run.

DS was up at about 1 but settled really quickly so that was okay. However he's not settling now due to teeth (and if I'd realised that in my bleary 1am state I wouldn't be up now!), and as I couldn't find the medicine spoons (DH washed them and left them in "helpful" place - he did tell me last night but 2.30am is not the best time to try to remember that they're on the coffee maker ) it made it worse as he sort of settled while I was hunting them, so I had to wake him to get him to take it. DS not DH.

Am now on sofa on phone waiting for the sporadic "mmmmmns" to settle. Just background whinging, but intermittent enough that it's not really a 'go back and pat him' job - just a 'not able to go back to bed coz noise will keep me up' thing.

I HATE teething. I want to just scoop him up and cuddle him back to sleep - but I know that if I do that, I'll bugger up a whole week of sleep training for the sake of 10-20 minutes of sitting listening and going "aaaaaargh" on his behalf (and feeling like a rotten mum).

Chitchat thanks for the tip regarding low dose. Daytime not too bad for pain as he can be distracted and chew things. Night time he gets a dose pre bed and then it's a bit random when he wakes so just have to go for a full dose whenever.

Oh hell. He's setting off.

And I'm back and we're back to whinging. I'm knackered. And I can feel the stress. I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.

Oh fuck. Kicking off good style.

Back later