Part 2 of: If tidying your house is your New Year's resolution, Flying with us could be the solution

[ToffeeWhirl]

Welcome to Part 2 of the January Fledgling Flyers' thread. There are a lot of newly dedicated Flyers on Part 1 of the thread - I hope they all find their way over here to Part 2. We are following Flylady's system to get our houses in order, whilst ignoring her twee language.

Flylady's routines 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. On this thread, we motivate each other, chat quite a lot and swap tips on coping with housework and mess.

There are three methods of following Flylady's system, 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: your sink. It seems crazy when the mess is piling up everywhere else, but it works.

Thanks, Lalou and Flying. It's OK, I have decided not to make him go to school anymore for now and can feel the stress lifting already. It was too much pressure for both of us. DS1 just needs lots of tlc. The last thing he needs is pressure to go to school. I have contacted his psychiatrist and am waiting for her to phone me back and prescribe new meds. In the meantime, he is incapable of going to school, so I'm going to ask her to sign him off sick. Am aiming for us to have a quiet, relaxing day together tomorrow. I will still get him to do homework, but he doesn't mind that - it's the school environment he can't stand.

OK, tomorrow's babystep...

Tuesday, 24th January - babystep 24 : add a swish and swipe to your daily routine. I do this every day and can't quite believe that I used to only wash my sink when I thought it needed it . This is one of the most useful babysteps, I think.

Tomorrow's mission is to chuck out old pants and odd socks. Just spend 15 minutes doing this.

The reminders for Tuesday are here.

Well, back to Flying.

today
house bless/hoovering/bathroom clean
meal planned/online order for tomorrow (I overdid it and ordered lots for freezer/storecupboard too - not really what meal planning is is it will get hang of Ocado eventually and feel more confident ordering small items! rather than 20 tins of tomatoes
supper cooked (easy - leftovers)
supper washed up
children activities x 1 (ballet)
children piano supervised x 1
homework - NIL ds1, 2 goals to Dd
read to children x 3 with DH
decluttered several children's books to a good home
bathed one child
sink is shiny
clothes put away

now there's just one thing I've missed, which is to have a nice chat with DH we seem to have been ships passing in the corridor this eve...

early bed now...as I'm knackered worrying about ds homework and whether he is ill or not..DH says he is.

Oh that's good that you have come to a decision toffee Sounds like the best option all round. If ds is less stressed and happier you will be too.

Incidentally, if you are looking for any good educational sites, mine love Gridclub. I got a year's subscription with my Tesco vouchers. Covers all areas of the curriculum.

I've made it to the new thread! Minimal flying here - pretty much just shining the sink and keeping on top of some hot spots and laundry. Better than nothing but not even keeping up to date with new thread. Sorry to hear about the problems you are havin Toffee though it's good you have reached a decision. Thanks for keeping us all motivated despite it all.

Thanks for the tip about the educational site, Flying - I've never heard of that one. That sounds good and could prove very useful as the one thing the school are not being so good about is providing work for DS, although, admittedly, it's early days at the moment.

Welcome to the new thread, Bubbles. Minimal Flying is still better than nothing.

Hope you got that early night, Swan.

Off to shine my sink and lay out clothes in a minute. Also hoping for an earlyish night.

toffee I am sorry you are all going through the mill, I hated school so much, not least because I was interested in learning and the other kids wanted to shout and mess about, bullied mercilessly and I sympathise with your son. Got there eventually and he will too with your support.

We had yet another bad night, the longest DD has ever slept is 5 hours, and she has done that three times in 18 months. I am past tired! So we got up and breakfasted but this morning after sorting the kitchen I went back to bed when DD had her nap.

DD made me laugh though when she walked into her playroom this morning (I tidied it last night) and she sat in the floor, and went hrumph, looked at me, pointed at the neat boxes of toys, shrugged and then systematically emptied each one.

So, dressed and showered
Made beds
Loaded dw
Loaded washing machine
Cooked lunch
Baked cake
Hung out washing
Emptied dw
cooked 3 casseroles, put in freezer
Sorted clothes for tomorrow
Wrapped presents for party tomorrow
Drunk sleepy tea ready for early night!

Feel like I've got a lot done today: load of washing, folded, will put away in morning, DW loaded and on, cleaned three toilets and sinks, and got to the end of decluttering our back room which is mainly a play room for the children. I have three bags for the charity shop and binned a load of stuff.

Hoping to make a start on decluttering our bedroom/ensuite next as this is where I seem to have dumped bags and bags of our 3 DS's outgrown clothes.

Am I right in thinking that the aim is to finish this Babystep decluttering by the end of the month so I can properly start the missions and zones?

toffee did you read this article in The Guardian Weekend about school refusal? You might find it interesting?

Gah, not going to bed at a sensible time!!

Morning all, I managed to do some of the babysteps yesterday but still not getting all done.

Right today's To do list:

Breakfast
make beds
get dressed
sort school bags /clothes for this morning (Was too tired last night)
School/nursery run
wash up and clean/tidy kitchen
shopping list
go shopping
5 min room rescue
2 min hotspot
15 min decluttering
laundry
shiny sink
"what's for dinner?"
swish and swipe
bedtime.

Best go and make a start!

Morning all .

Had a lovely day yesterday with dh. Definately feel batter for having a bit of fresh air and exercise.

Today:
school/work
DS choir
hoover
dust
thank yous

BBL

Hope you have a better day toffee
Hope you get some rest slowburner I have had 2 non sleeping children so you have my sympathy.

libby take as long as you need to declutter. You don't want to overdo it and sicken yourself or you might never get through it all so just do it at your own speed and little but often.

If you do get done by the end of the month well done you! Fab effort. It's so easy to fly through the missions and zones once you are clutter free.

scatty glad you had a nice day yesterday. Weather was gorgeous! Bit miserable here today though.

toffee hope things are much calmer for you and ds today xx

blackcat I think you are doing amazingly! If you don't get everything done it's no problem. Think of what you have done - we are battling perfection!

At work today. But did a lot last night and got all the basics done before leaving this morning so house will be nice to go back to.

Ta da

Up and dressed to shoes
Made bed
Swish upstairs bathroom
Swish downstairs bathroom
Hoovered
Shined sinks and worktops
Emptied and refilled dw
Folded and put away dry washing
Put on load of washing

To do tonight

Hang up wet washing

FlyingLugholes I think you are right about battling perfection.

It is quite hard to do with children in the house. I do love them, don't get me wrong, it's just the chaos that sometimes goes with them.
I am finding Flying a bit easier this week cause DD has just started at nursery.

Ta da:

Breakfast (for all)
made beds
get dressed to shoes
sort school bags/clothes for DC
school and nursery run
wash up x1
shopping list
shopping done

having a break now for lunch.

Hows everyone else?

Scatty glad birthday was a treat Dh and I book those sort of days too sometimes, it's much better than the weekend...

Slow 3 casseroles in freezer Wow! Don't think I've ever managed that...
I like dd's style

done
work in school library 2 hours dealing with Reception kids etc
ds1 has been at home ill with cough/cold(but school is so near that I left him tucked up in bed as he is nearly 12 - must be safer than travelling on a London bus by himself!)

plates in dw
lunch (reheated soup) for ds1
other kids to school first thing - it was a near thing, both "creating"
DH still very under weather, went to work v grumpy

Feel utterly shattered now...WHY? but have to persuade ds1 to write poem about volcanoes

this cold wet weather is v lowering isn't it?

Hello ladies

Scatty belated happy birthday. Glad you had a good day

Toffee I'm glad you've made a decision about your son. It must be so tough for you both

Swan I hope your ds feels better soon

I'm back flying properly today after working flat out recently and not having had the time to do much

Ta da
Dw emptied and breakfast dishes stacked
School run
2 loads washing done, ironed and put away
Home made burgers made for dinner
Room rescue in dd's room
Been for Doctors appointment
Dcs beds changed
Wiped down kitchen surfaces
Hoovered downstairs
Kept sink shining

Still to do
Swish and swipe
Tidy our bedroom which has become a giant hotspot (ooer!!)

After school run
Dentist apt
Homework
Get ready for work tomorrow
Clothes out

I hope you're all having a productive and fun day

blackcat I've decided dh is far more untidy than the girls. I'm forever picking up after him. And he is physically incapable of shutting a drawer or door once he has opened it - drives me completely insane!

swan did you not have good weather over the weekend? Agree that endless months days of grey gloom are very depressing.

FlyingLh I have that problem too with DH, drives me crazy at the weekends!

I also agree about the weather - is grey and rainy here.

done
this afternoon
put away online grocery order
several little snacks/chats for sofa ridden child
take dd to piano
school pick up (okay that only takes 10 mins)
tidied kitchen a bit

walked to and fro various places, made sandwiches for dd snack after piano

supper in oven (so exhausted by the sight of all that food that I'm giving them breaded fish and peas, not very inventive

supervised Mathletics

lugholes my dh is not exactly untidy just doesn't see mess unless he trips over it. He has taken to making our bed every morning, he says it makes him feel happy!

cleaned some windows

todo
guided reading ds2
ds1 motivate
dd piano and violin motivate
clean Rugby boots on drainer as ds too pathetic to bang boots together today
change our sheets
put away rest of washing
strong cup of tea to WAKE ME UP

DH away this evening and suprise suprise - all routines done, kids on bed early and I have 2 minutes to do some MNetting before chilling and then sleep - was like musical beds here last night, so I'm hoping for a better one tonight!

See you tomorrow (Metaphorically speaking!) :)

Just checking in. Not much gone on here really bar the basics.

I seem to have spent the last 2 days internet searching for "stuff" in relation to DS. Seems he is going to leave Uni so now urgently looking for an apprenticeship/job so he can keep the flat he shared with his GF!

Yesterday I did find time to throw a washing load on and bake a loaf.
Today I made soup for lunch plus 2 lots of mince (meat & vegi) to stuff in tacos for tea.

Hello lovely ladies Mais oui, c'est moi! Sorry about the nc - a necessary evil!

swan am very at your dh making the bed. And being happy about it! Dh likes making a mess of the bed but that's a whole other thread...

scatty mwah mwah. Hope your wm is fixed tomorrow. I think if I could only keep one appliance it would be the wm.

dizzy get you throwing together loaves amid surfing the net, cooking fab meals and doing the washing! Super woman or what?

Work again tomorrow so have done my night routine, got everything ready for tomorrow and the girls organised.

Have just watched 3 men and a baby with the girls. Love that film. So 80s!

Er, it's only taken me from Sat till today to realise that the thread had moved.

Have crashed and burned this week after a horrible trauma at the weekend involving dogs and stitches - all on another thread.

But have managed to stick to menu plan so at least something is defrosting for dinner and the house has not quite slid back into total squalor.

Need to go and tackle kitchen meltdown. DD off school not-very-sick and decided to do home baking today. Suddenly she's feeling terrible and it's time to tidy up.

it was the home-edding clue combined with extreme productiveness! not the messy dh of course Still, I can't believe I remembered....lugholes did sound vaguely Scottish...perhaps...
Hope all is well with the dds.

[disclaimer - I haven't been reading this thread properly recently)

meanwhile achieved
in addition to ready meal for kids
butternut squash risotto for DH
pineapple and blackberry sponge pudding

several saucepans soaking
rang cousin

dw on
table wiped

off to bed now, no clothes laid out, but a drawer full of clean school shirts...

I wholeheartedly agree with having a dh who creates more mess, and its growing - not content with having a garage full of stuff, and 18ft shed in the garden, It's now encoaching in the house too, I havent tackled it yet, suspect I need to be stealthy and do it bit by bit. I'm also hoping that if lead by example, he may e more inclined to join in.

So far I've decluttered our room, the bathroom, living room and kitchen - to all intents and purposes, to the outside eye, it doesn't look much different, (most of it was hidden) I suppose that will happen once In get on with the zones and missions - I can't believe I'm looking forward to doing some tidying! I've surprised myself at just how ruthless I have been, its quite cathartic! The s and s, making bed and getting dressed babysteps have definitely helped me feel better.

The big big big hotspots and areas to be decluttered next will be under the stairs and the pantry, both prime areas where things are chucked that don't have a home, need to remember the term babysteps too and stop trying for perfection as somebody mentioned above

Thanks for the continued motivation and updates - seeing everyone's lists is definitely spurring me on. - I have some questions and requests re control journals and menu planning but am getting finger aches so will do it another time, - don't have access to a laptop at moment, so all typed using jabbing one finger technique on the phone whilst feeding ds,

Hope you all manage to get a good night's sleep

swan am in awe of your memory and sleuthing talents

Dds are all fine thanks - growing up (sob). Dd1 and dd2 are working. Dd3 and dd4 still HE'd. My baby is now 11!

Hope you are all doing well and ds is ok now.

thewaffler you are doing so well with your decluttering! Cathartic it is indeed. Makes me feel all serene to hear about it.

I sometimes think I should get a job as a professional declutterer. Could hire a skip and turn up at people's houses and start chucking out stuff. Would be so happy!

Our garage, which is dh's zone, is a bomb site. Am scared to go in there. Is so full of crap that all the stuff that should be in there (bikes/scooters/bbq/gardening stuff) are sitting in the garden because they can't fit in. Driving me mad. Fingers are itching to open the page in the yellow pages that advertise skips...