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.

flyinglugholes thank you for your comprehensive post. Today, I went and bought several brightly coloured lever arch files, with dividers etc. Thats a start.
I have overcome clutter in other areas (my wardrobe!) doing little by little so I know it will work but at the mo I am overwhelmed by it; and I am ignoring it by doing the 'oh so urgent ironing/tidying/mopping'.
Best sign of a job being avoided = tidy kitchen .

Week has been ruined by dead car batteries and musical bed children. So I am exhausted. I am looking forward to actually achieving something next week.

Sounds like a few of us were greatful for today's Looking After Yourself babystep.

I've been keeping up with the basics this week but not much else.

DS went into melt down on Thursday. It is so awful watching my "built-like-a-house" 6ft+ son crying like a baby because of a broken heart. :( Luckily we have the option of breaking the lease on their flat next month so he now has to make the decision whether to leave altogether (and come here or go to his Dad's) or hope that he gets a job quickly that pays enough to cover the rent. He has gone back for now (GF away for the weekend) so has some space to think.

I was awake at 5am yesterday worrying, and emotional all day, so DH let me have a lie in this morning. We took DD out to lunch at her choice of venue which was the c*appy Beefeater across the road so spend 2 hours waiting for and then eating their rubbish food!

Will do the weekly shirts/uniform ironing tomorrow and then will focus afresh Monday. Hopefully cleaning will take my mind off DS a little!

You're right about that, dizzy - people seem to be having a tough and exhausting time on this thread at the moment. I'm sorry your son is so upset, though it's understandable. It must be heartbreaking for you to see him so sad. I'm glad you managed to catch up on sleep a little this morning.

I prioritised sleep during my free hours this afternoon and I must say it did me the world of good. I was able to tackle the kitchen (blitzed and restored to shiny-sink status ) and various other messy areas, resulting in a downstairs that looks quite respectable . I even polished the brass door handles - a bit of an obsession of mine at the moment (was polishing the brass on our front door at 9pm tonight and hoping nobody saw me). I find it curiously therapeutic.

DS2 had a wonderful day out with his dad and has been talking about it ever since. DH bought him a blue crystal for a couple of pounds and it is now one of DS's most-loved treasures and has been placed lovingly in one of my Tupperware boxes, lined with loo paper.

Tomorrow's babystep is, again, all about taking care of yourself:

29th January - babystep 29 - try this week's pamper mission.

There are no missions tomorrow. Sunday is 'renew your spirit' day. The reminders for the day are here.

I hope everyone manages a reasonable night's sleep tonight, in spite of bad backs, ill children and family worries.

toffee pleased you managed to get some downtime, paper in bed sounds lovely and well deserved

I also haven't felt that I've done much this week, but had a huge blitz on bedroom on Monday and managed to incorporate many of the missions without realising. Other than that, I've kept on top.of my routines - paid dividends today when had guests round for evening and I didn't have to go mad tidying, hoovered lounge was about it, hurrah its working! Before Xmas I definitely would have been rushing around hiding piles of ironing, cleaning bathroom etc, so a lovely feeling. Talking of said ironing, I've been doing a little bit each time its been ready from the airer so a little bit most nights rather than wait and do it all on a Sunday as have previously done (which was fine if I.actually did it all on a Sunday, often if I was tired, would leave it and then 2 weeks the following Sunday is not so good).

My main accomplishment this week is having a menu planned for the coming week - yay! Am exceedingly pleased with myself, as this is a particular downfall of mine. swan thanks for your menu, ive written down some ideas. I've also chucked all my other recipes as per your suggestion on organisation thread - amassed clippings over the years but then never did them, folder has been utilized now as control journal and so far have 6 v simple recipes which will aim to practise and perfect, unlike previous fancy pant recipes which may have done once and also involved toasted pinenuts and the like.

As I am on top of ironing, I may have a bath tonight and do toe nails, removed some nail varnish the other day which had been there since November

This coming week I need to tackle either The Cupboard Under The Stairs or The Pantry, both shit tips of highest order at the moment.

Hope you all have a wonderfully relaxing Sunday

Hi there,

Will there be a new threat starting again on 1st Feb? I started at the beginning on Jan SO well, and then got awful flu and my sink stopped being shiny and then I got out of it and .... Want to start again, am guessing 1st of the month is a good time and would love support of others.

Thanks, Poeia

I think There will either be a new thread or we are merging with the "Flyers" but yes we start babysteps again with day 1 on the 1st of each month.

Hopefully one of the more experienced Flyers will be along to clarify things .

apologies if I have got it wrong.

Just popping in to say that yes, there'll be a new fledgling flyers thread starting on 1st February and you'd all be more than welcome to join us. Now that this thread has quietened down, it seemed to make sense to merge the two threads.

I'll post a link to the new thread here as soon as I've started it (either tomorrow or Tuesday).

thewaffler - yes, the downtime did me so much good. I have had the energy to tackle all sorts of things since then. at your ancient nail varnish!

poeia - sorry to hear you've had flu. It can really set you back for weeks. Good idea to start over in February.

BlackCat - yes, new thread will be coming shortly...

Linzer - ...from this experienced and inspiring fledgling!

Have already done a lot of my Monday house clean. Bought some Flash floor wipes last week and it was much quicker than mopping, though not very green. However, I am looking for time-saving methods at the moment. Had to wipe the bathroom floor this morning, thanks to DS2 aiming wrong and getting wee all over the floor (which I only realised after I stood in it [yuck emoticon]).

Going to tackle some ironing in a moment, then we are taking the boys out to visit their grandma. We might try to fit in a walk in the park first (to renew our spirits ). DS1 is manic today and wearing us all out, so needs the exercise.

Hope you all have a good day.

Thanks for your replies. I will be back then to restart the babysteps on 1st, see you all then.

dizzy poor lad.

Been out for a very wet walk . Then things went down hill as Ds has lost his bus pass again which resulted in me ranting about how he spends too much time in his head (pretending to be Dr Who) and not enough time in the real world .

See you on 1st, poeia.

Scatty - my DS1 has so far lost his entire PE kit, two mobile phones and his dance kit. He has also managed to ruin everything in his school bag by not putting the lid on his water bottle properly - so I think you came off lightly! Don't blame you for ranting though. I rant frequently (much good it does me ).

Goodness me, it is Day 30 of the babysteps. We have nearly completed a whole month. Well done to all of you who stuck with us. New thread coming soon....

30th January - babystep 30 :buy birthday cards and gifts on Thursday's errand day.

Am posting too early for tomorrow's mission, so I'll pop back later.

toffee I started housebless by taking off one pillowcase in advance today .
Scatty I think ds1 went through that stage, he is now a footballer (in his dream life) Down here bus pass was a rite of passage when you went to ss, didn't realise you needed it earlier in North. Ds has lost his diary again (vital) but luckily it was second one he lost, and in the meantime we had found the first so there is backup!

Dizzy I think emotions just get stronger as they get taller

done
packed ds1 knapsack with him
sharpened his colouring pencils [sigh]
put out his uniform
made him put his laundry in basket [sigh]
read him more about Camelot, reminding him the difference between Celts and Saxons..[ahem] and that this was at least 500 years earlier than the Battle of Hastings [timeline emoticon]
persuaded him to do violin
washing up small amount
wiped table

took dd swimming all afternoon, bumped into a friend of hers

Dh did the homework x 2 including a Mars landscape model, and a large toucan painting with ds1
Frisby
walking

Mess everywhere, trying to rescue it a bit, tomorrow very busy day, and feel generally in bad mood, and not v motivated

waffler that is lovely that you were able to enjoy your guests and not have to do the last minute rush around stuffing things in cupboards like I do

Today I felt a bit despairing, and thought, if anyone comes round, they'll just have TO GO AWAY again. Bring on the new kitchen storage which is hopefully coming end of this week/beg next week, as we are drowning in loose ends...and space models were the LAST STRAW.

Think I am on the right fred.

Have been ill so no flying being done here at all.

Mum came round the other day and cleaned while DS2 was asleep. I was but she pointed out I have my studies to catch up on. But still

Anyway, I did swish the bathroom this evening while I was filling the bath for the DCs.

Sink is prolly a right state.

I hate my new Open University course and all the nobbers on it.

Flying begins again tomorrow...

Glad There will be a new thread as I've been a little daunted by some of the terms that I haven't got to

Had a hangover lazy day today, have just done my sink and all the ironing I can (today's load is drying).

Party was great fun, haven't danced in years and I danced for about 3 hours, felt like "me"

We had crackers but no tree

Looking forward to flying from the 1st. Tomorrow I've been summoned to my parents to sort their garage

swan am contemplating the card and gift babystep and recall you posting about doing this for the year, nevermind month, that is seriously organised - do you mind if I ask where from? Is it online or RL shop?

Anyone else buy stuff from Phoenix trading? I bought a card storage box from them which has blank index cards for different months or categories if you want. It's big enough to get quite large cards in and there's a tray underneath for stamps/pens etc. It helps to organise my cards as I like to think that I run a stationers from home It's this one. It works for me as I buy loads of cards in advance but not in a particularly organised way...

Should start flying as have done very little over weekend. But have had rubbish night's sleep with 3 DSs taking turns to stop me resting!! Really should be menu planning....

libbyssister what a fab idea, I LOVE the idea of becoming my own stationer, even more so when it looks so pretty, am a huge sucker for stationary. I tend to buy cards in batches but also not in an organised way, so would like to get on top of it this year. I have 7 friends having babies between now and June, most of them know the sex, so will be mightily pleased with myself if get everything organized in advance.

Hello, I've been so busy with DH not doing well that I've not done recent babysteps. However, the sink is still being shined and the clothes get put out, and generally am more organised. Things will really be tested next week as my DH is going away for a bit to see new doctors etc and have therapy in his home country. He's going to stay with his dad. So I will have a LOT on my plate...
Will look over past babysteps when I am home tonight. I feel there isn't time enough for anything atm.

Morning all...keeping a close eye so I can keep in touch when you all make the jump to hyperspace the new thread.
I had unexpected visitors yesterday- an hour of running around the house had everything sorted- was delighted with myself. I even had time to get a cake together which was going in the oven as they arrived. I pottered while they were here (they brought their kids + mine= toy explosion) and so the house is still under control this morning. Yes I am boasting- but this is not normal service.
Forgot to say; when I went to get files to start sorting paperwork, I also bought tons of birthday cards which are filed in an old shoe box. Not posh but better than usual habit of ''oh my god DS/DD you have a party this afternoon; quick lets run to the petrol station on the way and you can sign the card on the way in''
The above lovely habits have been brought to you courtesy of the inspiration on this thread. Thank you toffee

Today's reminders and mission (scroll down).

Thank you for the flowers, Wannabe . I'm so glad this thread has helped you get your house in order. I had the same experience yesterday: we were meant to be visiting my MIL, but at the last minute she had to come to us instead. I only had to do a quick room rescue in the sitting room because the house was looking fine . That would never have been the case before Flylady.

Cristiane - sorry you and DH are having such a tough time with his illness. I hope he gets the right help in his own country. It is such a strain for both of you.

thewaffler - can't believe you have seven pregnant friends! You'd better get those cards in quick!

libby - I am absurdly thrilled by that card organiser and trying hard not to buy it (for financial reasons - we are having a 'basic outgoings only' month).

MummyNic - glad you had such a great time at the party. I hope the hangover fades quickly (bacon and eggs, plus Coke, sorted me out at NY ).

Changebags - what a lovely mum to clean for you! Why are your OU colleagues all 'nobbers' ?

Swan - have you done the second pillowcase yet?

DS1 has gone back to sleep after I woke him at 9.30. His sleep routine has gone all topsy turvy, but I'm loathe to drag him out of bed when he is so tired. I think it's partly the anxiety wearing him down and partly the medication. We will all suffer for it when he can't sleep tonight though. Maybe my hoovering will wake him up...

Hello! Just popping in quickly as am working all this week. Will read through posts later.

Dd1 has a sickness bug so is off work and lying on the settee feeling very sorry for herself poor thing. No doubt it will spread round the family like wildfire.

Ta da

Up and dressed to shoes
Swiped upstairs bathroom
Made bed
Refilled dw and put on
Shined sink and units
Hung up 1st load of washing
Put on and hung up 2nd load of washing
Hoovered
Wiped floors
Out dinner on in slow cooker
Took mum shopping

To do

Give girls lunch
Work

waffler and libby I was going to buy cards from Phoenix, as I have a friend who is a trader (but not local to me) and wants the custom! Still not done it yet Although I have plenty of grownup cards already, just the kids' ones I need to tackle. Also love the idea of being my WHSmith stationer.
toffee is it a sideeffect, I know that ds sleeps very late when he gets the chance to catch up, so I think children of that age do have a massive sleep debt.