Flinging our way through the chaos: February’s Fledgling Flyers

[LinzerTorte]

Welcome to the February edition of the Fledgling Flyers' thread.

If you're living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome), this is the thread for you! We follow the tips on the FlyLady website in an attempt to restore order to our homes, but advise against signing up for the e-mails; all the information you need is on this thread.

Each day, I'll be posting the links that will enable you to do any of the following:

• start or repeat babysteps

• repeat babysteps and do 15 minutes a day decluttering in the current zone

or

• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

More information about the babysteps is here.

So please join us - there's always plenty of chat, , cake, encouragement and the occasional to help us on our way!

WhoKnows - how sad for your DD, and tough for you too.

DWM - thanks for cake! Hope your DS is on the mend quickly.

swan - hope you do get all the kids to school tomorrow!

I didn't get as much work done as I'd have liked today as my babysitting friend is ill (probably our cold from last week - guilt!), but did at least manage to put out a few hotspots instead... Tomorrow is work and house bleugh day so hopefully will have a good ta-da! list at the end of it.

Oh dear, DS2 crying.

Second week day with Velcro toddler, not sure I pay nursery enough to be honest. But I am getting worried that I am becoming so fixated on getting things done I am not spending enough time quality playing with DD. I have decided I must address this next week. DD was up and bouncing between 1 and 4 am, I felt sick I was so tired, but we can't leave her in case she gets so upset a seizure is triggered. Hence why I am in bed and fully intend to make this my last post of the day.

So,
Washing on after DD wee'd through all the bedding on our bed,
Downstairs hoovered (with toddler on hip)
Washing put away
Clothes for next 3 days sorted for me and DD
Cake for friend baked (with toddler on hip)
Pork casserole cooked (with toddler on hip)
Washing hung up
En suite, family bathroom and cloakroom cleaned
Quick top up shop and drop baby bits into a friend
Dinner cooked and crumble made for late night pudding (with toddler on hip)
All the bins emptied and recycling put out

Mission: decided to start cleaning each of the doors in the house, as a rental they just seem a bit grubby so today did the cloakroom and playroom doors.

I NEED to start sorting out the junks room(s) and garage, I want to be able ti pack and move at the drop of a hat if we see a house that is suitable, I don't want to be moving boxes of rubbish again!

Hope everyone has a good rest of the week, I am now working 8-6 for the rest of the week and with a paed appt on Friday I will have ti work even later to catch up.

nicknacks I haven't got spaces for any more children and the ones I've got currently are all not in the age group that gets the funding. I'm just looking into it really, I've got my degree, and nvq and have done separate safeguarding training on top of the necessary stuff you have to have...I'm just feeling at a loose end! Or will be when ofsted have been!! I'm used to working and studying (went from
School to college to Uni and child minding overlapped the end of Uni) and so just want my next challenge, which becoming accredited might offer me! I'm also interested in the SEN route so need to see what training courses I can get myself onto for that

Sorry for thread high jack...I must do better with personals! Starting tomorrow night all!

Dedalus I hope you feel more positive tomorrow. I often feel like that.

Sorry no more personals. Struggling just to read at the moment as so busy in RL. It's that d**mned Nursery Committee again. I do love the challenge but really struggle to fit it in, and spend time with my children, and get sleep.

Late night again for me. Good night.

well I decided to go for it and move the bed! So all hoovered and dust bunnies gone. Didn't find anything exciting under it - certainly no champagne!

As I was on a roll, I decided to hoover down the stairs. DD did come up to me and say "what are you doing all this for?" then proceeded to demand she finish it off, and then do the downstairs hall, the lounge and even hoover under the sofa cushions! She then decided to wash up the lunch dishes - in cold water - but when she has finished the whole sink area was swimming in water and she'd used 1/4 bottle of washing up liquid

Tomorrow I need to post off a birthday present parcel to my sister as well as send DH's driving licence back to the DVLA for them to put the proper address on it but otherwise I am going to spend the day at my sewing machine.

Everybody seems to be making good progress even if hindered by DC's, illness and lack of sleep.

WhoKnows - sorry to hear about your DD. It's so painful to see. It's a good idea to speak to her teacher tomorrow. Also, can you invite one or two of your DD's classmates over to play to encourage friendships? Probably the other children aren't leaving your daughter out, but they just aren't mature enough to be able to include her if she is holding back. I hope you get it sorted soon.

Just off to bed, but wanted to check in on you all first. I see quite a few 'ta da' lists (Slowburner - you put me to shame). I have nothing to report, as I spent all day at school, took delivery of an Ocado order, flung fish and chips in the oven, put DS2 to bed, then drank wine and watched 'Borgen'. Have just laid out the clothes for tomorrow (never miss that step). The kitchen is a bit of a mess and the sink is far from shiny, but I'm prioritising sleep tonight.

Good night all.

Oh good grief, my pile of clean, crumpled laundry is up to my chest. That's just one day of tackling it.

Finding it hard to keep up without taking all day reading :o
Quick list then start the day as really want to do Anti-procrastination Day proud - have too many things on my list that re-appear day after day that I want to clear before half-term.

• Invoices for School Assoc - done
• All up and out
• Reading at school
• Work - bank recs, tidy up odds and sods before half-term (we have this Friday off too)
• Book massage :)
• Shop for tea/coffee/milk/biscuits for Parent's Evening
• Prepare notes for DC's Parent's Evenings - not much to do re DS but need to have few things clear and questions ready re DD
• Event insurance - really, really, really need to sort this out as its becoming a bit of an albatross and causing panics in the middle of the night. All my own fault for head-in-sand approach
• Kick decluttering back into being - got off to good start last month but have ground to a bit of a halt. NEED to clear landing as becoming hard to get anywhere so that's a good place to start. Need trip to Refuge to drop stuff off but not sure I will fit it in before half-term, may have to dump it in garage but less of a trip hazard there!

Time to wake people.
Sorry for no personals but hope you all have productive days :)

Does anyone actually do the control journal?

I am just going to do a short list to get going. DH has taken kids downstairs, I am just drinking my tea and trying to unstick my eyes :o

Get up and dressed
Get clothes for children
Feed children
Get children dressed
If time before school run, do washing up
DD preschool
5mins in kitchen
5mins in hall
5mins in sitting room
Hoover downstairs
If DS is quiet, do some paperwork

Wait in for dishwasher!

I don't dedas but I probably should.

swan how funny that you remembered that i don't bake (or indeed cook really) . The family wore me down so I have learnt how to make Victoria sponge cake, scones and muffins LOL. DS wants to move onto choc brownies soon though .

whoknows hope dd is ok. Both mine started to have occasional friendship crises at this age. Usually pass over though. Talking to the teacher and inviting friends over helps, so did joining some clubs to widen available friend pool.

slowburner hope dd is ok, do they know what is causing the seizures? DS was a perpetually velcro toddler, its seriously draining! (now at the age of 8 he's asking when he can leave home ).

Today
Take dc to school (and run away before they have chance to close the school).
ASDA
laundry etc
phone dentist and DR
other stuff

BBL

Scatty, try the MN easy choc brownies, very easy!

Change of plan here, decided that with the week I'm having, taking DD to preschool is just asking for the dishy to be delivered then

To do today : get to music group on time, tidy toy-mageddon in sitting room;make baby food; make chicken pie;get sitting room ready for grandma ;start batch of bread; parcel up ebay stuff. Sounds like too much to me!

Thanks for comments about DD, she does have quite a few friends and isn't generally what you would think of as being a shy child, she has never been clingy and trots off into school, parties etc very happily, also Rainbows (and Beavers when we go to help in DS's group). However, thinking about it she doesn't initiate contact, if someone speaks first she will happily join them but she needs that nudge. So, we talked about it and I asked her to say "hello name" to anyone she met from her class on the way to school, she managed 3 with a bit of nudging from me, small steps but I think it will help.

Need to finish my morning routine, I still do it but have been tending to leave more and more of it till after the school run so I can stay in bed a bit longer in winter, which eats into my mornings.

Dedalus - I did without the control journal for a long time (I am very good at remembering routines etc) but never got further than morning/afternoon/evening/routines, decluttering and the odd mission, I finally got round to doing one last summer and found it really helped push me on to the next level, ie proper zone work and detailed cleaning. I don't have anything except the actual routines and zones in it though, having already got an address book and a house book with names of tradesmen etc in it. I also don't consult it very much now, do it largely from memory and the links on here, but it does help to have it to refer back to. I did have to read the Flylady book before I managed to make my control journal, I struggled with just the website. Still quite often don't manage the zone stuff BTW, but at least I know what I'm supposed to be doing even if I don't do it!

Toffee/Swan - I booked that workshop yesterday.

OK, to do,

Remainder of morning routine
Finish drying hair
Hotspot coffee table (impending avalanche of stuff on there at the moment)
Go to work

Back later

Dh is at home today, but alas so is ds2, who is coughing too much to go on school outing (which is theatre) However, he doesn't seem phased. He is so bouncy that Dh has taken him to the nearby little park to play football. Last night he threw up he coughed so much, yet he has so much ENERGY which is now venting itself in weird ways at home.. No fever, no weakness just paroxyms of coughing and cold symptoms. Not what you want to sit next to...

Slowburner I am amazed by how much you achieved yesterday with velcro toddler.

Whoknows That's a good way to start isn't it, even as an adult I find just plucking up the courage to say hello makes such a difference. Ds1 is suffering again from school-itis this morning, despite yesterday being in such a chipper mood; now he is saying no-one likes him, it is so worrying; I hope he just offloads and then feels better once he is in school.

done
recycling - everything is frozen solid
long talk with chatty school gater about our area getting very run down.../council/planning etc. Feb is so dismal isn't it...

what's for dinner (made yesterday) bolognese or shepherd's pie not sure which...

Today I am hoping to have a proper discussion with Dh about the house and how to make it function better without descending into rancour. Wish me luck

Morning all! No mindee this morning as DD has a rash and mindee has a weak immune system so no risks to be taken! So no work until the school run!

Hope rl slows down for you soon lifebegins

Well done for moving the bed dizzy and at your DD "helping"!

At least that huge laundry pile is clean jnice

feet I read book massage as if you would be massaging your books for a moment there! I was until I realized!

dedalus I don't have a control journal as such, but I have cleaning checklists as part of my CM from home. I know a lot of people on here use them though and find them really useful!

whoknows I hope things get sorted with your DD soon, I remember all too well worrying about not having anyone to play with at break times at primary school

To do today:
Deep clean bathroom
Hoover
School run
Walk dog
Finish SEF if I can get online
Update diary
Take books back to library
Clean fridge
Look up today's mission

BBL

Cross posts with swan! !

House is a terrible tip and I am meant to be doing paid work, not to mention supervising DS1's schoolwork. Also getting ready for trip away to Mum's at half term. So, will do half an hour of each job (using timer) and see how far I get. And try not to panic.

Luckily, DH has left some useful empty boxes that I can throw the clutter in to sort out one day.

WhoKnows - thanks for booking the workshop. What a good idea to get your DD practising saying hello to her classmates. It's like doing 'babysteps' in social skills, isn't it? I hope things get easier for her at school soon.

Maybe I should try a 'control journal' I do like lists and pretty notebooks....:o

I am getting really fed up of my house atm and I actually want to sort it, but things keep cropping up that stop me!

I like the idea of a 27 fling boogie, perhaps I could give that a go this evening.

Dishwasher has arrived! But have to wait til DH gets home before it can be connected.

Please excuse my inane ramblings, on my own with the kids this morning, my brain is mush!

I have a control journal, Dedalus. I don't look at it very much, but that's mainly because I now know my routines off by heart. I keep meaning to update it and put emergency numbers and stuff in it.

I have sorted the kitchen . Rewarded myself with and a snack. Am now going to do some work, then do some more decluttering downstairs.

Afternoon .

Done (so far):
Take dc to school (and run away before they have chance to close the school).
ASDA
laundry etc
phone dentist and garage
pilates dvd

To do:
kitchen cleaning
floors
school run
rainbows/cubs
put away laundry

Hope you and dh can agree a plan swan (just get him told ).
Yay for the DW dedalus

Afternoon everyone. Quite a productive morning (by my standards anyway) so far.

Gradually getting on top of washing and ironing pile - one of my favourite feelings is when there is not a single item left to be ironed. Don't get that feeling very often though!!
DW
WM
All beds made
Swish and Swipe
Hoovered downstairs and cleaned kitchen floor.

To do:
A hotspot or two.
Sort out whats for tea, as I have SIX children here for the afternoon today, all while I am meant to be working.
Bins and recycling need emptying, need to shop for bin bags first.

And I definitely definitely need to go and change the stinking nappy DD2 has just produced.

Dedulas Enjoy your Dishwasher, one of mans greatest inventions. I honestly don't know what I'd do if mine breaks down...
I find 27 Fling Boogies quite hard. I know there's masses of crap in my house, but I get to about 12 and struggle to find stuff to throw out. I guess sometimes things are just useful... one day... just in case....

Catch up later.

Dedalus I used to have a control journal, but then decluttered it as I only ever really used the routines (daily and weekly) and detailed cleaning lists and have them all in my Home Routines app now, where I can still tick them off.

Have given up on doing any paid work until this evening, as the workman isn't proving to be quite as much of a distraction today. I have warmed to him even more now since he had a second helping of my jambalaya at lunchtime - I'm so used to having my food rejected by visitors (admittedly only ever visiting children) that I was quite overwhelmed with emotion. Well, almost.

As we're all upstairs in the ridiculously cluttered home office/spare room (currently also home to a toilet, washbasin and extra radiator), perhaps I should take the opportunity to do some decluttering in here. DD1 is playing with Lego, DD2 is doing something Peppa Pig-related and DS... is being DS, wandering round annoying everyone, so I'd better take him out of the way. Perhaps he can help me to prepare today's Kaffee und Kuchen. As can DD2, who is now in tears because she can't put the Peppa puzzle she's just made back together.

Raising I was quite relieved to get out of having six DC here yesterday thanks to DS's best friend having chickenpox. Having said that, it also means I miss out on my child-free afternoon tomorrow, which would have been an ideal opportunity to get some work done during the day when I'm still relatively awake. Hope they all play nicely and let you get on with some work, anyway; I sometimes find it easier when there are more children here (mealtimes aside).

dedalus I haven't got a control journal either, I do however have a folder with 6 ridiculously easy MN receipes in it im attempting to perfect and build upon I'm order to get a repertoire of meals together - BTW yesterday was pasta and green sauce, dd had 2 pieces before turning her nose up, dh however he took leftovers for lunch today, this is definitely an improvement, he usually offers tips, I also made double quantity, I've never ever done this before and now feel very mummy like having frozen something! Anyway I digress, to my 6 pieces of paper am planning to add the routines, and not be distracted by looking for a nice moleskin notebook and writting it out in best! scatty thanks for the brownie tip, can make scones but that's about it.

dizzy pleased you didn't put your back out and were 'helped'

whoknows that's sound advice to dd, I hope she starts to find school easier and the little steps make a difference
linzer happy decluttering of the spareroom, at least you have a reason for the wash basin, radiator and toilet, with.the impending bathroom, dh has a garage full of radiators, doors, a urinal, and any other item you care to think of, 'just in case'

swan good luck with the discussion re house functioning, is this all rooms or just the kitchen?

slowburner baking a cake with a toddler on your hip, you put me to shame, I get nothing done with dd running about and wanting.constant attention.

Ta da is a bit diminished today...
S and s
Dd to nursery
Trip to homebase for paint on return journey, turns out its shut down
30 day shred dvd
Nappy wash on
Chickens fed and 3 eggs retrieved

To do
Write out routines (especially as spotted its today's baby step)
Go to b and q on way to get dd from nursery
Evening routines
What's for dinner

Right that's it for now,

BBL

WKWTTG I can't usually be bothered to even do that so fridge hasn't been touched for over a year

Not done any FLYing today as had a long gym session again and then a friend popped over and ended up staying for lunch so the day has gone.

Have made a gorgeous lasagne though which we have had to eat early as have parents evening in a bit.

Will catch up tomorrows on todays missed FLYing.

Have a good evening