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!

Just checking in. Fledgling Flyer here. Starting on earnest tonight with shining my sink, the kitchen hotspot and a 15 mins declutter in my wardrobe I think.

Have been reading the Flying book and it's a good read so far, helps me understand why we are doing things the way we are.

I just hope I have a noticeable difference in 4 weeks when MIL comes down. She's lovely but she's good at everything makes me feel bad without any intention to do so. Hopefully I'll be more like her soon

Bitchy - what is the Magic tape of which you speak?
I think it could make my freezer organisation complete :)

The freezers are the only one area where I am super organised - I have a 7-shelf one in the garage and a 3-shelf one in the kitchen. I have 2 blank sheets of paper with the corresponding number of lines drawn on them in plastic sleeves and list all the contents in each shelf/drawer in whiteboard marker. I then look at the lists whilst I'm doing the menu-plan and can make up meals from freezer contents. Just have to make sure to rub off what has been used, add what has been bought and ban DH from rearranging shelves
Has kept our food bill down over the past 3 years when income has been non-exsistant fluid.

Shame I'm not quite as anal organised in the rest of the house.

Today:

• Research use of double decker buses in schools - we have plans :o - done
• All up and out - done
• Reading at school
• See school computer guy re access to website - done
• Work - done
• Lunch
• To school to help with Yr1's trip to local church
• Bank for work
• Pick up DC
• Nice shop for birthday present for DD's friend
• Reading/spellings/collapsing with DC - Weds is only night there isn't homework due or something on!
• Toad-in-hole for dinner (must get veg)
• Ironing - no drier here and I'm probably fussier than I should be

That's more than enough - as usual not that much Flying, might go and wipe down front door as toast does, must be that mission soon :)

Hi all,
Writing this as my sink is soaking in bleach and hot water...starting the Babysteps for the second time - was on Toffee's thread and then a bout of flu stopped me, so bakc and enthused by everyone else's posts, thank you.

Wow, that does sound organised feetheart. I've tried to keep a list of everything in the freezer, but I keep forgetting to cross things off/add new things to the list, so it's never lasted very long.

I try to keep track of where things are likely to be by having specific drawers for specific things, e.g. in the freezer in the cellar, one drawer is for ready meals, one for vegetables, one for cooked meat meals, one for cooked veggie meals, one for bread, one for raw meat and one for cakes and other sweet stuff. I keep leftovers that aren't enough to do a whole meal in the freezer in the kitchen, plus things that I need every day/fairly regularly to save me traipsing down to the cellar, as well as cheese and mlik and anything that doesn't seem to fit into a particular category in the cellar.

That's the theory... in practice, one of the drawers will get so full that some of the things will end up in the "wrong" drawer, and this continues until everything is thoroughly mixed up. It usually all gets sorted out whenever we defrost the freezer, which isn't often enough, and I start again from scratch.

The fridge and freezer are definitely one area that I need to tackle when we're in the kitchen zone.

justonemore Sorry, I'm no help on the phone as we don't have Virgin here. But I can sympathise as I had a very stressful time recently trying to listen to a message and it wouldn't let me until I'd set up my voicemail, which was very time-consuming and frustrating.

Jax Hope you're feeling better soon.

MummyNic I found the book a good read too, and definitely far easier to find your way round than the website.

poeia Well done on the sink!

Must have a quick tidy-up before I pick up DS - friends due in half an hour, so not much time.

I'm working today, so not much flying happening despite it being house bleugh day. I also can't see the sitting room floor for all the excess furniture we still haven't shifted. DH is off sick today, but I'm hoping he'll phone the charity shop furniture collection people for me.

I have done the ironing though - I used to do none, but now I have a light-weight (and accessible!) board I do minimal ironing instead. Not DH's shirts though - he cycles to work and stuffs them in a rucksack so they're crumpled by the time he gets there anyway!

Oh, and on the subject of post and filing - I have one of these letter racks in the kitchen. Front section is for unopened letters, middle for things that need action and the back is for filing. It's when things go upstairs that it tends to go round, although theoretically Wed. is my filing day - anti-procrastination! - but it tends to get procrastinated... I also struggle with the quantity of paper downstairs covered with scribble beautiful artworks, which has to be ruthlessly purged on a regular basis...

But I'm working!

doh - wrong, not round!

I am also working today, although in fairness after the horrendous night we had last night then I am barely awake. However the house was reasonably clean and tidy when I left and dinner was out and gently defrosting on the work top.

I am getting organised at work though, just need tos ort the house paperwork mountain now (hiding it under the desk doesn't work when the desk is made of glass :( )

magic tape although i bought mine as a single roll from a supermarket i think. Fab stuff.

I have been to pick up wrapping paper and have bought almost all of the stuff that was needed for ds' bday party quite impressed as only forgot cocktail sausages and didn't have my list with me.

Popping in on my phone before DS wakes.

Poor kid has teeth and cold so he's wiped out. Got a trip to boots to do this pm to pick up "essentials", but at this rate we're not going to make it - so a bit worried about him and going to have to wake him up.

Hope you're all well!

flying outof control hope he is ok.
bitchy I'm sure I could find a use for that.

have been quite productive this aft:
done:
zone (some of)
laundry x2
phone mum

Going to have a and read my book for a bit before school run.

Hi poeia I'm starting today too. I'm over on west coast Canada so my day is just beginning. Have to shine my sink today.

I will need to pop out as I have no bleach in. Does anyone do this with Eco friendly products? I was thinking I would use hydrogen peroxide, then baking soda and vinegar. Will this work?

Oooo where do you get your hydrogen peroxide from?

Jnice I use bicarbonate of soda (is that baking soda?) and lemon juice which does stainless steel very well

Complete side note. Anyone seen the lego star wars film thing that was released before christmas? any opinions?

Hi, thanks Linzertorte, that's very helpful. I looked at the link to the babysteps, but she lost me at the Windex bit. I eat off things that have been in that sink! But I will shine my sink today. Looking forward to tomorrow's babystep already!

[swan still thinking about freezers....seven drawers and three in kitchen I really am missing somethng....why have I got three loos and no proper freezer??????

Done
leek and potato and kale soup
lunch out

ah ds1 back, better go.

Wow, there's been a lot of activity on here already. Sorry no time to catch up today, and probably not tomorrow either . But thank you to Toffee, Bitchy and Linzer for January's threads. It's so helpful to have the support and chat.

We have an 'american' style fride freezer and I would be lost without it now.

I feel as though I have been at the sink washing up all bloody day, new dishy arrives next wednesday - better invest in some marigolds!

DONE
Get everyone dressed
DD to preschool
Do enormous mountain of washing up so I can actually see my sink to shine it - today is the first day of babysteps after all!
Laundry
Do some cooking - make sizeable shepherds pie
Pick DD up
Lunch
Wash up
Horses
Get delivery of logs from my dad
Dinner
Wash up (while dinner in oven)
Kids bath
Put away clean washing
Sort out some outgrown stuff
Tidy up sitting room
Clear up dining room
DS to bed

TO DO
Get DD to bed
Wash last bits up (it is never bloody ending!)
Shine my sink!
Laundry
Sit down and try to chill for a while
Bath and bed

Can I just say, this whole "A load a day keeps chaos at bay" laundry thing does not work here! I need to do a load every day then at least another 3 loads a week to stop being consumed by the laundry mountain!

Swan - I have one loo and a fridge-freezer with 4 drawers. Would love more of each.

Bitchy - no, sorry. We have DS's party this weekend too, looking forward to that being over and done with.

Flying - hope DS feels better soon.

Blue - that rack looks nice. I really did need to get away from the 3sections system though. My filing gets taken upstairs at the moment and dumped on top of the shelf of box files till I get round to it, so the system still isn't perfect, but downstairs looks much more under control.

Feet - wow what a super organised freezer system. I'm like Linzer in that the same things generally live in the same drawers (top = ingredients such as herbs also frozen veg, 2nd = portions of cooked stuff eg spag bol, cheese sauce, stock, 3rd = bread products and meat fish, bottom = ice cubes, ice cream ice lollies). We always have one of those big bags of ice cubes from the supermarket on the go, doesn't cost much and so much easier than making your own

Todays list:

Morning routine - done
School run - done
Friend here for coffee - done
Go for a run - done, bloody freezing
Pop to Sainsburys for odds and ends - done
Detailed zone cleaning / mission, well did it yesterday
Paperwork - not done.

Also done Rainbows run and most of evening stuff, but need to run the vac round as there are cake crumbs everywhere. Paperwork is going to be done on the sofa later (laptrays are a great invention). Better go, need to get the DCs to bed.

Oh my goodness I'm SO tired!
Up at 4.30 and in work by 6

Thanks to wonderful, lovely, helpful accountant (who I also used to teach so she lost a couple of brownie points by making me feel old) I got the accounts up to date, filed the tax return and am slowly getting to grips with Sage - at least I think I am...

Am now in bed with a and some 's!

Despite the early start I have managed to do...
One load of washing DONE through to ironing (can't help it) and crucially putting away
Beds made - will be at work by the time everyone else is up so DH's job tomorrow DONE Gold star for DH
Dinner planned and made DONE
Hwk/reading/piano practise routine DONE
DS2 and assorted friends to Beavers DONE
Lunches made for next day DH is doing them
Dog walked - Only a short one but DONE
Swish and swipe bathrooms

Tomorrow is another mad day..
DH has hosp app in north Wales and I'm going with him, when we get back the PIL's will be here for the w/e, so before we go I must...

Swish and swipe
Get dinner prepped so only a 10 min job when we get home
Make up DS2 a bed in our room
Change bed linen in DS2's room
Hoover
Drop DS's at school and dog at my Mum's

Sorry for mahoosive post and not really reading anyone elses, I will be more sociable after tomorrow

Ok I am shattered and my brain is fried. Is this how you all feel normally at this time of night if so i might go back to not sleeping as this is horrible

List up date:
School run
meeting in nxt town
laundry - finish folding, and ironing and get it all away, Need to do a kit wash tonight post swimming.
move fabric box and ebay stuff from current location to new temp home
bring books that are being rehomed out of the loft ready for tomo.
relocate stuff to be donated to charity shop/tip/friend etc.
books back on ds' shelf
ds to swimming
ds' homework and without too much fuss. I'd forgotten I have bribed him which explains it but
sort out ds' kit
Make birthday cake Cake in oven, butter icing for middle done, icing for top dyed
pick up birthday card
films for friday????
pack ds' overnight bag for wkend
pick up wrapping paper and stuff for party
make up party bags

Dedalus- that washing rule doesn't work here either.

Neenook am also in bed, can check off going to bed at reasonable hour! Ds woke 3 times last night, after a period of sleeping through and I'm not used to it anymore at thought of and though

I've not been at home much today and dh did tea - as per menu plan, so not much flying. I did take some clothes off airer to iron, but forsaken ironing for bed, can't get the bloody temperature right in here either, either too hot or too cold, currently too hot, need to shed some blankets

Did manage fitness dvd today, day 15 of 30 day shred, legs are feeling it now.

Also peeked in a box under the stairs, appeared to have a random combination of crap in it, must make more progress tomorrow and actually open it and sort through it.

Routines done but shock horror, forgot to empty dw - hopefully back on track tomorrow with some decluttering to boot.

Night all, see you in the morning (most likely the very early hours of....)

Evening all, I just thought I'd pop in before bedtime. I too am shattered but I think that is because I was up far too early again .
I am hoping for a night without being woke up by DD and getting up at around 6.30am instead of 3 or 4am but I think that is being optomistic!

Everyone has been really busy on here today.
I have failed on the shiny sink today --I usually do-- but I am better at some of the other babysteps. Hopefully I will get there but sometime it seems there aren't enough hours in the day!