Fledglings “March” 31 steps away from CHAOS and mess towards domestic success...

[sanguinechompa]

... well, a shiny sink at least!!

Welcome to the March 2012 Fledgling Flyers thread. Park your mops, buckets and microfibre cloths here!!

A huge "thank you" to Linzer for steering us all through February - not a small achievement Linzer considering your school run/teaching commitments and with your dh travelling so frequently.

If you're house is a mess and you are strugging with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of chat, whinging (in my case anyway ) and support along the way.

We advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be inundated! All the information you need will be linked here on a daily basis.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's tips on restoring order to our homes, and as we are all at different stages we will be using one of the following methods:

Here you can, for one month:

• repeat or start baby steps

• repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

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

More info here and here!

All long-standing members, intermittent returnees, lurkers and newcomers welcome!!

Oh, Ellie, I remember that thread too (the grandparents having a run around in the garden one). Can't believe it was two years ago now. No wonder you all seem so familiar.

The workshop is about getting a statement. Am not sure what help a statement could provide that would get my son back to school, but I do feel that I must explore every avenue.

SC - MIL has a phobia of small furry rodent-like creatures and wouldn't come in the house if we had guinea pigs, rats or mice, so it's not an option, unfortunately.

Arf at us all standing in a purple puddle.

WhoKnows - I suppose we might not be the first online friends who have done that course. Maybe they are used to MN meetups? Looks like you had a very productive and decluttery day, by the way.

My RL and chat was cancelled, by the way .

Anyone for virtual ?

Count me in for wine both virtual and rl.

I definitely think you are doing the right thing exploring every avenue toffee and also whoknows and sr. Noothing ventured nothing gained and all that.

Red, white or pink.

sanguinechompa Hi! We have two cats from the Cats Protection League (and named them Sherlock and John...) and while John is more than happy to stay in all day, the moment we put Sherlock out he bolted off. I was convinced he was dead or stuck in someone's shed mewing pitifully...nope. He hangs around the neighbourhood, absolutely fine, but he's massively skittish. I don't know what happened to him that he's so terrified of everything, but I'm working on the association Ursa = food = good. It's going ok. I still can't pat him though, he runs when I move my hand.

I've been getting the once-a-day FlyLady email for a while, but frankly this thread seems:

1. more motivational and
2. less likely to make me throw things in a fit of Web 2.0/product placement rage. Also
3. might just make me do something.

I hate clutter with a violent passion (blame my mother) but with all the decorating we're I'm doing the mess makes me feel defeated. Strictly speaking it's not that hard to get out the hoover and tidy up, but after stripping wallpaper or painting or sanding or plastering...who can be bothered?

ursa i can't even be bothered when i haven't been decorating. That's why i need this thread. Housework is omnipresent. Even if i am just posting random shite, i still think about flying whilst posting and then every once in a while i actually do something.

Ok, DD is taking the fecking buggery bollocks piss now. Not happy. I want sleep.

Sleep is for wimps

Kids, cats, dogs and errant husband causing prob here!

Let's have a duvet day no chance

hello everyone

sc another one who remembers gp running round garden. Sorry to hear that
toffee I suppose if successful it would give him a point of contact that is his at school. Hope it goes ok. Are you back to home schooling again?
A cleaner well done you. I love my cleaner she is fab!
mummynickelby so sorry to hear about your beloved dog. So hard. Thinking of you
ellie well done on socking it to the observer you are truly outstanding indeed. you go girl!
feetheart well done on massive declutter!

Hi MrsUrsa, Scatty, bitchy blue swan and anyone else I've missed

Now I go away for a little while a long time and everyone starts fucking buggering bollocking swearing what's happened?????

I'm so sorry I've been away again for so long! I miss you all and the motivation chat too

We have moved out of home as we are having our bathroom done. 2nd day of being out and nothing has happened to old bathroom yet So in mil house who is on holiday looking after two dogs and her cat as well as my own pissing pussy!

Chaos yesterday first day back at school after one incident of sick for both dc! Mils cat peed on very expensive sofa! Tonight dh has been xboxing in the clubhouse on the 10ft screen till 2.45am. Ds has been up, dogs have been barking, cats have been hissing and I just want to go home!

Anyway now I've checked back in I'm going to try and start my flying again. No decluttering but flying would be good.

New motivated me signing off and wondering why the birds have started tweeting

Hope you all have a great day.

Sorry nettie swearing is my fault, will stop I promisr. Depends how today goes though.

Morning All

Quick list
Morning Routine
One school run and one meeting at school for DS
Shopping
Work - bid to write for capital support for building project; also Recruitment issues to progress
Kitchen mission - more cupboards to wipe down
Also - DD decluttering charity bags still in boot so must stop at charity shop today

I hear you elliepac. The nice thing about having done the decluttering (which I find more therapeutic than...ugh...cleaning, so I repeat it often because I'm weird) is that when I finally reach the I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE OF THIS PIGSTY! stage, it doesn't take so long to clear up.

But also I only work with kids as my job(s), there aren't any in my house. And if the cats get bolshy they can just go outside.

People get antsy if you do that with kids, apparently.

Right:

To Do Today:

• take husband to A&E to get hand looked at
• buy curtains
• finish script
• sandpaper first available surface

Well done Ellie, it would never have occurred to me to challenge an observation like that. You really have my admiration.

Toffee it is definitely worth your while going on the workshop, if for no other reason than to meet the others . But seriously, I'm sure you'll feel better for having explored this avenue fully.

sc sorry to hear about your guinea pigs. It is very easy to get attached to them regardless of their size.

Waves to everyone else. Too depressed about size of to do list to even think about posting it here. I need to write a plan for the day, and then get the DC off to childcare, and then not get dragged in to too many conversations at nursery!

Not sure I'll be back later, I don't have a great track record of following up on my own posts .

everyone

[sniff] I am going to miss their plump furry rears disappearing in to the lavender bushes this summer (lovely aroma when you took them in again at night) [sniff]
and the way the thickest largest of the pair hid a tiny part of her head under a hosta leaf with the remaining 95% of her body sticking out on to the lawn - and thought she was hidden and couldn't be seen ....[blows nose loudly on large handkerchief]

However, it just may be that, in the not too distant future, I will be chasing gps around the garden again!!!

DD is determined upon buying some more ... and I think it is good for her as an 'only' to have the responsibility of looking after pets. And she was looking very pale and wan and stressed prior to her penultimate day of exams this morning. Took all of our powers of persuasion to get her to go to school just now. It turns out she's not worried about exams at all (she really should be given the amount of revision she has put in!!!) but worried about lunch times in the school canteen where the supervisors insist dc eat even when they don't want to. (I have sympathy with this because I hated being forced to eat as a child - had opposite effect - and dd eats v. well at home.) I feel a note to the teacher coming on ... Anyway, that's a v. long-winded way of saying that mini gps could be a good, calming post-exam present - once proper quarantine period has passed.

Anyway ...enough rambling .....back to the day ahead ...

Yay, welcome back Nettie We've missed you too and your wonderful descriptions of family life: dh xboxing, dc puking, dogs barking and cats hissing and pissing!! Good luck with the Flying and the home renovations!!

Hope you and Ellie can catch up with sleep tonight (or she'll be swearing like a trooper again )

Ellie btw sympathies with the standoffish school run ladies. That is v. rude indeed. It's their loss though!!
I don't dally at school either: lots of groups formed according to nationality (Belge, French, Italian, Spanish) who all natter in native tongue together. I can cope with the French-speaking groups but I'm the only English mother in the whole of the primary section of the school so it's a bit isolating.

MrsUrsa I feel your pain. This house has been falling down "undergoing renovation" for the past 8 yrs or more and it's very hard to keep up the motivation. Hope this thread helps! And good luck with taming John (didn't realise that was Dr Watson's first name btw!!)

Good luck working through your list today JWIM

Toffee In that case, hope you find the dog of your dreams for your ds!!

xposts

Waves to Ursa and LifebeginsatForty

Hope your dh ok Ursa and hope you are not too stressed out by your list LifeBegins.

sanguinechompa Sorry about your guinea pigs. 'Tis hard to lose pets. Our cat had to be put down in October at 16, and I miss him very much. New pets however recalcitrant are often a help, as they are cuddlable.

To Do Today:

• take husband to A&E to get hand looked at
• buy curtains
• finish script (first draft's done, should be six minutes or so)
• sandpaper first available surface (well, about three metres of skirting board)

But before I can do anything else:

• wake husband

Dang, cross post again.

Thanks sanguine. Bad thumb, possibly broken, he just needs an x-ray and (if not broken, fingers crossed) some strapping)

Morning all, waves at Nettie - good to see you back. MsU - hope DH's thumb not broken, how did he do that? SC - thank you for you lovely roundup, hope DD's last exam goes ok, that must be a nightmare with the dinners.

Talking of which, my already difficult menu planning process (DS doesn't like potatoes, DH doesn't like pasta, DD doesn't like noodles, DH turns up from work randomly between 6 and midnight, sure I have bored you all with this before) is even worse at the moment, both DCs have got wobbly front teeth and are refusing to eat anything that isn't soft (although they seem to be able to manage biscuits).

Ta-da

Morning routine - minimal, got to finish now
Watch replay of Barcelona goals with DS from last night several times (hence incomplete routine)
School run

To Do

Rest of morning routine
Replace all kitchen hanging stuff on clean rail
Get ready for tennis after school
Get chicken out of freezer
Go to work
Homebase to buy a spanner set (which I will put in a secret place and not let DH use because he loses all our tools)
Home and make curry for tonight
School run
Tennis
Dinner
Evening routine etc

Bloody hell is the grandparents running about the garden thread really two years ago? Fuck that has gone fast.

Sorry to those who have been having disturn nights. They suck. completely and utterly.

As for pets, I can only offer condolences and thoughts, we were never allowed a pet as children. Ds is taking a very pragmatic approach to the death of his fish. Apparently these things happen. Well if the bloody things must insist on jumping out of the tank...

Ds is back to school finally. Although i have the pleasure of his company for lunch. Which, whilst is nice to spend some extra time with him, is a complete pain in the arse and shortens the day to the point where it is almost pointless. 2hrs is not enough time to get to the next town, run errands and then get back not when it is at least 45mins each way And today i feel stupidly tired but no idea why, i went to bed before 10pm and was only up once in the night with ds. .

Fuck it. List for today is going to look like this:
Nap for 1 hr
laundry
collect, feed and return ds
ring office and sort out paperwork thought sorted
find bank book for ds (it's in a safe place)
Look up a few details on the internet
Ds to have hair cut
ds to spend birthday vouchers
ds showered and to bed at reasonable time
decide what to do about tomo evening
paperwork into file.

Tea is leftovers, so that is easy.

Oh yes i forgot, Thanks whoknows must remember to pay ds for the tooth he lost last night.

I don't think the grandparents in the garden thing can be 2 years ago because I remember it and I've not been on here that long!

Sorry, didn't make it back on last night, but DS2 is nagging at me now, so dashing off again.

Waves to all, distributing and as I go!

Hi folks, have decided to rejoin and jump in if thats OK. Have tried to restart babysteps for th last 6 months but never got past day 12. I have found the Xmas planner thing so useful though, didn't really do it last year but the year before it led to me even having the time to make a home made pudding and baking with the kids on Xmas eve.

Its been a bit tricky this week as the last couple of days I have been out at 8am and back in at 11pm as I'm doing a bit of extra work chaperoning at the theatre. Did manage to get all clothes laud out for the morning last night when I got back in, including for the kids and making sure dd's swimming kit was ready.

Today though I'm afraid I had a lie in whilst the kids (8 & 10) got their own breakfast. Dh works away but he was around this morning to help for once.

So tonight when I get in I will try and make sure the sink is empty and clean and I will get the clothes laid out.

Does anyone actually ever manage to do a hot spot in 2 minutes. That doesn;t even give me time to remove and put away 1 item?

Anyway am at work so better go for now. will try and check thread from my phone during the show when the kids have a break.

Hi Elphabais - I can do a hotspot in 2 minutes, but it doesn't clear it all up - just makes it look better . My bugbear is the 'home blessing' in one hour thingy. As if!

Have been to the dentist this morning. Thought I was going to have a crown fitted, but she's waiting another six months . DS1 refused to come to the dentist with me initially ("I can't, I'm too anxious" - sometimes my patience wears thin), but, miraculously, removal of his computer and the insistence that he would not have it returned today unless he accompanied me worked wonders. He sulked throughout the appointment.

Now back to a messy kitchen and an even messier house, but am going to ignore it all for the moment and read 'Holes' with DS. We are near the end and are both enjoying it so much. Can't wait to find out what happens!

Hi all!

I finally have a healthy and happy little girl. Probably the first time in about 8 weeks that she hasn't had a cold or ear infection or teething and she's lovely to have around at the moment.

DH is still off work and recuperating but doing well, I even managed to get a night out with my SIL the other night and then paid for it yesterday when I had my own 'headache' and 'nausea'

Flying is going ok on a day to day basis but I haven't decluttered or detail cleaned for weeks! Have had other things on my plate so won't bear myself up too much. When DH is fully fit I'm going to introduce a rota for everyone because I'm so so tired.

Sorry to hear about all your lost pets. :( one of the main reasons why we don't have any- I'm far too attached and emotional for the inevitable death.

Enjoy your meet up girls! How lovely to meet people you 'know' but have never met. :)

Today's list.

I don't know. Plodding through odds and ends as and when I can between minding...

Why do i feel sooo tired today. I can barely keep my eyes open. wtf is going on

Ta Da
Ds to and from school x2
ds' hair cut
look at internet for research for games consult thingies.

I suppose i should take ds out to get his games consult later. CBA though I just want to go back to sleep.

But first important phone call and perhaps a coffee might be advisable

Ooooo look at that i have even done some stuff off my list.

Re the grandparent's in the garden - have a vague feeling we might have had the same discussion several years running. Mother is banned to her room atm. But I haven't killed her or had her commited so all is good Just wish she would take the fucking antidepressants the doc prescribed for her. but apparently they have too many side effects

Oh yes know i remember why i am so tired.

*now not know

MrsN I think it is all tied up in the worrying about their last hours too and whether you did the best for them, which I know you did. xxx

Toffee go to In the Doghouse, it is really the most lovely part of Mumsnet.

better go, someone is knock knock knocking to use the computer.

done
library work this morning
long walk (no dog today though)
saw SENCO about Ds1. Helpful.

house mess

ellie I hope he learnt his lesson! Of course you weren't being perfectionist to challenge him - after all someone else is going suffer because of the way he observes if he does it wrongly