Fledgling flyers - it's the month of May: if your house is a mess, try the Flylady way

[ToffeeWhirl]

Welcome to the May Fledgling Flyers' thread. A very big thank you to WhoKnows for guiding us through last month.

Are you living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)? 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 do our best to follow these routines (although we also chat quite a lot and sometimes forget why we're here ).

There are three methods of the Flylady system, depending on whether you are new to it 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.

Today's babystep is to shine your sink.

Only gleaming because there is nothing in it but a big plant! And I steam mopped the wooden floors on Monday
Though my porch is awful and dusty so that's my next job.

Ah, then you have decluttered your hallway too. Full marks!

Am going to try and get a couple more hours' sleep before the school run now.

Morning all! Today i am actually going to try and do get back into my routines so am going to list post in the vain hope this will encourage me to do something.

To do:-
Tidy whole bottom of house
Tidy and swish/swipe bathroom
Washing on
drying
Dinner
Work
Do ds's learning log project
More schoolwork
Evening routine
Shine sink.

That will do me I think!

waffler congratulations on surviving first day back at work. I remember many a time getting to work and realising i had baby vom/snot/toothpaste all over me.

toffee ds' default position is naked. He sleeps naked despite putting him to bed in pj's he takes them off! We have to try and persuade him to keep at least pants on and that he is too old at 8 to be wandering around naked. He will settle down to watch tv and in his words 'get naked because it's comfy' under a blanket! Thanks for the round-up btw.

Big waves to everyone else! Better get moving!

Last time we were in this zone I wiped down my front door. A visitor commented that I had repainted it .

JustGetting, Waffler, the bring forward system is described by a poster called Helenagrace (who is a professional organiser) in the organisation thread currently running in Good Housekeeping. She describes it well on page 6 and I just thought 'oh yeah, a filing cabinet drawer' until on p7 she says that for it she uses a ring binder with 31 plastic pockets for the current month and a concertina box for the rest of the year. For me it copes marvellously with all those bits of transient paper that you don't want to throw away yet because they will be needed in a couple of weeks or months but don't need to be filed permanently.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/good_housekeeping/1451448-LITTLE-things-that-help-keep-you-organised?pg=6&x=11&y=6

Whole thread is worth reading [set timer for 5 mins!]

Morning all!

Done
Pack lunch (reminds me SNACK!!)
load of washing on
Fed pets
Made all, yes all beds!! Rooms are tidy!

To do
SNACK
2 x drinks
School run
Grocery list!!! Must do.
Dog walk
Allotment

Friend yesterday commented on how my living room was very tidy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woop! So I what do you mean its tidy, surely my living room is always tidy

Done nothing on hallway but it only has only one misc item on it...

Sch run!

Morning all!! Just planting my mop and bucket before skipping out again...

Huge waves to all oldies, newbies, lurkers and in-betweeners!!

Thank you again Whoknows for looking after us all in April and to Toffee for taking up the golden duster throughout May....

[Ellie I have also volunteered to do June on the rather selfish grounds that I can't do July or August but we can sort nearer time!!]

Lovely day here!! DD has party this afternoon and have sent her off with too heavy a dress as forecast said rain and cloud but the sun is shining and its lovely and sunny. Oh well .... Two loads of washing basking on terrace.

Just back for two days then off again ... May and June are so riddled with holidays over here I'm going to need three hours with my calendar to sit down and work everything out or else I am going to meet myself coming back ...

Bit "rabbit in headlights this morning" as lots of different things to do involving work work (office supply store shopping), meal planning (supermarket shopping) and cooking, present buying (toy shop shopping) and paint buying (diy store shopping) and must get to post office, bank and dry cleaner in between.

Forgive "me me" post without personals - better crack on but will BBL to catch up with everyone!!

Huge wing flaps to one and all ...

Shit overslept. Sleep was good but fuck will have less then an hour to deal with the important paper work when I get back from school run. AND running late for school run. At least ds got himself dressed and up this morning so it almost ready to go. Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh

Morning all,

Not much actual Flying yesterday, what with work, and then having to take DD and friend to ballet, get DS from football, get DD from ballet, get tea, get DS ready for Cubs (he went with a friend, but I was on pickup duty so that meant getting 4 of them and taking them all home again afterwards, all live within 5 mins walk of our house).

DD has scraped through passed her ballet exam and DS got a badge at cubs, so DCs both happy.

However while DS was at Cubs I did manage to successfully fix the guttering on our shed and install a water butt, which probably means it won't rain for months now .

Flying will take place later today, work again, then off to give blood. No activities after school today, so a chance to catch up then, but I am going out tonight, so will probably get behind again

Morning all, managed about half my list yesterday, and more importantly shined my sink

Dressed to shoes today, but now getting into my crappy cleaning clothes as I'm continuing sorting out our back door (which is actually used as our front door).

Not procrastinating, no siree, not me

Won't do personals and need to dive back into paper work but need to wave a building in progress certificate wrt the hallway/entrance. Can do anything with it. It contains 1/3 ton of stones. Don't ask you really don't want to know/I don't want to think about it

Need to add stuff to my list. Which sucks.

List for Wednesday:
Urgent paperwork that I didn't actually do today blush
meeting in next town
finish off my floor
button and loop on bag
fasten off ends on ufo
DW - unload reload
Washing up
Work on craft project
turf
Load car with stuff for tip
tip run
bonfire
Clean bath
Stones
Food shopping
Kitchen

I need more coffee but have run out of milk. Just want to go back to bed now thanks.

Argh!

Struggling to keep up with the posting - but thankfully not the flying!

Eschewed all flying yesterday in favour of cutting the grass. Cutting the grass is now up there in the list of household stuff I hate doing... It may even have displaced the ironing! Normally DH does it, but it was waist high and was hiding the missing tribe of Oompha-Lumpha's really needed doing; and while the weather looks okay at the weekend, you can never tell.

Anyway onto today:
WAH job - done
Lay away washing
Tidy, dust and hoover living room & hall
Empty DW
Take dinner out of freezer
Mop kitchen floor once DS naps (otherwise we get full scale slipping and face planting!)
Sort out DS's food crate and work out what is needed at supermarket (things like fruit smoothie pouches and ready meals for when he refuses to eat what we're eating)

Hopefully, we have a play date this afternoon as we're stuck in the house waiting for a courier delivery (DH's new shiny phone) - but it's not raining, so I can always throw DS outside into the garden.

Right, off to lay away the washing!

Honu - I have just ordered myself plastic pockets, a ring binder and a concertina file so that I can implement the bring-forward filing system. My kitchen hotspot is full of papers and I never know what to do with them all or can find anything when I want it. I will have to follow Helenagrace's tip of setting an alarm on my mobile so that I deal with the daily paper, otherwise I will forget.

Thanks for the tip and link.

Done
sch run
snack
drinks
dog walk

To do
Grocery's now
allotment 11.50 to 12.50 (lunchtime, so the old codgers don't stop by to make comment one keeps blasting me with 'THAT'S RIGHT, DIG IT ALL OVER'.... you don't say?! Really!?! And what the feck do you think i'm doing with a fecking fork in my hand? Making tea? Naturally the one's making comment are the one's with nothing better to do with their day and I bet they never had a hand in raising their own children either and neither (cause I've asked) do they do anything with what they grow, they give it straight to the wife to cook/make jam/preserve etc...

put away 2 x lots laundry
put dw on
shit think grocery man gone...

Carpe oompha-lumphas

I also snorted at the Oompha-lumpha tribe. carpe

Trying @ "helpful" old codgers. Natural selection has been a bitch here this year. Need to figure out whether to start again with the runner beans or not. Also what to do with the hanging baskets.

It isn't raining so i have a 1/3rd of a lawn left to lift and then 1/2 ton of stones to demuck. Not to mention the several car loads of various detrius to remove from the garden

Bitchy had only one comment 'you've a lot to do there!'. Helpful dug patch 3ft by 3ft but was riddled with raspberry roots and couch grass. Saved raspberry canes for mate. Pulled those easy to pull weeds that last year I left seed as they were 'easy to pull'. Not fun when allot covered by them lesson learnt. Pulled out as many dandlions as I could see, roots came out full length due to wet ground...satisfying.

As for planting...what planting!!! Done none yet... start again with runners, you never know. Plant hanging baskets? How soggy is lawn and stones to demuck...why? Are you building with them? Have you just moved house?

Done
Allot
laundry folded ready to put away
1 x in drier
Grocery's bought

To do
Shower
dw fill
wash up
put away laundry
put away grocerys.

I'm going to shower...will take laundry up and the pile of soft toys bought down...

Done:

School run
B/fasts
Unloaded and reloaded d/w
Washing on
T/drier on
Put away some laundry
Home ed - Maths, English, singing, film studies, physical exercise (walking)
Lunch

Tackling the house now. Am feeling a bit more energetic today, so can get more done. Might even do some ironing .

The lawn is gone. i repeat the lawn is gone. Ds has also learnt to be the bullies with words so i am awaiting a ton of complaints from various parents tomo after their dc have nightmares tonight whoops

Lawn is going cos 1. it is full of weeds, 2. due to hayfever/bad backs/lack of motivation it never looks nice and 3. need space for parking. We are reusing materials from the back so they need transforming from their reclaimed state into something worth using. A lot of effort but will be worth it in the end.

*beat not be the bullies.

still can't fucking type it right the first time/spot the mistakes when checking

Done:

breakfast washing up
2 lots of washing, dried and away
emailed best friend
cleaned kitchen windows
swept and cleaned back door area
swept kitchen floor
stocked up freezer with meals for DS
weeded rest of garden path
decided where to put roses from kindly neighbour (digging with have to wait until tomorrow )
posted wedding/engagement cards
DIY shopping
made yummy pie for dinner (so I won't have to cook on Friday either )
cleared space in attic bedroom so I have a spot to write
washing up from huge cooking session

Still to do...

a pile of ironing
last load of washing away
15 minutes on hotspot (dining room table)
drink a glass of wine

trying I avoid gardening in our front garden, because inevitably my FIL will come and watch me and make some very helpful comments. I usually pretend that I don't understand what he's saying

List for Wednesday:
Urgent paperwork
meeting in next town
finish off my floor
button and loop on bag
fasten off ends on ufo
DW - unload reload
Washing up
Work on craft project
turf
Load car with stuff for tip
tip run tomo
bonfire
Clean bath
Stones
Food shopping
Kitchen

Just about to crawl into a hot bath for a long soak. Myu back hates my guts right now and moving is almost impossible at anything more then a shuffle.

Wooooooooofeckinghooooooo. I have actually done something.

Ta da:-
Tidy living room done
tidy dining room done
tidy/clean kitchen done
washingdone
dinnerdone

quite productive even if i do say so myself. Still got to do washing up though.

anyone? I need to celebrate not being in the naughty corner for the first, and probably last, time in ages.

Oh god... pass me the elliepac

DS is hitting the terrible twos with a vengeance.

"DS, please pick up the messy biscuit you dropped on the floor and put it on the table"... cue tantrums, tears, flinging himself on the floor and hitting and kicking at me

He lost his TV viewing (but Waybuloo is not on at 6 anymore so not the end of the world) for that. And I felt terrible, but I gave him 3 chances, and he was well warned so I felt I had to stick to my guns.

Thankfully, DH came in and backed me up which was great as DS saw that DH wasn't going to give in either. He was then packed off for a bath and an earlier bed - and was sound within seconds of going down, so I think his playdate this afternoon took it out of him.

I'm also developing a sore throat, so I do wonder if he has it too - which would explain a few other things.

Anyhoo - I'm working tonight and not prevaricating on MNet at all! so must get on with it.