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.

Morning...

Oh, poor you, WhoKnows - hope you can get it sorted out quickly.

at iron-excitement Carpe

Still not much flying going on round here, but will try and do the mission at least. My parents are coming up on Weds so I need to find the spare room and do a major hotspot fire drill before then...

Fell asleep at 5:30ish in the end. So todays plan starts with sleep.

Right, job done, baking done and cooling. DS wandering about grinning insanely round a mouthful of coffee bun

Have dug iron instructions out of box and perused - basically bung water in and use. I think I may manage this! Have sorted out DH's shirt which is a bugger to iron (linen style) so we shall see...

Morning all,

I have discovered that if I sit on DS's wobble cushion (soft inflatable cushion recommended for stopping children fidgeting) I can sit at the computer quite comfortably, result!

So, today I have walked slowly to town and back to do a couple of errands, put a load of washing on and done the morning routine. It is DH's job to wash the dishes in the evening, but I still find the kitchen needs a good 10-15 mins every morning after breakfast to do the DW, sweep floor, wipe down cooker and counters (which DH never does properly) and declutter the hotspots. However if I had to choose just one room in the house to Fly properly with, that is the one that makes the biggest difference to me, it isn't a big kitchen but I spend a lot of time in there and it makes a huge difference to my efficiency if it is clean and tidy. Whereas in the rest of the house I can and do just step over the clutter.

Rest of the house has deteriorated rapidly the last couple of days, I have been out a lot plus feeling sorry for myself, it doesn't take long for the clutter to creep back. I feel much more cheerful today though, so I need to go and press on with a little bit more tidying. Oops, scratch that, just got a text from a friend inviting me for coffee.

Bollocks. Playdate at soft play has cancelled.

Dilemma- do I go with DS on my own or not?!

1 hour.

5 t-shirt tops, 5 cotton shirts, 2 linen shirts, 9 blouses, 3 pairs of linen trousers. So, 24 items?

I love this iron. But I've run out of things to iron.

I have a pile here if you like carpe :)

Total washout today! I've had the day off and dcs here due to inset day. I have loads to do but dd fell down the stairs at 10am and has bern do clingy since (don't blame her but I have fit bugger all done!)

I too can help with the lack of ironing issue carpe. i have a mountain of stuff to do and it is my most despised chore.

Thank the Lord for a long weekend. 3 weeks back in and I am knackered and ready for a break. For the first weekend in a long time we have absolutely nothing planned and nowhere we actually have to be. I am rather looking forward to it.

Anyhoo... ended up going out to soft play (room in a cafe rather than industrial barn so much naicer ) as friend who was also invited couldn't come texted me to ask if we were still going as she could now come, so DS got to run around like a loon after all and I got a large slab of chocolate cake

DH also managed to come home early so DS got to erm, run around like a loon with DH.

He's now asleep and dinner is in the oven, and is in the fridge.

Make sure you are sitting down before you read this post.

I have actually shined my sink today for the first time in months in weeks. I think it must be the positive effect of the cleaner. It looked so lovely when i walked in from work i didn't want to ruin it with dinner pots!

Relaxed evening here. DH has a friend here and they are talking man stuff while playing computer, dd fast asleep and ds just gone up to watch a dvd. I am settling down to read the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy with a small bottle of . I have a lot of work to do this weekend including my most hated job of the year, timetabling ( can never get the numbers to add up or manage to please everybody, someone has to teach the 'challenging' classes and i can't/wont teach them all) plus loads of
Revision resources to create. However, for
tonight I am going to relax and enjoy the peace.

I bloody love Friday nights.

Oh and carpe, postal ironing is the way forward. Your afternoon sounds lovely.

Bitchy - glad to see you caught up on sleep.

Ellie - enjoy your long, relaxing weekend. Sounds like you've earned it!

Feet - thanks for the link . Yes, that will neatly tick the Science box for DS1 and keep both boys entertained. Sorry your DD is having friendship issues. I hope you and she manage to get time to talk together tomorrow.

Carpe - at you getting excited about ironing. I remember feeling much the same when I bought my new steam iron. I'm afraid the feeling didn't last (which is why I delegated ironing to the cleaner this week). Make the most of it whilst it's a novelty.

Blue - have you unearthed the spare room yet ?

WhoKnows - hurray for the wobble cushion and prioritising coffee and friendship over Flying this afternoon. Am amazed at how much Flying you managed this morning though, in spite of your discomfort.

NickNacks - DC at home (especially clingy ones) gives you a perfectly good reason to forget about Flying for the day. You are just getting your priorities right.

Both my DC had friends over this afternoon. DS1's friend is staying overnight, so I will have to go up and attempt to get them to bed shortly. (Wish me luck).

DH and I are meant to be going to a friend's surprise birthday party tomorrow, but it's such a surprise that we still don't know when or where it is .

Right, back to business:

Babystep No 5 say something nice to yourself.

Saturday's reminders are here. Saturday is Family Fun Day. There are no missions at the weekend.

Night all.

Older boys all tucked up. Both being very polite and obedient. Hmm. Might be up to something...

DS1 has been down for a snack, but now it's all gone quiet. Phew.

It's unbelievable! But after two weeks I am still completely on top of the laundry despite having been busy at work, thanks to the One-Basket-Emptied-Daily magic trick routine.
I've found that I can get LOADS done while the kettle boils. Another great tip! And taking care of the little things (don't put it down, put it away - don't leave a room empty handed - if it takes less than one minute do it NOW) means my house has never been so tidy.
I'm a Goddess!!

Woooohoooo mushroom, this flylady lark really does work when done properly!

No flying done this morning. We are going to the cinema en famille to watch the Muppets Movie.

Back later.

Well I slept last night but could have done will a lot more.

Ta da list
Sort through all fb/email/mn stuff (taken over an hour )

Today's list:
Tip run
House rescue
training
tea out with friend
early nightish

Glad to hear the flying is helping.

Right I need coffee. Have good days!

Ta da list :

D/W unloaded
D/W reloaded
Washing up on sink dried and put away
Washing machine on
B/Fasts done (bacon sarnies)
Packed lunch box emptied and wiped down
DH nagged to find out what the hell is happening about this surprise party
DS1's friend collected by his mum and waved off
DS2's tantrum dealt with calmly
ALL IRONING DONE!

Am now off to put the ironing away, put wet washing in the tumbledrier (raining here again) and then tackle my sorry self and try to scrub up for this gathering that may or may not happen. I am, secretly, quite excited about setting up my new 'bring forward filing system' (thanks, Honu), but, frustratingly, haven't received the plastic pockets I ordered yet, although I have the ring binder and concertina file. Am looking forward to sorting out my paperwork at last .

MushroomSoup - you have managed to achieve in two weeks what I still haven't achieved after a year and a half of Flying .

Ellie - sounds like a great idea for 'Family Fun Day'! Hope you all enjoy it.

Bitchy - sounds like a busy day. Hope you have a good time.

Have discovered I need to do a food shop so heading out to do that. On a saturday. Expect it will take a while. Don't expect the early night thing to happn.

Wotcha all...

Quiet day today. Off to the big city this afternoon after being in the small town this morning

Quite excited as DH is dropping me at a nice wool/craft shop and I'm going to buy lots of lovely stuff so I can start crotcheting. T'is very sad that (after being so excited by an iron) I'm very happy about this. I fear I'm turning into my mother... or maybe my grandmother!

Have a nice day everyone!

hold that tongue carpe. I am not old. I crochet. Thus it is not an old person thing

Pst you know you have to come back and tell us all about your purchases right?

Morning all.

Have fun carpe, I don't think it's unreasonable to be excited by wool...my vice is shopping for stationery (writing paper, notecards, beautiful notebooks and journals that I never have time to fill). getting all dreamy just thinking about Moleskine notebooks...

Ta da list for today...

roses finally planted in back garden
weeding
swept patio and area by back door
breakfast washing up
gave kitchen a sweep
managed half an hour of writing while DS was asleep

No washing to do as all the laundry baskets are empty after the last load (or two) a day this week!

Started sorting out old magazines that I've hung onto yesterday. I should just throw them straight away, but am ripping out all of the recipes and exercise tips that I want (which I should do as I go next time I know!).

I really should spend 15 mins on my hotspot (dining room table),
plan my lessons for Monday,
start sorting out wardrobe

but instead am going to leaf through old copies of Zest and rip things out while watching trash tv (it is the weekend after all )

Oops, I meant afternoon all (obv wishing the day away...)