Fledglings Fly in Flaming June; C.H.A.O.S. will be banished soon!

[sanguinechompa]

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

A huge "thank you" to Toffee for leading us throughout May!! Hope you have a fabulous holiday in Spain!!

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, support and 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:

• 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, here and here

All welcome!!

I wondered about whether my achey legs are running related, Linzer, but I haven't run since Sunday because of their aching - and surely the aching would have stopped by now if it was to do with running? I think it's either a virus or it's stress. I hope it goes away soon, though, because it's beginning to annoy me.

How fab that your GP gave you a tablet to help with insertion . I could have done with that myself. It was most uncomfortable (not painful - just not very pleasant).

Evening everyone

Ta da:
Morning routine inc dw on, wm on, dining room table hotspot, playroom sofa hotspot, rabbit husbandry done (wash x 3 dried in sunshine on terrace)
Look up all the vocab I don't understand in dd's French hwk for tonight! done and discovered the French words for 'shipwreck' and 'crank'.
BOUDOIR!!!!! (it's still horrific) 15 mins by 15 mins did 30 mins had to really force myself to do it and hated every second. Still have loads more to do.
HOME OFFICE!! Ditto NOPE
Hoover up yet more white plaster dust NOPE
Organise winter coats for dry cleaning done
Quick supermarket shop done
Prepare letters/packages for post done
Collect packages done
Sort rubbish done
Plus evening routine, homework supervision, cleaned out and created a panier for all bunnie brushes, combs, ointments, towels, etc, sent two important e-mails, composed another long letter in French for dh to check, and cooked a veggie lasagne.

Not too bad I suppose and I must also confess to spending a good hour on the lawn in the sunshine, inhaling the scent of orange blossom, while bunnies binked around me ... all very pastoral

BODY CLUTTER DIGRESSION
Engelsmeijse I find it almost impossible really hard to stick to MFP limit (which is 1, 340 cal per day - I don't know whether that is a little or a lot though tbh) and thinking about it, I didn't have that problem with Food Focus. I can't blame linking it to exercise because have only put in a target of 3x30 min walks a week. Does anyone else have that problem or is it just me

Body Clutter
To everyone else who has kindly invited me to be their friend on MFP: thank you very much and I am going to reply, I really am!! Just haven't had much time to properly sort it all out. Will prob be Saturday when I finally get around to it. Starting properly on Sunday again

Linzer After I've finished rounding up, I am going to spend my evening in exactly the same way so will be with you in spirit! Think I will join you in the "no wine" on school nights initiative as well.

Toffee sadly, dining room table hot spot now completely covered in dd's revision papers ... it's groundhog day tomorrow I guess! Glad to hear the online learning is going well for ds1 and arf at him answering in HTML!

Curlyfrizzball It's great that you are back!! I personally didn't find the Fly book hugely better than the website, but I know quite a few people on this thread did. Oh gosh, where shall I start with my list of decluttering book recommendations? There are so many!! I'm afraid I will have to list them another time because I can't find them in my messy bedroom . Also, if I'm really honest, none of them have actually helped me declutter that much, although I enjoyed reading them all and dreaming ... My personal recommendation would be to (depending on what you want to declutter) find out details of a car boot sale/second hand children's clothes sale/second hand book sale and make yourself meet those deadlines. That's the only thing that has really worked for me. Oh and decluttering toys twice a year without fail - once before dd's birthday and once before Christmas.

Brices I was recommended Mirena and was given a painkiller to take before op. Didn't actually go ahead with it in the end (fibroids) but tbh I was already rather put off by all the negative comment on some Mnset threads about weight gain, acne, migraine, mood swings etc. It's so difficult to tell though because I think people are more likely to post when they have negative experiences and for every two or three people saying something negative, there is one praising it to the skies!

Bitchy that's an incredible achievement for your ds to be studying advanced maths and science at his age!! Give him a few years and he will be joining the Royal Society! Hope migraine has cleared.

Carpe I say "stuff the toddler group" - it's their loss - it really is!! I went to precisely one with dd and never returned for similar reasons. It was full of NATO wives who only wanted to whinge about their housing allocations and pointedly ignored anyone else outside the clique. Hideous. So stuff 'em and move on - really not worth giving them a second thought - and good to hear from Lauren that there are bound to be other welcoming groups you can try out! I'm sure your ds will come to love one of those just as much!

Swan oh good will try and find Crace piece on Guardian website...Was cackling over Private Eye 'Diary' last night. Various writer/celebrity contributions on 'A Golden Jubilee Festschrift' as told by Craig Brown. Rachel Cusk and Alan Yentob spoofs partic. good. Arf at dancing dog. Oh and am reassured by size of your litter tray!

Huge wing flaps to Honu Ellie PA Feetheart Choccochip Alibalibees Whoknows Likelucklove Nicknacks Blue Carpe Maggie Castlelough Foad Morecats and everyone I've inevitably missed!

Back in a mo with links!

Toffee maybe aching excacerbated by dehydration from heat in Spain + air travel.

Maggie Sorry you have had one of those days Good luck tomorrow!!! Will have fingers and toes crossed for you!

Well done everyone!! We are half way through the Flying month!

Tomorrow's baby-step, number fifteen for Fri 15thh June is here make your bed every morning

We will spend our last day in Zone 3 tomorrow, the bathroom + one extra room - details of zone and detailed cleaning here Try and spend 15 mins decluttering in current zone.

If your zone 3 is already decluttered, you can progress to detailed cleaning.

You can find the last mission of the week here

We are still trying to drink more water in June here

Friday is clean out car and purse day

If I've missed anything it will be here on the flight plan and here is the kids challenge, both of which should update. (Although the kids one doesn't seem to be updating that often in reality.)

As tomorrow is the last day of the week, here are some reminders!

Right, really must go and do something productive with the spare half hour before bed. G'night all! Hope no Flybabies have any night terrors tonight!

*

Toffee Hmm, if you haven't run since Sunday then it sounds unlikely that the running is causing your achiness. DH often gets achey legs before he gets ill, but even then it's usually only for about a day beforehand. I hope it goes soon, anyway; it must be very annoying. And yes, my gynae is fab; I was never too keen on the idea of an IUD but she recommended it as she'd just switched to one too.

Brices Forgot to mention before that one of the disadvantages of the copper coil as opposed to Mirena etc. is heavier periods. I really wasn't looking forward to that aspect after nearly 10 years of being virtually period-free (pregnancy, bfing, contraceptive injection and Qlaira), but it hasn't actually been as bad as I was expecting. The copper coil doesn't seem to be associated with the drawbacks mentioned by SC relating to the hormonal IUD, either.

SC Thanks for the links. It will be good to have some moral support in my quest to stay wine-free during the week! My next challenge is to drink something other than wine, tea and coffee.

Have spent rather longer on the computer this evening than I'd planned, which was partly unavoidable as I had to finish planning a lesson for tomorrow, but am now off to find my book and my bed.

One last thing

Curlyfrizzball if you are after specific instructions on how to declutter, Flylady has some info here!

G'night!

Linzer Ditto re just drinking wine or tea. Have the occasional Robinson's squash too Must try and practice this month's Fly habit!!!!

And ditto too about spending too long on computer!!

Really am going now ...

I did clarify SC advanced for his age. There are several in his class working well above average for their age. Advanced Maths as such it is not. iyswim. It's just if ds wants the science the maths has to go hand in hand. I won't negotiate on that. Mind you literacy would also improve as he would have to compose more grown up answers in order to complete science exercises. Tackle the hatred through the loved The end of year academic winding down has started. It is a slow down atm but the effect is already noticable. Ds' brain is going overtime. It's why we are falling out atm.

To do list:
up and out
make ds' lunch box
ds to school on time
laundry
ds' training kit
double check paperwork for training
sort out paperwork with appropriate person
cut out and run up two bags
ironing
folding
double check that ex has enough clothes for the wkend etc
take ds to major shopping centre to pick up game with pocket money behaviour meant not happening
wash kit doesn't need washing due to behaviour meaning it didn't get used
ds showered and in bed

xpost Bitchy still sounds very impressive to me!! Wish academic year was winding down here. It's full throttle towards exams. Too much pressure for 8 yr olds imo but tis par for the course here.

Right, that's it, I'm going to make a run for it

(Just kidding. G'night again all)

Sorry, meant to say, to Bitchy and pressed 'post' too quickly ...

"it's really terrific that he enjoys it so much and is so enthusiastic though"

Just quickly checking in while DD is sleeping

Hope you have a better night tonight lauren

Carpe how scary for you with DS, glad your feeling a bit better now. Do they do any children's books about the hazards of sockets you could read to him?

Skimmed the thread, you've all been busy today! I've missed so much talk!

Had the picnic indoors but DD is really poorly with a bad stomach and fever so v stressful and no flying done. Will catch up tomorrow though because MIL is having her tomorrow night

Hope you all have a lovely and stress free evening!

Quick post from me as I need to go and fill in my MFP with all the crap I've eaten today.

SC - I have found using MFP really motivates me to do more exercise, I am frustrated at the moment that I can't do much though.

Brices - I've had a Mirena for 4 years and it is fine, hardly a spot let alone a period after the first 6 months. I had no problems with the insertion .

Carpe - sorry to hear about your bad day, toddler group sound foul, not surprised you reacted so strongly to DS and the socket.

CurlyFrizzBall - I like the Flylady book, far more than the website. It is a bit gushing and overtly Christian in tone, which may or may not be to everyone's tastes . Definitely fertile ground for a bit of a chuckle about loving yourself! I flapped around with this system for a year or two, bought the book last summer and it all clicked for me. Can't say everything is always perfect, but it is a lot better.

SC - I've been concentrating on hotspots too, it really does make a difference.

Busy day here. DH was in charge of the DCs as I had to work a full day instead of my normal 10-2. I arrived home in time to meet them at tennis, DS decided to play this week (we have had a few issues and he has missed a few weeks, but we always go anyway because DD plays in the session before him). He played really well, did what he was told, concentrated and looked suitably shocked at the very unsportsmanlike behaviour exhibited by one of his playing colleagues, which is a good learning point for him (he has AS as some of you know and we have had issues with accepting defeat gracefully).

Our bedtime routines have gone to pot a bit at the moment. I am just about all out of energy by that time of day just now and am struggling to keep calm with the DCs when they start playing brilliant imaginative cooperative games together at 8pm after I have spent the last two hours trying to get them away from screens of all descriptions. So, next week we will do better!

However I do have to report that although I'm a bit below par, Flylady technique means everything is holding together reasonably well. I do actually have more free time now I can't go out running, so things aren't all bad.

Tomorrow, aargh, out all day again. Right, bedtime. Night all!

done
screen free afternoon! Cue much gnashing from ds, but it worked well. Ds1 actually sat at the piano and made up tunes. Dd had to have a friend to get through the long and weary telly free hours, and ds2 decided he wanted to play tennis, so we went after dd had gone to Guides at 6
so two sons playing an hour of tennis in drizzle
and ds2 to bed after brief tantrum over no football

also cooked stirfry

reloaded dw
wiped surfaces
another wash on
tidied ds1's room and forced him to sort out his papers
cleaned out litter tray!

done
screen free afternoon! Cue much gnashing from ds, but it worked well. Ds1 actually sat at the piano and made up tunes. Dd had to have a friend to get through the long and weary telly free hours, and ds2 decided he wanted to play tennis, so we went after dd had gone to Guides at 6
so two sons playing an hour of tennis in drizzle
and ds2 to bed after brief tantrum over no football

also cooked stirfry

reloaded dw
wiped surfaces
another wash on
tidied ds1's room and forced him to sort out his papers
cleaned out litter tray!

Hii just flying by in a quiet moment! bitchy was dead right about night terrors being linked to something being wrong! I'm pretty sure DD has an ear infection, but I could be way off the mark- need to take her to the doctors tomorrow, she's pulling her ears and hitting her head, can't get comfy and screaming when she yawns...be back tomorrow!

oh dear posted too soon.

LaurenToffee he is so affectionate, and very highly strung...but I suspect if he was here every day 24/7 he would be better at pottering, so it is not really a very good test of a Springer to have them just occasionally. However, he does need at least 2 hours of running (and I mean running) a day to get to the pottering stage! I can find plenty of lovely places to walk him (though I usually drive there, as I find walking on lead a bit precarious - Lauren how do you manage that with a pushchair????), but it is surprising how that time can take a chunk out of your day, even though I am only doing half the walking (ie: one hour) - his owner is obviously taking him for a long walk first thing.

No my biggest problem with the dog is rather silly. He is not meant to go upstairs, and I really don't want him to, because he is usually quite muddy/in and out of garden etc, and it is quite difficult to get out of the kitchen/garden area without him rushing out and rushing up the stairs (new carpet). So I find myself confined to kitchen unless I do rather elaborate ruses to distract him and shut the door in a hurry. And then he gets upset and barks when I go upstairs without him. I suspect what I need is a stair gate but can't really install one without dh getting cross.
Anyway I think I just need to be more assertive about leaving the kitchen! Not rocket science. It just doesn't seem right to shut him in kitchen alone when I'm meant to be providing him with company, and I think it makes him a bit more hyper.

SC I was wondering what the french word for Boudoir was doh! It was a different sentence.
But do tell me the French word for shipwreck and crank!

My boudoir is horrific too, I have just been dumping clean clothes up there steadily and trying not to open the blinds much The hoover is much too heavy to get up there, I tell myself.

OMG is that the time!! Argh! Need to finish up and fall into bed - horrid feeling that I still have to wash someone's uniform or summat, and diary that diary have to sign it for ds1 tomorrow...will put post it on kitchen table for dear husband to deal with.

Good night!!!

oh Lauren, very glad you didn't take our advice, it just shows doesn't it, how simple explanation can be Hope dr help or Nurofen perhaps in short term tonight. Hope you survive tonight, and dd gets to sleep soon. Poor little girl.

Thanks swan! I need to wait until 8:30 to ring the doctors!

As far as srpingers issues, I live in a bungalow and Dougal has free roam of the whole house, at my DMs the dogs aren't allowed upstairs and she has a baby gate to stop them! He is a NIGHTMARE over night there, waking up and crying randomly, more often than DD! He lives in the kitchen when i go out, he has a cage which he can break out of and he does bark out of the window. He's a nightmare!

Morning all. Lots to do today so need a list. We're going to FIL & SMIL's straight after school for my brother's priesting tomorrow.

To do:

Washing in drier
Clean laundry away
Cases down and packed
Wrap FIL's present
DB's Card
Check email & turn off lists
Locate umbrella
Clear camera memory card
Sweep floor
Shine sink
S&s
Run dw
Sort out library books
Sort out tomato plants
Work!!

At least DH is home & will do school run & some of list...

Ps meant to say thanks for the tip about singing to calm night terrors. Worked a treat with DS1 last night.

Good morning everyone. Pouring with rain here which is a tad disappointing after such a glorious day yesterday. Bunnies will have to remain cage this morning.

Swan a shipwreck = le naufrage and a crank (mechanical, not mad, sort) = la manivelle.

Good luck with dog "issues". I'm no expert but I did do puppy training many moons ago. Think the theory/ultimate objective is that you teach the dog to "wait" over the over side of the room while you open the door and go in and out as you please (easier said than done I know). Has he already been taught to "sit" because he definitely needs to be able to do that first? Then when that is established, you can try and teach him on a very long lead to sit and "wait" at a door that is open. (Possibly choose a door that is less tempting initially than one with a staircase behind it.) Keep very calm and take it step by step. If he rushes to go through you give him a negative cue such as a short hiss or an "eh" (don't know why but for some reason dog trainers never like using "no") and close the door. Repeat until he can sit in front of an open door and while a door is being opened. Once that is reliably established off the lead you can then progress to going through the door yourself while he is sitting. Just prior to going through door, turn and give a clear command of "wait" and hold your hand up in blocking gesture. If he isn't sitting or is trying to get past you, block the door with your body and use the same negative short "hiss". Give him a few moments to comprehend it, and ask him to "wait" and "sit" again. If it doesn't work (which it probably won't the first few times) you close the door and start again until it does. Then, once that is reliably established, do the whole thing all over again at the "exciting" kitchen door. Then as he gets better at it, you ask him to wait further and further away from the door (perhaps help this process by giving him "his place" or bed in the kitchen). Eventually, you'll just be able to point to it and he'll go there and wait for you. Good luck!!!

Well done with telly-free afternoon yesterday!

Lauren oh dear, I hope your lo is OK. Ear infections are horrible.

Whoknows well done to your ds at tennis

Likelucklove oh no, hope your dd is feeling a bit better today.

oops Swan I see I mixed up my definite & indefinite articles there! Meant to say "the" shipwreck, "the" crank. Sorry. Rushing!

x posts Blue [grabs decaff] congratulations to your brother!! That will be quite a day for you and your family tomorrow! Hope everything goes well! And good luck ploughing through your long list today!

Right, loads to do. Have decided boudoir is never tidy because we are demanding too much of it. Atm, dd's wardrobe and chest of drawers are in there as well as dh's and mine, because there is no bathroom on her floor, so she uses bathroom next to ours. Second, I have all my many boxes of sewing material in there. Third, I have too many books and no bookcase. Until these fundamentals are sorted, I don't think there is much hope!

So, plan for today is to find somewhere else to set up sewing room. I did start this earlier in the year (or last year ) can't remember and got half way! But it all got blown out of the water (a) when guests came (b) my mother's furniture arrived (c) white plaster dust started being blown around. So starting again ...

Also to do:
Morning routine, inc dw, wm, s&s, downstairs hotspots, rabbits.
Relocate/establish sewing area
Office work (only 1.5 hrs)
Bank
Post office
Quick supermarket shop
Prep supper (fish tonight)
General tidy up
BOUDOIR!!!!!!!!!
Hwk supervision
Evening routine
Rare evening out with dh!

Have a productive day everyone!!