Fledglings Fly into July!

[BlueEyeshadow]

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

A huge "thank you" to SanguineChompa for leading us throughout June!!

If your 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 wine 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.

All welcome!!

Apologies for starting the thread so late - it took SC lobbing the duster at me to make me remember it's July tomorrow (and I've blatantly cut and pasted her OP too)!

The first baby step is to shine your sink! See here for the Fat Fairy's tutorial...

No mission because it's Sunday. But here's the flight plan for established flyers

Yesterday, DS1 was lamenting the fact that we wouldn't have our dog in time for the summer holidays. This afternoon, I had a phone call from someone who lives round the corner from us: he'd heard that DS1 enjoys walking his neighbour's dog and would we be interested in looking after his dog for the summer ? Two minutes later, DS1 and I were in his house, meeting a very affectionate Border Terrier. She will be moving in with us next week and staying for the holidays . DS1 is very happy (DH less so ), but reminded me that he still wants a hyperactive Border Collie when we get our own dog .

OFM - oh dear, it's so hard reconciling the fantasy of children with the reality. No answer, sorry. I think we all just muddle through as best we can. I hope your DD was just tired, not sick again.

swan - I'm glad the family therapist is helping - your new rules sound very impressive. DH and I have been discussing rules for the holidays in an attempt to avoid arguments with the DC and the inevitable pushing of boundaries over screen time. I would love us to be relaxed and not have any rules or timetables in the holidays, but in practise this just means the children argue with each other or us because we haven't established firm boundaries.

Welcome, trazzle .

castle - sorry, I'm the last person who can answer that question .

ellie - oh, it's maddening when that happens! Thanks for taking over the thread.

Bitchy - good luck with your hidously early start tomorrow.

Off to bed shortly. Night all.

Toffee wow, that was a speedy answer to a prayer...and you will be expert in terriers by the end of holidays...
Castle fashions change - I would declutter some at least...

off to bed now, last night I slept badly for going to bed too early, so hope I have got it right tonight..

Toffee funnily enough the therapist didn't really push the rules, she has a light touch I think we were just talking about how ds2 needed to know where he was, because he interpreted changes of plan as criticism rather than um..flexible parenting..

Good morning

Strong pot of coffee -----> for those who need it.

school run then figure out what today will hold. If i am honest it will start with a nap, and probably end with sorting out my room. Wednesday is paperwork day. Oh joy .

Hope you all had a good night's sleep and are ready for today's adventures. 3:30am is just plain evil for getting up. FACT!

Good morning, Bitchy. Good to hear you can catch up on much-needed sleep this morning.

Swan - your therapist sounds promising. Yes, the dog is like a wish come true. Just as I was feeling sorry that I hadn't managed to get DS1 a dog in time for the summer, along comes this opportunity. I must say, I rather wish DS1 would go off the idea of a Border Collie, but he has told me, in no uncertain terms, that looking after this Border Terrier will not change his mind. He is obsessive by nature and he's not likely to change his mind on that.

I just hope the dog is happy with us. From the dog's perspective, she will feel abandoned, surely? The owner said it's fine to let her off the lead to run around, but I'm terrified she'll run off to find her owners, or just hunt squirrels, and won't come back. It feels a bit like the responsibility of looking after someone else's child. Still, it will be very good practise for us for when we have our own dog.

Am not sure what today holds in store. I have both DC at home with me, so Flying and decluttering may be a challenge. I am feeling overwhelmed by it all again. However, I did manage to sort out a stack of books from DS2's bedroom to take to the charity shop, so that's progress.

Morning ladies.

Been AWOL for a week trying to clear colds/stomach bugs and general ick while still trying to keep on top of the house and work; MNet has therefore taken a back seat. On the up side, this has meant that the diet hasn't been too bad, and my body clutter is down to 154.8lbs so quite pleased; it works out to about 1lb a week so I'm happy

Haven't had a chance to catch up with the thread properly - will try to read it before tomorrow, so in the meantime, waves and hugs (and I don't care if they are un-MNetty) to everyone.

Today's plan:
WAH job - in progress
Ironing
General hoover downstairs
Trip to tip with recycling
Playdate in afternoon fingers crossed rain holds off
Think about dinner

I met a dog walker who sometimes had dogs to stay for fortnight whilst owners on holidays, and she said that the dog would often be a bit needier than at home, follow her from room to room etc, and she would put up with this to start with until it had settled into new environment.

If SC were here she would probably say get the dog used to coming back on a long lead with food/recall treats before trying to do same thing off the lead. I was amazed how quickly the (mad) springer I looked after got used to returning to me when I called...I too was terrified he would run off.. but I have to say he never has. Or the other thing is find a park with boundaries to try him out on first when he is off lead. (London luckily has no shortage of that

Done
three kids to school
Just one morning left to sort out anything, but I suppose I can get things done when they are home
Ds1 still has one whole day tomorrow. Dd has friend tomorrow morning.

todo
get dressed/shower
laundry pile
send dh email of plane tickets for him to print
pick up prescription
teachers' presents....
brave school gate for last afternoon of term
Argos Longford???
packing? minimal - shoes, raincoats, tent? fabric? swimsuits
car - assess hideousness and clear any obvious mouldering items

Toffee I think there is massive detoxification at end of term...my children are always foul for first few days. My sister says her teens continually fight when first back from school. The house fills up with clutter from school, there is the pressure of everyone "getting on", and what are the "plans". I'm feeling the pressure already, and have just to keep reminding myself to have very low expectations. Also I am determined that the kids are going to help me with the meals, a major aspect of hols seem to be non-stop prep and buying of food, also washing up...

Morning! Just a quick list dump while mindee and DD are having snack!

To do:
walk dog
Children to singing group
Routines
Put pots away and shine sink
Brush dogs
Shred
Sweep kitchen floor
Today's mission- possibly when I find it!

BBL

Morning all!
Managed to at least start everything on yesterday evenings list, so am feeling encouraged today! :-)
Ellie That has happened me so many times. Now I do as Witchy says and copy it before I press upload.
Toffee That is wonderful you have a dog for the summer! You will be the most prepared dog owners when your own arrives!
Swan Good luck with those last few days of madness before the
hols.
Witchy What an early start! I still haven't figured out your sporting discipline yet!
Carpe Well done on the weight loss!

Morning all!
Managed to at least start everything on yesterday evenings list, so am feeling encouraged today! :-)
Ellie That has happened me so many times. Now I do as Witchy says and copy it before I press upload.
Toffee That is wonderful you have a dog for the summer! You will be the most prepared dog owners when your own arrives!
Swan Good luck with those last few days of madness before the hols.
Witchy What an early start! I still haven't figured out your sporting discipline yet!
Carpe Well done on the weight loss!

Oh dear double post whoops

Ta da
POAS - not pregnant
Lovely lie in with dh (making the most of the summer holidays)

To do
-Morning routine (incl Shred)
-MFP ( am not pregnant, just fat. Back to the slimming...)
-WHB
-Send emails re. work exp/volunteering
-Page of CJ
-Weeding for DMIL.
-Clean UGG boots
-Knitting project
-Write up the minutes for the June BOM.
-15 minute decluttering magazines - have a HUGE pile of interiors magazines. Way too big to be any use, so am going to make a start on this with a scissors and my Ideas notebook...
-15 minute decluttering in Zone (bathroom/cosmetic bags )
-Work for DH, 2 hrs this evening.
-What's for dinner? Pork chops and veg.
-Make some phone calls.
-Relax/drink tea :-)
-BBR

That should keep me busy!
BBL!

morning all
toffee how cool about the dog! I would agree with trying out his recall somewhere safe first. maybe check with owner what rewards he responds to best. For example our dogs are both not really interested in food rewards when out and about, but will recall in a second if I have their ball! If the owner has trained him to have good recall though then this should work fine for anyone...

swan totally agree about kids detoxing at end of term....mine seem to have started already!

cj glad you're feeling a bit better...

ellie thanks for links

bitchy glad you survived early start

castle well done on list

lauren hi

waves to everyone else.....

ok...well I do indeed have dd4 off school again today.In truth she is not desperately unwell, but is not herself

sadly that means my planned run has been postponed till this evening...BUT I do have loads else to do... I need some lists:

Done
6dc up , breakfasted and dressed
tidied kitchen
tidied breakfast
put dd1 and 2 bedding in wash
school run(remembering library books and bags for work)
home
sorted HUGE pile of paperwork off top of piano
helped dd draw picture for thank you card for teacher
cleaned kitchen
dds bedding in tumble dryer
quick tidy littlies room
sorted out craft box
made vanilla and raspberry cupcakes for teacher gifts

still need to:
sweep and mop downstairs
hoover lounge
hoover stairs
reboot laundry
tidy our room (big mess!)
try pumps on dd4 and guess which will fir her in Sep!
assemble dd4s washed pe kit, and pumps in pe bag and store in SAFE PLACE where I WILL find it in Sep
go through uniform and throw out any worn out
assemble pile of not worn out to be tried on by DC tonight and assigned new owners!
get bag of different sized uniform down from loft and try on dc
ice cup cakes
begin to assemble shopping list of craft supplies for saturday
knit a bit more of teddy Im making for dd3s bday next week

ok...best get on it....

Well, my sink is shiny... and I'm dressed to shoes just in time for DD to wake up. Suspect this will be all that is achieved today... Someone please tell me that I will get the hang of this eventually? Feeling quite despondent (sp?) at the moment, gazing around at the oceans upon oceans of crap in my house. Baby steps... baby steps... I know...

Trazzletoes - it does work, honest. Just stick to the babysteps and before long you will realise that certain routines become so routine that you hardly notice them eg I always bring a load down on way downstairs in morning and shove it in washing machine before breakfast, I swish and swipe bathroom after I've cleaned my teeth (admittedly its a tiny bathroom) and I usually get DC's uniform out the night before. There are other things involving menu-planning, shopping lists, ironing, etc that have slowly fallen into place as well.
I've been here for well over 2 years and still haven't done that well at the decluttering (boring issues with it being DH's house and still full of his late father's books, etc which I moan about on here at regular intervals ) but life does feel more organised some most of the time and I know how to fix things when they get on top of me.
Just don't try and do it all at once - it didn't get like it is overnight (in my case it probably took 30 years!) and it won't be sorted overnight. But IT WILL GET BETTER :)

Frantic time here - DD(9) is away on a residential week with school ( at timing!) which involved 'early' thank you cards/presents for staff, lots of packing and great excitement. Very strange without her and DS, despite being delighted that he was going to have a week without his 'annoying sister', is missing her :)
School disco last Friday, Yr6 Leaver's party tomorrow - both School Assoc events so I've been rather involved!
Second round of teachers cards/presents to sort out plus catch up completely on work so I can manage it over the holidays when DC are around (the joys of self-employment!)
Very much looking forward to the weekend now though a VERY tired DD could make dynamics interesting

Waves to everyone and hope you got your nap Bitchy

Bit more work then need to go and buy big labels to stick in Yr6 autograph book presents (once DH and I have sorted out printing!)

Onwards.........

Morning!

That feels better. Still need coffee but feel able to function. Early night tonight is on the agenda though.

Actually brain can't function yet. Need coffee.

oh dear dd has a friend round, and they seem to have fallen out already seems they are both equally bossy and temperamental.

Done
statutory end of term park meet up - socialising
presents for teachers (all bought, I'm afraid)
emailed tickets to dh
bought loads more Oxfam books for summer reading, including children's novels
exercise

dd has her last piano lesson soon, and need to drop friend home too (that's if she doesn't leave in next five minutes

Did lots of listening to dd saying she had no friends, and no-one liked her without contradicting her (as per How To Talk) difficult to restrain myself from telling her she had hundreds of friends compared to her brothers, but I DID Hope it helped..Will now go and see what is going on.

Castlelough very sorry for the delay in good news, but it willl come I promise (I speak as someone who spent two years before receiving the good news)

oh dear I hear sniffing..

Right, to do (in the next hour and a half )....

Clean up bombsite no.1 kitchen
Clean up bombsite no.2 sitting room
Clean up bombsite no.3 hall and porch

HOW HAS THIS HAPPENED!!! I only turned my back for a week a minute

Hello all :) Sounds like everyone is busy. I've just got back from CBT and lazily thrown on pizzas for me and DS.

I didn't manage all the dishes last night or do the bathroom or mop the kitchen floor so by the end of tonight -

Mop kitchen floor
Bathroom sink and loo
Flight plan
Dishes and shine sink
Delicates wash on
Delicates wash hung to dry

Oh and my bus got to town late and I finished CBT late so I had to run TWICE to make sure I didn't miss appointments and miss buses. I'm very unfit it would seem...

swan you're brave having friends round in last week of term!
msOna good luck with list
castle sorry news wasnt positive
maggie hope you won in battle of the bombsites!

everyone else hi!

ok...have been fairly productive, yet house still ooks a mess and I still feel panicy about all left to do

list update...

sweep and mop downstairs done
hoover lounge
hoover stairs
reboot laundry done
tidy our room (big mess!) done
try pumps on dd4 and guess which will fir her in Sep! done
assemble dd4s washed pe kit, and pumps in pe bag and store in SAFE PLACE where I WILL find it in Sep done
go through uniform and throw out any worn out sort of
assemble pile of not worn out to be tried on by DC tonight and assigned new owners!
get bag of different sized uniform down from loft and try on dc done
ice cup cakes done
begin to assemble shopping list of craft supplies for saturday
knit a bit more of teddy Im making for dd3s bday next week did5 more rows

also did:
sorted through presents for dd3 for next Friday

then school run...

Dc not in too bad a mood, dd4 seems to have gone downhill again though and is now in our bed half asleep

been for 4 mile run
read stories with ds2

now need to :
Tidy kitchen
tidy dinner stuff
more planning for summer holidays (I am descending into rapidly increasing panic about looming 6 weeks....)
more knitting
pursuade dd3 to make one more book mark for teacher gifts
get dc to write teacher cards.
knitting

right...BBL

Hello everyone!

Just got back from holiday this afternoon to a lovely tidy house but now full of unpacked bags and mounds of washing (and don't even get me started on the Body Clutter).

Ready to start flying again!

Ok You are too chatty for my tired and frazzled brain, however

OFM Hope DD returns to normal again soon and doesn't get any worse before the holidays.
Toffee good news about the dog. I have nothing practical to add as I am afraid of dogs but sounds like DS is happy so that is good.
Bitchy hope you get an early night tonight. I would have hated to have had to get up at that time and then function during the day.
Engelsmeisje welcome back - Hope you had a good holiday.

Ok i'm grumpy, busy and stressed. End of term planning out of window due to demands of others, DH is away and DD is in trouble for being nasty to neighbours children. Have sent her to bed, told her I am disappointed and that I had better not see her again tonight. I have a meeting to prepare for at work tomorrow and also need to work out how to be in two places at the same time. On the plus side, only 3 more days of school and then the summer is mine. Oh yeah and I have a toothache.

Before I go, anyone have any positive stories/advice about sleepwalking. DD has started doing it and its almost the same time each night. She scares me to death (So not looking forward to being on my own for next three nights with her) Please tell me she'll grow out of it.

Evening my lovelies .

Quite a heavy evening here which consisted of going through DH's application for tenancy with him (i've always done financial crap) and more talking about separation etc. My brain is fried.

Nevertheless, 2 get-ups to go before 6 weeks of freedom that I am determined to enjoy!

Will try and catch up with you chatty lot but please excuse me from lengthy posting as a bit pooped.

Tomorrow's babystep is the 11 commandments. And the Fat Fairy's will be done .

The Flight Plan is here.

Am going to have a large slug of and go to bed!

Hi everyone,

Hugs to Ellie - I'm not sure what to say, I hope you're okay and you've gotten an early night.

MakingChanges - my DH regularly sleepwalks (several times while we were staying in hotels I've woken up to him banging on the door to get in, dressed in only boxers, after going to reception to find out what room he was supposed to be sleeping in!!!) so I've no advice for you there....but maybe it is the excitement of school finishing up? Hopefully she'll settle...

Swan thanks - we haven't been trying for too long. It's easy to start worrying though that maybe it just might not ever happen for us....PMA though!

Overflowing - your list is impressive! I haven't any six dc to look after! Oh and two dogs! I read your posts in awe! :)

List update:

Morning routine (incl Shred) done
MFP ( am not pregnant, just fat. Back to the slimming...) done
-WHB ahem, I will have to change the bedlinen before we can sleep in the bed tonight....one blessing...
Send emails re. work exp/volunteering realised a formal application letter was required with form to be filled out, done, post tomorrow
Page of CJ printed out the zone detailed cleaning list
-Weeding for DMIL. poured rain all day, not done
-Clean UGG boots
Knitting project finished square
Write up the minutes for the June BOM
15 minute decluttering magazines - have a HUGE pile of interiors magazines. Way too big to be any use, so am going to make a start on this with a scissors and my Ideas notebook... took AGES to do just four
-15 minute decluttering in Zone (bathroom/cosmetic bags )
-Work for DH, 2 hrs this evening. *didn't have to in the end :)
What's for dinner? Lamb chops and veg
-Make some phone calls.
Relax/drink tea :-)
-BBR off to do now

Night everyone!
(I see you have all adhered to your reasonable bedtimes....must work on this babystep!)

Oh dear, I missed three things from my list but I did clear out my wardrobe ruthlessly! It looks so empty and tidy :o Now to save the pennies and fill it with some pretty, flattering new things.