Calling all steppers old and new, fancy joining me ready for the September thread

[CatsInChaos]

Come and sign in here ready for September and the return to school.

Where we attempt Flylady babysteps or whatever we can get done!

Where are you all? Zoo, Carrots, bessie, Adora, Scout, Camper and any newcomers who would like to join.

Must go - world war 3 has broken out between the kids

Just allowed myself to be distracted on MN for 30 minutes again

Refocussing to try and "get on!"

Hello everyone!

Oooh! Carrots!!! Looks niiiiiice! Loving the purple and orange streaks.....and how did you get your eyelashes that vivid green???

Ok, have sorted through the girls toys and de-cluttered a load upstairs into the wooden chest. Wanted to 'lose' a few on the way but Lol spotted me. Also, play date friend wanted to paint so now the dining room table is de-cluttered too! Bonus!!

Don't know what to do for tea. About to trawl MN for inspiration!!

Loving the streaks, carrots.

I am quickly running out of steam.

Clocking in again to try and get another hour of work done!
Have had lunch and tidied the kitchen a little and watched time team

PS - I think carrots eyelashes are more of a dragonfly turquoise than green, but the half-shaved, half-permed look for her hair is pure genius!!

To Dos and Ta Dahs (Updated):

emails sent to MrScout: pictures printing question
call for hair appointment
follow up with hospital (re: drugs)
take out recycling (with Toddler help)
empty clothes bag (put away clothes, put away bag)
fling: downstairs, upstairs
declutter 15 minutes: downstairs, upstairs
town: collect package (we have a mystery package that arrived while we were away)
emails: Guiding friend re: meet-up
good play on the playground on the way home from the post office
lunch made and eaten (though really should go wash up)
email sent to organizer of 20 year high school reunion (I am NOT that old, I refuse to be!)

I am tired.

Toddler needs a bum change so think I might convince him he wants to play upstairs for a while so I can sort through the clothes from holiday. Not only do we have our usual stuff but my MiL spoiled Toddler with lots of new clothes, some of which we knew would be too big and are to be put in the "grow into" box (we always have some things in the next size for when they're needed). She also wants me to check that Toddler's new robe/dressing gown fits and to try his winter coat (she bought it two winters ago and we got two years of wear out of it but think he'll need a new one this year and she's offered to get one if he does). How I wish Toddler would nap so I could rest but if he were to nap now bedtime would be shot.

Some pointy-stick me, please.

Pixie

Don't look at as one big mess, break it down. Do one small area and move to another room.

I'm off to make brownies for later

S'alright, I need a pointy stick too! Just compiling Verbal Reasoning questions for an 11+ student and messing on MN

i will just jab pointy sticks at everyone. glad you like the lashes. i do have friend with the half curly half shaved look. her hair is naturally really curly and she lives in a hot climate so has it shaved underneath round the neck. you cant tell unless she ties it up as it is so thick. we used to go to the rock and metal clubs together about twenty years ago and the hairstyle has stuck.
i bought two big plastic drawer units in asda today to store the stuff i have gathered for a car boot sale. i figure that once this lot is sold a new lot will appear so having a specific place for it might help.
ds was given a bag of a friends sons outgrown clothes so we have some bigger things and can start weeding out more small stuff without leaving him withi nothing.
other than sorting that out not much has happened and i am out now until about seven i think.

Toddler's flagging. I'm grateful the Train DVDs are still in the car (with MrScout) or he'd be on my lap asleep watching them.

Toddler's new robe is lovely and fits and should last the winter. I slipped it on and he said "ooooohhhhhh, fuzzy!" in a very appreciative way. Tried on his winter coat. I'm not sure. It seems to fit now but I think if I put a sweatshirt on underneath in January it might not. I had him put his arms out in front of him and the cuffs inched up past his wrists (not much but it was noticeable to me). To those with older-than-Toddler children, do I say "yes please" to the new coat or try to eek the current one out another year? (It was big the first year and fit last year with room for layers.)

Just checking in while I have a .

Feeling a little better now. (Sorry about my moaning earlier) I don't cope well with lack of sleep.
DD and I have stayed awake all day so no naps yet. I may have to get her dinner done soon incase she falls asleep early.
DS did go out to play so I got dressed too.
Anyway I found a tad of energy and hoovered the living room and done some more paperwork shredding/sorting.

I will probably spend the rest of today preparing stuff for tomorrow.

Not that I have children, Scout, but from observation/experiences of friends and family, I think you have been lucky to get 2 years wear out of one coat. How about maybe taking a raincheck on the new coat until December or January, if you think the old one will do till then and then seeing if you can get him a new one (maybe in the sales!) that will hopefully last him the following winter as well?

No need to apologise Cats, sleep deprivation is a form torture you know.

I can't vacuum, OH is asleep. I'll have to go out for the school run soonish. Laundry's done, half the kitchen is clear. OH polishes the granite with car polish, leaves it nice 'n' shiny I don't like the idea, so I clean and he polishes.

Currently eating brownies will pop back in when I've made some actual progress.

Glad you are feeling a bit better Cats.

I would say yes to the coat Scout if it is being offered. If the size you have got now fits him at a push then the next size up should do this winter and next too.

Scout I tend to buy Winter coats too big so that we get two Winters out of them and then buy a new one but hang on to the old one for one more Winter. They make a handy spare if the new one gets really wet or you know you are going to a farm or similar where you know it will get filthy. It buys you time basically for drying things out over the Winter. I would say, "That would be so helpful! Thank you!" to the offer of a new one and buy it on the big side, which it sounds like you do.

I am on a mission to buy as little as possible for my children for this Winter. I have been horrified by the immaculate condition of the clothes I have sold on ebay this year. I would rather buy less and it look like rags, fit only for the recycling, than feel the shame of the wasted cash again.

Hello everyone! I am totally failing to keep up with the thread these days, but thought I had better show my face!

scout I only buy new anything coats when they no longer fit so would stick with the current one as long as possible - could they get TS one for xmas instead?
btw, will TS soon be known as PSS (Pre-School Scout?)

Thanks for the links arti - they look great

Sorry, I have forgotten everything else that has been said - hope the back to school thing goes/is going well for everyone? I have a year left before that stress!

DH & I are off work this week to decorate the living room. The girls were at their GPs today so we got loads done. I managed to fit in a really good clean of their rooms - moved all the furniture to vacuum etc - also finally got round to putting furniture polish on their curtain rails so the damn things don't stick any more!

I think MiL is thinking of getting a coat around now to ensure selection and size availability. I'll have her go big again so we can get lots of use and I'll keep hold of his current one in case (it's a case of it fits now, in just a tee-shirt, but not sure how it would fit with a sweatshirt underneath seeing as we've gone up a size in shirts/sweatshirts and don't think it'll fit with anything more than a tee in January). The hood doesn't cover his head any more. I feel guilty that I have yet to buy Toddler a coat -- MiL always seems to get there first and it makes her happy. His first coat, when he was BabyScout, was one I cooed over in a catalogue while pregnant and she gave it to me as one of my birthday presents. I'm still impressed we got two good, full years out of his current winter coat.

MrScout came home unwell so hasn't eaten his dinner. I think it's cooled enough now that I can wrap it up and Toddler & I can eat it for lunch tomorrow (sausages & mash).

Bessie, I'm thinking on Toddler's birthday of starting to call him SmallBoyScout (SBS or SB for SmallBoy). I affectionately call him Small Boy now (in RL) so it would be an easy transition for me. However, like I said, I'm waiting until his birthday because I think at 2.10 I can still get away with calling him Toddler and I'm not ready to admit my baby is no longer a baby or a toddler.

I think I might go to bed before 10 tonight a rare treat.

SB sounds good scout - I love campers names for her little ones too - I have tried to think of ones for mine, but nothing ever sticks apart from monkey1 & monkey2 - which are hardly original!