It's September so the Fledgings Fly, as we wave our clutter bye bye

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Welcome to the ongoing Fledgling Flyers thread for September, thanks to Bitchy who kept us posted through August.

Right, most of you should know how this works. It's a three pronged attack.
Phase one: The babysteps master these and you will be working like clockwork.
Phase two: Adding in Decluttering this will help you keep on top of the amount of stuff contributing to CHAOS.
Phase three: Missions Targeted activities to keep the chaos at bay and starting the deep cleaning.

The golden duster of Flying is stage 4: deep cleaning. This is for most me anyway, somewhat unrealistic and in theory you don't need to worry about it until you have finished decluttering that's never then. Just do it if you want to.

Now for those of you who are completely lost, lets rewind a bit.
CHAOS: Can't have anyone over syndrome. We've all been there

The fly lady approach works by breaking the house down into tiny activities which you do repeatedly until they become habit and don't feel like chores any more. The house is split into zones, each zone is tackled for a week before moving on and comes round again at the start of the next month.

There are lots of experienced Fledglings on here, hence lots of advice and support and chat about anything except housework some days. the main thing is that you can post any time you like even if you haven't lifted a finger around the house that day because with Flylady you just pick up again the next day and off you go again.

We advise against signing up for Flylady emails as they can lead to a great deal of clutter in the Inbox, each days steps will be posted on this thread to save you having to find them yourself.

In the meantime here is a link to the Flylady website for anyone who would like a browse.

Getting started Remember - don't subscribe to the emails!

Morning
Ta Dah:
Washing up
Hung washing out
Made beds
Got to work at a reasonable time.
That's it for me today, might manage a 5 min hotspot later.

Good luck with LEA visit

Morning all. I am sorry once again I have been absent. I seem to have some kind of virus on my main computer and most of my week has been spent trying to sort that out. Added to that first week at school for dd and DH having man flu and it's been a little manic around here.

Anyway I have almost caught up and would like to say good luck to toffee (I think) with lea woman. You sound very organised. I'm sure she will be impressed. PA I really wouldn't have fancied the footie either in the rain.

All the talk of Cromer have taken me back to the summer holidays and the afternoon crabbing on the pier. DD loved it

Ok so today I need to get the bedroom sorted. I have done the missions all week (which is good for me and I am usually very hit and miss) and my kitchen is looking much better for it.

To do list

• transfer dates to new diary for year.
• clean off bedroom windowsill.
• strip and wash bedding
• declutter side of bed
• paperwork declutter from kitchen side. I only did this at beginning of week but it's one of DHs dumping spots.
• clean surfaces in en-suite and bleach etc after DHs bug.
• shops to buy presents for two parties dd has been invited to this week. I have no idea what a 7 year old boy would like though.
• see if any jobs have been put on website yet.
• dd to karate
• take my grandma to bingo

Well best get moving. I hope everyone has a good day

Thanks for all the good lucks. The LEA visit went really well . She was very enthusiastic about what I had planned and also gave me some good advice. She said she could see a positive change in DS1 already, which was good to hear. He is much more relaxed now he isn't at school.

Crashed back into reality once she'd gone though. DS1 decided he should do a special project on Minecraft, which would involve .... (wait for it)....playing Minecraft during school hours . I said he could write about Minecraft, but could only play it after school was over. He has now stormed upstairs in a big strop.

Cleaner here in a minute. Am going to sort out ironing for her to do.

Good evening morning to everyone over there!

Oh dear about DS1, Swan I remember when I was about 12 my mum agreed to meet me on the High Street after school and she forgot! I waited for ages, then when I eventually arrived home, before I could say anything she had a right go at me for being so late home and didn't I realise how worried she had been! I burst into tears and when my mum realised what she done done she laughed!! I tease her about it even now 33 years later!

Hope the LEA visit went well Toffee I used to be on the management committee of a PRU at home, who were the people who dealt with all the Home-Edders and I can tell you, she will be really surprised that you have been so organised and have everything you have already.

Well done Whoknows on the OU. I am surprising myself here at how much I am enjoying the challenge of learning the language. I have set myself a goal, too. Once I have a good grasp of the verbal language I am going to try and learn the writing here (all squiggles and weird sign thingies!) and my goal is to be able to read the Bible in Khmer before I leave here in 2 years time. - Maybe I will have to stay here a few years to be able to do that, but we will see. No harm in setting a goal!!

Hope you had more sleep last night Lauren

And I hope all the school teachers are learning new names and getting back into the swing of life back at school. And I hope all the DCs are settling quickly and enjoying being back with friends.

On the subject of schools - I am really not happy with DD4!! She has been a minx at school and we have been called in to see the principle next week. This was supposed to be a new start for her and I feel she has just thrown it all back in our faces. It is costing us all our life savings to send her to the school here and this is the thanks we get. She could get away with being a pain at home because she is quiet and the teachers didn't really notice her in a class of 30, but here the most in a class is 20, mainly about 12 - 15 for most subjects and they have already noticed a serious lack of concentration and the fact that homework has not been written down or completed. Grrrrrr!! We had warned her and she still has gone back on it all! Any suggestions on getting a grumpy, uninterested, stubborn, teenager to actually do what they are capable of?

DH and DS and Korean girl arrived home looking like drowned rats last evening.

Today I have scrubbed all the floors again
and an just making enchilladas for tea.

DH and DS are out playing football now and Korean girl has just left for her new home.

Have a good day everyone

toffee that sounds a familiar sort of strop in our house unfortunately...I do remember reading somewhere though that by the time they've ranted and raved and reduced you to quivering wreck they have actually accepted your boundary, it is just their way of going through the motions... We had the most horrendous scene on first day of ds1's holiday homework (which was about week four of hols) -he just would not write anything (I wanted him to write an half page account of his holiday at Broadstairs - which was one of holiday set projects), just crying and screaming and prevaricating...3 hours of hell to write 2 sentences. Next day he got on with it, and the next and the next, so I suppose he just had to get it out of his system. Although in the end we did have to give up that particular project and he reverted to book reviews...
This week our boundary is not putting telly on after school AT ALL. It is going alright, dd tried to make another cake, and ds2 seems content to go bicycling, it is probably going to be this evening that the proverbial hits the proverbial We have been allowing Paralympics after supper though...

Dh has just phoned me to tell me the very exciting news about the PLANNING LAW MORATORIUM! 6 m without planning needed, just for one year! I think this has made him realise that it is our "chance" to get an extension even if neighbours aren't too keen..Maybe neighbours themselves will seize this moment! Ellie this is meant to boost the construction industry...have you heard anything about it from your DH?

oh dear PA I'm not being much help with the grumpy teens am I? All of mine are sooo grumpy and difficult sometimes. They care what I think though, but not enough to actually want to please me all the time. Doesn't stop ds1 lying through his teeth and dd being extremely rude to me..

I was reading in TES with really difficult teens something the only thing that works is not sanctions but rewards. They don't care what you think, so the pleasure principle is what motivates. I can't say that gratitude ever was part of my children's motivation either Although ds1 started to say last year, thank you mummy for sendi ng me to my school, I really like it that was sweet if unexpected. He says it because he gets positive attention from me for saying it...it is a sort of feedback loop that he knows being nice to me is usually going to pay off...

Maybe she is just acting out because that is the way she gets attention from the family, and isn't used to being in a smaller class where she will get attention. It is early days isn't it? Sometimes I have to keep remembering ds1 is really quite immature because he doesn't do things because he should (morally, culturally) but because I or school apply positive re-inforcement, as if he was a much younger child. Maybe that is it, you just have to treat her as if she is a much younger child from a emotional point of view and not expect her to "get" what is expected of her, even she is independent in some ways. That's it really, with my ds1, I can see his growing independence on some levels, but on other levels he has the delayed gratification quotient of a flea. eg: don't buy a mars bar with this money or a fizzy drink. It is for a healthy snack. Several hours later. (finds wrapper in bag) Did you buy a mars bar, when I asked you not to? No, that was someone else's mars bar, I was just putting in the bin for them... Later...it wasn't my fault...I was HUNGRY...

Done
ds1 to school bright and cheery
twins to school bright and cheery
dh still has headache
started momentous sort of mess strewn rooms...managed to throw away some clothes, and resort drawers

Hi all,

Was awol yesterday as had a lovely last day of holidays day out with DSs. Into London for the day, went on the Eye, hunted Wenlocks and Mandevilles, climbed to the very top of St Paul's Cathedral - was so proud of both of them for that one, had some very surprised/impressed looking people when they saw 5 and 3 year old DSs climbing up and down so well!

First day of school and nursery went brilliantly.

Ta da:
Up at 6.45
Showered and dressed
Downstairs to make lunch and fill water bottles
Woke DSs up
Everyone had breakfast
Dressed DSs
First day photos
Off to school with pre-prepped bags
Passport photos done
Quick coffee with friend
Chest of drawers collected (yay!)
Posted on diy forum for help
Caught up on this thread

To do:
arrange 2 new tyres for car
some cleaning (will post specifics on a tada list hopefully!)
School/nursery pickup

Swan that building planning thing, where does it apply?
We've just had planning permission granted for a 5m ext (3m past neighbours property) but I'd love to go 6 m.

Helloooooooo, SC here!!

Hope you all survived the holidays and are all OK. Hope I haven't missed anything major - got back on Friday but it's been a bit full on since then so have only had time to do a quick speed read of thread.

Holidays were ok albeit a bit bitty in parts (too many small trips instead of one relaxing long one) but they were never going to be a bundle of laughs this year (first time home following death of parent etc etc). Quite relieved to be back in to the swing of school/work tbh!!

Can't believe we have just celebrated our third fledgling anniversary - [think I should probably have "fledged" by now ] - but I think it's fair to say that PA and myself have a good few years of inane witterings left in us ...

[Cue mass rush to nearest exit from rest of fledglings]

Thanks again to Bitchy for steering everyone through August (although sorry you had to put up with such dreadful asthma) and very kind of you Whoknows to take over this month. (Did I read correctly that your op is imminent btw? Good to see it finally falling in to place.)

I'm happy to lead in October if someone else doesn't mind doing last few days when we will be away for half term (oh and and may need a bit of extra cover for two days mid-month when my sister will be over here for op).

Not much time to catch up with personals (spent 10 hours straight, cleaning ground floor on Tuesday) but 2nd floor piled high with exploding suitcases and dirty laundry which needs tackling before tomorrow so had better get on.

In the meantime, mahoosive hellos to everyone ...

and a passing "? Ter Nak Sok Sabay Chea Te??" to PA (hope you managed to get things sorted with DD4 - must be huge adjustment for her)

Glad LEA visit went well Toffee and good luck with telly ban Swan (am doing same with computer on school nights)

Humungous wing flaps (including warm welcomes to newcomers) to Ellie, MC, Shiftyfades (love the nickname!) , Foad, Feetheart, Brices, Eyes, Lauren, Blue, Mymumsdaughter, Arses, Engels, JChoc, Trazzletoes Carpe Whispers Ginfilth Iburntthecakes Pushme Nettie Honu OFM and anyone else who's around or I've missed/forgotten ....

[Keeping deliberately silent on subject of BodyClutter ....feeling all rather pathetically hopeless about it atm.. and am hungry as a horse ]

xpost

Missed out Chitchat (sorry) .. waves

Any news on dog front btw Toffee?? Dying to know if you have new furry resident yet?

Strange to say PA but perhap dd4 has been trying but the expectations are much higher? If i recall correctly the expectations of a good student in the UK is often very different from that of other countries. I know there was a lot of problem with excellent students from abroad when I was at uni who knew how to learn by rote completely unquestioningly but didn't know how to see the questions to progress further. Admittedly it was a science degree and the english students were slaughtered for their lack of background knowledge so it was swings and round abouts. But perhaps, just perhaps dd4 is trying but the boundaries have been moved and she isn't sure where the new ones are?

Ta da
ds to school on time with everything
Sleep (didn't sleep tues night, crashed by 8pm last night but was still suffering and am driving stupid mileage later)

To do:
Clean bathroom
walk dogs
school run
Shred
my laundry
lunch with mum
Routines- ongoing

I also need to
Sort my clothes and put away
Put DD laundry away
DD washing
Sweep kitchen floor

I'll be doing lots of decluttering soon on the run up to Christmas, writing lists of things I need and need to do to the house and also a deep clean of the playroom and a sort out of toys is due. There are a lot of jobs that are niggling me to be done so it's time to get cracking

I'm impressed with all of the flyers getting up earlier and getting the hang of morning routines! I too have added an earlier morning to my routine so that I can exercise leaving more time on a night apart from this morning and it really does make a difference!

pa for you about DD4! No advice but I can imagine how frustrating it must be!

swan how exciting about extensions! I really would love to extend this house, I have so many ideas for it but my landlord (my stepdad) won't let me buy it off him and I love it

Suppose I better get going with all these jobs!

BBL!

I like flying but the things I've lost this week. Luckily most have turned up in their new places all except my glasses Tis not a big house either-I am trying to resist tearing house apart and calmly look everywhere whilst decluttering or cleaning and in 15 min bursts If you get hit by inspiration of where to look let me know.
Hope you all having good days MMD

Evening all,

A busy one for me today so I'm not going to stop and chat, just wanted to say welcome back to SC

Ta-da!

Morning routine
Work
Waitrose
Home
Food out of freezer for tea
Washing off line
Check kit bags for tennis and football
Sort toys and snacks to take along for spectating children
Get DCs and DD's friend from school - DD very excited because he has made some good Moshi Monster swaps
Get DD changed, water bottles filled and all three to tennis, where DS threw a strop because we couldn't sit in the clubhouse and it was too bright for him to see the screen on his DS
Get home
Cook tea for the DCs
Clear up
Get DS changed and snacks, water bottles etc done again
Take all three to football, drop DS and take the other two plus another football sister to the park
Gossip with all the other mums (best bit)
Trauma as we realise one of the precious Moshis is lost in the grass
Find the Moshi
Get home
DCs supper
DH and I dinner
DCs to bed
Tidy / put laundry away / remake bed

Phew! Just need to make one packed lunch and put away one basket of assorted clutter and I will be done. I have acquired half a dozen of those big flexible plastic buckets which are brilliant for tidying / sorting washing / decluttering. I keep one at the top and one at the bottom of the stairs to fill over the course of the day, then at DCs bedtime I take the bottom one up, empty it and take the top one down and empty it. Although sometimes I miss out the emptying part and just carry them up and down whilst adding another layer of stuff till they are full.

Links for Thursday 7th

Babystep Put out the next days clothes. Another good one.

Mission Sweep and Mop your kitchen floor

Don't forget, if you are still at the decluttering stage, you can just do 15 mins decluttering in the current zone instead of tackling the mission.

Evening all.

Very busy day, but not much flying! Both boys seem to have enjoyed the first day of term, and the morning was definitely less stressful than normal.

Also done: lots of shopping
Dumped 2 bags to charity shop
Made DS2's birthday cake
Wrapped his presents
Made jelly

Doesn't sound like much, but I'm shattered now, so big waves to SC and I'm off to bed!

Hello SC!!!
I was previously MummyNic and FlyingWithoutWings

right I'm a novice at this. I work full time and there are 4 other people in the house so I delegated and then house disapeared under muddle. I'm going away for a few days (this won't help either, any progress I make will disappear by the time I get back!) But to show willing I will shine the sink and clean the bathrooms before I go! Will start again when I get back next week!

Morning all!

Some of my list is carried over from yesterdays to do:

Sort clothes in my room
Put my laundry away
School run x 2
DD and mindee to playgroup
Walk dogs
clean out my bag
Wash kitchen floor- as mission
Routines
Pack DD over night bag and take to my mums
Go to pub but don't get too drunk- riding tomorrow
If time start to deep clean playroom

I love your bucket idea whoknows! I live in a bungalow and things end up in a pile on my bed with the thought process that I can't sleep until its clear- it usually works but it's not the tidiest of ideas!

Have a lovely time away chocchip!

Huge wing-flapping waves back to everyone!! Thanks for lovely welcome back.

And waves to jchocchip too

[Sorry - tinkering with my name - don't like it - too poncey - but in a rush]

And thanks for the heads up Shifty - love your current persona!!

Just popping in to say "good morning". Loads to do so just passing through. Bathroom has suffered from dh being here alone without a cleaner... need to don rubber gloves and face mask and start cleaning up in there.

Mymumsdaughter have you tried down sofa, in fridge, up on a high shelf somewhere, searching handbags, in car, on bookshelf, by telly (wherever you use them most)? Not v. original suggestions I'm afraid but hope you find them.

Sounds like you had a bit of a killer day yesterday Whoknows¨ hope today a bit less stressful. (Also big fan of those buckets - most acquire more.)

Lauren I have also tried the dump on bed so it needs moving line of thought. I just get too tired and dump in on the floor / spare room

Whoknows I love the bucket idea. I know DH won't though as he will claim its another think making the house look untidy - this from a man who piles things on the stairs until its dangerous

I must announce however that DH noticed i'd been cleaning the kitchen yesterday and commented. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or emphasises how untidy it normally is.

To do list for today

• DD to school - Done and once again we were up and sorted early enough to walk.
• DH cricket whites washed - I normally refuse to touch them but he has forgotten them so I'll have to be kind for once.
• Wrap presents for party this afternoon and tomorrow
• Clean both bathrooms as didn't get this done yesterday
• Wash bedding - Also a carry over of yesterday
• clear away gathering clutter from bottom of stairs
• sort out clean washing basket and fold
• sort out something yummy for tea
• pick up DD and take to party
• sort out things to ebay this weekend as its 0 fees weekend

Best get on.

The only problem with the buckets is that it's tempting to just grab them and throw all the clutter in when you've got visitors, stash them in the spare room and leave them for weeks. Then go out and buy a couple more to sort your laundry with, fill them up with clutter and stash, buy a couple more (this is how I have ended up with about 8 of them).

Chitchat oh, I need to get out and about with the dcs and do what you were doing...Ds2 loves St Paul's and all monumental buildings
WhoknowsI don't know how you do it, you have clearly nerves of engineered steel
SC I just looked up cabballine and I see far from being occult it means pertaining to horses...I didn't know that! It must have been very bittersweet to go "home" again to UK without your mother being there. Hope that your other relations were warm and welcoming, as I'm sure they were.

Well, the first day back at school for both schools, and although ds only had a bit of homework, it is "noses to the grindstone" as far as I'm concerned.. I really must try and get supper sorted whilst they are at school, finding it such squeeze to fit in supper preparation whilst supervising the little wretches over their schoolbooks/fitting in exercise! And dd wasn't even there! She went off to a friend's house (no doubt to find a telly It is torture doing ds2 homework with him as he just cannot write and he is in Year 6 so he needs to be able to! Now I know why they set all those Design a Poster topic work in Year 7...for the children who can't write/spell so well and want to show what they know in alternative fashion..

done yest
in desperation went to Tesco's at 8pm and bought lots of protein for next seven meals...veg round corner so that can be a daily ritual...so meal planning done
dd piano
ds1 packed lunch night before
tuna bake with leek and mushroom - delicious
exercise - walk to shops
ds2 to park

Was collared by school librarian yesterday to come and help with library today - not really looking forward to it, as so much to sort out here, but I suppose I better make a start on that.
Secondary school applications this season - help, so many Open Days and talking to SEN depts ahead of me...and dd definitely wants to go to different school than ds2

Found them on the floor by bookcase -obviously was looking too high.< waves to everyone> sorting out paper work and re establishing paperwork in bag idea. Mission nearly done and decluttering continuing.

Glad you found them Mymum!!

Thanks Swan . dd cried every time we went past what used to be my ma's house so that wasn't great but it is just one of those things that has to be got through unfortunately: first holiday, first Christmas etc etc. What made it worse was that all my family (although they were indeed v. welcoming as ever) had succumbed to gastro enteritis on their way back from their holiday so we had less contact with them than we normally would - so not really possible to establish a satisfactory "new formula" ifyswim. But it's something everyone goes through at some point or another so onward and upward and all that ... Dd and I did go on some marvellous rides (despite my huge bulk!). Desperately wanted to bring horse back with me!! Hope Ireland proved refreshing if not altogether restful looking after three on your own.

Whoknows yes I do the same! Find random collection of things stowed in them months later!!

Have done worst of bathroom now. Main boudoir (broken record emoticon) still a hideous monstrosity. Have washing on and am about to tackle a few spiders' webs (whoppers here Toffee!! ) while waiting for on-line grocery order which is late [grrrr]

Hope everyone with kinder returning to school this week have had a good one.