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!

I mean, they have bling...

Sorry I've been AWOL...hangover from hell! I've read the thread though...

Hi madwoman! Nice to "meet" you!

toffee date night is tomorrow

I'll be back tomorrow with lists and intent!

House deteriorates into a dreadful tip at the slightest lack of attention. Every room is in need of a room rescue!

Bored with housework!

For those of you with children with handwriting issues I have had great success with one of my pupils by giving him one of those rubber grip things you push onto a pen/pencil and there are places for your fingers to go to give you the correct grip. Dammit, I had a go and it improved my writing. As for him, I can now read his writing, he writes about 5 times as fast, and is much happier all round about it.

This last month or so I have got to grips with my control journal / bring forward file and am much happier with it. There are rather fewer stray bits of paper to lose around the house or forget to deal with, and the daily tick sheet nags encourages me to do things.

Honu - do you know which grip it is? We have tried many, plus ergonomic pens and something called a handiwriter with no great success. DS just carried on holding the pencil his way regardless. I did ought to try them again from time to time though, he might be more amenable now he is older (have found this with other interventions).

Not much Flying done today, but I have made blackberry jam from the brambles in the garden, cut back a great deal of said brambles and put back the few things that are going into the understairs cupboard. I have a mountain of clean clothes to put away and am ignoring a mountain of paperwork none of which is urgent but it can't be ignored forever

Survived the party! It all went very well, actually, and was remarkably civilised. Only 2 other children (siblings), so they had a picnic on the lawn while the grown ups sat on the patio with our own food, and beer. Kriek, even. Yum! A few games, a few tears and crises and lots of fun.

Waves to madwoman - nice to see you again.

Justgetting - that sounds hard. Hope you've got some people to support you.

Glad the party went well Blue what a lovely day to have it

Justgetting you are sounding pretty positive in the face of a very trying situation, glad the good weather is proving useful for you too.

Waves at everyone else.

We are planning an early start tomorrow to get down to the beach before traffic gridlock occurs. That means leaving the house at 7 (unheard of for us, we are a lazy bunch at weekends). Everyone is up for it (DS only because it means he can go to the beach and be back in time for the F1). So, a bit of prep to do tonight, bag packing etc.

Back in a moment with links

Sunday 9th Sept

Babystep 5 min room rescue. Always useful to have this one up your sleeve (and another great use for the big plastic tubs)

No mission on a Sunday

Renew Your Spirit Day

Next week we will be moving into Zone 3 - Bathroom and one other room

I've just seen this thread and it looks amazing. I really do need want someone to tell me what to clean when :) Please could you tell me, do I have to look out to join in on the 1st of October? and does it fit in well with working full time? (Just started back and who knows when the cleaning will get done otherwise!)

Ta!

Hi GetKnitted, you're right, this thread is amazing, has made a big difference to my life. The way the Flylady system works means you can start anytime, a lot of people lurk for a few weeks and then start properly at the beginning of the next month. We start a new thread each month. There are regular posters on here that work full time, most of the rest of us work part time, so theres lots of juggling. Feel free to ask if there's anything you don't understand.

Thanks WhoKnows that sounds like a good plan :)

Morning all! Turning out to be another glorious day here ...

Thanks again yet more for 'welcome backs' I really missed you lot!

Don't know about everyone else but I find September much more motivating for new resolutions than January 1st somehow; so, like many people on here, am trying to go full speed ahead with decluttering atm. Still good weather, light in the mornings and at night; relatively rested from holidays etc, and yet Christmas is only a motivating 100 and something days away ...

[Also think someone upstairs is trying to tell me something. Have had loads of 'drop in'/unexpected visitors recently - one of whom asked to see around the whole house [agh!]. Although the ground floor is just about respectable - felt hugely embarrassed seeing clutter and junk in rest of house through her eyes . Got to up my game!

Having said that, have taken a total break from it this w/e. Adult and child friends over here yesterday - sleepover for dd - off to other friends this afternoon. Great catching up with everyone again.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Have a great day at the beach Whoknows You have chosen a wonderful weekend for it. And well done re: mega decluttering sessions.

The party sounds fab Blue A belated happy birthday to your ds2!

[hands aspirin and strong coffee to Lauren]

A very warm welcome to GetKnitted You can adapt the Flylady system to suit yourself and your lifestyle. I work very few hours atm but I think it fits in well with full-time work too because the whole principal is based on squishing daily routines in to as compact a time as poss - in theory leaving you with more time to do much more interesting things instead. As for starting off, you can jump right in now or wait until 1st October until start of baby-steps comes around again. But as it's only the 9th you can catch up with first steps pretty easily though by doubling up each day, as Flylady kindly provides lots of 'recapping' days. So just follow the baby-step each day, and have a look at the daily flight plan, what zone we are in that week etc etc. You might find this link helpful in answering most questions. (Ignore barftastic language of Flylady site - underlying system is sound.) Don't worry - you don't have to understand it all at the beginning, It all begin to make sense as you go along ...and you are right, being directed to a task each day takes away that "rabbit in headlights" panicky feeling when everything feels as though it needs doing all at once. Also, you feel calmer because you know it will all come around next month again too. Good luck with it!

Honu your paper management system sounds v. impressive. Most rooms here in need of 999 action too.

Helloooo to Madwoman!! Hope book swap went well. Snow on mountains sounds fab - I always love the thought of Autumn approaching too! [Spoilsport whingy can't cope with heat emoticon]

Bitchy arf at stinky kit

Crikey Justgettingonwithit really don't know how you have put up with all that for so long. Good to hear you have a place you can call your own again though. Horrible how they have treated your things though. Well done re: the windows and hope housewarming party went well!

Mymums don't worry about cj - just adapt to suit yourself. Or ignore totally if you feel you don't need it. Loads of tecchie alternatives too. My cj has just evolved over time and doesn't correspond hugely to Flylady version. Bought huge wide-spine A4 folder and bunged in loads of dividers. Inside are daily/weekly/monthly/annual routines. A visual time-table for each term showing family routine in detail (this helps me plan my time much better now my week is fairly unstructured). Most used/emergency addresses. Instructions for house/pet sitters. Online shopping info. Things to do before we go away on holiday list. Meal plans. Loads of other lists too boring/numerous to mention that wouldn't make sense to anyone else! Tried to resist all perfectionist tendencies and it works OK ...

Ooohhh Toffee sorry you are missing your lovely Border Terrier and that's so [sniff] sad about him not being happy where he is. He sounds wonderful [sniff again] and obviously bonded with you all really tightly given the numerous return visits!!. here's hoping he produces an heir you can have very very soon!!

Glad fyou survived first week of term Ellie (good luck with crisis clean - had to do same last week downstairs) and bravo to your dd to her brave start at school. Dd was the same .. she never even looked back [sniff]

Wielding the sticky-back plastic with gusto here too swan (Sorry you are knackeredx)

Oh dear.. have run out of time .. sorry for no more personals but huge waves to OrangeEyes Engels Shifty Brices arses Carpe Feetheart Trazzle Castlelough Jchocco Eyes and eveyrone else I've missed.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!!

Morning all! Just a list dump as I have lots to do!

shine sink
clean counter tops
Wash kitchen floor
Hoover
Dust
Clean door frames
Wash windows
Change bedding
Start on the playroom!!!
Pick up dog poo
Walk dogs
Bath both dogs
Clean bathroom
wash bathmats
Buy fabric softener
DD laundry
Sunday lunch out- booked
Date night

BBL!!

Glad to see there is another date night coming up, lauren...

Honu - do you mean a pencil/pen grip which is something like this?

SC - yes, we are very sad about the Border Terrier. I miss her more and more . Am wondering whether it would be OK to text the owner and say that we miss her and could he drop her in one day for us to see her again. Would that make it harder for her to cope though? It might simply confuse her again.

WhoKnows - hope you have a great time at the beach today.

GetKnitted - you have come to the right place!

DS2 was so sweet this morning. I asked him last night not to wake me up at the crack of dawn today. This morning, I heard him using the bathroom, then going back to his room. He peeked round the door about half an hour later. He had remembered my plea and had been quietly playing with Lego whilst we slept .

Have been busy this morning.

Ta da list:

Load d/w
Put away stuff on draining board
Shine sink
Wipe kitchen surfaces
Put recycling out
Unload tumbledrier and fold up clothes
Make b/fasts
Play Monopoly with DS2
Read end of 'George's Marvellous Medicine' to DS2

No phone call from DS1 in the night, so he has coped with the birthday sleepover. I hope this will be a big boost to his confidence. Off to get ready now, then we are going out for a walk to enjoy the sunshine.

Hope you all have a good day.

Wow Toffee what a massive load of grips. Pencil-grip porn .
I think ours was more like this
www.tts-group.co.uk/shops/tts/Products/PD2056326/Large-Ultra-Pencil-Grip/
as it is rubber not plastic. That may be a bit big for a young child though as I was buying for a 15-year-old.
I bought it while on holiday at an independent stationers and only paid £1.60 for the one.
Whatever you choose you must show the child how to use it - thumb and first finger in the smaller indentation, middle finger bent back across the bigger one.

argh, sorry, howlers reign, that should have read 'principle'

Toffee not sure about BT confusion - hard for you though - but maybe another visit would provide opportunity to chat/establish if dog still unhappy/offer permanent home etc etc however unlikely they'd agree atm??? You never know, if dog still unhappy in a few months or so they might come back to you. [Fingers crossed emoticon] Aw at your ds2 and well done to ds1.

Lauren pretty good to do all that with a hangover ...yr dog washing reminds me I must brush rabbits today (they are going through adolescence so this is not a particularly enjoyable experience for any of us at the moment)

Dh and dd gone back to bed for a snooze after last night's festivities. (Unheard of for dd to sleep during the day but think she had v. little shut eye during sleepover.)

Best profit from quiet and do something constructive.

Mahoosive wing flaps to all...

x post

Great link Honu

arf at pencil grip porn.

Honu/Toffee Probably not what either of you are after/already explored and rejected etc but dd's school insist on this

God I hate those things that make you write with 3 finger pencil grip. Makes it sooooo much harder to write. I hold my pen/pencil with 4 fingers. Handwriting reability depends on mood, what doing and how tired I am. Not how I hold my pen.

So bugger is doing some very very very very noisey gardening. I have a headache from a very late night last night. Not feeling the love today.

Honu - more pencil grip porn . I can't afford the one you link to, but what about these or this? Thanks for the explanation of how to use it. The Stabilo pen didn't have any instructions, so we just had to guess.

SC - thanks for the link. That's very similar to the Stabilo pen I've bought DS1, which helps a bit, but doesn't stop his hand aching. Re dog: I think we will ask if we can see her again. Maybe we could be regular dog sitters for them...

Bitchy - sorry you're not feeling the love today

Absolutely gorgeous weather, but I'm stuck at home because DS1 is so exhausted from his night out that he can't face going out or being left alone. DH and friend have gone out for a bit and I'm hoping I'll get the opportunity later when they're back.

Tbh Toffee, it's my own bloody fault. Shouldn't have such late nights.

Have finally dragged myself out of bed but do have a ta da list:

Ta da:
Enter MFP info
Deal with emails, FB and waste time on mn
Update calendar for the month
Sort out film rental list
Consider plan of action for the week.

Toffee it is like your second link in the last email - a softer rubber grip. Read the reviews to see what people think of them.
Bitchy I am a 4-finger pencil gripper and these remind me to do it 'properly' with 3 fingers but after so many years doing it my way I always forget without the grip and my writing is neater from a very low start you understand with the grip

Evening all.

Quite a productive weekend really!

Ta da:-

Whole house rescued.
Decluttering of monster toy pile in living room
Beds changed
Lots of washing/ironing/putting away
All uniform sorted
Pack-ups made
Sunday lunch cooked
Visited dsis for nice afternoon in the garden

And, for those of you who are aware of DH's previous inability to help, all done together .

I have however come to the realisation that I will never have a perfect house. It has been pretty good over the holidays but deteriorated as the week went on. As many of you know I work full time, DH is out of the house 13 hours a day in a very physical job, the maths just don't add up and therefore I give up.

Am posting and running so no personals but big waves. Got to go and do bathtime before I collapse in a heap!

Hi all I would like to join if I may. I have done the. Baby steps a couple of times and still do the Bathroom and kitchen swish and swipe, but I am struggling a bit with an increase in hours at work. I feel I need to establish a routine to fit round work because the house is descending into a bit of a hovel.
I hope you guys can inspire me to get my act together and get the hoovering done!

Thanks strictly for making cj less scary I probable have some basics already so I just need to revisit and look at what changes need to be made and put it all in same place. Got ironing to do and dc to bathe or rather nag to get in bath.

--NEWSFLASH-

I have actually shined my fecking sink for the first time in months weeks.

Following on my earlier post, I have come to another realisation. In order to establish flylady habits you actually need to follow the routine. You'd think after 3 years this would have dawned on me by now.

My mission this week is therefore to ignore all the other crap and just focus on establishing my morning routine.

Welcome rowingboat. You have been with us before if I remember correctly. Welcome back.

Ellepac good plan I'm going to focus on evening one cos that's the difficult one here