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!

Congrats on your move dizzy

I am super chuffed with myself. Yes, super. I did so much ironing yesterday. Not only that but... wait for it... I paired DS's PJs!! I now have nine pairs ready to just grab out of the draw first time in years :o Plus I paired all the socks. I had a massive shopping bag full of mine and DS's odd socks. I sat and paired up over 40 pairs

Wow lots of you putting me to shame! I should do more with DS, in garden, musically etc. He is only just about 4 but I should get him started!

To do
Hour study. (are you glad to be back to OU as well whoknows I missed it so much!)
Saturday house tidy up
Sweep and mop everywhere
Drop DS off at mum and dads
Go to town and do food shopping
1 load laundry

Congrats on the move dizzy we moved a few months ago and its been bloody hard work but brilliant for implementing a new household management plan!

Right:
LIst for today.
-write list
-work until 4pm
-clean main bathroom
-make a mock up of the drawstring bag
-write shopping list for next week
-paint DD's new bedroom

The DIY list for the weekend just keeps growing. I think DH and I are still operating in 'preDD' days and so want to get huge amounts done at the weekend but in fact we a a)older and b)even the simplest things take SO much time! Went to Wickes this morning with DD to get paint, she of course kept running off, asked customer service if they had a child friendly trolley and she retorted "of course not, we're a DIY store" - I had to wrap DD on my back with a sling I keep in the boot of the car. I was pretty much deaf in both ears by the time we left!

Orange - B&Q have the standard shopping trolleys which I can plonk one of the DSs into, maybe go there instead? I find our local Wickes quite limited, actually. They don't offer many varieties of things, just basic lines.

MrsOna - well done on tacking the ironing!!

Dizzy - well done on the move! I'm STILL trying to sort out furniture etc and I've been in just over a year.

Toffee - Noooooo!!!! You could just 'supervise' your DH instead?

Swan - when did you start your DC with music classes? I want to get DS1 started with an instrument soon, and am considering applying to the nearest cathedral school (one of the few non boarding ones around).

Boiler saga continues, wiring apparently ok, but programming unit not. What are the chances of this unit (brand new) and the old one (14 months old) having the EXACT same problem??? But dubious myself, but we will see. Electrician has temporarily bypassed the unit and water heating and heating on permanently, but can turn heating off by turning thermostat all the way down. Soooo nice to get the house warmed up, been a bit chilly here.

Tada:
tidied kitchen
baked dozen muffin sized carrot cakes for friend
paid work

Todo:
small general tidy
lunch with DSs
out somewhere with DSs for the afternoon
tea and bed time routine for DSs
evening flying routine
attack ironing pile

Cathedral choir schools .....

chitchat I agree I would usually but Wickes had a special offer on some trade white emulsion and we need a great deal of it so went there for that. I'm struggling to comprehend the drastic increase in DIY materials since we last did up a house.

Work going ok ish - tad too much time surfing for items for DD's new bedroom!

Afternoon all.

Yesterday was fairly quiet, though I did manage to get several baskets of laundry sorted - which reminds me, there's a load in the machine now. Oops! - and mop the bathroom floor as per mission... Mostly taken up with DS2's toilet training. Something seems to have clicked now and we're getting through far fewer pairs of trousers now. :)

Today so far we have done all the town errands, and DH and DS1 walked home picking blackberries on the way. Have 4 bags in the freezer now despite the council hacking back all the best bushes at just the wrong time. Grr!

This afternoon DS1 wants DH to teach him to play chess AND ride a bike...

Grr to nasty women Orange and WhoKnows.

Hope boiler gets sorted ChitChat.

Well done on the move Dizzy.

Hi all! Just got back from party number 1 of the weekend, 2 and 3 are tomorrow so a nice peaceful afternoon here now while DD naps

I had a drama with the dog this morning, i could smell poo...couldnt find it anywhere, checked small dog as he is the usual culprit and looked around the house some more, then it dawned on me I hadn't checked the spaniel- and he had poo all over his legs and tummy so have cleaned up poogate, showered the dog and put door mats and bath mats in to wash separately

I hope you had lots of irresponsible fun last night bitchy

at nasty woman whoknows! Some people are so rude!

I love how musical your DCs are swan! I always wanted to play an instrument well, but the rules were only 1 club/ class when I was growing up as money was tight and I chose the horses! I'm definitely going to see if I can get DD interested though when she's old enough!

Well done on all the ironing mrson! That's my least favourite job so I just don't do it

orange I second b & q having good trolleys! In fact I complained to toys r us not so long ago that they didn't have a single not broken trolley that you could put a child in safely when b & q next door had immaculate child friendly trolleys they probably wanted to give me a

I have my friend coming round for tea so will do a small list...

To do:
Clean kitchen floor
Put pots away
Put DD laundry away
Routines
Print off photographs
Put bath mats in dryer
Brush dogs

it was a lot of fun. not quite what I had in mind when I went out though. But a lot of laughing which is always good.

Morning btw. Ds has been brilliant this morning. I am just about to drag him out shopping for the essential items of kit that he needs for school on monday but we only got notified about on fri .

Flying minimal here as the asthma/not breathing saga is dragging on. :( And annoyingly the doc has said that i have months of this left. :( :( hey ho. trying to lot let it stop me, just need to remember to be realistic about my capabilities.

Morning all!

Apols for AWOL yesterday, Thursday was crazy busy and then I spent yesterday in the city getting the all clear for chronic kidney disease .

Did loads last night though! It was triggered by me not being able to find a cheque book that I need for today. I had a full scale panic and made everything far worse by rummaging through carefully balanced piles of crap, tipping them everywhere. It was all totally unnecessary as I eventually found it dropped down the side of the seat in the car. It just gave me the hint that it was time to get rid of the damned crap through, so all good.

TA Da!

Three hours of sorting out those piles of paperwork into a semblance of order

That's it. But I feel as chuffed as if I'd got a list a mile long.

To do:

Shredding
Beautify dining table

Get well soon bitchy just take it easy!

congratulations on the all clear!!

Hello.. ...

[shamefully shallow digression alert]
went out this morning with dd feeling relatively smart and chipper (well as good as it gets at my age, when you're overweight with pkt dyed hair ) only to bump in to Italian friend of dd's and her mother who both looked so sleek and tanned and groomed and altogether healthy and stylish that I slunk home in a rather deflated state and promptly ate two slices of cold pizza which will really help the situation won't it Not helped by opening the front door and finding that dh, dd, and the rabbits, after a morning to themselves, had wrecked the entire ground floor which I had only put to rights yesterday [grrr]. So have just come on here to decompress for a while ...

Very jealous of your blackberry picking Blue Tried to find them this morning for kutchen, and the only ones available (supermarket) were nearly 4 Euros a punnet each containing about 12 blackberries each ...so am going to bake it with sliced plums instead ...such is city life ...

Congrats on crisis paperwork shredding fest Madwoman - am very jealous of your glorious countryside too.

Sorry asthma still proving a pain Bitchy but glad you had good night out

Lauren oh dear poor you and poor dog

sympathies Oranges re diy materials eye-wateringly pricey here

[snaffles one of Chitchats carrot cakes]

Well done re mahoosive ironing and sock pairing fest MrsOnatopp

welcome back dizzy and congrats on house move

love that website Toffee dd has been asking whether moths hibernate so am going to investigate further

Swan congrats on mega-achievements yesterday and choral/musical activities sound wonderful although not entirely hassle-free for you. I see where your dh is coming from re Sat mornings. First time we have had Saturday mornings free in ages (ballet now Mon & Wed) and dd (under dh's supervision) spent this morning in something resembling a coma watching Dr Who episodes and playing on the computer. Not good imo. I am keen for her to go riding instead but as that would be beyond where I drive (feeble wibble emoticon) and dh would have to take her, I can't really insist, and he's not keen. Besides, she doesn't have much homework yet and want to see how that develops before committing her to anything else.

Whoknwos what a rude woman!! How horrible to speak to a child like that. May her floral displays wither and die.

Better go and face reality of mess, clutter and general mayhem - now on all floors [sigh]

Have a good weekend eveyrone!!

Am upright again if aching a bit but have used the down time well, as lots of ironing done and control journal and calendar are looking detailed and sorted () and I?ve instituted much needed evening routines for L/O too. (not popular!)

PA hang on in there. I have one who honestly took me clean past shame. The only good thing I can say about it, is it taught me that love of your children is a greater more enduring force than humiliation by them.

Swan I think I just assumed that this was the way I was going to be yes, you can most definitely teach children who they are to the point they don?t question it. I tell my children that very little is set in stone.

SC It?s taken me far to much of my life to realise I?m really not and never was the person I was told I was at all, and the thing that was praised, (an ability to ?just take it?) may be useful but isn?t the nicest character trait really. Our parents didn?t have the times and the tools we have, we?re lucky.

Your post about friend and pizza reminded me of working pregnant in Paris, waddling like a duck with smart Parisian ladies turning their faces away as I slip slopped past them. It lead to much gorging on street ice creams, after all I was invisible!

Toffee watch out, it was the side effects of home ed that brought me here!

Bitchy Sorry you?re having a rough time of it. Hope health improves soon.

Dizzy Congratulations on moving house.

Orange because mums with babies don?t do DIY?

Chitchat hope the boiler gets sorted soon.

Lauren any chance it was a silverfish?

Whoknows well done on your win, and agree people are very rude to those they think they can get away with it with. Also looks nosily with interest at OU module.

Mrs Onaop can I ask what your studying? (sorry if you?ve said somewhere and I?ve missed it)

Madwoman Congratulations on the all clear!

Waves to whoever I?ve inevitably missed.

For any who like spiders, the closest I can find for ?my? jewel like spiders is this: www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads//2009/11/orchard_spider_marie.jpg but mine have finer legs, rounder body?s, and are one colour. They literally look like moving beads.

I drove past the nasty lady pub late last night and did consider stopping and kicking her pots over but CBA. Something today made me think though, we took the DCs to a football match, old stadium and seats are very tightly packed. The big burly quite scary looking chap in front of DS turned to me early on in the game and very politely asked me if I would ask DS not to kick the back of his seat. Which I was very happy to do. Contrast with stuck up pub lady. People aren't always how they appear. Big bloke and his mate were also overheard referring to the ref as a silly twit, I suspect this was not their usual language but being polite in front of children.

Anyway, our team lost but it was a nice afternoon, we went early to be able to park, had a picnic in the park near the ground and went to the pub to see if any of my friends were there, which they were, we have been meeting in that pub before football matches for over 20 years now, it's nice taking the DCs along now, not sure it would have been appropriate 20 years ago. Much reflection on 20 years of change in football this week with the Hillsborough revelations.

Very little Flying. I'm on the ipad in bed so not going to attempt links, will do them in the morning.

The OU module is called Understanding Society. I have only ever studied science and languages in the past but want to try out social sciences now.

Night all.

I can't look at that link, JustGetting, although I'm intrigued. You actually make those spiders sound attractive. I'm glad you are on the mend and were able to use the time to plan. I love your wise and lovely words to PA, by the way. Oh, and I will take note of your warning about home ed versus Flying (trouble is, one is much more interesting than the other and there are no prizes for guessing which ).

SC - curses on those Italian women -but good for you to console yourself with pizza! I'm glad you like the Woodland Trust website. I'm constantly amazed by how much free material it features for children. I bought membership for DS2 and we now get a 'nature challenge' and extra resources sent through every week.

Madwoman - congratulations on the all clear . What a relief that must be.

Bitchy - I'm sorry that the asthma is not improving . Any chance of a second opinion on your treatment? It doesn't sound very encouraging of your dr to tell you to expect it to drag on for several months . I'm glad you were able to enjoy a night out last night.

lauren - I hope your dog is well again and that your house is fragrant once more (you need to think of those date nights).

Blue - well done on four bags of blackberries and on your DS2 finally cracking the potty training. How did DS1 get on with his double challenge of learning chess and bike riding today?!

ChitChat - did you see that wonderful programme about the cathedral choir school several months ago? Can't for the life of me remember what it was called or where it was, but I was rivetted. And don't worry, I can't really see DH joining this thread .

dizzy - well done on the move! It's so stressful, but a chance for a fresh start and new routines.

Orange - we have given up DIY completely now... (12 years and 2 children on). In our first flat, we painted it all ourself and did all the work. Now we either put up with things or pay someone else to do it.

MsOnatopp - am very impressed by all that ironing and pairing up of socks. Can't believe your DS has nine pairs of PJs though!

Not feeling so good today, thanks to my chest playing up again. DH has been nagging me to take my third course of antibiotics (prescribed to me a couple of weeks ago in case I needed them), but I was trying not to take them unnecessarily. After DH was woken up every half an hour by my chest rattling away beside him last night, he begged me to take them. I managed to get out with the boys and DH for a walk after lunch, then prepared a chicken casserole in the slow cooker, but soon after taking the first two a/bs, I passed out in bed for several hours . Woke up to the strains of the 'Dr Who' music from downstairs.

I really had been feeling fine, but I think the infection must be lingering and sneaks back at the first opportunity.

DS2 has gone for another sleepover at his best friend's house tonight and won't be back till 11.30 tomorrow morning, so DH is taking DS2 out for the morning and leaving me at home for a lie in. I am also banished to DS1's bedroom for the night, so DH can get some sleep.

Hope you all have a good Sunday.

Just sneaking in to check what I should have been doing... how relieved am I that making the bed and having fun with my family were the headline items?! am going to conveniently forget the other routine stuff I should have done for now

WhoKnows - very interesting about the contrast between horrible lady and the burly man. Made me smile to think of them referring to the ref as a 'twit' .

The new OU module sounds very interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

Evening. had another fuck it evening. It was brilliant.

As for the asthma situation - I had carbon monoxide poisioning a few months back, it is this that is going to take several more months for the side effects to disappear. I could have some meds to treat it but they are considered banned substances even in the recreational sport world and would render me unable to compete. So it was decided that it would be better to go down the slower recovery road.

I bloody hope you are taking things easier toffee it takes a long time for pneumonia to clear up and imo you haven't really given yourself enough chance to properly rest. Just be careful, you don't want a relapse! Also hope you are feeling better soon.

Whoknows I know what you mean about football having changed. The match I took ds to the men behind me told some teenagers off for swearing because ds was there and he was only little although tbh he knows most swear words anyway It was a lovely environment compared to how it was portrayed when I was growing up.

That is good news madwoman

Sorry I am giving up here wrt personals. I am stupid tired and tbh I want my bed. night all.

Morning all!

Going on a day out today with DS1's godparents, which we're all really looking forward to. Body clutter's going the right way again too.

Bike riding went pretty well, thanks Toffee, chess less so. Still, he's keen so they'll keep at it. Hoping for time for another bike ride before we go out too.

Sounds like you & Bitchy could both do with taking things easy!

Waves to all - have lovely Sundays! I'll leave plenty of on the bar...

Meant to say:

Yay to the all clear, Madwoman - hope you did get out into the countryside & well done on the shredding.

Oops just embarrassed myself by accidentally posting this in Style and Beauty, that's what happens when you have lots of windows open.

Sunday Links

Babystep = read one of Flylady's emails. OR browse the big tent group, whatever. Maybe just give yourself a day off, it is Sunday after all.

Sunday is Renew your Spirit Day - ok, you still have to do your routines, but never mind.

Tomorrow we will be entering Zone 4 - The Master Bedroom

Well, I could do with some tips from 'Style and Beauty', WhoKnows .

Bitchy - good for you for having another great evening out. I'm sorry you are having to take the slow recovery route for your chest, but I can understand your reasoning. Advice about recovery from pneumonia duly noted. Thank you.

Blue - fab that the bike riding went so well. I still remember DS1's first successful ride on a two wheeler and how chuffed he was. I still have the photo of his smiley face.

I am taking it easy this morning as DH has taken DS2 for an outing with MIL and DS1 is still out. I know I should take it easy generally, but I find it so hard. For one thing, life with children - as we all know - is always active. And, for anther, I get bored if I'm not busy. Also, to be honest, I hadn't noticed that I was beginning to slide again healthwise. I do feel rough this morning, though, so I will be more careful for the next few days . I think I need a holiday somewhere hot and dry to recover .

Am going to do the washing up and put a load of laundry on, then I'll spend some time on home ed stuff, which I really enjoy, so it's not like working.

Hi all,

Jumping back in to Flying (and body clutter...still lost nothing since started in July - still working on holiday weight ).

Looking forward to catching up on thread.

Anyone remember my oven incinerating bread a few months ago and me thinking it was because the oven was so dirty? Well, turns out the thermostat is broken, so if you put it on 200 it cranks up to 250 - so NOT MY FAULT! (think DH can hear my shouty capitals from the sofa!).

Toffee come here for a holiday. I can certainly do the hot, but it is no luxury and as far from dry as you can get at the moment!

Whoknows I used to post with loads of threads open at once and remember posting a chicken recipe on a "ladies problem" thread. Slightly embarrassing.

Oh bugger. In cafe and I need to go now. Hopefully be able to log back in later......

Thanks for the offer, PA, but I might pass on that!

Engels - we can hear you. It was NOT YOUR FAULT!

DH and DS2 still not back. Have had a lovely time doing home ed prep. Washing up still untouched, but laundry done. Suppose I'd better make the kitchen look respectable again...