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 think I meant more that you ought to be taking it easy, Bitchy!

Hi ladies! I'm back! (Did anyone miss me? Thought not ) as always, just when i start getting on track, I get sick (thanks DD!). This time, with the enticingly-named labyrinthitis! Well, all better now but, as usual, back to square 1. Now, where's my sink?! And on top of this, am starting sleep training with DD tonight. May not get much done tomorrow either!

Morning! Just another dump as I overslept this morning so haven't done shred and I'm not anywhere near ready for mindees arriving in an hour!

To do:
Walk dogs
DD and mindee to playgroup
Shred
Clean sofas
Clean kitchen floor
School run
Paperwork
Routines

BBL!

Today I am suffering. I want to curl up in the corner and sleep. Instead I have a very long list of stuff that needs to be achieved. And I am going to have to admit that I am going to have to take the advice of taking things easier a bit.

To do:
Laundry: 2 x kit, 2 x ds' bedding incl duvets
meeting in next town
shopping/banking in a different town
Paperwork. - brain ticking this over atm.
Sort out ds' swimming kit
ds' swimming lesson
ds' homework
film night with ds

(should try to get around to:
Finish transferring contents of drawers
put laundry away
make up ds' bag for tomo incl lunch
sort out ds' kit for tomo done equipment check - waiting laundry and drying
Construct patterns for new projects
Mock up of new project?
Many other stuff that could be done)

Morning!

Have done:
Beds stripped
Washing done and hung out
School run
Music with DS2
Chat with CM
Coffee & internet procrastination - on anti-procrastination day too, tsk!
A few agency applications

Need to get round to:
Wardrobe swap & decluttering
Hoovering
Sweep & mop hard floors
Dusting
Bins - bleugh!
Ironing
Book synopsis
More applications.

Better get cracking. on the bar.

Thanks Blue!

Bitchy - Which bit of 'take it easy' didn't you underestand???? Ignore that 'should get around to' list!!

Lauren - hope you got the bank sorted. What a nightmare having your card cancelled.

Hi Trazzle - good luck with the sleep training

PA - I did that to myself, with the fuse box. Was suddenly standing a few metres away from where I thought I should be - have absolutely no memory of being thrown back. (Stupid old style fuse box with the fuse wire that you have to attach.....)

Just got back from kickboxing. House is in chaos, but as today is my one long child free day I've booked it up with lunch and some football kit shopping for DS1. Hopefully I have a bit of time to do a blitz on the house later in the afternoon.

hi, all,

just been to on Open Morning for and with dd, a small shabby impossible to get into with the wrong baptismal dates, centre of excellence - she won't get in anyway as she has wrong baptismal dates
then another Open afternoon for ds2 (ds1's school, but sofar ds2 hasn't been round it)
I'm really enjoying getting out and about with the children! It all feels very sociable, lots of other parents to bump into, and so interesting to see all the work on display. I love September weather too!

hi, Trazzletoes labyrinthitis is not nice is it, my Dsis suffered from it.

Blue hope choir is a break from family life. My sister in law is about to have her second baby, and to my horror I could only remember negative thoughts about those early years, so I had absolutely no good advice to give her, except, get rid of all your possessions, except the useful ones, spend most of your day out at a friend's house (make loads of friends who want to have you round)and feed your children on baked potatoes and plain pasta/sandwiches, and somehow I think like the rest of us this is not going to be something she will realise till it's all over Little kids are just very stressful [sad ]

Who knows, Toffee and Bitchy, please take care of yourselves.

Who knows so glad you find todays babystep cringe worthy too.

Mrs Onatop I?m frequently flattened, I?m a disabled lone parent who?s much better at telling others to take care than managing it herself. This time was caused by trying to rehang large heavy curtains after washing, using a hanging pole from a wheelchair. They are still down and I?m working myself up to super fitness to put them up, maybe tomorrow even.

PA it sounds like someone could make a living importing insulated boots and gloves. We lived in a house with a coiled coat hanger for a company head, glowing away under the stairs. I used to nail the door shut to protect the children, one of whom ended up in a+e when I dropped the hammer on her head while ?protecting her.?

ChitChat another one for rubber clothing.

Trazzletoes hope you recover soon.

Swan they rank baptism dates? (not counting those coinciding nicely with school application, those I understand.)

Still to do:
Take hoover apart and de clog and clean all filters.
Five loads of washing to launderette.. (Desperate measures for desperate daughter!)
drying
Ironing
Shopping
Call storage company (see if putting insurance claim stuff in storage might be an option, as I?m struggling to work around so much of it)
Prep English
Check psychology
Catch up H/e file.

If I get all of that done this afternoon I?ll be very happy.

List up date:

Laundry: 2 x kit, 2 x ds' bedding incl duvets 2nd duvet on
meeting in next town
shopping/banking in a different town
Paperwork. - brain ticking this over atm. A good chunk has been done but needs returning to
Sort out ds' swimming kit
ds' swimming lesson ds is not hugely well going to skip this week
ds' homework
film night with ds

(should try to get around to:
Finish transferring contents of drawers
put laundry away It's now folded and ironed and awaiting bringing up
make up ds' bag for tomo incl lunch
sort out ds' kit for tomo done equipment check - waiting laundry and drying
Construct patterns for new projects
Mock up of new project?
Many other stuff that could be done)

Hello

Hope everyone OK/recovering from colds (and that your ds has recovered PA - how for you all

I'm in a bit of 'pit' atm. House taking a lot longer to get under control than anticipated/finding it hard to get motivated and DD's behaviour v. erratic - lovely one day and then utterly horrible the rest (and I'm too vulnerable to it because of feeling a bit low myself) so I'm struggling to be patient so everything has descended in to nag-fest (for which I hold myself responsible). Sorry - yet another whinge from across the channel

I'm alright really - just need to join a choir I think to cheer myself up - hope it's fun Blue !! Think Gareth Malone will shortly be joining us back on telly soon

V. impressed with how consistent you are with your sewing projects Bitchy I really admire you for it.

Swan Great you are getting out and about and enjoying it !! May and September my favourite montsh weather-wise too!!

Your friend sounds wonderful - sadly cannot claim to be many of those things either. I think that's the problem really - normally wouldn't let such shallow thoughts get to me - but I have little else (career, interesting hobbies/activities etc to counter it with atm) Need a serious life overhaul!! It's always, "when I'm in better health", "when I'm fitter", "when I'm slimmer", "when the house is under control" .... etc etc.. need to get off my backside and do something interesting/fulfilling now and stuff everything else!!

Snap over lethargy while dd is at school and manic activity once she is back. When I have the time to do something, I don't Another 'snap' over hwk battles!!

Good luck with the curtains Justgettingonwithit wish I lived near you so I could give you a hand!! [Would you feel comfortable putting out a call to fellow Mumsnetters - bet loads of people would love to help) And good luck with five heroic trips to laundrette!

Poor you Trazzletoes My sister had labyrinthitis and it was awful. The dizziness really sapped her confidence. No wonder you had to take a Flying break. Good luck with sleep training tonight and hope you get some shut-eye yourself!

Chitchat hope your child-free day proved productive

Hope you sorted out the bank Lauren

Cakes sound lovely Dizzy hope your dd had fab birthday

Whoknows good to hear you are winding down a bit and well done on new winter wardrobe!! You sound really well prepared for op - and it's great that everyone is going to rally round. Try not to worry - hard I know - just focus on how much more energy you will have when the op and recuperation is behind you!!

Great your new regime is working well MrsOnatopp just shows that small changes can really help - will take inspiration from this!!

Same to you Eyesdomorethansee great routines are working

Oranges hope play date went well

[intrigued by Engels costume]

Huge waves to Toffee Feetheart Ellie Castlelough Honu and everyone else I've missed

Got to go. DD is making a huge fuss (more reminiscent of a toddler than a nine year old) about having a bath of all things ... saints preserve us [sigh]

SC could it be the start of hormones kicking in? Some girls do start very early with it all.

Ds is in bed. I am going to tuck myself up and watch a film and then head off to bed myself. Need to be uber busy tomo.

Thanks Whoknows for posting the baby steps... I am following most some of them! still got to start on the worst hot spot . Sorry to all the rest, but I haven't been able to follow most of the other conversation on here in the last few days.

Had a good flying day today with a shiny sink, a vacuumed living room and a clear dining table. :)

now the only question that remains is bake off or bed?

Bake off!

SC I think of you as incredibly energetic and practical, as well as intellectual. I'm sorry about dd, daughters may be a life's work ; mine certainly is. I think what is noticeable atm with my dd is the mixture of incredible childlike behaviour/demands, and a commendable striving towards independence/automomy. She has now all sorts of opinions I can't control or dictate, at 10. But there are things that I know best, and I have to hang on to those things - like for example knowing what makes her too tired. She has both the optimism and pessimism of youth, thinking she can manage things she can't and assuming she won't be able to do things that she CAN (like Maths or comprehension)

done
helped at Beavers
and took neigbour's dog for a walk, met and talked at length with another nice neighbour who was telling me about her children's A'levels. What joy yet to come...

oh yes, and did some washing, and some phonecalls
very bad flier today.

Ah that conflict between big kid, little kid thing. We are having that here. Occassionally I let ds do as he thinks just to prove the point that I am right when it goes the way that I said it would Unfortunately ds is one that only learns from mistakes and never takes advice. It takes careful managing and i am hoping that he will learn to take advice from stupid mistakes now so the disasters aren't quite so bad when he gets bigger.

Oh yes, ds2 liked the school on Open Day tour, but I felt it was going to be an uphill struggle if he was there. He was noticeably odder than the other yr 6's visiting, talking non-stop and lying down on the floor at one stage, yet he was so enthusiastic when he saw the rock climbing pictures and the D & T dept, and the Art work (a giant sculpture of a burger ). He started telling me about chemistry in the science labs in a loud animated voice - I think he was just stressed by the excitement of it all, but I felt a bit worried - how on earth is he is going to cope at that school? Senco was busy, and TA Senco useless, so I felt more than ever like there is no way they are going to encourage my application...The other school is so much better for ASD but it is much much bigger and further away...will ponder.

Hi all
I'm still here! Just when you thought you had got rid of me"
Still managing to do a list, but no hotspots yet. We had a long weekend away so not had much time to read babysteps
What would you guys say were the main steps to use?

Power of 15mins
hot spots
swish and swipe

erm erm erm... well i guess you will have to ask the others.

Oh yeah - bedtime sticking.

Babystep for Thurs include laundry in your daily routine. Very good idea this one.

Mission clear out your knicker drawer, get rid of all the stretched, grey or tatty undies.

Thank you to everyone who has been kind about my health problems. I am definitely having to take it easier this week. Unfortunately as far as Flying is concerned I'm a bit of an all or nothing person so, er, nothing today.

Also, I am reading all your chat but am posting from an ipad in bed so it's not very easy scrolling up and down for personals at the moment. That is one of best things about this thread, it truly has a life of its own, you always know that you can dip out a bit and like Flylady says just jump back in again when you are ready and everyone will still be there chatting away.

Bitchy - bedtime sticking fail here too.....

Wooooo Hooooooooooo!!! I am ahead for a fucking change! I did that mission last week

ignores failure to keep bedtime

Hello! Hello! Woke up feeling a lot more positive this morning, thanks in no small part to you lovely lot!

Hope you are all OK!

Whey hey to Bitchy being ahead on the smalls front!! And good going over early bedtimes. Good luck with your task list today. Thanks re dd but don't think it's hormones (no physical signs yet anyway) but oh yes to acting 25 one minute and 5 yrs old the next. All v. bewildering frankly. Have started thread here so I can start to get more of a handle on what is usual for her age peers ... Agree that letting them make their own mistakes (in a controlled sort of way) is probably best course. I'm not good at this.

Hormones definitely kicking in with rabbits though. They literally "rampage" around the dining room if I let them in the dining room of a morning; jumping on radiators (we have those thick, rusty ancient ones), ripping up newspapers, chewing wires, mugging one another for carrots, running around the back of furniture and generally humping for Belgium .

oh yes, consistency no prob with regard to chatting on here Whoknows Hope you are taking it easy [looks sternly over horn rimmed spectacles] [Manoeuvres footstool and large stack of magazines in to position]

Rowingboat it's down to what suits you and your routine but personally for me top babysteps are: laundry every day, laying out clothes night before (if I'm behind with laundry - everything else seems to get out of whack here)- shiny sink, meal planning, errand day, hot spots and consistent bedtime (when I manage it)!!

Swan good luck with the school dilemma. Sounds such a difficult decision to make. at your ds's excited reaction though. The facilities sound terrific. How frustrating that Senco was busy - could you go back and make another separate appt to see them? Might reassure you on a few points.

Thanks again btw but I think dh would cackle a bit at "energetic" and "practical". I have my moments but am not at all consistent

I think you've hit nail on head about dd when you say "She has now all sorts of opinions I can't control or dictate, at 10." Lets just say I think we are definitely starting to move towards that position and it's very healthy I think (for the most part!) and oh yes, oh YES to optimism/pesimism thing - beautifully summed up as ever. [Have you thought of studying child psychology???] All v. tricky to handle and I need to be a lot more sensitive.

Getknitted/Trazzletoes arf at bake-off!

Had better go .... loads to do ....going to post a ta da today instead of list. That way I don't scupper myself before I start. [Some part of my brain seems to think writing down is as good as actually doing)

Have a productive day everyone!!

Just another dump sorry!!

To do:
Today's mission- I really need to do this!
Scrub kitchen floor
Call sure start
School run x 2
Food shop for cheese
Laundry- both mine and DD!
Walk dogs
shred
Routines

Because there's only me and DD the laundry routine doesn't really work as we don't create enough washing, I've been really focusing on swish and swiping the bathroom on a morning and it's making a massive difference to how the bathroom looks! How often do people wash their swish cloths?

Body clutter is going very very well indeed I've found new determination from somewhere!