October-fest: a fledgling (at best) might spruce up its nest (then take a rest?).

[strictlycaballine]

Welcome to the October 2012 Fledgling Flyers thread. Park your mops, buckets, microfibre cloths, golden dusters and spiders-web-removing-implements here!

A huge "thank you" to Whoknows and Pushme for leading us throughout September!! (Hope you are recovering well Whoknows - take it steady!)

If your house is a mess and you are strugging with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of chat, support and along the way.

This little-and-often system is designed so that you can follow a series of steps and routines each day (which gradually become second nature) in weekly designated zones of the house; defining and minimising housework - which in theory should leave you with more time to do other more interesting things instead! At the same time it is intended to reduce that panicky "rabbit in headlights" feeling when you are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once. No problem if you miss a day or two; just jump right back in and it will all come around next month again anyway!

We advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be inundated! All the information you need will be linked here on a daily basis.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's steps and routines using a three-pronged approach (dependent on the stage everyone is at):

• start or repeat baby steps

• repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

[And if you are really enthusiastic and have finished decluttering - you can go on to detailed deep cleaning in each zone.]

More info here on getting started, and the flylady system here and here Don't be put off by the barf-tastic language of the site - the underlying system is sound.

All welcome!!

I just dropped my phone on my head. Instant karma!

Morning all Today will be productive hopefully thanks for the tea and warm crossants mmm

Good morning! Got up a little earlier than DC, or so I thought. They then got out of bed and ruined my 30 minutes child free time in the morning!

Oh well, so chaotic here that it really doesn't make that much of a difference I guess.

Tada:
Load of shirts into washing machine
Dishwasher unloaded
Dishwasher rebooted
DSs breakfast
School run

To do:
1 hour planning on computer
15 minutes decluttering in kitchen
decluttering in spare room (the home of all our crisis cleaning piles of paper, etc!)
Trip to shops
DS1 to after school club

But first I'll have another

I have made a start on xmas pressie buying!! however really annoyed about the false advertising, went to buy ds3 a marvel adventures play set from argos, thinking that it had exactly what it had on the picture, but it only comes with a spiderman and a green goblin, no thor or ironman like the picture says and the box, so that is now off the list and I now have to find more stuff for him!! ok so my list dump :-

wrap, tag, stash and update presents
make bed
5 min rr my room
2 min hotspot, comp desk
5 min rr hall lounge stairs and landing
15 min declutter kitchen cuboard
kellys mission
I have no laundry so I only need to put it away (wtf)
s+s
detailed cleaning
shine sink
find some more paperwork to sort...
find some more presents for ds3 sigh

Hello all. Hope everyone oK.

Just dashing in and out I'm afraid and can't catch up with personals as promised. A bit up the spout atm owing to more art academy hours this wk + sister visiting tonight (for minor op here this week - she's had it repeatedly cancelled in Uk) Upper floors still in chaos and trying to make it slightly more inviting for her! Only consolation is, have one v. v. organised neat & tidy sister, and one v. disorganised chaotic sister and fortunately it's the disorganised one that is coming

Hope to catch up with all of you tomorrow if not tonight when posting steps!

[SC canters off stage right in cloud of dust]

Done nothing today. . Not a ruddy thing yet. My get up and go has got up and gone. Let me see if I can come up with anything...

Put the dishwasher on. (it involved pressing one button - was already loaded)
Picked up DS from school and read with him
Have got tea to cook

That's a bit of a sad list (although I'm wearing shoes and my sink is shiny)

Have to try and raise some energy for a 15 min de-clutter perhaps.

Aw, worn, you made me laff a wee bit, as you articulated exactly how I feel today.

I completely ruined the morning by losing my rag at breakfast, screeching like a banshee at the children, (making two of them cry), and generally being mardy. So I'm carting around a guilt complex the size of a house.

Thus far I have managed laundry x 2. I'm going to post a list so that I freaking well buck up.

DW
WM (about fifty times. I spent yesterday nursing the damn thing through four days of piss soaked bedding and duvets, and it kept stopping. I can't get the damn thing to spin without rinsing, which means I have sodden duvets and pillows that I can't get dry. Two pillows went through the dryer for four hours yesterday. In the end one of them was damp and the other was still sodden. So today I have to do the rest of the laundry. And then go back to the bedding and see if I can dry the stuff)
Deliver financials
Email dh the forms
Email boot camp tutor and apologies for skiving
Call swimming pool and apologies for forgetting dd2's swimming lesson (feckitty feck)
Sort guides planning
Iron guides stuff
Dance kit

See? Not even flying!

On the bright side, the living room still looks palatable after the weekend (except for the ironing mountain which has been replaced on the armchair), and I will wipe down the kitchen surfaces.

Tis like pulling teeth today.

Well my horsey afternoon didn't go as planned she's lame again so instead of riding I gave her a good brush and sorted her stable for the night. She's on box rest until at least the weekend

Ta da:
DD and mindee to rhyme time
Walked dogs
Spent a few hours with the horse
Cleaned counter tips
Cleaned hob
Routines

I still need to pick DD up from childminders and put both our laundry away, and bath DD...then date night to cheer me up

[looks longingly at Castlelough's empty platter, containing a scattering of croissant crumbs and a few blobs of jam ...]

Evening everyone! Apologies, just when some of you are kindly saying that you like seeing your name mentioned- I neglect to post personal messages!! Hopefully, week will be a bit less hectic from now on in.

Sowornout so you've fed your family, read to your ds and tidied up the kitchen - that's not half bad in my book !!

Gossipsomething terribly mean about false advertising to children (but at least they learn to be wary I suppose) well done with your list and continued Christmas prep - you are on a roll!! Hope you back is feeling a bit better (and your brother's girlfriend!)

So are you Issima! Looks like you have had a v. productive day! Make sure you make the time for that much-needed massage [stern look over pince nez]

[Fills up Lplateflyers's mug with extra strong brew] Agree that 15-30 mins before dc get up in the morning makes all the difference.. it gives me time to re-arrange my grumpy face in to something resembling good cheer before our resident thundercloud dd descends!! (She's horribly grumpy in the mornings just like her ma! ) Not good if we are both grumpy together ...

Hope the virtual pastries did the trick Mymums

Great to see you Trazzles - going to look at your other thread after this one - but I hope you and your lovely boy are doing OK today x

Lauren I take it your horse is sound again now regular afternoon rides are appearing in your lists - that's great news! Gorgeous autumnal weather for riding too Have a lovely evening tonight!!

Hope you had a better day today Blue and well done on paper decluttering - every bit helps.

Dizzy glad water back on and hope recycling was collected today as promised

Pushme well done to you and your dh on post-builder-clean-up. It's always horrendous and takes much longer than one imagines so great you've got it out of the way. Sympathies with the continuing hand-washing though ...

Pushme/Toffee dd (9yrs) already displaying distinctly teenage behaviour on occasion (then - fortunately - she swings back to infanthood - played 'restaurants' happily with her friends all Sunday with a play kitchen that is marketed to 6/7 year olds!)

Toffee well done re: mega-sort of downstairs cupboard

How are you doing RiceCrispy?

TeuchterInTheCity sometimes, if you are sleep-deprived, a nap is worth a thousand baby-steps Don't be too hard on yourself - flying with littlies is tough

Whoknows tis good you are still taking it easy ... I gather you didn't take up Dizzy's suggestion then

Mercury well done re: productive day yesterday and definitely need to instigate restorative principles here

Well done with your list yesterday too Shiftyfades

Take care Maggie sounds as if you have a lot on your plate atm!! [Offer restorative ]

Yay Madwoman That's fantastic news!!! Well done!! Your persistance paid off!! Many, many congratulations on your new job!! It sounds fab and am so happy for you 'cos I know situation was getting you down a bit!!

Justgettingonwithit .. still intrigued by banana boxes Had difficulties today with highlighting in acrylics (used to leaving paper shining through with water colours) - all got a bit thick and muddy -any advice???

Engels agree about English supermarket. The produce in Belgian ones taste great but layout/cleanliness/date turnover/customer service leave a lot to be desired!

Argh - got to go - haven't finished round-up but dh has heroically cooked dinner tonight so got to go - back again later hopefully!

Vigorous wing flaps to Swan Feetheart Whoknows PA Ellie Honu Iwipearses

x post Lauren Oh no - I spoke too soon!! How very disappointing for you both after all that careful convalescence. Hope date night cheers you up!

Back to finish round-up later! Waves to everyone I have missed ...

Not much to report here. been at work (had a LOVELY day teaching...I love my job ) so morning and evening routines doing their work. Just off out for a run now.

happy flying everyone

Very proud of myself Flyingwise today, as DH and I have sorted out all the junk from the downstairs cupboard and put it into bags to bin/take to dump/take to charity shop. DH has promised me that he will take the bags away tomorrow instead of leaving them in the hall for a week .

I now have a tidy cupboard with space to store my Flying equipment - mop, hoover, etc .

Clearing out the cupboard had the added bonus of turning up several rolls of Christmas wrapping paper and a half-full box of crackers, which I have now transferred to my Christmas/Birthday cupboard upstairs.

Other ta das:

Decluttered a pile of baby/toddler clothes by dispatching them to this appeal here - Flying with the feel-good factor .

Hoovered throughout downstairs

Mopped downstair's floors

Trip to town with DS1

Home ed - Maths, Biology, Handwriting (thank-you letters for DS1's birthday presents) and Art

Swished and swiped in bathroom

I keep looking inside the downstair's cupboard and admiring all the space. It looks so tidy!

Hope to get back later to do personals, but have to serve dinner now.

I've just come across this thread and although I did read the posts on page 1 I did jump to page 14 rather than read them all!! But it does seem that everyone is encouraging each other to keep their household routines and decluttering going. This is where I could come in ( !!! ) if any of you are now lying exhausted and weeping on the floor with the strain of it all because I run a decluttering company here in Whitstable Kent ( I can travel ) so ( and if I am not treading on anyone's toes but doing this ) please feel free to reply to this post if I could help you out thanks Clare

Quick update before I get DSs into the bath

Tada:
Load of shirts into washing machine
Dishwasher unloaded
Dishwasher rebooted
DSs breakfast
School run
1 hour planning on computer
15 minutes decluttering in kitchen
Trip to shops
DS1 to after school club

Not done:
decluttering in spare room (the home of all our crisis cleaning piles of paper, etc!)

I dont like my chances of getting all that much more done today, but need to. I've had a cold since Thursday, not all that bad, but enough to make me really sluggish.

Hopefully tomorrow is a more productive day

Clare, if you are touting for business, you are supposed to pay to run ads.

If you are going to post on here with the benefit of your wisdom and give us some tips, free of charge, crack right on.

Right, sister arrived safely , supper supped, dd drifting off to sleep (hopefully), so where was I ....?

Sowornout well done on finding school photo form too!

Like the sound of your gps Mercury they are great little characters ...

Engels I like the sound of your "small storage box for phone/ipod/kindle chargers that live in the lounge" - really good idea - we have tons of that sort of stuff drifting all over the house. Whey hey on a clean lounge for unexpected visitors!! That hardly ever happens does it? (Well not in my house anyway!) Starting to be a bit better now I've been on this thread for ever a while though!! Ditto over writing with fountain pen btw!! Bet those diaries of yours will be a real treat to read in a couple of decades time Point about teenagers v. much worth bearing in mind before we all kill ourselves buying dc lots of new material possessions for Christmas .... Don't know how you find the energy to run after a full day's teaching but hats off to you!!

Issimma "The house is pretty clutter free" - that's really impressive!! And well done for keeping up with missions. Sympathies over hideous things dh's want to keep (although bears sound OK!! ) ...like dh's ancient- golf trophies when it's us that end up falling over them every day! I hadn't realised you had lived in Belgium btw. We're in Bxls, whereabouts were you?

Bet your ds1 will remember the fab bits of his birthday Toffee and not the tears at the end! Well done for sticking to your guns although it's awfully hard sometimes isn't it. Remember he's lucky to have parents who care enough to set boundaries!!

Lplate today looks pretty productive to me! Hope you get rid of that cold smartish!

Thanks for your post Clare

Toffee I now have downstairs cupboard Sounds fab! Well done! Have noted really excellent appeal too.

BBL - off to watch strudel porn the Great British Bake Off

Urghh, nothing done
House looks worse than ever, I have a thumping headache and am off to bed. Plan to get up early and try to claw back some control...

Oh dear
Not a good flying day
This morning was utter chaos and DH popped his head through the front door before he left for work saying "best wear your wellies and leave DS in the house while you negotiate the mud and concrete (wet) to get to the car!!!

Sigh

Never mind... It'll get better, it'll get better... Repeat 800 times an hour.

Anyway, I was so wrapped up in ironing last night that I forgot to do DS's bag for nursery: cue much ranting this morning.

Tomorrow will be better, won't it?

mad I hope the wm is working again soon

((hugs)) to trazzle I hope today has been a good one.

to those that haven't had a good day.

I managed to pick myself off my backside after tea and have done enough so that I feel a lot better.

Dishwasher loaded
Tumbledrying folded and put away
Bed made at 8.00pm.....could have done it 12 hours ago!
Filled in a notebook for 'control journal' (I'm good at writing things down...not so good at doing them)
Lost at chess to a 7 yo (not even deliberately)
Ordered school photo online
Gave Scottish Power gas/electric readings (after 4 reminders)
Did paperwork de-cluttering (ok, I grabbed piles of old mags and threw them in bin)
Sink is shiny

I was just coming to write this post feeling like my day was done when DS4 shouted that his bed was wet. 'Have you had an accident?' 'No, I'm not hurt -it's just that my bed is very wet'......hmm.....(that will be because you tiddled in it, my darling). So I've stripped it off, changed pjs and shoved him in with DH (who is fast asleep in bed). Shoved washing and teddy bear into machine. Now I have to sit up so that I can put Ted in the flaming tumble dryer because DS won't go to school without him tomorrow!

Another non-cleaning-flying day here!

• Sorted out DD's plastic cups/plates and put them away along with the tupperware type boxes

• Sent 2 Birthday cards and ordered flowers

• Ordered myself 2 pairs of shoes

• Ordered a pair of walkie talkies to keep track of DD

• Took DD to Brownies at the Fire Station and did a quick supermarket visit before collecting her

• Talked to our neighbour for the first time!

• Shined sink

• Waited in all day for the plumber to come back and seal around the bottom of the loo - but he didn't show

• Recycling was collected and after a call to Biffa am assured that our bins will be here on Friday (I shan't hold my breathe)

• Spent half a hour - over 2 calls - trying to get through to Royal Mail to report that our postie has broken our letterbox flap. Our address is apparently not on their system so then had to call 2 of the local councils to get our house status changed to lived in so now have to wait 48hrs before I can call back RM to make the complaint. God help if I see the postie in the morning!!!

I did notice that the downstiars rooms are going to pot so tomorrow I shall be rescueing a couple of rooms.

Today's baby-step, no 10 for Wed 10th Oct is here the power of 15 mins

We are in Zone 2 this week: the kitchen, more info here including detailed cleaning once you have decluttered. (Try and spend 15 mins decluttering in this zone per day.)

And in preparation for Christmas, try and do a super fling boogie in this zone by the end of the week. More info here

Today's mission here scrubbing kitchen taps with toothbrushes (I must confess to never, ever doing this one and my taps look pretty ok thank you very much]

Wednesday is anti-procrastination day when we do (or at least start) all of those hideous things that we have been putting off

Throughout October, we are focusing on getting rid of paper clutter. Try and shred/recycle/jettison papers you no longer need, 15 mins per day.

If I've missed anything, have a look at today's flight plan

***

Can't sleep - brain racing - owing to being over-tired and the fact that the plaster in one of our upper rooms decided that this was the right evening (just when my sister was visiting) to detach itself from the wall

Oh dear Maggie hope a good night sleep cures yr headache and that you have a better day today [hands over extra-strong paracetemol just in case]

Sorry you are still battling with mud Shiftyfades Hope you have a better day today too!

Sowornout "good enough" = just what Flylady requires. Remember her mantra about banishing perfectionism? Sounds like you have a v. bright 7 yr old there btw and aw at mandatory bear ....

Dizzy you've done loads! Well done! Sorry wretched plumber didn't show though.

Right, I'm off to bed for the second time. Let's hope there are no more "landslides" overnight...