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!!

Definitely at the pre-marinaded rabbits, SC!

I'm with the glad John won lobby - Brendan was just a little too sure of himself for me. Cheffy friend reckons he wouldn't have John in his kitchen though - too emotional!

Good luck with the dishwasher Gossip! DH forgot to put ours on overnight - for the first time ever, to be fair - and the boys had merrily unloaded half of it before anybody noticed!!

Also at the idea of a clog canon - you're going to have to tell us what it is now, Trazzle!

Right, to work.

Ta da:
Beds stripped (well mostly, forgot DS1's somehow)
Washing done and on line
Bread on
DW on

To do:
Emails
Work stuff
Unload DW
Dusting
Ironing
Hoover, sweep and mop
Bathroom grout (bleugh!)
Hotspots
Paper clutter
Empty bins
Clean washing away
Remake beds
Zumba!

we won it, just waiting on a phone call to pick it up !!!!!

Yay Gossip! I was thinking about your DS needing downtime, mine definitely does, half an hour min after school to unwind either on his DS or playing on his own. Same in the mornings, he needs 15 mins on his own when he gets up to get him in gear for the day. He is 8 and has AS, he doesn't like activities that are straight from school but copes with going out again later ok, to Cubs etc.

I read that the King of Cambodia had died last week, so things may be a bit chaotic over there .

The only one that doesn't come home in odd moods is the 4 year old, ds1 is very difficult to read sometimes he can seem jolly and happy but will elbow another child within 5 mins of getting home, then other times he'll go straight to his room and play and other times he'll be so bouncy I have to chuck him out for a run, and then there are the rare times where he'll come in and sit down and get on with his homework !! ds2 is just miserable and will spend up to 2 hours moaning about everything. Still waiting on the phone call for my new dishwasher !!!!

Gossip - i find ds is completely un bareable unless he eats fairyl immediately to walking in the door. If he doesn't then he is exactly as you describe. I think I was fairly similar as a child. used to specialise in doorstop sandwiches straight from school and then still eat tea at tea time.

I have come to the conclusion that kids are weird creatures!

Bitchy/Blue Dh will be chuffed that someone appreciates his morbid sense of humour!

Even worse, one of the main supermarket chains here is advertising rabbit on special offer atm; all skinned, prepared and packed for ease of use! There are enlarged posters on the sides of buses and everything, which dd finds, er, a little unsettling ...!

Toffee/Gossip have new appliance

Blue respect for doing zumba at the end of all that lot!

Anyway, thank heavens for this thread. SFTD (so far ta da):
morning routine in dw, wm, s&s, rabbits done
organise laundry/pay/drink for fortnightly ironing lady done
finish god-daughter present doing
make lentil soup for lunch (half day here) done
quick supermarket shop done
also got rid of huge arrangement of dead flowers, cleaned kitchen surfaces, cleaned kitchen bin, and did more laundry.

still got rest of list to complete but wouldn't have done a thing this morning if I wasn't reporting back on here!

x posts

Bitchy/Gossip dd also in foul mood post school until she has downed a couple of pancakes/flapjacks/banana sandwiches ...

Whoknows impressed by your up-to-date knowledge of world events .. will go and have a google too

SC - just for once I've got time to read the papers from cover to cover! I will be back to normal in a few weeks.

Make the most of it Whoknows!!

Sorry for thread hi-jack but desperate for suggestions for good non-fiction bk for 12 yr old boy here

so things achieved in past few days
Dcs (well still have to set up dd) now have timed, passworded, filtered access to internet (all ds2's fave Youtube videos came up blacked out Formula 1 crashes, and footballers swearing perhaps )
I have ordered two sets of new glasses, with new prescription
ALL priest's references completed [sigh of relief, that was very stressful, I'm sure they don't mean it to be, they are very kind, just all that box ticking gets you down...I filled in one particularily [meddling] diocesan form and priest said he didn't even need to look at it, I think he hates the "Data Collection" bureacratic machinery as much as the parents do.
dd is playing a netball Tournament this Sat for her outside Netball Club
Fifties dress arrived (gave up attempts to make it for dd
Loads of forms filled in for High School
piano lesson for dd yest
homework x 3
bought lots of bread for freezer

something else, but my mind has gone blank
oh yes, sent email to old friend and spoke to another on phone, my October catchup I call it! Before the Xmas cards strike.

Dh now setting up his business every evening, it is quite exciting but odd to have him in the house checking his business emails after supper. Still in the office for another two weeks though...

We had a very bad night last night, I went to bed much too late, woke him up, and then we both woke at 6am...We need our sleep to function, so this morning we were both very mangy and unproductive. Percentages first thing (dd's homework) did not help Ds2 was doing some colour coded comprehension task which was almost as bad before you have had a coffee!

S/C whizzing in having stupidly got sidetracked by MN earlier to say posted a possible list.

Justgettingonwithit Thank you so much!! Have just had a look and the recommendations are wonderful - truly spot on for the child concerned. Can stop faffing and order now!! Am hugely relieved!!

Huge thanks to Lauren too! [Can see your oven shining from here btw]

Swan Top marks! Sounds like you have been juggling a whole dinner service there (including gravy boat and side dishes) and managed to catch the lot! Top marks! It's reassuring to have the computer battened down isn't it? (Well it is until they learn to work their away around the controls I suppose). October catch up rings a bell ...have been doing exactly the same thing! Sympathies over priest-signing - sounds like a nightmare ...

I spent 2 whole hours cleaning my oven today sc it's definitely sparkling!

Just getting ready for date night now so will check in tomorrow, have done all my list apart from my knicker basket and the playroom mats!

BB tomorrow!

2 hrs ! Crikey - that's thorough!! Flylady herself would be proud! Have a lovely evening Lauren !!

Going to post links and 'run' now, somehow school & ballet run/quick supermarket shop/hwk/supper/5 games of Connect Four took up the entire afternoon/evening! DD going through one of her "ebullient" exhausting phases! Will return to list tomorrow. And need to get to bed early-ish tonight - like Swan - I contravened yesterday's baby-step (as usual) so am a bit cream crackered!

Hope you all had good anti-procrastination Wednesdays!!

Tomorrow's baby-step no. 18 for Thurs 18th Oct is here Read the Fat Fairy's eleven commandments! (Have they been subtly altered recently, or am I getting confused?)

Tomorrow will be our fourth day in Zone 3: the bathroom and one other room here

Try and spend 15 mins decluttering in this zone per day.

Once you have decluttered in this zone, you can go on to here

Don't forget your super fling boogie in this zone this week in preparation for the Christmas holidays!

Tomorrow's mission is here shining bathroom sink and wiping fingerprints off surfaces in dc rooms

Thursday is : errand day

The habit for October is: here Try and shred/recycle/jettison papers you no longer need, 15 mins per day.

If I've missed anything, have a look at tomorrow's flight plan which should update automatically with date.

G'night all!

I don't believe it [said in Victor Meldrew tones] - what's happening today? I've just gone downstairs where dh is watching Clarissa Dickson-Wright marinading rabbits.

Hello all, having a major moan all over mn tonight, dp is out watching John Bishop so I am bored, just tried ringing my mum and she's now not talking to me, ds2 has tried it on a bit because his dads not here but I sorted it and I got a love you before he settled off to sleep. Haven't done much flying today because I haven't been in the mood tbh, planning on getting a lot done tomorrow.

Done nearly all my list - it's the work stuff that's suffered! - and knackered now. Watching Grand Designs earlier and spent so long like I think I'm going to have eyebrow strain in the morning - anyone else watch it?

SC - I missed C D-W on rabbits. [whispers] It is very tasty though and eating wild ones must be fantastically sustainable...

Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow. Night all!

ta-da!

Got up
Made breakfast and ate it
Back to bed
Crochet / watch crap TV / MN / chat with MIL
Got up and made lunch and ate it
Shined sink and did a tiny bit of washing up
Went to bed
Watched 3 episodes of ER
Got up
Had tea (am getting sick of ready meals but can't complain)
Reading with DCs (in my bed)
Had "words" with DH over half term - I will still be unable to drive, lift anything remotely heavy, walk any distance so I wanted to know what we were going to do with the kids, I really won't be up for 10 days full time childcare (2 inset days), DH didn't appear to think this was his problem. Hmm.
WAtched 2 more ERs whilst MN and crocheting

MIL is being brilliant, the house is tidier than when i do it but I will never find anything again and she is great company, we disagree on many things but none of it really matters.

whoknows it sounds like your having a good time despite the poorly part :)

Not much flying done here today...

Ta da:
Half-hearted attempt at morning routine
Work
Mini-grocery shop pit-stop
Cooked dinner at DMil house & washed up
Enjoyed Emmerdale Live special
Practised piano (am now attempting the dizzying heights of Grade 4! )
Did Cruising to Christmas Mission %233
Showered and retired to bed early for me with cuppa and two mini mars bars

Flying to London on Fri with DH for the weekend to stay with my brother and his girlfriend - going to Ascot! Looking forward to that, but will be busy tomorrow getting ready - pamper night: tan, defuzzing, nails trim talons ; iron, pack, leave the place tidy!

Nite all.

That should read Christmas Mission %233

Hmmmmmmmm, third time lucky: Christmas Mission number 3

Got back from job interviews to camping at the weekend straight into an alleged assault investigation and new job. I would love to say I haven't been around since thurs as I've been deep cleaning, but sadly not.

I have instituted a new regime though. The dcs must make their own packed lunch and get their clothes laid out the night before. It worked perfectly for the first two days, then I went out to run guides last night and dh had put the kids in bed with nowt done. I can not do everything.

I got an apology tonight when he came home from work, and the dcs are in the kitchen making their lunches as we speak. they will learn, I tell ya.

Tonight I must iron.

Joy.

I will be around only periodically for the next week or two as we sort new timetable... But I suspect I will be organized to within an inch of my life by then... We can all dream, eh?

Apols for no personals, will back up and read a bit with a glass of vino later!

Gah!!! All tidy for toddlers coming, then DS does THE smelliest poo you have ever smelt!

Now have every downstairs window open to air the place before people start arriving... in the pouring rain! I'm getting awfully odd looks from CDs driving past on the estate!

Will be back properly later, but needed to share my pain!

I'm really not in the mood for flying today :(