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!!

right, now I am going to be more productive.

todo
deliver some secondary school forms to Hounslow
on the way visit my brother and SIL and new baby again
deliver more secondary school forms
laundry
buy some box files??? that was on a list about three weeks ago [sigh]
email to friend, who I was meant to be visiting this week
food shopping [cupboard is bare again of veg, or cheese

Swan - sounds like life is tough at the moment. Hope cuddling baby will help?
I can share your cat poo/neighbours pain though can raise you our cats vs neighbourhood boss cat. Two trips to vet in 4 weeks - one with each cat plus blood-soaked paw and this morning more blood on floor and our white bedlinen. It's not even as though ours are fighting back they are all running away injuries :(
Left DH with DD to do homework last night and returned hours later to much muttering from DH about DD and her Lisa Simpson attitude to homework :) Now have to work out how to get seemingly full-scale model of solar system made from football, Fymo, pipe-cleaners and wire into school tomorrow without it either breaking or taking someone's eye out enroute
Luckily DS is happy with a few lines and a drawing.

Struggling to stay awake today as had disturbed night - reading at school later could be interesting.
Ta Da:

• All up and out
• Washing on/S&S/washing up done
• Some work

Still to do:

• More work
• Hoover downstairs and stairs
• Look at mission
• Tea sorted as Beavers and Brownies tonight so needs to be on table at 4.45!!

Need a drink first........

I have the lergy, was sick in the night and feel like absolute poo today, dp is home so I think he's going to spend the day looking after me bless him.

Hope you feel better soon Gossip

Last night DH and I packed up two boxes (DVDs and CDs) and we have a bag of his crap films and PS2 games to donate to charity shop.

Tonight I need his to get the boxes for my ornaments out of the loft. They are my precious Disney Lenox ones (subtle colours) that I saved and bought from WDW, nigh on impossible to buy here so not one single break will be tolerated

Evening all. Cream crackered and in a grump. Just the usual. Hwk struggles. Having to listen to dd's recorder exercises X 50 and pretend to be still as enthusiastic at rendition 49 as at rendition no. 1 [heartless mother emoticon] and no more art until after the half term holidays. Now have no excuse but to turn my hand to housework (oh joy) Need kick up proverbial please ....

Sorry you are feeling so ill Gossip here's to a speedy recovery.

Well done with continued decluttering Shifty

Your cats obviously lead a very exciting night-life Feetheart

Swan hope you survived your day. If it's any consolation, house in deteriorating state here too. Have some vague hope of trying to put it to rights during half term holidays next week - and then I remember that I say this to myself every holiday and in reality manage to get very little done. Sorry but had to at your dd's initiative

Perfect riding weather this afternoon Lauren

Was going to post links and crash but there seems to be something wrong with Flylady site so may be back later tonight - if not, early tomorrow morning.

Mahoosive waves to everyone I've missed!

That was the first bit of decluttering we've done

And surely you LOVE to hear the soulful sound of a recorder sc, that's what you meant wasn't it?

Trying again to see if Flylady site has unknotted itself ...

Baby-step no. 24 for Wed 24 Oct is here

This week, we are in Zone 4: the master bedroom here [SC cackles hysterically]

Try and declutter for 15 mins per day in this zone. Once decluttered, you can go on to detailed cleaning here [more hysterical unbelieving laughter]

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

Wednesday's mission is here cleaning bed-side tables (and washing your best bed linen for Friday apparently)

The daily focus for Wednesday is : here do that horrible job or errand you have been putting off

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

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

Keep going everyone! [SC dives for naughty corner cushions] Hypocritical or what?!! .....

You are not meant to tell me that Shifty!! Sorry - was getting you confused with Sowornout for a moment!! Well done for "getting rid" anyway!

Oh and "soulful" in this instance = choleric donkey crossed with suicidal owl

Lol lol lol

A "friend" bought my DS a recorder for his 2nd birthday

I bought her twins (same age as my DS) guitars, each, for their 3rd birthday

Payback is fun

Shifty

guitars far too gentle and mellifluous... think it has to be drums for Christmas to complete full revenge criteria

at shifty and sc!

Before DD when I was childless I bought my friends DD a drum kit she texted me last week to let me know that revenge is hers and my DD is receiving drums this year

A recorder is nothing - we have a violin coming home on Friday!!!!

Tiny TaDa list today

• D/W emptied
• Load of towels washed and hung to dry
• Fridge emptied of soft veggies
• Recycling out
• Quick shop for tea tonight - but went out with DH for a meal whilst DD at Brownies instead

Decided I couldn't be bothered with DH's ironing so I will have to tackle that tomorrow

sc.... They were the electronic guitars from ELC.... The demo tune is like soft rock

And it doesn't have a volume button

Shifty -

dizzy -
DS says he wants to learn drums or violin (aka vile din) when he is in Yr4 - we have less than 2 years to persuade him otherwise. Thankfully DD chose acoustic guitar which is very hard to play badly :)

I have completed most of my list which must be a first. However I am going to ruin it by going to bed without doing the dishes. I will regret it in the morning but I need my bed.

Night night.

Shifty - that sounds truly evil!
Dizzy - every sympathy re violins.

I've done no flying today as I've been in London again. Not as useful an event as I'd hoped but still enjoyable and I managed a trip to Foyles. Fortunately I didn't stay long enough to completely bankrupt ourselves, but still bought a bagful of German books. It's an investment. And a business expense.

Tomorrow is house bleugh day here though, so there may be some mention of flying after that...

my kitchen is tidy!

Dh is out celebrating with his friends from work, sad to say goodbye...

done
dd piano lesson/netball
food shop and made the chicken pie from my menu plan at least
three kids to bed
researched Chaucer quiz (amazing these South Park versions of Chaucer ) for ds1
all moderately calm
kitchen bin
recycling
food compost
washing sorted out into teetering piles (entirely given up on ironing last two weeks and no cleaning lady this week as I had to cancel her because of clash with voluntary work and sheer scale of mess[I really find having a cleaning lady a strain, it is soo ridiculous, it always seems to clash with something and I hate leaving her in a filthy house)

but my poor SIL has had to take her newborn to hospital again, as he may have a respiratory infection, so that is a bit of a blow for them...and everythign seemed to be going so nicely So no baby cuddles today Feet Luckily they still have her MIL there, such a blessing, as my mum is not available.

Oh yes, and dropped off two secondary SIF forms, that took all afternoon. I am reconsidering dd's first choice as it is such a journey.

Anyone think journey matters in the long term scheme of things...is it better to go to less good school close by or school of choice two buses away...Oh dear. I think when she is older, the journey won't matter so much, so it is difficult to plan for the long view.

Morning all!

I hope SIL baby gets better very soon swan

Just a quick to do, DD is asleep in my bed as I refused to get up at 6:40am so pulled her into my bed with me

Clean bathroom
Walk dogs
DD and mindee to rhyme time
School run
Yesterday's mission
Today's mission
Routines
Kitchen floor- must do this!!
School run
Paper work- newsletters and November planning

BBL!

Oh dear....so much to do.
The house is a tip. The sink is piled with dishes. I'm tired.

Priority - get myself out to work!
Will check in again later with a To-Do list and actually try to do it!

Good morning ladies, sympathies to those of you with musical instruments, ds1 once brought home a recorder, luckily only for 2 weeks, and owns a guitar (which he rarely plays or takes to guitar club..) but that is enough...

Well I'm feeling much better today, so I will be starting the flying fairly early, the landing needs sorting, as does every room apart from the kids room to be fair. So i shall be seeing you all later with a list dump of some sort :)

Morning all, just sneezing swooping in to say hi. Haven't caught up yet. have rotten cold and so does DS so I'm home from school and he's not at nursery. Curling up on the sofa with some chocolate milk, a bucketload of kleenex and not planning on doing much today (though I have still rebooted my laundry and may have to do the washign up later, Flylady would be proud [hwink] )

Although I subjected my friend to 2 loud volume control-less electronic guitars, they were soooo popular with her twins that I bought one for DS myself
He loves it, and I love it tolerate it, knowing it makes him happy

An eventful morning

alarm clock died, so half past six turned out to be 7.45! eek! so had to drive ds1 to school, dh nursing hangover and not on alarm duty at all....

and Dh therefore was not pleased when I rushed into the house at 8.35 screeching that car had died in the middle of the main road, and he needed to help me push it up the hill 500 m away!!! He was still in his pjs, and by the time he was dressed, and out of house, car had miraculously revived. Phew. That has never happened to me before, car expiring in a mainstream of traffic and having to use gravity to get me into a side road... Will have to investigate battery [later]

Then we realised ds2's clean trousers were still in the washer as I had not dried them Cue search for 2nd pair of trousers which turned out to be in the wrong place...the perils of ironing things...

Then meeting at primary school to discuss how to increase Ds2's chances of getting into local school which is not Catholic but has v good SEN dept. They said definitely go for it, with supporting evidence, it was the best solution. Feel a bit ambivalent, as I am fond of ds1's school and thought he would do well there, find it interesting.
So, more decisions.

Cat has just been sick on the carpet - too much food I reckon.

And DB's baby is a bit better! Not broncheolitis, thank goodness.