Fledglings Remember to FLY through November...

[BlueEyeshadow]

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 wine 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 Flying lessons. Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings. Don't be put off by the barf-tastic language of the site - the underlying system is sound (and you may discover a few of our subversions of the vocabularly along the way).

Many thanks to SC for leading the thread through October (and for such a good OP, which I've blatantly cut and pasted) - - and I'll post the first babysteps and mission tomorrow evening.

All welcome!!

Morning all

Gossip - good luck today, fingers crossed for you.

SC - my weight is heading in the wrong direction at the moment too, just contemplating a few changes,

DH took DS (who is a Cub) to Remembrance Parade yesterday, it was a lovely sunny day, DS didn't really want to go but we had a giid chat about why it was important. DD, who really doesn't get it yet and I watched the Cenotaph one on TV. Spent the afternoon watching more TV and doing homework. We have just acquired a new sofa that is big enough for all 4 of us to snuggle on which is fabulous, we had a small two seater before.

Flying wise, not much at the weekend, DH was out all day and eve Sat, yesterday he did two tip runs (old sofa and armchair), some gardening and the week's washing. He has done thorough hoovering before work this morning. I am planning a deep clean of the bathroom and a sort out ofvthe DCs wardrobes today.

I'm back at work tomorrow (gulp)

Ohhhh I forgot to say about shopping with DD and date! It went very well he's got his own little girl and while studying worked in a large soft play for years (ive known him since school) so I already knew he was good with children. DD adored him but she seems to love anyone male she will abandon me for another child's dad at any opportunity! was nice though to do normal things

Weekend 'ta da': decluttered my wardrobe and am, this morning, taking old clothes to the charity shop. I am decluttering most of my old clothes - including dresses that I will never fit in again and would look like mutton dressed up as lamb if I tried .

Second weekend 'ta da': tackled the ironing - mountains of it! - and hung clean, ironed clothes up in respective wardrobes. I still still have laundry bins full of dirty washing, but at least I'm making progress.

Have a very busy week ahead (preparations for DS2's birthday, cake making, going up to London to collect DM after an op and bring her home to convalesce with us, plus home ed), so I don't suppose I'll get a lot of time to visit MN .

Castle - congratulations! That's lovely news .

WhoKnows - good luck going back to work.

Gossip - as someone who still can't drive, I am full of respect. I hope you have great news for us later.

Swan - how is DH's new business venture going so far?

SC - hope dr can reassure you about your DD and that she feels better soon.

Blue - well done on weight loss (in good time for Christmas too) .

Got to get started on tasks now. First - put rubbish out; then into town with DS1 to pay deposit on hired room for DS2's party. And then home ed.

House is a mess and somehow have to crisis clean before DM arrives Thursday. She keeps commenting on our untidy garden, but I simply don't have the time to tackle that too . Wish I could throw the garden into a cupboard with all our other clutter.

Waves to Engels, dizzy, lauren, PA, Just and everyone else...

Busy extended family visiting weekend over, woken at 5 by vomiting baby.

Today is looking like it will consist wholly of getting tiny bits of bm into baby and washing sheets. Very glad we have a drier now, and that I'm on top of things like a clean bathroom/laundry because I really need them today.

All plans on hold - currently watching Cbeebies with poorly DS2. Called to collect him early from pre-school and arrived to find him asleep on a cushion while everyone else was doing singing. Aww! Feeling really guilty for losing my temper with him this morning now ther's an explanation for the whinginess. :(

I failed my test :( nearly ran over a pedestrian, I think ill have a renew your spirit day today :(

Snap re poorly DS Blue. Had to pick mine up at from school at 10am - poor little thing was all shivery and just fell sobbing into my arms :( Curled up on sofa together to watch rest of Strictly which he had missed as he was at Beavers camp at w/e and now he and boycat are asleep together.
Need to rethink next few days and DH will have to go to neighbour's funeral on his own tomorrow.

I think little and often will be the way to go. Starting with work invoices whilst he is asleep.
Will return to catch up when I've done those.

Took long to post as DS woke up so x-post Gossip. So sorry about your test, definitely need to renew your spirit - is there chocolate in the house?

yes, lots of it, I have been eating so much of it too calm my nerves, that my face has a resemblance of pizza now, and I'm scared that if I eat any more it might actually explode. Ok major exaggeration, but I have got a few spots due to eating four snickers bars a night.

Sorry, I can't scroll, so can only see the last message. Sorry about the test Gossip Enjoy your renew your spirit day and I am sure that today that could be a renew your spirit glass day!!

Hope DS feels better soon Blue.

Waves to SC, Toffee, feetheart, Ellie, Whoknows, lauren, Mrs hoarder........oh my goodness, just huge flaps to everyone!!!

Cleaner coming again tomorrow. I have asked a friend to get the list done out in Khmer for her, but it has not arrived yet, so I am not holding out much hope that tomorrow will be any good. DH is getting very cross that we are wasting our money. I think I will give her one chance when she has the list written in her own language and after that I will have to let her go. It is all causing far too much stress and it was all supposed to be making my life easier!!!!

done
fruitful hike to buy new hoover (4th one in 2 years...we now have three which work...but only one that really works)
and the real reason for hike, loads of new school skirts and tunics for dd, who is reduced to one pair of too short skinny school trousers..

cleaning lady has been so kitchen nice and tidy

what's for dinner? turn some of Sat meat sauce into a lasagne or shepherd's pie

Toffee today Dh and I had a row!!! that's all I can say!

from tomorrow I'm on niece duty, so today I have been investigating local playgroup [warm fuzzy feeling on returning there] and feeling quite upbeat about it all. If I can look after a bouncy dog, I can look after a two year old, surely ? Stil, it is alarming how you forget what toddlers are like.

todo
I can't put it off any longer, I will have to tidy my bedroom. Which is a horror.

4pm tea break. Dd a bit perkier - asked for lunch which is good sign - and lots of games of battle ships played and much of James and the Giant Peach read. Not much Flying done ...

Blue Feetheart MrsHoarder. Oh no - lots of us seem to have poorly dcs at the moment - tis the season I suppose - hope they all recover speedily!!

Toffee am v. v. impressed by your weekend wardrobe decluttering and with your laundry blitz. (Should be sorting wardrobes myself - am hanging on to 'thin' clothes that I will probably never fit in to again but can't quite bring myself to make the break yet.) Good luck with crisis clean and your demanding week ahead.

Oh no Gossip sorry about test and wishing you better luck next time! (I only passed third time if it's any consolation - couldn't reverse around a corner for toffee - still can't actually) Very very impressed by your ability to eat four Snickers in a row though Now that's a skill not many people can lay claim to !!!

Engels must adopt "power hour" philosophy!! Actually, a power 5 mins would be better than nothing ... Good luck with marking.

lauren your bloke sounds lovely

PA arf at dd3 and the mini-roundabout!! Hope cleaner works out ok!

Swan you are a fab aunt and very brave to have cleaner come on Mondays!! (Our house is always destroyed over the weekends for some reason.) Thanks for shoe box present reminder btw! Must start the annual campaign.

Whoknows v. understandable if you have put on a little weight whilst undergoing enforced post-op rest. I have no such excuses Gosh - can't believe you are going back to work already. That went v. quickly. Do you feel ready for it?

Dizzy¨well done to your dd for braving the cold at the memorial parade

Another game of battle ships is calling ....

Oh could my day get from bad to worse, well actually yes it can, a friend of mines father died this morning who was also good friends with my grandmother, so instead of taking money out of one of my accounts and doing a weeks worth of shopping I was consoling her, so I just got supplies in for tonight instead, cue the school run and a mardy ds2 who would have snapped out of it within a few minutes if ds1 didn't wind him up but no, ds1 just couldn't help himself, and then ds1 got cruel to him, so I let ds2 go to a friends for tea, now ds1 is having a meltdown and to be honest I really dont want to deal with him right now. bring on bedtime!!

Oh dear, Gossip, that does sound like a lousy day. Is it too early for this

Swan - sounds as if you and DH are still adjusting to being in the same house all day. The thing I hated when DH was here all the time was that he started to make comments about what I did all day. I ended up feeling guilty about ever daring to sit down for a cup of tea or a peek at MN.

SC - I can thoroughly recommend the wardrobe declutter. It gave me that lovely decluttering 'light' feeling. The only problem is that I completely forgot to take the clothes to the charity shop this morning, so they are still upstairs in a big bag, taking up room.

Sorry for those of you with poorly DC. Hope they all get better soon.

Have managed most of my tasks today and am about to tackle some more ironing as I'm determined to get through as much as possible.

A question for cake makers: do you think that, instead of making a sponge cake , I could just buy one and then re-ice it to my DS2's specifications (Minecraft creeper cake)? It would be one less thing to worry about on my list this week, but I'm not sure it would work. Am wondering if it's possible to ice over icing?

today's dones update

bedroom tidied
washing done x 4
ironing put away
changed ds1's sheets and washed
scrubbed ensuite loo and basin
decluttered ds2's football clothes drawer
cooked supper and washed up
two sons to football and back
ds1 lots of violin
dd lots of homework, although we just put ???? for all the Maths
still worrying about tomorrow and toddler upkeep /clash with my homelife
sink shiny
dw on
washer on
Sunday tablecloth washed
food compost out

Toffee an all in one Victoria sponge is so easy, and even if made with marge nicer than shop cakes. You can make it now and freeze it and defrost it for icing purposes later. I agree that cooking one nearer party can be final straw. I would buy the other food stuffs and make the cake...I think kids eat very little at parties except sausages and crisps but savour the cake at home..

Hugs to you Gossip over horrible driving ordeals (at least you nearly ran over pedestrian pre-licence, I've done it post licence, I can tell you that is a good deal worse and annoying siblings. You are kind to look after your friend.

Swan - I ordered the ingredients in the end, so I have to make the cake now . I hope it's easy and nicer than shop cakes. DS1 can help me tomorrow. If I ice it on Wednesday, it should last till the party on Saturday. I am panicking about having to crisis clean the house, wrap presents, home ed DS1, etc etc before collecting Mum on Thursday, so the thought of making a cake as well was too much for me, but I'll have to do it now. I am just doing party boxes with snacks in for the party, so I can do most of the work before the party, not during.

Your day looked absolutely packed with toing and froing, Swan. I'm very impressed that you managed to shine your sink at the end of all that.

or should that beto-ing and fro-ing?

And now I've missed a space. I give up.

Late again. Big waves and quick links:

Babystep 13 is to do a mission.

Mission

Way behind on thread, will try and catch up today - but just to check in - I didn't manage clothes the night before last week, but spent the whole weekend gently pottering towards the point where I would have enough clean clothes together in predictable places to be able to do it - managed it Sunday night, hurray!

This was a good thing, since dp started what seemed to be a tummy bug on Saturday and by Monday was in proper agony. I spent yesterday morning somehow getting him in to GPs and he is now on ulcer medication . That very simple thing of clothes-out-the-night-before meant that I could still get the kids off to school smoothly and without stress and get me ready without having to think about it. This is the most key babystep for me, and the one I resist the most - feel free to remind me of this when necessary!

Hello everyone, I've just discovered Flylady, and then noticed this thread in Active Conversations, so it must be fate!

I'm abroad at the moment for work, so can't start anything yet, but just wanted to say hello and ask if I can join in with you all (everyone seems to know everyone else, so I'm feeling a bit like the new girl at school!).

Morning all! I was sure I came back last night but maybe not ill post yesterday's ta da and today's to do!

Welcome to the thread termtime!

Ta da yesterday:
Home bleugh
DD laundry and away
My laundry and away
Tidied playroom
Car MOT
Accepted delivery of summer house pieces
Dogs walked
Guinea pigs cleaned out
School run
Routines
Friend round for catch up!

To do today:
DD and mindee to baby gymnastics
DD to CM
Horse afternoon
Guinea pigs to vets
Walk dogs as much as possible
Routines
Clean bathroom
Wash bath mat
See what mission is

BBL!

Hi New girl at school aka Ilovetermtime ! Would you like to come and play with us? We won't bite and have only got to "know" each other on here because we are all crap at doing what we should be doing and would rather chat and make friends all day!

Oh my goodness, I have been bad. I am feeling so guilty all round!! ..... DD4 appeared this morning with a panicked look on her face and said that her toilet had a problem, well it certainly did!!! By the time we could stop the water we were over ankle deep in poop!! (Dh and I then had a row about whose job it was to clean up ankle deep poop!!) Bloody cleaner was due in half an hour, so when she arrived I tried to explain to her that we had a problem and she should not go in there and we would get the landlady to sort it when we got back from lessons. Also gave cleaner more instructions and off we went. I arrived home before DH as he went on to work. Cleaner had not done half of the stuff I had asked her to do, but when I went into investigate whether we were now thigh deep in poop it was all immaculate and perfectly clean. Bless her!!! I fear that she had miss understood again and had thought I told her to clean the problem!! I then realised that if DH came home and saw what she had NOT done he was very likely to sack her, so I spent a crazy hour cleaning and scrubbing and doing everything. DH is most impressed and has said we can now keep her!!! Now I feel I am going to have to get home before him each time she has been and spend an hour doing her job!!! This is madness. But we are poop-less, so that is good. My head is in a spin. I think I might have just dug myself a big hole!!! I did text her son and say a big thank you and explain that I had not expected her to do that. She must have thought we were living like pigs!!! Oh the shame.

Just off to cook tea now. I will try and catch up a bit more with you all later. Apologies for lack of personal. I know, I am just crap at keeping up with you all at the moment.

Morning all, welcome to Termtime - just join in with the chat, we have a real mixture on this thread, some have been here a long time, some are new, some come and go, all are definitely welcome. Also, ask if you don't understand anything about the Flylady stuff, there are a lot of acronyms and strange terms for things.

I've just got back from the school run and am having a quick rest before heading to work. I have told them I will probably not be doing my normal full hours for the first two or three weeks, so I will probably be home by lunchtime.