There will be no soot in the Fledglings sacks as they FLY through December and into the New Year

[laurenamium]

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 blue for leading the thread through November (and sc for such a good OP, which has been cut and pasted twice!) and I'll post the first babysteps and mission tomorrow evening.

All welcome!!

[laurenamium]

Tomorrow is the first of the month so the first babystep is to shine our sinks . I swear by this as one to definitely do, as clean definitely spreads!

It's Saturday tomorrow so there are no missions, but it is Family Fun Day .

For tomorrow and Sunday we are in zone 1 which is the front porch. For those who are up to detailed cleaning and fancy a spot of weekend cleaning, the detailed cleaning lists are here

**

[laurenamium]

I should have added, for the newbies- don't be scared off by the detailed cleaning lists, many of us never make it to these but I find they are handy to have to dip into if the mission of the day doesn't apply to me.

The fat fairy recommends that new flyers concentrate on babysteps first so they become routine and second nature, so don't feel overwhelmed by all of the links!

[laurenamium]

Wow lists already nicknacks very organised! Have a fantastic night out tomorrow night, I'm out too so we can be hungover together on Friday

Off to get my nails done now BB tomorrow!

[laurenamium]

Argh just read my last message. We can be hungover together on sunday

[dizzyday07]

Checking in for December.

Kirk - I didn't get the shining sink thing at first and what it means to me is(trying) to make sure I tidy up the kitchen/wash the pots before bed instead of leaving them steeping in the sink overnight.

As it was DH's birthday last Wednesday and he was away in London, I think we are going to try and do something "en-famille" over the weekend. {Please forgive me if I've written the wrong thing in French - languages aren't my strong point }

[BitchyDragons]

Right is a crazy day here:
wrap christmas presents ready for delivery
print out maps for where heading
finish making present (yay I know )
pick up the presents that I missed. - there is one good thing 90% of my shopping will be done and delievered by the end of today! So I can spend december relaxing.
Road trip, good food and hopefully good conversation and not being puked on again by 2mth old!

Doesn't seem alot but need to leave in around an hour for the road trip... Coffee, shower and moving it is going to HAVE to be. would much rather close my eyes and go back to sleep as ds is still sleeping

[laurenamium]

Have a fantastic day and safe road trip bitchy

Waves to dizzy and anyone else around!

Just a quick list dump, have lots to do today, most of it isn't flying though

To do:
Walk dogs
DD laundry- in progress
Put clean bath mats down
DD laundry away
Pack DD overnight bag
Bath small dog ready for his sleepover
DD to Christmas crafts event to mark first day of advent

If it looks like I might have time...
Move cabinet and Hoover and clean skirting boards behind
Take down picture
Put up tree

BB this afternoon with list updates and tomorrows links!

[BitchyDragons]

Our tree went up yesterday Lauren. Looking forward to taking it down again. bloody thing is in the way Ds has already rearranged the decorations several times.

[IWipeArses]

Morning!

• laundry - whites, nappies, one more
  
• try and keep DD chilled while I attack the kitchen! sink, pots, counters, stovetop, table, floor
  
• put clean washing away
  
• bathroom cleaning progress
  
• Zone 1 decluttering, tidying and cleaning (ie. stare despondently at paperwork, sweep floor )
  
• Christmas tree
  
• Shine sink
  
• Don't go to bed unless kitchen floor is mopped.

[Purpletoes]

Morning. Thank you for all the welcomes. I didn't manage to do my sink yesterday as had dentist and a crabby baby but today is the day.

DS can spend quality time with dp!

Also on list for today.

1 load of washing
Put away clean laundry
Batch cook a lasagne for freezer.
Wash the kitchen and dining room floors
Declutter my wardrobe
read up more on fly lady
Think that will do for the day

Leaves ? and pancakes for all

[Kirk1]

Morning! Oh joy, it's a nappy washing day what possessed me to use cloth nappies? Is it acceptable to force older dc to do the 15 mins decluttering? It's mostly their mess in this area anyway....

Washing: nappies, uniform, underwear.
Clear kitchen floor. Don't think shine sink is a real possibility today unless I don't cook. My inability to keep the sink clear for more than two days was why I gave up this time last year. (I do get why shine sink, it was the lace-up shoes I didn't get. I just can't seem to achieve shine sink)

[IWipeArses]

I honestly think the shiny sink is very achievable for those with dishwashers only. There's always a dirty dish here.
Same as getting a whole load washed, dried and put away - if you have a dryer.
Both are totally normal in the USA, not a luxury like here.
If we're moving towards better efficiency and cleanliness we're doing it right.

[MercuryRising]

Morning! I completely agree IWipeArses (brilliant name by the way) its almost impossible to get a load done and put away at this time of year - washing hangs around for days in the Mercury residence and I bloody hate it!

Ive only just woken up after working a night shift so haven't done anything or got as far as lists but if I manage the morning routine today I will be ecstatic as its more than I have managed for weeks On a positive note the sun is shining - have a great day ladies

[laurenamium]

I must admit I have adapted my sink shining to suit the way I work, I don't bleach etc everyday, only once a week. But I took it to mean just to wash up and put away dishes, clean out the gunk out of the plug etc every day. I don't have a dishwasher but wash up 2 or 3 times a day, there is only me, DD and assorted mindees though and we all eat together so I get chance to wash up whilst they are finishing their meals.

I do have a tumble dryer though and I love it

I think everyone adapts the baby steps to suit their house and find a way that works for them

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

You can shine your sink once a day and then refill it throughout the day, that's what i do. We have a DW, but there are always a few bits that need hand washing, lunchboxes (they warp in the DW), water bottles ditto, though I do put the caps in the DW. I don't wash up as I go because our hot tank is a long way from the kitchen and takes several mins to run hot to the tap, so it all gets popped in the washing up bowl in the sink, done in the evening and left to dry on the drainer, then in the morning put away, shine sink and start again. We have a little sink in the middle so use that for any rinsing, handwashing etc during the day while the main bowl is being filled, it's easy enough to lift out the bowl if you need the main sink for something. The shining bit does get missed out when I am being slack, but it is definitely possible this way.

[Engelsemama]

Checking in for December.

My to do list for today is....
Enjoy MNing and lsumbering on the sofa while DS naps. Went out for sinterklaas last night and my head is not happy

That's the extent of my flying today

I agree about td ladies. We got one last year just after DS was born and now I can't imagine being without it.
We don't have a dishwasher, but Flylady is the one who's got me into a routine of doing the washing up religiously after dinner so I start with a clean kiwtchen every morning most of the time

[castlelough]

Morning all, and welcome to all the new fledglings! I've been flapping since May, but have been spending increasing amounts of time in the naughty corner, so am hoping for an improvement this month.

Aiming low to start with today:

Morning routine
Call to see dMil
Grocery shop/errands
Bake bread for school cake sale
Dinner
Cake Sale
Relaxing evening
Before Bed Routine

Wasn't feeling well last night so have stayed in bed, hence slow start to day and morning routine left to do

[laurenamium]

Hi just quickly flying by with the links for tomorrow!


**

Tomorrow it is babystep two: Dressing to shoes . Some fledglings do this, some don't. I just make sure I'm not in my pyjamas

It's Sunday tomorrow so there are no missions, but it is Renew your spirit day .

We are still in Zone One which is the front porch. For those who are up to detailed cleaning and fancy a spot of weekend cleaning, the detailed cleaning lists are here



Have a lovely night everyone!

[ToffeeWhirl]

Blue - I forgot to thank you for leading us on the other thread . But thank you for all your links and posts and keeping us on the Flylady path.

Woke up to a freezing house this morning: the boiler has stopped working . So there is no central heating or hot water in the Toffee household this weekend. Luckily, we now have a log-burning stove in our sitting room, so we have all huddled in there when the cold got too much in the rest of the house. That is, apart from DS1, who is able to withstand an unheated bedroom provided he has his XBox to keep him warm .

The heating engineer has form for never answering my phone calls, so we may have to put up with this for several days.

Kept warm this morning by decluttering, as DH suddenly announced he was going to the dump. This is an opportunity not to be missed, so I disappeared into the loft and hauled out a variety of unwanted toys/boxes/duvets/car seats, etc. It was very satisfying to see them all disappear. We just need to keep up the momentum.

Am going to try and keep up with the routines this month, so will shine my sink this evening before bed.

Hope you are all having a good weekend.

[Kirk1]

Well, I managed to wash the nappies but total fail on the rest maybe I should just resign myself to the fact that I'm a crap housekeeper and I'm destined to live in a shit hole for my whole life. Can't even see my sink right now so shining it isn't an option. Anyone any suggestions?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Evening all,

Well, quite a productive day here, DH is still helping out more than usual with the housework so he hoovered this morning and has done several loads of washing. I have had a decluttering session with the DCs. DH told them to tidy their room this morning and they started wailing that there was nowhere to put anything so I seized the moment and told them that if they wanted to get even more stuff for Christmas they really ought to get rid of some things now. We went right through their bookshelves and all the boardgames and jigsaws, resulting in 6 carrier bags to go to the charity shop. DS was very enthusiastic at the decluttering, DD less so, I was amazed how many books they agreed to let go.

This afternoon we took them donutting at the local dry ski slope, there is a separate slope and you go down sitting inside big rubber rings, they really enjoyed themselves and have agreed they'd like a joint birthday party there (both birthdays are fairly early after New Year so parties need to be planned before Christmas).

Heading off to bed shortly, just wanted to thank Blue for last month's thread and Lauren for taking over this month.

Toffee - hope you get the boiler fixed ASAP.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Kirk - don't despair, you did the nappies and that is better than nothing. It really is one small step at a time with Flylady, every single one of us slips back from time to time but the beauty of the system is that you can pick up again no matter how bad things get. Maybe tomorrow try and shine the sink, browse the Flylady website and take it from there.

[Kirk1]

Thanks for the encouragement. I was hoping for progress rather than continue as I am doing just about enough that family has enough to wear and eat. Slipping back is one thing but I don't seem able to get one foot on the ladder! It's totally demoralising.

[ToffeeWhirl]

kirk - it's impossible really hard to keep up with the housework when you have a small child, so please don't be downhearted. I remember how hard it was to get anything done in the house when my two were little. I confess that I came to a compromise with myself by using cloth nappies in combination with disposables, so that I had less washing.

WhoKnows - well done to you and your DC on all that decluttering.

castle - hope you are feeling better now.

No word from boiler man, as expected. However, the log/coal-burning stove is fantastic and has made our sitting-room feel very cosy.

[IWipeArses]

Morning! I got the floor mopped, so allowed myself to go to bed, but it wasn't a good one, DD had me up for 2 hours in the early hours.

Toffee, enjoy feeling cosy with your fire. Really hope the engineer gets out to you soon though.

WhoKnows, sounds very satisfying.

Kirk, washing the nappies is priority, to me getting the nappy bucket emptied is more essential than a shiny sink. Trying to be too rigid with it has defeated me for years. For instance, I will never wear shoes in the house!

Engels, that's a good to do list. I hope I can get into the routine of getting the kitchen clear after dinner. It's my Achilles heel.

Castle, hope you're feeling better.

To do -
breakfast for all
laundry - rinse and spin load that's in, put another load in, put clean washing away
bathroom cleaning
bath
out for dinner
home for tea
bedtime
shine sink
finish tesco order
do some list assessment