Making a New start, Stepping into the New year

[BlackCatinChristmasChaos]

Hi all, After a pretty rough ride last year (2012) I think I feel ready to start again with babysteps
So who's with me for the journey?

Old and new steppers are welcome!

Lets do this one small step at a time!

BlackCat - I've managed to do 2 hours work and a 20 minute job re-potting 2 plants! I'm off to have a bit of tea and then do a 15 minute blitz on the living room before doing some more work. Feeling tired!!

yay eveyone sounds like you are doing brilliantly!!
arti once you got going you were on fire!! well done you

it was a joy to get up to a shiny kitchen
dishwasher done
washing machine done
bathrooms cleaned except for floors
another bag of paperwork sorted

Boys haircuts done (YAY!!!)
both boys in bed and asleep
DH making bread
me munching dinner

chaos tbh I have found meal planning the most straightforward of my tasks.
I start with looking online at what deals the supermarket have on, Sainsbo's is particularly good with recipes for ingredients

I allow cassarole/chilli/bolognaise to have 2 meals 1 main and one lunch
anyroad if you want a planner to start from I have one I can email you (someone here mailed it to me a few years ago)

Thanks NKUnderstood!

Just as I started my 15 minute living room blitz my DM phoned to tell me what a difficult day she had had and how she felt unsupported! Now she is living with my very disabled DF and it is a stress but he has a live-in carer. I guess she was just feeling a bit low and several things had gone wrong today (nothing disastrous) and I think she's probably quite tired but it makes me cross sometimes because I live over 140 miles away and there's not a lot I can do practically and I was only just with them last week!!

It s hard when I have difficult days too. I don't tell her about them because she'd stress about it and also whatever I said, her day would have been worse!! I have sympathy for her situation, but I can't manage any more than I am doing!

OK -rant over!

I did manage to put away some Christmas decs etc from the living room and sort out a whole load of catalogues and magazines and put them in the recycling.

I'm going to make another cup of tea and do another hours work (have to have lessons planned before tomorrow morning!)

NK understood - does your meal planner actually have recipes or is it a blank one for writing in. (I'm interested in recipes already planned out so I don't have to think!!)

it makes me cross sometimes because I live over 140 miles away and there's not a lot I can do practically and I was only just with them last week!!

Arti it is hideously painful to hear that someone we love is suffering and feel powerless to help but maybe she just wanted a whinge.

Come on here when you need to offload if only flylady gave advice on how to deal with relatives!

HellesBelles !
"Hi DM; you've got 15 minutes to winge but when the timer goes off I have to get onto the next job!"

feeling in control of the house at the minute!!! but the food always causes me problems.

Dh works shifts (days then backs weekly) so I need a fortnightly plan to work around his shifts and the after school clubs that 3 of our 4 children do. The thought of doing it makes me feel dizzy.

Yet I know that when it is done everything will slot into place

arti . good plan

ooog (hope I got he right number of I'd can't see originals on my phone! the school I work at has a fortnightly timetable. If the slt can do it for 2300 kids and 150 staff, an mn-er can defo do it for 1 family!

I went out this morning, to the big town in Parents'-in-Law-shire. Had nearly two hours out (could have stayed out longer but had the car seat and MrScout wanted to take SmallBoy out) alone -- Bliss! Bought some presents for 2013, a couple of things for me and had a drink. Honestly it was bliss.

Besides the usual dress/feed/water SmallBoy and me I have also:

Gone to big town in Parents'-in-Law-shire
Ran errands in Parents'-in-Law-shire
started packing up presents
started packing up clothes
emails
tided up bedside table (where we keep SB's books) and cleared out ones he doesn't read any more
wrapped niece's birthday present
updated presents spreadsheet
worked on to do lists for when we get home
menu planned/grocery list

Am now watching Spooks and surfing the web.

scout? presents spreadsheet? what is it? how does it work?

I've just started due to being at my parents house for NY. Washing, ironing & nearly all put away. Off to shine my sink, then bed. Night all

hells - you have given me an idea, the school have a 4 week meal planner, off to use that as inspiration!!!!! - my children have packed lunches

Feeling grumpy and not caring about 2 unwashed glasses or putting the rubbish out or getting put a clean tea-towel and dish cloth.

oooggs hurrah! you're halfway there - it'such easier to strt fron something rather than nothing.

HellesBelles, the presents spreadsheet is something I created years ago. I have a tab for every holiday -- Christmas, Birthday, Easter (as a family we exchange eggs), miscellaneous (for Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc). On each sheet I have cells listing each person/family member, rows by family unit (for example, my SiL, her husband and their children are listed in a line but each with their own cell).

I also keep a list of presents I want to make and when I need to make them (for example, to give chutney I need to make it in advance to let it mature). One of the presents we give my Mom is a stack of puzzle books you can't get in the US that she loves, so I list (on a separate tab) which ones I get as I get them so I don't duplicate. I also have a list/tab of all of the Brio sets and specialty items SmallBoy has, which ones we have "in reserve" (as in, already bought but not given) and when we've given them/are going to give them.

Gift ideas (as in, things we know we're going to give but have not yet bought) are in italics. Presents to be made by SmallBoy in blue bold. Edible presents to be made typed in red bold. I make Christmas cake/puddings/mincemeat in September/October time because we're away a large portion of November (and if we're not we're getting ready to go away or suffering jet lag from return). Things that need minimum 4-6 weeks to mature I make in October due to being away.

Oh my word, scout, you don't need flylady - you ARE flylady!

and at scout's present organisation!

I thought I was good having Amazon wish lists for me, each of the DD's and a private wish list for xmas present ideas for other people, which I mostly ignore for 10 months of the year.

I ordered a whole room full of (sale) bedroom furniture for DD1(4) yesterday which should arrive tomorrow, so will probably be spending most of the weekend building flatpack

DD1 and I had a really good tidy-up this afternoon & she vacuumed up the mess she made in the living room - ok, so I had to re-do it, but I was very pleased that she happily attempted to do the whole room, so then we made some cakes

I have a veggie meal plan for the whole of 2012 if anyone's interested?!!

Oh yes, I have Amazon lists, too. A .com and a .co.uk set. The US ones are for me and one for SmallBoy. Actually, SB has two US ones a toys one and a books one and I have two one for things I like and one of books for teaching. My UK lists are more extensive two for SB (same two as above), my two (same as above), a gifts idea list (ideas so not on the spreadsheet until we decide that's what we're getting) and a supplies list (if I'm making things or thinking about making things I use amazon as a base price to do costings).

I try not to put what's on the SB's US list onto the UK list to avoid duplication. The US list is generally smaller/lighter weight items because they will inevitably either need to be shipped in a package or brought home in our suitcase. My US one is mostly Snoopy things and DVDs of series that haven't necessarily made it over here (or that can be a lot cheaper to buy in the US). My teaching books list is generally bigger in the US because there a lot more curriculum options in the US.

I am impressed by how organised some of you are! As you may of guessed from my nn I tend to be quite unorganised and leave things till last minute.

We are having trouble getting DD to go to sleep lately and she has gone back to waking me at least once a night. (she is 4) She is still awake now But hopefully in bed.

babystep 5

Deep down I am organized but I live with a hoarder in a matchbox of a house. Hence the FlyLady for me. I am a maker of lists. I like them. I like being able to tick things off of a list as I do it. Hence the very detailed lists I often have of every little thing. It keeps me on track and makes me happy. However, most days I have a couple of things that haven't been done. They don't bother me and just get carried over to the next day. Life's like that sometimes.

Sorry to hear about your DD's sleep going wonky cats - the same thing has just happened to a friend of mine - any idea what is causing it? fx it is just a temporary thing.

DD2(1.9) has slept through for 4 nights on the trot now - this is a record since last August when her sleeping got broken by teeth. I also had my thyroid meds increased a few days ago (low thyroid makes me v.tired) so am feeling decidely perky today compared to the last few months!

How is the decluttering going scout? Slow & steady?

Babystep 5? Meh. I don't have time to listen to any negative voices

bessie, proper decluttering/flying went to pot in October when we came down to Parents-in-Law-Shire for SB's birthday (we stayed for the week MrScout was in California). We were then home for a week before flying out to the US for nearly three weeks. MrScout then went to DC for work for a few days. He was home for two weeks when we came down for Christmas. We're here until Monday morning. For me proper FlyLady flying starts again on Tuesday.

Today I was out almost all day with DDs, running errands then clothes shopping, then grocery shopping, so not much has been done here at all. Dinner was mega late and I still need to 'fridge the bolognaise because I'm just too tired to freeze it sensibly. Had a productive day overall, but it's left me too tired to get myself in gear. Will try to catch up again tomorrow. Dustbin won't be going out in the morning, there's hardly anything in it anyway.

BlackCat I feel the same! I am very disorganised too, and tend to put things on the long finger. I look at things around the house and say "oh i must do that tomorrow" and i dont, meaning it gets worse and worse! The ladies here are very organised!

I feel like i'm doing well. I havent made many changes really, but I have kept up with the ones I have. My sink is shiney, my laundry is put away once its dry and not left on the floor in the drier. I've started to put away the toys twice a day, so it never really gets the chance to take over the whole room!

Today I have done my 15 mins in the dining room and i also cleared out one of my kitchen cupboards. Kids are off to my parents for a "sleepover" tonight, I am SOOOOO excited! Too broke to go out, but will have a takeaway and a few drinks.
Have the kids clothes ironed and ready to go!

BlackCat ds2 is the same. He's never slept though. He's 4 and plays in his room from 7.30 until 9.30/10.00 most nights. He then wakes between 2 and 4 times a night. We have tried everything and I'm resigned to the fact that one day he'll be too embarrassed to want to come in anymore. He just doesn't seem to need the sleep.

Yesterday was busy as we had a lunch for my niece and after I had to take ds1 to collect some stuff from his dad's as he's decided he doesn't need his toxic dad in his life anymore. That was not a fun afternoon.

All I managed was to get dressed, wash up and shine the sink. Today is already better. I've tidied up the younger dcs' bedrooms with their help, loaded the DW and got dressed.

Still to do, Hoover upstairs, 15minutes in my dining room, go shoe shopping for ds2, take dd to a party, dinner, shine sink.

I too am amazed at how organised some of you are. I dream of bring like that but just the thought depresses me. I don't know why.

Sorry for the massive post.