The Fledglings' nests will be clean in 2013!

[superfluouscurves]

(With many thanks to Jdub for title inspiration!!)

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 (although some Fledglings find the compilation e-mails helpful)! 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 vocabulary along the way).

Huge thanks to Lauren for being our incredibly reliable and organised shining star in the East and leading us throughout the very busy month of December!!

Happy New Year Fledglings!!

All welcome!!

Hello, so sorry to be late again. Hectic day - office under pressure.

Have only just stopped work (although did stop for a couple of hrs earlier in evening to do school & ballet run/hwk supervision etc and make veggie bake and Eve's pud - part of my "dd fattening up" strategy etc etc) then it was all hands back to the deck after dd went to bed.

Huge dump of snow has landed on top of previous smattering, leading to that lovely cosy "blanketed" cosy atmosphere. It's so cold that the snow has frozen in strange avant garde patterns all over the windows on one side of the house.

How have you all got on?

Sorry you have had such a testing day Silvery but glad it all ended well (and with a tidy bedroom!)

Yay Arses!!!!!!!!

Lilleth (Remember baby step no. 5 [[http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-5/ here!!) You are not rubbish - you have completed a v. respectable list! Can't help with any tips about condensation I'm afraid (apart from opening windows regularly and airing) - we have full blown wind blowing through our window frames instead

Lauren and you are not being rubbish at keeping up! You are doing your lists which is far more important! Sorry potential client messed you around.

Well done re: swimming Whoknows and glad the play date went well. Must get back on MFP myself.

[Intended to include more body clutter stuff on this thread but it was a bit too busy at the beginning of month.]

Bitchy¨glad inspiration has struck!

Aw hope your ds2 gets to go to nursery tomorrow Blue - a very important day! Good luck to you both!!

Engels great that afternoon routine proving useful and congrats on clear kitchen hot-spot. Hope tomorrow not too boring!

Thank heavens for that Goth!

Sorry you are snowed in Honu

Well done with your splendid lists Gossip Loris Goth and Snowgirl

Waves to Toffee Jdub and anyone else I've missed!

Back in a mo with today's steps!!

*

Lilleth - sorry don't know why that link didn't work trying again

OK everyone - we already half way through the month! How did that happen?

If there is anyone out there lurking who wants to start Flying, now is a good point as you can double up baby-steps (in a very non-Flylady way)

Today's baby-step no. 15, for Tues 15th Jan is add making your bed to morning routine

We are in Zone 3 this week, the bathroom and one extra room here

Try and declutter for 15 mins every day in current zone.

If your Zone is already decluttered, you can progress to detailed cleaning here

Regarding this week's missions, owing to glitch on Flylady site yesterday, I did not explain that this week we are doing missions in the bathroom + clearing up any holiday remains.

Today's mission is wiping dirty finger marks off door knobs, switch plates etc + 5 mins spent doing 5 min holiday left over room rescue in dining room

The daily focus for Tuesday is planning menus, activities, wardrobes, holidays, medical appts etc etc

And yes, the habit for January is shining that sink!

Summary of above = today's flight plan

G'night all

*

Ds2 will be 4 in a few weeks. I try not to use the word nauty because Most negative behaviour has a trigger and young children don't always possess the skills to deal with triggers appropriately but that's work me coming out. I try to visit the positive and tell them what they can do and ask them questions about what they're doing to get them to think.
For example, we get up early so they have an hour and a half to eat breakfast and get dressed. This way they have at least an hour to get dressed. When it's just me and them, every so often I will poke my head in living room and catch them running around the table naked and will say "what are you supposed to be doing? " they'll say "getting dressed" and I'll say "I'm glad you know that and I won't have to tell you off" which is enough to get them back on track (Ok I say it every ten minutes) but when dp is here he'll just whine or Yell at them to get dressed. They'll have 45 mins left, what's the point in upsetting and stressing them and yourself out? If we were in a rush I'd be firmer but we're not.
My boys are generally very good and are capable of making choices and thinking things through, with prompts. Why lose control by shouting straight off?
I do shout, but they have to have pushed me to a certain point and I'll warn them that I'm getting cross. I use the magic 3 thing but count from 5. I never get to 1.

I'm rambling and this is off topic. Sorry.
My sink is not shiny. Let's hope for a better day tomorrow.

Hi! Just popping in to say sink is still relatively shiny! Have been doing 5 min room rescue on my bedroom as well - amazing how quickly you can see a difference! Now for the rest of the house... cheeky overnight and day in hospital right now so limited flying today.

Good morning

Huge snow fall overnight and it's still snowing now, so roads are a bit dodgy.
Dh has heroically volunteered to walk dd in to school.
Freeeezzzing in this house - we have two duvets on our bed and I was still shivering in the middle of the night!

Another day in the office document processing [bored emoticon] for me unfortunately so had better get on.

Yay Trazzles good to see you and glad the 5 min room rescues proving effective. (I've been doing them in my boudoir and it's so untidy I was quite cynical about the result but have to owe it to Fat Fairy, I'm amazed by how well it works.) Lots of love to little J in hospital - hope overnight stay goes OK.

Yes, hope you have a better day today Silvery

*I'm going in for a small medical procedure tomorrow afternoon, so please may I hand over reins of thread to some kind soul from tomorrow lunch time until Friday morning (hopefully OK by then)? Thanks a million!

Take care on the roads and keep warm everyone and have a good day.
Back at lunchtime.

School starting an hour later today because of snow. Luckily it hasn't actually snowed since we picked them up early yesterday so no real need for late start but nice to have a lie-in (would be nicer if I could actually sleep for longer - bloody cough )

Silvery - huge sympathies re tantrums. DD(9) used to have mega, mega, mega ones when she was little. The only thing that would work would be to put her in her room and leave her to work it out of her system (sometimes holding the door shut to keep her in ). Fortunately she didn't share a room and didn't often chuck things around so I haven't much advice there. It was exhausting though and seemed to happen at least once a day. Your approach sounds very sensible, I try and do something similar, putting the emphasis onto them to get on with it.
If its any consolation she did eventually grow out of it however we are just getting the beginnings of teenage flounces now

List for today:

• Go back up to bed for 1/2 hour as I can hear DD in with DH and its warm up there :)
• All up and out
• School Assoc stuff - banner up, posters copied
• WORK - still catching up
• Morning routine as I go
• Hoover hall and stairs
• Finish minestrone soup for tonight
• Reading Buddies at school
• Early tea, Brownies and Beavers for DD, DS and DH
• Ironing

That's plenty, now where's my bed...

If there are no other volunteers, I'll do it sc
Ds2 is in a good mood. He's already asked for his ds do I reminded him that it's been taken away because of yesterday's behaviour. I expected a melt down but he just said ok.
Am going to do my detail cleaning now. Am ignoring missions for this zone because it doesn't match what I'm doing.
Have a good day.
Bbl

Good morning!

Quick list dump. There's lots of snow here and I have to get up to see the horse later!

To do:
Routines
Walk dogs
DD and mindee to gymnastics
Clean bathroom
Horse afternoon

I've already done today's mission as part of my home bleugh yesterday. Ill clean the bathroom floor instead

Good luck with surgery sc and an advance get well soon!

BBL

Hi folks, just checking in to say hi. I've been a bit crap, I suspect I may need to visit the naughty corner (just to see if there is any wine stashed there, as I can't have any IRL). I've been keeping on top of the basics, but that's about it.

I think it's about time I admitted to myself that I'm not trying as hard as I could. I allow MN other things to distract me and find all sorts of "reasons" to avoid housework. To be fair, the house isn't bad. It's mostly tidy-ish and mostly clean-ish, so I sort of feel like it's not that big a deal, but I know that if I put a bit more effort in, it could look much nicer, for more of the time.

I did try a new recipe for dinner last night, it was a Jamie Oliver one but an old one from the 2nd? book. Broccoli and anchovy pasta. There wasn't a lot else in the dish, apart from parmesan, so I wondered if it would be a bit tasteless, but I had never had anchovies before and thought that as some people love them and others hate them, they must be quite a distinct flavour. Well, as meals go it was ok, it was healthy enough, but fell pretty far short of delicious. My opinion of anchovies now is that they exist to make things taste like fish, without actually having much fish in. Won't be cooking that one again.

Sorry for the me me me post, hope everyone is well, and getting more done than I have been. I have a driving lesson today, Bye bye more £££.

Morning all

Another sunny day here (this is getting to be really weird now), but it is very cold. Can't believe just how much snow the rest of you are getting.

Anyway it was hot in our house as it was DD's turn to kick off this morning. Full blown screaming at one point. At least she's at school now, she'll be fine with them.

Done
Beds
Windows

To do
Wash load on
Wash up
Ironing
Mission
Mop floors (oh the joys of hot water)
Bake
Dinner
Wash up & SS

Morning fledglings.

SC - I would volunteer, but it's my birthday tomorrow and I may get distracted. If Silvery is happy doing it, that's great. Good luck with the medical appointment. I hope you're properly looked after at home afterwards

SC You're up until 1.15am and then are up and posting again at 7.30am and are working and are doing flylady stuff . Is this what flying can help me achieve?!

Silvery interesting to read your approach to getting your children to do things - I so don't want to be a shouty parent and will try to remember your approach to ask questions. Our DD is 1 and I read of tantrums thinking "we've got this to come"... Must add buying a toddler parenting book to my to do list! I am clueless.

I won't be doing much flying tonight as I've got someone coming round to go through treasurer 'stuff'. One night off won't hurt will it?

Gooooood morning!!
It is grey and it is COLD - but no snow - booooo!!
Probably just as well as I couldn't lay my hands on my snow boots (buried somewhere in a cupboard that needs sorting!) and I HATE having cold feet!!!
4am wake up call from DS2 - 'mummy can I have a kiss and a cuddle' (hard to say no but his calling out wakes the whole house!)

done
s/s upstairs bathroom and downstairs one done last night
breakfasted
beds made (and ds2's changed)
one load of washing on - dh has hung it up
people to where they need to be on time

to do
meal plan
wash floor as I couldn't be bothered last night
filing
finish thank you cards
pin down dates for holiday

Have a good Tuesday (this feels like a slow week already!)

Yeah I don't mind doing it but will just be able to do links and days summary in evening.
Hope the hospital goes well.
snow I hugely recommend the incredible years book. How to talk so children listen and the website aha parenting. I will post links later.

I am going to be awol for a while. I will be back when the conversation has moved on from tempers. Sorry but can't cope with the discussion when ds is in the middle of red zone violent melt downs where I am just hoping he does no one any damage. Will potter on with the flying in the meantime. Otherwise would offer to post the links but as you are in safe hands I shall bid you goodbye and see you the other side.

Keep on keeping on, b. sending peace and calm to dragon towers x
(Ds's psych appt was canx last wk, so we are in interesting times, too).

Mon - weds are insaneio here, so will be back later!

Sorry things are so tough atm, Bitchy .

done:

Unload d/w
Put dried plates, etc. from sink away
Wipe kitchen surfaces and tidy
Sweep kitchen floor
Room rescue in dining room
DS1's Maths lesson with tutor
Tumbledry washing
Take DS2 up to school
Home ed DS1
Tesco delivery
Lunch
IT tutor here to help DS1 with RaspberryPi

to do :

Book flat for summer hols smile
School run
Eve routines
etc.

Feels like a productive day so far. It was nice having two other adults here teaching DS1 for a change. Good for him and for me.

tada

• turn on washing machine
• Dry Laundry
• Put Laundry away
• Wash up 2X
• Hotspot (it will get done though there is nothing there that shouldn't be)
• Make my bed in the morning (which I do anyway and the DC's beds so this baby step shouldn't be too hard)
• Wiped condensation of windows

to do

• Go to exam
• Shine Sink
• Fill Washing Machine for tomorrow
• Wash bathroom door (daily mission)
• Pick up some more washing powder on the way to exam (used the last this morning)

So Im not doing bad today probably as Ive taken off 15 mins declutter off list Once Ive spent 5 mins doing the mission, its just the usual stuff to do.

Sorry to hear you're having a hard time bitchy hope to see you back soon.

BBL

had a very productive day motivated by ds2's first school playdate. they are all playing up stairs not sure this is a good idea but it is quiet down here.

tada
swish and a swipe
rescued the bedrooms and Hoovered the floor I found
emptied and filled dishwasher
load of washing done and in dryer
all recycling in bin outside
all food waste in bed outside
tidied and hoovered lounge
attacked play room
fed and cleaned everyone and made sure they were where they should be

oh I can hear throwing better investigate....

Sorry bitchy didn't realise you were having a rough time with your ds and this would be a touchy subject.
Hope you're both ok and that you come back soon.

Bitchy YHM

SC hope all goes well.

Hope you're OK bitchy, and hope your procedure goes well sc.

Not really Flying very high today, had to make cakes for DH's work tomorrow and somehow everything went wrong, and the Kenwood flew open sending icing sugar and cocoa all over the kitchen, so time has mostly been taken up with cake making and cleaning up. Still my kitchen is clean again at least.
I am going to award myself the rest of the day off and start again properly tomorrow, although I will make sure my sink is shiny before I go to bed!

Still to do
Washing
Hang stuff
ironing
Basics shopping
Oversee maths physics revision
Organise scribe for tomorrow
Do He records
Dinner
Listen to friend
Plan tomorrow
sleep