FLYlady followers flock together! Join the May fledglings – our nests we will feather!

[Castlelough]

Welcome to the May Fledgling FLYers thread! :-)
... where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of and chatting along the way.

This little-and-often system is designed so that we 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 us 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 we get when we are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once.

To avoid being inundated with details, we advise not signing up to the Big Tent.

We are in the process of 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.]

Flylady site is here

Don't worry if you are behind; just jump right back in and it will all come around next month again anyway!

All the links for the babysteps and missions will be posted here every day and we'll all be here to cheer each other on. Thanks to SC, Blue, Silvery and Goth for leading us through since January and for the brilliant OP I've just cut and pasted.

Yeah, I got under the duvet yesterday with a book. Fell asleep and was late cooking dinner!

I use the style of mop that is like a giant sponge on a stick. works ok although I think a steam cleaner would be better.

So I have worked out my list for today:
Get washed and dressed
Change duvet and put dirty one in the washing machine
Make packed lunch
Go to toddler group (walking)
walk back via shop to purchase birthday cards.
Spend 15 minutes decluttering in the lounge and aim to throw 27 items away
Make dinner for baby as DP working away today and home late.
Make sure dishwasher goes on
If baby takes a second nap attempt to source wedding shoes online :)

Floor mop is an E-Mop, and t'is fab. Water as hot as you can stand to hot, screw the excess out and just wipe. Rinse and it's fine for next time, or bung it in with the towels on a 60 degree wash. Had mine for about two years now and still doing the job.

Playdate for DS today, so done a quick crisis clean, which is taking less time than it used to do - so you ladies are slowly getting me there. Of course, if they go upstairs, then it's another matter

Today's list is:

• Work
• Playdate
• Nap
• Sort dinner
• Eat dinner
• DS bed
• Me bed

I hate the lurgy!

Wooden floors here throughout - no carpets

Use ordinary Leifheit bucket and mop combo

but going to investigate this when in UK this summer

Btw, in terms of shoe-wearing, I sometimes wear these around the house (keep by back door). Bit heavier than I would like but good for popping in and out of garden and not constantly slipping on grassy knoll and landing on bum

I have an e-mop too. I often use it with general cleaning spray for quick spills or suchlike.

Thanks ladies. I have laminate, except the bedrooms which are carpeted. My regular mop is a pita, I really don't like mops.
The e-mop looks good though.

Silvery just been browsing the e-cloth site and noticed they do a set with mop, wet head and dry head.

The dry head is also really good for dusting floors.

oooohhhhhh, Doris I feel a spree coming on!

Slides very quietly past everyone into naughty corner in time for June, (Still in bedinshed, still dealing with mudfest, and run out of money and a load of other difficulties decided this was a good time to rear heads, and tbh I sank into depression over it all, but hopefully a bit more resolved.) and tries to make list.

Trazzles I?m sorry I'm so very late to say fantastic news and really happy for you all, but I am.

I've got a Vileda spray mop that I'm very pleased with. However it is only kitchen and bathroom that have hard floors in our house, if you had large areas of hard flooring you would have to refill it pretty often, the reservoir isn't very big. And ballet pump style crocs (no holes therefore feet stay dry if I go on wet grass) for kitchen/garden wear.

Well I did passably well today. I did sort out some paperwork, a bit of clutter has been removed from lounge which is looking passable in some areas - although since it is a lounge diner only half the room is actually in the current zone. Toddler was taken out, although he only had one nap today, and both the washing machine and the dishwasher have been used. Baby is sleeping and DP is cooking :)

Hi girls! I am getting slowly better at the baby steps! I've signed up for the Flylady emails and that is really helping when I don't have time to get on here!
I did the 15 mins dusting ornaments in the living room a couple of days ago and spent the rest of the eve sneezing my head off! Clearly a long-overdue job! I also did three loads of washing today as baby girl had a projectile barfing session last night which included her bed, me, the bathroom, DH, our bed.... She ate too much grated cheese before bed
In the emails there is a kids challenge for each day, so today I got DS1 to do the pickup 5 things in his room task which he did with no trouble at all!
Finally, there is a flylady Cozi calendar app thing which I'm looking into - I already use the Cozi family organiser calendar app, so if I can get it to show the daily tasks etc I'm laughing! Just have to actually do them tho...
Well done everyone else you all seem to do so much every day, and welcome KatandKit!

Well today I have done precisely fuck all flying. I did buy dress material and go training. Does that count as chores for chore day? Meh actually don't give a flying fuck. Tomo is a new day and I shall be continuing to deal with lego hell. so tonight it is vodka in the naughty corner bar. All welcome to join me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers Bitchy don't mind if I do And of course shopping/training count - it's errand day remember! Actually, need some alcohol to recover from the shock of having finally actually done some Flying

Well done Fudge (hope your dd is OK now)
and Kitkat - sounds as if you are both off to a fantabulous start!

Yay! Just There you are!! Have been worried. Depression sounds like an eminently sound response to all that you have been facing if you ask me . It was probably your body/mind telling you you needed to have some down time for a while. Hope you can find a way forward x And June is the new January you know (and this must be true because I'm counting on it our esteemed thread leader said so only yesterday! )

Waves to Whoknows Silvery Doris Goth Blue Castle Trazzles Swan Toffee Feetheart Honu Jdub Pushme PA Ellie Engels Newbie Lplate ComradeJ Fireandb FoundachopinLizt MrsBodger and and everyone else I've forgotten!

Ta da:
rabbits done (three times)
morning routine (late today) inc dw, wm, s&s done
quick tidy kitchen done
quick tidy hall done
tidy dining room table hot spot done
quick tidy sitting room done
quick tidy play room done
hang up fantabulous papier maché fish sculptures dd did at school NOPE
sort more laundry done
do cool white wash x 2 done
do grey uniform pinafore/sock wash (NOPE washing machine appears to be on blink)
wash dd jeans/cords for w/e done jeans
bank run NOPE
supermarket run (baking ingreds) done half
haircut? NOPE
write/post good luck card to nephew done
school run done
tennis run done
hwk supervision done
dance rehearsal supervision done
afternoon/eve routine done
load of on-line shopping parcels to pack up if time NOPE
15 min boudoir declutter if time done
Also:
-sorted load of clothes for dry cleaning run
-put out rubbish
-faddled with MP3 player/CD download for school fete
-polished dd's shoes
-found pedometer in time for 1st June
-MFP inputting (having fasted)
-found out what time the Derby is on Sat
-carried full laundry paniers up lots of flights of stairs
-wrapped wine for tennis coach (end of term)
-cooked veg casserole

• emptied dishwasher and filled it again post cooking

-wrote two thank you cards -ditched dead flowers -wrote out thank you letter for dd to copy -wrote confirmatory/explanatory e-mails to school sec and teacher with regard Sat -e-mailed friend -spoke to dsis x 2 on phone

DH out at business dinner so good opportunity to dive for remote and then early night ...

G'night all!

wow super you are a superwoman today hope I can follow in your footsteps in due course

Can I just say - Arrggggghhhhhhhh.
I have a mud, rain, builders, cats, kids, DH combo that is about to send me into a complete spin. I also have a car that is still half-full of camping stuff and a trailer that can't even be brought inside the gate to unpack as that is blocked with builder's stuff and even if we could get it into the garden we can't unpack it into the garage as that is full of builder's stuff too. If it doesn't stop raining we are going to sink under the sea of mud that is being traipsed into the house and I am going to explode

Tomorrow DC and I are meeting friends at the zoo and leaving it all behind, the forecast better bloody well live up to its billing.

feet I think you manage life with builders better than I manage life without builders. Hats off. I am still mired although there is no actual mud, and I need to pull my socks up in that respect. Hope camping set you up with some spiritual credit to see you through next few weeks of dealing with extension. Everyone gives same advice but I'll give it anyway. It is worth putting stuff into storage away from house because everything from unusuable room will get shifted into usuable rooms making them unusable otherwise. I failed to follow this advice because I thought a few more piles wouldn't make any difference but it adds a lot to the stress levels.

done
achieved car tax documents (should have done it by phone two weeks ago
watching TimeTeam/Watch documentary with ds2 instead of Britain's Got Talent.
Shopping for food
three loads of laundry
playdate for ds2 (successful I think)
Ds1 homework
decluttered two bags of rubbish
made ironing pile for cleaning lady
homemade lunch and supper

Oh yes, and I seemed to have confused Simon Cowell with Jeremy Clarkson. I genuinely thought they were the same person! I can't believe it. Ds1 explained they were two separate people He has to do a project on Simon Cowell, as they are doing Satire in school, that is the only reason I found out...

mostly today has been cr*p though, not fun dealing with bickering kids. Ds1 13 is going through a particular stage of screaming at me whenever I ask him to do anything or stop doing anything, and dd 11 is going through a particular flouncy sulky patch which involves consuming her weight in chocolate milk and refusing to lend her possessions to her brothers unless they don't actually want them in which case she complains they don't want to talk to her... Brief interlude of two singing Hairspray together otherwise a rather volatile atmosphere.

LINKS FOR FRIDAY 31st MAY

We are still in Zone 5 The Living Room We are decluttering, or detailed cleaning, in this zone for 15 minutes a day.

Babystep 31 is not to get too bogged down at once with the Flylady system. Take it slowly and gradually you?ll get there.

The Daily Focus for Friday is to declutter the rubbish from your car and your handbag ? easy!

Today?s Misson is do a quick vacuum in the Living Room.

The Flight plan for our daily routines, should update automatically.

Finally, the habit for the month of May is to get Moving!

Today we have had a lively discussion about mops and laced-up (or not) shoes!

Just it is lovely to see you. I'm sorry things still sound very tough there. I would sink into misery if I was in bedinshed, so don't be too hard on yourself. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

Feet lovely to see you again too! Glad to hear you have a nice day out planned for tomorrow! Regarding builders - just think how lovely the extension will be when it's done!

Hugs and waves to everyone else!
Had a lovely evening once my piano lesson was out of the way met some friends for pizza and then we went to the cinema! Must jump in the shower and go to bed, so I'm afraid I've no more personals tonight!!!
One more day of thread leading until I hand over to Pushme and retire to the naughty corner!

[delivers morning tray of coffee and croissants to Feetheart and Swan]

If only I could do it consistently Fudge

The pump on my washing machine is blocked and dh has promised to help me try and fix it this morning. Standing by for a deluge said she of little faith. Other than that, supermarket this morning, baking over-drive this afternoon.

Goth & anyone else doing 5:2. Didn't find fasting too bad at all yesterday (normally get shaky if hungry but didn't happen). Only first day mind, but quite a positive start. And amply demonstrates what a greedy snaffler I am on a normal day.

Big wing flaps to Castle and everyone else!!

Have managed to let RL get on top of me a bit the last month. Manic at work, DH struggling and DS playing up as only a toddler can! The house has slipped into a bit of a state. DS is on his last clean romper so I HAVE to do some washing right now

I don't even know what zone we're in. I need a list!

To do
WASHING!
Hoover
Water plants
Hotspots
Dust
Some time in garden with DS
Go into town to collect new glasses and fancy new tablet
Supermarket for essentials/top up trip
If I can summon the energy, mark a set of books this afternoon while DS is sleeping

I will do better, I will do better. I think a wise woman once said 'June is the new January' (or something along those lines )

Right I am doing well this morning - washed hair and took the time to blow dry it a bit more nicely - no bobbles here today!! Dirty washing is in the machine waiting for a bit more of the same colour to join it, dishwasher has been emptied. Bleach has been added to toilet. A very satisfactory start.

To do today

• get DS to have a morning nap whilst going for a walk with the buggy
• continue with declutter of living room
• put away clean washing
• tidy handbags (the car is too big a job for today!)
• take DS to toddler play group
• if possible tackle some wedding admin - we are choosing our rings tomorrow :)

Morning all. Am trying to work and do house bleugh with DS1 underfoot this morning...

Still, have achieved something - found a lovely local photographer who took a head & shoulders shot for my website for an affordable price, done there and then, and I can pick up the disk tomorrow. :)

On the subject of car cleaning - any tips on getting out the smell of sick?? Have been scrubbing and scrubbing but it still reeks. :(

Morning all, where has this week/month gone?

Yesterday I was assisting at DD's sports day, and then she had a friend over after school, by the time bath & cuddles were done with it was almost 10pm!

Today's plan is making the blackout linings for her curtains. The curtains are already in the wash, and everything is ready for me to start.

2nd fast day today, so I will have lots of water as I dehydrated a bit on Wednesday. Not feeling hungry yet (but that's probably due to the massive amount of pizza I had last night) Got massive amount of salad in the fridge, which I'm in the mood for. Just got to figure out what I'm going to feed DD tonight.

BBL

Oh poor you blue. Have you tried bicarb of soda?

(I think you can make a paste with water and scrub with that for some areas. Then for carpet, you can just sprinkle on the dry powder and leave overnight before vacuuming. YOu can also leave cups of dry powder around car overnight to absorb smell.) If that doesn't work, perhaps white vinegar? At least natural products don't add an overlay of nauseating chemical smells to the mix!

Great to 'see' you Engels!! Sounds as if you are spinning a lot of plates atm ... sorry to hear your dh is still struggling. I hope the end of term is within sight for you....

Well done Kitandkat it's always great to have newcomers to the thread to ramp up enthusiasm levels!! Congrats on your forthcoming wedding!!

Right, have finished mopping the flood that resulted from dh fixing wm (big wodge of fibres blocking pump). Shouldn't have been so sceptical about this handyman skills!! Can now dare to venture out now I'm fairly confident it won't flood again ...fingers crossed.

Have a good day everyone!