Flying into September - a new term for the Fledglings

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Welcome to the September Fledgling Flylady Thread.

This thread is for people with CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome). We follow Flylady, the website with a mission!

All are welcome on this thread, experienced flyers and newcomers alike.

We try to follow the commandments of Flylady as we run our homes, loosely anyway. In between there's lots of chat and support as we go through our daily lives. We have coffee, cake, and a naughty corner for those who want to chat but CBA with their house some days. However you follow it, this thread is designed to make your life a little easier and more fun.

For those who are new to the system (and those needing a refresher), there are several aspects to the system:

1. Babysteps. These build a routine. Some are really useful, some are downright odd and some are, quite frankly, there to be ignored. They build a good foundation though.

1. Decluttering. Flylade is evangelical about clutter. In order to feel good about our homes we need to ditch the clutter. Flylady divides the home into zones, week by week and repeating monthly. As well as babysteps, we have to declutter in the relevant zone. Once that is achieved we move on to...

1. Missions. Also in the current zone, these are targetted tasks to tackle one particular aspect. One a day, they vary month to month.

1. Deep Cleaning. Once we have completely decluttered (some of us seem to be stuck permanently on that stage) there are deep cleaning lists for each zone. Achieve that and your house will be spotless!

One last thing - the Flylady website encourages us to subscribe to her emails - one word - DON"T! You will be overwhelmed by them. Instead come to this thread every morning and the relevant links for the day will be there waiting for you except when the thread leader has been on the

A big thank you to Bitchy for last month, and also for doing this Sunday's links as I am off camping.

Good morning

Enjoying all this talk of winter window boxes etc.

[diversion re: Christmas topic alert]
Agree that it's good to chop and change the Christmas rituals and not get locked in to a set pattern. We've been through all this - particularly pressured owing to travel/xpat element and dd's school sometimes not breaking up until Christmas eve - and we had to "re-educate" our families over time . (Actually that should read "re-educate" dh's family because mine never make demands over things like that, they're just happy to see us if we can get there.)

Started going to one family at Christmas and one family at New Year - alternatively ifyswim - but that got too stressful for us and costly (bearing in mind the distances involved). Then just went to one family for Christmas alternatively and saw the others before or after (but not in immed Christmas season). Then introduced having one family staying with us and one not (alternatively). Then finally slipped in the "we want to be alone as a family" one year which went down like a ton of bricks but was lovely and stress-free. Now we do a mix of the above on about a three-year rota system but things very different now that both my parents and mil are no longer with us so we often end up here because my family like it (very nice here at Christmas - very quiet and laid back and not so commercial). We will probably go to sil and fil this year though to lend support.

The motivating factor for change was an incredibly rude and hurtful incident on the part of my mil which I have posted about on here before and which still rankles ... . Prior to that I been willingingly naieve/trying to please everyone and failing. Definitely not worth the stress.

Right, now I'll come back and write what I was intending to post in first place ...!!

Toffee glad your boys are starting to feel a bit better if not recovered yet - sounds like a nasty bug.

I know that all is well in the world when you are back polishing your knobs

Wish we were back in holiday mode though tbh. It's all starting again here: dd coming home from school white and wired, shouting over slightest thing, obstinacy and total inability to listen to reason or prioritise or follow basic instructions. She even cried and said she wanted to go back to ballet last weekend .

To be fair to dd things are not easy for her either academically or socially this year as her classed is merged with the higher one so lots of dominant older girls and boys and she is at the bottom of the pack.

I am just taking a "hovering in the background with my flak jacket on approach" as things usually settle down after about the third or fourth week ... here's hoping ... .

Whoknows ditto! I only work 9 hrs a week on average too and sometimes find myself rushing to fit it in (even with one dc) although admittedly I do take the whole of Tuesday during school hrs/term times for my own projects! And helping dd with her homework (3 diff langs - translating etc) takes forever - almost a job in itself! That's my excuse anyway

Whoknows/Jemima huge respect to both of you for negotiating all those complicated extra-curric logistics

(Actually huge respect to all the parents who keep their child on track with music lessons - or a sport - or a skill - something I have singularly failed to do.)

Ellie you definitely do not qualify for naughty corner with a work schedule like that

Oh for a dh that does things without being asked Goth

Jess Flying usually very intermittent here too if it's any consolation!

A warm welcome to oopsiforgot

Glad your dd2 is finding his feet at secondary school Swan and blimey, 8 loads of washing AND fish pie is mammoth!

[visualises Bitchy's hanging basket sailing through the skies ....]

Big wave to Pushme Blue Blueandwhite PA Engels Trazzles Honu Just Feetheart Castle and everyone else I've forgotten ...

Right, off to clear up and do some baking to hopefully assuage dd's wrath when she comes home (half school days here on Weds).

Have a good anti-procrastination day everyone!

Forgot to wave to Nicknacks and ¨Stillwearing and many others I'm sure ...

Zing and Wendy too! [Waves]

Morning all - managed a semi kitchen clear up while banished from the lounge last night during my sons math lesson - go me !

Trying madly to cut costs around here - does anyone know if turning my hot water and heating down when I'm not using them would help - or would it cost more to heat from scratch all the time ?? Many thanks !!

Hugs and smooshy kisses to all today :)))

I am aiming for a 'ta da' list to rival Bitchy's today. And yes, SC, it will include knob polishing .

Just grabbing lunch between meetings today. Another crazy not in the house kinda day ds is having his first session at after school club today Don't expect to get much done tonight.

Also diving in in between meetings. Does 15 minutes of banging your head on a desk count as 15 minutes of loving movement?
I haven't a clue what else I'm supposed to be doing any more, other than ensuring everything's ready for panel and killing nothing.
Good luck Bitchy!

Jess- I think it depends on your boiler, plumbing, insulation, thermostats etc. Our plumber told me not to keep ours on all the time, as it would cost more (old fashioned system with hot water tank), but a friend with a modern house/system/combi-boiler swears its cheaper keeping hers on all the time. Sorry, not much help.

We keep our water heater on all the time and I'm pretty sure it is cheaper, but it probably depends on how well insulated your tank is. Ours is quite new, so well insulated.

Very minimal day today as I am full of cold.

Ta Da
2 loads of washing washed and dried
Made a casserole
Wiped around bathroom and toilets

To Do
Ironing
Wash dishes
Wipe around kitchen

Or I might just give up and sit in the naughty corner

So, ta da!
Anti-procrastinated booking hair cuts, eye test and dentist appointment
Tried out new pineapple peeler-corer-slicer - it actually works!
S&S
Laundry

Hmm. Not much, but have done some work and some admin and suchlike too.

Ta da :

Put washing on (bedclothes)
Repot flowers in window box
Wipe down window sill and front door
Swish and swipe in bathroom
Replace bathroom towel
Change loo roll
Kitchen hotspot - cleared completely, threw lots away, put loose change in bags, transferred papers to bag to sort out later, put loose toys in DS2's bedroom
Label an old jar to collect £2 coins (holiday fund)
Put old blender in car to go to dump
Wipe kitchen counters, walls, kitchen doors
Hang washing on line
Put another load on
Act in home video for DS1
Unload and reload d/washer
Help DS2 with printing and cutting out
Throw out mouldy strawberries
Finish washing up by hand
Dry up and put away

Cleared other kitchen corner of clutter
Wash fruit and put it all into bowls
Empty kitchen bin
Sweep and wipe down kitchen floor
Wipe and tidy kitchen window sill above sink
Shine sink
Polish knobs
Lunch

Kitchen is now pristine . Will never let anyone in there again. We will just have to eat out from now on.

Errand day here .

Opticians to pick up contact lenses and choose new glasses
Cheap shop for new bathroom bin
Other shops for odds and ends
Took DS's bike in to be serviced (it was a hand-me-down). Bike shop said they might not get it done today, so I said I would pick it up on Friday, 10 mins after I got home they texted to say it was done so back I went, stopping at Sainsburys on the way back.

At home - 1.5 hours paid work this morning, I am having a break from trying to replace the coathooks in the understairs cupboards, the wooden ones with pegs attached, half the pegs had snapped off the old ones. Going to declutter some coats before they go back up.

Feeling a bit sad, it was the tryouts for the school football team today, DS has been very excited about this (it has been postponed twice due to rain). He came out looking crestfallen and saying he hadn't been able to do it because he's lost his PE kit. I sent him home and went to look for it, it was in the rack under their pegs, hardly any distance from his. He struggles to find things if they aren't where he left them (ASD), just doesn't see them and it would have been hidden by coats and rucksack in the middle of the day.

Would it be worth talking to Ds's PE teacher about it, WhoKnows? He might give him another chance .

I spoke to his class teacher Toffee. He came out of the classroom as I was looking for the PE kit. He said he was very sorry but he hadn't realised (it was at lunchtime). I suppose he might speak to the teacher who was running it but I don't really see what they could do now anyway. DS is OK, but it is a shame. He says he probably wouldn't have been picked anyway (it is only 8 players out of 2 classes) but that's not the point. It does make me worry about him coping with stuff like this at secondary school.

I am starting to get ds to think about what he needs to do for himself a bit more. laminated lists etc. so far he is doing better with stuff for training but worse with stuff for school it seems to be one or the other. I think it is a bit more unstructured at the end of the day this year and he needs to be reminded a bit. Going to see how it goes this term and then see how we take it from there.

right time to see how he has got on

Sounds as if DS is being very brave about it, WhoKnows. Let's hope the teacher mentions it to the PE teacher and gives him a chance. As for secondary - my DS1 was atrocious at organization at his secondary school. He managed to lose a coat, a named (his name was printed in huge letters on the front) PE bag full of named kit and his trainers. And he would never remember to hand his homework in. I despaired.

I hope DS coped ok with the after-school club, Bitchy, and that he doesn't have a meltdown once home. Fingers crossed for you.

More ta das :

Home ed with shouting, wailing unco-operative DS1
Gave up when DS1 locked himself in bathroom
Tumble dry washing (still damp)
Put chicken in oven for roasting
Cooked apple puree with sugar and cinammon for the boys
Updated our accounts (new leaf - am keeping up with our finances)
Cooked spaghetti for DS2 (won't eat chicken at the moment)
Checked emails
Drank water instead of wine (very virtuous. DH is off booze this week because he's on strong antibiotics, so I am joining him)

About to do the ironing now and finish cooking dinner. Am being a bit fierce about everyone keeping my pristine kitchen tidy. Have already discovered dirty spoons and cups in the sink and DH's shopping not put away .

Can I come and join you again?

Flying has been non existent since I came back from holiday at the beginning of September (day before DD went back to school and I started a new job). House just seems to be total chaos in every room and feel completely overwhelmed...so decided to start from the beginning again, seem to need the accountability on here to get stuff done

So today is my day 1 ...again...so I will go and shine my sink

Hope everyone else is doing ok...will try and keep up with everyone, but can't promise as you're all so chatty!!!

Hello Saturn

Bit of a fuck it day, decided to go out to IKEA for more storage solutions, did a detour to the nearby Xscape, and booked some snowboarding & skiing lessons for us all (special offer) for Christmas presents. DD has been wanting to go since we moved up, DH is so excited, can't wait to see her face when she finds out (must find somewhere safe to hide gift cards)

Then when we walked back through the shopping centre we popped into A1toys,they sell How To Train Your Dragon toys! DD a big fan, so got her Hippup & Toothless for her birthday.

Done
Morning routines
Laundry on
DD to school
Laundry hung out
IKEA etc
Hide presents
Collect DD
DD to dentist
Bring in laundry
Dinner
DD to Woodcraft
Collect friend's DCs as she was late home
Take stepladders back
Pick up couple kitchen chairs
Wash kitchen chairs
Washing up & SS

Watching Brian Cox, CBA to iron, will do it tomorrow.

Hello everyone - well yesterday was nothing achieved house wise day. But 2day I did the sock / medicine box mission, plus cleared table post supper to gleaming, swished n swiped outside of loo & bathroom basin, did cursory vac with handheld of visible bits (not many visible bits on our floor

I can't face shining my sink. Epic fail.

Goth - am envious of your ready access to Ikea - we've got one about 30 miles away but it is quite a trek to get there and always impossibly busy (traffic wise as well as inside) at weekends. We keep meaning to take our DCs to Xscape when we are in your neck of the woods every summer, but we never remember to bring cold weather stuff as it is August. We went and had a look a couple of years ago, it did look good.

Saturn - welcome back. Although shining your sink is a good place to start, I would suggest you just follow the daily babysteps again till the start of October and begin again then. I sympathise, my house got totally out of control over the summer, then I had an OU assignment to submit last week and it is only this week that I have started to get back on top of things.

Toffee - good for you with your fierceness, it's the only thing that works here.

Bitchy - hope DS was OK at after school club.

Blue - we've got one of those pineapple things, it's brilliant. Good old Lakeland.

Jemima - hope you feel a bit better tonight.

Just - good luck in your battles with bureaucracy.

SC - that must be so hard when DD is like that, it sounds as though they expect far too much of them in your schools. Grrr to the ballet indecision!

Waves to everyone else.

Not much done this evening, took DD to Brownies, then popped out to the allotment to measure it so I can buy black weed suppressing membrane. Then back to Brownies. Then out to Sainsburys to the childrens clothes dept - the DCs school is supporting Jeans for Genes day on Friday and neither of my DCs had any jeans. Failed in attempts to replace the coathooks - wrong sort of rawlplugs, DH has had an unsuccessful attempt too, so there is a big pile of coats by my feet. Back in a minute with some links.

Oh, and a small note of success here today. The DCs are avid Simpsons fans, and decided to emulate their heroes by creating a chores hat - lots of chores on slips of paper, to be pulled out and done by each person. Would you believe it all ended in tears and a fight because they both wanted to scrub the toilet! DS did it and DD is going to do it tomorrow .

Links for Thursday.

Babystep - Read an essay entitled "May our homes be our very own bed-and-breakfast

Mission - scrub the bathroom basin and de-fingerprint your DCs bedrooms.

Anti-Procrastination Day - get a few things done that have been put off.

Ds did well at after school club. thoroughly enjoyed it but was a little wobbly after wards. not long since I poured him into bed but we went for late night ice cream to distract from it.

Unproductive day in a lot of respects and glad to be heading to bed I feel tired tonight so fingers crossed i am not up at 2am unable to sleep again.

Hope you all have good days tomo!

A moderately successful day. Took ds2 for the first time to some far distance Athletics club he has been hankering after. We went by taxi in order to assess the route! I'm hoping that next week he won't want to go....

Dd is exhausted, but still managing to get up every day at 6,45 and get herself to school with all mod cons/homework and home again.
Ds1 is over the moon at being asked to play for the Rugby team on Saturday (which clashes with trombone [aargh! - I think the trombone is going to have to take a backseat this week)
Ds2 managed to complete a comic strip for English, which was mostly his own work - as a result of reading Wimpy Kid books he is an expert on stick men

done
cleaned kitchen
took sons to Family Therapy this morning, they screamed at each other incessantly, the therapist was appalled, but I think it did them good and they've got on much better this evening.
took ds2 back to school
met ds2 at tube after school
took ds2 to Athletics and back
read some Brodsky about Robert Frost, a revelation, I knew nothing about him except for that one famous poem
supervised homework
hung out three loads of washing
s & s loo

Dh cooked supper because I was meant to be helping at Beavers but I'm afraid at last minute I couldn't go because the printer wasn't working and dd was having a meltdown over her homework.

otherwise no housework and certainly no routines I'm afraid.
Although I've put out the clothes - sort of- for tomorrow.