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.

SC I thought it would be crushing but in fact it was the other way round - quite frankly the vicar was a drip and the parents were the real preachers, and I mean that in a good sense.
I MISS ballet too, however I do remember the considerable tension that surrounded it and I wonder why I ever put dd and me through it...you live and learn. And if she hadn't done it no doubt I would regret it to the end of my days...Personally I think if there had been more changes of costume she would have gone every week one of the few things she enjoyed was the outfits, limited though they were...

Ds1 was in Rugby match this morning [proud mum emoticon] He played for the last two minutes [relieved mum emoticon] so emerged in one piece!!!!! Very very excited to be on the B team - and he hardly even knows the rules of Rugby. However it was exhausting to get up AGAIN at 7.45 and take him there. And tomorrow he is off to Twickenham for choir in church there. Dh and I are giving up having weekend r & r.

off to Staples yet again for stationery...dd's insatiable demand for more emergency items, this time I confess it is urgent...a computer that doesn't keep crashing and refusing to print items. 3 children trying to do homework on a virus infected computer is not a good situation!!

Had a fabulous lunch with the wives. loads of naughty party food left over though-back on the diet on monday

Glad it went well, blueandwhite.

Yesterday was quite productive in the end.
Today is DH's birthday so lots of cooking and eating planned and not much else!

Oops, forgot links yesterday, hope you all noticed! I'll do a double set in a minute, and a little look ahead to next week.

Yesterday went smoothly (sort of). Am very fed up with DD (7) at the moment, she just won't do anything I ask unless it suits her. We needed to go to big town for some trainers for her and a new school bag for DS, and needed to be back by 12.30 for lunch and to set off to see the cycling. So, repeated requests at intervals from 9.30 to get dressed, get shoes on, teeth brushed etc were ignored. Then turned to defiance. DD ended up going shopping in a onesie, crocs and a coat. She was suitably embarrassed, but I hope it would be effective. She dressed as soon as we got home. So, at 1.15, I said please put some socks on. we are going at 1.25 to get the train (meeting grandparents at the station). No, don't want socks, just crocs. Fine, whatever. Come 1.25, DS is in the car, DD decides she wants to wear socks and new trainers, can't find any socks, I am getting angrier and angrier - didn't manage to contain myself so well second time and ended up screaming at each other. Please don't suggest "How to talk" - I've tried it over and over, it works on DS but not DD. Anyway, we did get the train (just) and had a nice afternoon, it was quite exciting, over in a flash, reminded us of when we watched the Olympic torch parade last year. Not much Flying, but it was supposed to be Family Fun day .

Sorry, me, me, me post. Hope everyone else had more restrained days.

OK, links.

Saturdays Babystep

Read the Ask Flylady page Here.

Sunday's Babystep

Control journal, hmm, four years in and I still don't have one [failure emoticon]. I have tried, many times, it just doesn't work for me.

SUnday is also Renew your spirit day. Do something just for yourself.

Tomorrow we will be moving into Zone 4, the master bedroom. Flylady is going to encourage major decluttering as we count down to Christmas

Tbh whoknows that book is a actually can't finishs this as have had to have posts removed in the past due to potentially resulting in liable action for mn but it wasn't this book i was describing

Hang in there. IMO family fun day is actually more family hell day. the added pressure that it is supposed to be fun and achieve what sometimes needs to be done just results in hell breaking out. Also don't beat yourself up about losing your temper. Sometimes kids really do need to see the result of their actions. How can they understand consequences of actions other wise?

fuck all done yesterday. porbably same today. I am trying to recover from a week from hell. And systems that clearly don't give a shit but you still have to jump through their fucking hoops!

And on that note i am going to finish eating breakfast and go out or something.

Hello you lovely lot! [snaffles one of Blue's croissants]

Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday (although yours sounds rather demanding Swan)

Thank you for your kind words Ellie & Toffeexx Just wish I had a proper job to post about instead of domestic stuff - but probably just as well 'cos posts would be twice as long!!

Beautifully peaceful car-free day here. Not a sound save for the birds singing ... ahhhhhhhh .... blissful.

We've been out for our first bike ride to buy bread and papers. Back for lunch then out to meet some friends on their bikes. Not venturing too far this year because dh still in recuperation mode - although post-op check up on Wed so he may be cleared to do more soon.

Hope your headache is easing Bitchy I've been battling a migraine all w/e too - think it is the change in weather/temp/air pressure

Sympathies x 10 over your dd's reluctance to get dressed/comply on time etc Whoknows - not "me" "me" at all - it is very wearing. Still having exactly the same battles with dd (who should know better at 10 yrs) because she hates "getting wet" and is loathe to do anything remotely related to personal hygiene if she can help it. Having to place huge emphasis on cooperation atm and keep trying to explain that we waste such a lot of time and energy getting her to comply with the minor things (showering, teeth-brushing) that we waste precious time in which to do fun stuff (and it spoils atmosphere beforehand). I get shouty too I'm afraid because of having the same battle over and over and it's so pointless. Especially galling when she can get washed and dressed in 3 mins flat if she is rushing off to do something she wants to do!!! So, if you come up with anything that works, please let me know and vice versa! Glad you got to see the cycling in the end anyway!!

Happy birthday to your dh Blue! Have a lovely day!

Sounds like a fab lunch BlueandWhite

Sorry you are all feeling under par Jemima You haven't let it get in the way of your productivity though- top marks for a huge list yesterday!

Swan Congrats to your ds1 and the rugby!!! And so glad the funeral was a comfort to all. Funnily enough, it was exactly the same at my ma's. Priest had extremely limited capabilities ... family made up for it thankfully! And you are right about the ballet - I'm just remembering the good bits!! Good luck finding the right computer ...

Right, off to look in the fridge and throw some lunch together. Meal plans a bit awry atm ....

Big wing flaps to all!

x posts to Bitchy Hope your day improves x

Hurrah, I'm starting to feel as though I have caught up with myself.

Ta Da
Lots of washing (I can see the bottom of the laundry baskets!)
Lots of drying
Lots of ironing
Lots of folding and putting away
Washed dishes
Wiped around kitchen
Cleaned bathroom and toilets
Cooked a roast
Got PE kits etc ready for the week ahead
Supervised homework and music practice

Right, am off to read the links for next week

Ooh same here jemima :)

5 loads of washing, dried and folded, most out away
Clothes laid out for the morning
Packed lunches made
Kids bathed, hair washed, nails cut
Homework supervised
Bags packed for the week
Everywhere tidy
Dishwasher on
Kids to park for a couple of hours
Lovely dinner cooked and eaten
Dd in bed

Settling down for a night of TV and relaxing :)

Evening all

Not doing too badly with flying atm, but tbh cba to post a list (do i win a prize for most acronyms?)

Have skimmed the thread and empathising with all with stroppy DDs. Mine is a bit, um, challenging at the moment. She is sooo bloody slow at everything and it drives me nuts! I find it really hard to stay calm when asking her to put her shoes on for the 47th time in a morning and she says yes and just stands there staring into space!

Hope you got home Trazzles

SC I've been meaning to ask you if your ongoing tummy bug has improved? Hope you're fully recovered.

Got some finance stuff to do so general wave to bitchy (hope the head is better), ellie (hope DD is better), swan, blue, nicknacks, jemima and everyone else

Well, lots of decluttering done again, but lots of stuff still out, so house looks a bit of a mess, however there is lots of free space in cupboards etc just waiting to be filled. DCs have gone to bed, I just need to sort uniforms, haul myself back downstairs and sort out packed lunches, bookbags, dinner money etc. Have been lying on my bed MNing since the DCs went through at 9. Will pop back and do links later.

Hello all - & thanks for the helpful advice re meeting mums on school run. Will name check later as squashed at weird angle typing into ipad precariously plugged into charger

About to do some flying and will not wach netflix

Looking forward 2 tackling bedroom this week as I believe that is the zone for us!

Well I have pieced together the final squares and strips of squares of the blanket. There is insufficent to make a blanket of a reasonable throw size and because it is an unpicked redone blanket where the wool was bought years ago (and breaks the do not mix wool types rule) I am going to have to figure out what to do about it. It is a little frustrating.

Ds is home asleep and totally pissed off with me. next week could be fun. Tbh i would just like a week where i don't feel like I am chasing around like a headless chicken. Unfortunately it is not going to be this week where I am running around like a headless chicken and still have a double booking for tuesday that i need to sort out first thing tomo.

So on that note I think i need a list to keep me focused for tomo

Monday's to do.
change appointment
washing up
laundry
cleaner into bathroom
folding
ironing
clothes away
hoover through downstairs
physio exercises
sort through the paperwork for Tuesday's meetings
sort through 2x kits for Tuesday
Write food shopping list
Go food shopping
Sort out ds' room
sort out printing ds' homework - install printer then print
Stick homework into book
lunch box
tip run (and finally empty car of stuff that i put in there with the intention of doing so for the last week)
sort out stuff for bins to go out
Post letter

try and finish off craft project no 2
remove broken piece of wood from chest of drawers
use screw driver to fix blades
let sis know about nephew's party thingy
sort out letter for school

that list is starting to get out of control I think i had definitely better to stop right now. Although I might just set the alarm clock for a little earlier as some of that is going to take longer then wished and I know it is going to be needed to be done first thing before the school run Hope your mondays are looking better then that

OK, links for Monday

Babystep - afternoon routines, the stuff we do when we get home from school / work.

Mission - declutter your dresser. I did that this afternoon (plus the bedside table, plus some shelves, plus the floor of my wardrobe ).

Monday's daily focus is Home Blessing.

Night all.

Hello all.

Reading this thread had made me feel better about my empty nest. I do have sympathies with all the DC's making life difficult for you all. They certainly know how to keep us on our toes, don't they?

I have had a very successful weekend and have managed to de-clutter all the bedrooms and sort out the "dump area". SOooooo I now have a mountain of bags and loads of electrical stuff to go to the tip. I am in a quandary as to whether I ask for some help from someone to get all this lot moved.......it would make it so much easier if I had a man and a large car/van to get all this done now - or should I do a few bits at a time and take about 4 trips to the tip to get rid of it all - dodgy back says get help - stubborn independence says I will do it all myself.

So to finish off I need to:

Tip runs
Rehang clean bedroom curtains
sort clean washing
Ironing
Hoover throughout house
Clean Windows in DD2 and DS's Bedrooms

Sounds quite do-able I think..........

Hello - I'm still here really! Just amazed at the amount so many of you seem to get through in a day. Life here a bit sticky with a very frail DH needing a lot of care. I don't know where all the day disappears to but there doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence of housework being done. The fat fairy is right though - IF you manage to keep the basic routines going it doesn't slide into chaos quite as fast, although my house seems to be showing too much evidence of the 'just vacuum the middles' philosophy.

I keep seeing mention of (maths) tables here, so let me offer a teacher's tip. Try to get access to a website called mymaths.co.uk (most secondary schools have passwords for their students) then choose games, then grid games, then 'times it out'. If your dc is weak on tables, get them to write out a tables crib sheet and let them use it. Once they can play the game get them to keep a tally of their scores so you can see improvements (they will get faster as they learn the tables). Have a family league - a competent dc will beat most parents (and me!) because they are quicker using the pc.

Well, this is why no housework gets done - to me (but maybe not all of you ) maths and teaching are soooo much more interesting than housework. Actually, rephrase that - almost anything is more interesting than housework .....

Morning all,

Change of routine here, I have decided to work Mondays from today, and need to be there by 9, so I have just dropped the DCs at breakfast club and am on my way out. My charity shop corner is overflowing, which is always a good sign, spent an hour sorting out "small stuff" last night, moshlings, marbles, trading cards etc, and feel better about the state of things as a result.

PA - get help, I am always ignoring little twinges in my back because I don't want to ask for help, then I end up in pain and unable to do anything for several days, its just not worth it. Well done on the big de-clutter!

Honu - welcome back, I'd agree that maths is more interesting than housework too. You are quite right about keeping the basics going, it certainly does make a difference. Failure to do the laundry is the one that makes a negative impact the fastest IMO .

Trazzle - are you around? Been thinking about you and Joe, hope he has been able to have some time at home and the consultants have stopped disagreeing with each other.

help yourselves everyone, see you later.

Good morning

Thanks for links Whoknows v happy it is the bedroom zone this week.

Ta da:
Morning routine inc dw, wm, s&s + rabbits
Early delivery of dd + huge rucksack & sleeping bag etc and one small rucksack to school for overnight trip. (Big bags went on mini-bus with one teacher and small bags went with dc on train. Reasonably confident we got the correct things in each one ...here's hoping anyway.)
Laundry sort
Dining table hotspot

To do:
home bleugh ground floor - put house to rights after weekend including hoovering up grit from outside, chimney dust from inside (still falling) and general grit and dust that seems to be covering all the floors and stairs
set up computer for Skype (finally)
thorough clean out of rabbits
rubbish and recycling
generally use opportunity of dd's absence to plan my life a bit better between now and Christmas
meal planning
sort boudoir + missions
walk
sort/clean make-up and put in new containers/make-up bags etc
evening routine

This evening, dh and I will be alone without dd for about the 4th or 5th time in a decade!!

Thanks for maths tips Honu (DD finally on top of tables but took a good two and a bit years to get them thoroughly entrenched ifyswim) Sorry to hear your dh is so frail ... Not surprised you have no time for Flying.

PA congrats on all the decluttering. Deffo get help with the off-loading ...

Good luck with your lsit bitchy

Pushme [touch wood] no recurrence now since middle of last month - thanks v. much for asking. Am eating less overall and have given up coffee, wine and chocolate which seems to have done the trick. (Suspect coffee may be the culprit.) Still have to have various investigations just to make sure and will start booking those now dh recovered. Yes, the slowness ... it's enough to drive a saint bonkers!

Waves to Jemima and Nicknacks¨ (with admiring glances at their neat piles of clean laundry)

Big wing flaps to Stillwearing¨and everyone else! Have a good week everyone!

Agree Whoknows about importance of being on top of laundry. I find it much more detrimental to entire household routine if washing out of whack then if kitchen is messy.

[don't really miss wine or chocolate but really miss coffee, so swigging virtual kind gratefully]

Morning all.

DM and DF here this week so not sure how much I'll get done or how much MNing

Ta da
Cleaned coffee table
washing up
Wash on

Waiting for parents and then will prob head to playground and into town for lunch

To do
What's for dinner?
Supermarket
Change battery in clock
Hoover
Tidy my dining table clutter
Sit through rest of parents holiday photos
Check out links
Ironing

Sc enjoy your evening with dh!

Monday's to do.
change appointment
washing up
laundry
cleaner into bathroom
folding
ironing
clothes away
hoover through downstairs
physio exercises
sort through the paperwork for Tuesday's meetings
sort through 2x kits for Tuesday
Write food shopping list
Go food shopping
Sort out ds' room
sort out printing ds' homework - install printer then print
Stick homework into book
lunch box
tip run (and finally empty car of stuff that i put in there with the intention of doing so for the last week) hahahaha not going to happen.
sort out stuff for bins to go out
Post letter
in progress
try and finish off craft project no 2
remove broken piece of wood from chest of drawers
use screw driver to fix blades
let sis know about nephew's party thingy
sort out letter for school
talk to ex
sit in corner and cry at state of the week's activities