Is it October already the fledglings utter? We'll Fly with our broom sticks and start to declutter...

[Slimchance]

If 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 and 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 zones of the house which are designated weekly; defining and minimising housework - which in theory should leave you with loads more time to do someting more interesting 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!

We advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be inundated! 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!

Humungous thanks to Whoknows for leading us through the tricky start to the academic year ....

All welcome!!

Whoknows I don't think cats will mind if you just shut them upstairs when it suits you, just for now...as there are two of them. We always had to shut our cats upstairs when there was a dog around They survived!

SC Ds1 is rereading the Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket and I think that is the one where they have to do "laps". Funny isn't it how we take this us as adults as holistic joy (running I mean) when it is basically a form of torture which turns us off exercise for life.. Still, sounds a bit like National Service training to me!

Just this happened to elderly neighbour of ours, but we found the more we (I mean his immediate neighbours) helped the less Social Services showed an interest. In fact he had to be abandoned for the help to materialize. He is now fine and being looked after.

sorry "take this UP as adults, not us"

Your DS got himself to school on his own, Bitchy? And put his clothes away first? Wow.

SC - yes, tap polishing does provide a similar frisson to knob polishing, but not quite as good . That physical training sounds like child cruelty! I feel so sorry for all those poor children.

Morning, Blue. Good luck with that list.

Didn't get to sleep at all last night. When I did manage to get into bed at around 4am, Ds2 woke up and needed Calpol and cuddles. Then I was so wide awake again I ended up getting up. Finally got back to bed at 6am and managed three hours' sleep before DS1 woke me up to kindly offer me a cup of tea (although I would have preferred to carry on sleeping ). Amazingly, DS2 was still sleeping. He is very wheezy, poor thing. Maybe his last chest infection didn't clear up properly.

Making pancakes for us all now. I hope this bloody cold is better tomorrow because DS1 and I are visiting the pupil referral unit so that we can make an informed decision about whether he should start off there or go back to proper school straight away.

Apologies for whinging. Am very grouchy atm.

X-post, Swan. Morning!

Morning all, sounds like DS has been possessed by an alien life form Bitchy

SC those ghosts look brilliant And those laps sound like my idea of torture, much better on a bike.

Toffee hope you feel better soon.

Done
Morning routines
DD to school
Bought eggs should have bought more!
Baked birthday cake, spiced chocolate sponge cake, should be ready around 11
Washed up x 2 already!

To do
Lurk round oven
Dust bookcases
Tidy lounge
Put dry laundry away
Load washing machine

BBL,

It was quite a shock, until he asked about pocket money. not completely un-motivated then . As he should have a tv ban but his behaviour has been exceptional so it has not been inforced he was told reminded of this and told we will see what happens depending on his behaviour. Even so he sorted himself out this morning and all i had to do was to walk him to school really. So what could have been an incredibly stressful start to the morning was actually very pleasant.

I am in the process of doing some organisational paperwork type stuff. And what appears to be a new control journal type thing

hurrah, I have finally stripped our bed of sheets - tis a long way downstairs to the laundry basket

am dressed

dd is at home today with a terrrible sore throat and cold Toffee, and I think I am a lesser version (much lesser though, as I have been so lazy atm I have more resistance . Her school has a very strict attendance policy (under 95% and they lose the right to go to any sporting fixtures or on any outings), but they will just have to accept that she IS ill. She went to Open Evening yesterday, against my advice, as she is in the Glee choir and felt it was her duty, and today the sore throat is much worse. I don't think she sang a note really yesterday, but just had to be seen to be there

It is very difficult to explain to children that trying your best and overdoing it, means making things worse in the long run. Sleepover at weekend didn't help either, I need to crack down on that too, unless friend lives round the corner.

Bitchy they are very grownup sometimes, more grownup than us!

Toffee hope meeting at school goes well. Presumably it is better to go slow at first. I am amazed how much adrenaline takes people through difficult situations, but then Bam! there is always a backlash, and that is what you need to avoid. Ds2 has been fine at school so far, apart from homework, but I can see that it would be easy for things to get worse rather than better, because his adrenaline has buoyed him up atm, and may desert him or turn to anger or anxiety. Anyway, it is so difficult to know what helps children cope and when they are going to stop coping

Now going to tackle the front garden. Forgot to mention I have
done
9 sacks of household rubbish for bin men
put out more recycling, first thing, as Dh walked ds2 to Tube this morning and I didn't have to drive him

ta da
1st load washing in machine
1 load in dryer
sort next load of washing
ds to school on time
ds' clothes away - by ds
internet stuff
1st washing machine hung up to dry
2nd load laundry
sort out diary for next month or two
sort out all information needed together in one file
sort out sizing for stuff that needs ordering via ebay
find glasses
take bed apart and add matress topper to try to prolong the life of a actually it's rather dead already matress
start looking at the paperwork that needs dealing with
put bedding into wash god i love the quick wash cycle
consider what have for C*** bits already and what is needed
Dance along to kisstory
Consider the issue that is finances, pieces of kit needed and furniture that needs replacing. head ended up hurting so ignoring

Right i need a file so i am going to pop out and sort that. I also need a trip into the next town so i am going to get that done in the same go. Then i have a shit load of stuff to do and no wish to do it I hate loathe and destest paperwork

Quick question for cat people - do you put their bowls in the DW? DH thinks it's fine, logic tells me it should be fine, but a bit of me says ewww. My mum would probably never eat or drink in my house again if she thought we were doing that, because of her I sometimes have an overly cautious approach to hygiene.

WhoKnows - I think I did do that, yes. But I always rinsed them under the tap first. And I think I worried less about it as our kitten felt like more of a family member.

Swan - I never understand schools penalising children for being ill. DS2 is genuinely ill again and will now have a poor attendance record even if he's not off school again for the rest of the year. The children who are lucky enough not to get ill, receive a certificate for good attendance. But they are not virtuous, simply lucky, surely? I hope your DD feels better soon and that your own virus doesn't get any worse.

You are right about the adrenalin. The fall from that adrenalin boost can be disastrous, as I well know, so you are right to keep a close eye on your DS2. After all, DS1 seemed very happy at secondary at first, buoyed up by new friendships and the excitement of it all. Hopefully, we can all - teachers and ourselves - spot early signs of any wobbles this time.

Have cleaned up the kitchen and bathroom and am now attempting home ed with DS1. Me: "What sort of genre is this passage of writing from?" DS1: "Er, non-fiction?"

Hmm, can see we have some work to do.

Whoknows that's what dishwashers are for surely? I always rinse first.
Mind you I use a hot programme all the time rather than an eco programme so that might be the issue. But presumably the steam in the drying bit would kill any known germ? Quite frankly cats are an unhygenic thing to have around the home anyway . That's why they build up our immune systems.

done
made big batch of cold busting orange and red veg soup
printed off some forms. I LOVE my new printer it is foolproof. HP officejet 8600 and saves me so much stress for an extra ££. Best investment ever made.

I'm still here in the background. Flying's going very well, recovering from an allergic reaction and prepping for holiday in less than two weeks so not had much time to mumsnet.

I hope sick people feel better soon :(

Sorry about the allergic reaction, NickNacks. That sounds nasty. I hope you are ok now and that you know what triggered the reaction.

Swan - your soup sounds lovely and comforting. Am consuming chicken soup right now, but sadly it's not homemade.

ta da
1st load washing in machine
1 load in dryer
sort next load of washing
ds to school on time
ds' clothes away - by ds
internet stuff
1st washing machine hung up to dry
2nd load laundry
sort out diary for next month or two
sort out all information needed together in one file
sort out sizing for stuff that needs ordering via ebay
find glasses
take bed apart and add matress topper to try to prolong the life of a actually it's rather dead already matress
start looking at the paperwork that needs dealing with
put bedding into wash god i love the quick wash cycle
consider what have for C* bits already and what is needed
Dance along to kisstory
Consider the issue that is finances, pieces of kit needed and furniture that needs replacing. head ended up hurting so ignoring
Trip to next town the scenic way also known as hit autopilot and took a wrong turn
Banking
shopping for bits and bobs needed
print ds' homework
deal with upset mother
speak to various people as required (trying to sort so many odds and sods out at the mo)
Sort out a plastic wallet for ds to put his homework in.
wonder where the fuck this time i have put my phone charger whilst getting annoyed at my phone which is acting like a demanding toddler.
Put another load of washing on.
teach mother how to use bonderweb
sort out what is for tea
look at new plant and smile.

Evening all.

Again, you have all done brilliantly!! Top Flying marks!!

That list of yours is epic Bitchy! And yay to your ds for putting his clothes away and getting organised for school by himself!

Hope you are feeling better Toffee (and your ds2) and have managed to catch up on sleep, and that you are recovering from your allergic reaction Nicknacks. Both of you have really been through the wars of late.

Whoknows I happily put rabbit bowls in dishwasher. I must admit though, if I had a meat eating animal, I would probably wash their bowls separately as a bit of me says eeww too. I've no idea why - it's completely irrational - because we eat meat all the time! And rabbits lick their rear ends just as much as cats and dogs if not more so.

Swan top marks for nine sacks of rubbish and soup sounds delicious! (Just in time for the arrival of winter too if the weather forecasts are correct.) Hope your dd recovers soon! (Thanks for Lemony Snicket ref btw - going to investigate for dd!)

[Hovers expectantly outside Goths kitchen door eyeing cake.] I can't guarantee recipe of those ghosts btw - we used one from a book which worked brilliantly but weren't on sticks (can pm it if you'd like) - just sent that link to illustrate ifyswim.

Hope you got through your list Blue

I must confess to a bit of a list failure (apart from cooking) and a bit of decluttering. Everyone a bit grumpy and spikey here ok it's me thats the main grump. It's just that some days it flows and you get loads done, and other days you feel a bit low/overwhelmed and, er, it doesn't .

Annoyed with dh for going off to view a property related to an interest of his, and expecting me to join in his excitement, when there are holes in the walls here fhs.

Also had most ridiculous dispute with dd (religion hwk) as to why it wasn't polite to call homeless people "tramps" anymore. Tried to explain about respecting people as individuals whatever their circumstances and there but for the grace of God etc etc but dd got really cross and shouted "well Madame X [her form teacher] says 'clochard' so it must be OK and you are dead wrong". Oh dear... .

[And after that dh made it even worse by hooting at pictures of Adam and Eve in dd's religion file that had strategically placed goats and shrubs ]

Big feathery wing flaps to anyone I've missed and any lurkers!

The Mumsnet site is being really slow tonight for some reason, so hope this posts OK ... .

Tomorrow's baby-step, no 10 for Thurs 10th is we can do anything for 15 mins!

We are still in Zone 2: the kitchen. Spend 15 mins decluttering here!

Once your kitchen is totally clutter-free, you can go on to detailed cleaning.

Tomorrow's mission is a fifteen min surface clean of your large appliances

Thursday is errand day

The habit for October is paper clutter.

The daily flight plan will update itself according to date and provides a quick summary of the above.

Have a good one everybody!

**

Sorry - here's the paper clutter link again here

G'night all!

It's that thread about the penis beaker, it's gone viral, this is the first time I've managed to get on tonight.

Not too much Flying here either, school plus work plus help at Brownies plus babysit for a friend later plus lying on the bed playing with cats means very little housework done. Never mind, will start again tomorrow.

Same here WhoKnows getting on here has been ridiculous! And I need to inform you all that I have dusted the bookcases! Yay to anti-procrastination day! Just have to put away the box of 'stuff' I've collected off it

Also done
3 loads of washing out
1 load ironing
Dd to Woodcrafts
Flat iced birthday cake, plus made spooky tree, cat & bat, all drying waiting for assembly. Tried to put the house together, and it started to collapse so hoping another night will dry it out more

Thanks SC - yes, I did get through most of the list. Sorry to hear about ridiculous disputes, although I did smile at your description of DH's helpful contribution.

Hope you're feeling better NickNacks.

Big waves to everyone else. Going cross-eyed so best get off the pooter.

Been trying to post this for so long I've x-posted with WhoKnow and Going. Glad to get an explanation.

Not much flying here today either!

• Photographed a pile of DD's outgrown clothes ready to try and sell (fingers crossed as they need replacing!)
• D/W emptied
• Cupcakes made for school cake sale
• DD to swimming club
• Tea made and sink shined

DD is away on a school trip tomorrow so have had to gather together wellies, waterproofs, warm clothes and organise a packed lunch.

Slept for ages this afternoon and am beginning to feel a bit better. DS2 seems a lot better too. Just as well as DS1 and I are visiting the pupil referral unit tomorrow morning.

DS1 returned to his old kung fu class this evening. He hasn't been for years (stopped because of his anxiety). He had a really good time and wants to go every week. Hmm, I can see that this going-out lark is going to get costly.

Managed an hour of ironing this evening.

For the life of me I could not understand why I couldn't get on MN last night.

PB expalins it all.

Just about to leave for work but...

Ta da
Washing on!

BBL

I'm back, sorry I joined and then disappeared, had a bit of a meltdown last night over everything that needs doing. Today I need to:

Call student finance
Send several emails
Hoover stairs and landing
Sweep living room and kitchen
Wash dishes
Do some shopping
Drsreallyintment
Study

Better get started really!