Remember, remember to Fly through November, but Fledglings will chatter a lot

[BlueEyeshadow]

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 SlimChance for leading us through October and such a copy-and-pasteable OP....

All welcome!!

Quite a productive day today, so my Ta-Da list is:

• S/S x 4
• Hoovered through upstairs and down
• Emptied bins and recycling
• Clean washing put away
• Load of towels washed and hung to dry
• Swept kitchen floor
• Swam 70 lengths
• Resurrected the breadmaker from the garage and made a loaf
• D/W stacked and on
• Sink shined

Engels - congratulations on your run
Swan - you must live quite near me as I am about 20mins west from Wallingford

Good morning! Sorry to be awol yesterday, spent most of it sorting out printing issues and got back quite late.

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Unfortunately, the Flylady site is proving difficult to get in to this morning - I have no idea why.

So this is just to let you know that I am on to it - and as soon as they sort themselves out - I will post links!

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Of course - if anyone else can gain access - please feel free to post links yourselves!

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Flylady website still not cooperating but found found this doc, listing all baby-steps which is quite useful! here.

In other words, baby step no. 19, for Tues 19th Nov is totally ignorable (reading a testimonial).

We are still in Zone 4 this week: The Master Bedroom (Nov 17 – 23). Declutter in this zone for 15 mins every day!

Once your boudoir is clear of clutter, you can go on to detailed cleaning.

Can't access mission for today atm until Flylady website sorts itself out, but the habit for November is menu planning.

Tuesday's daily focus is also planning: menus, doc appointments, holidays etc.

Sorry about this!

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Thanks SC - I can't get on Flylady either.

Got to get going now, but back in a bit to see what is going on!
Have a good day everyone!

Thanks for confirming it's not just me Whoknows!

I get the emails (I quite like them!)

Flight Plan for Tuesday November 19, 2013

We are Cruising Through the Holidays! Click here to learn more!

Today is Tuesday - Plan and Play

This week we are in:
Zone 4 - The Master Bedroom

November Habit of the Month - Menu Planning

• Morning Routine: -Get Dressed to Shoes including Hair/Face, Brush Teeth

• Make Bed

-Swish & Swipe -Empty Dishwasher -Reboot Laundry (a Load a Day Keeps CHAOS Away) -Check Your Calendar -Check Your Control Journal

• What's For Dinner?

• Drink Your Water

• Declutter for 15 Minutes

• 15 Minutes of Loving Movement (exercise)

• Before Bed Routine:
  -Lay out Your Clothes for tomorrow
  -Check Your Calendar
  -Put things needed for tomorrow at the Launch Pad
  -Where are your Keys?
  -Spend Two Minutes Clearing off a Hot Spot
  -Shine Your Sink

• Wash face/Brush Teeth

-Go to Bed at a Decent Hour

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Zone 4: Mission #2 Tuesday

Dear Friends:

Today is the day to attack the clothes pile. Now you all know what I am talking about. This pile is either on a chair, on top of the hamper, dresser or at the foot of your bed. Set your timer for 15 minutes and grab some hangers or start folding. While you are doing this do not hang up or fold something that you hate! This is the time to let it go!! If you do not love it, send it right out the
door!

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Have you heard the news? Our 2014 FlyLady Calendar is here. Don't wait! Get yours today!

We are happy to offer a brand new Rubba tool! The Handy Scrubba is amazing! Click here to learn more!

Sign up for your FREE FlyLady Online Calendar? Go check it out - it is nothing short of amazing from the dream team at Cozi.

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RADIO SHOWS AND TOOLS

Use this link for the current radio show as well as archived segments on BlogTalkRadio.

Need quick help? Crisis Cleaning or Focus to make you Fabulous? Click here!

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PAMPER MISSION

We saved the BEST for LAST! Just as with Blessing Your Heart, taking care of you is an important part of FLYing. Every week on our homepage we have a new Pamper Mission just for you! Click here to read each beautiful mission and learn the habit of loving yourself!

You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?

Words can be KIND or MEAN; the CHOICE is yours in 2013!

That's brilliant Picturesinthefirelight! Thank you very much! (The wonders of modern technology eh? )

Just one thing - think you may have included your e-mail address in there by mistake - might be best to have that removed by Mumsnet Towers in case of spam etc.

I noticed after I posted & reported it. My phone wasn't showing the whole display so I didn't delete all the bits I should have!

Morning. Been uber productive this morning

So far ta da
taught a science lesson
cut hair
everything for school run
put hair up all fancy and out of way
sort out training kit bag
sorted out lunches
put load of washing on
dealt with issue of forgotten lunch box
avoided being signed up for christmas fair stall duty
internet stuff
just sorting stuff out for this evening's adventures and then on to defrost and checking car over...

yeah i know i said i wasn't going to be here. we all knew i was lying

Goth the open secret is that I don’t do it all, at all, and it shows!

Toffee, one thing I learnt (the hard way) with mine was sometimes the ‘nothing wrong with’ ones, need a bit of leeway to not feel pushed out by sibling needs. There may have been a fair few ‘not so sick then’ days after I learnt it.

you’re not wrong about time, it probably is quite a bit still, but in comparison to staying over at night with very broken sleep and two hours on two hours off daily, it feels like a major step in the right direction.
I’m trying to give them a good enough level of support at the beginning while they try and make a flat within the house and sort out new lives down here, because doing that and looking after her is quite an undertaking with young children, and suspect if they’re tipped in the deep end with no backup it will all fail. I don’t know if I’m being over sympathetic or wise tbh.

LEA's just beyond belief, I can’t believe anyone educated enough to be on a SEN panel can’t work out that you can’t specify provision while removing the provider!

Swan sympathies with car and school, and “a monster I am somehow in thrall to for the good of my children” summed up how it ended up feeling here too. I suspect it’s not uncommon.

Pictures that sounds miserable. Hope this week’s better.

Bitchy

Must run or today will get out of hand.
To do:
washing
10-12 neighbour (firm exit!)
Try an multitask and work out what else I’m supposed to be doing
Dig out poly greenhouse
Try and set up poly greenhouse
Yesterday’s house bleurgh
filing
prep web science stuff
Sort computer
Pick up ds
English
Home ed diary
ironing
Dinner
Listen to friend
sleep

[Big wing flaps to everyone]

Picturesinthefirelight just coming on here to check that you had reported (was going to if you hadn't!). Good to know you spotted it!

Just want to apologise for not catching up with everyones posts from yesterday. Up to my neck in technology probs here. Back tonight hopefully!

Pictures if you're looking to get a paed referral, your school nurse should be able to secure one. That's what we did. You shouldn't necessarily have to go through CAMHS to get the referral.

morning morning morning!
Where did most of November go for goodness sake?
I shall start my pre-Christmas bit by bit cleanup tonight. I can't do the lounge yet as it was ds2's bday at the wknd and there are cards and prezzies on 'display'!
Dining/dumping ground room then it is!!
Oh JOY!
Have a happy day
xx

Pictures - we went the school nurse route for referral for DS (AS), it took a while though. Sorry you've had such a difficult week.

Unfortunately in our area the school nurse isn't allowed to refer any more - she used to he able to but it's funding cuts.

Shed referred us to CAMHS in the hope they would refer
But they didn't. They report was very contradictory - it listed loads if traits but concluded they didn't think he had ASD.

Senco & school nurse (& me) disagree & school are cross they wernt asked for their opinion by CAMHS.

So now we have to try the dr & ask them to refer to a paed, who can then refer to ASD unit

CAMHS have the power to refer directly to ASD unit but won't.

Picture hope this week is better for you. I am having problems with CAHM and my DS school too. He is a SH but trying to get support is near on impossible. Sometimes it gets you down (me last week) this week I ready for a fight. If any of the buggers would return my calls.

Ta da.
S&S x3
School run
Cleaned bath
cleaned kitchen - 1hr
Sweep and steamed kitchen floor
d/w unloaded and loaded
Washed up
W/m
Sent dog to naughty corner for eating a pillow.
Tidy living
Tidy games room

To do
Dry up
Shine sink
Bedroom
Clean out snake
Dinner
Hoover
For some reason the PC will not start up, so will need to deal with this!

Last night I made the packed lunches, god this made my morning so much easier!!

Morning!

Thanks for the flight plan Pictures, hope this week improves for you. Sounds like a hell of a time.

Done
Beds
Washing up
Dd to school
Doctors (nothing bad)

And that's it!

To do
Ironing
Mop floors
Make a veggie casserole for dinner.

How's the weather for everyone? Sunny and cold here, no snow, but bloody icy.

Sorry you had such a difficult week, Pictures. Have you tried ringing the NAS for advice? They have a good helpline and can advise on getting a diagnosis. Also, I hope CAMHS are going to help your son with his self-harming. It doesn't matter if he doesn't have an ASD diagnosis - they need to explore why he is doing this and provide appropriate help .

Sorry you are also struggling with SN issues, Angry. There are a surprising amount of us with SNs children on this thread. I suspect we all have a harder time keeping on top of housework for that reason (plus it probably gives us a feeling of control that we lack in other areas of our lives).

Angry - very impressed at you making packed lunches the night before. I always worry the bread won't be as soft if I do that or the sandwich will go soggy. Maybe I should try it. Anything to make mornings less stressful.

Jdub - we also have a sitting room full of presents and cards (Ds2's birthday at the weekend). He has built a Lego city all over the floor and neither DH nor I have the heart to ask him to move it. It may even expand into the hallway soon, as DS2 has big plans.

Just - your neighbour and his/her family are very lucky to have you. And that's a very good point about the sibling with 'nothing wrong'. I sometimes wonder if DS2 picks up on the feeling that he is 'not allowed' to have anything wrong with him because we feel we couldn't cope with it. Is it simply luck that he is thriving at school academically and socially, I wonder? Anyway, he enjoyed his Lego day yesterday.

Bitchy - well done on your productive morning and avoiding school-fair duties!

dizzy - I read your post and thought you'd done all that this morning. Was trying to imagine how you'd swum 70 lengths as well as done the school run and everything else before breakfast!

SC - thank you for trying to post the links. I have only just been able to get onto the Flylady website. Perhaps she was busy tidying it up...?

As the house is looking tidy at the moment, I'm trying to keep it that way. So, I have a list:

Ta da :

Packed lunches
School run
Listened to pupils' reading
Had breakfast
Unloaded and reloaded d/w
Put a load of washing on
Emptied kitchen bin
Put recycling into bins
Swept and mopped kitchen floor
Wiped down kitchen counters
Swished and swiped in bathroom
Replaced bathroom and kitchen hand towels
Swept stairs and hall floor
Mopped hall floor
Made beds
Took in delivery from Tesco
Cleaned fridge
Put shopping away
Dealt with panicky texts from DS1 and phoned his tutor to discuss
Checked emails and MN

To do :

Deal with pile of clothes in our bedroom (coincidentally, this coincides with the mission)
Ironing
Put clothes away
Put tumbledryer on for wet washing
Do some work with DH
Lunch

Right, am going to put the kettle on, then tackle the bedroom. Anyone else need tea?

I find that the strict routine if the Flylady system helps ds - he likes routine especially in the mornings.

CAMHS dismissed ds (is that the correct term?) before the summer holiday. I don't think ds will do that again - a school friend showed him how to make those marks that were very like love bites during swimming. I have to see the dr with him in a weeks time though.

I really appreciate everyone's advice.

He's at a private school & they can't access the ed psych unless I pay (& I can't afford that & school fees donuts a biscuits circle).

Am at work today so my list is small

Ta Da

Up, dressed, made bed
Ds got himself ready & did his breakfast (I helped cut the bagel in half)
Quick 2 min tidy clutter off kitchen window ledge
Set dishwasher & washing machine off

To Do (after work)
Asda shopping
Mission (tidied clothes pile in bedroom yesterday so may try & tackle ironing mound)
Supervise homework & music practice
RR in office

Pictures with selfharming CAHMS are meant to see you immediately - GP referral? I know this because a friend with otherwise no issues with her children, off radar completely etc...was amazed how quickly they acted when this came up with her dc.

Didn't know that

I was just so relieved ds hasn't got leukaemia or something as awful it passed me by that it was actually self harming as such - I saw it as kids messing about (although he did two lots over a couple if days)

Pictures so sorry. I hate that the system is so messed up that we have to fight and wrangle for referrals to get them the help they need.