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!!

whoknows both my dses have adored their residential trips. Dd found it harder for some reason and she is the sociable one. [well apart from my major faux pas of not waving ds2 off last year to PGL, which he has only just forgiven me for] Somehow the gear didn't matter, after all my energy packing it, I think they just muddle through. Dorset sounds fabulous btw. Mine ended up in Surrey!

Done
counted money in church till 1.30
went to Morrisons, food shop
collapsed!

now waiting for the children to come home and gobble up all the food I have bought.

baba - sometimes people can't see further than the instructions on the screen in front of them.

Sounds cabbagetastic goth

sc. I am feeling a little kinder towards DH right now (told him not to come home from work without popping to the shops first and getting some baby wipes as we're almost out and DS has done 5 poos today Didn't know there could be that much brown stuff in one tiny child).

Dinner is in the oven (homemade cheese, ham, veg and potato bake).
Yesterday's washing is out td and folded
Wash on
Washing up done

Will start packing when DH is home to entertain DS and then set lesson cover this evening when the little terror is in bed (and there is no way it's my turn tonight!).

Bob, Thomas and Scooby Doo have been helping me babysit this afternoon while I've been trying to get stuff done

Bob, thomas and scooby doo are all very good babysitters engels

babapeela reminds me of that comedy sketch "The computer says no"

I have done fuck all but lose time on the internet. I think tbh it was needed as I am ready to go to sleep I feel that drained and tired. So in that vain I am going to make tomo my wednesday and thus antiprocrastination day.

Note to all newbies. My lists can be long and scary looking but have some interesting little ta da things in them. However the general advice is just to ignore them!

Evening one and all. Today is Monday. I fucking hate Mondays as I have Year 11 all day. Plus DS has Scouts. Plus it is, after all, Monday.

Today has been a better than average Monday. Year 11 were quite pleasant. DS is at scouts but i will cope. I have also actually done some flying. I was in a brilliant morning routine but it has gone to shit recently and i have struggling to figure out why. It's DH's fault. Before he set up on his own he was leaving the house at 6.30and therefore not really around in the morning. Now he leaves at 7.30 and he is, well, just there. Getting in my fucking way. I need to rectify this.

Ta da:-
Work
Dinner cooked
Washing up
S/s bathroom
Maintenance tidy downstairs
Uniforms laid out
Packed lunches done
DS to scouts

To do:-
Pick DS up from scouts
Bath
Figure out how to get rid of/ignore DH in the mornings.

engels ((hugs))

All this talk of residentials is reassuring me. DS is going on his in May just after the SATS (yr 6). They go to Whitby for the week. He is most excited already. I am wistful of the days when a school trip cost £5 to a farm park...£170 bleeding quid this one!

Better go and crack on before i have to pick DS up.

Bbl.

Well, did it all but the ironing and hid the 3 lots of washing, folded up in the cupboard! Worry about that tomorrow!

Spent the evening entertaining 25 boys (Cub Leader not stripper!!) So stopping now!!!

Ellie your not alone. DS1 Ski trip £700, DS2 residential week trip £360 and DS3 residential week trip £170. Didn't have the heart to say no but it's cutting our budget so tight that we have ask family to give us money at Christmas rather than presents! which the DC have accepted!

angrybuddha respect to all you cub/scout leaders. Just got back from picking DS from scouts. He has been through all the units and i am constantly in awe of the time and effort the leaders put in.

Angrybudda "Cub Leader not stripper!!" thought hadn't even crossed my mind but the fact you needed to clarify made me

Hi lovely people.

I'm having a really hard time at the moment with anxiety and DS. I started a thread in chat yesterday asking for help if you saw it.

As you might remember, ds1 started middle school in September and it's been a big leap to learn how to organise his time, bags, homework etc for both of us. Unfortunately I've not handled it too well and have now got obsessive and stressed and anxious that we'll forget things and he'll get punished at school for my failings of him. He seems to have picked up on it and is started to copy my routines.

I know some if you are teachers and also deal with your own anxious children, if you have any advice I'd be grateful (either here, other thread or pm is fine)

:) sorry for the derail.

Hi all. Just a really brief fly by as I couldn't sleep last night and was up by 4.30 this morning. I just wanted to thank all you lovely ladies for your support. Today went well and all the staff were really welcoming and supportive. They are breaking me in gently and the first lesson I will teach isn't until Friday so I feel much happier. I am looking forward to meeting the children tomorrow
As I was up so early I got lots done before school so tomorrow I intend to get up half an hour earlier than usual to keep on top of the flying.
I really need an early night but I will be back tomorrow and I promise my post won't be all me,me,me like this one.
Have a lovely evening everyone.

Pm'ed you nicknacks.

And don't apologise for derail. If we only posted about flying, some of us would never post

Nick - I will look at your thread, I suffer with what you would describe I suppose as low level anxiety and know sometimes it wouldn't take much for it to go a bit further.

Mercury - so glad today went well for you.

Angry - I've just got back from our Scout Group executive meeting (I'm on it as a parent of a Cub) - I had no idea how much goes on behind the scenes till I went on the committe, hats off from me too.

Engels - feel free to vent, we all do it sometimes and it can be a big stress reliever.

Baba - so sorry you are going through such a struggle to get the help you need, hope the medical gets you the result you need when it comes.

Swan - thank you, yes I am sure DS will love this trip, he has been SO excited about it. I wonder if he will struggle being in the company of others for so many hours of the day, he tends to need his own space after an hour or two of company, but then I bet so do a lot of the others.

Toffee - what is this university course of which you speak?

Well, not much flying, but I've got a day off tomorrow to catch up. DD went to a friend's after school, so I had the house to myself for an extra 90 mins after work, and I did spend it all on my OU work, so feeling a bit more on top of that anyway. At the moment I am studying two modules, one on Autism and one on Forensic Science, both are fascinating. It was weird not having DS around at teatime, but I missed bedtime as I was at the Scout hut, I think that will be the time of day I miss him most. Roll on Friday!

NickNacks sorry no advice, mornings can be a battle here. Hope it sorts itself out soon.

Mercury so pleased today went well, will be thinking of you all week, you've worked hard to get this far, you'll do brilliantly.

Angrybudda

DH collected DD from school and then took her to karate, so got a bit more done than I expected.

Final Done
Go DD ready for school
Dd to school
2 loads laundry washed & hung out
Beds
Windows
Washing up
C Cake fed (that was a lot of rum!)
Made tomato & lentil soup
Washing up
Prepped veg for dinner
Made beetroot chutney
Washing up
Ironing
Dinner
Washing up
Blanched cabbage and carrots for freezing
Washing up (again!)
SS and wiped down sides.

plenty of sofa's to go around in the naughty corner for those that need them

Thanks ellie whoknows and goth

I'm in already bitchy

Glad it went well mercury

NickNacks I've posted long rambling post on your thread. I soo understand what you mean. Ds2 is very anxious because of his SN (Asperger's) so we have to learn techniques to deal with that to, which is to avoid escalation of anxiety, distract, refocus, habits which are quite loose not cripplingly tight - ie: where's your stuff, oh yes put it in the hall, put pile of important stuff back in blazer everynight. So far it has been absolutely fine for us and we are not an organised family. Maybe it is a strength that we don't organise everything perfectly but just a few things, I never thought of it like that..I blamed my anxiety on NOT being organised, but maybe there is always a different root, which is self doubt.

okay not always absolutely fine, but better than it could be if the wind was in the East!!

I've just rambled on your thread too Nick. Swan - your words on that thread are reassuring to me too. Bloody flylady has turned us all into control freaks!

Evening all.
Sorry, no advice NickNacks but plenty of ((hugs)). I've just discovered that our local NHS has a stress/wellness service. I don't know if there's anything similar in your area, but maybe worth a look?

Glad you've had a good day, Mercury.

Also sorry that my brain won't cope with any more personals tonight. Really will try and get on here earlier tomorrow!!

Babystep 5 is about dealing with negative voices.

The mission is to clean out under the sink.

Oh dear, so sorry so many of you are having such tough times at the moment. Here's and for you all.

Engels - I'm really sorry you are having such a difficult time and I'm not surprised your head feels like imploding. Rant all you like here.

Mercury - I'm so happy to hear that your first day at school went ok . I'm sure all the teachers remember their first days only too well.

NickNacks - ah, anxiety... We have a lot of that in this house. I will check out your thread.

Am a little bit sozzled cos I have been polishing off a bottle of wine planning DS2's joint birthday party with a friend. We chatted for so long that DS1 had fallen asleep by the time I went up to his room to see him.

WhoKnows - oh, ok... it's an occupational therapy degree. Am really interested in retraining. Went to an open day this week which got me all enthused, then learned that they want me to have done an A level in the last five years. The degree I did 100 years ago is no use, apparently, cos it's too old. Well, the last five years have been a bit busy, what with looking after both boys, dealing with DS1's SN issues and all the other stuff life throws at you, so no, I don't have a recent A level lying around, sorry. I may have to delay applying for another year whilst I study something to meet the criteria. So annoying because now that DS1 is starting back at school, I'm itching to start doing something for myself.

I did not manage my (very short) 'ta da' list today, but I did spend a long time chasing up eligible courses to qualify me for the degree I'm interested in. Then had to have a nap, which I think was because I'd mistakenly taken DS1's Prozac tablets this morning (I had my antihistimine tablets in one hand and his Prozac in the other). I could barely wake later, but DS1 was determined I come to the indoor skate park with him, so he got me up. Spent three hours with him, then home to meet friend for wine and chat. Absolutely no Flying done!

And this is why my house deteriorates back into its usual state of CHAOS.

Night all.

I'd love to join in, but worried that I will become overwhelmed. I have some DIY I need to fit in to all this (painting, flooring put in). But I would like to get a handle on the cleaning in my house. The decluttering may take me a few years.

Why do I get the feeling I may spend a lot of time in the naughty corner?

We all do Alice, we all do. Come on in! I should add that even though I spend a lot of time in the naughty corner, my house and level of organisation generally has improved massvely since joining this thread.

Thanks. I'll do a little bit of reading tonight and hopefully get a start tomorrow. Little bit at a time as I've got the flu right now. But Christmas waits for no-one, right? Still need to clean...

Oh, we should probably all be in the naughty corner most of the time, Alice - don't worry about it. Sorry you have flu. You will need time to recuperate before starting to Fly .