December already! Fledgings will sleigh the pre-Christmas clutter (and eat all the mince pies)

[GoingGoingGoth]

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 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!

Thanks to BlueEyeshadow and SlimChance for the November thread.

All welcome!! And remember that December is the new January!

SUMMARY

How can we be only one day in and on Page 3 already??

The rugby was a game between London Irish & Wasps at Reading. The lady sitting behind us (who supported LI) gave DD some glittery shamrock shaped deedy boppers to wear during the match and a flag to wave so she was well chuffed!

Sis and I watched Strictly together after the boys had gone to bed.

DD game rushing in this morning with her gift from Santa (a Moshi Monster advent calendar) and absolutely loved the arrival of Timothy Tinsel - our Elf on the Shelf! She happily went off on her Brownie trip (to Peppa Pig World) and came back this afternoon having had a great time and proud that she had gone on the scariest rollercoaster!

DH, sis, BIL and I had a lazy time eating croissants and gossiping before they had to go home. DH cooked dinner and even washed up the pots - though he has left a frying pan full of bacon grease for me!

Everything is ready for the morning and I am just about to put on the D/W, make a cup of tea and head to bed. Night all x

Morning all

Didn't stay up as late as Dizzy but did watch Queen at Wembley last night (stupid), now feel exhausted. Oh well, off to get DD ready for school.

Great round up goth - and I did look rather glam yesterday at the playground with DS (new pearl earrings to accompany jeans and wellies!)

Ta da
Up, dressed and breakfasted (no mean feat with DS atm).

Had a terrible night's sleep (thank you DS).

Today have a coffee date with a very pg friend? Have decided to walk there so will have to get a move on. Need to pick up some flowers o the way as well as I missed her birthday. Then may pop into town to pick up a few bits, though it'll be heaving with all the last minute Sinterklaas shopping going on.

DS is driving me spare atm. I can't seem to deal with him without losing my temper. He's 2.1 going on 15. Please tell me it's just a phase ohwise fledglings? He's been so easy for the 2 years and has just switched since his birthday intoa complete nightmare!

So, to do
Coffe with friend
Town
Change battery in clock
What's for dinner?
Run this evening

yep it is phase. It will pass. ds is 9 going on 30 sometimes.
The problem with being 2 is they are discovering self will and personality and boundry testing. if you get chance treat him like a dog: exercise him 3times daily

::Dead:: that. is. all.

to Blue and SC for last month, and more to Goth for this month.
Hello to Doris and Mad.
Decided not to treat yesterday as the first of the month as it was a Sunday, and one mistake I keep making is thinking I can do things at the weekend when everyone else actually makes it impossible!
So today's my ‘right it’s a new month and I have to make energy’ where there is none naturally.

Am very jealous of all these people who can get antibiotics off their Dr’s! I’m so run down I just can’t recover from illness and am just limping through gunged up week in, week out, to the (now also infected) eyeballs, and with a stomach bug that won’t shift either, and keep falling asleep if I don’t keep at things. Ds told me I’m permanently “old lady white” now, which did little for my sense of morale, so trying to find cheap and cheerful ways of fixing myself and increasing my energy levels.

Engels yes it's a phase. Ramping up their grown up ability to do new things can help offset it a bit.

Todays to do:
put some energy into what I look like!
Clean bathroom
Bleach (new but midewing already!) grout

Washing
hanging
ironing

rubbish to tip
recycling

Mega shop (last day of voucher)
find and fill advent calender
Prep temp greenhouse base?
Library x 3

re-order medical supplies
home bleugh
Clean out fridge
Check window frames for mould
filing

English
History
ICT
Home ed diary
work out what I've forgotten

Dinner
Listen to friend
sleep

Whoknows we make butternut squash curry with spinach and chickpeas, also butternut squash in tiny cubes in a risotto with a bit of sage. That is eaten by Dh and one child, it might go down with your slightly more adventurous children?

I was wondering what to do with that turnip! It is like a fairytale turnip..

Forgot it was Dec so wittering away about my smoke alarm on the Nov thread

Toffee Dd doesn't eat fruit. She has started showing an interest in milkshakes and smoothies though. Her vitamins come from milk and potatoes I think! Boys eat tons, we have to hide it. Ds1 will eat 10 apples a day if we let him. Ds2 eats cabbage raw like some manic shredder machine

Off to count Money now at church.

Buddha you are suffering from an infection, your body is reacting. It is not the antibiotics but the infection. You need to rest or it won't pass.

Hi everyone.

I actually feel u had quite a good month last month. Didn't quite manage to complete all the baby steps. Got to around 24 I think so I'm going to continue where I left off.

There were days when the missions didn't get done

Took dd shopping yesterday & bought a real tree then realised I had to carry it to the car park! Luckily dd is old enough for me to leave her at the entrance whilst I fetched the car. It's in a bucket now in my living room but not properly planted & not decorated yet.

Supposed to be working from home today. Not achieved anything yet!

I just had my Flylady email about Holiday Super Cruiding Mission. They start today not yesterday so in not behind!

I think they start on a Mondsy always so they fit in with the plan of the day (planning/anti procrastination etc)

So my To Do us to get my tree properly planted & get the decorations down.

Thanks Swan - I have thought about using blended cooked butternut squash as a base for curries, or mixing it with chicken curries, but haven't tried yet. Basically need to make sure it is only in the background and providing texture not flavour, none of us likes the sweet types of vegetables, so no to sweet potatoes and parsnips as well. Risotto might be a possibility for the other three but it is one of the few meals I won't eat whatever the variety, I cannot bear gooey rice, in fact I'd struggle to cook it let alone eat it.

Am at work, better go, back later.

Just checked my newly put together Control Journsl & virtually without thinking TA DA - I've dive my morning routine!

Made bed
Washed, dressed & teeth
Wiped round sink & toilet
Brushed hair (I don't wear make up when I work from home)
Put a load if washing in the machine

Also emptied the dishwasher.

Swan your probably right. But I came off the antibiotic yesterday. Head was splitting. Spent all day in bed, sleeping, watching films or on MN.
Had the shakes and fever last night. Woke with a fever this morning, but no more headache Hooray!!! Got friends to take my children to school and took myself back off to bed. Have just woken, I sound like the exorcist but on the whole I feel much better. I will visit the doctors tomorrow and get a different brand of antibiotic as not convince that the splitting headache was not cause by the other ones, but not a chance I want to take.

Plans are to stay in bed for another hour, have a shower and then start the chores!

ta da
school run
folding
ironing
pairing socks
tidy bench in kitchen 1 is still under washing up
tidy and clean lounge windowsil, windows and curtain rail
make sure all calendars are on december
sort out ds' kit
fit post storage system thingy (loose screws)
clear out some tv recordings, half watch a game (got interrupted)
take my bed apart and remake

Budha swan is right you must must rest else you risk the infection getting so so much worse. Antibiotics are not an alternative to rest.

swan ds is the same with peppers

All yours, enjoy!

budha you can get a splitting headache as a result of fever. were you combining the abs with paracetamol?

Am i losing the plot today?

Bitchy I was on antibiotic since Thursday for discomfort in head thought teeth but dentist said no more likely sinus (had shakes Wednesday so definitely an infection of some sort). By Friday started having splitting headache different from the discomfort. Started taking Codeine as was very painful. Codeine every 4 hours but headache still very painful. yesterday decide to come off the antibiotic in case the headache was being caused by them, as discomfort from sinus was more manageable than headache. Today have woken without headache. But fully aware I will need to see the doctor and get different antibiotics for sinus. Also fully aware that yesterday I actually stopped and rested. Which I don't do. Hence I am forcing myself to stay in bed at the moment!! I am forever burning the candles at both ends!!

I am never poorly but seem to been under the weather for the last month! Hopeful this rest and the new antibiotic will sort me.

ta da
morning routine, school runs
baked cookies
washing up
one load of laundry washing
living room tidied
living room vacuumed
dining room tidied
kitchen tidied
clothes put away
eye appointment made for DS2
mucked about on the internet while drinking

to do
pick up treat to put in advent boxes for the next couple days
afternoon school run
redistribute decorations on the tree (meant to do this last night but decided to wait as it's amusing to see all the decos at the bottom
more coffee... seriously... more coffee
finish addressing Christmas cards

Thanks Pictures will restart holiday missions that will confuse everyone

Where has the morning gone?

Done
Beds
Dd to school
Cobblers (boots need mending, not mild Tourette's)
Washing up
Wrapped Christmas presents
Rubbish & recycling out

To do
Dry laundry away
Ironing
Collect DD
Post friend's birthday present -it's today
Dd homework
Dd to karate
Dinner
Wash up & SS

WhoKnows - if you don't like squash etc as a veg, have you tried using it in cakes instead?

Blue - I've tried various beetroot cakes which were universally disliked but not other veg, to be honest although we do a lot of baking the DCs only ever want plain sponge, nothing fancy, not even chocolate cake. DH isn't much of a cake eater and I can't manage a whole one by myself so I don't try many things. Might look out a recipe though. I really do want us to eat more veg but it is a slog!

Hello all!

Thanks for perspective on housework with a small baby SC and Toffeewhirl I keep feeling a bit rubbish for not doing more.

I have friends visiting this weekend so I need to gradually prepare. So have split home bleurgh over the week.

Ta da
Breakfast
DD up and moderately clean
Washing sorted

To do
Take out recycling
Wash up
Lunch
Dinner
Swish and swipe
Shower and dress (yes v late!)
Go to shops
Load of washing
Exercise 15 mins
Buy and send two bday cards
Take books to charity shop

Looks a lot...but no stress if it doesn't get done.

ta da
school run
folding
ironing
pairing socks
tidy bench in kitchen 1 is still under washing up
tidy and clean lounge windowsil, windows and curtain rail
make sure all calendars are on december
sort out ds' kit
fit post storage system thingy (loose screws)
clear out some tv recordings,
watch a game and delete
take my bed apart and remake
spend 2hours sorting paperwork can't find hole punch and stapler so can file
30mins decluttering on my room
3 loads of washing
Clear dead and dying stuff out of the fridge before it becomes a biohazard

some work on the blanket whilst watching game. But i think i have a touch of blanket rsi, although the hair band that was cutting circulation to the wrist hasn't helped. Loads of lose ends to fasten so will do that whilst keeping ds company in a bit. He refused to go to school until his room was tidy. Told him to leave his laundry and spare bedding and I would do it. So that had better be my next job

Continuing the tangent, I just googled "butternut squash dessert recipes" and there are about 5 million results so hopefully there's something in there the WhoKnows family will like! :)

Thanks Blue - yes, it seems to be a popular vegetable, just not in our house! A colleague today has given me a recipe for a soup made with it and peanut butter and lime to give a Thai flavour, which I might try with the latest odd looking squash that has arrived today.

roasted with paprika and seasonings is a favourite here.

Ta da
above list plus a load of other stuff that I cba to type out.

Currently v. tired but bed is under paperwork that is sorted but unfiled. This is going to have to be dealt with. Ds is chilling out and teaching himself to play piano. He has finally got bored i banned balloon modelling