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!

fgs, please excuse my spelling. Fat fingers.

Lurking hoping to catch the impossible, an emergency Dr's appointment. It's that or this nose is going to put Rudolph out of a job.

Bitchy was thinking you are truely Superwomen if you thought 3 hrs was enough sleep. Still impressed you can function at all. I would be useless.

Eustacia Hope your sideboard is the miracle you want it to be.

Toffee good luck with your shopping trip.

To do
Tidy kitchen
Finish gingerbread house assemble
Christmas cards and delivery
Put away good shop

Hubby has gone to work.... Thinking about going to see Frozen at the cinema... Can't decide!!

Xpost

Just Hope you can. And he can give you a miracle cure to make you better before Wednesday.

Castle such sad news. So sorry.

MerryBuddha What in the world possessed your DH to think that this is a good time to paint a bedroom?

WhoKnows I do suffer a bit from CBA as well. Ice skating sounds lovely, sounds like a good time. DD used to compete in figure skating, so can do all the fancy big jumps and spins. I just skate happily around in circles, myself. But 90 minutes of ironing?

Swanhilda sounds like you are all ready to go. Very organised of you.

Toffee awaiting your humungous list.

Slimchance at your glycerin situation. Do you suppose they are mentally picturing a bunch of suppositories artfully arranged on top of a cake?

Our elf has been busy. This morning the DCs awoke to clothes pegs all over the Christmas tree, as well as the stuffed snowman and teddy bear that sit under the tree. They were literally falling all over each other laughing at it. They know it was the elf as he dropped a few of the pegs just outside his elf door on his way out. Sneaky little elf. And they had a good giggle over it while they were removing all the pegs. The DCs did decide to leave one peg on the tree to remind them of this particular elf antic as they thought it was hilarious.

ta da
morning routines
put a tinsel headband on and off DS2 about a zillion times at his request
tidied up the kitchen
checked bank

to do
tidy living room (again)
vacuum
washing up
one load of laundry

Not a huge list today, but let's face it - I'll spend most of the day keeping the DCs out of things and from arguing and scrapping with each other. Ah the spirit of Christmas, eh?

Merry. it's a fact that Bitchy is Superwoman, she just hasn't accepted it yet.

Yay! I have an appointment. It comes to something when that's a cause for excitement,

Dr’s
Hopefully chemists
Aldi’s
sandbag flat’s rear door as weather warnings are making me twitchy
Trip to insurance storage to see if tree base ended up in sorting area there.
Work the rest out later.

Rofl. You lot make me laugh. Luffs ya to bits.

Alice - what level did dd get to? The new test system is weird and I don't like it. Especially the new compulsory qualifying minimum for the BACs

Christmas cards have been delievered to the ice rink and I was delayed there chatting far longer then I should have been. In the proces of working my way through the rest of the jobs. I predict I will crash about 12 noon just after taking my anti biotics and then sleep pretty much through until tomo.

Good luck at the doctor's this mornng Just (and with the weather- the last thing you need is another flood).

We ought to have a red nose competition bet mine would win !!

Starting to get the hang of elf antics Alice

Good luck with finishing the gingerbread house Merry! Will you post a pic perhaps???

Good luck with sideboard and associated (re)arrangements Eustacia

Drat, sorry to miss you by 1 min last night Bitchy but good you had a night off ... v. impressed by early morning e-mail writing!

Have woken up feeling a bit grim: with hacking cough. Bit of a slow burn of a virus, wish it would just hurry up and do its worst all at once, rather than presenting a new symptom each day! Anyway, forcing myself to finish crib this morning, wind ivy up fireplace pillars etc, put final finishing touches to all other decorations, finally remove all decoration boxes and completely clean sitting room. DD has completely trashed the playroom which was tidied and clean on Friday, having been expressly told to keep it in a reasonable state, so I am she is going to have to do that too. Then more 'local' card writing: neighbours, friends etc.

Fil's health is so precarious that I won't be allowed anywhere near him if still germ-ridden and dh and dd have to receive all clear too. So latest plan is that it looks like we are going to be here for Christmas itself then visiting fil and sil immediately afterwards until start of term. Poor rabbit sitter is confused but thankfully flexible! Dh disappeared off to work at 6am and we won't be seeing him until after 10pm tonight (it's always like this when he is trying to get away - sigh).

Keep going everyone!

[Plumps up plumpiest of pillows in naughty corner in preparation for Bitchy]

I pulled a late nighter (well 5.30am!) but all the presents are wrapped , walking boots and swimming gear ready, DD's clothes laid out, last items ironed and bags in from the garage.

I have made flapjacks (well the elf did) so now off to check if the washing is dry and then pack our bags

Bitchy She competed in the states a number of years ago (she's 27 now). She was 11 or 12 when she had a pretty nasty injury that eventually meant she couldn't compete any more. But she was doing double jumps and stuff - I honestly can't remember the actual levels as it was so long ago. But she loves skating when she gets the chance and still can do all the skills. It was so horribly expensive though - time each morning on the ice before school, the private coach time, the costumes, and the skates - god, they were REALLY expensive!! So glad she's not doing that anymore - I feel a bit guilty saying that, but it was a hassle. She had permission to be late to school every single day as she had skating time before school, and I felt like I spent half my time in the car, as the rink was a 45 minute drive away, then back again to get her to school. Add to that the competitions were expensive as well - coach expenses, hotels, travel.

Not to mention the bruises - she looked like she'd been beaten all over her legs whenever she started a new jump. And her coaches wanted her to partner and do the pairs skating. Can you imagine sitting happily by while some teenage boy lifts her up over his head while skating around the rink? Recipe for a heart attack, I tell you. They also were pushing for her to home school so she could spend more time on ice and with coaches, and she was dead set against home schooling (as was I).

Slimchance I'm enjoying the elf stuff, but it will be nice not to have to think of things. Couple days left...

alice you have mn mail --wonders if some of the old timers are quietly smiling and waiting for bitchy to out herself to the point of requiring a name change again.

My family room is a haven of tidy loveliness ALL of our board games fit in it!

Merry - go and see Frozen it is meant to be great. We might go next week.

Have done morning routine and blitzed one room.

Have still not dond duvet

Will catch up on news later.

And I have sorted my kitchen cuboards. I got rid of a bin bag full of stuff including 9 jam jars.

.

Just - well done on getting the appointment.

Only scanned this mornings posts as I am raring to go. Just got back from coffee and stollen with friends in a very large and beautiful house, now feeling ready to get cracking on mine. Kettle's on if anyone fancies a cuppa while they Fly.

So,

To do:
Washing to dryer and another lot on
Empty DW and put breakfast dishes in
More washing
More ironing
Put all clean clothes away
Hoover
Pick up all the crap from the living room floor and surfaces
Make mince pies (or at least the pastry)
Sort out dishes, tablecloth etc
Deliver cards to neighbours when/if it stops raining (foul outside at the moment).

Sure there's more. Back later

Afternoon all. Relaxed morning here. Just a bit of tidying and a lot of washing.

eustacia if i got a sideboard in my living room it would be just one more place to shovel shit into. I hope yours is a much more refined receptacle.

Whoever said bitchy was Superwoman. You are wrong. She is just nuts. And that's why we love her.

bitchy careful careful...we haven't had a namechange for a while.

sc at glycerin.

castle sorry to hear your sad news.

To do:-
Post office to pick up last couple of parcels.
Get ds a stocking as his has broken
Bread to buy
A whole fucking Mount MustWrapMore to conquer
Wine to drink which I am sure will help the above task.

Back later.

Just passing through whilst I scoff a sandwich for lunch.

Ta da list, Part One :

Breakfasts
Put rubbish out
Did Xmas shopping at Waitrose between 9 and 10 (still crowded though)
Nearly had a heart attack at the cost
DH took away all the boxes of books in our dining room and hall
Unpacked all the shopping and managed to fit it in the newly cleared cupboards and fridge
MIL called round whilst I was unpacking (argh!) - chatted politely, then called her a taxi!
Worked out what the weird smell was - not a rotting orange, but the scented oil that was supposed to make our house smell like Xmas
Threw away scented oil (bloody waste of money )
Emptied all our bins and put another bag outside for bin men (still haven't come)
Watered plants
Filled fruit bowls with newly bought fruit
Realised I had doubled up on the clementines, so now have oranges in every room
Unloaded dishwasher
Reloaded dishwasher
Stripped our bedclothes
Put first load of washing on
Wrapped more presents
Redistributed clutter
Used plughole cleaner in kitchen sink again
Cleared dining-room table
Made lunch for the boys and myself

anyone?

done
counted money in church
4 more cards delivered
present for cleaning lady delivered
broke up fight between boys
dh took ds2 out on a long walk earlier
We have received a joyous missive from school with Ds1's holiday homework (write A3 poster on Shakespeare I despair. Perhaps we could just print off a big picture of Leonard di Caprio/Joseph Fiennes/Laurence Olivier as ds1 at least likes films...

Ds2 is now playing with his cars next to Christmas tree and ds1 is hiding in his bedroom after stamping on ds2's foot

Dd and Dh have gone to the Nutcracker at the ENO - godmother had extra ticket for Dh! I think dh was delighted.

Not quite sure what I have to do. I'm sure there is something. Oh yes it is tidy my room. In which many of the presents still lurk. And identify obvious gaps.

Evening all.

Would have a Bitchyesque list but CBA to type it all up! Suffice it to say that I have cleaned the entire house, done some cooking and rearranged the sitting room around the fact that friend has borrowed the rocking chair... Have also managed not to kill the boys, despite severe provocation. Parents have just phoned to say they're an hour away [frets about state of roads]

Big waves to everyone. Is it too early for ?

Of my to do list I have write second complicated email and write birthday card and I forgot that tackle blanket gate needs to go to the top of the list. Opps.

Time to get up and make waffles for tea. Hope you all finish what you want to get done.

Ta da Part Two :

Ironing
Tumbledried bedclothes and ironed them (don't usually do this, but they were very creased and it's Xmas)
Put second load of washing on
Used Bitchy 's method of dealing with a bored DS2 (suggested he tidy up his Lego. He went away!)
Put ironed clothes away
Phoned my mum
Carried more stuff upstairs to redistribute
Put dead houseplants in garden and replaced with new

Apologies for my lists and lack of personals. The lists are keeping me focused on the job in hand.

Just a quick visit, as will be back later (obviously)

Done
Laundry done
Dry laundry away
Weekly bleugh
Litter tray
Cut DH's hair
Last few bits of food shopping
Cards & tablet/cinder toffee delivered to neighbours
Dinner
Washing up & SS
Tidied away a hot spot! (It won't last)

To do
Ironing

BBL with links & round up