Fledglings don't makes resolutions in January, they fly through the babysteps.

[BitchytheGreat]

So here it is the dreaded January thread. The thread of resolutions and good intentions for the year that you are lucky if you see through to the end. Welcome to the start of 2014!!

A quick note for newbies, this is a long running thread. We do like new blood around here. However, we do ask you to be respectful that for a lot of us just getting off our arses is not going to help and to avoid suggesting this. We all know life is more complicated then this. So here we do things a little differently. A little bit of flying and a lot of chatter and moral support. Feel free to jump on board and join us in flying.

For those who are new to fly lady she recommends a three step program:

1. Get those babysteps into a habbit
2. Get rid of the clutter.
3. Get that deep cleaning done.

Don't worry if you think you not doing it right but not getting up to it. Some of us have been here for years and we are still decluttering. Because clutter has a nasty way of multiplying if you take you eye off it, especailly if you have kids.

Fly lady ethos tells us a few things that I want you to remember:
No perfectism this is harder then you would imagine
You are never behind just start where you are and anything you do is progress.
It didn't get into a mess overnight, it won't get tidy over night accept it will take time to get on top of things and you will be happier.

So jump on board and lets get started.

Oh and I forgot the proper introductions. "I'm Bitchy and I shall be your guide to the fly lady system for January" better buckle up as things normally get a little crazy when it is my turn to take control. good luck

One hour later and I have a small ta da list which is somewhat of an achievement this week so I am going to post it.

Ta da:-
Tidy living room
Tidy dining room and wipe surfaces
Washing on
Dinner on
Tidy hallway
Done about 3 days worth of washing up
Cleaned kitchen surfaces
Dc's have tidied their rooms

Had a lovely day today. As a school, we have taken a bit of a kicking recently and everybody has been very down. Today, we got some GCSE results which confirm that ofsted are wankers and whilst everything isn't perfect we are still the school we thought we were. I am a year 11 form tutor and have had the same form since they were year 7. I love them like they are my own and they did really well and I am so proud of them. Even mu naughty boys who I have sweated blood guts and tears to keep on the straight and narrow over the last 4 and a half years did very well. I love my job ...today.

Maybe that's why i am flying tonight, a bit of positivity.

Bitchy hope you're feeling better soon.

Hello all, just popping in as I'm on a really tight deadline. Doing some flying - I have to, about to have all the ceilings re-plastered and everywhere decorated, so everything will have to move. With any luck we'll be moving before too long too, so I'm trying very hard to declutter and only have to do some of the packing up once.

I've just realised quite how much there is to do, but you're all helping me to see it in small bites, thank you And no matter what else, I can always stare lovingly at the sink for a bit.

Ta da (some from sudden burst late last night)

Fridge
Worktops
Sink
Cooked lunch
Washed up
Swish and swipe
Rang about the squirrels (they're on the case)

To do

Finish the work

Just need a good night sleep. ds is about to go to bed and i am already in PJs

Hi sc! lovely to see you.

Ellie that's great. OFSTED are bastard wankers who wouldn't last one day in a classroom. Good on you and all your students.

cream crackered yet again. About to get into my pyjamas and go to bed

Beat you to it Engels no you are just sticking to baby step 17

Oooooh, I like the term 'bastard wankers' engels. Far superior to wankers.

bitchy

A well chosen adjective then ellie !

Ellie your post was lovely, cant top bastard wanjers

happy zzzs people in pjs, I'm just making cups of tea and about to watch seven psycopaths with dp. got some nice ticks on my todolist so happy!

Quick pop in before Silent Witness.

Been for a run, as panicking as I have just realised I am suppose to be doing a 1/2 marathon in 7 weeks, really haven't put in the training or mileage required so far.

elliepac as just a mother with school aged children, in my small experience even I know Ofsted reports mean jack shit! I think it is general knowledge among parents these days, hopeful the government will realise soon! Absolute waste of time, and ridiculous stress to put on teachers and schools.

Also absolutely lovely that you get to have the same tutor group for 4 years, wish my schools did that! Might suggest it!

merry having them from Year 7 yo Year 11 is brilliant. You get to know them inside out and back to front. I know who doesn't do homework, which lessons my naughty boys behave/don't behave in, who has a crappy home life and needs extra support etc. Most importantly, it allows relationships to build between students and parents. And it is that relationship which means as a form tutor, I can make a difference and I care. My naughty boy calls me his second mum, I am his school mum. A much better system than different form tutors every year or mixed years in a form group.

Just realised I have gone on a bit. Bit passionate about my form, one of the most rewarding parts of the job, watching them grow into young adults.

Evening all :)

Welcome back, SC :)

Got quite a bit done today, more than made up for yesterday's lack of zone cleaning.
Also, flylady herself would be proud of me today, I was packing up a bag of stuff to give to a friend to pass onto WA and happened upon a big pile of baby clothes that I have been intending to eBay for at least a year. So I thought, 'Fuck it' and put them in the bag too :o
I know flylady doesn't like when people hold onto things to eBay them as often it just doesn't happen and is unnecessary clutter, I am definitely a good example of that But they are gone and I am glad that they are going to a good cause :)
Just need to make the leap with the 20 reusable nappies that I bought and only used for six months now

Not sure how much flying I'll get done tomorrow as it is a Friday, so no tv day, although I will make an extra special effort to do FF

Evening all.

Waves to SC - love the new name.

Ellie - that's lovely news. Always up for a bit of Of*d kicking around here.

Toffee - have been using the approach from that Getting THem to Eat book for a couple of days. DS2 still won't try anything new, but DS1 ate two helpings of dinner including all kinds of things he wouldn't eat before.

Silly - going back a few days, but seems we did go to the same uni then.

As for flying, dumped a bag at a charity shop and just about keeping up with routines, but that's about it.

Not a totally productive day but fell asleep on the sofa! Not sure if it is because I have moved my alarm forward 10mins or because I have stopped drinking coke!

Ta Da

• our bed stripped and changed
• upstairs hoovered through
• made tea
• sink shined *went for run number 2

we are up for early morning training today so BBL

Morning!
Ta da
D/w
T/d
W/m x2
Laundry away
Breakfast x3
Washed up
S&S
Made bed.

To do
Chase boys into having clean bedrooms for when they leave for school!

Morning all,
dd2 off sick again so I am getting to grips with morning routine. Have to try and get on top of stuff whilst silmultaneously starting a 1000 piece jigsaw with her. She is 7. I have told her it may be slightly ambitions

Depends on the child Eustacia Dsis would have happily have managed this all by herself, i would have thrown the thing at the wall in frustration.

Ds is off school an in bed. He is wiped. Physically, mentally wiped. Been told he can sleep and read a book. No screens, No out of bed and he will go to school this afternoon.

I am still feeling off from migraine So i think one of my first jobs of the day is to air the house. It gets so ridiculously stuffy with the central heating.

today the cleaning lady

why does this fill me with dread??? Possibly because she makes me realise how lazy I am...

in mitigation
done
yesterday went to catechist/parent meeting and welcomed 8 new parents
washed rugby kit
washed uniform
today: first thing dealt with screaming ds2 over music homework, helped him complete it in 10 mins it is always much easier than he thinks, he just panicks
made ds2 stick his homework in, and get diary signed, exit in good mood with PE Kit
walked ds2 to station, persuaded him to get on a bus
calmed down screaming ds1 who was screaming that ds2 is sooo annoying he couldn't possibly walk along the street with him (yet always crosses over to insult him if he's walking on the other side of the street [baffled]
forgot to sign ds1's diary [oh dear]

Dh has suggested a large CHART OF IMPORTANT WEEKLY EVENTS WHICH RECUR like PE KIT ON THURSDAY NIGHT, and SIGN DIARY ON THURSDAY NIGHT. Just so. Really is a good idea

Well it is a beautiful clear day here, sun is bouncing off the fence and various birds are singing their hearts out - I hope they aren't thinking of nesting already Ferdy the cat is lying happily in a cardboard box

to do
fold clean sheets or put them straight on beds??
find pile of clothes to iron
tackle utitilty whilst she tackles kitchen
declutter bathrooms so she can clean them
put bins back in right rooms
laundry from bathrooms in utility
write, address and stamp 3 cards which have been sitting on hall table for a week now...
order new uniform
order food, as we have none and Christmas shop has finally run out

Morning all,

So much for the sunny morning promised here

Done
Beds
Packed lunch
Dd to school
Home via Co-op
Washing up

To do
Dry laundry away
New load on
Windows
Tackle blinds in bedroom, they get damp (single glazing, horrendous condensation) and are now going black - yuck. They're LLs so can't replace, will try spraying with disinfectant, scrubbing and hair dryer.

Made 15 snowflakes yesterday (3 variations) , and still have quite a bit of wool left, so will finish it off later.

BBL

ta da
ring school
ring doctors
fb
mn
twitter
deal with ds
find alarm that shouted at me for nearly an hour because i put it in a safe place
emails - x 2 accounts (don't ask there are multiple accounts that need checking, including ds' )
try an focus ds to settling to something.
catch up with a friend
consider the to do list
evict snake, sharks and frogs from bath
run bath
come back to find bath full of snakes, sharks, frogs and ds

goth have you got a good pattern for snow flakes? - linky? pretty please!

Morning all,

Bitchy - these snowflakes are very easy Attic24.

Ellie - your comment about tutor groups are interesting, I was reading on another thread (about SN children in MS secondaries) the other day about how good vertical tutor groups are, I don't know what our local one does yet, but it is all stuff to think about. We had the same form throughout secondary but a different tutor every year who I don't think got to know us at all, it seemed that they just did the register with us and off we went to our classes, sounds as though things have improved since those days.

Ta-da!

Just taken a car load of stuff to charity shop and tip. Been and bought all the stuff to decorate DD's birthday cake (made last night) which I suspect will take ages as I am not a very regular fancy cake maker.

we have managed about 100 pieces. it has reminded mi I like jigsaws

I have done morning routine, 10 mins in living room. plan to do missions in a bit..

Sorry for all of you with poorly DC, or who are poorly themselves.

Blue - glad you are seeing some progress with one son, at least. The book does say it will take a long time, depending on their age. So far, DS2 has quietly eaten mushroom, green pepper, kale and clementines, which he wouldn't have touched before. He wouldn't eat any fruit or veg yesterday, but I made no fuss about it. I'm playing the long game!

Had a lovely time with DM yesterday evening, but she has gone now .

DH slept for hours yesterday. I don't think I've ever seen him in such a deep sleep. I had to check he was actually breathing at one point . He is taking it easy today too.

I managed to get DS2 to school today, but DS1 insisted that he was still sick and wouldn't budge. So I have allowed him another day off, but arranged for one of his teachers to come here on Monday if he still won't go in. And I have confiscated his computer till the afternoon.

Ta da

School run
Emailed DS1's school
Confirmed today's playdate for DS2
Shopping at corner shop
B/fast in bed for DH and DS1
Put recycling boxes out
Spoke with MIL on phone
Agreed to cancel playdate for DS2 as mother was too poorly
Ate my own b/fast

Am feeling exhausted and really think I will have to catch some more sleep in DS2's bed for a bit. It's very odd because I had seven hours' sleep last night. Was invited to a birthday party tonight, but have declined because I can't leave DH to look after the DC. However, I don't think I have the energy anyway.

Have washing up to do, but it can wait...