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

done
paid in large cheque into bank
bought presents for host and my goddaughter tomorrow (tried out some new scents in meantime
bought jigsaw as 50th birthday present to go with the scent!
bought loads of Oxfam books to cheer myself up and start my 50 book challenge off to a good start on the train journey there and back.
renewed parking permit at council offices online...they no longer do face to face for some reason I had to physically go in, in order to bring myself to renew it online (which of course I could have done at home but still IT IS DONE!
exercise

now rewarding myself by reading the TES so I can be even more opinionated about school system

Toffee dh did that with me this morning (the screaming bit) I asked him if he'd remembered to remove ds2's non regulation electric blue anorak before he got on the train to school. He became hysterical! (he had remembered and hated me asking him ticking him off) I think it was just the stress of the school run that did it.

Ok, cleaning the microwave and defrosting the freezer are on my list of "nightmare tasks to only do when I can not find something pressing to do elsewhere" list. So if you're doing both in one day, my hat is off to you!

Bit behind on the thread but so glad you found the cheque toffee.

Well done with your kitchen jobs chipping esp freezer!

Have been trying to low carb so not much energy. DP is having a tough time at work and wants to go away for the weekend somewhere along lines of brighton, kittlehampton so I spent a lot of time on google but didnt find anything suitable big enough for a family of 5 (we are in w london).

Felt a bit overwhelmed by mess in house today and dd2 has been quite demanding. Hoping tomorrow I can really get on with housework, esp as a neighbour popping in tomorrow eve and my mum will be here looking after the kids on thus.

note to self. this is when you took the pain killers.

Only a quick visit today, as have a severe case of CBA, but I have made DD a 'wolf hat', it's got ears. Next job paw print fingerless gloves.

She's just back from her trip to the dentist where 2 baby teeth were removed quite quickly. She was very brave with the injections (4!) has now been dosed with calpol and is laughing at classic Tom & Jerry, so I think the distraction is working.

So pleased you found your cheque Toffee I hate losing money/cheques, it's the hot/sick feeling you get whilst you try not to panic (or is that just me?)

Alice - I'm sorry that you also suffered physical injuries from having to carry a kicking, screaming child . My surgeon thought my injury was from sports (apparently, it is often seen in footballers) and was nonplussed when I said no, it was from dragging my DS to school. He then asked me if I had a busy life and would be able to recuperate from an operation and looked confused, again, when I said it would be difficult to relax because I had two small children. He clearly had no idea. (And I never had time to have the operation!).

Sally - I love new stationary too. I bought a large A4 notebook with five dividers (one section for notes and four for each module of my course). And I also bought a thick, lined notebook for rough notes. And then I treated myself to new pens and highlighters .

Hemlock - I'm studying Y032: People, Work and Society Access module. I want to apply for an OT degree course, but need to provide evidence of academic study in the last five years and my degree is too long ago to count .

Swan - oh dear, sorry your DH was shouty this morning. I feel a bit shocked at myself for losing my temper like that. It really came out of the blue. I thought I was coping.

Welcome, Chipping. Have you found your important piece of paper yet? Have a nice night out tonight.

giraffe - hope you manage to find somewhere lovely for your weekend away.

Goth - what a brave DD. And yes, I did get a horrible feeling when I thought I had lost the cheque, but mine is more like a nagging, achy feeling. Definitely also got that hot feeling in the initial moment of panic when I realised it had disappeared.

Ta da

Walked all the way round to the PO, only to find that there was such a long queue I didn't have time to wait before the school run
Bought new stationary
Paid cheque into bank
Rushed home to discover that the clock on my phone was wrong and I was late for the school run
Kind DH drove me to school and then back to the PO
Queued for ages at the PO
Sympathised with PO staff after silly elderly woman was horrible to them (reminded me of how much I hated working with the general public)
Arrived home to the phone ringing
Had a discussion on the phone with the head of the learning centre. She has suggested DS1 only attends the centre, not school, at present.

Hemlock - what were you studying at the OU? I enrolled to do one module a couple of years ago and got in on the transitional funding so have carried on one module at a time but don't intend to do the entire degree, will probably just finish Level 1.

Chipping - welcome to the thread.

Toffee - so glad you found the cheque, it's an awful feeling. I need to do a trawl of safe places tonight for my allotment fee bill, otherwise I'm going to forget to pay it. I have an old Lidl notebook which is falling to pieces for my OU work, which is a bit crap really. I would really recommend some of those little sticky arrows for page markers for your course books.

Just - good idea, I will email the SENCO when I have posted my letter and say thank you for offering to support, although I do trust and like her in general I know you have to cover your back in this process (it's going to be like going back to one of my old jobs, getting everything in writing, trusting no one and making sure the blame always lies elsewhere).

Giraffes - how about the Isle of Wight for a weekend away? We go there regularly and love it, getting on the boat gives you a real "going away properly" feeling and there is so much to do over there. The ferries aren't cheap though (you can use Tesco points on some of them)

Have not only rung bg but had an engineer round for annual check; need an electrician about iffy switch below boiler.
Cleaned microwave
Cleaned freezer but not put everything back in
Not finished washing up knock backs, nor cleaned kitchen floor. Not found important piece of paper. Did dress up and now I am going out. Thanks for your help.

who knows - Dp has remebered we need to go to ikea to do a return so lloks like a meatball and kids creche weeken for us! Where abouts do you stay when you go to the isle of wight, that was one place coming up when I looked actually?

I'll also join on the dragging children into school week :(

Ds2 not regularly but often enough refuses to go into school. He's fine getting there and just flips as soon as the teacher comes out to collect the class. The teacher or TA has to pull him off me and drag him into class whilst he's crying 'but mummy I love you, please please don't leave me.' I had to walk away blinking the tears away and watching from where he couldn't see me to check he got in the building safely. :(

Then he's back to normal the next day. I can't fathom it.

Well, in the summer we camp, we have only been once in winter and had a lovely cottage in Shorwell, which is fairly central and a good spot to get to pretty where everywhere from. It depends what you would want to be doing really, quite a lot of tourist attractions are probably closed, but there are plenty of nice towns to potter round and I imagine Carisbrooke Castle and Osborne House are probably open all year round. Some of the beaches are sheltered by cliffs and good even in winter, I like the south west coastline the best for beaches. You could stop at Southampton Ikea on the way back! There's some links to good accommodation here IOW

hi everyone,
well done goth's dd. we had orthodontist today and dd was very brave. now being referred to consultant orthodontist

house a tip. I am at work tomorrow so plan to sort in earnest on thu/fri.

can someone tell me what zobe we are in?

Wednesday is anti-procrastination day - just get it done then it will stop worrying you/draining you of energy. You know it makes sense.

make your bed

missions

don't forget to declutter for 15mins

Zone 3: bathroom and one other room

Hi Eustacia I think it's the bathroom, missions if you need them.

DD has perked up no end now, I think the massive bowl of ice cream helped.

Xpost Bitchy

Evening :)

Ooo, I have a microwave cleaning tip, if you microwave a mug of water for 2-3 mins in it first, the dirt is a lot easier to wipe off :) Martha Stewart types also put some sliced lemon in the water to make it smell nice. Actually, scrap that, Martha Stewart types would wipe the microwave out every time they made something in it, and we all know that we have none of those here :o

Back on track here, 23 items on my app ticked off :)

Attempting a new routine tomorrow, going shopping in the morning with just DD, hoping that will make the whole experience a lot less stressful :o

Welcome to the thread, chipping, I am also impressed by the freezer defrosting, I think we've only done that once in the 5 or so years we've had it

Our microwave was really scuzzy last week and now it is sparkly and I didn't do it, DH is definitely getting the hang of this housework business. Agree with Whiskers anout it being much easiee after microwqving some water, I do put a squirt of Jif but don't think that qualifies me as a Martha Stewart type jailbird.

I always used lemon juice in the water as it is grease cutting. BUT..

yep i can relate to this

I found a few mystery Tupperware in the freezer; I reckon they are at least two years old. My microwave is rusty inside. I hardly ever use it. I don't need to replace it, do I?
It still works.
How long does sun cream last and why do I keep it in the fridge?

Spent the last few days, washing all the stuff from teenagers ski trip
Running
Completing homework set for 4dcs.
Making or putting together 3 Roman gladitor outfits.
Finish choreographing Dumb ways to die.
Making shadow puppets!
Running ds3 to doctors for a recurring knee problem, been referred to a Physio.

But currently have a shiny sink. though Christmas tree is still up

Chipping No idea about microwaves but I think suncream is ok for 12 months after it's opened. They usually say on the back, there's a picture of an open jar with a number on it. Lots of stuff is ok longer but I don't risk suncream as I'd be worried it wouldn't protect properly but I'm freakishly prone to burning anyway, have been known to even with the baby's factor 50 sunblock on.
I used to keep after sun in the fridge as then it cools the skin when you put it on, especially good when burnt. No idea why you'd do it with suncream though, maybe it keeps longer that way like mascara?

Good morning! Hope everyone is surviving these dark mornings! At least the weather is relatively mild!

[Mops brow] Just back from school run - always hideous, but extra-hideous when it's raining - people are just so aggressive!! (Don't mean to disparage the sisterhood but I have never seen so much frankly dangerous/irresponsible driving from women at the helm of people carriers with 4 small dc strapped in the back!) Hands still shaking but serves me right for taking the car when we should be hauling 8kg school bag plus gym kit walking!

Dh on his third business trip since the start of the year which makes life a bit more demanding in certain areas but considerably easier in others !

Ta da:
rabbits
laundry of doom made slightly less doom-like for fortnightly ironing lady

To do:
loads of 'proper' office work (as opposed to home office sorting) which dh sent seemingly every 2 hrs overnight from London
rest of morning routine: s&s, wm, dw + kitchen surfaces
make some sort of hot soup/lunch thing for dd for 12.30 (half school day on Weds)
hwk supervision
rest of 'thank you' letters supervision
figure out why rabbits have suddenly started peeing everywhere in their enclosure except in their litter tray
continue putting away Christmas decorations [blush

[arrgh - kind of just breathed over 'post' key there causing it to activate! Also meant to say ....]

A warm welcome to Chipping!

Glad you found the cheque Toffee!

Thanks for links Bitchy!

Waves to ¨Sally and eveyrone else!

Sorry, haven't read through thread since Mon but will be bbl to catch up!

Have a productive non-procrastinating day everyone!