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

[BitchytheGreat]

Roll up, roll up. Thread two for January is here. You chatty lot

will be back later with linkie poos and a vat of bitchy's special brew...

In the meantime spot markers will be handed a magic rubber and told to clean up after themselves...

dizzy - that's where DD's school was too We were bad and ran down to see them just before the start - DD has the evidence as she had her camera with her :)
Great night and great experience for all of us, DD still on a high.

Quick list for today:

• WORK
• Final attempt at sponsorship for GNR before Justgiving page finishes
• Book Cupcake decorating thing for friend's 40th
• Book DS and I onto Zoo Stampede run at Whipsnade
• Usual routines
• Living room
• Do something about horrible tenant situation
• Meet with nice tenants

Currently have first timed loaf baking in new bread machine - smells good mmmmmmmm. Good start to the day :)

dizzy - good to hear your DD enjoyed it last night. Sounds like a lovely day out for you all.

feet - enjoy the fresh bread.

Have rushed DS2 up to school in the pouring rain. Nobody is awake at home and I would like nothing more than to go back to bed too. Lack of sleep is catching up with me.

To do

Work
Washing up
Sort kitchen
Kitchen hotspot
DS's bedroom - room rescue
Online order

Ta da

Work
Washing up
Lunch
Online order

DH is going to deal with the teacher, so I can get some sleep now before the school run.

ta da
physio
get soaked to bone
eat a cooked breakfast
consider extra stuff needed in case of snow later...
check emails
incorporate ex' request into plans for wk.
Hot shower to warm up
tape ankle
Ring Doctors
Go through photos on computer and sort into organised files.
Print a few memory book sheets
Print photo sheets for abroad family
Swear at computer in process of trying to burn a CD of photos
figure out what is on a random un labelled CD rom
Cut and stick some bits and bobs for the scrap books
Make ds' kit up

done
three kids to school bright and early, ds2 in very good mood again
ds1 decided NOT to go to Running Club first thing because he had lost his shoes (I've since found them in a muddy heap by the front door still one less thing to replace as he thought they were lost in school, along with the second pair which are actually tennis shoes..
dh did the getting dressed and walking ds to the busstop

I have since, decluttered and sorted all the kitchen drawers of craft, birthday cards, Diy stuff, torches whatnot, napkins, stationery. Five compasses alone. One pertractor, stamps, mobile phone chargers. A relief to know it is all there when I can never find any of this stuff usually.

Also located a very important piece of paper which I thought was lost! The unintended perks of decluttering.

Put away and washed more laundry
socks out of ds1's room
wrote dates on calendar
checked Parentmail
threw away some newspapers in front room
unloaded dw
reloaded dw

Picked up car - two weeks it has been there, but now at least I have a spare key for it. Which I shall ask dh to put with the passports [sacred spot] and the birth certs.

Drove home, managed to avoid the dual carriageway, need to build up my tolerance of speed again

Lunch

toffee hope you were able to sleep, and feel a bit less drained after that.

Bitchy and Swan - impressive 'to do' lists from both of you.

Yes, I did sleep, Swan. Much needed. Had reached the point where it was all I could think about and was asleep pretty much as soon as I had laid down.

DS1's new skateboard arrived this afternoon and he seems really pleased with it. It is exactly the same as the one he used to use, so I'm hoping this will get him out skateboarding again. He says he's going out tomorrow, weather allowing.

Did the school run, groggy with sleep (and in the pouring rain again)
Back home, sat at the table with hot chocolate and chocolate biscuits and listened to DS2 talking about his day. Lots of grumbles about friends and teachers.

House has deteriorated again. Mess and laundry everywhere. Feel a distinct lack of energy to do anything about it.

Hello everyone. Sorry, I've been really rubbish about keeping up again, but I am still here!

I was away at the weekend helping a friend pack up to move abroad. (It made me realise quite how much I want to declutter, and never have to face it all in one go.)

I then made the mistake of of running for a train. I'm not really supposed to run - I have a problem with my hip - but I thought it was okay because it wasn't hurting at the time . Terrible pain the next day and a lot of snapping noises. So I am pottering about with my stick again, which I thought was gone for good. Getting better though, and today I have been able to get some things done:

Ta da

Bank x 2
Set up online grocery shopping
Order shopping
Swish and swipe
Bleurgh
Laundry

To do

Make salad
Wash up
Sink
Put some makeup on, go out, have some fun.

So sorry about your hip pain, human. I hope you recover quickly and can declutter that stick .

Good point about facing up to clutter, by the way. I thought that when I was looking for important paperwork in the loft the other day (which I couldn't find because of all the clutter).

Ta da

Waved off DS1, who managed to go to the car park outside the learning centre with his teacher - progress! His aim tomorrow is to spend one hour in a lesson at the centre.
Washing up done
Surfaces wiped
Salad prepared
Wine bottle opened
Spanish tortilla cooking

Really don't have any energy today, so I'm going to write today off and hope that, after a good night's sleep, I will feel energetic enough to sort the house out tomorrow.

Note to self: it helps to turn the grill on when you are trying to brown a tortilla.

Bugger that really isn't it

Child has been training. And now trying to chuck him into a bath so he no longers stinks. Ds otoh can't see why stinking for school would be an issue

Loads to add to the ta da list but dealing with child and stuff for tomo first and will then sit down and sort a few bits out.

Done
lay down for an hour
ds walked back from tube by dh
did Art homework with ds2 in double quick time and just didn't comment on any of the multiple spelling mistakes (after all it was art not literacy ffs)
ds2 did his Maths by himself
helped at Beavers
swept floor at Beavers
watched The Jump with children which reminded me rather of the Hunger Games.Everyone seemed to have fixed faces and strange eyebrows and enormous pouting lips with bright lipstick, and be weirdly good at throwing themselves into deadly ravines.

persuaded ds1 to write something on Mussolini

dd has Inset day tomorrow. I had a row with her, now made it up, and looking forward to not having to wake at 6.30. Ds1 again suggested Running Club at 6.30. Dh and I have refused to wake up, so he has gracefully backed down. Just NOT TOMORROW please!!!!

I don't blame you for that, Swan. It's too early! Well done on all the homework help.

I had my own homework battle tonight. DS2's teacher had asked me to listen to him reading because his reading aloud at school is too fast and too quiet (he's shy and hates reading to other people, so he just wants to get it over and done with). So I told him he needed to read to me before bedtime. We then had about 15 minutes of absurd behaviour from him, which was basically one long refusal to co-operate, before he backed down and finally read to me.

Managed to wash up and sort out the kitchen, plus laying out the clothes for tomorrow. Off to bed in a minute.

Bitchy - sympathies on the bath battles. DS1 isn't keen on them either (whereas DS2 would happily sit in a bath every night for hours).

Oh dear, I only managed one of the things on my anti-procrastination list of stuff. I did start one of the other items but got rather seriously side tracked But labelling all the used but unlabelled CD-ROMs is something that i have been procrastinating about so that is at least something. I am not going to type out my entire ta da because quite frankly it is now thursday and CBA. But before anyone says anything you can't wash muddy school uniform if you physically are not in the house and the child is wearing it

I have a long list of stuff that should be done tomo but will have to see how tired I am. I seem to struggle on Thursdays.

Thursday is errand day

Check your calendar

missions

On a side note it is nearly the end of the month. Do we have any volunteers for next month's thread leader i have set a low standard this month so you will be fine

Toffee ds loves a bath but he currently loves his book more.

Do not, for the love of all that is the fat fairy, EVER decide that 2am is a good time to write down that list of everything that needs doing by Tuesday in an attempt to clear you mind to enable sleep. How the fuck is all that going to get done in time? Without killing me in the process preferrably. Time to be realistic and cull about half of that off the to do list for now. Although i could use a highlighter to identify some frogs... Hmmm all is not lost.

Bitchy I hope you got some sleep. Really sorry but I can't volunteer.

Tuesday completely took it out of me and I slept through afternoon and evening. Then hit a new low yesterday by falling back to sleep early in the morning after getting ds out of the door to something he was doing, and waking up disorientated and sweaty to take painkillers a few times but failing to wake up properly until 9pm! Sorted dinner, listened to friend and conked out again! Rough night and woken up soaking in sweat again but have to manage today better.

Really pleased for the poor souls flooded in Somerset to hear the military is finally being sent to try and see what can be done to make their lives more bearable and send more pumps.

I can't volunteer this time either I'm afraid, the statement stuff is keeping me very busy and my OU deadlines are fast approaching too. Will do a month later in the year.

Just - are you having a check up at the GP or with the consultant soon? You clearly still have an infection with a temperature, which means the pills aren't working yet and maybe you need stronger pills or something? Can't believe you still managed to listen to your friend in the midst of all that! What a good friend you are.

WhoKnows - sympathies on statement stuff.

Bitchy - probably not sensible for me to run the thread either, to be honest, although I like doing it as I actually read the missions and sometimes actually do them then. But statement stuff, work and new OU course need to come first at the moment (not sure how I'm going to find 8 - 10 hours a week to study ). I will do it if there are no other offers, though.

Have managed pancakes and school run this morning. That is all.

DS1 is (hopefully) going to lessons later this morning. I am attempting a crisis clean (bearing in mind DM is coming to stay this weekend).

Goodness, I feel a bit "sloth-like" this morning.

ta da
usual morning routine, school runs
long hot leisurely bath
now making an early lunch

to do
sigh... I suppose tidying up, although the living room looks remarkably tidy

I am waiting to do laundry until after school to toss today's uniforms into the load (to make a full load).

I may just do a "re-organise" project today and gut a kitchen cupboard and reorganise it.

it's a horrid feeling when you are lying ill in bed for hours, and time doesn't seem to be operating normally just

toffee a trick in our house was that ds2 (who doesn't like reading aloud) loved reading playscripts with ds1. For example the Shrek Playscript was their favourite. Otherwise all my children hate reading aloud, unless they are on stage or reading out football columns or tv information One of my neighbours, a proud grandpa once told me his daughter in law made her three sons read out from the newspaper at teatime every day, and they became brilliant scholars I'm not sure whether he was boasting.

Bitchy this uniform washing is beginning to do my head in. I seem to spend more time worrying about whether there is a clean shirt for ds1 or a clean blazer than any other worries. Dh had to stop me washing ds's blazer yesterday at 11.30. He said he had done umpteen washes and if ds's blazer stank slightly, who cared? It is a relief to have ones mind tweaked back to right side of commonsense occasionally.

This morning we had a row, as ds2 had a meltdown over his pencilcase, and dh started shouting at him to stop screaming (always a mistake) - terrified I think that ds was going to decide to stay at home again today over such a small ridiculous thing...Ds2 hid in the bathroom, and then I managed to apologise to him, persuade him to emerge, and he was able to get in the car and go to school with me. Bearing in mind toffee your words about blaming people I realised it was my mistake for not checking pencil case last night, as well as dh's mistake for shouting, together we both needed to try again tomorrow. Anyway ds2 went to school happily, and is very relieved to have the car back!!!! oh the joys of the school run and all its antecedents!!!!!!

dd has gone to the bank with dh now to pay some money in. She loves paying money in and then taking it out by debit card again I pointed out to her that she would need that £10 note on Sat, but she said she liked paying it in!!! We are all going out for noodles for lunch.

Toffee - I'm up to 12 pages of A4 in my discussions of DS and his life now, I thought some of the posters on the SN boards might be exaggerating about this stuff, but I just keep thinking of more and more things.

Right, must go and make his birthday cake, party on Sat.

WhoKnows I just saw that you're putting together stuff for statement. My sympathies. I know filling out statement paperwork, DLA stuff, anything like that is a bit depressing. I think it's because you're so used to doing things in a specific way for your DC and you've gradually taken it all on board, whereas if someone was dropped right in the middle of it, they'd be all what?!?! You don't realise all the adjustments you make until you have to itemise it.

ta da
tax car
pick up bits for decorating birthday cake
pick up birthday present stuff for ds
write ds' card whilst i remember
Save self job as local shop does something was expectiung to go to the city for
Banking part 1
Babystep
Update calendars
makse sure ds has pe kit for school
bread dough into bread machine
check time sap that is FB/MN
turn first batch of bread dough into rolls
put 2nd batch into bread machine
weigh out thrid batch of bread ingrediants
make bacon sandwich
1st load of washing on
check emails
send 3 out of 5 important emails
give more thought to the issue that is ds' birthday cake
find diary and update
find dd mandate form for submitting
count up shrapnel for changing for proper money
find gloves for hands as it is fucking freezing out there!

Alice - I agree, that's the trouble, isn't it? It's all normalised and it's only when you start writing it all down or you suddenly see the contrast with another child that you get how different your own child is. I still sometimes get upset when I see children making their way to or from school, happily chatting, and know that my DS1 can't manage that.

WhoKnows - you've frightened me now, with your talk of 12 pages of A4 on your DS. I am a bit behind you, though, as I'm still waiting for the official diagnosis letter to come through before I send off the application. It's very good that you're getting it all down on paper though. It's all about finding 'evidence' at this stage.

Swan - sorry it was another difficult school run this morning, but well done on getting DS2 in to school in the end. Your DH was right about the blazer .

Bitchy - you're on a roll.

I have tackled the washing up, put laundry on and filled up the dishwasher. Also phoned the learning centre because the teacher didn't turn up and it was making DS1 even more anxious waiting for him. Am a bit annoyed because the worst thing you can do to an already anxious child is be unpredictable and this is the second time the teacher hasn't been on time. He now says he'll come round this afternoon instead. DS1 has worked himself into a bit of a state now, though, so it's not going to be easy to get him there.

Right, have had a quick tea break (just following the Fat Fairy's instructions, of course ) and will now continue with the crisis clean.

Well, that's it then. I was going to do stuff, but now I'm completely worn out from just reading Bitchy's list!!

Sorry Toffee - I realised after I posted that that might not be very helpful. I am just getting down on paper everything I can think of, it is all a huge jumble at the moment. It's all short paragraphs, if I took out the spaces it would probably fit on about 4 pages.

Alice - I tried explaining to a friend who has no knowledge of SNs this morning about the statement system. Her jaw hit the floor. You are so right about everything being normalised into your own family because you know no different, it's getting it all out and saying "this is not normal" that's so hard. We've never done DLA, looking at the criteria we wouldn't have a hope of even lower rate care. I gather it's all changing anyway.