Feisty Fledgling Flyers flutter through Feb with flair, finesse, flaws, failures, fortitude, feedback, fiascos, fabulousness, friendship and fun!

[sanschocolat]

[The fiascos are all mine btw !!]

And just for Just, February is the new January that was the new January before

If you are struggling 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 wine and cake 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 something 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!

It’s up to you, but 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!

Points to keep in mind:
(1)No perfectionism allowed - this is harder than you would imagine
(2)You are never behind just start where you are and anything you do is progress.
(3) 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.

Humungous thanks to Bitchy for steering us through the hectic January thread and for the wise three-line mantra above.

All regulars, lurkers and newcomers welcome!!

Kettle is boiled! Late night feasting . I may just shine the dink while I'm in here with blatant disregard for my own sink

This is not the right spirit. I will do better tomorrow. I gave my landlady notice! We have to be out of here and in our new house by July 1st!
Now if that isn't motivation to declutter and scrub this place....!

shine the sink!

:D Castle
I had a late night craving for cheese toasties that HAD to be given in to.

Productive day today. Not as productive as my to do list would have liked BUT probably more productive then my body is happy with.

oh poo clearly i meant

Today's Ta Da list

• S/S x 4
• Took cushions off sofas and swept crumbs off them
• Hoovered through downstairs
• Bins emptied and put out with recycling
• Dry washing away
• Put DD's books back on her bookcase after collecting them from around the house
• Swam 100 lengths
• Babysat and fed neighbours 2 girls until his partner got home from work (8pm in the end as she got caught up in train chaos)

Sorry to hear that sickness bugs are flying around. Here is some to make you all feel better x

Good morning lovely fledglings!

[Bugger - I missed Bitchy and Castle's midnight feast ]

Everyone back to school/work today in various states of readiness. DD feeling better but not on top form (but doesn't have a temperature) so she's going back in as per school guidelines.

Dh definitely not ready to go back to work but that of course never holds him back!

I am, thank heavens, out for most of the day (school hours anyway) so will 'see' you all this evening. Can't wait to get out of the house!!

Nicknacks can't believe what I am seeing on the news with regard to flooding . Especially the reports about it coming up from the ground ie there being no where for it to go, so will take months to drain away. So bloody miserable for everyone. Hope your home remains dry.

Blue hope your parents house remains unaffected too. Well done for getting more done than you thought!! And many thanks for e-reader tips!! Much appreciated!!

Eugh Whoknows sorry about the cat problems! What a shame about the wool - hope you can resurrect it. Could you use reverse psychology and actually put the cat litter tray in there? Or do you need the space to function as a cupboard as it were? Hope you can resolve the problem anyway. YOu have my sympathies because after 3 yrs, my rabbits have suddenly taken to peeing and pooing outside their enormous cat litter tray. It's all contained (fortunately) in their enclosure but still a pain to clear up all the time. I'm testing them out with two litter trays atm but it doesn't seem to be working. Dh says I put too much hay on the floor for them (because I like them to be cosy) and it's that that is encouraging poor behaviour!

Whoknows/Toffee very impressed by your respective academic studies. (Think it is a bit of a cheek to say that a degree is too old to count though frankly. I'd be a bit 'harrumph' at that.)

Well done re: your productive Mondays Dizzy and Bitchy and thank you for !!

BBL! Have a good day everyone!

Would take truly biblical flood levelsSC get up to my parents SC...

Hope everyone has a good day.

Morning all!

Goth, I've always wanted to make a rag rug! I'm not holding out massive hopes that I will, since I've not been knitting the same scarf since 2001, but you never know.

Swan and SC I made a chilli last night, and realised I often use old faithful as a base for adventures in adding other things. I might get ideas elsewhere, but so often refer back for the method and basics. I think I find it reassuring since it's the first cookbook I ever saw. DP - having always maintained he wasn't terribly keen on chilli at all - is now a total convert

Yesterday I did much more flying than I planned. I decided it wasn't a procrastinating fly, but a thinking time fly, so that made it alright.

Ta da

All of the ironing

To do

Work from yesterday, revised in light of new information
Swish and swipe
Change bedding
Wash and dry it
Hoover rugs
Mop bathroom and kitchen
Find something for dinner
Cook it
Pack small bag for couple of days away

Essentially, it seems I can turn any activity into an act of procrastination

I need to prioritise better.

To do,

Sort out the contents of the understairs cupboard
Go to the pet shop and buy some cat wee neutralising stuff
Laundry

Feeling very irritated with the cats wee business, I had downstairs fairly tidy yesterday and now it looks as though a bomb has hit it. And they keep looking at me all innocently.

Sounds very frustrating WhoKnows, especially what with the innocent faces.

ta da
usual morning routines, school run
coffee... lots of coffee...
laundry
washing up
checked bank
paid bill online

to do
update budget spreadsheet
finish decluttering dining room
start decluttering kitchen

I am in the midst of a huge decision here. Four slot toaster or two slot toaster? I LIKE having the four, it's more convenient. But honestly, takes up so much room. My counter space is limited, and all I can think is "really? happy to take up the extra room just so I don't have to take another minute or two for toast? lazy much?" what to do... what to do.... I must decide soon as my four slot toaster has died and I must replace it. Toast is a necessity in this house.

Three children in school today.

HOOORRRID day. cold wet windy, draughts rattling around under my feet.

Determined to sort out utility room today and put away the laundry.

done last night
duck and asparagus/spring onion noodles for supper
watched lots of News programmes about flooding and Benefits St and Bedroom Tax programme.

today
talked to [kind,nice, older] Lamda teacher who explained dd didn't necessarily have to write anything, but dd is adamant she now doesn't want to do it, so told her dd would be ceasing lessons (this is in school)
felt obscurely upset at the way that EVERYONE thinks children find writing easy and satisfying. If ds2 had been doing Lamda, which I would have wanted for him if it had been offered by his school as an extra curricular, he would NEVER have been able to write ANY of those sentences, but that wouldn't have stopped him being "worthy" of drama lessons. [Dh thinks I'm ranting about this, but I hate the WRITING centric education process Teacher mentioned equivalent theory lessons in music as being an important aspect of piano lessons...yes, but for some children they make it less likely they will continue learning to play. I certainly felt that hours of time were spent completing theory books when my physical practising time went by the board, and ended up giving up the piano anyway

Anyway, she may restart next year and enjoy Lamda when she is a bit older Rant over.

We very rarely use our third and fourth slots Alice, DS is the only one that has toast at breakfast, I sometimes have it at lunch, DH always uses the grill for some reason (odd considering it was him who went and spent however much on a 4 slice Dualit).

Think I have cleaned most of the items from the under stairs cupboard, a lot has gone in the bin, no bad thing . I suspect I know which cat it is too, as she keeps darting back in the cupboard every time I open it. I have realised that my sheepskin rug that she sits on a lot also smells of wee. Wondering if I ought to take them to the vet to check their waterworks.

whoknows. We put the cat litter tray to where they were accidentally peeing (cupboard full of junk), and then moved it slowly away. I think any loose dry warmish substance, which they can scratch up, gets regarded as a potential litter area.
Also we were scrupulous about clean litter, as they refused to use the proper tray otherwise. This was our kittens though.

Another person recommended two litter trays as a way of making the litter tray more desirable. Cats really are incredibly fussy and polite!!!! looks around our incredibly disgusting utility room and wonder how our cats cope and realises why they prefer lying on dd's newly laundered bed

With adult cats we once had this problem and had to just lock them out of the room they had mistakenly peed in, as it was obvious that they were going to keep using that spot (my bed!!!!!)

Thanks Swan. Their main litter tray is right outside the cupboard, they have a second one upstairs but they hardly ever use it. I am wondering if we need to clean the trays out more often, we're using the clumping litter so just lift the clumps out and keep topping it up. I am going to try and keep the cupboard shut, it tends to be ajar. I left it open about half an inch just now and pissy-suspect cat managed to open it with her paw.

:o at 'pissy-suspect cat'

Sorry Whoknows and I do feel your pain having had a cat who decided he didn't like the new cat litter so peed on my clean washing instead

I have been lurking but not posting much. Really should be working but seem to be procrastinating instead

Buddha - well done on the run. How much longer until the race? And how did work go?

Silly - hope you are feeling better today. You really have had to bear more than most of us put together over the past few years. DON'T beat yourself up when it gets too much - breath, have a and hug your DC. Everything else can wait.

Just - glad you may be getting some support at last. Enjoy the fab firemen :)

Germfree vibes to all the poorly people.

Going to set timer now and do some work...

I think the more frequently you change the litter tray the better they like it. I usually wash the whole tray out with soapy water, dry it and start again with fresh litter, rather than top up.

But my cats use our garden, so use our litter tray infrequently (which rather proves my point..I'm sure if it was fresh and lovely they would use it all the time)

Dh has gone off to an auction, so I had better stop dithering and do some sorting/deep cleaning whilst I have opportunity to throw things away

WhoKnows I used to use it more when H was living here, as all four of us eating toast for breakfast. But the DCs are eating less toast lately, as am I (due to Slimming World). So it seems kind of silly. I know when they're teenagers they get a bit... um... voracious... but surely at that age, they will understand the concept of "toast must actually toast and you must wait a few moments for it," right?? I'm leaning towards the 2 slot toaster. I have £42.99 credit towards a toaster at Lakeland (my old one died) and it will be very inexpensive to get the 2 slot one. Yay! Plus the bonus of more counter space available.

I'm so pleased. Today has been a mixture of cleaning kitchen and dining room, as I'm organising things a bit better. (and throwing out a fair bit!) Tomorrow and Thursday will be "clean the areas on top of the upper cupboards" which will be pretty scary. Everything just seems to get tossed up there. I have enough cleaners up there to start a lab worthy of Dr Frankenstein!

I'm looking at this toaster.

www.lakeland.co.uk/16167/Elementi-Red-2-Slice-Toaster

Why? it's a very good question, really. Especially as I have a minty green kitchen. But I LIKE red. And dammit I wanted a wood tone kitchen with red trim, but did I get it? No. Because it's a council house and the kitchen was redone prior to me moving in. So there. I'm having a red toaster. (is this where I stomp my feet??)

I'm giving up on work for today
Just spent time on phone to the bank who informed me by letter that they had spotted unusual activity on my card - US dollars and a hotel booking in USA. Card cancelled, money/charges reimbursed, etc. Rather impressed with their security, well done Nationwide.
Then the school rang to ask me to accompany DS and some others to a music thing this afternoon as they are really short staffed. Need to be there in under an hour so will abandon work and do some Flying. Need to get off my backside anyway as been sitting here for too long

That's a funky toaster :)

A friend has lots of red bits in her kitchen and it looks great.

Afternoon

Poor start to day following terrible nights sleep.

I pulled so much stuff out that bloomin cupboard i'm now looking through foggy eyes feeling overwhelmed. I have so much paperwork to shred it is unreal.

So ive just about managed to get done so far

Me and kids dressed/fed/late to school
Empited and reloaded dishwasher
One lot of laundry
Took DD (2) out for 2 hours.

So my list after my coffee break is:

To clear the piles on and around kitchen table.
Cook chicken dinner
Declutter living room - obviously cant just shove it in bags into under stairs cupboard.

I feel such a wuss, Im anxcious because I have invited people over on Friday - I feel like cancelling. Then I get all hard on myself and think I must be useless at this SAHP/Running House

Oh, shredding used to make me feel stabby. I burn it outside in the fire pit in the garden now. Something very relaxing about tossing it in and watching it burn. (now I'm worried I might be a pyromaniac )

Cats weeing can be due to anxiety or illness. Def get checked out.I use catsan litter, it comes in a ready made liner for the tray so I can just lift the whole thing out and replace. Not cheap but v easy.

DD2 was sick all day on Saturday. Half term cant come soon enough for my girls.

House pretty good as parents hoovered before they left