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!!

Toffee - I was in bed when I posted

Ta Da

• Room rescue kitchen, dining room and lounge
• Kitchen floor swept x 2 (both before and after DDs friends were here!
• Loaded D/W and empty when done
• Fed 3 hungry girls lunch
• Invited friends mum in over the doorstep and into the kitchen and although the place isn't spotless at least it wasn't an embarrassment!
• Hoovered through downstairs
• Went for run/walk with DD and DH
• Washed pots and shined sink
• Watched the curling

Good morning!

Still seem to have very little energy despite a fairly steady day yesterday. Need to recover in time for tomorrow when we will be entertaining from 9 until about 9/10pm!! (2 sets of friends passing through)!

My task today is to sort stuff out ahead of cleaners (who have been lured over from the office for a couple of hours) as my usual lady who is used to chaos isn't able to come.

To do:
morning routine inc dw, wm, rabbits, s&s
phone dsis2 - it's her birthday!
phone disis1 to remind her it's dsis2's birthday!
one hour playroom
one hour kitchen unit
sort out fridge
boudoir if time
carry on with laundry
write menu
food shopping
food prep
school run
evening routine

Great that C.H.A.O.S. has been tamed Dizzy! Congrats on your very productive day yesterday.

Merry your friend does indeed sound amazing! I'm sure she will appreciate the pies!

Peanut [hands over Belgian truffles for later] and Eustacia don't be so hard on yourselves - you are directing your energies where they count most - ie in the dc! Much more important than Flying!

Congrats on getting through your long list yesterday Mercury and hope you enjoyed a bit of a rest last night!

Big waves to everyone I've missed! Keep going everyone!

Hellooooooooooooo.

I have had sleep. Almost feel human and able to function. But not quite. So first job is coffee and breakfast. And then laundry mountain. Not done any this week and it has been a mucky week where more then usual clothes have been worn and thus need washing...

Tons to do. So am going to move. Honest. Maybe. Perhaps. might just have to have a little nap first....

Morning. I cannot believe it is the last day of half term I have loved having time with the dcs but have done none of the coursework I had intended to get through. Oh well there is always next week.

To do:
Make beds
Library
Dcs washed, dressed etc
Wm unload/reload
Drop ds to cinema
Walk with dd and friends
Dad over for dinner
Order food shopping
Uni library

Bbl have a lovely day. It looks like it is shaping up to be a sunny day here - fingers crossed

Yesterday afternoon's ta da:

Take DS2 to the playground to burn off some of his energy yes
Persuade DS1 to come with us yes, but briefly
Have MIL here for tea yes
OU reading yes, in spite of constant interruptions from DS2

Also:

Ironing
Cooked roast dinner
Semi-successful family meal (had at least one child at the table)
DH and I shared washing up and clearing up
Bedtime routine for DS2
'Breaking Bad'
Bed at decent(ish) hour

DS2 very sniffy and feeling VERY sorry for himself. It would help if he learned to blow his nose, but he won't try. I am beginning to lose patience with him, but, luckily for him, he is going to his Grandma's this afternoon, where he will be fussed over to his heart's content. We are going to work and have offered DS1 a cash reward for helping us, as we have a large delivery and need help unpacking. He's considering our offer .

Blue - that's very interesting about the original 'Emil' being written in Berlin street slang. The play is similar to the English translation, so no street slang that I noticed. However, the street slang is mentioned in the programme (in an essay by Carl Miller, who adapted the book): 'Its child detectives did not speak the 'correct' language of textbooks; their talk was the slang of Berlin's streets'. Apparently, this was thanks to the advice from a waiter in Kastner's favourite restaurant, who told him to write about what he knew, including 'the children who are right there under your nose'. I can imagine that it's annoying for you to see the contrast between the original and the translation. Luckily, I knew no better - and neither did my son! Ignorance has its advantages.

SC - that is not a paltry 'to do' list! I'm not surprised you ran out of energy.

Mercury - hope you managed to get your rest in front of the telly last night.

Peanut - sympathies on the CBA-itis. The relentlessness and boredom factor of housework really gets to me too.

Eustacia - sorry you had a difficult day yesterday. Hope today is better.

Merry - your friend sounds very competent. Glad that you like the cooking idea.

dizzy - that's a great 'ta da' list. Being in bed doesn't count - you were still awake!

We have a pile of clean washing in the bedroom which has been there for so long that it now has moths . DH has promised to wash the whole lot all over again. Moral: as Flylady says, finish the whole cycle of washing each time, ie wash, dry, put away.

Spent so long typing, with interruptions in RL, that I didn't see posts from SC, Bitchy and Mercury.

Glad you had sleep, Bitchy. Best of luck with laundry mountain.

Mercury - DC much more important than coursework this week. Glad you have enjoyed the week.

SC - best of luck with preparations for entertaining tomorrow.

Thanks everyone. Dh with insomnia and dd with nightmare means I have only just got up. kids have tummy ache which might explain yesterday's grumpiness.

Just going to dry my hair then will do a quick purge with binbag in my bedroom. That will be my flying today I think.

Yay to the 'emergence' of Bitchy glad you got some sleep! Feeling similarly zombie-esque here [brew
I don't know where this week has gone either Mercury ...sorry about cours-ework but glad you have had good times with dc!! One more week before half term starts here - cannot wait!!

Hope ds2

Argh! pressed wrong buttonç!

Hope ds2's mood improves under Granny's dotage Swan (really you your grannies!!) and that ds1 succumbs to bribery!!

Eustacia hope you can catch up on sleep tonight and that tummy aches don't develop in to anything worse.

Just having a coffee break prior to supermarket run. There is sunshine outside!

oh dear, I must be tired going mad - that second to last post was aimed at Toffee of course, not Swan

sorry I'll er, just scuttle off now ...

Dh has gone to Cambridge today, so I'm glad it is sunny.

done
spent some time in the garden in my wellies and pjs
swept yard area
piled up some more errant saucepans
washed dishcloths and jeye cloths
sent ds2 off to friend, persuade to get dressed etc
persuaded ds2 to do his Art homework (draw yesterday's Tube blackout)
other dcs still asleep, although dd is now watching cbbc online
brought laundry down
put away clothes upstairs

I'm going to avoid the mooching around scenario by giving ds1 some money to go and buy his own breakfast, then at least he'll go for a walk and get dressed

My goal today is to: clean my basin, and hoover my bedroom floor which is covered with Scaletrix and Lego, so not easy. And sad to say, my goal is also to get ds1 to start his homework Nothing more exciting...

Swan I now have an image in my mind of you wearing pjs and wellies, wandering around the garden harvesting saucepans

How on earth do you draw a Tube blackout btw?

ta da
Boil up first batch of handwarmers
2 cups of coffee
5mins decluttering in frutility room
1 load of washing through machine
Shower and up
Collect all laundry at bottom of the stairs
write birthday card and put in post
Internet admin
deal with foreign pennies
Fish stuff out to go to Dsis
Sort out how to find enough book storage...
wash tights
sort out a pile of stuff for a tip run

done
tv room hoovered
crumbs under sofa cushions removed
kitchen tidied (by cleaning lady)
brief walk to shops for a newspaper
cleaning lady did the ironing pile
I washed the rugby boots
cleaned the utility room
purged the fridge
sorted out the PE bags
2 more loads of laundry

ds1 been for a walk, now doing his homework to loud musak
ds2 returned and is listening to music as he has been banned from the Winter Olympics for time being

dd looks all dressed up but had nowhere to go, and after doing some homework with very ill grace, has been persuaded to go for a walk to the
paint shop to get a paint chart for possible repainting of her room. She is now incredibly bored and bolshy as nothing much is happening and none of her friends seem to be around.

I'm trying to finalise a planting scheme for the end of the garden where we thought we would put a large shed, but have now decided to plant up instead. It is just a blank mudpatch atm with an enormous whitebeam and as we look at it day in day out from kitchen, requires careful thought. We have two bamboos in the ground already nearby so I need something that flowers, has leaf colour into autumn as well as providing a bit of a airy bouffant effect under the tall spikey tree. It looks nice with the bluebells in spring, so I don't want to overdo the gardeny effect, more like a pleasing woodland view...(60 ft garden)

Very good list, Swan .

I have a good 'ta da' list too:

Went back to bed. Slept.

ta da
Boil up first batch of handwarmers
2 cups of coffee
5mins decluttering in frutility room
1 load of washing through machine
Shower and up
Collect all laundry at bottom of the stairs
write birthday card and put in post
Internet admin
deal with foreign pennies
Fish stuff out to go to Dsis
Sort out how to find enough book storage...
wash tights
sort out a pile of stuff for a tip run
2nd load of washing on
5mins decluttering car
sort laundry into loads
try to implement new book storage arrangement and end up with a mountain of unhomed books
print stuff off for doing ds' memory books
print of manual and instructions for programming stuff
print off book order for new series of books which is what has caused the problem with the book storage but fabulous to have been given the books so not really complaining honest
3rd load of washing on
folding
Eat chocolate
boil up 2nd load of handwarmers
15mins decluttering in study
more folding
ironing
4th load washing on
Discover need to deal with the dead plants (dedust and put in summer location)
Wash said dead plants and leave to drain
Rescue plants that have been asleep and now waking up...
15mins more decluttering in frutility room
Move books from landing to study

I'm back from hols

laundry x1 in done
BFA - in bed with soup, tv, and MN done - well I did do all the driving

...I wll face the rest in AM.

My house had a strange smell when we got back

Hello everyone, still here, just quietly overwhelmed by all the mess whilst this work is going on. There is plaster dust everywhere.

On the plus side, the sitting room no longer feels like we live inside a cake. I shall just keep focusing on that.

I quite like the idea of living inside a cake Humanordancer but sorry about dust everywhere - have been there and will be there again soon - it's awful

Welcome back thinking101 We once left a rope of garlic to go off while we were away in very warm weather. Totally atrocious all-pervasive smell to come back to. Hope you find the source!

Blimey Bitchy and Swan your long lists have totally put me to shame today. Top flying marks to the pair of you!

Toffee I am with you re: fatigue today, except I haven't gone to bed because I always feel worse if I sleep in the day. I just about made it around the supermarket and did a bit of faddling in the playroom, then drank soup, then Mumsnetted, then faddled some more in the laundry, then did school run and have been sitting drinking tea ever since. Meant to do a load of food prep for tomorrow but I honestly cba ...

Swan bluebells sound luverly! Am very

If you like those cardboard wedding cake tiers, SC, you'd have have loved this room

I've never had anything plastered before that wasn't new, or outside, or being gutted, so it's a bit of a shock!

Project now is get to dressed up a bit and go out to meet DP - a night off to let it settle...

And thanks for , I needed one!

oh 'that' sort of cake humanordancer perhaps not then ...

plaster dust gets absolutely everywhere I'm afraid (and I mean everywhere)

think we are allowed to substitute for now... it's an hour ahead here after all

So it seems, so it seems

I feel that would be most appropriate at this moment - cheers!

Have fallen off the flywagon!

ta da
wash x2
supermarket
bottle bank
went with dh to get his testresults (all clear)
Chat with friend
arranged to visit frined and her new baby next week
wrote letter to dsis and set a writing challenge for her
almost finished reading the rosie project
opened bottle of wine

dh is putting ds to bed while I write this. Am determined tonight will be a non-tv evening. Have my kindle and a stack of lovely books (including On Writing by Stephen King - have been saving it since New Year), wine, writing notebook, candles burning...who cares about the washing-up

Huge amounts more to add to ta da list but cba.

Just curling up with a hook and the last few squares that need finishing off so that the 2nd blanket of blanketgate can be ordered and pieced sometime for the rest of this month...

Have a good friday night/weekend fledglings