Mad Fledglings March through the Spring cleaning

[BitchytheGreat]

So here we are, March already.

So for those who don't know the fledglings is a long running thread. Some of us seem clicky but that is because we have been chatting on these threads for nearly half a decade makes everyone feel old we quite like fresh blood though so feel free to jump in and join us.

Three key 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.

If you are new then trying to spend 15mins decluttering and the babysteps is the most. Some of us Bitchy can have scary looking lists. One word of advice ignore them. Do what you can, anything is better then nothing, and don't judge yourself against others.

Thanks for links Bitchy but I have no wish to look in bathroom mirror, so tooth-paste splattered it will remain ...

[Makes a grab for Nutella jar]

Feetheart Will have a look at that tomorrow, will probably sign up as I only 20 minutes away .

Ta Da
Morning routine
School run
Work
Supermarket
D/w
T/d
W/m
School run
Cub prep
Laundry
Dinner
Cubs
Wrap Birthday presents
Decorated living for 2 excited twins

Haven't done evening routine!! But too late can't be arsed.

Life is too short to be denied coffee. Just say in'

Welcome back SC!!

Ta Da's
Minis up, washed, dressed and fed
Dogs taken out for a wee
I am showered, dressed and fed
First round of kitchen clean up tackled
Washed up last nights dishes hate coming downstairs to find MrPP hasn't done it and left it in the sink - like I need more things to do

To do
Take MiniPP2 to activity
Walk dogs
Contemplate the other stuff that needs doing and then prioritise

BBL

Too much blood in the caffeine system generally. Today and tomorrow need real miracles.

Caution everything else is self-centred post trying to remind myself where I am and need to be.

Breaking so many laws and rules right now I daren’t even think about it, or the consequences which are piling up badly. Feel sick just typing that.

Made the mistake yesterday of telling friend I was only calling for 15 min max in the daytime because I was in problems, without making it clear I might be able to listen more later. Need to learn to remember it’s red rag to a bull, and will lose me hours and leave me fried, and take responsibility for putting me first, because she can’t . Also need to remember I’ll lose a big chunk of tomorrow to work program, and need to think in terms of both days in how to make everything happen.

We had to be back in flat last Saturday, and have got away with not being, but by this Saturday there’s no give left in anything.
We have to be in regardless of what state or anything else poured on us. Two days to achieve everything. Focus

To do
Ironing emergency stuff only
Emergency washing only
move car
Call concrete guy
Try and send damage photo’s to surveyor
Call hospital about lost appointment date
Enter ds for English exam urgently
Get ds to appointment
Find padlock
Get storage contract sorted
Pay money we don’t own (on someone else’s CC, and try not to throw up from fear)
p/up ds from appointment, rop at course.
Clean up from having ripped out most damaged stuff
Try and get curtains down, ends chopped off, and soaking
Box 5000 things ready to go
Filing
Dinner
Work out what’s been forgotten today - stick on tommorow
Try and do a tiny bit of courses late tonight.
Listen to friend
Sleep

DS2 wanted 'worry time' at bedtime last night - it was all about how unhappy he was at school with his teacher. He gets a different teacher on Friday, who he loves, so I said he could have today off, but would have to go in Friday. Then I emailed the prospective school for confirmation that they could have him - still waiting . The headteacher seemed very positive about it, but I want it in writing before I take him out of his current school.

ta da

Dressed in smartish clothes for school visit
Rescued small spider from bath
Arranged meet ups via text
Breakfast
Rang Grandma to ask her to have DS2 for a couple of hours (happy Grandma)
Rang school to say DS2 won't be in today

Off to see school for DS1 now.

Just - best of luck with your challenges today.

Good morning! Another beautiful day; can't tell you what a difference having some light in the house makes to my energy levels/eagerness to scrub & chore - can actually see for one thing - no longer feel like a dilatory hibernating mole!

Yesterday:
morning routine inc dw, wm, rabbits, s&s
prepped laundry for fortnightly ironing lady
office 'work' work entire morning
screeched at had polite word with builders on opposite roof who had their music on so humungously loud one couldn't hear to think never mind work, right next to school and offices too
spoke to lovely cousin
caught dh on one of his 30 second flying visits and got him to fill in and send off required menu for event in fortnight's time
spoke to ailing sil
filled in child psych questionnaire and scanned/sent off by e-mail
quick visit to traiteur, baker + school run
fed dd healthy lunch
also made lunch for regular homeless caller who was desperate for fruit and veg
played trivia quiz with dd
sang the 12 days of Christmas with dd
baked sultana tray bake with dd and tidied up
made root veg layer bake thing with smoked bacon lardons
polished dd school shoes and boots
untangled dd gym kit
washed school uniform
watched C4 racing for 20 mins
took dd with me on quick trip to shopping centre to buy various cables and ended up in Zara again
dd bath and hair
tried to work out how new phone works
called ailing sil again
carried laundry paniers upstairs
rejoiced in fact lovely fortnightly ironing lady had very kindly cleaned entire laundry room without me asking her too as well as done a shed load of ironing; she is a veritable saint
supper + dishwasher etc
evening routine
hung up and re-booted laundry
on-line donation
bit of telly/Mnsnet
bed at reasonable time well before midnight

This morning ta da:
rabbits
iron school uniform
dd hair
cut up and wrapped ten pieces of sultana tray bake for dd and friends
hung up washing on terrace done on timer over night
re-booted laundry
folded towels
dining room table hots spots
dw
shined sink
found papers
photocopying
printed off dd guitar hwk exercises and put on desk
tidied desk

To do:
two or three important e-mails
make consultant app
make scan app
find material for curtain backing in box upstairs [groan]
make myself look respectable for child psych appt
bank + meet up with dh
child psych appt
watch C4 racing for 30 mins
supermarket; buy fruit and veg
cooking for tomorrow night - fish pie?
start measuring up/making curtain
school run
tennis 'run'
30 mins decluttering boudoir
write list for cleaning lady tomorrow
hwk supervision
letters & card(s)/present/parcels
supper
re-boot laundry

Have a good day everyone!

Big feathery waves back to Peanut!

[gulps Bitchy's brew gratefully]

Good luck with everything Just!

Fingers crossed with school confirmation Toffee!

More feathery waves to Merry and everyone else!

Blooming heck SC you after the queen of lists badge?

We have lost our sunshine to mist :( But it is not too cold so that helps).

Good luck with everything Just!

I need to figure out what i am doing today and what needs to be done. first things first a coffee I think. Then some paper and pen and to figure stuff out if my brain will start to work

Okay. I have a really high ceiling in my hall way and have been unable to buy anything long enough to reach the cobwebs. Any advice, brought a long arm dusters thing from lake lnd far too short.

Suction caps to tie to feet and hands. dusters tied to knees. Spider man stylee? erm... let me think and try a more sensible response. I am guess we are talking ground floot level 1st floor ceiling level kinda high or is it something higher?

Tie the duster to a garden cane?

Welcome back SC - are you after Bitchy's role? :)

Good luck with school visit, Toffee

Being a bit CBA with everything due to school stress and general lack of information. Better try and get moving.

murder would this be any good? or are we talking about more then 12 foot?

oh dear SC I suspect my list should look like yours but doesn't

done
picked up dd's confiscated phone
made appt for priest to witnewss children passport
drove to school x 2 as dd left her PE kit behind and noticed half way there
ds1 up early to running club
put some clean clothes on landing
dirty clothes in laundry room

spoke to lovely cousin [snap]

Dd's party this Sun. Sigh. Requries cooking shopping an dtidying. Sigh Sigh.

A nd need to buy a new lap top as this one is utterly crapola. The children keep snarling up the laptops by downloading the wrong stuff mostly football games.

Will jump in car an dgo to garden entre and the airport hangar like Staples.

Waves at SC to say nice to have you back, and also Honu to say nice to see you.

Hi murder I'm in a wheelchair and use IKEA adjustable curtain rods with gaffa tape to hold, as cheap and cheerful extension poles for light things, but they're strong enougy to put a paint brush on the end. £5-£7 according to type.

Coffee downed, back to tasks.

SC - that list is too scary to look at .

Just back from a visit to a prospective school for DS1. It was outstanding and it would be a dream come true if we could get him in there. Unfortunately, we have several battles to fight first - not least persuading DS1 that it would be good for him as he is still insisting that he is going back to the school that he can't cope with . This is definitely one of those 'we know best' moments in parenthood.

Came back to an email confirming a taster day for DS2 at his new school - phew.

My head is spinning with all this school stuff.

Needless to say, there has been no Flying this morning.

No flying here either toffee I am finally trying to write that report that defines ds' situation, development, issues and quirks. 2,000 words later and my brain hurts.

Good luck with that, Bitchy. I'm tackling similar stuff about DS1 this afternoon. I may need some of your special brew.

Managed some fun home-education type stuff with DS2, then did some real homework with DS1. The latter was difficult. Actually, difficult is an understatement. After I lost my temper some 'heated discussion' it turns out that, as I suspected, DS1 is not taking his meds. This explains why he is becoming more unstable at the moment.

Have resorted to the only thing I know will hit him hard and confiscated his phone and his computer.

All is quiet upstairs at the moment, but DH and I both know there's a storm coming...

Is it too early for ?

Toffee just incidentally to confiscation of computer/phone, we tried reward punishment yesterday with ds1 (a trip to cinema after homework was properly completed, and I'm talking about one hour of homework max, on an Inset day) and it really doesn't seem to work, in fact it seems to make ds1 get even more upset, consequences I mean. I think he gets so worked out about losing something that he then forgets the main issue to be solved. I was discussing this with dh yesterday, whether in fact just to ask him to do the work and not mentioning any consequences might be better. I HATE HOMEWORK or WORK AT HOME set by other people, it really is the source of so much bad feeling, and I'm sorry you have had that horrible morning. Hope you can persuade him to take his meds again. They really do think they "know best" at that age. Ds1 apologised to me several times today and yesterday (he had ripped up a Victorian Shakespeare in his rage - luckily I have such low standards I don't care ) but it is clear he absolutely HATES being told what to do, and loses sight of why we are even asking him to do it. So that is the problem to solve in our house. For him to understand why he needs to do something.

done
heaved myself out of bed (like you I feel a bit whale like SC)
went to garden centre. Bought lots of plants to improve the garden for dd's party and for my own sanity
bought a new laptop, and more anti malware, our present one is infested with viruses
bought loads of stationery because ds2 is driving me nuts endlessly screaming because he never has the right equipment (stashes three geometry sets away for further affray)
unloaded car

house is as messy as it started this morning
off to pick up kids now

toffee fantastic news that new school for ds2 has confirmed, if I read that right.

So having spent most of the day writing depressing brain zapping paperwork. I am finally tacklign some of the stuff i should have done yesterday and the stuff I was supposed to do today.

Ta da
Report writing
meeting with professionals involved in ds' care
school performance
sort out training kit
training kit that can, into machine
5mins declutterin paperwork
creation of a proper sensible to do list
washing up into the dishwasher
washing up that can't done by hand
sorted out where ds is supposed to be and when
deal with 101 letters from ds' school/activities
Eat my own body weight in nutella and sugar
give ds 101 activities as he is stressy and flitty

Doing more so will update later. need an early night though as am wiped.

hi everyone. i havent done anything in the house but i did take the car to a car wash....

Swan - yes, I think the new school is confirmed, though not in writing. The headteacher told me they wouldn't invite a child for a taster day if they didn't think he/she would fit in. And I can't imagine they will change their mind after having DS2 there for a day because he is such an easy and obedient child. He's the sort of child that makes you look like a good mother (unlike DS1 who makes me look like a very bad mother ).

Also, Swan, you are right about punishment making things worse - at least with certain children. I was just so frustrated with DS1 refusing to do his homework or take his Prozac that I didn't know what else to do. I usually avoid that kind of discipline simply because it provokes such terrible scenes - as I was soon reminded. And I really had to make him take his meds again, as it's bad for him for him to just stop abruptly like that.

I'm sorry about the Victorian Shakespeare . DS threatened to smash a pineapple, break a glass or drop my computer, but had enough self control not to actually carry out his threats. He did throw a lot of things at me, but silly things - like Lego bricks. He kept saying, "I'll take my medicine when you give me back my phone!" and I kept repeating, "No, I'll give you back your phone when I've seen you take your medicine!" round and round in circles until DH came in and broke the stalemate by suggesting he hold the phone whilst DS1 take his meds and then hand the phone straight over.

DS1 then agreed to start work on his homework and therefore won back his computer too. I'm afraid I continued on his homework after he'd done as much as he could face because I just didn't have the patience to sit through him grappling with it again tomorrow. We'll go through it together instead and he can present it how he wants (it's a PowerPoint presentation).

Bitchy - well done on writing the report and also the meeting. I hope it was productive.

I read through my parental statement, but am feeling uninspired. Will try again tomorrow.