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.

Good for you, Engels. DH made a resolution to do more things this year and booked ahead. It's good to have things to look forward to.

DS2 says he's feeling achy and dizzy, so no Film Club today, but we have 'The Railway Children' on DVD, so we'll have our own film club at home instead .

That's it toffee - if it's booked and paid for then something to look forward to and I can't back out and whinge that I'm tired!

Love idea of film club. I'm planning on Roman Holiday this afternoon after the race while I do the ironing.

Done
RE homework with ds2, choose your own miracle, very apt, Jesus calming the storm He did the poster himself, hurrah!
sat in garden for a while, it is freezing, weather for gardening rather than loitering

Our bedroom is tidy! Not completely, but passable (and I mean that literally, you can now get past the door to the bed

Feeling a bit worn down by family life though, as I spoke too soon about dd and her ability to do her own homework;she has been screaming about Edward de Bono and thinking hats for the last two days. I'm not going to help her this time as last time she complained her chain stitch Timeline cushion had only got a C -, due to lack of annotation (ffs, how do you annotate chain stitch? So I think any further adult intervention may be misplaced

Hope to take them swimming this afternoon. And have lunch in swimming cafe

still in pjs though. Dh has taken ds2 for a short walk, as he was banging on about how Jesus was cruel to fish, and it was driving me insane....

DH has taken the DCs to his parents for the weekend to let me get on with all my various bits of paperwork. So far I have completed and scanned three questionnaires about DS and finished my appeal paperwork (all bar one last check through and getting DH to sign).

I have also been having a big sort out upstairs to put lots of stuff in the new divan bed, but so far it's in the worse before it gets better state and you can hardly move upstairs.

Also - I have been for a run! First time in two years. Took it very slowly, 1.5km in 15 minutes, really not much quicker than walking, but it has made me feel better. Would have gone a little further but I needed to go to the loo .

My Swimathon is complete. 5k in 1:58.55 I am so chuffed to get under the 2 hours! My arms are heavy so it's a good job that I don't need to do any ironing today!

Sis and BIL have gone home so we are just having a quiet afternoon in front of the TV.

Who - DD and I are on the Couch to 5k programme. As a middle aged lady who is @7 stone overweight, I can't believe that I can actually do the "run" bits although mine are definitely slower than walking pace!

DH tends to buy me tickets to some "event" for xmas so this year we are going to see Paul Hollywood live and also Gareth Malone's tour, where we are encouraged to sing along!

Well done on the swim Dizzy. I did C25K 3 or 4 years ago and was very impressed with it, then I got injured and had to stop, I've been nervous about staring again in case I cause more damage. However my physio has advised that if I run slowly and maily on grass I should be OK. I'm just pleased that I managed to keep going for a whole 15 mins. I am several stone overweight too, and middle aged .

I've been saying to DH that we ought to get along to shows for special occasions sometimes. I used to go to the West End a lot in my younger, pre-DH/DCs days and loved it, I'd like to take the DCs to more things too.

Massive hailstorm here, boo!

Well done on the swim dizzy and on the run whoknows !

Managed my race in just over 30 mins so very happy.

Now eating peanut butter and white chocloate blondies and drink7ng cappuccino so any weight loss benefits out the window!

I love going to things, but dh is an anti-social bugger these days. It was a miracleI got him to come along with ds this afternoon - first time he's seen me run in 2 years.

My dm and df have offered to take ds to the zoo for the day when we're over in April so potentially could go up to London with my sister again to see some theatre!

I was looking at tickets for the open air concerts at Leeds Castle in July (used to do car aprking with my youth group when I was a teen so got in free!). Sorely tempted, but again, not sure it's DH's thing so would probably go with my dm or dsis.

Anyone ever been to the Goodwood revival? (Also on my list!)

Waves to everyone who's up and about today!

Another day of shoveling gravel into the skip, and also eating tons of cake, drinking wine etc - reckon it should about balance out...

We have a big school campaign meeting here this evening so have tidied sitting room more thoroughly than usual and swept floor!

Engels - masterclass was crime fiction translation thing. Very badly organised, but fun and got some useful tips.

Congratulations to everyone who's been running/swimming - impressed.

Had a fab sort out with both DDs this afternoon. Cleared out a bing bag full of clothes and got all of the 'clothes to be grown into' organised. All good. DH back tomorrow too so they are starting to chill a bit.

ta da

Washing up done
Swished and swiped in bathroom
Watched half of 'The Railway Children' with DH and DS2
Fell asleep on the sofa in front of the log burning stove
Did some work
Cooked chicken casserole
Put washing on
Served family meal at the table, but DS1 refused to eat with us and DS2 wasn't hungry, so it ended up being just me and DH
Bedtime routine for DS2 whilst DH washed up
Put washing in tumbledryer
Put clean laundry away
Watched telly for an hour
Snack for DS1
MN

Off to bed in a minute. Early start tomorrow.

After a lazy day I did a bit of flying after all!

Ta Da

• Empty D/W
• Washing load in and hung to dry
• Washed pots and shined sink

Ok monday is home bleurgh. bleurgh
babystep
missions

My sink is clean, that's my sum ta-da on the flying front, although I renewed my spirit today does that count as flying?
Toffee I loved The Railway Children, both book and film as a child .

Tossed salad hello and welcome.

Dizzy congratulations to dd, and yourself for the swimathon. (Thanks for the virtual brekie

Tofffee, thanks for the thought but the idea was for me to stay awake, and tackle large amounts of work, ready for when noise could be made. Well done on getting out despite all.

Engels get in there quick, apparently they’re also taking Hamlet to North Korea! Well done on the race.

Blue I should think the school campaign is very similar in being all consuming, wearing and an uphill battle.

Swan commiserations on homework and teenagers. It rarely works out but who set her chain stitch time line? That’s evil and brilliant! Ds2

Whoknows well done on both the paperwork, and the run. I miss doing fun stuff too, and we live here for all the fee stuff! Must try and create time.

Bitchy hope things are going a little better for you and weekend was good.

Eustacia well done on the clearing out front.

Castle Renewing your spirit definitely counts as flying! Very easy to get bogged down without it.

-Ta da- early morning painting achieved.
Next biggest thing here for now is get Ds finishing coursework, before it becomes too late to submit, ironing while paint dry's, and working out what's the biggest priority out of an awful lot of competeing ones.

Just you have been painting and have finished! before 6am! You deserve a medal!

Just the chainstitch was my stupid idea I forgot to say that "C" stands for competent, so C minus was competent minus, rather than c itself. Anyway that was last fortnight's project, this fortnight's project has caused new horrors. AND I@M NOT GETTING INVOLVED, except to ring her IL teacher and complain that dd has no idea what the project means and she is driving us mad complaining about it

Last night I composed a William Blake factfile, having spent 2 hours discussing Blake with ds2 (he is still on about God and vegetarianism, moving sideways to discussions about lambs of God being sacrificed [despair at tangental thinking, although I should be grateful he thinks at all]

Today done
three children off to school in good spirits, ds1's trousers are too short now and his blazer seems to have shrunk it is so small. I saw him walking down to the tube from the car and was struck by he had outgrown all his uniform

driven to school and back

dd has forgotten her games kit (and this is the LAST time I drop it off for her, but I can combine it with driving practice and visit to lovely park/garden centre)

made a pile of ironing

House is muddle muddle muddle. Will try and sort it bit by bit this morning. No church counting this morning, so might achieve something.

FABULOUS SUNSHINE

Just Hamlet in North Korea Something is indeed rotten in the state of North Korea The Amnesty reports about it are horrific. It is interesting to see Shakespeare and realise how it is about violent and tyrannical regimes. When you are 14 and studying it, you think it is just a "story", and there is no equivalent in RL.

whoknows brilliant on your run, but take it easy. I think running is the cause of many injuries, partly because it is just not the same as running how we are designed to run, barefoot over uneven ground. I know so many dedicated runners who have problems with their knees although they claim the cardiovascular advantage trumps this.

toffee hope you have a peaceful day, and can get out with ds2.
Sending good vibes to ds1 for sunshine.

Engels sorry, did not mean to disparage your 5k! I think it is because I am older (near 50) now that I cannot run without feeling my insides are in danger, I'm sure when you are young and fit it is an amazing boost to energy and happiness.

No disparagement taken swan !

Okay

Ta da
wash on
skyped DM (eventually - she managed to switch her microphone off and DF not home so ended up calling her to explain how to put it back on - kind of defeats the object of skping!)
Watched To Catch a Thief
Ordered 2 dresses and a petticoat (someone hide my credit card please!)

To do
Post office
supermarket

I was going to go to playground on way back but the sky is turning darker and darker. May take bus and then pop into town

Afternoon, lovely day here, so on 3rd batch of laundry, even managed to iron some of the 1st load!

Sounds like eventful weekends, I was offline for most of it as on a weekend training session for Woodcraft.

It was lovely, room to myself, comfy bed but noisy people in next rooms (do they not realise people want their sleep) And of course learnt new things for our group. Good job really as I'm running my first session on Wednesday

I have a shit load of stuff I should be doing. My bed looks comfy and warm and just right for a nap... Arses. :(

Afternoon all. Dramatic day in the elliepac household. Clearly recovering from an op wasn't dramatic enough for me. So lastnight i decided to faint and knock myself out when i fell along with breaking a bone in my ear. Always fancied a ride in an ambulance anyway. Am fine though have a banging headache and my ear feels odd, but fine. DH has now organised bloody elliesitters for the week. Although i think i did give him quite a fright bless him.

dizzy and others whose names escape my concussed brain well done on C25k. It is amazing how it builds you up. I completed it last year and can't wait to get back out there when i am recovered. I lost 5 stone whilst doing it and still got 2 to go and was soooo unfit when i started but it really worked!

Might have to join Bitchy for a nap in a mo! Feeling generally shivery, run down and exhausted today. I have a ton of stuff to do but just want to sleep too... I have at least managed a few minor jobs but none of the big stuff I wanted to do in the sunshine.

Ellie - sounds scary! Glad you're OK.

Just - yes, that is exactly how it feels.

Big waves to all. Better get the kettle on and a big vat of Bitchyesque