It's the clutter shouting "Mayday" as the Fledglings spring into action

[GoingGoingGoth]

Copying last month's thread.

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.

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, we won't be judging you.

Shredded and deaded now...

Zzzzzzzz!

I've done a fair amount today housewise

swept floor of utility
hung out washing x 1
another wash in
tidied tv room
hoovered kitchen
food compost bin reordered
garden waste picked up by council hurrah, no need to go to the dump
wiped surfaces
waited for megaflo man
immersion mended, slight problem with the seal on the cylinder though should probably left well alone as the the hot water worked fine from the gas
put away some sheets
investigated another drama club for ds2, with less girls in it
cooked supper (salmon,noodles and salad)
went to a party with dh
wrapped present and wrote card beforehand
came home, paid babysitter and quite pleased with myself for getting through all that!

Links for Thursday 22nd May

Babystep 22 says you don't have to have a perfect Control Journal, and links to 15 steps to build one

Thursday is Errand day

This week we are in Zone 4, the Master Bedroom

Today's mission is to put out any Hot Spots in the bedroom.

Am going to do summary tomorrow, as had friends over until after 10, and finally got a grumpy DD to bed around 10:30.

Ha! My whole bedroom is a hotspot!

Mine too, droit .

Popping in quick to post my list, but will check back later to catch up.

ta da
moved some furniture around
tidied up living room
wiped down counters in kitchen
washing up
one load of laundry washed
tidied up dining room (almost there!! I can actually see an end in sight on this room!! wooohoooo!)

to do
organise medication cupboard
finish tidying dining room
vacuum living room and bedrooms
sweep dining room (now that I can actually see a big expanse of floor!)
move piano and sweep under it (feeling quite energetic today, right? )
make cookies

Is it odd that I am so pleased that my new sofa is much much easier to move, thus making it a snap to move for regular vacuuming under? I used to despair at not being able to move my old sofa as it was huge and unbelievably heavy, so I could never fully clean the floor. Such a silly thing to annoy me, but now I'm thrilled.

Oh, and I see that today's is the master bedroom, however, I spent a mahoosive amount of time cleaning mine the other day, so I'm just all out of order this week. As usual.

And Friday is my usual errand day, so I'm always off on that.

I am, however, intrigued by the idea of a "control journal" (not even sure what it is, tbh!) so I will be taking a look at that link today.

Oh dear god, ds appears to be heading rapidly heading towards puberty. Stinky sweat, stinky stinky sweat. And yet again I kinda love MN because i know there are a load of thread about non stink you out of the house de-oderants.

I am a bit behind and not had much time online so this is a bit of a summary of the week so far:

Ta Das:
Washed kitchen floor as part of MN product test (there's an incentive!)
Paying in and eBay posting for DH
descaled/cleaned two toilets and one bathroom sink
Tidied most of living room floor (all plastic boxes had been emptied/mixed)
Most of marking - just a little bit outstanding
3 loads washing - bit behind on ironing now (though am minimalist on this - only things like dd's school summer dresses that look like a crumpled rag otherwise get done)
Reading at dcs school
Various admin/email jobs.

Am a bit disappointed that I have let my desk hotspot get so bad again when it was almost under control a few weeks ago :(

Oh - and I decluttered my handbag a couple of days ago to find various sheets of paper for recycling including church notices from 13th April

Links for Friday 23rd May

Babystep 23 is to add your afternoon routines to your control journal.

Friday is Clear your purse/car day

This week we are in Zone 4, the Master Bedroom

Today's mission is to spend 15 minutes clearing your dresser.

I'll be back later with the summary (honest)

SUMMARY for Wednesday & Thursday

Bitchy had a trip to the hills yesterday and has started Russian Today news, my dad loves it, says it nice to see the other spin on things

Mummy has had some early night (nice to know someone follows step 17-ahem)

dizzy drove round Reading on Monday (commiserations) and has started on some felt bunting

Carpe yes well job interviews... I don't seem to be getting any so what the hell, and I can always go back to black if necessary. Good news on the cot bed sale.
And nice to see the shredding is being kept up.

Swan has a Bitchy TM list.

Alice is making progress with her dining room. YAY it's not odd to be happy that something makes your life easier, the little joys in life (such as something being lighter and making your life easier) should be appreciated.

Newlark repeat after me "I am NOT behind" it takes time to get on top of the clutter (and it's easy for it to mount up again, I know I'm avoiding a pile of paperwork)

And finally, had a stupidly late night yesterday, luckily DD is off school until after the bank holiday (we don't get a full half term week as school breaks up on 25th June) so I took her and her friend to soft play, which got me 2 hours crocheting done.

I just can't keep up with housework anymore. MIL is coming round to look after the boys tomorrow morning so DH and I can go to work, which has made me look afresh at the state of downstairs. It's not good: washing up still to be done, washing all over the dining-room chairs, table piled up with computers, books and dirty dishes...

Your blog is great Toffee much better than housework.

Yesterday was productive, today not so great. I felt ill and lay around not doing much, which ironically made me feel worse still. However
done
long walk first thing to pick up the car
drove ds2 to school
five loads of laundry (cleaning lady will iron some of it, so that ties in well)
helped dd make a chocolate cake
washed up her cake making equipment x 2 including icing bowl [grrr]
helped find a cake tin and trim cake to fit it (this is a strange custom they have of bringing cakes in for each other's birthdays)

picked up ds2 on foot from the tube
watched telly from 4pm onwards a rare treat to curl up on sofa and stop my children watching cbbc watching A place in the sun eating cheese strings.
Then ds2 had a tantrum because I had inadvertently eaten ALL the cheese strings
dd busied herself on various messy projects including making bracelets from rubber bands/cake etc

then we had a drama because ds1 still hadn't come home by 7pm and as he is isn't allowed a mobile at school, we had no way of finding out what had happened to him, cue me ringing up some acquaintances of his to find out if there was some reason he might have gone somewhere else after school, clueless of course rang another friend to see if he was there (she was in a state of collapse over something ELSE)

Dh returned from bookfair - then in a state over ds1--

ds1 finally turned out to be at a concert in Hounslow for schools. We had forgotten. We are hopeless...

oh yes, my grass seed has germinated on the bare patches of lawn
my spinach is growing
my courgettes are just getting their second set of leaves
my lollo rosso lettuces are tiny still but have red leaves now

the chives still haven't germinated though, and I need to buy some tomato seedlings as it is too late to grow them now.

And there is washing everywhere in our house. Dry and drying. Including the contents of airing cupboard still
And our room is still a tip too.
Kitchen is just about passable for visitors, old friend visitors..

Thank you, Swan - for your kind words about my blog and for comforting me with details about the state of your house .

Your first post cheered me up: especially, the cheese-string crisis and mysterious disappearance of DS1.

I have loaded the d/w, wiped kitchen surfaces, done a room rescue in the sitting-room and cleared a space for eating on the dining-room table. Have also taken hot chocolate to DS1 who is chatting online to his former best friend who was horrible to him when he went back to school, but is now his friend again . DS1 says he thinks maybe said friend is on the spectrum (projection or what?). I know being on the computer so late at night is Very Bad, but don't have the energy to deal with it at the moment.

Also cannot deal with the big pile of washing. Was going to iron it - must be mad. Have decided to throw it into our bedroom first thing tomorrow morning, before MIL arrives. (This is why our bedroom is one big hotspot).

And have just realised I have an OU essay deadline next week . Had temporarily forgotten I was even doing an OU course, which means I am very behind.

Have a birthday card to order online, then off to bed.

I got a fright when something under the car started dragging on the ground. I turned out to be a panel that covers the engine block to keep the noise down. DH managed to hold it up with a bit of string that enabled me to drive down the hill to the garage. 10min later and it was off and they only wanted paying with cakes!

DD invited a couple of classmates back after school today so I then had to rush around them tidying!

Ta Da

• R/R Dining, lounge and kitchen
• Cook them dinner
• Wash pots and shine sink
• Babysat next door girls for an hour
• Swim bags organised for morning

A mechanic that wants paying in cakes that is unheard of!

Hope you all have good productive days!

Am finding it impossible to do anything on working days except eat the dinner dh puts in front of me and then flop on the sofa. By the time I get to Friday at home, the house is a pit and thoroughly depressing!

ta da
managed a quiet 30 minutes downstairs before ds woke up
washing up done but not drying
mopped up spilt milk

to do
drying up
wqsh on
supermarket

that's enough to get started with, just have to prise myself off the sofa and mn first.

haven't been posting much but have been reading - you help keep me sane ladies!

Will be back to catch up later, but right now am in a tizzy as DS has woken up with spots... I suspect chicken pox but DH & I aren't really sure as neither of us can remember having it (DH knows he has, but was too young, and I honestly don't know), and I haven't been round people who have IYSWIM.

So going to phone GP when they open, explain and see what they say. Fuck knows how I'm going to get to the chemist with DS in tow. DH is still on probation so can't take time off just to go to chemist. Bollocks, bollocks and bollocks!

Ah crap. It's chicken pox.

DH trying to get a hold of MIL to see if she'll come up as I'm crazy busy at work, and he's still on a probationary period so can't get time off.

I sense a crisis clean looming...

Oh no carpe ! Do yoh have the type of MIL who would do the crisis clean for you?!

just realised that the reason I'm so tired and cranky is that I haven't had any coffee yet today remedying with a nice cappuccino!

Ta da
drying up
wash on
supermarket
went with dh to his hospital appt
hoovered downstairs

now watching Happy Feet with DS. Bought lots of fruit and veg and sorbet so having couscous with roasted veg for dinner.

And I have finally joined the smartphone revolution once I can work out how to use it

done
beds changed (me)
bedrooms hoovered, stairs hoovered, landing hoovered (cleaning lady)
sorted out the sheets (me)
cleaning lady has done some ironing
a pile of outgrown clothes (was waiting for the ironing) to the neighbour's 9 year son (still have to deliver it)
bag of rubbish out
inspected seedlings
sheets downstairs to wash
food compost bucket has arrived, put horrid old food in it (rubs hands)

now I am going to seize the moment and sort out ds2's bookcase and hoover behind ds1's bed

Half term Yay! Want to visit Strawberry Hill.

She's just been on the phone to confirm she's arriving tomorrow - and I'm under instructions not to clean; so I won't.

DS wants to play in garden, so I'm going to have a go Arthur garage... If I'm not back, tell DH I loved him!

So many busy people!
If your MIL is anything like mine carpe she will have the place sparkling (I love my MIL!) chicken pox is not good though:(
I'm in holiday mode :). Just finished work and have next week off. DS & I are off for a short break on Monday so I need to get the washing on when I get home. Will potter about over the weekend & jump back in when I get back