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.

Done
picked up dcs by car (met dd too)
ds2 is playing delightfully with some mini-jenga blocks he had in his Xmas stocking, sorting out his room has yielded some treasures.
I'm dusting his room now, and have finished sorting out the bookshelf
ds1 is on the Dsi and dd is surgically attached to her phone I think I may have to confiscate both now.

A lovely peaceful pre-halfterm Friday afternoon, with NO CATECHISM tomorrow hey!!!

defrosting lamb steaks for supper to serve with pilau rice

Sorry to hear about the chicken pox, Carpe. Calamine cream and bicarb baths are the way forward.

We've had a pretty crap couple of days. Very bad news about the school - judicial review rejected - combined with DH's Granny's funeral. And I'm completely snowed under with work for the foreseeable. :(

Very, very sorry to hear about the school, Blue . Can you appeal against the decision? Also very sad to hear of DH's granny's funeral.

Carpe -hope you are well stocked up with calamine lotion and DVDs.

Engels - there is a reason you are tired. Listen to your body and rest as much as you can .

Feeling very tired today, though I don't have Engels' excuse. Aiming to have an early night.

Links for Saturday 24th May

Babystep 24 is to add “Swish and Swipe" to the morning routine. This means you swish the toilet with a toilet bowl brush and wipe down the counter tops and sink and put away all the things you have gotten out. It should only take a couple of minutes.

Saturday is Family Fun Day

NO MISSIONS as it's still the weekend.

Blue sorry all your work on the campaign is not getting through the brick wall

We've had a nice evening here only spoilt by ds2 having an bedtime meltdown over Googlebox (we refused to let him watch it) As dh pointed out, it was my fault for not putting him to bed earlier, as he truly self destructs if he is not in bed by 9pm on the dot. I am going to be in charge of these children for two weeks sole care from beginning of June, not quite sure how I am going to manage the bedtimes as ds2 is VERY dependent on Dad routine. I will have to think of something! FAST.. Quite extraordinary ds2 really is like Jekyll and Hyde when he gets obsessive..

have washed up supper (lamb, pilau rice, potatoes, sweet potato and onion, salad, pancakes with stewed cherries)
hung out washing
left out some mince for the foxes
put out the rubbish from ds2 room
sat with ds2
read ds2 poetry to make him laugh
put seedlings away from slugs

half term half term half term I cannot stop smiling at thought of no organising to do, no uniform to wash, no homework to brood over..just the rest of life

SUMMARY

Toffee feels like she's struggling, sometimes the priorities don't include housework, it's not a bad thing.

Swan is not 100%, hope you feel better soon, and still got lots done. So pleased DS wasn't really missing. Did you tell him you were worried? Never heard of 'A place in the sun eating cheese strings' sounds like a niche audience

Dizzy had bits falling off her car, but nothing essential. That happened with my mini once (most bits fell off that, it was held together with moss) I like the idea of paying with bakery. Hope Bitchy recovered from her faint at that news.

Engels is also tired after work, which was solved by the addition of caffeine. And is working out how to use her smartphone.

Carpe has a suspect case of chickenpox in the house. MIL is coming to help and has instructed her not to do housework. Yay a "grown up" coming to clean.

Mummy is on holiday!

Blue had some excellent chickenpox advice. So gutted that the judicial review didn't go through, not a good week. And re funeral.

And finally, took DD to the science centre today as realised our Tesco Day Out vouchers ran out at the end of this month. Was a lovely day, but saddened by the fact we could see the smoke from the College of Art fire. Such a beautiful building.
I've also booked train tickets for DD & I to visit my parents in August and tickets for DH & I to see the Jesus & Mary Chain play at the Glasgow Barrowlands in November. Really excited about that, it's the 30th anniversary of Psychocandy coming out. (Now I feel old)

Ah bugger, my run of early nights got sided tracked
I appologise now for the torrential rain and horrid weather that we are likely to see tomo and the rest of the weekend. We are planning to do work in the garden. So that will scare the nice weather away. Sodds law and all that. Sorry.

Marking place. Sorry I haven't had chance to read thread and get to know you all, but in a rush and on phone.

Just got to a phase in my life where I am finishing a degree and beginning to realise just how much I have let everything else in my life slide!

Welcome, ImSoOverIt.Good luck with the final bit of your degree. That definitely takes priority over housework.

Thanks for the rain, Bitchy .

Feeling a bit panicky as I have let my OU work slide and have an essay to hand in next week. Have chores to do in town this morning, then am prioritising OU studies over everything else even Mumsnet for the rest of the day.

ta da

Lie in
Washing up (loads)
Breakfast - pancakes & maple syrup

Not sure why we even planned to do anything. It is a bank holiday weekend. They are always wet and horrible!

ta da
survive nearly a whole week caffine free AND i didn't kill anyone
make 3 and a half baby booties
discuss the plans for the back garden work
play hunt the stuff that should be in the house but isn't
hairspary hair within an inch of its life to try to control it

Next job involves going out. In the rain. At this rate I will end up decluttering my room entirely this weekend Nah

DH was at home yesterday recovering from a day at the Oval watching the cricket. He spent his time watching recordings of The Bill. He came to Star Assembly and spent the time answering emails on his phone and then buggered off to Cardiff to watch some rugby. He was supposed to be playing cricket today but has just called to say the match is off and he is coming home. That will shatter the peace and quiet!

Fri Ta Da

• Laundry load in and hung to dry
• D/W loaded and put on
• Fabric squares cut out ready for sewing
• DD to swim training
• Cleaned up paint and glitter mess made by DD!

Sat Ta Da

• D/W unloaded
• Assisted DD with some baking
• Dry clothes away

I'm sitting in a nice tidy tent in Oxfordshire in the pouring rain. Had a lovely day out at Blenheim Palace but started raining as we were driving back, not sure what we're going to do for the rest of the evening yet. Hmmm.

Whoknows I love the idea of your in your tent with technology. It has cleared up here now, but it is COLD...brrrr. I am making hot soup.

Toffee sending powerful intellectual vibes for the essay.

Goth we were just talking about the Fire

Dizzy you have spurred me to do some patchwork

I have bought some cucumber plants and some tomato plants, just a few
from B & Q

for lunch I made poor man's moussaka without eggs or aubergine
chocolate cake and remainder of the cherry compote

dd has bought herself some skimpy clothes shopping with a friend. She has started running in the park too, some sort of exercise programme which involves buying the right clothes.
ds1 has bought himself the next Game of Thrones book (we are still not letting him watch the series though [stern]

dh and I are knackered. Ds2 did football session, and ran to the shops for batteries, but has otherwise been a bit loud and tiring, and required ceaseless interaction. I hope this is detoxifying from school or from last night's Googlebox scene because it is wearing.

And next door's barbeque is wafting over the fence

Links for Sunday 25th May

Babystep 25 is brought to you with the letter P. keep Practicing your routines! and remember nobody is Perfect. There's a testimonial if you are interested

Sunday is Renew your Spirit day

NO MISSIONS as it's still the weekend.

SUMMARY

Quiet day today here in the FlyBar

Bitchy planned some gardening this weekend (the rain hasn't hit here yet)

Hello to ImSoOverIt concentrate on the degree, we'll be here when it's over. And ready to hand over or , whichever makes the housework go easier.

Toffee good luck with the OU work.

dizzyday 'recovered' from a hard day's cricket watching with watching the Bill followed by watching rugby. Needless to say dizzy did a tad more than that.

WhoKnows has a tidy tent hope the rain stops soon (blame Bitchy)

Swan quite relieved you are making soup! I've had to out the fire on! It's only low but am still feeling a bit of a wuss.

And finally, I've actually been home for a bit, so done some decluttering. Plus a trip to the library with DD then a CommonWeal presentation on 'The Future of Scotland'. We're going to another discussion tomorrow afternoon at the CCA, so I've bribed DD to be good with a trip to the cinema (Lego movie). Brian Cox (not professor) is one of the guest speakers.

Swan We will be walking past the Art School tomorrow, am dreading it, I know it's only a building but it was so lovely, and such a shame the library has been destroyed.

Well, what a difference a few hours makes. It stopped raining about 6.30 (just after I had cooked dinner in the rain). So we got the campfire going, the sun came out and we stuck some jacket potatoes in. The DCs and I went off for to the nearby White Horse at Uffington, which was amazing, then back for spuds, bacon rolls and marshmallowd round the fire. It's raining again now but we're all snug and following the Champions League final on a phone. Home tomorrow.

MIL is up (praise all known deities) and DS' spots are already drying out. More coming in, but hopefully this should be short lived rather than the 3 weeks my friend's DD had.

Today, I have a shopping delivery coming, I need to finish an application form for a job and need to cook a roast for dinner, but other than that it's a day of snuggles and watching DVD's. Sort of hoping I get to watch Frozen!

Have a lovely day everyone.

Hello! Salut! Dag!

Just diving in having been awol for so long that this thread has dropped off my "threads I'm on" list which hasn't happened in the last four years a while

Hope everyone OK!

In the middle of exhausting but enjoyable round of visitors/birthday celebrations/communions/school fete/choir events ....everything is happening in May basically!

....Just removing a trail of glacé icing, hundreds and thousands and squished raisins from under the dining room table this morning following a mahoosive baking bonanza yesterday - broke my own school fete record of 68 cakes (some of them indiv child-sized portions admittedly)!!

Haven't made it out of my dressing gown yet this morning but have been washing uniform, shoe polishing and generally getting things back in to a reasonable state before going out to vote.

Haven't caught up with thread properly but will try and have a quick read when I get a moment. Just wanted to say "hullloooooooo" to all you lovely fledglings and wish you all happy Sundays ...

Back to run thread in June if not before!

Tally-hooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Beautiful picture of Uffington Whoknows

Big waves to one and all!

Whew! Serious cleaning and reorganisation done. Dining room almost sorted (then I can start the DIY in there! eeeek!). My bedroom sorted. Living room and kitchen tidied.

I'm going to tackle the "Tupperware and containers" stash today. Wish me luck - and that I actually have all the matching covers!! (which I suspect I don't!!)

Lovely photo whoknows . I miss the Downs where I grew up. Beautiful weather here. Spent all day in the garden yesterday working on play area for ds and rock garden which is finished and looks lovely. We've only been planning it fora few years!

Have a good day fledglings!

Well, got back at about 1, fortunately the weather has stayed bright and breezy all day so everything was largely dry when we got home, still takes ages getting it all properly dry and put away again though. The quantity of packing/unpacking required for camping is definitely the worst bit. I absolutely detest holiday packing, unpacking's not so bad, it's just gradually restoring everything back to its home.

Bitchy thought I'd update you on the light. I've looked at it very closely and there are no exposed wires, it's basically a plastic clip that holds the light receptacle in a particular position has broken off. There is no damage to the wires or anything other than that clip. So it's basically just not being held in quite as aesthetically pleasing a position, if that makes sense. I suspect that when ex last replaced the light bulb (one of those long life ones), he was a bit forceful in putting it in and probably just popped that little clip off, as it's been that way for quite some time.

With a bit of experimentation, I've found that I can run the ceiling fan on low with no "clinking" at all, so I will stick to that, so no risk of breaking the bulb. I will be getting a new ceiling fan shortly, however, my bloody car has decided to have a fault again, so my money must go to that first.

I do appreciate your push towards safety on the light. It was foolish of me to assume it was fine, and I do feel better having looked at it more closely and ascertaining what the actual problem was.

Links for Monday 26th May

Babystep 26 reminds us to jump in where we are, that we are NOT behind and that it takes at least a month to set up new habits

It's Monday so time for the weekly bleugh

This week we are in Zone 5, the Living Room

Today's mission is to spend 5 minutes clearing away surfaces in the Living Room and only keeping stuff we love rather than keeping them because we've had them a long time.

SUMMARY

WhoKnows posited a great picture of the White Horse. She got home safe and is now in the middle of unpacking hell.

Carpe has SuperMIL visiting and touch wood DS' spots are drying out. So did you sing along to Frozen? Fx re application

SC has had a quick breather from her Manic May to say hello. I'm looking forward to her excellent thread-leading skills in June.

Alice is seriously decluttering. Thought of this when you mentioned Tupperware.

Engels got to enjoy her garden. ?

Alice has just about sorted her fan, will still feel better when you have a new one.

And finally, had the pleasure of The Lego Movie this morning, got hailed on this afternoon, and then came home in beautiful sunshine. Got friends over tomorrow, but a quick tidy should do it. Fx