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.

Well, I should be working, but I've finished. I'm currently hiding while DMIL looks after DS as I have a stonking cough that I'm off to the GP with at 9.40 for a same day appointment

It's been hanging about for roughly 3 weeks while not responding to steaming, syrups etc, so I suspect something in my chest.

May also mention my lack of hair (okay, not bald, but still thinning at the crown, and I'm sure I got sunburn yesterday when I never used to before) and see what they suggest. I will not be fobbed off with "take iron" as this totally fucks up my IBS.

Later, I need to go to the supermarket and, hallelujah, DS is crusted over so I can take him with me! Need to make a list, but CBA...

Today is not going to be a good day!

SUMMARY for Thursday

June's willing sacrifice volunteer is SC, all arranged in April so easy to miss. It's July we're looking for now!

Whoknow's dad is home! that's wonderful. And she got wool

Dizzy has been playing with Loom bands as it was a wet day. And then went to the dentist, re fillings it could be worth it.

Bitchy had a late night/early morning and then also bought more wool! I'm on a no-buy rule until I reduce my stash.

Blue handed her school petition in, just want to say I think Gove is an arse. Off to check the Guardian for letter.

Carpe still has her DMIL helping out.

Toffee went to the hospital, but on the wrong day (we've all done it) dates must ebbe a family thing as her DS only just thought about Mothers Day

newlark popped in, holidays always throw out routines

Engels is getting artificial grass, I'm sure DS will love his tower.

Swan is trying to tire out her energetic DSs, and DD is sorting out her room, and started reading. Game of Thrones, it can be a bit full on, but I do enjoy it (not seen tv version yet)

And finally, all I seemed to do was crotchet! I'm making a lacy shaw/shrug and it's circular so it started off lovely to do, but now the rows are REALLY long and it's feeling like hard work. But I am now giving up, I won't go back to having a huge bag do "stuff to finish off" as I've just cleared the last one and it was a grind.

Done
Beds
Laundry on
Packed lunch
Dd to school
Greengrocers
Hung out today's laundry
Hung out yesterday's laundry (it's dried inside, I just want it to get blown about a bit)

To do
Walk round local park working out route for next week's woodcraft treasure hunt. Picture is of map so far. Once I have locations for clues will photocopy map and stain them with tea gas to get a pirate look. Just need to work out the treasure as they will not be happy if it's raisins again. Possibly strawberries?

Mini marshmallows, tea light candles and barbeque/kebab sticks (wooden) Goth!

my sympathies Carpe - I've found that whenever I get a cold or flu type thing, the cough hangs on for weeks afterwards. I usually get about a week "cough-free" and then I catch another cold and it all starts over again. Hope your day gets better! (think positive - nowhere to go but up, right?)

Sorry you're feeling so rough, Carpe. Definitely get your chest looked at (oops, that doesn't sound quite right, does it). You don't want pneumonia or anything .

Have woken up with a throbbing headache. I don't know why. Have been feeling achey and unwell for ages, but can't tell if it's physical or psychological . Anyway, have taken handfuls of pills.

Went to an appointment with a paediatrician as part of DS1's statement assessment this morning. DS1 refused to come because he was too anxious, but it didn't matter. Phew. That was the last of the appointments for a while, thank goodness.

Have invited a fellow home educator and her son round this afternoon, so I now have to tackle the house. A crisis clean is in order.

Do you want me to do June? I'm hoping to go away to my Mum's for a bit during the month, which may give me more free time.

Back from GP and supermarket. I don't a chest infection but I do have bronchitis. Lots more steaming (2-3 times a day) and keep it until it gets better, but if it deteriorates, then go back.

And my arsehole of a managing director is causing my hair to fall out. Well, technically it's stress, but he's causing that so I've just cut out the middleman! I now need a new job! They've taken more blood (seriously it feels like pints this year!) to check my iron levels and my thyroid too, so we'll see what transpires. But basically he suspects that stress and my exercising has lowered my iron stores again so my body can't cope, and has retaliated by causing hair thinning.

The joys! This afternoon I am playing with DS in the garden (gently to prevent coughing!), then pizza for dinner with a nice .

Sympathies Carpe. I suffered a high level of stress in my old job, culminating in one particularly bad incident with my bullying boss and I developed alopecia a few weeks later. It can't be proven but I am certain in my mind that work was the cause. I took voluntary redundancy a few months later and it started growing back soon after. There are supplements that might be worth trying. Glad your doctor is doing the tests.

Just been 10-pin bowling with the DCs which was really nice, I've hardly seen them this week. DD's friend is coming round in a minute, then I need to sort out the fridge, write a shopping list and take the DCs shopping, all meal planning etc has gone out of the window this week.

Bugger carpe that sounds like a right pita.

I have to have a booster to my tentus, this is not something i am looking forward to

Does stress cause hair loss? I'm always shedding loads of hair, and I wondered why. Just chalked it up to old age. I mentioned it to the hairdresser and was told "you'll need to lose an unbelievable amount of hair to actually have thin hair, dear - you've got very thick hair." Um, didn't answer my question, but okay.

Stressful job is no good - hope you can find something you like better that pays even better (best revenge on shitty job is to find a better job that pays better, you know ).

It can be caused by lots of things, including both stress and old age (menopause/hormones etc not old old). Mine was very specific bald patches rather than thinning, but it does have a big moult every now and then, last time I had one was about 6 months after an operation, that is quite common as well. It came back on my head (apart from eyebrows), and on the plus side I no longer have hairy arms and legs.

Stress yep! Who'd have thunk it?!

Well, I'm part time at the moment, so as soon as I go full time I'll automatically be better off as DS gets funding so the extra money will be ours IYSWIM? And the job I've applied for is... oooh... 5 minutes from my house so would be perfect. DS to nursery, home, breakfast, work, home, sort dinner, pick up DS etc...

I honestly don't think I'll get it; it's a bit out of the way of what I'm doing now, but I could do it. However they want an ECDL, and while I can do the stuff standing on my head, I don't have the bit of paper.

Yep, just to confirm, as Goth has said, that I will be back more consistently to run thread in June (can't do July or August as on the road or inundated with visitors for full 8 wks). Very busy tomorrow so don't worry if new thread doesn't get set up until late in to the evening/night ready for 1st on Sun.

And again, to second what Goth says, please do volunteer for July, August, Sept if you have the urge!!

Sorry you are going through such a stressful time Carpe

Hope your headache has cleared Toffee (and thanks for volunteering for thread-running when you have such a lot on your plate. Maybe later in the year???)

My hairline at front has definitely thinned out/ receded a bit in the last year!

Bitchy genius! I'll take popcorn too.

Got the route sorted out this afternoon, just have to make a couple of alterations to the map for the children, then make 20 copies and then stain them.

DD is in a nark and hiding in her bedroom. The quiet is wonderful.

Oh, thanks for doing June, SC. Have just discovered that I'll be going to my Mum's in July instead, so June would still have been in the midst of family chaos/madness. Am quite relieved to hear I don't need to add thread running to that mix.

Am happy to run the thread in July though.

Carpe - how awful that the stress of your job is causing such extreme physical symptoms. Crossing my fingers you get that new job. Make sure you look after yourself, as bronchitis is horrible.

The visit from the home educator and her son went really well. She was lovely and her son and DS2 played really happily together. DS1 found it trickier, but did manage to come down and spend a little time with them. DS2 told me he "did really well, actually", which was a touching recognition that he 'gets' DS1's problems.

That's lovely Toffee. I'm starting to get a bit of that too, my mum said to me last night that they had been playing card games at her house and DD was trying to let DS win as she knows he finds losing games very hard. Then it was the other way round today, we went 10-pin bowling and DS and I wanted DD to stop using the ramp now and DS was very kind and encouraging of her efforts to bowl properly. They seem to have come out of their recent phase of non-stop arguing for the time being.

Just got back from half an hour on the allotment. Some of the other plots are looking amazing, it's quite inspiring if a bit daunting. Pissed off because something has nibbled all my radishes down to the ground.

Before that took the DCs to do the weekly shop. They were instructed to buy one fish item each, one new veg each and one new fruit each as part of my combatting fussy eating strategy, so after that they were allowed to buy one piece of World Cup tat each and I bought some bunting. It remains to be seen whether they will actually eat any of the new stuff, definitely babysteps with this one.

As for Flying, cleaned the bathroom (superficially), ran the vac round downstairs, that was about it.

SC - thank you for offering to take over. Can't believe it's nearly June, we've had the heating on again this week.

Links for Saturday 31st May

Babystep 31 is not to get overwhelmed with the Flylady system. It takes time to get into the routines and things will get easier as you reduce your clutter.

Saturday is Family Fun Day

NO MISSIONS as it's the weekend!

BBL with the round up, just off to do the ironing first

Thanks for taking on June, SC, and to Goth for this month too.

Wholeheartedly concur with your sentiments on the matter of Gove, Goth, and holding him personally responsible for all stress-related ailments in this house!

Sorry to hear things are tough, Carpe and do take care of yourself.

Our boys can be very sweet and affectionate to each other too, when they're not gouging lumps out of each other!

Ended up with a frustratingly quiet day workwise - finished and sent off all the stuff I have at the moment and the rest hasn't arrived yet, so it'll be more stressful once it finally does. Decided to make the best of it, and did manage some gardening and cooking as well as taking a jaunt into town just to get out of the house.

Will have to do some flying tomorrow as have various of DH's family descending on us on Sunday. Not full-on panic mode, though, as they're the least likely contingent to notice or comment. :)

WhoKnows - that is very thoughtful of your DD to let her brother win. I often think that DS2 has an instinctive understanding, and acceptance of, his big brother's difficulties - more than anyone else, I think, including us. He's never known or expected anything different from DS1, whereas we had expectations which we've had to modify over the years.

SC - yes, headache has cleared, thanks.

Blue - I like visitors like that, but I do appreciate the effect on my house of the more critical type, even if I resent it at the time.

Thanks for the links, Goth.

My priority this week is not family fun, but completing an OU assignment for a deadline on Monday.

Im off to bed but just wanted to share a breakthrough. My dc had dinner at friends this evening and when their mum (who I only know to say hello to) knocked to bring them back I was able to invite her in for a drink as my house was actually not dirty or untidy!! Flylady is beginning to make a real difference! I will be back tomorrow to catch up with the thread and post properly. Night all.

Glad one of us here is following the babysteps and routines, Mercury and not just dropping in to chat . Well done.

SUMMARY

Ok so it's almost June!

Alice had a plan manifesto for the next few months Don't worry about the thread leading, you'll be up to it when you're ready.

Bitchy should be in bed by now as should I

Swan is balancing the DCs at half term.

Carpe has a bronchitis, you need to get it sorted. Sounds like the stress is really getting you down.

Toffee has a bad headache, and had an appointment which luckily DS didn't have to attend. And has volunteered to run the thread in July, thank you. Good luck with the OU work this weekend.

WhoKnows has been bowling, a nice end to a stressful week.

Bitchy has to have her tetanus booster,

SC is running the thread in June, but may not be able to start it until the 1st.
I can always do the links for an extra night tomorrow.

Blue is getting ready for family arriving on Sunday.

Mercury feels that the Flying is making a difference-brilliant

And finally, where has the day gone?! Off to bed as got a busy day tomorrow, hopefully heading off for a few hours at the market garden. At least dinner will be easy, we always have pizza on a Saturday.

bitchy has just walked in after a rather nice evening out. And needs to sort out her sleeping as ds gets back sunday from his trip for his half term hols.

Bitchy - hmm, is there romance in the air?

DH has taken DS2 to his mum's and gone to work himself, leaving me free to work on my OU essay. So I'm not going to waste time on Mumsnet...

Whoops.