June 2014: half way through the Flying year, fledglings get themselves in gear!

[slackcabbage]

Heartfelt and huuuumungous thanks to Goth for being such a superlative, consistent and professional thread leader throughout May (and wow to all those fantastic round-ups every night).

If you are strugging with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of chat, support and and along the way.

Flylady link here.

This little-and-often system is designed so that you can follow a series of steps and routines each day (which gradually become second nature) in zones of the house which are designated weekly; defining and minimising housework, which in theory should leave you with loads more time to do something more interesting instead!

At the same time it is intended to reduce that panicky "rabbit in headlights" feeling when you are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once. No problem if you miss a day or two; just jump right back in and it will all come around next month again!

It's up to you, but we advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be inundated! All the information you need will be linked here on a daily basis.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's steps and routines using a three-pronged approach (dependent on the stage everyone is at):

1. start or repeat baby steps

1. repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

1. reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

[And if you are really enthusiastic and have finished decluttering - you can go on to detailed deep cleaning in each zone.]

More info here on getting started and Flying lessons. Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings.

Don't be put off by the barf-tastic language of the site - the underlying system is sound!

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 (mentioning no names!) can have scary looking lists but don't let that worry you! Do what you can, anything is better then nothing, and don't judge yourself against others.

If all else fails, a + the power of three technique + a bit of support on here can work wonders!

Oh and don’t let it put you off if we appear a bit cliquey – some of us have been on here for years – but all lurkers, oldies and newcomers very very welcome!

Blimey Eyelet I'm amazed that you are on top of the kitchen and laundry given what you have gone through recently and the hours you work in addition to battling with depression and looking after a nocturnal baby and having to clear up after building work and dealing with the aftermath of 2 house moves and your dh's redundancy!! Any one of those individual things would be enough to floor most people frankly - never mind all of them at once!!

YOu are doing BRILLIANTLY given the circs! Seriously!! YOu should give yourself a HUGE pat on the back for even thinking of Flying atm!! Hope you will find it helpful though x

Safe travelling Pushme

Really must find my bed now ....

I literally spent the majority of the day ironing - but the 3 full-to-overflowing baskets are empty (for now!)

Ta Da

• Mountains of ironing
• Ironed clothes put away
• Watered veggies
• Washed dishes/pots
• Shined sink
• D/W loaded and put on
• Bags ready for school in the morning
• School dinners paid
• 4.5k bike ride with DD
• 20 secs plank completed
• Day 1 Juneathon blog post written

I am now off to bed as I am attempting earlier nights

Well I managed an early night. asleep before 10:30pm. But now I am wide awake and considering what i can get done without waking anyone up. Absolutely shattered and would prefer to be asleep though.

Morning all.

Welcome eyelet. Sounds as if you have a lot on your plate!

To do:-
Work

That will suffice for today. Aiming high and all that.

Goodness, is it Monday already? The weekend just flew by!

Anyway, time to start getting things done... will post my list later this morning (once I have finished writing it all up lol)

Morning all

Need to pack and would like to do a quick 5 min decluttering of the entrance before I go to work so I had better get up!

Power if three to get me going!
Up
Dressed
Packed

Followed by...
Breakfast
Entrance hall
27 thing fling

Welcome eyelet ! Well done on having a daily routine for the kitchen. That's the most important thing for me as well, to get the washing up done and come down to a relatively cleanish kitchen by my standards in the morning. It makes a massive difference to my state of mind.

All those upheavals and challenges at the same time?! You're doing amazingly! My DH has just come out of a period of depression (weaned off theADs this spring) and the last fewbyears have been tough, especially as it coincided with pg and DS's birth (he's now 2.8).

Have decided to go on an jaunt back to UK in 2 weeks for the weekend. I miss my DM, I want to be able to tell my close friends and GPs about pg in person, I want to mooch around Boots and hang out with my mum and dsis. Otherwise the next trip I'm making is in 3 months!

Okay, already posted my to do list so time to get the wash on and head to the supermarket!

Good morning! Lovely and sunny here!

Right. Going to start again now Flying-wise and I know I always say this, but I am really determined to do better in June. (Have to because dd breaks up for 9 wks of holidays on the 27th ) and I am finding she is much more demanding now she is older. Holidays are a problem here as all her expat friends visit their home countries and our office still has to keep running (although of course we will be planning various trips and visits to her aunt in UK etc) so has to be planned with military precision.

House is in slightly better shape than previously owing to Manic May and all the visitors/celebrations. In addition to supporting school with Communion and Confirmation ceremonies (lots of printed hymn sheets and catering packs of soft drinks lying around), celebrated my half century mid-month and all of my siblings/cousins came out here to have a bit of a wild bash/ceilidh (much bottle recycling required!!), followed by dd's birthday party early (still have sparkly silver and blue disco decorations up and "mocktail" bar in sitting room) + have baked and sewn for school fete (w/e before last) so haberdashery and baking tins, piping ephemera lying about!!

So although house (particularly downstairs) is "visitor ready" and front door/outside windows/iron work has had a bit of a clean up , there are things in wierd places (such as the hamster who was moved out of the way in to the office) and chairs aren't where they used to be and it all needs an overhaul... .

Once house recovered from all the celebrations/entertaining etc etc, I will then be in a reasonable position to start serious decluttering again. Really want to finish boudoir (half done) and home office (years of paper clutter).

Also focusing on my health this month!

Oh bum, while I was writing this, I was expecting my cleaning lady to arrive who I'd switched from Friday on the basis that she could come today and do my home bleugh for me (did very little Flying over weekend) but she now can't come! Looks like I have more to do than I thought. Had better get cracking... .

Sorry, true to form, that was rather a boring "me" "me" essay wasn't it?

Well done re: the mega ironing bonanza Dizzy and have a good day at work Ellie! Enjoy the delights of Stoke Pushme!

Alice same here: I'm going to "do" first and post list afterwards! Good luck.

to Bitchy

Have a productive Monday everyone!!

Engels it's good to know that your dh is doing better! over Blighty trip although will be going in the summer ... . Er, did you mention coming down to a shiny, clear sink [quakes at sight of kitchen]?

Afternoon peeps. Work day, so flying will be minimal, plus it's DMIL's last day with us as she is getting the train home tomorrow; still I've sorted a play date out for DS just after so he doesn't have a nervous breakdown and I can have one instead.

Nowt else to report really. Good luck with the cleaning sc!

Sneaking in late as usual

and calorie-free to Goth for last month and SC for this one

Back to normal today and working on the power of three.
Ta Da:

• Emails to School Assoc people re Father's Day crafts
• Order crafts
• All up and out

• S&S x 1
• 2 lots of washing done and out
• Investigated landlord's insurance

• Phonecall to other flat owner and went with her insurance discovery (and left her to sort it)
• 3rd load washing in (final camping load from last w/e!)
• Printed off details for tenants

To do:

• Scan stuff for utilities companies
• Send stuff to utility companies
• Try to get electricity reconnected

All nightmare rental flat related

Then:

• Email tenant
• Find out how to work oven!!
• Contact gas man

All in nice new rental house for nice new tenants

That should keep me going for a while.
First of all I need a jumper and lunch.

Anyone got a cure for CBA? I kinda need a solution today.

What a list feetheart !

I can offer the next best things bitchy - and

Ta da
supermarket
bottle bank
posted letters
picked up nappies on offer at kruidvat
wash done x1
ordered df's birthday present and books on potty training and new baby for ds
lunch with french friend with baby -met her british friend which was nice and ds behaved himself!
got pie filling out for dinner tonight

now watching julia donaldson triple bill and being lazy. Will do some more marking this evening

engels - haven't got very far with the rest of the list and seem to be procrastinating now though am on hold to cooker company.
If it helps we got this lovely book for DD when I was expecting DS. Think she was about your DS's age.

briefly
SC you are to be congratulated yourself on making the most of a celebratory May - lots for the photo albums no doubt.

Eyelet I think you are not the only person to feel like they are drowning in mess, we are all on here due to paddling, splashing or drowning in mess unfortunately..It does cast a shadow, and certainly my spirits are the worst for it, although I keep trying to look at the problem in a more positive way. The mess can be a)be chucked b)will not kill us c)is our servant not our master

Well today I started very mindfully, counting my various blessings and feeling really quite calm despite very little sleep.

Dh is ill, and a complete drama queen with it. He HATES being ill. He has to go to Europe next week for ten days and as he hates travelling he is a state about that too.
All dcs at school, quite happily and uneventfully
I have made the bottom half of a fish pie
counted church money
planted out some of my seedlings in bigger pots
planted dh's lavender up
harvested potatoes yesterday, they were utterly delicious but unfortunately they were only enough for one meal, as it was a bit of whim to plant up one pot of them in spring
renewed car tax, so late that I now have to keep car off the road until the disc arrives and will have to take bus to tennis lesson

Now tennis lesson/Math tutor
buy potatoes for rest of pie
try and keep calm!!!!

Eyelet sorry, forgot also to sympathise with building work which combined with babies/small kids is enough to finish anyone off. I remember turning up at nursery pickup and just feeling like silently screaming, please someone rescue me from this, or at the very least, ask me how things are going, when we had our loft extension and kitchen changed.

That's the one I ordered feet !

Tea break ...

Swan Yes to counting blessings and yes, lots and lots for the photo album !!

As it happens, I was just trying to send a few photos to people via e-mail attachments and they've all come back via the system administrator marked "undeliverable"

So, can anyone recommend a good photo sharing system (private between family and friends) please? (We are not on Facebook and don't particularly want to be.) There has to be an easier way than sending one photo per e-mail! Our photos are stored on Picasa if that makes any difference?

Swan hope your dh feels better soon and sympathies to him re: travelling (I feel pretty much the same way). Wish I could be like my dh and happily live out of a suitcase but I loathe it! Btw, you've reminded us that our three measly potato plants probably need harvesting around now. Any tips for knowing when they are ready?

Bitchy sorry for late response - my oft-used remedy for extreme CBA-ness is the power of three, and if the power of three doesn't work, the power of one, and if the power of one seems too much, how about the power of a half or a third? I'm not kidding either. Cut down one tasks in to tiny steps ... starting is half the battle! Good luck!

What a fab list Feetheart happy to hear that it sounds as if you are now able to start putting nightmareish tenant situation behind you (although I am sure still very stressful) and start looking forward. Fingers crossed that the next lot are a delight!! And yes, noted about health/tests thank you ! (Have finally reached tipping point where worry about postponement is worse than tests themselves although it took a while !!)

Good luck with the potty training Engels

Thanks Carpe how lovely that you have such a good relationship with your mil!

Big waves to everyone else!

In the end i just said sod it an took an hour's nap

Since then I have a ta da list
put a load of washing on
done 5mins decluttering in ds' room
emptied out the car
half hoovered the car - bloody rain just 5 mins more and i would have been done!
washed 2 cars in the rain and got completely soaked
bullied ds into sorting his paperwork otherwise I will clear the lot after tea
folded the washing
deal with an over tired emotional ds who has spent the day running around the hills and completely worn himself out!
play hunt the crochet hook which has gone awol
butcher the plant by the front door
find something that didn't get sent to dsis last week that should have done
put ds' bin out and the big bin out ready for collection tomo.

Currently eating tea and will then tackle ds' room some more so he has a bed to pass out in. Bless him he is knackered!

Alright, I've not done nearly what I wanted to get done today, but my excuse is that only 1 of my DCs had school today, the other was home on an inset day and boy, is he high maintenance!!

ta da
usual morning routine, school run
grocery shop
started organising non perishables for self catering holiday coming up in awhile
finished making lists for holiday packing (although will probably redo them a jillion times before the holiday actually gets here)
swept bathroom and hallway
tidied living room
tidied kitchen
one complete load of laundry
had a cup of coffee while I watched DS2 blow 50 gazillion kajillion bubbles in the back garden "watch this one mummy!" Cute, but goodness, watch every bubble?
made a quick curry for supper
washing up done
living room tidied up again

Soooooo having a glass of tonight.

Phew

Not much Flying today, but have been busy

Done
Beds
Packed lunch
Dd to school
Trip to b&m for gardening gloves
Quick trip home for a bowl of porridge
Clean litter tray
Out to urban croft -see picture
Quick detour with Woodcraft friend to double check route for Wednesday
Back to croft
Home - order tickets to hear Cressida Cowell talk at Mitchell Library
Collect DD from school
Dinner
Washing up
Empty rubbish
DD to karate
Shopping
Collect DD
Home

To do
Sort laundry
Copy maps for Wednesday
Get DD to help stain them with tbags

Oh blast it. I've just realised I have a raft of forms to fill out and take with DS to the dentist tomorrow. I'll have to actually LOCATE the forms and then fill them out. I hate forms. I really do.

Hello. My aim of posting my list on the train hit the buffers today as ds has used mine and his data allowance for the month watching mine craft videos on YouTube!
However work is done for the day so this evening I need to:
get ds to sort his bag & pe kit ready for school
iron school uniform
WI stuff
washing away
wm
dw
shine sink
bed on time as dh needs to be at work by 5am!

Evening!

Ta da:
iron shirt
rabbits
s& s
take washing dried overnight downstairs to laundry
collect up party spares on clean tray
collect glass for recycling
tidy magazines and newspapers
put away chess set
dw empty/fill
polish art chest
paper recycling
plastic recycling
ordinary rubbish
sort dh's shirt for laundry (stain stick marks)
sort dead flowers and clean out vase
sort bed linen that hasn't spun for some reason and tumble dry
re-boot laundry
find 2 clean tablecloths
clean stove top
shine sink
clean kitchen surfaces
empty out fridge
dining room table hotspot
deconstruct cake board made from collapsed carton and foil and chuck out/recyle
sweep and hoover entire downstairs
clean downstairs lav and basin and replace towels
replace towel and tea towels in kitchen
clean bin
replace J-cloth and sponge
talk to dd's ed psych for 40 mins on phone
water entire garden
relieve plants of some bindweed
school run
prep for dd's tutor
try to send photos via e-mail without success
sign dd's school Agenda and tests
cook pasta supper
reluctantly play games with dh and dd on the newly acquired Wii

To do tonight:
one hour in which I can go for a stroll and re-boot/sort laundry
iron school shirt

To do tomorrow:
brush rabbits and make ready for vet
laundry room
boudoir
office desk

Newcomers: don't be put off by Bitchy-esque style list - have deliberately written down every small thing achieved in order to encourage myself for tomorrow

Well baby woke me at six this morning so I opted to head downstairs and get started on my breakfast gave her to DH at half seven and did a manic half an hour while he dealt with DC breakfasts. Some pre planning last night of changing bag meant we were out and.on the road to see friends by nine.

Morning:
Swept kitchen floor
Hoovered playroom, hall and front room (the bit I can get to)
Put away dry crockery
Washed up
Washed out old bin for use as a new recycling bin (crawling baby keeps trying to eat our old recycling tub! )
Put wash on
Made beds

Out all day which meant my efforts this morning were not undone and home in time for DC to be fed dinner. DH did some sterling entertaining so I got another 45min to sort two loads of dry laundry, hang out another load and even get started on the massive outgrown clothes pile.

Now desperately trying to get baby to sleep so I can eat, I've had a dozen threads on MN about her sleep - she is atrocious. My problem is partly keeping on top of the house work but what gets me down is finding the time to deal with the other million jobs which would make the house so much nicer to live in. I was supposed to have a play date here today (four of us take it in turns) but it is so bad I defaulted to the park plan so nobody could see the house.

Anyways. Thank you for the nice welcome - I'll try to keep up with the thread! Tomorrow dc1 has a playgroup session in the morning, I'm hoping to get both DC asleep together so that I can have an hour sorting but it rarely works that smoothly!