July 2014: fledglings follow Flylady's tuition (don't forget your pamper mission)

[ToffeeWhirl]

A big thank you to slackcabbage for superb thread leadership throughout June, as well as a great intro which I am going to shamelessly borrow from now.

Struggling with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun)? In that case, you need Flylady.

Flylady is a system for managing housework. Starting with babysteps, it builds up into a routine which becomes second nature. In theory, once you are used to the system, you will have a tidy house you are not embarrassed by and plenty of time to get on with more interesting things.

Flylady banishes the panicky "rabbit in headlights" feeling when you are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once. If you fall off the Flylady bandwagon, it’s no problem: you just jump back in where you are and carry on.

Don't sign up for the Flylady emails as you will be inundated! All the information you need will be linked here on this thread on a daily basis.

From the first of the month, Flylady's steps and routines will be listed here on this thread.

Flylady uses 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 detailed deep cleaning in each zone for those who have made real progress – not sure if anyone has reached this pinnacle yet…? I certainly haven’t).

More info here on getting started (but ignore step one!) and Flying lessons. Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings.

Try to ignore Flylady’s purple prose (hard, I know) - the underlying system is sound!

Three key points to keep in mind:

1. No perfectionism allowed - this is harder than you would imagine.

1. You are never behind - just start where you are and anything you do is progress.

1. It didn't get into a mess overnight, it won't get tidy overnight - accept it will take time to get on top of things and you will be happier.

If you are new, then trying to spend 15 mins decluttering and doing the babysteps is the most you should expect of yourself. Lots of us here like posting our ‘to do’ or ‘ta da’ lists and they can look quite scary. Don’t be put off.

If all else fails, try the power of three – just pick three things that most need doing and focus on those.

And if you have visitors coming over this afternoon and need a quick fix NOW, try Flylady's crisis clean.

We all know each other pretty well on this thread and some of us have been around for a long time, but all lurkers, oldies and newcomers are very welcome!

x posts

Swan oh no! I had forgotten that your ds1 was heading off here!! If at any time you want me to send me out in his direction, as an emergency envoy with K-Way and galoshes, you only have to say the word! Teenagers love mud though don't they?

Must admit, do love deserted beaches in the rain!

Sounds as though you and I both have dh's who would happily sit and let walls crumble around them [grrrrr]

Sorry you have so much to prepare in advance of travel; I get terribly anxious too so can really sympathise. Is it deeply unhelpful to be reminded of last year and that it all went OK (if it did!)?

Sympathies Bitchy the end of term madness seems to get worse and worse each year! I don't remember there being this level of activity as a child! Hope your ds (and you) comes through ok

SC so sorry to hear about your crap night. Hands over more and hopes the rain has stopped.

Toffee good luck with the OU work, hope MIL is feeling better today.

Not much planned for today except picking up my reading glasses. I'm not usually bothered about getting older but this niggles a bit. Could be worse and I should count my blessings.

BBL

What meal does everyone in your house eat thread may help with food suggestions.

I'm getting desperate for a "proper" meal, but DH says not to bother. And then doesn't make any suggestions

Thanks very much for and link Goth! Fortunately, got hold of some emergency roofers who will be visiting this afternoon (and come recommended) ... we'll see ... .

Sympathies, I've started to need glasses for driving/distance/tv watching and close up sewing now too (the latter being a very recent occurrence).

Does anyone have the Mumsnet cook-book 'Top Bananas' or whatever it is called? Just wondered if it is worth investing in?

About the only meal that everyone in this house will eat reliably is macaroni cheese/pasta carbonara. Grr. Do get sick of it. Oh and pizza, sausages, fish pie. But DS1 is getting a lot better and hope DS2 will too once he's getting school dinners in Sept. When they both have a hot lunch I sometimes give them sandwiches and then cook something nice for me and DH after they're in bed.

Sorry to hear about MIL and related issues, Toffee.

More and for SC. Hope you can make some progress re roof.

Okay, I'm finally home from running errands this morning. I did, however, make the choice to pop into the local furniture recycling centre, as I am still in need of a chair for my living room. And I've found one. It was labelled a "fireside chair" and is in very good condition, although it is covered in the most appallingly bright orange material ever. The nice thing is that the panels are screwed on, so I can remove the screws, replace the material with something that will match my living room, and screw the panels back on. Yippee!!

It's similar to this...but with lighter wood... and orange, did I mention orange??

Oh, and it cost £15. So well pleased with that. It is very comfortable.

Alice bargain, well done.

What will you be changing the colour to..gold, burnt umber, satsuma, coral, salmon, tawny

As my walls are pale grey and my sofa is blue, I think it will likely be a patterned blue of some sort.

I have decided to try and move my lardy arse butt more so after dusting off my wii and balance board, then locating batteries etc I managed to spend 15 minutes doing wii fit. I was thinking that I could add a minute at a time. Also been drinking more water and doing the 5:2 diet. I am sorting out my house and my body! (Disclaimer: I'm now knackered) hope everyone enjoys their Friday! Have a good weekend fly babies.

quick hello
day at work turned out horrendously busy. had annual leave booked for this afternoon to sort bags for cub camp but sadly didn't happen, and didn't get away from work till gone 3, then had to take dd1 to appointment...just back in now.
thankfully dh has mostly sorted dd3 and 4...
Now NEED to eat as haven't eaten since breakfast at 6.30am then dd3 and 4 despatch to cub camp, dd1 to singing lesson...then crash in bed with kindle...
hopefully though weekend will bring a little peace with dd3 and 4 at cub camp...fingers crossed
BBL

alice grey walls, blue sofa and lovely patterned blue chair sounds lovely

Right not done a huge amount today but have just culled a chunk of stuff on the internet shopping list. FINALLY managed to put the order in for the sensory box bits. Quite impressed with the predicted delivery times. Have also sorted out renewing the computer virus protections thing and currently running through virus checks. Have also added 10 balls wool to my stash in order to get various projects done and sorted. I will be glad when all of these projects are finished.

Ds is in not functioning mode and making sure everyone else knows it. bbl after bedtime

oh dear, just got an anguished call from ds1 saying they had put him in a hotel room with his archenemy and one other; he was in tears of frustration - I think he had this idea he would be with certain boys he quite likes We hope it was just tiredness and overexcitement, but I do wish he didn't have a mobile, I think it sometimes exacerbates feelings of homesickness. He has been away loads of times, and never ever rang us before (because he didn't have a mobile) and always come back in great spirits..Now we will be worrying and he is probably fine..or not He said his archenemy was "blanking" him, an easy option if you have headphones... Teachers in charge have been on trips with him before..hope they can break the ice a bit..

Picked up ds2 from school. He was fine, but has already got in his usual post school impatient rage over screens. All calm again now. He is playing with his Formula I cars on the window seat.

Dd has had sportsday today, which she seems to have enjoyed.

SC We had reheated stew for lunch here, with potatoes already in it, and for supper we are having...baked potatoes, tuna salad, and homegrown lettuce..I suppose supper is an example of a deli lunch, and lunch is an example of the VATs of food principle. I think you are suffering from too much delicious fresh food on your doorstep, and there much be so much opportunity for short order chefdom, and all the shopping thereof.

Well, recruitment agent have offered me a job already - not suitable for a couple of reasons but still not a million miles off, so I must be employable!

Not much flying inside today, but I did the recycling, went to the supermarket and cut the grass for the first time after the holiday - there are small enclaves of pygmies who are very grumpy at me!

I may also have purchased some alcohol for the evening as well! So all round!

Hyper crossed post. It is such a relief when they are finally despatched, sorry it was so busy, bet you were much needed at work though. Enjoy a lovely book this evening.

I must make a pile of books for holidays - want to buy the next instalment of Oryx and Crake, and roundup all sorts of books Dh has read, but I haven't.

Ds: ew the bath is disgusting
me: yeah well that will be because you washed all that dirt off you earlier
ds: well that is what is so surprising, i didn't wash.
ffs at least he was submerged in water for an hour and half

So ta da:
ds cleaner
bedding completely parallel to walls, smooth and straight (well as straight as you can get when what you are using as your straight line is not straight)
not kill anyone
1 load washing on
sort out a land registry search for people
deal with person with victim complex
deal with numerous meltdowns
internet stuff - multiple types and sites
shopping trip with dmum and her scary driving but won't accept a lift from anyone
drink some squash concoction made by ds for me

I am looking forward to my wasbi tape arriving, i want to do pretty stuff to my diary with it Atm i want to colour code the pages for the months. Admittedly i need to rotate the colours as have only ordered 4 different ones. But perhaps I might be a tad disproportionaty excited about. I blame meltdown season insanity

Thanks for all the thoughtful words: DH is now going to be picking us up tomorrow, as my MIL is feeling much better and is out of bed. He will pop in on her first thing to make her breakfast, come to us for lunch and be back in time to make her dinner in the evening.

DS1 is hugely relieved, but DS2, my Mum and myself all feel a little sad as we had adjusted to spending the rest of the weekend here. Will just have to make the most of tomorrow morning on the beach.

Am not looking forward to going home to the usual domestic chaos.

Swan - how upsetting to get that phone call from DS1. Why on earth couldn't the school put him with his friends? I hope things improve for him soon. Thanks for saying DS1 did well to remember MIL's issues in the midst of his anxieties.

Who - hope DD's second performance went well.

Bitchy - sorry your DS is struggling with the end of term stress. at the bathtime comments.

SC - I now need reading glasses too. And distance vision glasses . I used to have perfect vision. I'm still too vain to wear them when I go out, but definitely benefit when I put them on at home.

Glad you have sorted out a plan for cooking and are including your DD. DS2 absolutely loves cooking with me and, although it's a bit of a chore because everything takes longer, it usually means he eats more.

Wow, Ellie, those are fantastic results for your DS. Definitely a proud mum moment.

Goth - that's a useful thread, thank you.

Blue - great idea to give your DC sandwiches for teatime if they've had a hot meal for lunch. My DC refused to touch school meals, so I've always had to do a hot meal in the evening. I do sometimes give them a small tea if we've had a roast for lunch though.

Alice - Bargain! You are doing well with redecorating/furnishing your house at the moment.

hyper - hope the weekend brings you some peace. Your day sounds frantic, you poor thing. And you really shouldn't be going a whole day without food .

Fraggle - well done on the Wii fit and Flying. You are doing so well!

Carpe - that's fantastic that you've been offered a job already, even if it isn't what you want. It's a great start.

Tomorrow is Babystep 12: delete Flylady's emails (even better, don't subscribe in the first place).

Saturday is Family Fun Day.

There are no missions at the weekend. Saturday's flight plan is here.

Hope you all have a happy weekend.

Evening all,

Second show was even better than the first, the main characters were played by different children tonight, thoroughly enjoyed it and bar duty was not too onerous either.

Also sports day today. I was feeling a little nervous as DS is very, very keen indeed on it and desperate to win, he has been regaling me with the results of all the practice runs and was determined to win the sprint, which he hasn't achieved since Yr R (now Yr 5), his closest rival being one of his best friends. Well, he did it, and well too, although he told me afterward the friend got a stitch, I have a tiny suspicion the friend might have let him win, he is one of the kindest most laid-back boys I know.

Also school reports. Last year Ds was largely getting Bs for effort and DD getting As, this year they have swapped places. I have suspected DD. of not trying her hardest this year, need to think about motivating her, but it's hard.

Another positive - cooked a chilli from scratch tonight and both DCs ate it (been living off picnic food all week as we've been out so much). Sorry about my self indulgent moan about cooking yesterday, it is a major frustration for me.

SC - so sorry to hear about your roof leaks, I am another with a DH who won't lift a finger to fix up the house until something reaches crisis point.

Swan - grrr to the school putting DS1 with archenemy, hope it all works out. The more I hear about your DS2 the more I think he has in common with my DS, who also spends endless hours playing with formula 1 cars.

Fraggle - wii fit, now there's something I haven't done for a while, must get it out again. I am trying to be more active and not succeeding very well other than walking a lot at the moment.

Alice - bargain chair, those sort are very comfy IMO.

Toffee - I've been wearing glasses for extreme short sightedness since I was 8, contact lenses from 17, it is a drag. I've got one contact lens for close work and one for distance which works well, but even so I am having a little difficulty with very small print, or threading needles, especially in poor light, it's a nuisance. Sorry you are having to come home early.

Carpe - congrats on the job offer.

Bitchy - 10 new balls of wool

Well, tomorrow is DParents Golden wedding party. None of our relatives are coming because all the same generation ones all live a minimum of 200 miles away and are all elderly, the younger ones (my cousins) are also mostly hundreds of miles away and with busy lives and commitments. So, our DCs will be the only children there and it will be scores of elderly friends who I knew to some extent 30+ years ago but who undoubtedly know every detail about me, DH and the DCs as mum is such a chatterbox. Luckily DB and DSIL will be there for company.

Night all.

I am sticking to my rule that i am not touching ds' room until mine is finished. He is cross. Cross because his room is messy. Cross because I have refused to tidy it up and cross because i have told him needs to do it.

Somehow i feel it could be a loooooooooooong day. Ah well.

morning all
bitchy I too have a massive bit of a stationary obsession. Especially for diaries and planners etc. I LOVE getting a new diary and then colour coding pages etc... I normally buy at least 3/4 different diaries/organisers a year and spend ages customising them in the vain hope it will make my life more organised (truth is I just have too much to do and too little time and no diary will ever fix that!) havent changed diary since April actually...I feel some stationary shopping coming on!

whoknows hope garden party goes ok

toffee hope your return home goes ok and you don't feel too disappointed. At least ds1 will be more relaxed.

swan hope you haven't had any more distressed phonecalls from ds. I also think it is better when they don't take phones. They then just have to get on with it and you don't worry endlessly without being able to do anything about it.

carpe job offers sound promising

right, its a lovely sunny day here and currently I have only 3 children here and it is BLISS! dd3 and 4 and ds1 at cub camp (ds is young leader)
ds2 playing happily on his own, dd1 and 2 still in bed. It is PEACEFUL and there is NO arguing will be making the most of this weekend
have a load of washing on and lots more to do
house still quite decent though and I'm not on call, so for once I don't have a day packed full of stuff to fit in I may even get to lie on my new reclining deckchair in the garden.
I do really need to do some sorting out of my bedroom drawers and shelves...may do in some little bursts today if I can be bothered

hope everyone else is having a good start to their weekends.
BBL

Trying to put together a couple cushion covers... washing some fleecy material to use that, and perusing a few other materials I have to decide which I like best. I'm going to stitch a triangles of the same materials onto a blue ribbon and put a nice dressy bunting across the top of the (whitewashed) fireplace. I've never really done the bunting thing in the house, but it looks decidedly "country cottage" in my living room, so I think it will fit in nicely.

There is a lovely warehouse in town that has so many different bolts of material... I am trying to make do with what I have on hand, because if I go into that shop, I won't come out empty handed and will spend loads!!

alice I have shops like that I have banned myself from shops like that atm but do have 1 project that will require a trip. I am actually putting it off as much as I can.

Things here are a bit of nightmare and people are pissing me off. I would like to stomp up the hills or something to exercise ds, ds is determined he does not need exercising. although his behaviour suggests otherwise. He has had a 2hr bath and blocked the bathroom for that length of time. All i wanted was to get washed so I could get dressed. So i am still in pjs, hot, sticky and rather grumpy. And in need of coffee or something.

hyper I love the way you are finding it bliss to have three, and I am finding it bliss (minus the worrying about ds1 of course ) to have only two..and no doubt anyone would two would find it bliss to have just one...

Having said that, I think the twins are finding it hard to adjust to having no-one to quarrel with! Dd has just demanded I take her swimming. We have spent this morning packing her holiday suitcase. Luckily she has filled it with books as well as makeup.

"with two" not "would two"