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!

My bedroom always seems to be the last room done, so it's always the worst.

That's awful, Alice. Let us know what happens - I do hope he's ok.

Still ploughing through clutter here.

ta da 2

More washing on
More washing hung up to dry in sunshine
Clean cooker hob reassembled
whilst sorting through mail
Tidied up notice board and threw away out-of-date stuff
Threw away stuff from kitchen drawer
Cleared kitchen hotspot
Phoned my mum (missing her)
Made late lunches for all of us

Feeling a bit wobbly now, so eating my lunch, then going to start again.

Our bedroom is always the last to be tackled too, but I think I've made a mistake there because it's so messy now that I feel despair everytime I go in. That can't be good, can it? Isn't it meant to be some kind of sanctuary and love nest ?

posted something earlier but it didn't take, so back again a while later

done
wash in
wash hung out
hoovered bedroom
stripped bed
took ds2 for a walk
pasta for lunch
ds1 sent another sad text last night nothing we can do, he has to try and sort it out himself with teachers' help, think days are fun though. Today they are singing in Brussels Cathedral in the afternoon..not quite sure exact time, as he only texts us the bad news late at night

last night I went out with the catchechists for a teetotal meal

It is a beautiful blowy day here, house very grimy though. Feel like I have sorted a few clothes for next week which is a bonus. Trying to reduce my suitcase atm to bare minimum.

Ds2 had another short meltdown this morning, but he is enjoying dh's company atm, and seems calm. Alice I hope the wrist injury protected your friend's dc's head. I have a phobia about children falling out of windows, and I absolutely hate seeing my children leaning out even when they are perfectly secure. Whereas trees don't make feel quite so nervous.

Hi all.
Im new to the thread and kinda new to flylady. Ive known she existed for a while but never actually managed to get started. Im now working full time with a 19 month old and my house is threatening to eat me. Im hoping a flylady routine is the answer. Any tips for a newbie?

WElcome Doodlekitty - top tip from me is to not panic and learn what a timer is for!

You can do a surprising amount if you do it in chunks. For example, I've just done my bedroom in about 1.5 hours (deep clean), by doing it in chunks and remembering to take breaks. My DH was a bit while it was on going, but even he agrees it's much better now.

Toffee not sure about the love nest bit! poor DH!

Doodlekitty Welcome. We're rather loose flylady followers. Goodness, that makes us sound awful, doesn't it?

Toffee Yes, have to admit I laughed a little at the "love nest" thought as well. But I have been making a point to take a minimum of 10 minutes at night and 5 minutes in the morning just tidying up - amazing at the difference it makes. Sometimes it inspires me to do a few extra minutes. Slowly but surely making progress.

I think that for me, the ultimate answer is going to be to get rid of a fair bit of stuff. My bedroom will be better as soon as I can get a smaller bed - I have a king size right now which fills the room so much!! I want a nice double bed. I've recently been considering giving ds2 the desk in ds1's room (which is kind of small) and giving ds1 MY desk which is a little larger. Ds1's room is a bit bigger than ds2's, so it would work well. And would free up some space in my room. I can probably get by without my desk as I've been doing most of my paperwork in the dining room lately anyway. And I'm really debating getting a decent file cabinet, to put all the paperwork in - it's currently filed in boxes, which gets rather cluttered. As we're really not using the dining room for dining much , I've been sorely tempted to set it up more like a nice office, but with the dining room table (rectangular) up against the wall, and using it as a desk. Then it's there for dining if needed (and will have to be kept clear), but still available to use for my paperwork or crafts or whatever. Thoughts? Opinions? Obviously flaws in my plan? Please point them out - happy to listen.

You can get some nice, but more expensive, wood looking filing cabinets that might work for that? I'd love to have a dining room office, but the piano is where I'd put a desk so can't really do that. If I ever get my extension, then our room will become a playroom/spare room/office probably...

Carpe I have a piano in there as well (an older upright). And a full size freezer. It's a busy room. But the table is already there, and I have the open fireplace (that has been closed and plastered off at my request), so I could feasibly put 2 small nice looking file cabinets in there (the taller ones wouldn't fit, but the shorter ones would). I don't mind spending a little extra if it looks nice and is sturdy. Thanks for the suggestion - I'll do a little browsing tonight online.

Yeah, mine was a double bedroom which we sort of converted, it's also got the washing stand in there for when it rains.

Im in the process of emptying my bathroom as we are starting a refit tomorrow. Who on earth needs 4 half full bottles of soap and glory shower gel? Massive throwing out session!

afternoon all
alice how awful for your friend and her dc and family. Hope he makes a speedy recovery.
swan poor ds1. you're right though nothing you can do. like you say hopefully at least he's enjoying the days
toffee good to hear your feeling brighter today
carpe I've also been tackling my bedroom today
doodle welcome

so having planned not to do much today I ended up sort of blitzing my bedroom have tidied out all drawers and my wardrobe, and shelves. 2 bags to go to charity shop and 2 large bin bags of rubbish!
Then sorted my payslips into order a re-filed and sorted various paperwork on shelves in utility. Also sorted out birthday card box and present bag. Feeling much more organised now!
would really like a new duvet cover though...may do some browsing later...

have a lot of washing to do (still!) but will carry on with that tomorrow as have a whole day off work with no dc (well till 3) and no appointments.

whoever mentioned about heated airer (sorry brain fried cant recall who it was) I am also lusting over one of those. Its not so bad in summer in but in winter we end up with clothes drying all over

right..dinner ready.bbl

ok...continued!
DD3 and 4 returned from cub camp, totally shattered and even more grumpy than usual. sibling arguments back in full force!
need to get them to bed asap for lots of sleep as dd4 has school trip tomorrow...

so, proper ta da list:
dd1 despatched to audition with dh
took dd2 ice skating
purchased new ice skated for dd2
returned home
sorted bedroom drawers and shelves
blitzed wardrobe
organized pay slips
sorted various paperwork
sorted utility shelves
put away clean towels
vacuumed upstairs
dusted bedroom
vaccumed downstairs
steam mopped downstairs

to do today
send dd4 to shower
get littlies to bed on time
unpack cub camp bags
put load of washing on
do some research into self assessment tax

to do tomorrow:
more paperwork filing
laundry - lots
wash dd1 and 2 bedding (didn't happen today!)
renew driving licence
call into gym and sign forms for ds1

right. bbtomorrow

Trazzle - good to see you back. Your DH made me laugh. A bit like when my DH came up with the brilliant plan to wash up as he went along - I think he thought he'd invented it. How is Joe?

Doodle - welcome to the thread. Have just polished off a glass of wine, so I'm not thinking too straight, but top tip for a newbie is to - er, stay on this thread. Oh, and go shine your sink. (It's the psychological boost it gives you that's important).

Swan - I'm really sorry you're still getting sad messages from your DS but, as you say, it's probably only the evenings which are tricky for him and it sounds as if the days are fine.

hyperhops - glad you managed to tackle your bedroom too (see below) .

I decided to ignore the rest of the house and concentrate on our bedroom this afternoon, as it's the room I always leave till last which means I never get to it. So I have more ta das.

ta da 3

More washing hung out on line to dry
More washing brought in
Towels in tumble dryer to fluff up
Cleaned DS2's shoes (covered in mud from the beach) and put outside to dry
Hung sofa throw on line to air
Asked Ds2 to put his Lego away (he didn't)
Decluttered piles of clothes in bedroom and put away into laundry bin or wardrobe or box to give away
Decluttered bedroom floor (threw everything into black bin bag)
Found enough loose change to pay for a bottle of wine
Discovered damp on one of the walls and behind the plug (I think this must be why our electrical things sometimes flicker)
Put papers in boxes
Hoovered floor
Hoovered mattress and pillows
Took antihistamine tablet to stop sneezing at all the dust
Hoovered walls, ceiling and shelves (getting a bit crazy there)
Hoovered behind bedhead
Mopped floor with nice almond-smelling Method floor cleaner
Remade bed with clean sheets that have been airing on the line outside
Delegated DH to make dinner for the boys
Drank offered by DH
Discussed DIY and repairs with DH and actually made plans to tackle them
Discussed next week's events with DH and made plans

About to bring in the last lot of stuff from the line, then I'm stopping for the day. Am going to watch an episode of 'Sopranos' with DH whilst eating dinner, then start work on my OU essay. Deadline on Wednesday .

Tomorrow's links:

Babystep Number 14: how to use a calendar.

Monday is the weekly home blessing hour or bleugh as it's known here, in deference to Flylady's sick-making descriptions.

We are moving into Zone 3: the bathroom and one extra room. Monday's mission is to wipe down the base of your loo.

Monday's flight plan is here.

The weekly pampering mission is a bit crap, if you ask me: lie down and listen to music. Surely there must be more involved (like a large glass of wine...?).

Evening.

I will get back into posting personalsI promise but for today:
Ta da
Dd to swimming lessons
Food shopping
Met friend for coffee and a walk
Dw cleaning cycle run
2 loads of washing washed and dried
Living room dusted
dc room rr by dp
Downstairs hoovered

Friend's dc is going home tomorrow from hospital, thankfully. He has a fractured cheek, fracture skull, lots of scratches and bruises, and thankfully his leg isn't broken. Ct scan showed no bleeds. What a relief!

Just caught up on todays posts. How awful for your friend Alice I really hope there are no bleeds and her dc makes a full recovery asap.

Cross post Alice - fantastic news

Oh, that's fantastic news, Alice! I'm so relieved.

Glad the child is ok alice

hyperhops "purchased new ice skated for dd2" what did she get?

saturday got worse. ds was coping with change so badly that the only way to deal with it was to throw a complete change into the mix. So we ended up with a night away. ds is still not great but calmer than he was. It won't last I reckon we will be back to square 1 by tomo evening but can't do much else. Needles to say did fuck all flying over the weekend.

Alice such good news re your friend's DS.
Found out today that DH 's jury service starts tomorrow!

That's a relief Alice, what a horrendous thing to happen, poor little boy.

Goth - hope DH's jury service isn't too traumatic or long. I've done it twice and it's been really interesting, but getting a long or difficult case is a worry.

Bitchy - glad the night away helped DS, this can be a very unsettling time of year.

Toffee - sympathy re the state of the house, our busy week has certainly taken it's toll on ours, I've got an ironing pile about 3' high and have just chucked 4 Ikea bags full of clean laundry into the spare room to sort tomorrow.

Carpe - we're in the process of buying office furniture, we've got a crappy computer bureau thing which is falling apart, a filing cabinet is definitely on the shopping list.

Welcome to Doodlekitty.

Alice so pleased there's good news.

Toffee thanks - where to start? He's 6 months post-treatment now (well, 7.5!). Just had 6 month scan results and still No Evidence of Disease. He's recovering slowly. Still needs a wheelchair when we are out and about. Starting school in September - they've secured additional funding for him which is good. I'm just convinced now that DD has it. Either that or I need serious psychiatric help.

To do:
Receive and put away grocery delivery.
Make cheesecake with DS(!)
Several loads of laundry reboot.
Clear a space to sit on the sofa.

Hello (I'm on the road - long story) but posting via dh's laptop so will be brief. Just popped in to say to Swan that I will be back in Bxls late tomorrow night if there is anything I can do for your ds (I know it's unlikely but deliver message/cake??). Trazzles that is wonderful news about J xxx Big feathery waves to everyone else!

A warm welcome to Doodlekitty and welcome bk home to Toffee!

Trazzle - I'm so happy to hear about Joe . But I'm not surprised that it has left you with heightened anxiety. You went through an unbelievably traumatic experience, after all. Can you seek reassurance from your GP about DD, who will surely understand, but also some counselling for yourself?

SC - hope journey goes ok. How lovely of you to offer to visit Swan's DS. I know I would be comforted to think there was a fledgling nearby.

WhoKnows - sorry to hear about all your laundry. I found an ad in my kitchen drawer for a local company who clean and do your ironing for you . Maybe one day...

Goth - oh dear, that's a bit sudden! Hope it goes ok.

Bitchy - sorry your DS was struggling at the weekend. I hope he manages to cope with all the changes during the last week of term.

Lots of 'to dos' today and, somehow, have to finish this bloody essay. I should have spent all yesterday doing it, but chose the house instead. It is lovely waking up in a tidy bedroom, though.

DS2 is in bed beside me, telling me he has X-ray vision (a common complaint of his, but, sadly, the optician could find no evidence of this superpower). We are going to be reading about pirates today .