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!

Well, work is a joyous event, not so I've joined Toffee's DS and had a chocolate lunch

Still, managed to nip to Primark for new lightweight PJ's after the washing machine chewed my only light pair (not much call for lightweight in the north of Scotland!) and I'm now the Cookie Monster If they don't fit, I'll be gutted!

Now avoiding work...

Alice not at work here apart from housework, re lime scale Ecover do a nice toilet cleaner that seems to work and smells nice. May be vinegar based disclaimer not to sure on contents
Hope your friends DS is better soon, at least they found it and he's in the right place to get it sorted.

Re DH's jury service, he said he'd told me and he probably had but I never remember unless it's written on the calandar and sometimes even when it is It's quite nice having him out of the house, us both working from home means we're together more than is good for us.

Trazzle you are bound to worry about DD, it's natural to, I can't imagine your doctor is will be upset about you taking her back to be checked.
DF had prostate cancer the other year and even though his consultant reassures him that he's fine he worries that he has bowel cancer. He has been checked, he's clear and they are keeping an eye on it. DH is obsessive about meningitis as it nearly killed him as a child. You're not being irrational.

for all those with "faddy" DCs, DD is almost living on sausage rolls and strawberries atm, it's getting her to drink. Luckily she like ice pops.

Done
Morning routine
Bathroom inc mission
Dusted!
Lunch
Washing up
Vacuumed
Mopped kitchen & bathroom floor.

To do
Take DD to library
Ironing (lots)

Goth oooh I'll have to try the Ecover and see how it works. I'm worried that nothing short of sandblasting will remove this stuff.

Carpe the washing machine ate your pyjamas??

Bitchy yep, I'd have to agree that Camhs are useless. Ds1 loves reading factual stuff, but sadly he doesn't have the cognitive skills to put together all the consequences of refusal on much of the things he struggles with. It would only send his meltdown into orbital proportions. Ds2, for the most part, deals much better when presented with the possible consequences and tends to consider them when making choices. (thank goodness!)

Kids are funny. (in an odd little way, eh? )

Kids are a fucking nightmare and why anyone would want one is beyond me!

Seriously, i am seriously considering getting rid of my parental responsibilities. I am fed up being called a bitch and accused of abuse by an entitled 9yo who dislikes the word no and has an issue with discipline and authority. No being refused food straight away when you get in is neither abuse nor starving you, And if you stopped screaming bitch at me because i said no ice cream then perhaps you wouldn't have ended up being sent to your room in the first place. It is not abuse to have your technology access taken away either.

My prediction of back to hell by tonight is bang on

Yup Alice - they got caught in the door and swirled round and it sort of chewed the seams... my own fault...

Bitchy wait till your angry dd rings you up and asks you why you haven't picked up the bikini she forgot to buy the bottom half of in Primark yesterday.... alas, they are not very tactful creatures when crossed.. And yesterday it was the Dolmio sauce that set her off - Dh bought Morrisons finest Arrabiata, and she wanted Dolmio!

Alice your Ecover is very soothing...

SC we haven't heard anything yesterday so fingers crossed he has now forgotten about us and is enjoying himself in a theme park. He was staying in a hotel somewhere midway between Brussels Bruges and the trenches, if such a thing is possible,. Very kind of you to offer moral support.

Bitchy - is that my son you've got there?

Bloody emotionally exhausting isn't Toffee. Ds has currently taken to banging on the wall and declaring he is bored. Despite 3 bookcases of books, lego, hexbugs and a room that requires tidying being at his disposal. i have told him that I require a proper written appology and to calm down before i will consider allowing him out of his room

Yes, Bitchy, it is. I hate it. I'm sorry your DS is being so difficult. He's not bored at all - he's just trying to get your attention. Is it the change at school (end of term stuff) that's triggering it, do you think? DS1 used to explode after primary school sometimes - it was terrible to witness. Then the teacher would come out and say, "He's been fine all day" and give me a look as if to say, "It must be you."

(It must be wine o'clock by now)

(Which reminds me, I did actually spot a bottle of white wine in the fridge earlier and it crossed my mind to have a swig.... A slippery slope!).

Sounds like you might need it. I am definitely having a glass tonight.

My four year old just clapped his hands at me and said "um, hello? I need my cheese please?" At least he said please. humph.

Toffee so glad it's wound down a bit and he gave in. Here's hoping the rest of your evening is a bit more relaxed.

Ladies you deserve medals and lots of wine (eternally grateful thatvat DS's age, his biggest insult is "No!")

Ta da
2 loads of washing
laid out a lot of stuff for packing
trip to shopping centre and hairdresser for ds (maybe I'll have time to do mine tomorrow?)
Dinner
washing up
put bin bags by back door ready for tomorrow
returned online clothes order
charged phone, camera and kindle

just about to hoover out dh car before I put ds to bed

Oh totally end of term and associated change of routine and new class/teacher anxiety. It is also a blood sugar issue as the toad is controlling his food intake. Which was why i had to ban ice cream etc And he is not good at regulating his body temperature but resists any intervention on anything. Fleece sleep suits at 25C?

Bitchy Yes, end of school term, just like Christmas, is so chaotic. Teacher warned me today that they were "off schedule" all week. And Ds1 is like that with the body temp. He'll be laying in bed, hot and sweaty (even though the ceiling fan is on) because he's got a blanket pulled up to his neck and long sleeve pyjamas on. I'm constantly telling him "you're a boy. you can run around with just a pair of shorts on. Enjoy it."

Toffee - yes it's definitely wine o clock. Waiting for train home & a large glass. Oh ~ & then I'll scrub the base of my loo

Wine o'clock? Yeah, I'd love one - but will have to make do with virtual as I've already been "bad" this past week so trying to get back to normal.

Crappy day, and DS has injured DH so one is upset and one is grumpy - place your bets on which one is which.

Never mind, lasagna for dinner!

So pleased it's not just mine who cooks herself at night. I've removed her quilt, so she be just under the cover but she has insisted wrapping up in a fleece blanket and the blanket I crotcheted. I unwrap her every night once she goes to sleep. It's like a little sauna especially as she has the curtains closed in her bed tent.

DH has a case, so it looks like he'll be in court to Wednesday at least. Obviously he can't talk about it, but he said it was interesting.

Done
Library
Litter tray AGAIN!
Dinner
Washing up& SS
Laundry on for tomorrow

To do
Ironing (still) may need wine

Sorry, no time for a round up tonight, but here are the linkies:

Babystep No 15: add making your bed to your morning routine.

Tuesday is the day to plan your week.

Tuesday's mission is here: clean your bathroom bin.

The flight plan is here.

And thank you for cheering me up today, lovely fledglings.

Goth - yes, ds1 does that. And then invariably he starts coughing as he's too warm and the asthma stuff kicks in. sigh.

Ta da
Bathroom cleaned
Laundry put away
2 washloads
Microwave decluttered
Rr living room and kitchen
Downstairs hoovered
Ww food shop done - it is most definitely time to shift some weight

Sorry to be rude will probably just be list dumping this week, but I guess it will help me get back into the habit of flying and posting.

done
dd in good mood after school, and didn't mention the bikini again
nice uneventful evening eating M & S food (calamari) free Rose and watching Mr Selfridge (3 whole episodes) after picking up ds2
from school at 5pm
Ds2 went to Thorpe Park and enjoyed it, but tired now so he enjoyed Mr Selfridge too (a blessed relief after all that football)
watered and fed plants
wiped down kitchen
dw
fed cats
downloaded a book for holidays onto my Kindle(getting ahead)
put ds2 to bed

Toffee hurrah. You coped brilliantly.

Evening all,

Just decided on the spur of themoment to make redcurrant jelly with my harvest from the allotment. It seems to be taking a very long time to strain so I'm going to have to leave it overnight, I've only ever made jam before, not jelly.

Toffee - sorry to hear you having such a tough time with DS1 today, but glad he was able to get past his worries and do his hair and nails.

Bitchy - sympathy for you too, I know this time of year and Christmas are very hard for your DS.

Alice - you too, if you have problems with out of routine stuff at this time of year.

It's no wonder so many people with children with SNs also need help with running their households.

Carpe - hope sad and grumpy ones will be less so in the morning.

Goth - it was very weird not being able to talk to anyone about the cases when I did jury service, you can end up feeling as though you are in a little parallel universe for the duration as it takes over your life and yet you can't talk about it.

Not much Flying done today (I know, I seem to say this every day lately).

Tada!

Morning routine, school etc
Work
Sainsburys at lunchtime
Meeting with SENCO at school
Home
Into town for haircuts for DCs - habitual lecture for DD about not brushing her hair properly the effects of which will last about a week and we'll be back to dreadlock central.
DD's friend round for an hour
Tea
DS to swimming, took DD as well, we all went on our bikes, DD did a spectacularly bad/dangerous bit of cycling which has made me realise that I'm probably being over optimistic with regard to her road sense, going to peg it back a bit (incident was turning right at a roundabout for the first time).

Home and DCs to bed
Making redcurrant jelly

Okay, lots to do today. Just dropped ds at nursery. I have 8 hours to.....

Pack
Pick up last bits from supermarket
Do last bits of ironing
Tidy up house and garden to a reasonable state

If time, get my hair cut!

I need to get off mn...bbl!

Where are you going to for your holiday Engels ?
Ta da this morning:
2 washloads done and hung out
Dc up and ready
Beds made
Dw on
Toilet bleached
Kitchen tidied
Lunches made
Dd lunches ordered for first 2 weeks back at school

Just need to get myself ready, put the bins out and get off to school.

Bbl

DS2 woke us up at 5.45am this morning, then argued that it was 8 o'clock. He was sent straight back to bed as we are fed up with him waking us up at dawn, but then I couldn't get back to sleep so have been working on the OU essay downstairs. Determined to finish it today (deadline in a couple of days, but want to get it out of the way as I'm fed up with it hanging over me).

I put out some new aroma sticks last night before I went to bed and came downstairs this morning to rooms which stank of something like loo cleaner. So have binned it and opened the back door to get rid of the smell!

Engels - best of luck with packing.
Mercury - a very impressive start to your day.