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!

Toffee best of luck at CAMHS.

Yes, hope the meeting goes well Toffee.

Despite the overwhelming heat and humidity yesterday I did get a lot of tidying done. Today's to do list includes sorting out a disgusting mess in the understairs cupboard where one of the cats has missed the litter tray and wee'd on the carpet, it's gone through to the underlay and wood beneath so I've got it half up. Smelly . I did try scrubbing it yesterday then stuck the dehumidifier on last night but it is still very whiffy, think I need to go back in with the neutraliser stuff. And buy a deeper litter tray so she can't sit in it with her bum hanging over the side.

Ta da
figure out pattern for completing part 2 of project that is now over due
write out instructions for cookies
order school photos
Sort out teacher's presents
Parcel up parcel
1st load of washing on
get ds to try on shorts
find camera and deleted junk

Left To do tomo
Packing for weekend
Make 3rd part of project
Mountain of laundry
try to get tyre on car fix asap
training for work
take parcel to post office to get rid
banking
pick up a book to read whilst on holiday
find big bag for packing
find small bag for kit
sort out my kit for week
find camera and make sure have space for more photos on it
hoover car - again
sort out cool box for car
make 48hrs out of 24hrs
Make sure have inhalers collected from school for ds and check best before dates
panic (yep very important this does require scheduling)

Next on the to do list:
breakfast, post office, garage to speak to mechanic

Good luck with CAMHS toffee

Good luck Toffee - you have all of us behind you, so kick their collective arses (I can kick quit hard if required...!)

I'm red. Lobster red. Despite factor 50 sun cream. I think that putting on the gradual self tan cream first has buggered the protection, so I'm a bit as I look like

So, off to the shops today to see if I can get a longer sleeved, boat necked t-shirt...

More washing today, and sorting the guest room ready for DBIL visiting. Quite excited about it as I could do with a hand with DS who doesn't seem to like me much at the moment I suspect he's just grouchy that DH is back at work, and taking it out on a "safe" person, but it's still dispiriting. However, I arranged with DBIL that he'll actually arrive a day before DS thinks he will to surprise him. And it then gives us a whole weekend rather than just a Sunday, so it's all good.

Right, off to supermarket!

Good luck toffee

morning all
toffee Good Luck with CAMHS. it is all so wearing isn't it. Hope you get somewhere.

sorry - haven't really caught up with rest of thread - will try later. Just sneaking on for now as have had a cancellation at work.

Well, today has gone marginally better than the rest of the week so far! I have realised that I need to get up EARLIER than usual in holidays NOT later ...as in fact there is MORE to do before work than usual. This may be the fundamental error I had been making up until now! Clealry the amount of mess created by 6 dc in the house full time far outweighs any assistance to housework Dh may be able to give so the net result is the house in a generally WORSE state.
This morning was better as I did get up early and got a lot done before work.
Slightly that cleaner appears to have done a rubbish job yesterday - even allowing for the fact dc were in the house. Many jobs not done (eg cleaning bathroom mirrors) that should and could have been done and she left over an hour early I will be having stern words next week.

ok, so will be posting more lists to keep me on track!
Today's ta da so far:
got up and drank coffee
hoovered downstairs
hung out load of washing a refilled wm
cleaned downstairs bathroom (did cleaner even go in there yesterday??)
cleaned insides downstairs windows
dusted table and shelf in hall(cleaner decided not to???)
hung out second load of washing
wiped down windowsills in kitchen (cleaner clearly decided not to do this either? - spot a theme?)
dusted banisters and skirting up the stairs
drank more coffee
stripped our bed once dh got up and put on to wash (wonders if anyone will hang out whilst I'm at work?)

To Do after work
hang out bedding (Bet its still in washing machine all crumpled)
put load of our washing on
Tidy littlies room
dust littlies room
tidy and clean upstairs bathroom (scary sight when I stuck my head in briefly this morning but ran out of time to tackle)
hoover littlies room and dds room
walk dogs if it ever gets cool enough for them to go more than to the end of the drive without panting
attend to some pampering needs such as plucking eyebrows and redoing nail varnish on toes!
early night with kindle to finish book

tomorrow need to finish shopping for few bits for dd3s bday (Sunday) plus pack dc for Ireland next week.....

it's probably not good though that Im shattered already and it's only 11.00....off to make more coffee!

X-post, hyper. Good plan to get up earlier in the holidays. Sorry about your cleaner not doing a good job - and leaving early too. Really unfair.

ta da

ironing (about to start)
tidying up (about to start on kitchen)
hang up washing (done)
polish door knobs (done)
make up guest bed (waiting for dry sheets)

But have swept outside kitchen door and on terrace (lots of woodlice, worms and spiders ) and tidied up garden. Also watered the garden earlier to keep the new plants flowering. And put the recycling out.

DH is going to B&Q to buy new garden chairs in a minutes, as ours are all broken.

Glad the meeting went well Toffee :)

We've had a good morning - cycled into town with DS1 riding himself [proud] and DS2 on the back of my bike. Signed up for the summer reading scheme, borrowed audio books for car journeys, had a civilised café stop, got DS1 new sunglasses and managed to get everything home again on the bikes.

Better quit while we're ahead and have a quiet afternoon. [hollow laugh]

Ought to do some decluttering instead of MNing I s'pose...

Glad the meeting went well. Had a few things removed from the to do list so although it still leaves a long list, I am feeling much better about everything as it was the big thing that I was panicking about.

Ta da
figure out pattern for completing part 2 of project that is now over due
write out instructions for cookies
order school photos
Sort out teacher's presents
Parcel up parcel
1st load of washing on
get ds to try on shorts
find camera and deleted junk
Car is at garage
training for work
take parcel to post office to get rid
banking
pick up a book to read whilst on holiday

Left To do tomo
Packing for weekend
Make 3rd part of project now sorting for after the holiday
Mountain of laundry
find big bag for packing
find small bag for kit
sort out my kit for week
hoover car - again on hold as no car to hoover
sort out cool box for car
Make sure have inhalers collected from school for ds and check best before dates

Next on the to do list:
School run, hair cut for ds, ds to try on the trainers that were too big but might now fit
but first a sit down and be. Been rushing about all day and am wiped already.

ta da

tidied kitchen
washed up
put shopping away
one hour's ironing

Very grateful for the rain falling outside now, as I was sweltering in the heat from the iron and outdoor temperature combined.

Having a [tea] then need to put the ironed stuff away. This is the bit I always fail to do. I seem to have a mental block against it.

Toffee - yes, I've used it on sick stains before, it does work, we're off on holiday tomorrow and cats are going to a cattery so planning to drench the whole area in bicarb before we go. Glad the meeting went well.

Been mostly packing today and getting the house straight, still got a bit to do. We had a thunderstorm this afternoon which was lovely and cooling, but it's gone muggy again now. See you all in August.

It's been a really nice day, but now it's all hot and sticky and I want to crash, but there's loud music and yelling outdoors and too hot to close the windows. Grr.

Did a little tidying and dusting this afternoon, and DS1 wanted to help! So I suggested he tidy their room - and he did!!

Have a lovely holiday, WhoKnows.

Have a nice holiday WhoKnows

Just tired and relaxing here now. Lots of little things done today, even though I didn't think I would. Hurrah!

Hope you have a lovely holiday, Who.

Well done on Flying to MiniBlue.

Alice - well done on achieving lots of things today.

Bitchy - hope you have managed to complete your long list.

Tomorrow is Babystep Number 26: you are never behind.

Saturday is Family Fun Day.

Flylady suggests you stay in bed a little longer tomorrow morning to enjoy your freshly made bed (assuming you did today's mission).

Saturday's flight plan is here.

Have had a lovely evening, drinking wine and eating dinner in the garden (and sitting on our new garden chairs). Off to bed now. Night all.

Ds had a huge meltdown. I ended up going out for some head space when he went to bed. To do list is not done and my parents are officially fabulous. Babysitting tonight and they will be taking him out tomo so I can finish packing for our trip. Ds is calmer but sleepwalking so predicting a broken night's sleep although judging by the time Not much of a night's worth of sleep.

just need to cook some sausages for ds' breakfast tomo and then bed and sleep. night night

Oh, Bitchy - I'm sorry. It's so hard. I'm glad your parents are being supportive.

I'm feeling a bit rough this morning: nothing to do with drinking copious amounts of wine with DH and DFriend whilst sitting in our newly prettified garden on our new garden chairs all evening, putting the world to rights.

DH and DFriend are both going off to separate engagements today, leaving me with the boys - normally, we all go out together, but it worked out this way. Will try to do something nice with DS2 - I think he wants to do more art.

Am eating cake for breakfast. It was there and my will power deserted me.

Hope you all have a good day. And that you get off on your holiday ok, Bitchy.

Your evening sounds lovely toffee

Ta da
small kit bag found
kit made up
start laying out everything for packing
pack activities
sort ds so he is ready to go
play hunt the washing
2nd load of washing on

I think i might just break the no caffine thing. No chance for a nap today but would love one. We need a dedicated packing service to come around and pack for everyone. Clearly there would be a market for it!

Bitchy so sorry it's been a struggle lately. Is your ds getting anxious about the trip? Ds1 was all over the place right before our holiday due to anxiety, even though he was excited. Glad your parents are supportive.

I've got my grandson overnight tonight, so dd and her partner can go out tonight. My boys are thrilled as they have decided it's a "sleepover." So we bought some snacks and they are planning to have loads of fun and stay up late. Hmmmm.... me? I'm planning on one glass of and a good book... after they crash out about 9pm.....

Tbh it is any/all/combination of: new teacher/potentially new class (they have struggled to find class groupings in the year that work so it has changed every year - except this one in the end)/less academic more fun/sports day/heat/up coming trip/generally change between term and hol routines/growth spurts/ start of puberty/sleep med break/new clothes because old don't fit/low level issues with peeers/ him not meeting his expectations of himself wrt what he should be able to do/bored of reading material/frustration over new obessions that aren't being indulged/knowing he is back at camhs/the fact that summer = more time with dad but less with mum/diasspointed because he has not coped/ etc...

Poor kid has so much going on in his head that it is just too much this time of the year. I was expecting it to be bad last night. It is every year. But it was the worst he has been in a year and half. This morning he is calm and back to normal. Some times they really do need just to release the pressure of emotion. I certainly wouldn't want to be in his head.

Done more stuff but sewing maching is throwing a hissy fit which is a bit of a problem :(

afternoon all
bitchy it can be a difficult time of year for dc can't it. hope things go ok for you today. re sewing machines I can offer no help - my approach when mine wont co-operate is to swaer at it. switch it off and go make a coffee - in the vague hope when I try again it will work!
alice your evening/night sound like fun! (sleepovers send me into outright panic these days!)
toffee sorry your feeling rough, but an evening in a pretty garden sipping wine and chatting sounds sublime!

right well, for reasons known only to him ds2 decided to get up at 6.30 am this morning. of course every other morning this week when I have had to get up for work he has slept till I have been leaving for work at 8.45
anyway , at least meant I got up and got on with stuff,so:

ta da:
washing hung out new load in
hoovered downstairs
tidied lounge
steam mopped floors(it is definitely too hot to be doing this!)
on line banking
second wash hung out
towels in wash
tidied garden
been to bank
been shopping for last bits for dd baday
pet shop for dog food

to do
hang out towels
littlies washing in
put away masses of clothes in littlies room
wash bedroom lightshade
food shopping
wrap dds presents
put two large piles of books in loft
write and post a cheque
order more handles for drawers

hope all are having nice Saturdays

Ta da

Dentist (phobic so big deal to me)
Washed ds2 bed (chronic bedwetter!)
Paid work
Decluttered 1/4 of sitting room sideboard
Took dc to the park
Wash hair twice

To do

Other 3/4 decluttering of sideboard
Have lunch
Catch up on home and away
Tidy kitchen
Charity stuff into car