August fledglings fly over here - chatting and Flying will help us persevere!

[ToffeeWhirl]

Here we go again - another month for us to tackle our clutter and get on top of our housework!

If you’re struggling with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun), 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).

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 A question please. Stbx claims he has been taken off Citalopram as doctor told him it's no longer being prescribed due to it causing heart problems in people. Please don't be alarmed, I suspect he's making it up. But have you heard anything about this?? So confused.

I've found an article that says the max dosage has been lowered, but not that it's no longer being prescribed. Odd.

www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9367001/Safety-warning-over-Britains-most-common-antidepressant.html

Plod welcome! definitely baby steps. Doesn't do any good to overdo it and burn out.

Forgot how much you guys like to chat on here

Hi plod, I only started on Saturday so today is my day 3 (should probably say restarted as I have been here before many times , but positive thinking it is going to work this time!)

Really sorry to hear about your dd soot, must've been really scary

Mercury - I did get up after 10 minutes, plodded round the kitchen a bit then realised I was supposed to be getting dressed to shoes as soon as I got up and wasn't ready to, so got back in bed until I really had to get up and get dressed or I would be late for work - not sure that was quite how if was supposed to go . However, I did look slightly more put together than I do normally.

Anyway, my sink is shined, I dressed to shoes this morning and have had a browse on the Flylady website (trying to resist the temptation to sign up for the e-mails this time as I then end up spending more time trying to read through them all than actually doing the stuff that needs to be done)

Hi all,

Sorry but I think I'm going to be a rather bad fledgling (at least consistency and chat wise). We had a very busy weekend - I worked the mornings and then we had sofas and complete room reorganisations to deal with. Unfortunately DH accidentally knocked a lamp post when driving the rental van so we now have that to deal with. I've been in from work for 30mins and really need to get myself going before heading to bed so thought it best I get on here and make my list.

To do
Washing up
Clear kitchen sides
Quick picking up of rubbish/clutter in living room
Wipe down dining table
Check nappy bucket and put nappies on if need be
Go through the T&C of van rental (to see whether they can charge us the full excess without even getting it repaired or whether we're only liable for actual repair costs incurred).

I'll also add eat chocolate cake (there's not a lot left so debatable whether I should finish it off or not...) and drink some pepsi to that list, at least they're enjoyable.

Tonight is not going to be a fun night.

I am trying to get to grips with google calendar.

Ok 30mins and everything except reading the T&C done. I even had a go at squirting bathroom cleaner round the shower and sink, leaving for 5mins and then rinsing it off (tip from another MNer) though I'm not convinced it's a particularly effective way of cleaning the bathroom - perhaps I need to try a different cleaner?

Anyway T&C time...

Okay. So I am going to try to list what I did today, there were highs (the two dds holding handing in the buggy and car seat, and watching dd1 tell Dd2 how to eat an apple and Dd2 doing as she was told) and there were lows (no coffee until midday, I lost my temper in toyshop the two may or may not have been related).

Got up
Got dressed.
Got dds dressed.
Made coffee.
Failed to get Dd2 car seat into car.
walked to toy shop
Left coffee behind in kitchen
Toy shop was hell.
Walked home no poorer.
Made coffee.
Dd1 caused face to start bleeding again - gp consulted.
Coffee cold.
made lunch
Got dc down for naps
Cleared up floor
Walked to shop to buy dinner
Hung out washing
Put dry washing away
Cooked dinner, washed up, put away
DC in bed.
Hour of writing emails and the damn tribunal paperwork
in bed at 10 pm *

Blimey Soot, I've just been reading through the thread and you certainly have a lot on your plate! Your day sounds like it has many successes to me, but then I do count the normal things as "success" as well and think of outings to shops as entertainment opportunities for DD and therefore productive.

Hi plod welcome, I'm new here too though I'm a bit of a sporadic poster (even catching up on this thread feels a bit hard sometimes). Your approach sounds very sensible to me.

Hello also saturn, it's good to see another new poster - especially one that's been here before. I have a feeling I might be like that.

T&C read and [hopefully] deciphered correctly. We're only required to pay the value of repair costs (up to the agreed excess). Now to ponder the best way of handling the situation - they've stated they want the excess paid in full asap, but if the repair costs are less they're not actually owed the excess. We could ask them to get a few quotes but then we're liable for any loss of earnings incurred so this could up our expenses anyway. Hmm. Don't mind me, just thinking out loud - it helps me work things out.

Not ready for bed yet so guess shall probably spend the next 30mins or so reading articles and doing emails.

Alice - thanks for that link for Citalopram. I didn't know anything about that concern. Funnily enough, I had a telephone appointment with my doctor to review it last week and he was happy to keep prescribing it, but I notice he encouraged me to start halving it. I'm on the lowest dose possible anyway.

Sorry for lack of personals, but I really want to get to bed at a decent time tonight. DS2 settled earlier, but I'm still working on DS1. He took his melatonin about an hour ago, so fingers crossed.

Am keeping my Flylady routines print out in the kitchen to keep me focused for tomorrow. Still haven't tackled the ever-growing pile of laundry. Found more in the tumble dryer. Have started dreaming of having an ironing lady or one of those companies that collects your clean washing and then returns it a day later, freshly ironed.

Anyway, here are tomorrow's links:

Babystep Number 12: delete your Flylady emails. Hopefully, you won't have any to delete because you haven't subscribed.

Tuesday is planning day. Take a moment to plan your week. When you have finished - take some time to play. That means see a film, go to the gym or take a long bath. (Hmm. Nice idea. I like the fact that she reminds us to take care of ourselves but, let's face it, this is not always possible).

We are in Zone 3: the bathroom and one extra room. Tomorrow's mission is to wipe the dirty marks off the bathroom door, light switches and door knobs. Then get the lint out of your dryer with a brush or hoover.

The flight plan is here.

Night all.

Ta-da!

Got up and intended to get dressed to shoes but stood in the kitchen FBing a friend on my phone for half an hour instead .
Took DS for his riding session at Riding for the Disabled and got lost en route therefore late [blush again]. All went really well though and they were clearly used to people getting lost, it is in the middle of nowhere.
Swished and swiped
Reorganised floor of understairs cupboard (everything was taken out before we went on holiday due to cat missing the litter tray and peeing on the floor). Installed large rubber backed door mat under new deeper trays.
Hung washing on line
Went to Sainsburys
Inevitable torrential downpour
Put another load of washing on line anyway
Stewed rhubarb from the allotment and prepped ingredients for onion chutney
Helped DD and friend organise a play they were putting on this afternoon
Swept kitchen floor
Made chutney
Watched play
Took DCs to their swimming lesson
Dinner cooked by DH
Put away all the clean holiday washing (mine and the DCs, left DH's for him)
Tidied away more holiday bits
Emails re tribunal
online research for campsite for early Sept weekend away
Ordered cordless strimmer for allotment
Played Top Trumps with DCs
Also spent half an hour or so on my work laptop clearing emails ready for return to work tomorrow. They are organising the Christmas meal already!

DCs are off to my parents for a couple of days tomorrow while I work, then sports camp on Thurs, first lot of visitors are due Thurs eve to
Sat. Must remember to get some curtains put up in the spare room (I moved them to the DCs room as they were fed up of nursery character curtains, so need to pop up the nursery ones in the spare room till I can make some replacements - windows are both the same non standard size so almost impossible to buy any). Might try and get fabric this weekend for proper replacements and get MIL (super seamstress) to help when she is visiting next week.

Must go to bed, work tomorrow, night all.

Didn't actually get the hoover out!

Ta Da 2

• Dug up some potatoes for tea
• Tried in vane to stake up my monster tomato plants but I need longer ones!
• Made crumble with blackberries picked by DD and next door girls
• Concocted up new dish for dinner
• D/W emptied and reloaded
• Sink shined

Morning all!

Sorry to hear about the rental van dizzykipper - hope you manage to get it sorted.

I am once again resisting getting out of bed just because I don't want to get dressed to shoes as soon as I get up prefer to potter round the kitchen and come round a bit first, but I know from last time I did this that this actually worked for me and the mornings are much more organised and we don't end up rushing out if the house at the last minute running late...

Maybe I'll work myself into this gradually and today allow myself 20 minutes pottering time then reduce it to 15 tomorrow etc, see if that works ...

Time to play? Nope, not sure what that is...

Feeling fairly pleased with myself as it's only 7am and I've already got a few things on the ta da list.

Ta Da
Up, washed and dressed to shoes
Me and DD breakfasted
Put dry washing up away
Load of washing in machine
Discussed van issues with DH, we'll decide how to approach it this evening.

To Do
Check forecast
Hang up washing once clean
Make up dry nappies
Put dirty nappies on
Get DD dressed

Main task for today shall be to finish tidying the playroom.

I can just say "thank god for coffee" this morning.

ta da
usual morning routine
tidied kitchen
checked bank
reviewed budget
tidied living room
found old hand held rechargeable vacuum for small tidies and put it on charge

to do
preorder grocery shop for Friday delivery
tidy dining room and declutter some more
spend a bit of time cleaning my room (not sure I'll EVER get this done!)

My room is always the last to get cleaned - I like to get the "company" areas first - where visitors would see. Then it's the dcs' rooms. And lastly my room. So often I just don't get to it.

Morning dizzykipper. Well so much for 20 minutes pottering, more like 25 but..

Ta da
New bag in bin
Washing up
Weigh (apparently lost 2 lbs )
Yesterday's post in post rack (will probably still be sat in post rack in a months time, but at least it us where it should be!)
Diet coke for breakfast
Boiled 2 eggs to eat in the car on the way to work - just can't stomach anything more than a diet coke in a morning, but then start feeling hungry on my way to work - so it's either boil a couple of eggs or a cereal bar in the car with another diet coke
Broke an egg, which somehow managed to get all over work top, floor and bin
Cleaned egg off work top, floor and bin
Unpacked yesterday's lunch bag
Packed today's lunch bag for work
Bolognese in slow cooker for this evening

To do
Feed fish
Feed hamster
Get dressed to shoes!!!!!!!

X post - morning Alice too

Morning saturn. Seeing how much you've accomplished already it does make me wonder, is it such a bad thing if you don't get dressed to shoes right away? If the ultimate goal is to keep all the chores in our lives manageable then so long as that's being achieved it seems ok to tweak the system a bit in a way that suits us. Not to play devil's advocate, though I guess I am so I better skip away fast.

Oops sorry Alice, didn't see your post. The amount you all get done so early on in the day is really impressive, I can't imagine being up at this time and already having 2 tidied rooms on the list! In fact I'm rather guilty of lounging about at the moment with DD on my lap...

Tuesday mornings are my time to myself... DH instructed me last night to make sure I have a couple of hours relaxing (also need to clean the kitchen a bit). Last night it became apparent I am infested won't go in to details as don't want it recorded for posterity but suffice to say I'm off to the chemist first thing, have to wash just about all our towels and bedding. Today is rainy. Also need to de-worm cats. And scrub kitchen and both toilets and Hoover entire house

Oh and I hardly slept thanks to said infestation.

dizzy my dcs are up at 5am, so I don't have much choice in getting up and getting things done.

Absolute miracle actually dressed to shoes and ready for work with time to spare this morning! Dizzy - I think the problem is normally I spend so much time pottering getting other things done and then end up getting out of the shower at the time I'm supposed to be setting off and go to work with dripping wet hair and trying to put my make up on at my desk when I'm supposed to be working, you get the picture

Anyway, this morning seemed to work - so maybe I need to allow myself a set amount of pottering time and stick to it

Trazzles I know it's early for , but sounds like you need it. Try to enjoy your couple of hours relaxing before you start on everything else you need to get done x

Off to work, on time and looking vaguely presentable!!! Will catch up later...

Sorry about the infestation trazzle Things like that always make you feel crap and come with the sting in the tail of resulting in huge amounts of extra work

Alice this morning I hear ya. Supposed to not be drinking coffee but not the best of night's sleep last night.

Ds has already had a mini melt down because he is so tired he feels sick. One of the people's alarm for work keeps waking him up earlier. It has been a useful lesson in finding the solution to working around other people's needs. And we have a plan - that he has chosen for tonight to hopefully help him get some more sleep. Despite this he has been helpful but slightly clingy which has resulted in him making my drinks and breakfast this morning. Just need to come up with a cunning plan for the rest of the day. I do think that i need to get him out to be exercise kids being like dogs and requiring exercising 3 times daily and all that but right now i think he is mostly happy in a fleece sleep suit and just not doing much. Perhaps if i can face it we can do the ikea run together but it will take 3hrs if he comes and i only want to pop in grab 1 thing and run away again

ta da
deal with mini melt down
negogiate a solution to a problem with ds
stick a load out to dry
catch up with Dmum
internet catching up sweet

Saw the sad new about Robin Williams. he will be missed. Seems a shame that people who are so talented are also inflicted with troubles that can be so consuming.

We're battling an ongoing infestation here too. Got what seems like ages- hazard of the job because I have so many little ones and families in my home, someone dkways seems to have it. :(

TA da

Work since 8am
Hung washing out
Empty dw
Received long awaited delivery part 1/2
Put towels on to wash
Packed ds2 ready for sleepover
Made beds (rare here )

To do

Sort letter rack
Take kids fruit picking
Lunch for 6
Dinner for 6
Drop ds2 to friend
Find dh to get some cash
Much more but I can't think.