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!

Thanks everyone, I am feeling a little shocked still. Now I have to start researching what happens next, I have been so focussed on getting the assessment that I haven't looked into the actual process of assessment too much.

Toffee - hope the park meet-up goes well.

Alice - yes, the schoolwork mountain exists here too, I have kept pretty well everything DS has ever done in case it is needed for the statementing, then felt it was mean to throw away DD's stuff and keep DS's, so it has all mounted up. I really ought to make a selective cull though.

Right, we're off to my parents holiday home for the week tonight. I need to do quite a bit of cleaning/tidying/ironing/packing/taking cats to cattery. DS is going to hockey camp till 3 and DD is at drama till 4, we're planning to leave by 6.30 (short leg of journey tonight. 2hrs to ILs house, then onwards to Scotland tomorrow).

WhoKnows what I generally do is take a picture of anything momentous - the rest goes in the bin - but I do prowl through and make sure there isn't any identifying information on any paperwork in the stack.

WhoKnows oh, and have fun at the holiday home!

I can't believe school is going to be back on soon.

Toffee the lamb meatballs (with chopped tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and onions) are all in the slow cooker cooking away - the house smells wonderful (because I browned them with the onions, peppers and mushrooms before bunging them in the slow cooker). The boys have decided they want them over pasta instead of rice, which is fine with me. So at least supper is sorted. Looking forward to your marrow picture.

Hope you have fun at the park today Toffee, and I forgot to say but I'm 37+4.

I'm craftily getting ahead of the Flylady by not actually owning any chest of drawers.

This morning has basically gone like this: start stripping bedsheets to wash, DD starts bouncing on the bed; start clearing away train set, DD plays with train set; start doing online banking, DD sits on lap. Too tired, just gonna sit with DD for a bit and hopefully achieve stuff later.

Mmmmm alice I've just told dh he'making meatballs this weekend!

Have a lovely time whoknows - I would love to make a family trip to Scotland. It's been years since I've been (and dh has never been there).

Just had coffee break and carrying on with lounge.

I do that with the things they've made Alice, the photos that is. It goes on display for the rest of that school year then gets photographed/culled in the summer. Drawings I'm reasonably ruthless with too. It's the mountain of workbooks plus I seem to accumulate all sorts of letters, homemade cards etc.

Anyway, laundry and packing beckons.

Still no word on dream job. Feeling more and more ... at work so can't really mope!

Fingers crossed you hear something today Carpe.

Alice - meatballs are the one meal I can be sure everyone will eat happily (apart from pizza), yours sound yummy.

Shhhhh... don't tell anyone but I've just had a coffee and THREE Viscount. ahhh. my guilty pleasure. I love those things - chocolate mint is my all time favourite. And I haven't had them in almost two years. They just kind of "waved" at me from the shop shelf and I had to buy them.

TBF I'm in the middle of processing wages so I need sustenance. Phoned about LA job - no decision as yet...

Fingers crossed for you Carpe

I've emptied one cabinet and now emptying the sideboard to get rid. Much as I like it (bought second hand but still looks nice), it takes up too much room and encourages me to fill it up with "stuff." I'd be much better off just weeding out all the junk and getting rid of it.

The meet-up went ok for me, though DS2 was glued to me the whole way through. It was interesting to meet other home educators, though - a wide range of people, some whom have home educated from the start and others, like me, whose children had bad experiences at school and so turned to home ed as an alternative.

I was going to write more, but the kittens have been let loose in the house and they have gone crazy and keep biting the lead and walking on the keyboard, so I'm going to give up. BBL when things are calmer.

Ta da
cleaned other 2 window frames, sills, blinds
watered rest of planted
lounge hoovered
wiped down dining table and chairs
sorted clutter on table - put some stuff away and now have 3 piles to deal with (to go away, finances and photo album to finish)
Wash in td
washing up

dh made a delicious curry for dinner, did some work outside in the garden/drive and popped to supermarket with ds.

am craving cake. I may have to make some more coffee cake

Did they give any indication of how long it would be before a decision was made Carpe?

Ta Da
Dealt with emotionally volatile, teething DD
Visit from DM - which helped lift DD's spirits
Cleared clutter from bathroom
Cleaned inside bathroom cabinet
Did some decluttering
Unwanted filing cabinet downstairs
Washing up
2 loads of washing and dried

DH has gone out tonight so I asked he do the usual chores whilst I got DD to bed, so no washing up for me (though living room not quite as tidy as I'd like it).

To do
As many of those 'little extras' that I need to do in order to get this house sorted. Plus nappies.

Ta Da
Filed paperwork
Destroyed some sensitive paperwork
Finished tidying living room
Dusted living room
Nappies on
Rubbish and recycling out
Quick clean utility area
Conglomerated bits to take to charity/dump tomorrow
Tidied top of utility area

Ignoring fact that this is Friday night and the above is how I spent it...

Mental note, must query with DH whether we really need 15-20 extension leads. For now bedtime I think, busy day shopping tomorrow.

Almost back into regular routines, DD settled back at school after school groups sorted and job applications being submitted It's just the MNing that slipped!

Busy weekend ahead, DD was one of the top readers at the local library in the Summer Reading Challenge, so we're off to met a local author at the Mitchell Library tomorrow. Then on Sunday there's a Highland Games at Pollok Park, and finally on Monday I'm meeting some other MNers (Woolly Huggers) lots of and

Finally got the tidying, packing, cattery run done and am now at the ILs for the night, ready to head to Scotland tomorrow. What's the weather like Goth?. I saw a forecast that said it's going to drop to 0C tomorrow night at Tyndrum, which isn't all that far from where we are staying. The DCs want snow!

Hope you have a great holiday, WhoKnows. You must be feeling much happier now you know the statement assessment is going ahead.

Sorry for lack of any other personals. Have spent the afternoon pricing goods for our stall tomorrow and still have a huge pile of kids' clothes to price up. Have to be there by 8am tomorrow morning, then get home, put all the unsold/unsaleable stuff away and get the house ready for guests on Sunday. And on Sat night or Sun morning, have to cook a veggie lasagne and prepare salads. Feel tired just thinking about it all, though I'm looking forward to seeing our friends.

I do believe it was Date Night tonight. My apologies for not reminding you all.

Tomorrow's babystep is number 23: swish and swipe your bathroom. This is the one babystep I have always stuck to. It takes about a minute and means that your bathroom is always clean and ready for guests unless you have sons who can't aim, of course.

Tomorrow is Saturday, which means it's family fun day.

There are no missions at the weekend! So that means you only have to think about your routines for the day, which are here.

Goodnight all.

Ah ha! I've done the swish and swipe of the bathroom, and I didn't even know it was today's babystep. Feeling very virtuous now.

I'm going to finish organising my autumn/winter/christmas binder that I'm putting together, and then look through my knitting/crocheting books this afternoon.

Stbx and MIL coming over to see dcs this morning. A bit edgy about it as I don't really like Stbx to be in the house, but am doing it only because MIL would really like to see the dcs and hasn't seen them in ages.

WhoKnows it's lovely here forecasting 15 degrees for the next 5 days, but looks like you are heading further north plus higher up so I imagine will be a bit cooler there. Have a great holiday.

Did you know it hardly ever snows in Glasgow? We didn't until we got here, DD is very disappointed.

Decluttering success alert

Was up till after 2am this morning, pricing goods. Then was up again at 7 to get the stall set up at 8. DH and DS2 helped. DS2 had was the shopkeeper, with his own table and a toy till filled with real money. He was so happy. He kept saying what fun it all was. I think it was just like playing shops for him.

Anyway, we sold lots of bags of toys (DS2 had packed them up and priced them at 20p each), lots of books, quite a few clothes (one woman kitted her son out with his school shirts for next year) and some XBox games. Nobody wanted the make-your-own internal combustion engine that DH once acquired (I wonder why...).

We packed up around 1.30 and I couldn't face bringing boxes of stuff home, so DH drove me to the nearest charity shop and I gave it all to them.

I have probably got rid of at least seven boxes of stuff today. It feels so good!

Absolutely exhausted now, but I have to tidy up the house ready for guests tomorrow. Would quite like to go to sleep instead.

'DS2 had was' . I meant 'DS2 was the shopkeeper'.

Have attached a photo showing all our clutter being laid out for sale at 8.30 this morning, with DS2 playing shopkeeper.

Right, am going to tidy up the sitting room, then I might allow myself a nap. DH has taken DS2 to visit MIL after I'm afraid I refused to let him invite her round here this afternoon. The house is a tip and I need to tidy it all up, which I can't do if she is sitting in the front room. This way, she still gets company, but I am free to tackle the mess at home.

Great result Toffee, I bet it feels like such a relief to have gotten rid of much clutter! I hope you can fit in the nap it's definitely deserved!