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!

Feeling a bit under the weather today, so not anticipating getting much done. At least until the pain pills kick in.

Hi all

Alice you make me laugh with your coffee yearnings!! I'm exactly the same and drink so much of it I must have coffee running through my veins!

You're on a roll Mercury-I've also fallen off the gluing wagon this weekend but have got a fair bit fine this morning:

ta da
Both beds made
Bedroom quick tidy up
DS dressed and fed
Towels washed
D/W on
Hand washing up done
Shopping list written

To do
Iron some long sleeved tops for work this week-it's cold here
Dinner in the slow cooker
Supermarket shop
Dust the lounge
Hoover lounge
Online banking

But first...more coffee ;)

Hope you feel a bit better soon Alice

I'm making the most of being motivated as I'm sure it won't last long coffee

Next 3:
Clean bathroom
Box up summer clothes and put jumpers back in wardrobe
Hoover staors and upstairs

Well done on those power of threes, Mercury.

Alice - at it should have been paying RENT dammit. Sorry you're feeling under the weather today. Hope you feel better soon.

coffeeandcream - glad to see the coffee is doing its work - you have got lots done.

Our kittens turn out to be a very good motivating factor here, as I have to get things done whilst they're out of the way. This morning DH put them in the sitting room so I could put the rubbish out safely, without them running outside, then I used that cat-free opportunity to dash around and get my morning chores done. Felt guilty, but when I checked on them they were fast asleep together on the sofa.

ta da

Up early with DS2
DS1 joined us
All too bouncy and noisy, so went back to bed and fell asleep again
Got dressed to shoes
Washed hair
B/fast for all
Waved off DH and agreed to go to PO for him
Made beds
Put rubbish and recycling out for collection
Phoned vet to book kitten inspection
Unloaded d/w and reloaded
Put laundry in w/m
Hoovered floors and ceilings downstairs and in bathroom
Hoovered all spiders and cobwebs
Mopped floors
Cleaned out litter trays
Checked on kittens (both Zzzzzzzzzzzzz)

I think that's it. Now the house is looking tidier, I'm really motivated to keep it that way. And my Mum is coming to stay this weekend, so I want it to stay tidy.

to do

OU tutorial at 11.30
OU work
Walk to PO and post parcels

Alice hope you feel better soon

Done
Dd to school
1 load laundry washed & hung out
Yesterday's laundry ironed
Litter tray cleaned
Rubbish out

About to head out to Croft to check on the plants as we've not been there for a few days, then off to do some shopping

Thanks all. Pain pill has kicked in, so feeling loads better. I'm starting work on the "Harry Potter scarf" that ds2 has requested (knitting). He's very excited.

www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/features/crafts/knitting/sspsstylehogwartsscarf

3 more:
Wash greasy finger prints off bannister
Small pile of ironing
Empty broken work bag and throw it in the bin

Glad you're feeling a bit better Alice. When I was at uni, I made myself a gryffindor scarf and was the envy of all at the cinema on opening night of thd Goblet of Fire. It had tassels too! Happy days!

We'll fly lady has had her pound of sweat flesh from me today. I completed a load of her missions:

stripped cushions off the sofa and hoovered underneath
Lugged sofa across room to Hoover underneath and retrieve all kinds of lost treasure
Dusted all ceiling coving, light fittings, picture frames, ornaments and book shelves
Returned clutter to proper places and the bin as necessary.

It all feels bittersweet though. I'm chuffed I've got some massive jobs done, but sad too. My DH has a well hidden eating disorder which he's had for most if his life. I found so many pizza boxes and junk food wrappers hidden under the sofa it made me want to cry. I'll try to talk to him later to see if he's having a bad patch at the moment, but I wish he would talk to me more :(

I ate some ice cream. Does that count as "cleaning out the freezer" ??

Hi all, I came into the living room to get some music on the laptop and one thing led to the other and now I'm on MN...
Things have been very busy here, decluttering like mad and I think we're almost at the finish line - I'll know if and when I get the house tidy. Very tired though. Will have to catch up either tonight or tomorrow but for now need to get my lazy arse off the sofa and get back to work.

To do
Tidy up living room
Tidy dining room
Clean kitchen sides
Look for something else to do
Bask in the glory of almost being done with this decluttering!

coffeeandcream - I'm sorry to hear about your DH's issues. It sounds as if you are feeling the contrast between taking control of one area of your life (housework) and feeling very out of control of another (your DH's problem). I think a lot of us on this thread use housework as a way of feeling in control, although we also struggle with it because the thing we can't control usually has an impact on our time and energy. Quite a few of us have DC with SNs or other challenges that make life more difficult than average.

I hope you manage to talk to your DH about it. I suppose he keeps it from you because he feels ashamed or just doesn't want to face up to it. It must be very hard. ((hugs))

Alice - yes, that definitely counts as 'cleaning out the freezer'. You were simply decluttering .

Babystep Number 27: what's for dinner?.

Wednesday is anti-procrastination day.

Our mission tomorrow is to have a detailed vaccum of the living room. See the sneak peak here.

Wednesday's flight plan is here.

Night all.

Toffee hope your MIL gets better soon, has she had a lot of chest infections recently?

Alice defininatly decluttering

done
Shopping
Collected DD
Laundry in
Dinner
Washing upq
Baking
Washing up
Ironing

I will get back into my routines

Thanks, Goth. MIL had a fall a few weeks ago and the doctor said it was because she had a chest infection. She had antibiotics and seemed to get better, but now it's happened again. It's a bit worrying. I think the doctor should send her for a chest X ray, but he don't seem to want to yet.

Don't worry, we all fall in and out of our routines. You'll get back into it again.

Have given up on OU work for tonight. Will try again tomorrow.

Feeling much better today. Tea and toast eaten. Time to get to work on cleaning again. I have a shelf in the living room that is the target today. I have a sneaky idea where to easily put everything - if I can convince the dcs to leave the stuff alone if it's within their reach. Should be interesting.

Good morning everyone.

After my wobble last week I'm back to normal, the baby will now go in the chair I got given for half hour at a time, so gives me some much needed spare time to do something.

Washing on already, dish washer on, beds to make, mine to strip, and re make.

Yesterday I got rid of the kids washing basket as we are all sharing one now, and so they have a little gap in their room, means I will keep on top of the washing more, and seeing as the sun is shining I want to get acouple of loads done today.

I've got to get petrol today, pick up dn's birthday pressie.

I think the main decluttering plan will have to wait until the kids are back to school as I'm 98% sure they are the reason the baby doesn't sleep so well during the day due to their noise

Did I really say the doctor don't seem to want to yet? . Think I need to go back to school. Obviously, I meant doesn't.

Glad you're feeling better today, Alice.

And good to know the high chair is buying you some much-needed time, shitatusernames. You're probably right about the noisy children keeping your baby awake. Glad to see the sun is shining for you today .

ta da

Good night's sleep again
fed kittens; replaced their water; cleared out litter trays
unloaded d/w (and tried to stop kittens climbing in)
b/fasts for all
reminded boys to get dressed ready for early doctor's appt for DS1
dressed to tights and boots (raining here )
usual difficulty in getting DS1 to leave the house (apparently I 'stressed him out' by reminding him to put his shoes on)
tried to coax DS1 out from under the clothes railing in his bedroom
told DS1 that DH wouldn't mend his computer and he wouldn't have access to my computer unless he attended the GP appointment
Success! DS1 got into the car
GP appointment - only 10 minutes' late
Turned out surgery hadn't ordered the meds DS1 needs so we will have to go back another day (arghhh! After all that)
Home to drop DS1 off
Visited MIL - still sore (possible broken rib); made her a cup of tea and made her bed. A (gentle) cuddle from DS2 cheered her up.
Home
Put the washing on
Managed to get my computer back from DS1

to do

OU work
Lunch
Put wet laundry in tumbledryer
Visit from friends this afternoon
What's for dinner? Sausages or chicken drumsticks (maybe both)

Oh I also got a fab sleep, the baby slept from 10 pm to 6 am

1st nice day in about a week Toffee so you have to make the most of it.

ta da

washing on the line
dishwasher emptied
kitchen tidy
lunch done

to do
Tea
Mop kitchen floor
Sort clean washing when it's dry

Your baby is a star. It makes such a difference, doesn't it, shitat?

ta da

OU work
Dashed to corner shop to buy lunch
Lunch
Admired DS2's Minecraft recreation of D-Day
More OU work

Sorry to hear about your MIL Toffee, I don't mean to pry but is she elderly? Falls are particularly not good for the older age bracket.

How old is your baby shitatusernames? I don't think I got anything much done when DD was a baby, hopefully I'll do better with DC2!

I've been getting lots of sharp shooting pains today, it's made walking/doing much difficult and is all the more frustrating because as much as I'd like to believe it means that labour is imminent I know really it means nothing of the sort and could still be several weeks away. I just hope this isn't a new daily occurrence, even just sitting down they get me! Gah.

Anyway...
Ta da
Washing up
Cleaned dining table
Cleaned kitchen sides
Bath toys away
Cleaned utility area
Taken recycling out

To do
Nappies on
Pick up all rubbish/recycling from dining and living rooms
Fold dry washing
Put all toys away

Very quiet on here this afternoon.

Babystep Number 28: take care of yourself.

Thursday is errand day.

Thursday's mission is to wipe the smudges off your living-room walls.

The flight plan is here.

Quick post, not much flying done BUT I have planted 175 broccoli! And led a Woodcraft meeting (3rd time) it is getting slightly easier

Toffee is there another doctor your MIL can see? Fx she gets better soon

Could it be a UTI toffee ? That was the cause behind some recurrent falls for my nan. Hope she improves soon .

Well done on planting your greens, Goth. And for leading the Woodcraft meeting.

Thanks for the concern, Goth and Soot. MIL likes this doctor, so probably couldn't be persuaded to see another. But she was checked for a UTI last time she fell (a few weeks ago) and it was clear. She also had her blood sugar levels checked when she fell this time (she's diabetic), but that was ok too. And she had an ECG at the doctors recently and all was well, but I think they only show if there is a problem at the time of the ECG so it's not conclusive. All very perplexing. I rang her this evening and she'd gone to bed early (phone by her bed) and was reading. She said she was fine. It's a worry though.

The kittens were absolutely crazy this evening. They are wearing me out. They managed to claw their way through the cover of the litter box and spill litter all over the kitchen floor, which took a lot of sweeping up.

Off to bed now. Night all.