September Fledglings gather here, let's banish clutter at the start of a new school year!

[CallingAllEngels]

Here we go again- a new month to whip our houses into shape!

If you're suffering from CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome) and STUFF (something that undermines family fun) then you need Flylady.

Don't sign up for emails on the Flylady website as you'll be inundated. Everything you need to know will be posted in the thread on a daily basis.

Depending on the stage you're at with FL you'll be:

1. Starting or repeating FL's babysteps.

1. Repeating babysteps + decluttering for 15 minutes per day in current zone.

1. Reinforce babysteps + daily missions if you'vefinished decluttering.

4.Number 3 and detailed cleaning anyone here yet??!

Bear in mind:

1. You're never behind!

1. No perfectionism allowed.

1. Your house did not get into a mess overnight, it won't get tidy overnight.

Some of the fledglings have been chatting and flying on MN for 10 years. I still think of myself as a newbie sometimes (even though I've been here for 2+ years!). Everyone's welcome! Old timers, newbies and lurkers alike, come and share your ta das, to dos and a whole lot more

Sorry for lack of OP links - am posting on the laptop that time forgot and am just keeping my fx that the OP posts!

Will be back on August 31st (pretty late probably!) with links for the 1st September.

Wow, well done to your DS1 Jemima!

Toffee - Ziggy (is MIL's cat's name but hey). Or Pierre if your DH likes human names (old ISIHAC joke: Mr and Mrs Iszeesoundofaracingcar and their son Pierre Iszeesoundofaracingcar...)

Alice and Bitchy - hope school aggro can be sorted. Sympathies on the wasp situation too, Bitchy.

Ta Da!
Big work project finished and sent off. Phew.
Several hotspots put out
Laundry
Quick hoover and dust
Various errands/grocery shopping
Ironing
Cooked dinner
Sewed on DS1's Beavers badge
Cleaned up kitchen

Not sure what's happening tomorrow as the day was planned around a meeting that's been cancelled. Hey ho.

Thank you for all the suggestions of kitten names. After all that, though, we decided to go for a name that had nothing to do with speed or the kitten's colour: Mittens. I have no idea why, but it was the only name that all four of us could live with. So we now have Mittens and Tiger.

We collected the kittens from the vet this afternoon. The nurse and receptionist raved about them and said they'd had so much fun playing with them. I did suggest they could keep them a bit longer, but it seems they weren't that keen . So the kittens were brought home, squealing in chorus, and then we had the battle of the collars to put on them. Needless to say, after having their balls chopped off, that was one indignity too far and they weren't AT ALL happy about it. We had three repeat performances, putting the collars back on, but eventually the kittens gave up.

Steak and chips, plus a bottle of Prosecco, for dinner.

Tomorrow is a glorious blank on my calendar. I am going to try and catch up with all the housework, as well as taking DS2 out for another practise cycle ride.

Night all.

Can I join in mid way through this month?
I tried signing up to the website and woke up to a crammed inbox of increasingly odd emails. How do you get anything done when so many emails to read??

Should I go back and start from the first Baby step at the beginning of Sept, or start from today's babystep and loop around in October?

I can't postpone starting as I told DH last night and he was desperately relieved pleased.

Morning! Quite tired this morning as I worked till midnight - but feeling at least as though I am on top of work, rather than having to work all weekend to catch up.

Yesterday was quite productive on the cleaning front, more by luck than judgement. Necessity meant that I had to mop floors so I decided to switch missions around.

Ta Das

Shine sink
Swish and swipe
Hoover and mop all floors (they actually shine now, I love Lakeland cleaner)
Clean inside of fridges (we can buy food again now)
Buy materials for garden project felt like I had been mugged as I paid
Tidy hot spots in lounge and kitchen and conservatory
Cleaned litter tray and utility room

To Dos

Ironing still there! Can't rely on ironing fairies
Pantry and wipe down appliances
Order food.
Throw away dead flowers.

Washing stupid hands are playing up so I can't lift the washing basket at the moment, hoping they are better tonight or that DS will do it for me!
Cut back all the brambles and nettles in the garden hedge.
Charity shop run
Go round and pick up the few bits in each room that are in the wrong place and put in their home.

The good news is that we have done a full week at school, normally my house looks like a bomb has exploded by now and we have to spend all weekend fixing it. However, this week the house looks fine and I wouldn't need to tidy if someone came round. So the weekend is looking like it is fairly empty and I can sleep!

Is baking powder the same as baking soda? I have never shined a sink before,

Start where we are and loop around, you can alway look back through the babysteps and see if there are any important ones you want to put in if you desire. but it all loops around and it is easier just to follow the thread leaders links much easier than getting lost in the fat fairy's world of twee

vivacia it is adapted from one on the bbc good food website. Basically some diced chicken thighs, diced onion, red pepper and a sweet potato thrown into the slow cooker with a tin of chopped tomatoes, some curry spice blend and a drop of water. Cook on low all day, then throw in a couple of handfuls of spinach to wilt in at the end while your rice cooks.

milkpudding - we always advise not to sign up to Flylady's emails for the reason you have discovered! So, I advise you to unsubscribe and just follow our thread. I had to go through the same palaver, as I signed up to her before stumbling onto the fledgling thread (tripping over various sleeping figures in the naughty corner, if I recall correctly ).

Dunno about baking powder vs baking soda. I just squirt on a bit of kitchen cleaner when I remember to shine my sink.

No plans today, so I'm aiming to blitz the house. Although a friend has just invited herself for lunch, so I may get distracted on the way.

The kittens are still wearing their collars. I just read the notes - it said they might be sleeping for the first 24 hours after the op. Mine are charging round the house like crazies .

Jemima - I like the sound of that recipe .

Ta da
school letter
Appointment with Nurse

to do
drop some important paperwork off
buy ds new pants 6 pairs that fit is not enough!
laundry
pack ds' stuff for tonight.
pick ds up from first night of new afterschool club
Drive miles in lovely countryside.

Nurse gave me a high dose of inhalers. it has left me with the shakes. I have been assured that it will wear off within the hour. I feel like i want to run around and do lots of crazy stuff. But if i do I know i will be curled up in the corner not breathing. It is a very odd sensation

Oh Bitchy. Hope you feel better soon. Cup of tea and a sit down until then.

TA da

Meal plan and online shop for next 2 weeks
Plan twins' party and order cake and things for party bags
Washing on

To do
Empty dishwasher
Tupperware cupboard (still there from Tuesday!)
More washing
Hoover through
Make attic bed and our bed
Sort jam jars, put what I need for jam in utility room and recycle the rest
Clean kitchen shelf and blind (once jam jars are out of the way!)

Thanks Jemima!

Morning my lovelies! Sorry to have been absent for a couple of days - a lot going on here - struggling to keep up with thread.

A very warm welcome to Milkpudding! I don't think baking powder and baking soda are the same as it happens... baking soda needs an acidic ingredient like lemon juice to activate it whereas baking powder is basically baking soda with the acid already built in. I use white (industrial) vinegar to shine my sink if that's any help. And a bit of bleach when there are bad tea stains.

Crikey Bitchy hope you are ok! That sounds awful ... keep posting on here until you feel better!!

Toffee funny that you called your kitten 'Mittens' because that is the name dd suggested (alongside Nips, Nippy, Dash and Vita-cat). I actually got half way through posting them yesterday evening, and then got interrupted, then got interrupted again and at some point during the evening when dh was using the computer, my post was lost completely and I gave up! Glad they got through the op ok, if slightly indignant! Have a lovely lunch with your friend!

Yum to recipe Jemima

Threeislovely good that you can relax this weekend thanks to all of your hard work this week

Hope your ds2 is ok Alice after bullying incident and that the school sort it out properly; hope you have recovered from tooth extraction too

Hope you can get the iron levels sorted Engels (can you buy Floradix where you are? It is the only iron supplement I can stomach!)

Congrats on paperwork decluttering Nicknacks

Big waves to Swan Blue Soot Pushme Honu Feetheart Whoknows Ellie Lauren Castle Dizzy Lairy and everyone else I have inevitably missed!

Bit stressful here. It's been a bit of a gruelling wk. A lot going on at school, with dh's father and various other house renovation strategy issues (for want of a better description). Nice bit was hosting a birthday tea party for lovely child of family friend on Wednesday afternoon which was very enjoyable, for which I made a penguin cake. Will try and post pic on profile if I can remember how to do it! Since then have done no Flying at all (except for basic routines) as busy with work/admin - which I should be doing now - so had better get on! Not very energetic today though thanks to one of our rabbits going missing yesterday evening, when it was time to herd her indoors. Gave up and then woke at 3.30 am to hear blood-curdling animal 'scream' outside and thought 'oh no the fox has got her' : only to rush downstairs and find them both safe and sound stretched out calmly in their quarters

Big feathery waves to everyone!

I did the sensible thing, ate breakfast and then gently pootled out to sort some paperwork out. I now have to make a load of important phone calls but my brain is not functioning so that is going to be a bit of a fuck up. Might see if a bit of a nap will help. failing that am curling up with a hot water bottle, pain killers and some timeteam to stare at. Nothing to affend and the worst it can do is bore me so it is perfect

did your rabbit put herself to bed for you sc how considerate although alarming Hope you manage to find a gentle path through the stresses.

Hope the nap did/does help Bitchy and that you are taking things steadily ...

Thanks btw Bitchy!! Can barely function I feel so tired today but things are a bit calmer. Guests on Wed afternoon had colds so I could be going down with something. Almost hope so because not normal to feel quite such extreme fatigue. Afternoon naps usually leave me feeling worse (with headache) but would be almost tempted if plumber weren't here! Hope yours proves refreshing though!

Yes rather galling to have rabbit looking up at you at 3.30 am as if to say "what are you so stressed about?" and "why are you disturbing our sleep?"

Ta da:
morning routine inc rabbits, dw, wm, s&s
quick tidy of ground floor
dining room table hot spot
prepared laundry for fortnightly ironing lady
last bits of hand washing up
3.5 hrs office admin work
plumber
huge serious financial discussions with dh over lunch
re-booted laundry
carried ironed laundry upstairs

Nap would have worked better if the phone had stopped ringing. But have laid down in a quiet room with eyes shut even if haven't slept. Have to get up and do the stuff needed for ds' trip this weekend. Hoping i can have an early night tonight but that will be travel dependant

Welcomemilk ! Yep, delete emails and unsubscribe and then just jump in where you are!

ta da
1 load washing
made drs appt
made dentist appt
shower
zoo with ds for afternoon
pushed hoover round lounge
chatted with best friend

will post links a bit early tonight as heading out at 7 to school event.
decided to do my family fun day today (zoo) when less busy, tomorrow will be housework with ds while dh clears out babyroom and we prepare for the parents arriving.

Ta da
Post-morning bathroom routine.
Dishwasher emptied.
Vacuumed upstairs and downstairs.

Tonight will go to pot due to everyone (but me) being in social whirls and having to play taxi.

Ta da continued:

more laundry
another quick business/finance discussion with dh
dried and put away party things
put away food processor
sorted plumber
email to friend
school run
made veg soup (cooking now)

My sink is sparkling! I have never actually cleaned my sink before. I was surprised how pleased I felt afterwards. DH is confused, he is delighted with the clean sink, but wondering why the rest of the kitchen is still in chaos.

Awaiting tomorrow's baby step eagerly....

Are you To Do lists all things you plan to do the same day? Or all outstanding jobs?
Are Ta Da-s things that you have done today?

To do lists are generally on the stuff for the day. Start small you can add things if you have time to do more and it feels better than if you start with a long list.
Ta das are the stuff done today generally

Try the 27 fling boogie on your dh. Haven't got time to link but it will keep him from under your feet. Just remind him the house didn't get messy in one day it won't get tidy in one day.

My sink is sparkling! I have never actually cleaned my sink before. I was surprised how pleased I felt afterwards.

Remember that feeling of accomplishment and delight.

DH is confused, he is delighted with the clean sink, but wondering why the rest of the kitchen is still in chaos.

Because he hasn't rolled up his sleeves yet, presumably?