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.

ta da
sort a pile of paperwork (recycle/shred/file)
emails and internet stuff
1st load of washing on
1st load out to dry
Work on the knitting phase of a mixed knitted/crochet/sewed project.

Whoops PMPY there are always kids that rewrite the rule book. Hopefully your ds is equally as crazy at nursery as he is at home and they will understand exactly what is going on

Ta da
3, yes, 3 loads of laundry already done and on the line.
Post-shower bathroom routine.
Bins emptied and dustbins out for bin men.

To Do
Research what a 27 Fling is and do it in the Other Room (our home office).
Hoover downstairs.

NB. We do not have a bin in the bathroom.

Fell asleep last night after updating the thread and was woken some time after 1am by dd1 coughing and coughing and coughing. Then heard the pitter patter of her not so little feet and she came and announced that she felt a but poorly. Transpired she was white as a sheet, boiling hot and not at all well. So dosed her up and kept an eye on her. This meant I got about three hours sleep as toddler dd2 woke at 3 am and DH told me he wasn't well so I ended up with both girls in my bed while DH got some rest.

My lovely friend popped in for a couple of hours mid morning and so I have 'done' upstairs except for the bathroom which I will do tonight after DH gets home. Have hoovered all the bedrooms, dusted and also done the stairs which were pretty grim.

I've come to the conclusion that if DH carries on working full time and I want to work as well then we need some help around the house. I had a long and productive chat with the home organiser but I don't think spending (a great deal) of money on her services is worth it. Mostly because I know exactly what I want to do ans where I want things to go, I just don't have the time to actually put my plans in action. So I'd be better off spending the money on a few hours of a mothers help every week who can help with the children while I tidy/clean/organise/make phone calls!

this made me giggle very twee but still

Dd1 is four.

I hear whining all day. Every day. It winds me up horrendously

It was the fact that flylady had a sign for it. she seems to be trying to have a sign and advice for everything. Finances, holidays, travelling, housework. Am almost awaiting her principles of child rearing. So much has changed on the site since I last looked at it properly.

OK I think I've got the hang of it :)

Ta Da^

Baked cola cupcakes for post-nit treatment DC's tonight after tea
No washing up in sink

Kitchen is sparkly clean
Not much else as I wasted 3 hours with friend out for coffee this morning

Could someone please explain what a swish & a swipe is & also the post shower routine?

I have researched the 27 Fling thing and decided against it. I will aim to do a 15 minute Hot Spot in the office instead.

Magrats this is just my post-shower routine, but here it is:
Toilet wiped all over, behind and toilet set etc. Squirt of bleach. Dried.
Sink wiped all over, including pedestal. Dried.
Shower screen and tiles around bath done with Karcher.
Bath and taps wiped. Dried.

I use vinegar spray, cloth and towel (car cleaning type). I have a third cloth for buffing, which sometimes gets done.

Swish and swipe refers to the cleaning of toilet and sink. You swish a brush
around the toilet, and swipe the sink clean. Iyswim.

I think 27 fling boogie is really most useful when you know there is a lot a surplus clutter. Mostly it is useful in decluttering the toy corner here. Also in ds' room as he collects literally everything hoarder issues

PMPY ds1 has a bruises all over his legs - he is constantly walking into things, swinging his legs here and there, kicking his brother . But he has a round bruise on his back - no idea how he got it. I asked him, as I'm fairly certain it wasn't at home (although god knows if it is from when they're on the trampoline!) and he had no idea when he'd gotten it. No help there then.

Anyone got any ideas how to clean a washing machine drawer that doesn't come out so you can properly clean it?

So far it has been scrubbed with old toothbrush an a 60C wash put on with soda crystals. Some in drawer mostly in drum. I have just flushed the drawer through with water (it is the softner compartment that was the most eew) re-scrubbed with water and put machine on for another 60C wash with soda crystals in wash drawer and bicarb powder with a bit of water in the softner drawer. Am hoping this will clear the crud through but it is hardly economical and is rather time consuming although i suppose at least i will know the machine is clean

Alice one of my sisters would have round bruises on her back when we were growing up. Is it fist sized? We used to drive mum to distraction as we fought like cats and dogs. no fairy princesses here

I put the drawer through the dishwasher and clean the seal and drawer shelf/hole with a good dose of vinegar and a cloth. Put the drawer back in and run on 60, empty apart from the soda crystals in the drum and vinegar in the fabric conditioner compartment.

PMPY - I did a childcare protection course when I was training as a childminder and we were told that there were key body areas that were likely to be signs of abuse. These included the gentials and eye area. At the time, my toddler DS1 had managed to somehow hurt his willy and made it bleed, then fell onto an enamel cup and gave himself a black eye. Needless to say, I didn't dare admit to the group that my child was showing two of the signs we were meant to report to social services .

Alice - no mention of your tooth hurting - does that mean it's feeling better?

Soot - wow, what a productive day yesterday. Sorry today is full of poorly people.

Bitchy - your poor DS . Hope he doesn't have a big bruise.

Engels - did you find the spider? I can't bear them. .

Magrats - the swish and swipe has transformed my bathroom! I do it every day as it only takes a minute, but means your sink and loo is always clean. Everyone has their own version. I don't like loo brushes, so I spray the loo with a cleaning product, then wipe it down with loo paper and flush. And I wipe down the sink with a microfibre cloth. I used to have a buffing cloth which made my taps sparkle, but I've lost it. Must get a new one as MIL used to compliment me on my sparkly taps and ask me how I did it .

Vivacia - am very impressed by your three loads of washing. I have managed exactly none today.

Woke up to discover DS1 in the bathroom being sick this morning. He had his tetanus-diptheria-polio jab yesterday and then had a bad headache at bedtime and needed Calpol. Then he was up in the night, feeling sick. Poor boy has been sleeping all day. Maybe it was nothing to do with the injection, but it's odd because DS1 doesn't see anyone to catch anything from and none of us are ill . The nurse said there wouldn't be any side effects. Anyway, he won't be doing any online lessons today, that's for sure.

Frantic morning, dealing with sick DS1, kittens charging all over the house and DS2 doing his home ed online. I managed to get us out of the house by 10.30 so I could drop DS2 at his Grandma's whilst I went to have my hair cut and coloured. Only I discovered, once there, that I had forgotten to do my skin test, so I have only had a hair cut and will have to go back later for the colour.

It was lovely to get an hour of peace though.

Am now home, leaving DH free to go to work (he stayed with DS1). Planning to catch up on home ed now.

Unfortunately Vivacia the drawer will not come out at all so that is not an option. It has to be cleaned in situ which is proving far trickier than you can imagine

toffee - ds has so many bruises he is essentially just a giant walking bruise atm. But he is having fun earning them so it is all good fun.

Are you sure it doesn't just need a bit of a wiggle and a pull at the same time? Ours does.

Bitchy nope, not fist sized. Smaller. It's actually bruised in little round circle - the inner part is not as bruised. So I can only think he has perhaps either fell backward or simply backed up to playground equipment.

Toffee Yes, the pain is ever so much better. I haven't had to take any ibuprofen or paracetamol since they put that med pack in. Thank you for asking. I'm much MUCH better today, although sadly I did precious little.

I went along with ds1's school when they went swimming to help ds1 with the changing (it's a huge stress issue for him). Then I met up with a friend and we had a couple coffees at her house, then browsed Waitrose for a few things and had a free latte there as well. So I'm buzzing on caffeine at the moment. And I STILL haven't done my wallpaper.

Tomorrow I have plans all day, and Thursday for part of the day. Bit of a nonproductive week, I'm embarrassed to say!

Sure, it appears the only way to remove the drawer is to remove the entire front of the washing machine. Very frustrating :(

alice that is a very odd bruise

Bitchy that's what I thought too. But it is just about the size of the ends of the playframes at the park and at the school, so I'm thinking that MIGHT be it. So hard to tell, really. And as I said, I've asked him a couple times and all I get is "What bruise? I don't know... " Very helpful, eh?

Ok Vivacia you were right. I have accidentally found the release mechanise which is also the locking mechanism. Draw is now out. Not going to worry about the machine as there is little doubt that is clean. Now going to finish the drawer.

Links for Wednesday:

Babystep number 17 is to decide on a bedtime and stick to it.

Today’s mission is to declutter your medicine cabinet/shelves in the bathroom (or wherever it is) and sort through and declutter kids’ socks. You can see all the missions for the week here.

Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day.

Here is Wednesday’s flight plan.

toffee the bastarding thing is still somewhere in my house!!!!

Sorry to hear DS1 is feeling under the weather.

bitchy that sign made me laugh.

sootball you must be knackered. My most precious commodity is child free time. I honestly live for the days in the school holidays when DS is at nursery and I'm off. Have 2 coming up in October half term he better not be ill and then will have to wait for my pre-baby maternity leave in December.

Ta da
work - crept home at 2 then went to bed for an hour and a half. DH woke me up by calling because I told him I might come early and sleep. Of course DH, makes perfect sense to wake me up. I was a bit
washing-up
wash on
emptied kitchen bin
swept kitchen floor

To do
hang up washing

DH has been a in a foul mood this evening and swearing at the electricity meter cabinet. Still, he did make me dinner and has just spent an hour prepping the baby room so I will forgive him

Not sure how much more I'll be on this evening. Am most definitely following the babystep and will be in bed by 9.30, lights out by 10.

Ta Da
Laundry x 1
Dishwasher x 1
Phoned hospital, restaurant, GP
Expressed milk
Collected jolly jumper
Arranged delivery of jumperoo

To Do
Ask DH to post letters as have carried them around for days without finding a postbox!
Book train tickets (still)
Collate Mr and Mrs answers for hen party
Measure baby
Clean bathroom bin
Declutter

I can't find the instructions on cleaning tjr bathroom bin- the link directs to Wednesdays mission- do you clean it in any particular way?