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.

Yeah ds has had them in the past and probably will again at some point but he has his hair very short all the time. Not quite a crew cut but not too far off. Makes it harder for the nits, plus easier to spot and catch quicker.

Horrid little things

Ugh! Presume everyone knows about Nitty Gritty? The only thing that worked when DS1 had them persistently last year.

Ta da!
Laundry
Cooked roast dinner (with DH)
Rescued kitchen
Cooked flapjack/cereal bars with DS1
Rescued kitchen
Cleaned and hoovered car
Made "easy to assemble" model racing car with DS1 [hollow laugh]
Tore out hair
Cleared up glue
Printed school dinner slips
Sorted PE kits
Reading with DS2
Got things sorted for DH's birthday tomorrow

Hedrin is the only thing that works for us, we've had a few infestations and the nitty gritty on its own has never done the trick, plus it results in both DCs screaming every time we use it, it is one of the most hated objects in our house.

Anyway, the big declutter continues here. Just keep putting more and more stuff out for charity. Not much else to report. Feeling stressed about statement process again.

Thanks everyone and urgh, yes, it quite literally put me off my supper tonight! And forgot about Downton because of the wretched things!!

Have the Nitty Gritty comb and two different types of shampoo I got from chemist. DD has gone to clean bed/clean sheets with beautifully shining locks as nit-free as anyone could humanly get them, having put her through 2 lots of medicated shampoo (one you leave on for 2 hrs and one you leave on for 10 hrs), 2x 1 hr combing with metal comb and conditioner and three vinegar rinses! It's been a very long day!

Dh and I have both treated ourselves too just in case and have changed our bed sheets as well. We both have short hair so hopefully have escaped them but not taking any chances, oh no!

Have also plunged all brushes and combs in to a boiling hot Dettol bath.

Sod's law dictates of course that we had only changed bed sheets a few days ago and I was just up to date with laundry but now working through huge pile of bed linen, towels, dressing gowns, sofa covers, clothes, soft toys, coats, jumpers, fleeces, .. you name it ... it's in the wash pile (or in the freezer!).

Yurgh and double yurgh! DD has only had them once or twice in 11 yrs when she was an infant (and even then I wasn't sure and treatment was preventative rather than in response to anything definite) so this has come as a bit of a shock! Really don't know how I managed to miss them because I tie her hair up for school every day and I'm doing ballet bun's all the time and plastering her head with hair spray in the process! And her hair is fine and straight, not particularly thick. Plus I help her wash her (long) hair twice a week. Honestly didn't notice anything at all until this morning... !!

[Louse-inspired rant over!!]

Nowt else achieved today except I made minestrone soup with tiny meat balls which no-one liked [sigh]

You sound very organised Blue and happy birthday to your dh tomorrow!

Congrats on humungous list Jemima

Take it steady Engels

Nicknacks - all the better for repelling nits and it will grow!

Big waves to Vivacia, Alice, Threeislovely Swan, Toffee pushme whoknows and everyone else!

G'night all!

Sorry that was a terribly long rant - think I am high on parabens!!

sc if it's any consolation, once the dandruff sets in the headlice seem to vanish Greasy hair must have magical repellent properties. We used to be on a perpetual circuit and then suddenly they just "vanished" poof!! I have to say (TMI) I once caught scabies from someone's child and that was much much worse...yuk..I'm glad to say my children have never had that.. I miss all that grooming though, my mum used to refer to me as monkey mother

Today has been fine - a few loco episodes from ds2, but dd alternated somersaults with wails, and ended up throwing a bit of tuna sandwich at dh..Ds2 came to church with me in the morning and ds1 went by himself for 6pm Mass. Dh did loads of gardening
I went to Staples with dd early in afternoon, bought stationery for the bottomless pit that swallows up the pencils and pens
Ds2 listened to me reading aloud
We played Charlie and Choc factory game with dh
and enjoyed watching Downton at 9pm - they are all old enough now to find it very interesting
Dd refused to give me her phone at bedtime
Ds2 flooded the bathroom which leaked onto hall as a result
Ds1 spent the entire day saying he was doing homework but not actually doing it and brooding about his D of E packed lunch for Tuesday

Blue mine still can't do the Airfix aimed at 8 year olds and they are 12 and 14. I have to say that ds2 loved playing with the model spitfire which was so difficult to put together so something you have made yourself does have a special charm. He played with it until the propeller (badly glued of course) inevitably fell off

swan airfix presumably have proper instructions though. This is a foam thing, where the instructions basically said 1) stick pieces together as shown in picture. 2) add wheels...

Good morning lovely fledglings [props eyes open with matchsticks]! [Sets large pot of strong coffee on naughty corner bar with some chocolate croissant for everyone to help themselves!]

Thoroughly inspected dd's hair again this morning with a magnifying glass from her biology set (!) and found no evidence of anything at all: all clear and clean and glossy so have allowed her to go on school trip. (Would not have done so if I had found anything as I would have hated her to have passed anything unwelcome on to another child!) Have also written letter to her form mistress, so that the school know, and can make appropriate checks/take action.

Have just waved dh and dd off and feel absolutely exhausted as didn't sleep very well for second night running. Anyone else feel anxious when their dc go off on school trips? I almost feel physically sick! (Ever since that terrible coach crash in Belgium, I just can't relax about it.) I know I need to get a grip, but there you are!

VEry elieved to hear that head lice disappear once adolescence strikes Swan! We also have a bottomless pit in our floor that swallows up pens and pencils!!

Yargh Blue loathe dc kits that don't come with proper instructions - it's so disappointing for all concerned.

Whoknows really sorry to hear that you are (understandably) very stressed again about statementing. Hoping things progress well for you and your ds. Well done re: decluttering!

Right, it 7.30 am here and I had better hit the shower! Going to contine 'operation nit elimination today' and continue to tackle huge washing pile and want to do extra thorough home bleugh and a load of ironing. I read that head lice are nothing to do with basic household hygiene or the lack thereof, but I have the urge to purge!

Ta da:
inspected dd's hair
made dd's packed lunch
finished packing dd's rucksack
fed hamster who put in an unusually early morning appearance!

To do:
morning routine inc rabbits, wm, dw
thorough home bleugh of downstairs and first floor
wrap presents for sister and pack up for post
other paperwork
as much ironing as I can bear
prep roast lamb for dh tonight (delayed from yesterday)
track on-line deliveries

This week:
stop fannying about and make proper progress in boudoir and home office!!!

Have a good start to the week everyone!

Urgh, another Monday morning

To do (as well as going to work)
Hang 2 loads of washing out
Make packed lunches
Kitchen and bathroom swish and swipe
Swim
Cottage Pie for dinner (already made, just needs putting in the oven)
Bring washing back in, iron, put away
Pick DD up from netball practice
Take DD to Brownies
Supervise instrument practice x 4
Test spellings x 2
More washing
Clean out fridge
Tesco delivery (between 8-9pm)

Did I mention that I hate Mondays?

I was looking at getting a rechargeable cordless vacuum, but looking at the expense, and seeing that I can get one of those "henry" vacuums for just over £100, I think I am going to opt for the "henry" vacuum instead. A friend has one and says it's been briliant - it has great reviews as well.

So, even though the other one looks to be streamlined and nifty looking, I think I'll go with tried and reliable at half the price. So ordering it today.

Morning all.

sc sorry to hear about nitfest. Hope the little blighters have gone.

Well done on all the decluttering whoknows - sorry to hear you're stressed about statement.

Well, DH was an arse yesterday - short tempered and really rude for no reason whatsoever so I spent most of yesterday afternoon leaving him to it with DS as I went upstairs to sleep and read, since he thought his behaviour was completely normal. Apparently DS managed to have a leaky poo, and I mean leaky - DH found a turd on the laminate that he must have missed at least an hour after he'd cleaned DS up. That's karma for you

He did eventually apologise but only after admitting he didn't know why I was so upset and suggesting (very dangerous to suggest things to a pg woman) that I was being oversensitive.

Anyway, Yesterday's ta da:
Changed DS's bed - it was a new one I bought ages ago and he hadn't seen it before. Animals all over and he actually said, "Wow, mama look!" in hushed tones before rolling all over it and stroking it.

Emptied kitchen bin
One load of washing
Supermarket
Swept kitchen floor
Washing-up
Online order

Today ta da
Wash on
Stripped our bed

To do
More washing
Injection this afternoon
Make our bed
Online payment
Online orders
make list for hen do and start packing
Pop into town this afternoon (early)
Hoover

managed to sleep much better last night as it seems to have cooled down a bit.

I will be heading off to UK on Thursday straight after work and back late Sunday. Would someone else be able to do links for those 4 days?

BBL to update

Morning all

whoknows hpe statement gets sorted out soon. Stressing about statement as well and Dd getting in to SN secondary school.

Nits, bane of my life since Dd was 6 months old!

To do

10am going to friends to sort out wedding cake.
12:30 dentist for re filling (fell out friday)
Fill and send online wedding form

Have decided to have family for wedding and lunch and friends for teh evening. Unfortunately limited on numbers so next year for 1st anniversary hiring local community centre, friend DJing everyone brings own booze, share food between us and big piss up!!

Had better get on.
have a good day everyone, back later.

That's it here too Shannara, DS is in Year 6 of MS primary and in the middle of his statutory assessment so the whole secondary transfer thing is going on as well as the statementing itself. We're off to visit a potential school later today, I'm trying to finish my parental contribution and he is being assessed by the LA Ed.PSych later in the week and I am so twitchy about it all, I keep worrying that I'm going to say a wrong thing, or not say the right things.

Thanks for croissants SC!

Fortunately, the car managed to stay stuck overnight and actually looked OK in the morning, and DH - whose present it was! - seems quite pleased with it.

I have actually done the house bleugh this morning! Displacement activity for a phone call I'm not looking forward to. Then rang and the person I need to speak to was in a meeting so still have that joy to come. Still, I feel better for having done it, and the house does look better too, though you'd need to know how bad it was before to appreciate that!

Sorry to hear about ongoing statementing struggles etc.

[tops up coffee pot for those in need]

Alrighty. Vacuum ordered. It will be so good to be able to actually VACUUM again!! Never thought I'd say THAT!

ta da
usual morning routine, school run
ds2 to dentist then school
popped into poundland to pick up a couple items
washing up
swept kitchen, dining room, hallway
dusted living room (anyone else love the smell of lemony furniture polish? )
laundry in dryer now
waiting for gas person to come assess radiators (long story)
checked bank
checked budget
ordered vacuum and a few bags (hooray!!)
spoke to school re sports club to organise a few things
updated new diary for 2015 (well, it's actually an academic one that only goes until August of 2015, but for £1, it's better than nothing at all!)
wiped down kitchen counters
cleaned toilet and sink in bathroom
tidied living room
tidied dining room
put clothes away
wrote out a few recipes for my recipe box

And now contemplating what to do for friend's birthday tomorrow... hmmmmm

alice I love the smell of furniture polish but have be careful when doing our dresser as it tends to go on the floor and make it really slippery!

Well done for bleeurghing blue

shannara we got married when I was 7 months pg so had a tiny wedding (DH didn't propose till I was pg and he was also in the midst of depression so a big do wasn't on the cards) and we keep saying we must have a big party, but here we are 3 years on and I'm pg again so will have to wait.

Ta da
changed our bed
2nd load of wash done and td on
online banking
town - lots of bits for hen do bought and some more maternity bits for me

to do
catch up on emails/mn
have a quick look over christmas/presents lists to see if there's anythign else I need to order this week
start making list/packing for uk weekend
injection - mustn't forget my medication!

Going out to thermal baths tonight with a friend so will drop links early in a minute.

back again

calling we would be the same which is why I'm telling everyone already so I know it will work and everyone will come and help out.
whoknows it's so stressful isn't it! I used so many pieces of paper rewriting sections to make it clear what help she needs and that she will never cope in a normal secondary school, even if she had help all day! Now it's sent off all I can do is pray - and finish sorting the wedding.

Wedding cake sorted £200 for 2 tiers, good friend doing it - always useful!

Been to dentist, she plugged hole and need to go back and see my dentist to decide what to do! :(

Now to do some housework before picking kids up!!

Suggesting things to a pregnant lady does your dh have a deathwish engels?

ta da
Get ds to school - he has started to refuse school again
spend morning in office
research sensory perception disorder

Am to collect ds shortly but need to try and rattle off a few emails first. Am stupid tired, last week was a very hard week and not sure that it is going to be much better this week

Links for Tuesday:

Babystep number 23 is to create your afternoon routine.

Tuesday is Plan and Play Day.

Tuesday’s mission is to set the timer for 15 minutes and tidy your bedroom. You can see all the missions for the week here or today’s mission is on the flight plan below.

Here is Tuesday’s flight plan.

How very fucking dare he bitchy those may have been my words

DS is being a monster

Have just emailed my best friend about bridesmaid dress which I am worried is going to look like shit and be uncomfortable. It's not maternity, but empire line, but my boobs and stomach have grown alarmingly so it's rather shorter at the front than the back and if I get it altered (whihc I will have one week to do) it will still be shorter than the other BM - who is a size fucking 10 - so I will look like even more of a lump on wheels. I did mention all this to my best friend when she asked me to be BM, she knew we were trying for a baby, I even gave her a get out clause when I got pg and suggested we wear dresses in the same colour but slightly different style (black so not difficult) but she said no.

Plan is that we try on dresses this weekend at hen do, but altering hem won't make the bust magically expand. I spent the whole day at my Dsis's wedding uncomfortable because my dress was ever so slightly too small on the bust with no stretch nothing to do with me being too vain to order a size 14 since the next size up swamped me and was made for ladies with serious cleavage which I do not have.

Will not even start on the 3 inch stilettos I am expected to wear. flats in handbag for reception

Waiting to see if my inbox explodes from across the world.

Did I break the thread?

Just back from thermal baths and feeling very relaxed.

ta da
injection
washing up
wash#3
Made lunch for tomorrow

and now to bed...

No you didn't break the thread Engels. I managed to delete my post instead of posting it earlier, couldn't be arsed to retype it.

Important emails sent. Books ordered off amazon. And about to crash for an early-ish night.

Glad the thermal baths were relaxing.

Ooo the play bit of Tuesdays is new... Not sure it is practical but I like the idea as a concept.