Fledglings polish their pumpkins and do their best, it's time for a Fling Boogie Octoberfest!

[Stewedcoot]

Heartfelt thanks to Engels (and Bitchy!) for leading the thread throughout September (Sept always being a busy one) despite feeling a bit poorly and despite being pregnant. Hope beneficial effects of injections kick in soon!

If you are strugging with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of chat, support and and along the way.

Flylady link here.

This little-and-often system is designed so that you can follow a series of steps and routines each day (which gradually become second nature) in zones of the house which are designated weekly; defining and minimising housework, which in theory should leave you with loads more time to do something more interesting instead!

At the same time it is intended to reduce that panicky "rabbit in headlights" feeling when you are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once. No problem if you miss a day or two; just jump right back in and it will all come around next month again!

It's up to you, but we advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be inundated! All the information you need will be linked here on a daily basis.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's steps and routines using 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 if you are really enthusiastic and have finished decluttering - you can go on to detailed deep cleaning in each zone.]

More info here on getting started and Flying lessons . Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings.

Don't be put off by the barf-tastic language of the site - the underlying system is sound!

Three key points to keep in mind:
(1)No perfectionism allowed - this is harder than you would imagine
(2)You are never behind just start where you are and anything you do is progress.
(3) It didn't get into a mess overnight, it won't get tidy over night - accept it will take time to get on top of things and you will be happier.

If you are new; then trying to spend 15mins decluttering daily and doing the babysteps is a good way to start. Some of us (mentioning no names!) can have scary looking lists but don't let that worry you! Do what you can, anything is better then nothing, and don't judge yourself against others.

If all else fails, a brew + the power of three technique + a bit of support on here can work wonders!

Oh and don’t let it put you off if we appear a bit cliquey – some of us have been on here for years – but all lurkers, intermittent returnees, oldies and newcomers very, very welcome!

Hello! Sorry to hear that many of you had such stressful days yesterday. Here's to a better one today!

Just posting now (5.50 am here) because I'm going off on a day trip shortly and won't be back (or looking at the thread) until very late tonight.

In the meantime ... .

Castle snoring husbands is something I have huge experience of so you have my sympathies! Hope you can catch up on sleep tonight! Sounds as if your renovation plans are coming together - really exciting! Take it steady today and enjoy the ivory tickling!

Swan great that ds2 enjoyed Scouts - agree with Toffee - he is obviously thriving now he is being home edded. Like the champagne cork description

I think constant worry is the most draining aspect of parenting tbh.

Coffee don't feel terrible! Bedtimes can be so stressful. Your ds won't remember and it's more important you took a break so you can be ready for him again this morning. Enjoy your trip!

Now you've made me feel really ancient Bitchy and arf at Garfield! Sorry you had such a stressful time yesterday evening which must take it out of you both. Good luck with your list and hope things are more settled for you and your ds today. I agree with you about early adolescence; it's such a lot to cope with so early on - dd's class is just the same and she is definitely starting to feel the effect of hormones herself! HOpe important paperwork done and dusted.

Special waves to Fuzzpig and hope you managed to catch up on some sleep last night, and that your dd slept eventually too. And hope work/childcare issues resolve themselves. Here's to a less stressful day today!

Huge feathery waves to Toffee and everyone else! Take care of yourselves fledglings and have a good day!

Tallyyyy-hooooooooooooo!

oops - I mean snoring husband in the singular obviously!

Right, going to sneak out of house now leaving dh to do morning routine! Yay! [SC makes 16 hr bid for freedom!] Whooo-hooooo!!!

My understanding is that if you can hear him snoring, you're not holding the pillow down hard enough.

Busy day here, but not sure how much I'll actually get done. We shall see.

I need to get some more baking done this week and put in the freezer, as I don't think I have ANYTHING baked in there and that is unusual for me. So best get to cracking! (eggs, that is)

Thanks for all the kind words

Not sure what I'll get done today but at least I have the full school day on my own. Although I feel I need a lot of time just to recover from yesterday!

Can I just check I understand right, I don't try and add yesterday's 15 mins decluttering/bathroom cleaning (the two things I didn't manage yesterday) onto today's list, do I? I just move on instead?

done two children to school
coffee drunk
have gone back to bed again

todo
last night's washing up
buy more catfood (fresh air and exercise)
literacy activities with ds2
art activities with ds2 (try and paint dd's room? could I incorporate Maths in there somewhere

and I most definitely need a nap today at 2pm as I'm flagging

SC I'm so relieved you have escaped!

Castle v impressed by piano and the assertive way you have convinced dh to have the custom built extras! I also have a snoring husband and what never fails is just to turn him on his side or prop him up

Have a wonderful day Sc - you deserve it!

Yes fuzzpig just do today's 15 mins, unless you have time and are going well - then reset your timer (on phone!) for another 15 min stint!

Alice!!! Enjoy the baking! I would love to have a freezer stocked with baking! So... what are you going to bake?!

Right I need to get cracking too as I have a -possibly difficult-- meeting this morning...

Correct Fuzzpig. Those will come around again. move on. Tbh that is the hardest part to accept that step. And most of us are dreadful at it.

Sleep has been had but was on concussion watch so up every couple of hours to poke ds and make sure he was still alive

Ha Swan don't be impressed! I didn't convince him, I didn't ask him, I just told kitchen man to measure up for the custom units and send on a plan. And DH didn't object due to being in the bad books!! And DH is a plumber by trade so he was quite against these units when I showed him pictures before, because they will cost a few hundred more each than buying ones from bathroom places where he can get trade prices . Anyway....while he is still not out of the bad books entirely I will try to pushy luck as far as I can!!!

[coffee] for bitchy

Morning all,

Castle I'm quite envious of your piano playing abilities, I'd love to play to that level (I was self taught so have appalling technique that holds me back really)

Mmmm Alice, what's baking then?

Have fun SC, I'm also escaping for some time to myself later this morning, enjoy

ta da
DS up, nappy, milk etc
DS bed made
Cats fed and flea treatment applied
Coffee drunk

to do
Make list for holiday packing
Wash on
DW
Go to town all by myself for holiday manicure and blissful coffee whist reading my book
Declutter and organise under kitchen sink

As Wednesday is anti procrastination day, I will fit the new toilet seat that DH has been saying he will do for the last four weeks....

ta da
DCs at school
Checked at office about consent form
Found DD's lunchbox she'd left in the cloakroom

to do
5 mins stash and dash (DCs' bedroom) (check me out using the FLYing lingo! :o).
15 mins decluttering in bathroom
Mission (clean bathroom bin)
15 mins general decluttering
Hang out last night's wash (it's only one item :o)
Planning - one hour going through school letters, calendar etc
Gather laundry - can't do any more today as nowhere left to dry it, so I'll get what I can ready for tomorrow.

That's all I'm attempting today, am exhausted and grumpy so if I manage anything it'll be a miracle!

Swan - I meant 'home-ed child', of course, not 'home child' . Love the way you are thinking like a home educator now (eg. 'art activities with ds2 (try and paint dd's room? could I incorporate Maths in there somewhere?)) .

Morning to all sleepy fledglings and sorry for those who had sleepless/broken night's sleep.

Just about to start Maths with DS2, whilst waiting for Ocado order to be delivered. Then we are walking into town (today's exercise) to buy polystyrene balls from the art shop so we can build a model of our solar system.

Am dressed and have drunk my tea, so no excuse not to get started now.

Oh and thanks for the reassurance about not trying to 'catch up' (BTW sorry for not name checking people for this kind of thing - it addles my CFS-induced foggy brain trying to remember names)

I think this element - the not beating yourself up if you don't manage something - is going to be REALLY helpful for me. So much better than feeling like a failure!

Also, half term will not be a FLYing week for me. DH and I both have the week off and although obviously we will be doing fun stuff with the DCs, we've agreed we absolutely MUST use a lot of time to really attack the clutter (it's heading towards hoarder next door type levels :(). I want to plan the week to make sure we get lots done but we have different approaches really - DH just wants to dig in anywhere but I find it really hard if I don't have a plan! Any advice? :)

Bleurgh. I have a cold and feel poorly but am supposed to go to the gym in an hour. Working from home and trying to get my head around what to do today when really i just want to sleep!

To do
Tidy living room
Clean living room carpet
Declutter all toiletries
Go to sainsbury's
Make tea
Take kids swimming
Go to gym

Give DH an area to dig in, and you plan to work another area specifically? Or tag team it so that one has dc and the other works their style. Or hire a skip with the view to get it filled with all the rubbish by the end of the week and get the kids running to chuck stuff in depending on their ages. not sure that there is an answer to this.

It is hard for me to work with others as i am an attack whatever caught my eye rather that focus on one area kinda person in the way that I operate. Makes it very difficult for people who don't understand this. Especially as it takes longer for any visible results but then the whole house gets done at once. It is not the best approach for moral though

Good luck with it fuzzpig

Tuesdays to do list
Lunch box made and ds to school
fill in ds' reading record for him
laundry
upset the printer in progress
make some important phone calls
fill in some very important forms
trip up to next town to pick up some bits and bobs for the car
Food shop
trip over the hills to the town of steel
Tidy my room some
finish edges and sew on poppers
buy birthday cards
plan some stuff with ds

I am going to have a drink and do some planning. And then see where things are as I must get this paperwork and phone calls done today!

Thanks for the suggestions Bitchy :) I will have a chat with him about these approaches, and I think he will be open to a little planning as we both want to make the most of the time. He's starting to understand the issue I have with his approach - like on weekends he will tidy the living room but it's effectively just moving stuff around really because nothing actually has a place!

A lot of it is my fault too though. I have such issues letting go of stuff that I can't let him dig in if I'm not there :(

We've lived here 6 years and never organised a damn thing! So DH thankfully now realises that we need to start from scratch and actually decide where things go...

We are both so bad at this!

I'm wondering if I carry on deciding WHERE stuff goes - which I can do in advance of half term because it's not physically draining for me - it will make the week more productive as some of the planning has already been done? I will also gather, empty and clean any spare storage tubs in advance as we have plenty already.

I don't think we can afford a skip really but thankfully my dad is happy to do the odd tip run for us so I will probably book one in for the end of that week :)

It's progress for me though that I'm actually still doing little bits of decluttering NOW rather than just waiting til half term. Even if I only do a little bit each day it still adds up :)

Is there something flyladyish about visualisation, like deciding what you want your home to be like? I feel like I need to do that :o

I think it comes under the no negative voices thing.

I am drowning under paper work. Not helped by the fact I have just had to make the print spew out around 150 printed pages I feel a paperwork organising kinda day is how today is going to end up being.

The plans... starting tomorrow morning:

• pumpkin bread
• banana bread
• lemon cake
• chocolate cake

Just basics really. I may also make some scones... do they freeze well? I have some glace cherries I could cut up and put in the scones.

I actually may do the pumpkin bread tonight - it'll warm up the house and smells sooooo good - all cinnamon and pumpkin-y.

Afternoon everyone

Still not much FLYing happening here. After half term, when wedding and all birthdays are finished will be back on the wagon FLYing high!

Have read some of previous posts but, as usual, forgot my replies as soon as i thought them - hate having dyspraxia and epilepsy completely messes up memory and ordering things!

Done

W/M done, still sitting in though will put in T/D after lunch.
Helped at funfit all morning.

Kids got up about 5:45 and proceeded to yell at each other for 1 hour! Reason - I said ds is allowed to go on the computer in teh morning sometimes, Dd likes her morning routine of watching videos on youtube. 7am Dd had breakfast then went on the computer and Ds went on his DS as usual and everyone calmed down! - joys of ASD Dd not liking change to her routine and Ds being aggresive, over sensitive and having a completely fixed ideas of what is right and how things are done, can't understand that just because other people have a different opinion doesn't mean that they are wrong; they hate him and he needs to hit them!!

i think i need parenting classes.

Anyway rant now over.

To do

Washing in T/D
Phone ppi people to confirm we accept the settlement
Get all the wedding stuff out and check haven't forgotten anything.
Tidy mine and ds's bedrooms so can see teh floor.
Have a nap
Pick up kids, hopefully no beating each other/ me up on the way home.

Maybe back later or tomorrow

have a good afternoon adn evening everyone

Woohoo, decluttering done in all 3 categories (DCs' room, bathroom, general). Roughly two binbags done. Resisting temptation to overdo it though, back to resting!

I was looking forward to the planning earlier but I feel really overwhelmed ATM :(

urgh... sinus headache...

Alice - yes, scones freeze brilliantly. If you can't eat them all straight away you should always freeze them because they're horrible stale!

Yikes, look at the time. Better dash.

Well done Fuzzpig sometimes it is better not to plan or think but to just get stuck in as it stops the omfg how much to do?! feeling

I have done precisely that and have not really done anymore from my to do list but in the interests of I probably should stick to the plan ishness I suppose I had better update it and just add on everything else to it at the bottom.

Be warned I have been drinking proper caffinated coffee today

Tuesdays to do list
Lunch box made and ds to school
fill in ds' reading record for him
laundry done office curtains, towels in machine atm
upset the printer
make some important phone calls 1 of 4 done
fill in some very important forms been playing hunt the supporting paperwork.
trip up to next town to pick up some bits and bobs for the car
Food shop
trip over the hills to the town of steel
Tidy my room some it is at the more mess before better stage
finish edges and sew on poppers
buy birthday cards
plan some stuff with ds
sort out a box of board games and resources from study
Sort through a drawer unit in the office and empty it by culling
Get the paperwork in filed ordered manner in progress

Right time to evict the rubbish from the car, make sure ds has remembered he is walking home and to head on a road trip.