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!

Most adorably sleepy and warm kitty removed from his tunnel of duvet at DH's feet!!!

It is too fecking early for a sunday morning!

Don't forget the clocks have changed today fledglings :o

I always get confused as to whether my clock changes automatically or not.

Clocks change next weekend.

Oh?! I could've sworn I read it was this weekend

I believe that's what the young folk refer to as a FAIL :o

Alice - those are such sweet pictures of your boys. They look so happy at their tea party .

Castle - very impressed by your productive day yesterday.

SC - yes, DS1 seems a lot better, thanks for asking. And he's being very good about taking his meds every day (he now has three pills to take every morning) and swears he feels better already .

MIL was babysitting for us last night, so we had a lovely evening out with friends although I'm paying for it with a slight headache this morning. Very envious of their gorgeous new house - they have a utility room!

Today is wash day in the Toffee household. Thanks to our tumble dryer failing at its job and not actually drying anything properly, combined with rubbish, rainy weather, I have avoided washing all week (massive Flying Fail). As a result, every laundry basket is now rammed full of dirty clothes . The first wash is on and I'm just going to keep going and get as much done as I can [bored emoticon].

DH has commented that I'm spending too much on food, so I also need to attempt a budget. I did point out that cutting back on beer and wine would instantly cut the bill, but, oddly enough, DH didn't go for that.

Hope you all manage to have a reasonably relaxing Sunday.

I have to attack the laundry too. I only left it for a couple of days but it spirals so bloody quickly. DH has got a week's worth of ironing (uniform/workwear) as he wasn't well enough during the week, and he's attacking the washing up now too. It's just too hard to keep up with everything at the moment, let alone declutter as well!

Eh up, lots of early birds about this Sunday morning ... . Must be the lovely weather!

Glad you had a well deserved night off Toffee and good luck with Mt Washmore today [hands over paracetemol]

Thanks for the reminder nonetheless Fuzzpig! (I always need lots of advance warning about time changes as it is confusing enough being an hour ahead here, yet having to constantly refer to UK time.)

And a warm welcome to Luckylopez!

Castle arf at closet SAS-style kitten extraction I'm sure your dh will come around about the cats in the new house... dh was dead set against rabbits and he is now incredibly soppy about them!

Vicariously v. very excited about your new house taking shape! (Wish we had renovated before moving in as it hasn't happened since!) Really happy for you that things are getting sorted before baby arrives (essential imo)!

Wrt double oven, we have a large semi-industrial thing (dh's choice) because we entertain quite a bit. It's great for big dinner parties/Christmas and when we have visitors. It's not so good for baking (really great for roasting mind you, but so hot that cakes and biscuits get cremated unless one is very careful). It takes up quite a bit of already limited workspace but it does improve look of kitchen. Think they are worth it if you plan to entertain a lot though. Sorry, bit of a mixed bag there, so not much help!

Well done re: bathroom reorganisation but remember to take some rest today too [stern look over pince nez].

Sorry to hear that family fun was a bit of a struggle yesterday Blue; hope things more relaxing today.

Bitchy/Blue not exactly sure what pickling vinegar is but I know you have to use vinegar with a high acidity content - so balsamic and red wine vinegar not as good as white wine vinegar or cider vinegar (I think anyway!). Not sure where malt fits in on acidity spectrum but will go and investigate further as interested in this now ...! Goth might know though ... .

Alice definitely a prerequisite of small boys to be silly; it's their job !!

Large, lazy Sunday wing-flaps to all fledglings... .

Off to remind dd about hwk ... .

x post Fuzzpig think never-ending hamster wheel of household chores can be very demoralising; and particularly hard if you are ill (and even harder with your dh having been ill too). Forget the decluttering for now and just focus on a few essential baby-steps. You can always come back to it later when things are on a more even keel. Good luck with it!

Thanks stewed. The 'you never need to catch up' flylady thing is appealing (although doesn't really apply to washing up and laundry as obviously you do need to catch up - but YKWIM)

So today DS needs a haircut, I have to at least wash the rest of the uniform/workwear.

Not sure I have energy for much more than that.

Hmm so much for getting an early start today! I fell back to sleep and have just been woken by DH with breakfast in bed (toast and a fab boiled egg!). Sadly there isn't a cup of tea as I failed on the grocery shop front yesterday and then proceeded to drink all the milk left in the house yesterday evening (pregnancy craving!)

To Do:

*Wash dishes
*Laundry reboot, including washing all the cosmetic bags
*Meet my mum and sister for dinner
*Grocery shop/unpack
*Visit horses who will forget me if my absence gets any longer - thank God for DH and DSiL who are so helpful.
*Reorganise salvaged cosmetics (everyday bag, extra makeup, hair & nails and 'other' - am I the only one who has Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream and doesn't know when to use it?!!!)

Oh dear and I've just remembered my eBay/Paypal account seems to have been hacked into and beautiful maternity dress I purchased has been dispatched to the wrong address and somebody has been spending money on my Paypal account too!!!

Right! eBay/Paypal crisis averted. It has taken me this long to discover that eBay have a new global shipping system and a new way of billing buyers, so all is well. Beautiful maternity dress is due to arrive eventually...and nobody has used my Paypal account. Phew!

But this info may help others living abroad and buying from UK sellers on eBay. Your purchase will appear as 2 transactions on your credit card and on Paypal accounts (one to the seller and one to Pitney Bowes Ltd for customs/labelling) and the seller will post to the UK distribution centre in Derbyshire, from where eBay will send it on to international destination.

That bit of info would have saved myself and the seller alot of panic. The seller sent me 10+ messages since this time yesterday culminating jn one this morning advising me to report the transaction to the police!!! Anyway, it's all good!

Right, the power of 3:

*Get out of bed/shower/dress etc
*Reboot laundry
*Tidy kitchen and wash up

Glad that's sorted, castle - saw an email about that from eBay the other day, but didn't read it. Perhaps I should!

SC/Bitchy I think this was the recipe I used for green tomato chutney, which came out v well. It just has malt vinegar, BBC Good Food one had "spiced pickling vinegar", whatever that may be.

Phew, glad panic is over, Castle.

After discussing our need to budget on our food bills, we decided to go out to lunch . This may explain why we are always overdrawn. However, we had a lovely time and DS2 enjoyed it very much. And I have done a cheaper than usual shop at Ocado for next week.

Have spent the rest of the day washing and trying to get it all dry. Tumbledryer is not drying . Not sure whether it's worth calling out a repairman or cheaper to just buy a new one (more money ). At the moment, everything is drying on the radiators, one of which doesn't work .

Have also done a big pile of ironing, so we all have clean, ironed clothes for the week.

DS2 has got hold of the Halloween box and distributed its contents all over his tidy bedroom. Am going to insist he tidies it up, rather than expecting me to do it.

done
argument with dh about the horrors of Steptoe's Yard which he was snarkey about. I then left him to deal with the children and spent whole day cleaning it out, and taking rubbish to the dump, scrubbing the paving etc. Dh for the first time ever accompanied me to the dump - in order to carry the heavy wood out of the car. He was amazed - literally never been to the dump before. He asked me how I knew about it...Eight years I've been driving to that place, honestly!!!

so that is something to be very grateful for..it is DONE! Hurrah. Our yard is North facing side return so it gets very slimy and becomes a repository for all sorts of rubbish and old flower pots etc not to speak of the recycling and old mops. We decided pressure washing was too noisy for Sunday afternoon.

Toffee going out once in a while for lunch is such a tonic. Sometimes the washing up on Sunday is the final straw. I think a few people have nice relatives, or even the sort of miraculous relaxed friends, who invite them round to Sunday lunch - we certainly don't and it is rather relentless. Glad ds1 is feeling better with the Vit D.

Also dones
ds2 mowed the lawn
ds2 played badminton with dh
ds1 and dd did homework and lay low
all three went to Mass, ds2 with me and the others independently
put laundry away (unironed I may add, that is the way I usually do it unless the cleaning lady is around at precisely the right moment.
Sorted car out a bit too. Found some flea treatment for cat from a previous vet trip which I had lost too, so applied it until the Amazon order comes.

Thank fuck today is now done. It was one hell of a day!

Argh 3 attempts to post, so to summarise.

Been visiting an elderly neighbour who's been hospitalised. But is getting much better now.
Been doing crafty things with DD today

DM's Green Tomato Chutney recipe, if required

5 lb green tomatoes
1 lb onion
1 garlic clove
1 pint vinegar
1 lb sugar
2 – 3 level teaspoons salt
1 level tablespoon pickling spice in a muslin bag

Coarsely mince vegetables and garlic, add to large pan with half of vinegar.
Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes, add remaining ingredients.
Cook uncovered until thickens to usual brown consistency.
Remove spices and bottle while hot

Swan you were seriously productive today!!!
Toffee it's a lovely treat to go out for lunch on Sunday - we did the same!

Waves to Bitchy, Blue, Sc and anybody else fluttering about today!

Waves to Goth - your recipe sounds delicious! Will store it up for another time when energy for cooking more than the essentials arises!

Morning! Thirst has just woken me up - unbelievably, it was so sunny yesterday, spent a large part of it doing a good impression of a beached whale on a sun bed on the terrace - while dh and dd ran around in swim suits blasting one another with water filled Nerf guns! It was boiling hot! Not bad for 19th Oct

We have also been invaded by poor, confused ladybirds who have woken up from hibernation thinking it was spring!

Had a really lovely relaxing weekend for once, studiously avoiding any arguments about the house/the future etc etc only spoiled somewhat by dd being silly over bed-time and coming down three times between 9 and 11pm. Really annoyed as her school weeks are so demanding and when she doesn't sleep everything goes downhill. Going to have to instigate an "every time you come down, you go to bed half an hour earlier" rule I think. Only one more week to get through before half term ... .

Right,going back to bed now but might as well post links before I go... . BBL for personals!

Baby-step no. 20 for Monday 20th is here. A useful one about incorporating laundry in to your daily morning and evening routines.

We are in Zone 4 this week: the master bedroom or boudoir as we prefer to call it here . Declutter for 15 mins in this zone.

The detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 4 is here.

Monday's mission (and all the missions for the week ahead) can be found here. Spend 5 mins gathering things up that don't belong in the bedroom, and 10 mins chucking them or putting them away. 15 mins aint going to cut it in my boudoir oh no.

The daily focus for Monday is: the home bleugh.

The monthly habit for October is getting rid of paper clutter: www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/october/ .

For a summary of the above, see the flight plan : www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-120 which should update itself daily.

Big feathery waves to all!

Morning! Hope everyone has a great start to the week today!

Sc What amazing weather! I have woken to torrential rain myself!

Well just this week to get through until half term! And we are supposed to be out of the rental house by the end of half term. Eek!
So this week I need to stay focussed on the packing up and decluttering even if the daytoday flying takes a nosedive!

My mum and sister are coming this evening for dinner, and I've an antenatal appointment with my GP this morning before school so it's all action here!

Thankful for today's babystep - Mt Washmore is huge, as is Mt. Ironmore... ...

Morning all!

Into my second week of flapping madly trying to get off the ground flying :o

I'll read the links when I get back from the school run. My definite to do item this morning is hang out wet laundry. I have a feeling even that's going to be a struggle today!

Well, predictably, we were all a bit grumpy and shouty this morning and I am just supping Castle's brew gratefully and taking 5 mins, now that dh and dd have left. The day can only get worse: school run, hwk supervision, ballet run, school meeting tonight.... eurgh....plus the delights of the home bleugh and all the rubbish recycling (which takes hrs here!) during the day.

And it's time for my traditional October "why oh why haven't I ruddy well done 15 mins of paper decluttering every day" wail!! and also my "why the ruddy hell have I been eating my body weight in bread and toast and pasta every day" and done no consistent exercise wail too ... I'm a hopeless case.

Here's hoping you are all doing considerably better than this month's thread leader!!

[Hands over extra strong to Bitchy] Sorry yesterday was so tough.

Good morning Castle good luck with the final packing up this week but don't overdo it!! Hope appt goes well this morning and good to here Paypal crisis resolved. Noted about overseas purchases - thx!!

I know Fuzzpig I do get a bit annoyed with Flylady sometimes as it is always "well just do a bit of this and a bit of that and then add on one more Flyspot and then just do another small other thing" which before you know it can add up to ordinary style wall to wall housework that we were doing before! And, as you say, you can't just not do the washing or shop or cook food! Still it's all in the presentation I guess! Deluding us in to feeling we are doing less when we are not really!! I dunno [forgive uninspiring thread leadership] sometimes I just think housework is un-ending however you cut the cake or whatever the phrase is!! Although (desperately trying to sound positive) at same time, reckon Flylady is as good a system I have come across to date anyway (but by far from perfect). Anyway, all of that was just intended to say "yes, washing up and laundry does pile up in very depressing manner, even if only left for a short time". I get overwhelmed by the ground-hog day of it all too.

Blue and Goth like the look of both those recipes! (And I don't even eat chutney!)

Bitchy Btw, I think I was having a middle-aged moment and mixing up pickles and chutneys yesterday! Something in the back of my mind about malt vinegar being good for taste but not for looks! (But that only applies to pickling certain veg of course!) I love malt vinegar as it happens, used to drink it neat by the tablespoonful, but can't get it over here.

Congratulations on having such a productive Sunday Swan and getting Steptoe's yard sorted . Didn't look like you had much of a chance to renew your spirit though!!

Well done for channelling Mrs Tiggy-Winkle Toffee!! Sympathies over food bills. The price of an ordinary shop is shocking here. It's gone up and up and up over the last 3 or 4 yrs. I've cut down on home delivery because we were literally getting less and less for more money. And I've recently changed supermarkets too.

Have a good start to the week as humanly possible everyone! [Power of three for me this morning I think]

x posts

Take it steady Fuzzpig!!

Yargh - good to 'hear' Paypal crisis resolved - not 'here'!!