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!

coffee - your poor DS! Hope he's on the mend soon. Sympathies over your DH thinking you have the easy job. What's interesting is that when it comes down to it, they will never swap. We had the option, when DH lost his job a few years ago, and he was adamant that he'd rather work than stay at home with the kids. Funny that.

SC - thank you for your kind and encouraging words about unhelpful DHs and about my blog. I agree with you about Swan's forgiving interpretations of other people's actions, by the way. (It's a lovely quality, Swan). Do you want me to cover for you when you're away, SC?

fuzz - ouch, sorry about your foot injury. Thanks for more kind words about my blog. I hope you and your DD enjoy the exhibition. The planetarium we were going to visit is the one in Greenwich, but it turns out it's closed for maintenance tomorrow .

Engels - you sound incredibly busy and organised. Good luck with your plans for tomorrow. I'm sure DS will enjoy a film day.

Swan - am so happy to read about your home ed successes with DS2. It sounds as if it's going really, really well (and I hope DH can see that too). It's great that he had a friend (or 'friend') round to play today and that you've organised a workshop for tomorrow. Am still deliberating over whether I'm brave enough to attend a home ed meet up in a local town on Friday. Sorry about your DS1's problems with school. Plenty of time for him to recover from that, though, and it might be a wake-up call for him.

Goth - what a productive day you've had. I have the same issues with chests of drawers - well, any blank surface really . Am intrigued by 'crotching' .

WhoKnows - oh no, off milk smells horrendous! Would bicarbonate of soda sprinkled on it for the night help, maybe? It worked on vomit (useful tip from Bitchy, I do believe). My blog is here, by the way.

Blue - that's what is so dispiriting, isn't it? You can spend hours tidying up and then the whole thing is overturned in one afternoon. Two child-free days sounds good though .

ta da (continued)

Cooked mince for spag bol tonight and chilli con carne tomorrow
Took kittens to Kitten Club (one of them is now a bit on the podgy side, so new kibbles purchased and plans made)
Had The Talk with DH about his hurtful comment
Shared a bottle of wine (always helps)
Dinner
Watched 'The One Show', which we find curiously soothing
Discovered that DS1, after assuring me he would write his thank-you cards, hadn't even started them
Dispatched DS2 to bed
Reviewed plans for tomorrow; DS2 wants to go to a local science centre instead, as planetarium is shut
Watched 'Homeland'
Noticed DH did the washing up and took his dirty plates through to the kitchen
Watched 'Homeland'

Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow.

Well DH has pulled out the sofa, retrieved a few dozen marbles, Moshlings and hair slides, hoovered and damp bicarbed (I did the kitchen, his usual evening job). Got the dehumidifier on down there so should be better tomorrow.

Toffee you know what I mean

crotching is that thing you do when you are in a grumpy nit picky kinda mood where you feel the need to let the world know your opinion on stuff

Whoknows glad you got the microwave things can't be arsed to attempt to spell tonight to work. Agree though they are 101% sugar...

Toffee you have a good memory, I did suggest bicarb for smelly carpets a while back

SC I can post links, no promise to a full round up but linkies are fine. Let me know before you go and I will sort it.

And yes I am more than sick of the sight of tomatoes but was pleasantly surprised at how nice the chutney was especially as i don't generally like that kinda thing

Good morning!

Loving the crotching!!

Bitchy/Toffee thanks enormously for offering to cover thread temporarily for a few days next wk- much appreciated! Will try and get some sense out of dh when he gets back tomorrow as to when that might be exactly! Because as the lowly person who only washes socks I've no need to know what I am doing for Toussaint hols or when or where we are travelling and can immediately drop everything to fit in with him

Bitchy chutney sounds delicious!

Toffee glad your dh has seen the light!

Whoknows good luck with Operation Pong! And with Operation Bedroom Reorganisation!

Engels good luck with Operation School Handover and to your dh with Operation Build/Sort Furniture!

[Proffers footstool and pillow to Fuzzpig]

Coffee hope your ds on the mend now and that none of you succumb. Sounds like you will be in need of another holiday quite soon!

That's an impressive list Goth!

Swan congrats on successful afternoon and wrt mocks: better now than later! Plenty of time to rectify!

Big feathery encouraging wing flaps to eveyrone else!

Woke up full of energy (for me) this morning . So lovely and calm in dh's absence!

DD was unfortunately still awake when I got back last night [grrr] but before I could get cross, she (clever strategy this ) proceeded to have me in stitches doing hilarious impressions of various characters at school. She is a horribly accurate mimic and I couldn't help but laugh.

Huge amounts to do today but going to post after completion (she says optimistically)!

Have a great day one and all!!

Yesterday one dc home ill, today both. That's it now. They'll be home until after Halloween now.

Oh dear Alice that is bad luck that they are ill for the holidays. I hope they recover soon.

People are falling like flies here ... two ladies went home early from volunteering yesterday. And I arrived home to find lovely fortnightly ironing lady had left me apologetic note to say that she had had to go home too because of feeling ill.

[stuffs handful of zinc tablets in mush]

Didn't see Toffee had also offered. It was rather too late last night.

ta da
disappear into loft for some fancy dress stuff.
fish out Halloween stuff
Lunch box sorted.
child dressed in costume
Knee put through loft ladder and now sporting a rather large bloody plaster
List for wool shop trip sorted.
ponder runniness of the chutney.

How running should it be, there seems to be an awful lot of liquid?

SC when I rang ds2's school yesterday, the line was busy for hours. I was told (when I finally got through in the afternoon) that they were swamped with calls because there were so many absent due to the same bug.

Morning all

Wrote a long post and then lost it!

2 days until wedding and have just realised have ordered Ds a 10-11 shirt long instead of standard - hope can tuck all in trousers and roll sleeves up under jacket!
Am waiting for delivery of ds's thank you present; then homebase for both parents and then argos for Dd's! - why do they need a thank you present?

Am adapting old CJ from about 4 years ago to work better for now. After half term am absolutely getting back into FLYing, I know it works and I'm so much more relaxed when doing it properly.

Will be back later, need to do something constuctive while waiting for delivery!

Tiger must be something going round! I thought I posted but came back to tablet to find post still sitting there!

Alice good luck for today, and take care of yourself too.

DH did school run, so a fairly productive morning so far.

No gardening today, as it's just grey, damp & miserable outside. Need to go to Croft tomorrow anyway to harvest, so will delay planned work until,then. Just hope forecast is right and that we do get some dry weather.

Done
Beds
Packed lunch
Washing up
S&S
Litter tray
Dry laundry folded & away
Fresh laundry on clothes horses I hate this damp dreary weather
5 min tidy up in lounge
Cleared chest of drawers in bedroom! Spent 10 mins looking at pile of stuff wondering what to do with it considered adding to hot spot in lounge but filled half and recycled the rest.
Updated membership list and health forms for WF (and cleared out about 400 emails, nothing had ever been deleted in 5 years!)

Just having 30 min break to finish off last night's casserole and MN, then back on with household paperwork.

To do
Bit of sewing
Crocheting
Collect DD
supervise homework
Dinner
washing up & SS
Maybe visit neighbour in hospital

I am expecting a delivery tomorrow (a christmas present I ordered a few weeks ago), so actually being home with ill children means at least it won't be delivered while I'm out on school run. Every cloud, right?

I have been to the wool shop there goes the no new projects rule

That's the spirit! Look for the positive.

Ok, so I've not been off the tablet for the last 2.5 hours!! However I have made a submission to the Smith Commission on Scottish Devolution (not on the official to-do list, but I feel better for doing it) I've also been watching kittens & beanbags on Twitter. hope this link works! it's brilliant,

back again

Ds's shirt is actually the correct size, read the hanger not the shirt label.
Amazon delivery just arrived.
Have decided what roses to get parents, have alternatives but really liked the look of 'Grandpa Dickson'

To do tonight and tomorrow

Tonight: Halloween disco.
Tomorrow;
Assembly, children receiving certificates.
Town; Argos for Dd's wedding present
Nails
Buy a wrap in case cold in evening.
Homebase for roses.

Will then try and have a relaxing afternoon!

have a good afternoon and evening.

back tomorrow hopefully

ds2 painted and sketched a still life at a one off Art Club this week with 14 others. Kind friend again introduced me to this arrangement. And more science clubs coming up in November at Science Museum.

It feels weird starting again with the coffee and kitchens and mothers with young children - this was my life when my children were toddlers - perhaps in the intervening years I stopped making the effort you do when your children are small Anyway it is fun!

Ta da
3x wash (last one in the td now)
Sorted 2 loads of newborn stuff, clean, folded and in nursery
started laying out stuff for hospital bag
cleaned ds's new chest of draws after dh put it up
went to ikea (half term hell!) for nursery light fitting a few other things I didn't know I needed
schoolwork this morning while dh was doing cupboard - managed 2 unit plans though still need to order all resources
washing up
emptied kithcen/bathroom and scraps bins
changed outside bin

just tried on my new maternity coat and it's fabulous. Has a zip out panel so I can wear it post baby as well (I hope)

plans for tomorrow
transfer all ds clothes to new chest of drawers/empty baby cupboard
Blitz house inc hoovering, bathroom, tidy away ds presents and unpack last bag from wedding 2 weeks ago!
roast chicken for dinner
ironing
more baby washing
if feeling up to it get out of the house with ds for a bit to playground

shanna good luck this weekend! Hope everything goes smoothly.

swan sounds fun - I am so antisocial am trying to kickstart my social life a little bit next week with a visit to a friend with a newborn (whose ds1 is the same age as my ds) and having a few friends over for tea and cake.

goth sounds like you've had a very productive day!

Positive thinking alice !

Hope everyone's had a good day. Off to bed soon.

Do I need to save old tax credit paperwork from years ago? Or just maybe last 3 years?

Yes, feeling positive - they're actually holding down toast and dry cheerios. Hurrrahhhh!!! oh the things we cheer about, eh?

Evening all. Zinc tablets obviously didn't work as I have suddenly developed streaming cold tonight.

Fairly busy day. Mostly tedious, but one funny thing happened. Went over to office to sign off a load of accounts in dh's absence. Guy who 'accompanied' said accounts bore striking resemblance to Christopher Plummer in the Sound of Music. Of course, boys in office could not resist, and upon "Captain Von Trapp's" departure, one said "so long" in as casual a manner as he could get away with, another passed by and said "farewell" (slightly less casually it has to be said) leaving me to usher him to the door as fast as possible before our German trainee was able to get in the inevitable "Auf wiedersehen, goodbye". And they call themselves grown professionals

Ta da
15 mins decluttering boudoir
dd packed lunch
morning routine inc dw, wm, rabbits
pack up cooking equip for dd to return
see dd off to school (sharing runs with friend today)
carry stuff upstairs
carry stuff downstairs
sort washing
communed with rabbits for 5 mins with
wash dd’s dressing gown
wash my dressing gown
unpacked dh’s new suit and put away
put dh’s new coat away
on-line banking
carry hoover upstairs
over to office to sign accounts
on-line shopping
folded dd’s laundered short-sleeved school shirts, labelled, and stored them away for next year (amazing she was only wearing them last week!)
carried ironed shirts upstairs and put away
cleaned out shopping caddy
sorted dh’s shirts and put in caddy ready to deliver to cleaners
organised glass recycling and put by front door
ordinary rubbish out
on-line grocery order for Mon
ordered some Christmas cards
15 mins boudoir putting away clothes
another 15 mins sorting/putting away clothes
cleared boudoir bed
dark cool wash
washed dd’s mid-season coat and cagoule
washed ballet kit
5 mins fishing under bed in boudoir (deeply unpleasant!)
collected dd and friend from hwk club
made bolognese sauce
made celeriac, carrot and potato soup
spag bol at home with dd friend
delivered friend home
cleared up supper
supervised dd to bed
long Skype call with dh
study more accounts

Glad the boys are on the mend Alice! (Sorry, not sure about paperwork.)

Looks like the nesting instinct has definitely taken hold Engels congrats on your extremely productive day!

Swan great that you and ds2 are able to tap in to (and enjoy!) home edding social network

Goth see you have been as productive as ever (and non just on the Flying front). Love the combination of flying kittens and devolution . Hope the weather improves for you tomorrow.

Aw Bitchy we all need a pick me up from time-to-time and wool is one of the more benign distractions ... Hope knee recovering and sorry, very little chutney experience, so can't offer any useful advice!

Crikey Shannara did I read that right? Two days to go? How exciting!!!!! I'm amazed you are even thingking about Flying!! And bravo for going to Halloween disco tonight with everything else you have to do!)
(Phew about shirt btw!) Good luck with it all x

Big waves to everyone else!

**

Baby-step no. 24 for Friday 24th is here. The very useful bathroom swish and swipe.

We are in Zone 4 this week: the boudoir here. Declutter for 15 mins in this zone.

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

The last mission of the week can be found here. Change the bed.

The daily focus for Friday is: decluttering our cars, handbags, purses etc.

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.

One more day to go and it's the weekend! We can do it!

SC Not sure I could have contained my laughter at the Sound of Music antics. Funny!

Alice I would also have been giggling. Or joining in

So This friday i have a nice long list to get done:

to do
drop ds' samples at doc
work
load of washing on
bedding washed
folding
ironing
clothes away
change hoover bag
hoover lounge
finish spiral square
finish cream squares of christmas project
finish mostly cream with touch of blue square
sort out time to meet up with friend
Pot up chutney
Drop off letter
Important phone call

And that list is small compared to Saturday's, bloody hell going to be a busy weekend!
Guess I had better go grab breakfast cloths and move my ass! Shame it is so comfy and warm in bed and I could sleep for a week straight I reckon!

I'm going through old paperwork and shredding it, hence the question on the old tax credits paperwork. I can't imagine I need any further back than 3 years.

And if I no longer own a car, I don't need to keep old MOT certs or the receipt, right?