Time for a bonfire of the clutter? Perhaps not but Fledglings are flying high with the fireworks through November...

[BlueEyeshadow]

Huge thanks to SC (and Bitchy!) for leading the thread throughout October (and to SC for such a copy and paste-able OP)

If you are struggling 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 wine and cake 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 + 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!

Only 50 Bitchy?

Active day here, not a great deal of Flying though.

Morning routine etc
Tidying, washing
OU work
Pilates class
Sainsburys
Swimming
Lunch
More tidying
School run
Keyboard practice with DD
Ballet / tap with DD

Then off to the nearest big town with both DCs for Christmas shopping and pizza, the DCs finished most of their Christmas shopping. Got back about 8.15, got them off to bed around 9.15. BEen pottering on the OU website, need to go and do some ironing now.

I can thoroughly recommend babysitting as a kind of mini-holiday: spent the entire evening reading a new book on a friend's sofa, whilst her angelic children slept upstairs . Bliss.

When I arrived home, I managed to persuade DS1 to complete his homework and finish his thank-you cards. This relaxation business pays dividends.

Thanks for the round up, Blue. And welcome back, Dreamteam.

Good morning everyone! Finally woke up today feeling reasonably fit and energetic! Yay!

Glad the busman's holiday proved restful Toffee!

Blimey WhoKnows I feel positively faint looking at your list yesterday; to go Christmas shopping after swimming and pilates deserves some sort of award!

Wish oven cleaning men existed over here DTG

Just off out on school run! Boudoir is screaming for my attention thereafter!

Big encouraging "we can do it" sort of waves to Swan Blue Goth Engels Bitchy Ellie Shannara Nicknacks Terry Alice Coffeeandcream Honu Dizzy Pushme Feetheart and everyone else I've missed!

And Castle if you have a moment to spare and are looking at this, hope your house move is going/has gone well and that you are not over-doing it!

SC - we only went to four shops, which are all pretty well next to each other, the shopping centre was practically deserted and the DCs were able to chase each other around and let off steam (it's an undercover centre and it rained the entire day yesterday) so it was good fun.

Oh well glad to hear it was relaxing in that case Whoknows! Still think your list v. energetic!

Ta da:
rabbits
morning routine inc dw, wm, dining room table hot spots
gym bag
school run
prep laundry for fortnightly iron lady (bliss!)
carry laundry panier downstairs and sort
wash load x2
put away clean and ironed clothes
clear unused bed in boudoir that had become holding area for miscellaneous clutter
change double bed
change dd's bed and hoover and dust in her room (whilst ignoring stacks of wobbling books)
clear everything off boudoir floor except all the shoes (which need sorting)
dsis2 kindly did food shopping

Just about to profit from lovely autumn sunshine and take an hour's break now with dsis2 and go for a walk/snack before picking dd up from cooking class.

Hope eveyrone is having a good day!

Friend I babysat for last night called round this morning to warn me that her children have been up all night being sick. Am really, really hoping I haven't caught it. Any idea how long these things take to manifest? I only put them to bed - no physical contact at all - so I'm hoping I'm not going to go down with it. But I did use the towel in the bathroom .

ta da

Finished my book ('Alys, Always' by Harriet Lane - highly recommend)
Took DS2 cycling
Late breakfast
Decluttered hallway
Hoovered and mopped hallway and kitchen floor
Unloaded and reloaded d/w
Polished knobs
Put washing on
Persuaded DS1 to bath and wash hair (am hoping he also cut his nails)
Welcomed teacher for DS's lesson
MN time

About to start doing some work with DS2...

Ta da
sort paperwork mountain into categories
remove rubbish, recycling and shredding
collect washing from ds' room
first load of washing done
ironing
sort through handed down clothes (too big into storage, right size washed and in drawers)
2nd load of washing done
figure out how the rest of day will go.
Sort out plan of action for tomo (especially as was told the planned visit to see the poppies is no longer going to be possible)
Get into a discussion on mn that has really annoyed me - probably irrationally but still
Lose an hour to said discussion but leave it feeling less grumpy
3rd load of washing on
Shower get ready for the events of the evening

One ds back to school, the other home ill. Not getting a whole lot done today... unless you count Pinterest and MNing as getting things done.

Call it important research Alice

hahahahaa sounds good to me I could get a degree in Pinterest

Toffee bah! and poor friend, that must have made her feel going out was a mistake Hope you don't catch it.

SC glad you escaped from the house into the autumn sunshine

Whoknows I too am amazed at your ability to keep going all evening!

Today I went to the most lovely Home Ed meetup in a familiar park. Never been before but met some new people whilst ds2 encountered some familiar faces from Friday football. We were all congratulating ourselves on the way the children were playing (Hide and seek) AND being out in the fresh air whilst the sun was actually shining. Felt a bit cold though, I must perfect my muddy park outfits. Need thermos, sandwiches AND a rug next time.

Evening all!

WhoKnows - yes, that does sound a very energetic kind of day. Glad you enjoyed it though.

SC - glad you're feeling better too.

Toffee oh, no! Hope you've escaped.

Amazing list again, Bitchy.

Alice - get well soon to second DS!

Swan - glad the meetup went well. at muddy park outfits.

My ta da! list for today seems a bit pathetic...
Laundry
Few emails
Trip to the Range and managed not to spend too much money
Cooked tea
Played piano
Parents' evening
Played snakes and ladders with boys
Zumba
Masterchef

Not much flying on there. Hey ho.

**
Babystep is to do a mission...

... and the mission is to assess supplies in the bathroom and laundry room.

Thursday is errand day.
**

Well, it wasn't all energetic yesterday, our trip did include a pizza restaurant, so there was no cooking or washing up needed yesterday. And I didn't get round to the ironing, but I really am going to tackle it now, with the Apprentice on.

Today - been at work, then home for a bit, DD to Brownies and DS to trampolining (both at the same time in next door buildings), PTA meeting and a bit of OU work. In between I have been hotspotting various places. I have also made lists for my Christmas shopping on my phone, I sometimes find I go out and can't remember what I've already bought otherwise, but the DCs are getting very clever at finding lists and notes.

SC - glad you have felt better today.
Toffee - hope you avoid the sickness bug
Blue - I find it hard not to come out without a trolley load when I go to The Range.
Bitchy- events of the evening sounds promising, hope it's been a good one.
Alice - hope DS is better soon

Not really Whoknows ds has training but needed clothes and me that wasn't covered in dust!

Morning all. Absent yesterday as I was incredibly grumpy and tired all day. No particular reason, just one of those days. Feeling better today though aided by the fact that dsis and I managed to get hold of Take That tickets for next year. This pleases me a lot.

I have absolutely no flying to report apart from doing some washing.

Have a lovely day everyone.

Morning! Quiet on here atm!

Thanks for links and round-up Blue!

Hope tiredness dissipates quickly Ellie and here's to a better day today! [more ]

Hope all that knob polishing has killed off any potential bugs that are lurking Toffee

Hope your lo recovers quickly Alice. It is terribly frustrating when you have so much today and yet are home-bound.

Swan it's brilliant that the home edding and the groups are going so positively!!

Waves to Bitchy and everyone else!

Loads to crack on with today; mainly boudoir related, so that it can be cleaned properly by cleaners tomorrow!

Have a good day everyone!

Morning, fledglings.

No sign of a sickness bug here yet - fingers crossed (yes, the knob polishing has worked its magic, SC ).

Everyone slept in this morning . DS2 and I are going to help DH at work this morning, then I'm going to have my hair cut and coloured at the hairdresser this afternoon. Am a bit worried because my usual hairdresser - who I trust completely - has gone on maternity leave, so I'm seeing someone else.

SC - good luck with boudoir tidying.

ellie - sympathies on the grumpy day. Glad you're feeling better today.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Sympathies Toffee - I've just had my last haircut from the brilliant hairdresser who has done mine for 9 years and is now giving it up, so I've got to start again with a new one too. I'm staying with the same salon but am nervous about letting someone else loose on my hair after all these years.

Ellie - hope today is better. Well done on the tickets, it seems to be an annual thing that my FB page is filled with happy Take That fans when the tickets come out.

SC - good luck with the boudoir, mine is in need of some rescuing later too.

WhoKnows - sympathies to you too. Actually, the new hairdresser has done a really good job and charged me less too - so I'm happy .

What I'm not happy about is the palaver that greeted me when I arrived back at MIL's. I could see her standing at her window, looking out for me, when I walked back. Then it turned out she'd phoned DH to find out why I was taking so long (I'd said I'd be two to three hours and it took three ). As he is in bed and in pain whenever he moves at the moment - which I'd told her - it really annoyed me that she'd phoned him, woken him up and got him out of bed. And he couldn't do anything about it anyway, so it was a completely pointless phone call! AIBU to feel really, really annoyed that I can't go off to do something for myself for a few hours without being made to feel as if I've done something wrong when I get back?

MIL does love a drama.

I've had one of those days today. grrr

made mistake of interrupting ds2's schedule to see a friend for lunch on spur of moment.. ds2 needs a watertight schedule or he goes seriously off piste on computer Dh was working very hard and then ds2 did his whingy Dad I need company in the afternoon and we all ended up very irritated by each other by the time I came back at 2pm!!! And for rest of afternoon.

Exercise

Picked up ds1 from school (it was meant to be dd but she mysteriously decided it was better to go on the bus the long way home with a friend) This also threw schedule out.

Ds1 lost his computer stick whatchamacallit so we spent ages searching the floor of his incredibly untidy room for it [grr]

Painter came to look at the mouldy chimney breast in dd's room and then I made the mistake of suggesting he paint the workwork too, which will be a whole week of disruption at beginning of December. I could either grin and bear it or fantasize I will be energetic enough to paint it myself with ds2. 15 years ago windows and doors and cupboards were last painted I just need to grit my teeth and book him. He admired dd's handiwork though Just one extra coat on top of it. And at least we know what colour we want on the walls now.

Cooked indian style mince for supper with spices and peas and lentils!

well, tomorrow it is Home Ed football and lots more socialising for ds2 so something to look forward to, and hopefully an improvement in motivation on both sides!

That does sound an irritating day, Swan. It makes me happy when you mention the home ed football - it sounds like such a good thing for both you and DS1. We are baking cakes for Children in Need tomorrow and selling them at a home-ed cake sale. Even DS1 wants to be involved in the baking, although he won't come along to the selling bit. DS2 was appalled when he discovered that there would be Other Children at the cake sale, but I've stuck to my guns and we're going.

Evening all. First night this week I have been home before 7 and all of us in. Good day at work today and dc's have been lovely this evening..in fact all week. They must be up to something.

Flying has been restricted to dinner and clearing up after dinner but little is better than none.

Stbxh is annoying me at the moment. Dc's stayed with him last night, went to pick them up this morning at 7.45 and they were all still in bed. Grrrrrrrr. On top of this money issues are starting to cause friction at my end. Am trying to be reasonable, in fact, to an outsider i am being too reasonable, but he is making it hard.

toffee sympathies re MIL issues. I am having mother issues. I am currently sat in the living room watching tv and she is dozing on the sofa. Every now and then she stirs, throws me an evil look and changes the channel back to some random crap she is watching. Sigh.

Sorry for the frustrations, ellie. It can't be easy living with your mum either.

What I find hard to untangle is how much is to do with MIL ageing and how much to do with her being... well, an irritating person. Am trying to be patient .

Sounds like there's been a lot of irritation around today.

Christmas shopping lists on phone is a cunning plan, WhoKnows

Ta da!
Changed boys' sheets
Laundry
Grocery shopping
Iced CIN cakes for tomorrow
Work
Parents' evening for DS2
Dinner
Cleaned kitchen

Still not enough flying, still too much mess. :(

***
Babystep is how to use a calendar

Mission is to clean sink, bath, washing machine etc.

Today I went to go see the poppies. Long ass day. Shattered. But feeling suitable perked up from the escape of the mundane. But have training at work tomo so need to head to bed pronto if i am going to be any fit state to understand what the hell is going on.