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!

ta Da
2 loads of washing
tidy the dinning room
remove junk from utility room
tidy the bathroom
Empty bins
pair socks
Go to the shops and finally get the extra pants and socks for ds
All bar 1 shop and 1 internet order finish the Christmas shopping
sort through the box of empty lego boxes. Photograph and recycle
Feel smug until remember the small matter of stockings
tidy the hot spots in the kitchen
Take out the recycling

Need to go do my car whilst there is enough daylight.

Just dashing in quickly in between making a birthday cake and cooking dinner to say to WhoKnows that you will find all sorts of useful stuff for Minecraft parties on Etsy. I ordered great place cards with food names on them (sadly, I decluttered them, otherwise I'd have sent them on to you). I'm happy to send you photos of what we did if it will help. Was very pleased with our Minecraft party last year and am happy to pass on any tips .

Fortunately, after DS2 and I spent ages trying, and failing, to make Minecraft figures out of the wrong icing, he agreed that we should have a Lego cake this year, decorated with real Lego of his own choosing. Phew.

LEA woman was absolutely lovely and full of praise for everything we'd done. She has promised to lend me resources from her office, such as books and teaching aids. She also gave me two useful pieces of advice (might be of interest to you, Swan): 1. Focus on the skills your child is learning, not the facts they're learning. 2. Don't worry about whether your child is behind (or ahead) of the class if / when they return to school because teachers are used to teaching such a wide range of abilities, especially as children reach secondary school age.

Will try to come back later, although it's possible I will nod off on the sofa .

Actually, everyone can wait an extra five minutes for dinner whilst I just download last year's party photos for WhoKnows. Might give you some ideas. Agree with Pinterest suggestion too.

Toffee that looks great.

Not much flying here, DD back off school again. I'm grateful she's not got the D&V bug going around but she's got such a bad head cold and I feel really bad that I sent her into school Tuesday & Wednesday.

So just plodding through Mt Washmore.

Waves to Jemima - sounds like a productive day.

Glad the meeting went well, Toffee.

Get well soon to your DD, Goth.

We've had a bizarre evening with a bedtime story café at school which left us half an hour to eat and get DS1 to local pet emporium as part of Beavers animal care badge. So dinner at McDo's, with DS2 in his PJs, it was!

**
Babystep is more reading...

Mission is clearing the top of the dresser ( = chest of drawers?!)

**

So much has been done. Too tired to do anymore but there is still a shit load of stuff that is required to be done before bed is possible. Put bedding into dryer is on the to do list so that I can make my bed up. Still got a pile of stuff on the floor of the lounge to tackle. I am not even going to think about ds' bombsite more coffee anyone?

toffee glad the LEA visit went well.

Toffee well I would have nothing to show my LEA officer if she came tomorrow. Except some bits of paper with puzzled calculations and loads of handwriting practice...However when presented with ds2 who can churn out information possibly not skills like a demented fruitmachine she might have ticked a few boxes

We did History today (Wolsey)
haircut
grocery shopping and exercise
handwriting
story of Elijah

Dh commented that Ds2's reading seems to have massively improved. He was reading out from an aeronautical magazine almost perfectly.

I finally renewed a prescription and took another walk

Cannot remember doing any housework except a lot of washing up. I did make a deconstructed version of German Rouladen though which was very nice, beef with gherkins carrots and paprika. Kale, and roasted potatoes and parsnips. Ds2 in a good mood.Dd in a very loud and screechy mood after school. Ds1 mellow today. He thanked me politely for offering help with his chemistry (but still refused any help)

Dh constructed a large bookshelf from Shelfstore and put it on the landing. [sigh]

SC I don't know whether to laugh or cry over your Hamster. One of those animals we never had as a child but I remember the elaborate wheels and staircases one of my sister's friends had for her hamster and I was always intrigued by the miniature funfair it had in its cage. Will you get another I wonder? Poor dd, might be a bit of a shock for her.

Right have been off the wagon for ages now for various reasons so jumping back in with a list as I really need the motivation!

ta da
Got up and half dressed
Hung out wet underwear
Mouth away dry underwear
Got bread out of freezer

to do
Make sandwich for work
Finish getting ready
Get to school/work
One more wash
Hang out wet washing x2

Morning all!

Help! Where do all the chores appear from? Laundry, washing-up, cleaning, tidying, organising ... yarrrgh... I'm sure it's the same for everyone on here ... but as fast as I put out one fire ... another one bursts in to flame ... never, ever, seem to get ahead for more than half a day ... and rarely get to do proper decluttering!

I woke up at 4.30 am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so decided to get up and ...

Ta da:
rabbits
clear up mess of kitchen left from night before while I was at school meeting (thanks dh!)
including about 40 mins of washing-up by hand
tidied play room
dining room table(s) hot spots
money in envelope for school
got cross with dh for leaving tablets/cables/clothes/papers/shoes all over the house and for not putting anything away, ever, not even shutting a drawer or cupboard after use
made dd's packed lunch
made butternut squash soup (and used leftover veg in fridge drawer)
tidied and gave bathroom extra thorough s & S
cleared hall
carried a load of stuff that should have been upstairs, downstairs
and vice versa
and put things carried to different floors away properly
sorted laundry
white wash spun and in to dry
blue wash on
had bath/dressed slightly more smartly than usual

Cleaning lady is here now for a brief hour or so carrying on the good work!

Feel slightly better now Flying-wise as rest of week has been a write-off!

Good luck with your list Fuzzpig

Swan thank you re: hamster . I needn't have worried about dd! I told her on the walk home and had prepared home made apple cake and distracting activities in case she was upset. But she was actually less upset than me! She didn't cry at all. She just asked matter of factly if she "could have a guinea pig now." Love the story of Elijah btw - think dc are naturally rather drawn to the whirlwind bit too. And story of Wolsey not bad either! Well done re: improvement in ds2's reading; all the efforts you are making with home ed are obviously paying off already!

Hope you got to bed eventually Bitchy after your productive day

Blue No, definitely not, always, always grateful for book suggestions thank you! DD is a huge reader so we can never have enough! (And am taking full advantage of literary present site you recommended on other thread!) And thanks re: hamster advice. I just feel badly because when my dsis2 was here, I noticed he had what we would say in the horse world a "staring" coat and his eyes looked a bit dull. And I just gave him more veg when I should have probably called the vet (although prob vet would have been limited as to what she could do).

Well done for maneouvering through difficult logistics yesterday evening and thanks for links. This is the first time in about five years I can actually look smugly at the mission and say "done that"!!

Wow Toffee! Can I come to one of your parties??!!! That looks amazing! Not surprised LEA woman so positive! Congratulations!

Sorry to hear your dd is still unwell Goth. Every other child I know seems to have one bug or another atm. Tis definitely the season!

Welcome back Jemima and well done re: using your flexi day so productively!

Friend coming over for natter/lunch shortly so had better do some 'work' before then ... have a good day everyone!

Yep SC at about 5am. Ds got up at 3am.

Used the vanish shake and vac stain removing stuff. To say i am not impressed is actually a bit of an understatement. IMO it actually looks worse. I have already shoved the hoover around twice and will need to do so again

Hi. Just me, back again. Sorted my head out a bit. I could tell you I cleaned out behind my fridge and have only just managed to escape the filth behind me. That would only a partial lie.

But here I am, and behind my fridge is actually clean. (enjoy it - I probably won't do that again for a very long time!)

I need to clean behind my cooker next. And IN my cooker. I wanted to hire someone. Okay, what I ACTUALLY wanted was to just buy a new cooker. But I can't get the kind I REALLY want because they cost a fortune. I've now reached the conclusion that THIS is the closest I'll ever get to one: www.lakeland.co.uk/60602/Aga-Biscuit-Tin

So... back to flying, back to cleaning, and getting ready for Christmas.

And where are our Christmas smileys?!? I hope they bring them out soon!!

(yeah, I know - most people flounce OUT on MN... I tend to flounce back IN )

www.lakeland.co.uk/60602/Aga-Biscuit-Tin

Interesting... I'll try that again.

done
lots of walking
ds2 home ed football group = talked to two mothers.

load of washing in

handwriting
driving
Elijah - through the earthquake wind and fire! Aha that's where that hymn must have come from. [SC]

back home now with a bit of sore throat, tucked up in bed. Ds2 is on the dsi now after three solid hours of running around.

Cleaning lady has made a sauerkraut and pork stew and tidied the kitchen and mopped the hall floor. Rest of house is as I left it, feeling serious withdrawal symptoms at thought of dealing with all those untidy bedrooms, including mine. Also bathrooms [sigh] Also front path [sigh]

Rain is falling dismally; I really hate Autumn at this late stage.

Am sheltering in the sitting room whilst DS2 and his friends destroy the house play cops and robbers upstairs. I have never heard such a noise. Luckily, I forewarned the neighbours. DH and DS1 are both hiding in their bedrooms, as if they are waiting for a storm to pass.

SC - agree with you about the never-ending chores. Sorry about your hamster , but I'm glad your DD is so philosophical about it.

Swan - your cleaning lady COOKS for you? .

Sorry for those up so early this morning (Bitchy and SC).

Sorry for my lack of personals at the moment. Can't keep up with the thread.

Hmm, one of the children has broken away from the group and is now playing the piano on his own. Might need to go and check that he's ok. Maybe the noise is all too much for him too...

Swan cleaning lady? and she cooks?? When can we all move in with you?

Sympathies on the noise. My 2 dcs make so much noise just on their own, I can only imagine what the neighbour thinks is going on over here! He is either highly patient or has a profound hearing problem.

ta da
2 lots of marking
4 lots of class reports
washing up
swept kitchen floor
wash away
emptied plastic recycling and bathroom bin
swept kitchen floor

I am nearly there ladies. One more week of work (3 days)

One set of marking and one set of reports still to do this weekend (but it's the biggest project I've done all year so will take AGES). Going to try and do it bit by bit, so a little tonight and maybe some little bits tomorrow.

Have done 95% of handover to 2 new colleagues so just need to tidy my shelves/cupboards for them to access and do all my paperwork/handover for the my exam class to experienced colleague and I will be done.

I just want everything done and dusted so I can sort out the house and send off my Christmas bits/cards that have to go abroad. And finish the baby room. And start to think about having a baby

Okay, off to put DS to bed and then if I'm comfortable enough I will do some work, just for an hour.

DS has been good at extra nursery session today (so I could work) and is currently being very sweet so he's allowed to put his shoe out for Sinterklaas

[rant] ARGH! We arranged our Christmas plans (almost) entirely around when my parents were at home. They've now changed their plans by a day. And my mum is sulking because we won't rearrange ours to suit. And DH is cross because he "knew this would happen." Joy. Plus, my email is not working properly. And tech support are not helping. It was working fine yesterday. And now it isn't. [/rant]

I found a recipe in a cookery book in the game section which had Bigos in it (a Polish speciality) and I asked her if that was the way it was cooked and one thing led to another and before I knew it I had arranged for her to cook a vat of sauerkraut stew (this was earlier this week we had the game conversation) Incidentally it was without game! She never normally cooks for us (I think she made some cabbage rolls for us a year ago which lasted a whole year in the freezer before they were used up (although delicious) but she much prefers to cook than clean so I was genuinely interested to see how the Bigos tasted. But as usual I underestimated the sheer quantity she would prepare...I have so far filled 4 large freezer foil trays and 3 small ones.

And guess what we had for supper? Breaded fish very little appreciation of sauerkraut here. I've eaten lots though - very spicy.

Toffee cops and robbers sounds good. I also think it is a gold star when one visitor just enjoys hanging out even if it is not with his host!

Blue goodness I hate planning Christmas. My sister said to me...well I may be in x at x time but if I get invited to a good NY's at the last minute I won't...An impossible thing to trump really [sigh]

Engels when is the baby due? I presume in early Jan?

Sons have gone off to a football match with dh. I cannot imagine anything more dismal in this weather but dh confessed he really enjoys the "live" element. Dd and I are enjoying the peace and quiet.

Fuzzpig hope you are feeling better recently

Phew, party's over. I'm so relieved that's over. The boys reached a crescendo of noise that prompted one of the cats to crawl into an empty bin bag and hide. When I couldn't take the noise any more, I managed to distract the boys by telling them about the frightened kitten and they all quietened down and crept downstairs to peer at him. Then I mentioned the word 'television' and they all went off to watch 'Dr Who' before the birthday tea.

One of the children had an allergic reaction to our cats and his eyes swelled up, poor boy, but I phoned his dad, who was happy for him to have antihistimine syrup and that seemed to sort it.

DS2 really enjoyed his party and is now busy constructing the new Lego sets he received as presents.

DH did all the washing up, then hoovered downstairs and mopped the stairs, whilst I lay on the sofa and drank wine. Apart from putting DS2 to bed, I'm not planning to move from this sofa this evening.

Blue - that's really not fair of your parents. Don't give in to your mum's sulks. I hope you will tell her that you've arranged all your plans to fit around when they originally said they'd be home. Sorry your email is playing up too.

Engels - goodness, you are so busy! Fantastic that you are so near the beginning of maternity leave, though.

Swan - hope you and DD enjoy your time together this evening. The old-fashioned-sounding 'cops and robbers' at DS2's party soon morphed into the more modern 'zombies', which appeared to be much the same, except with horrible groans. The breakaway member of the group eventually rejoined and was fine, much to my relief. In a way, it was impressive that he was able to find a way to cope with things when they became too much.

It was interesting listening to the boys talking: they are so much better at negotiating and so much more thoughtful towards each other than they were even a year ago.

Due in 5 weeks...hoping it comes a bit early so before Christmas (ds was a few days early).

Tomorrow is a non schoolwork day so pottering round house, eating biscuits and watching films.

off to bed. Personals will resume once ML kicks in.