Deck the halls (or the wine) as the Fledglings head into December.

[GoingGoingGoth]

Huge thanks to Blue for leading the thread throughout November (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 is 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!

Bitchy I'm with you. I don't seem to be able to face Christmas this year. DD is fizzing with exam stress. I don't seem to have the energy for any of the baking, shopping, present-buying/wrapping, card writing, organising, hosting required, never mind attending all the Christmas fetes and performances (and I only have one child!). Agree with your ds! It's all too much! (Not being flippant.) It must be even worse for him with sensory overload etc.

Just trying to put one weary foot in front of the other and tick off the tasks but rl keeps getting in the way. I don't feel that well tbh (stomach ishooss). Then sil rang me in tears (understandably in circs) for 40 mins. Then dh came home and went straight to bed complaining of a sore throat (and he has to be virtually dying to miss work/complain about anything) so I suspect he has the flu. Then my car broke down on the school run.

Still have to finish dd's costume for play, sort shoe box for shoe box appeal and organise dd to make a Secret Santa present for classmate.

Stressing even more because we are meant to be having 9 people to stay w/e after next and house is frankly not up to the job.

Anyway, must stop whinging again (sorry ) and get on and do a hasty school uniform wash. DD managed to do a full frontal slide down a slope in the school playground today, which happened to be covered in wet concrete and muddy sand (don't ask ). She was only bruised thankfully but coat, hat, gloves, pinafore, cardigan, tights, and coat are all covered in a thick layer of mud!

Engels love your sparkly decoration! It's lovely! And seriously impressed by your advance organisation! One day I want to be in a position where I am organised enough to actually enjoy Christmas and achieve some nice creative bits instead of just the frantic basics!

Well done wrt your productive day Toffee and hope dentist appt goes well on Fri.

Tally ho everyone! Keep going!

Hi everyone, I've had a fairly quiet day with not much flying...

Ta da:
Washing x1
DW x1
Folding of dry laundry
Two beds made
A few more Christmas gifts sorted
Cat to get for vaccinations

Here you go Goth and Blue, my pillow case creation.

done
decorating progressing - at least the chimney breast is the right colour of purple now (a bit greyed off instead of fluorescent) luckily dd didn't notice the shade has changed

took ds2 out to a nearby park meetup but unfortunately most people didn't come today - a bit cold/ Roman history workshop clash. However did talk to nice lady with three little ones who was being driven cuckoo by them all (always puts 1 sulky teen in perspective

Bank at same time, and bought some Oxfam books and at least ds2 got out!

did phonics in the morning
and some "liners" made ds2 sit and read a book about cruise ships

dd at home today with bad sinus

SC I don't think I do any of the things you mentioned and certainly don't have 9 people to stay. I think 9 people to stay is your contribution to Christmas cheer finito

I am very pleased with myself for ordering all the Christmas food from veg box supplier so now I don't have to think about groceries as it will magically arrive on the 23rd.

Still haven't bought any presents though - two dcs getting guitars so I need to buy them from somewhere. Dd and I are going to share a pair of Uggs as we are same size shoe now. Dh wants the Booker winner. Godchildren are all over 18 - can I give up on them now I wonder?

Further saga with ds1 in that he has refused to have anything to do with the lady teaching him study skills and apparently said to her Stop Following Me I confronted ds with this and he said But She keeps appearing and "following" me. That's because you are supposed to be arranging a lesson with her Ds1!!!!! So NONE of interventions she has arranged have been acceptable to ds1. Horse and water come to mind. At least his winter coat has arrived and actually fits him

SC dd is in a concert tomorrow. So lacking in enthusiasm I am that I actually suggested to her that perhaps her sinus would be worse tomorrow and she wouldn't have to sing in it I think I've reached a new low. If I could avoid any more Christmas festive occasions except those involving either religion or gin I would be v happy. Still have Beavers Nativity concert to go and ds1's carol concert next week.

I've just popped by to apologise for being AWOL for the entirety of this thread so far, going out in a minute to the school Christmas performance -big excitement as DS is in Year 6 now and they do all the acting (the other years just play herds of sheep or whatever) but a few younger ones get a small acting part and DD was picked (out of a hat) for one of those parts this year. Been very busy and Flying has slipped a bit, planning to read the full thread later and throw myself back into it all.

I've also been crafting - will post a pic later.

God sc sounds like you've had a right day! Feet up, glass of wine I think

Have hardly done anything today. It's been lovely!

ta da
made ribbon for wreath and hung on door
home madempizza for dinner
washing up
swept kitchen floor
wash on
mw appt -baby still head down but not engaged yet.

big wing flaps to everyone. So tired am going to turn the tv off and read and then early to bed.

Thanks for yet more comforting words everyone!! [Leaves out and more on naughty corner bar for everyone to share.]

I have found a magical solution to combat Christmas stress ... avoid looking at calendar or action lists .... turn off all phones and mobiles ... open a bottle of ....and watch episodes of Sherlock Holmes on loop!! That actor who plays Moriarty is spine-chillingly wonderful!

Good to see you back Whoknows! I suspect you have been busy doing all the essential Christmas tasks, while I have been on here just wittering on about them! Hope Christmas play a great success and your dc enjoy their respective roles!

Glad baby heading in right direction Engels and good that you are taking it steady! Love your lovely sparkly decoration!

Hear hear Swan!!! wrt ">If I could avoid any more Christmas festive occasions except those involving either religion or gin I would be v happy." Can't imagine how you can fit Christmas prep in when your days are already so packed full. Good to hear the coat fits in the end! And great idea about Christmas food order - one level of stress removed! Difficult one about post-18 yrs godchildren and presents. I only have one gc who qualifies so far and I have carried on, but that's only because her family very kindly buys dd a Christmas and birthday present every year.

One very cheering thing happened today, when car broke down in middle of school run madness, reducing me to state of utter gibber (very intolerant drivers here!) - loose crocodile of teenage boys happened to be walking past with their v althletic-looking, track-suited teachers, and without noticeable consultation, and in one fell swoop, they all stepped to the side in unison and lifted us half way on the pavement (drive very small car!!) which immediately quelled all the impatient honking of horns behind us! Reckon they must have been army cadets or something. DD was thrilled and says she hopes we break down again tomorrow!

Big feathery waves to everyone!

Lovely pretty pillow case Greymalkin!!!

Toffee wrt to your ds2 and fear of dentist/needle ... I guess one idea (not very original - sorry) would be to have relaxation tape on Ipod or somesuch that he could listen to while procedure taking place/or maybe something more distracting such as funny show on Iplayer. Or negotiating techniques so that your ds2 can be in control as much as poss ie raised hand to signal 'stop', lowered hand to signal 'go' etc etc. Hope dentist is considerate anyway.

Very pretty, Greymalkin :)

I tried to post a photo of my wrist warmers earlier, but it doesn't seem to have worked.

What a day, SC! No wonder you're feeling weary.

My ta da! list is fairly small:
Watched DS2's nativity play (he was a sheep)
Work
Finished wrist warmers
Choir performance/carol service

Let's see if this works this time...

Looking good Blue :) Hope the nativity play went well, mines too young at the moment, I have that to look forward to in a year or two.

Engles carry on doing nothing for as long as you can til bubba arrives! But you sound very organised for everything.

SC, what a day! Hope tomorrow is better for you

to Toffee, WhoKnows, Swan and everyone else.

So I realised the cleaner is coming tomorrow and the house is a disgrace. Spent the last hour:

Cleaning cat litter trays,
Putting away laundry
Clearing kitchen and bathroom surfaces
Lobbing stuff in cupboards and under beds
Sorting out a pile of ironing for cleaner
Emptying bins

Now off to bed, nighty-night

LINKS FOR THURSDAY 11th DECEMBER

Babystep 11 is to write an "Inspiration page" in your Control Journal Mine would be "Stop buggering about, get on with something" which is why I don't have one.

Thursday is Errand day which for once I am actually going to do!

This week we are in Zone 2:The Kitchen

Today's mission is to wipe down the doors! handles and surfaces of your white goods. Just a surface clean, will only take 15 minutes.

The Launch Pad is here

Christmas Mission 9 is to check your Holiday Control Journal lists (no I didn't do one either)
Basically:
Do you have a menu plan with grocery list for your Holiday meals? (Almost)
Have you checked your gift list lately and crossed off as you have shopped and updated it? (Erm)
Have you finished preparing your cards and purchased stamps? (Ha ha ha)
Are your packages ready to be mailed and have you scheduled time to take them to the post office? (In a carrier bag, somethings are wrapped)
Have you placed all of your online, catalog and mail orders for gifts? (YES, unless I think of something else)
Have you taken time out just for you? Maybe have a cup of tea and quietly sit and review your lists.

Crochet snowflakes being stiffened with PVA glue and glitter and a Hama bead wreath.

Lost the pics, will try again in a minute. Bloody phone. School performance was brilliant tonight, very proud of both DCs.

Not much Flying, but am fairly ahead with Christmas stuff, all shopping done, maybe a few stocking fillers to go. Cards bought, half written and posted. Presents for posting all done. Tree up and other decorations too.

I've invited friends for coffee at 9 on Fri in order to motivate myself to get cleaning.

Toffee - our cats were 12 months when they came to us and were pretty calm at that stage, so hopefully yours will settle too. My friend got kittens around the same time (last Oct), they seemed to start calming down before they were 12 months old.

Bitchy - grrr to school and their inability to see that Christmas is not the same for everyone, it is such a massive amount to cope with at this time of year .

SC - 9 guests

pics

Those snow flakes are rather fab whoknows

ds has had a better day today, had another chat with his teacher. She is currently on top of things and all provisions are in place for him for the most stress triggering activities. Which is great but he has to have bloods taken friday Good job i have saved putting up the decorations for tomo evening and it is something he rather enjoys but gets a tad obsessed about tweaking to make sure it is perfect

To do list:
ds to school with swimming kit and lunch
return furniture/toys/books etc etc to lounge.
Work on craft project
decorations to start going up
early night
as much rest as possible.

Engels - glad to hear the baby is head down. Neither of mine managed to be in the right position: one was back to front and the other was breech. I had very confused babies .

Good to see you back, Who. Hope Christmas performance goes well. Comforting words about the kittens calming down, thank you.

Bitchy - glad DS had a better day and teacher is helping.

Grey - isn't it great how we have to clean up for cleaners? I always thought that was the best thing about mine. She is sorely missed. Love the pillow case design, by the way.

Blue - did you make those wrist warmers? Wow! I'm impressed (I can't sew, knit or crochet).

Goth - thank you for posting the Christmas missions. So far, all I've done is buy stamps, post two cards and buy two stocking fillers . No, wait - I booked an Ocado Christmas order in a moment of extraordinary efficiency!

SC - sorry you're feeling so overwhelmed. You're amazing to have agreed to host nine people - no wonder you're worrying about it. It will be fine, though, I'm sure. Thanks for the tips about the dentist. DH is going to make a CD for DS2 to listen to, including his favourite songs. I'm also going to give him one of the cat's squeaky toys to hold, so that he can press it if he feels any pain. Hopefully, that will make him feel more in control.

Interesting that there are several of us here not feeling the Christmas spirit. I wonder if we all get that Christmas cheer back when our children are young, then get worn out as they grow older. I'm certainly not in any way prepared for Christmas this year and am planning to do as little as possible.

Gave blood this evening and felt quite cold and shaky afterwards. Very odd, as I usually feel fine. But I have eaten a good meal, drunk lots of water and lain on the sofa for a couple of hours, so am feeling better now.

Ta da
changed bed
emptied bathroom bin
wash on

ds has just done a poo on the toilet

Going to potter today. Dh has popped out to pick something up but when he gets back he's going to take ds to ils for coffee.

to do
defrost freezer
supermarket trip with ds and dh - want to get him used to not sitting in trolley now and staying with us rather than legging it
put washing away
give bathroom a once over
weed front bed
wash car seat cover

so many little bits and pieces to do!

Engels

To do list:
ds to school with swimming kit and lunch
return furniture/toys/books etc etc to lounge.
Work on craft project doing
decorations to start going up
early night
as much rest as possible. sort of doing

Must stop procrastinating and get the furniture moved. I think hot water bottle to warm up and some more coffee might be a good idea... Is it bedtime yet?

Ta da
2 lots of washing
handwash inc carseat cover
defrosted freezer
cleaned bathroom
reorganised bathroom cupboards
coffee with ils

Sorry. It's been rather a nightmare here lately. The only saving grace at this point is enjoying the Christmas stuff with the dcs.

This is ds2 with his little pink christmas tree. The elves left him some battery operated lights and some ornaments to put on it. Aren't they thoughtful?

very thoughtful elves Alice

So I was in the middle of a naturally witty post last night when my ipad went flat, so I took the hint and went to bed.

I think a summary would be

1. how great the crafting pictures are,

2, my windows are all lined with plastic, and the lack of draughts are amazing

1. I still managed to make some sausage rolls for the woodcraft party, which was a lot of fun
2. I've sold about 6 cowls and been paid (can now get more yarn)

Today was cold and wet and I seemed to be out all day

done
Dentist (back for fillings next week)
Shopping,
Found out that the moving day for the Art Village workshop has been brought forward a month, so started sorting, binning & packing.
Quick visit to school for WW1 exhibition
Back to Art Village
Collect Dd
Dinner
Washing up
Laundry on
Nap

Will be back later with links,