Fledglings are Flying into February

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Welcome to the February Fledglings thread. Before we get started we have some important notices?:

1. The Fledglings are a long running thread, some of us have known each other for several years but newcomers are always welcome.

1. We follow the Flylady way (somewhat flexibly) and we adapt it to suit our lives and needs. That also means we chat a lot too, it is a general thread about life, as well as Flylady.

So the fly lady system there are rules and we have adaptations.?

1. NO perfectionism - life’s too short.?
2. Something is better than nothing and sometimes good enough really is good enough.?
3. This is not about the housework, it is about having more time to do fun stuff. Don't ever feel guilty about doing stuff with the kids over doing the housework. The kids are more important.??And the practical adaptations.
4. For newbies to the Flylady site and system everything you need will be posted here in the form of links. The homes is divided into zones where we spend one week each on a monthly basis. Within the zones we do babysteps and decluttering - the babysteps are little daily habits to get into, decluttering speaks for itself. As we progress we start doing missions (a more in depth task in that weeks zone). We may even get to detailed cleaning once we have decluttered. There are also daily tasks, on a weekly basis.

WARNING: Unless you want a very cluttered inbox full of gushing quotes and testimonials DO NOT subscribe to the Flylady emails from the site.

So, welcome on board and lets get Flying in February!

Sorry, biscuits all gone, I'm afraid.

WhoKnows - sorry about your sleepless night . Hope you enjoy your weekend away in spite of your worries.

Linzer - good luck with the work this weekend - and with encouraging your DC to do their schoolwork. Sounds as if it's going to be busy at your house.

Fizrim - Good plan to wait until your DD is back at school before tackling the house. Maybe if you can concentrate on making the sitting room tidy that will give you some sanctuary from the chaos elsewhere. Sympathies: moving house is so stressful (so much so that we wonder if we could ever face doing it again).

DH has taken DS2 out for a long walk on the Downs, which leaves me feeling as if I should Get Things Done. Instead, I'm on MN and would quite like to read more of my new book too . Will get off my backside soon and do some Flying though.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Sometimes a rest day after something emotional is needed fizrim besides it is family fun day so the day to do something fun with the family. Fly lady doesn't want us to be all flying and no play. She wants us to have a balance. Enjoy the fun stuff. toffee call it spirit renewing and thus flying a day earlier

I have had a proper lie in and feel shocking after over doing it. But coffee a cooked breakfast and some pain killers. I still have stuff to do today so hopefully will be able to face it.

Hi everyone, I'm sorry, I'm rubbish at keeping up with personals at the moment. I shall relegate myself to the naughty corner until I learn my manners

Quick TaDa list dump:
Cats fed
Washing x2 loads
Washing hung up to dry
Dry laundry folded and put away
Beds made
Dishwasher emptied and restocked
Patio and garden steps throughly swept of winter debris (looks lovely now)
Hoovered up all the itty bitty bits of broken china after DS smashed his money box during a tantrum...

I've caught up on this weeks episode of the Sewing Bee and feel inspired. So I've printed some free patterns to work on.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend

Grey - don't worry about the personals. Well done on all the Flying today, although it's a shame about DS's money box. I hope the Sewing Bee cheered you up.

Bitchy - hope you feel better now - you certainly did a lot yesterday. Good point about the spirit renewal and I have followed your good advice.

DH and DS2 were out for HOURS (they did a five-mile walk ), which meant I did actually get loads done and the house looks quite presentable. I did think of doing a major job, like decluttering, but by the time I'd done all the regular stuff, I'd had enough.

ta da

Out for shopping and errands
Washing on
Dishwasher unloaded and reloaded
Kitchen surfaces tidied and wiped down
All downstairs floors hoovered (oh, the cat hairs!) and mopped
Room rescue in three rooms
Washing out on radiators to dry
Long chat with DS1
Made beds
Lunch

Bearing in mind, Bitchy 's advice, I read more of my book this afternoon, then nodded off with one of the cats curled up against me .

Sounds like you had a good day too Toffee, I had kitty cuddles whilst watching the Sewing Bee it included lots of drool

I got new technology. which is frustrating and ok at the same time. Done some more on sorting out more stuff for the room. Still a lot to do though. But I am considering the benefits of an early night. As I only have until 12noon to get stuff done tomo and will need to be flying on all cylinders

Definitely get an early night, Bitchy. You will be glad of it in the morning.

Am about to start doing some more home-ed prep (not taking my own advice, Bitchy), but then I did have a nap this afternoon, so I'm not tired yet.

I wasn't tired either toffee so have been playing with swearing at technology and done a little bit of crotcheting. The wool is lovely and soft but seems to like to separating whilst you work with it so I am sick of unpicking to correct separated strands. Will be glad when the bloody thing is finished.

to do
Double check have everything out of ds' room
drive mileage
Do something with ds
Get everything ready for monday

Still awake here too, Bitchy. Late nights are the only time I can have uninterrupted time to myself.

It's usually early mornings for me toffee (slinks in at the back). Keep waking up between 3 and 5 and not being able to get back to sleep.

Our house is on the market - got a full asking price offer yesterday, but they're not 'proceedable' (I know all the estate agent jargon now!).

The upshot is though that the house is actually tidy - as long as you don't open any cupboards! I hope we sell it soon as I don't think we can keep this up for long!

It's so quiet on here....

pushme - lovely to have a tidy house, but yes, so exhausting keeping it up. Hope you get an offer soon.

Grey - yes, think it's half-term quietness. I slept in this morning and then we went out to see MIL and get some shopping done, so this is my first time online today.

Have a bottle of Prosecco chilling in the fridge and ready meal to heat up for tonight.

a ready meal

I'm back! Yes, it has been quiet, I'm hoping it will pick up once everyone's back into the term time routine, and of course we have a couple of regulars on maternity leave ATM.

We've been to London for the weekend, went to see Matilda, which was brilliant, plus lots and lots of walking around generally sightseeing. Tired now and not looking forward to going back to school/work in the morning.

House is in a reasonable state though, having guests last week definitely gave me a shove in the right direction Flying-wise.

Hello everyone! [Waves to Whoknows] I'm back too!

It has understandably been a bit of a grim week, and I am so happy to be home. Again, very grateful for all the lovely posts and support from you all down thread!! They really helped.

Expected to be returning with sil (who now has to start a completely new life at the age of 50) but she has opted to stay and start sorting apartment (which is stacked high with a decade's worth of her late parents' clothing and belongings) and we will be going back intermittently to help. First time being for funeral next Mon.

[Dank u wel Engels!]

Hope everyone is ok. Please forgive lack of personals. Haven't had time to catch up with thread properly but will do so properly tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm about a week behind with everything. Fortunately washed all uniform/ballet/sports kit before we left and cleaner/ironing lady/rabbit sitter has ironed in my absence (bliss!). But still have to do general tidy up, load of laundry, and prep for rtn to school/work tomorrow.

Have apple pie in oven also (attempt to cheer everyone up).

And dh is cheering himself up by cooking increasingly complex dishes and using every pan in house (have just put dw on for third time today). Needless to say may attempts at Lenten fasting are getting off to a very poor start and I am a whopping 80 kilos

Looking forward to catching up with everyone tomorrow!!
G'night all!

Took the DC out to the butterfly house near Sheffield today. It was startlingly good - expected it to be a bit rubbish, but no. So so cold though!
Really need to get us in a better evening routine though - they're so hungry and overtired by the time we sit down to eat most days that meals are awful for everyone. It's so hard as we don't get home until half 6/7 so although I meal plan and prepare as quick meals as possible we still don't end up eating until far too late. Any suggestions for improving things very welcome!
Nice to have you back sc - sorry you've had such a difficult week (I avoided in the Lenten spirit )

did loads of washing 3 loads I think
sent two children to Mass
cooked supper from last night's leftovers
dropped dd somewhere
mended broken dw by powerful draincleaning agent!
spent an extraordinary long time dealing with fallout from said dw and crockery from the last two days
made some paper planes with ds2 (although he was protesting he couldn't "do it" most of the time - finally it did actually fly)
ds2 took a long long bath
dh took the boys for a walk in park and set off the rocket - the sort you pump up, then lunch out
some homework seems to have been completed (at least I hope so) Dd did a large poster on Magnesium experiments

ds2 played chess with his dad and they lit a fire in the front room (we don't light our fire much - my fault I need to buy some stocks of proper fuel rather than just offcuts from garden)

what else - very cold and dreary today really and I still have my toothache to sort out on Monday...spent most of my leisure time either reading books on home ed or on computer - so not very exciting really or inspiring.
Only excuse is that last night dh had some friends over and that has knocked us both out - cooking and cleaning and alcohol I mean!

x post sc and Whoknows "don't let them steal your horses oh no" that used to be Ds2's tour de force frm Matilda. My computer is sticking suddenly

Sc I'm glad that your dh can take comfort from cooking lots of beautiful food. to your SIL - Ihope she can take wavering steps in the spring to live her new life. Must be very overwhelming for her.

What about slow cooker to do the work for you during the day? Or advanced prep foods that can just be heated in the microwave? PMPY I virtually came past you today. God the snow was dreadful. Closed my normal roads so I had to take a massive detour south on the way back.

Ds is home and very glad to be so it would seem. But is already tucked up in bed asleep. I managed to get enough done before I went out despite over sleeping this morning. Did various jobs when out which was frustrating in progress but satisfying after. Finally after years of looking I have a lap shade for my room. Now all I have to do is fit it. And that needs daylight and potentially to lift floor boards in the room above to sort. so won't happen this week.

SC it is lovely to have you back. Head up, strong coffee and good luck with getting the week sorted.

Welcome back SC, well done for getting uniforms etc sorted at the start of the week. If you would like me to start next month's thread off and hold the fort till you get back from the funeral that would be fine. Or maybe if you start it before you go so it has the right person's posts highlighted, and I'll post links for a few days.

PMPY - sympathies re the food, we are the other way round, home from 3.30 but dashing out again pretty well every night between 5.30 and 6.30 so I'm always cooking/eating with one eye on the clock. Batch cooking and freezing is definitely useful so long as you remember to take stuff out of the freezer in the morning. Slow cooker is a good idea too, you could always put it on a timer to come on part way through the day (mine would overcook if left for more than 4 or 5 hours, I tend to use it on my non work days/weekends more than work ones.

I'm very tired, we had a bit of a scramble with homework/spellings/baths this evening but the DCs went to bed promptly at 9 - it was after 11 when they went to bed last night as we walked back from theatre to hotel about half an hour away. It was the first time they've been in London at night so they were wowed by the views along the Thames, the London Eye was all lit up etc. We have covered a fair few miles on foot this weekend, did a whistle stop tour of Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square this morning before heading back.

Back in a minute with links.

Monday 23rd Feb

Babystep - afternoon routines

Mission - this week we are in Zone 4, your bedroom. Monday's mission is to remove anything that does not belong in the room.

Daily Focus - home blessing hour, give the house a quick once over.

Belated check-in from me for Sunday - bought some furniture at Costco today, had to hire a van to get it all home! Just trying to do one piece of it now and the screws are too short I suspect this may take some time to fix.

The house is now full of cardboard and packing materials, and lovely furniture one piece of which we can't put together. Onwards and upwards ...

Fiz - I've lost track a bit, have you just moved?

Lovely to have you back, SC, and sorry it has, understandably, been a grim week. I think cooking is an excellent way to cheer yourselves up and distract yourselves from what's going on.

Glad you had a good break, WhoKnows.

Am just making final preparations for home ed tomorrow so we can get stuck in first thing. I've warned DS2 that we need to make an early start and work hard, so we can get the work over in time for DS1's appointment at the school. Dreading that, in case he won't go.

Good luck to everyone back in school or home-ed routines tomorrow.