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!

Hope the appointment goes ok today toffee.

Not looking forward to this week - it's going to be far too busy! Plus I have to stay away at a crap hotel and go to a rubbish conference on Tuesday night/Wednesday.
Am going to be modest in my to do lists on this basis...
To do
Routines
Exercise laundry on
Laundry away
Hope DH remembers to pick up dry cleaning
Pick up dd from school and take her to play date
Meal plan
Online shop

I have sold a property but not moved - confusing, I know! We couldn't sell the old house and started off by renting in our new location, and ended up buying the house we were renting a couple of years ago. We've had two houses and two sets of bills - it's been a really long saga we are glad to see the end of!

I am surrounded by cardboard and packing stuff, need to go shopping and do laundry/ironing today. Will be back later.

Thanks, pushme. Good luck with your busy week. Hope the conference is better than you expect.

fizrim -

Up early and have a pile of work for DS2 and I to tackle after breakfast. Can hear all the children going off to school. Gorgeous sunny day - we should fit in a walk if we have time.

Fingers crossed for DS1 going to the school appointment this afternoon.

Fingers crossed indeed Toffee.

Ah, I see now Fiz, that must be a relief, I can understand the emotional overload thing, that happened to me on Saturday too, I had a good blub in the shower, but felt much better for it afterwards. Hope the money gets sorted out quickly.

We had a rush around to get everyone out of the door on time this morning, first day after holidays is always a bit trying, but it was achieved with no shouting, so that counts as a success. Just pondering the week ahead, meal planning is something else that always seems to fall apart a bit over the holidays.

Today I have ds off school so am not in work. All revelant people contacted. ds tucked up in bed with a book and hot water bottle. Jelly made. Recipe and biscuit gun found ready for playing with later.

Not sure what I am doing today as it has turned all plans a bit tospy turvy. Currently sat back in bed with a coffee and will sort the recipe typing up so I can get that emailed. Only promised to do this back before Christmas

I am sneaking back in as the house is an absolute tip and it has got to the point that even I am fed up of it!

Concentrating today on room rescuing downstairs.

Welcome back, dizzy.

Bitchy - sorry Ds is ill. What is a biscuit gun?

WhoKnows - feeling sad for you. You have so much going on at the moment and it will take time to adjust to it all. Glad this morning's school run was successful anyway.

Doing home ed with DS2 was like pulling teeth this morning. However, we have ticked off: reading Greek myths (Pandora's Box today); handwriting; addition practise (particularly painful ); and learning about first or third person in English. However, now he's struggled through it all, DS2 has time to read his new Harry Potter books (I ordered him two of the spin off books JK Rowling wrote), so I'm hoping he'll see the advantage of getting work out of the way first thing.

DS1 seems to be in a good mood. I've reminded him he has online Maths at 1, then the visit to the school. Also reminded him how cross MIL was with us when we didn't turn up with DS2 punctually last time because we were busy trying to persuade DS1 to come (she looks after DS2 whilst we go to the school). She complained about it to me again yesterday, which makes me so annoyed because it's not my fault we couldn't get there and she knows about DS1's issues. A bit of sympathy would have been more appropriate, I think. We couldn't let her know what was happening because she was sitting downstairs in the lobby, away from her phone. We did take DS2 round to her anyway because we knew she was looking forward to it, but of course we were half an hour late by then.

Anyway, am eating my lunch now and enjoying the virtuous feeling of having finished home ed for the day.

biscuit gun

Ah, thanks, Bitchy. Never heard of it before.

Mum had one when I was a kid it is fab for quick little biscuits. Recipe is very adaptable too.

Sounds like fun.

Can I join please? I've been looking at flylady for far too long a little while. I was on a minimalism thread but it's dropped off long ago. I'm drowning in stuff and with 4 dc plus dh in a very small 2 bed house, seriously need to buck my ideas up.

Welcome, Minisok . You will see quite a few familiar faces here, as several of us frequent the SN's thread too. I think there's a correlation between having a child with SNs and not being able to cope with housework.

I'm not surprised you are struggling, though, with four DC plus yourselves in a two-bed house. Decluttering is the way to go. Flylady really helps with routines too.

Looks like it's the time for people to sneak come back to the thread.
Apologies for going AWOL - RL, work and running have taken over, then add half term and a mad weekend of birthdays and I seem to be spinning in circles.
A selection of 12 yr old girls sleeping over for DD's birthday at the w/e have meant that once I put away all the air mattresses, etc the house will be in a reasonable state, I do need to wash up though

I need a list:
Ta Da

• all up, birthday breakfast for DH, presents opened, packed lunches done and out for school/work with only one PE kit forgotten - done
• osteopath for me - done
• parkrun emails - done (I am involved in setting up a new one :))

To do

• lunch
• some work
• S&S x 2
• washing up
• hang washing
• ironing away
• beds made (including new birthday duvet on DD's bed)
• dinner for DC
• dinner out for DH and I :o

I will do some of the above then spend 15mins trying to catch up as I haven't even been lurking

On a bit of a roll:

• lunch - done
• washing up - done
• hang washing - done
• ironing away - done

To add to list:

• various rental flat phone calls/emails
• start to strain fruit for Hedgerow Jelly
• letter to school re PTA Mother's Day craft

I can't even begin to think how you fit 4 dc and you and Dh into a 2 bed house You wouldn't need anything to automatically be drowning stuff. hats off to you.

Ta da
set Ds to finish his book
Get ds to write book report
Joint reading with ds on a new book
Tackle ds on doing some writing aka pick fight and see who gives up first
Wash up new biscuit gun and make biscuits - ds declare they were a success
make sun flower seed bread plait - currently doing its second rising
wash up new plastic storage tubs for kitchen
type up recipes

to do
lunch box and note for ds for tomo
make up my training kit
cook bread
start sorting kitchen cupboard chaos into tubs
cooled biscuits into tub
go have a good hunt about in the allergy section re milk free tomato soup
Drop present off (once I have finished it)
empty car out?

Is it bed time yet?

Yay Feetheart great to have you back!! You too Dizzy! Brilliant to 'see' you both!!

[No need for anyone to sneak back in here btw - please stride back in with head held high and join me at naughty corner bar!! [Virtual drinking being the only kind I can do during Lent

And a very warm welcome to Minisok

Just wrote a huge long post and it disappeared off in to the ether somewhere (also today has been much busier than anticipated) so I'm afraid this is going to be rushed/much redacted version!!

Thank you so much everyone for all the lovely "welcome backs". Truly appreciated! Don't know what I would do without this thread sometimes!!
Especially since two of my rl best friends (only have six in total!) moved far far away!

Whoknows thank you so much! It is truly very kind of you to offer to help when you have so much going on with your dd's dyslexia, your father's recent seizure, and your mil's Parkinson's diagnosis. No wonder you are feeling so overwhelmed by life. I hope the SENCO meeting is productive and that your dd gets the support she needs, and that you can take a little time out for yourself soon xx

And now I am adding to your burdens! I'm so sorry. But if I set the thread up on Fri before I leave (so lead posts in correct colour etc) then I will be back late Tues night, resuming Wed morning, and will take up the reins then. Are you sure that is OK with everything else you have going on?

Big ta for much needed caffeine hit Bitchy Hope your ds recovers soon and that the self separating wool behaves itself! Take care in the white stuff! Also, hugely grateful you mentioned that you are doing something today that emanates from before Christmas. As I have spent a good part of the day doing that too and I feel a hell of a lot better about it, knowing I am not alone !!

Thinking of you and your ds1 today Toffee! Hope school visit goes well!!

Fizrim glad to hear property saga successfully concluded and best of luck with unpacking [proffers sustaining ]

Pushme good luck with house sale and with what sounds like rather tortuous forthcoming business trip [proffers sustaining ]
Sorry - not v original - sure you are already on top of this but I find freezer/microwave best combo when I am in a rush (having batch cooked before). Things like fish cakes, meatballs, tomato sauces, thick soups etc all take quite a bit of chopping/faddly prep but only minutes to cook or re-heat when needed. Dc love the hands-on bits of shaping food, so maybe a weekend family sit-down food prep session might be workable every month or so? If not, just chopping a few basic ingreds (such as onions) and freezing immed can speed things up considerably. Also (again v obvious - sorry-) cooking for two days ie roast chicken(s) Sunday, cold cuts and veg/salad Mon (and usually get a few sandwiches for lunch for dh out of that too). Finally, do a good beef shin dish at the weekend (slow cook and v economical) that separates out in to a very good beef stock/tea and separate pieces of meat on bone. Use that in various combos with added veg to have with pasta or turn in to soup. (Keeps three days in fridge.)

Swan Hope tooth sorted without too much discomfort. Real fire sounds deliciously comforting! So glad to read down-thread that you had a good ski trip! And thank you for kind words re: sil. Yes, it's going to be a huge change for her, too soon yet to confront the enormity of it atm.

Linzer sorry to hear life so unrelenting hectic atm

Arf at lawn hoovering Greymalkin

(Hope I haven't left anything vital out as still haven't completely caught up with thread - apologies if so!) Have horrible feeling I have left out lots of people but huge waves as late for school run!!

Big waves too to Engels Blue Elliepac MrsMook Whispers Saymwa Catg83 Blessthismess Carpe Hanbee and eveyrone else I've missed!!

Missed out *Dogsbum Castle Shannara and others

Goth how are you? Hope all OK!!

And waves to Honu

[sprints for door]

If it helps I have been meaning to do this job since October I have lots of jobs like that, on the to do list but I never seem to get around to but when I do they are a relief to just get done. Lacking motivation to get moving properly. Really cba. But I really do need to. Need to turn the power to the lights off so that I can check the no of wires going to the light fitting in my room.

DS1 managed his trip to the new school !

SC / WhoKnows - I can take over links instead, if you like, as I know you have an overwhelming amount going on, Who.

That's brilliant news Toffee, you must be so pleased!

I'm very relieved, Who . His refusal last time had me worried. Do you want me to do the links?

If you wouldn't mind, I am feeling a bit swamped and have just remembered that I am out all day on Saturday (7.15 train to London with DS and his Scout group, can't wait not).

That's fine, Who. Not surprised you're feeling swamped: everything's happening at once for you.

And, actually, SC, would it be easier if I just run the thread next month? You also have far too much going on and could probably do without the added job of thread running. I'm happy to do it if you want.