Let April Spring Cleaning with the Fledglings commence (hopefully Dogsbum wont turn it into too much of a shower....)

[Dogsbumhair]

The fledglings is a long running thread based on the Flylady cleaning/tidying principles. Personally I’m a newbie with only a couple of months flying under my belt but some members of the group have been on the thread for a number of years, so the thread is a mixed group of more and less experienced fledglings. I have found myself to be very warmly received as a newbie so please don’t be scared to join the gang.

Flylady link link here.

The system initially seems quite confusing so my advice as a fellow newbie would be to just go with it and accept that you will probably feel a bit confused for the first couple of weeks and then it will start to come together and make more sense.

The basic principles are (very) loosely as follows:

1. No perfectionism allowed (it is your enemy and it is stopping you getting anything done)
2. Little and often is the way to go (your house didn’t get in a mess in a day, it wont get sorted in one)
3. You are never behind, just jump in where you are (We are in a different zone of the house each week and all the house zones come round once a month, so all the tasks will come round again soon)
4. The point of this system is that by doing little and often your life isn’t dominated by housework and you have more time to do the fun things that you’d much prefer to be doing

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 on Flying lessons. Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings.

Later on today I will be posting up the links and information for tomorrow’s tasks

The advice from the wise and experienced members of the group is not to subscribe to the emails, but I have to confess that as a foolish newbie I do receive them I have learnt to ruthlessly bin anything beyond the actual flying tasks though.

Hopefully I haven’t missed anything too important off this introduction, but I’m sure someone more experienced will pop up to supplement this information if I have.

Good luck and happy flying through April!……………..

Here are tomorrow’s links……

Baby-step no. 12 for Sun 12th April is here

We are in Zone 2 The Kitchen this week: here

If you want to, you can declutter for 15 mins a day in Zone 2!

The detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 2 is here

There are no missions at the weekend

The daily focus for Sunday is: Renew Your Spirit Day

The monthly habit for April is making your bed

For a summary of the above, see the flight plan: here

Happy flying…..

Sorry to be MIA again, DD has been suffering from stomach pains for over a week - managed to get an appointment with a GP (which is always tricky at our current surgery, have seen the emergency doctors in a different location more than the regular one ...) who was brilliant. DD has adenitis (I've never even heard of it before) which can last for a couple of weeks. It's making her a bit high maintenance which is hardly surprising with the pain, and it's a bit random - some days she is fine, others she doesn't want to do anything.

Random flying done, catching up on the laundry but if I don't match that with the ironing then it is all wasted effort! Main room got pretty messy at one point, but I'm getting a grip on it again now.

Will catch up with everyone tomorrow (hopefully!).

Just had to look adenitis up there Fizrim as I had no idea what it was either. Good news that it's short term, although very upsetting for your DD I'm sure. I hope she feels better soon. Good night

Good morning fledglings, DS woke me up at 5:40 this morning after DH kept me awake for hours with his earth-shattering snoring last night.... Coffee is a gift from the Gods I tell you.

Welcome to the thread mamapants, always nice to see new fledglings. Dogsbum who is our thread leader this month has been wth us for about three or four months and is doing a great job, and I've only been on the thread for about six months, but feel like I fit right in, it's a lovely thread to be part of.

Fizrim, sorry to hear about your DD, poor thing. will she be able to go back to school after the holidays?

Who was it that mentioned boot sales on here? I love boot sales! Haven't actually been a seller for many years after a bad experience where I got mobbed by a load of dealers and had loads of stuff stolen in the melee that followed however, I get most of my DSs clothes and lots of toys at our local sale.

Lots more of my junk fabulous collectibles are finishing on eBay tonight and selling well so far. It's a great way to declutter, but takes time - slightly at odds with Flylady, but she can lump it!

What is everyone doing to renew their spirits today? Mine is a stroll in the sunshine round the boot sale!

Thanks Grey that's very kind of you to say I didn't realise that you'd only be on for six months yourself, I assumed that you had been on here for a lot longer as you seem so much part of the thread

I've had a bad nights sleep as well, I didn't go to bed until well after midnight, struggled to get to sleep and then lay awake this morning before finally giving up in frustration at 6am. Generally I'm a good sleeper so not used to this really. I feel ok at the moment but I assume it will catch up with me and I'll be a wreck later!

I'm thinking about going for a walk to make the most of being up so early, I don't normally see this part of Sunday! I hadn't thought of doing it to renew my spirit but I think it probably will, especially if the sun manages to find its way out again.

Good morning! Yesterday's rain has gone and we have sunshine again!

Hope all ailing fledglings and poorly dps/dhs/dcs are feeling a bit better today!

Had reasonable day yesterday in the end despite the patients (dh and dd!) I prepared a 'proper' posh tea with tiny smoked salmon sandwiches and raspberry buns which we snaffled while watching the Grand National and the Boat Race (and I quaffed a bit of white ).

Dog caught mouse in garden before breakfast this morning [eurgh] which fell to me to sort out as dh and dd are sleeping in [double eurgh]. Was quite relieved he isn't a retriever (!) and gave me an opportunity to try out my new lawn pooper scooper (fortunately can insert plastic bag inside) but unfortunately it's tail still stuck out between the 'jaws' of the contraption [treble eurgh].

This followed [Toffee look away] a scary encounter with a humungously large spider on the wall of our downstairs lav last night! It was very black (with huge "wing span" ifyswim) and absolutely enormous! DD was petrified! (Strange time of year for a spider to have grown so large; sincerely hope this wasn't a baby!)

Feeling chipper this morning because (thanks to dog and lots of walking I suspect) have finally lost a bit of weight! Yay!

A very warm welcome to Mamapants (love the nn!) Can really identify with the 'perfectionist' problem! We live in an unrenovated wreck of a house and because there are holes in the walls and floors; I've made the mistake (until recently) of not putting up coat hooks or sorting storage because I couldn't stand the "temporariness" of it, with the result that we lived in chaos for a while and things were unnecessarily stressful. It's been a lot better since I've just accepted how things are and tried to work with it (still loads and loads to work on though!). Good luck!

Good luck with the dress search Toffee! Could you not leave your dh in charge and sneak away for a day's shopping (think you deserve a break over Easter!)? Go on! Put yourself first for once! And well done on the decluttering front!

Thanks for links Dogsbum love the sound of the primrose yellow for BabyMeerkitten! Hope you can catch up on sleep tonight!

Sorry to hear about your dd Fizrim; that sounds really unpleasant. And must be tiring for you too. Hope she recovers soon!

Swan Arf at your ds2 being fascinated by the very subject that was designed to bore him!

Greymalkin My dh snores terribly so you have my sympathies! Hope you can catch up on shut eye tonight! Really admire the way you have persisted with the e-bay decluttering! Enjoy the boot sale sunshine!

Yargh it's nearly 10.45 am and I haven't done a thing except snaffled breakfast and fed animals so must get on:

To do:
collect mugs and glasses from around house and stack in dw
make veg soup
prep supper (easy all-in-one chicken and butter nut squash dish)
carry on with laundry
take dog on longer country walk out of town
any time left over today will be devoted to tidying up horrendous boudoir!

Note to self: must, must, this wk, somehow persuade dd to help me go through her wardrobe and try on summer things and declutter those that no longer fit! And must check out school uniform sock situation now it is warmer!

Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

Jumping back in!
Back to school for all of us tomorrow and as usual I have spent far too much time out and about with the dc instead of catching up on things around the house. I have a friend coming over this afternoon but until then I need to catch up with all the flying I haven't done.

Ta da
Washing up
Hm soup made for lunches
2 hours of ironing
3 washloads

To do
Make veg curry to freeze as quick low fat dinners for the week
Finish ironing
Put clothes away
Pair socks etc
Clean bathroom
Dry up
Dust
Hoover
Change dc beds
Clean car

Dp has gone to fit a new cooker for my dad but when he is back I will be delegating.

This evening I plan to get some school work done in an attempt to get slightly in front of myself.

I will be back to catch up with the thread later

Coming back after a fairly long disappearance. I need cleaning and organisation back in my life! And a NC to boot, sorry. I hope this will keep me working hard on the house starting tomorrow morning.

Big waves to Mercury and Seaside, welcome back

Big waves to you too Grey .
I didn't get everything on my to do list done but I definitely feel a bit more organised for tomorrow. I have a maths inset which should be interesting. Im planning on going in early so I can get organised for Tuesday. Im off for an early night soon as I think having to be up early may be a bit of a shock!

Evening!

Lovely to have you back Mercury - family fun time out and about with dc is far more important than chores!! Good luck with maths inset day!

Welcome back Seasidesunshine (any clues??) [No worries if you want to remain a mystery mind you !]

Waves to Greymalkin and everyone else!

Despite being at home instead of away, the Easter hols do seem longer than normal here (benefit of breaking up on Good Thurs). We don't go back until the 20th thank heavens.

Ta da:
fed animals
did x 2 laundry loads
dw x 2
cleaned kitchen surfaces
lovely walk (trying to tire out dog) in sunny countryside. Managed to tire out dd anyway!
made carrot, leek and potato soup out of veg that needed using in fridge
served and cleared up lunch (bread, cheese and soup)
ordered niece present on-line (very laborious as had to do it by phone as for some reason Gap website could not accommodate billing in one EU country and delivery in another [sigh])
prepped supper (butternut squash, potato and chicken tray bake thing with tarragon)
made apricot and blackcurrant upside-down-cake which was light as a feather (even if I do say so myself) and which was just as well as put too much lemon in first course
cooked green beans and rice to go with chicken tray bake thing
served and cleared up supper
fed animals
stacked dw again.

Doesn't sound much but that literally filled the day!

G'night all!

Here are tomorrow’s links……

Baby-step no. 13 for Mon 13th April is here

We are in Zone 3 The Bathroom and an extra room this week: here

If you want to, you can declutter for 15 mins a day in Zone 3!

The detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 3 is here

Monday’s mission is here

The daily focus for Monday is: Monday Bleurgh

The monthly habit for April is making your bed

For a summary of the above, see the flight plan: here

Happy flying…..

I haven't achieved much today, but I did go for a 5 mile walk this morning and have done a bit of washing up, one load of washing, hoovering, etc. Can't remember what else to be honest.

I'm feeling very tired after my lack of sleep last night so I think I'll be sloping off to bed shortly..... [need bitchy's snoozing kitten photo here again.........]

Well, it's been a lovely weekend. The wedding was fabulous, one of the nicest I've ever been to (and I have been to lots). Child-free, which I definitely prefer (don't mind other people's being there but prefer going without mine). Despite a steady intake of alcohol over about 8 hours I felt fine this morning too, so a busy day of gardening and just general pottering.

I would just like to say, that my last big push on decluttering a few weeks ago really seems to have caused a shift in our household habits, after 5 years on the thread I finally feel as though I am properly getting on top of things. It's not all perfect, but so much tidier everywhere and therefore so much easier to keep that way. The DCs and DH are getting better with it all too. Don't suppose it'll last, but I'm really enjoying it at the moment.

A very lazy day here. Ds brought me coffee and then crawled into bed next to me to borrow my computer. I must confessed I went back to sleep. It ended up as a pj day. Stuff to do tomo including leaving the house.

Ds has horrific hayfever (tree pollen) and with the air quality having been so bad he is suffering his dad is of the opinion he has to be outside for a couple of hours every day doing exercise which is the worst thing he could be doing so now he is home I have him pretty much under house arrest so that his poor lungs can recover a bit. I foresee several more pj days for this remaining week of holidays but it did make me think linzer if dd is ok check she is not doing the 'don't drink anything til late in the day, then guzzle huge amounts as thirsty thing' ds is a right pita for this and needs to be 'encouraged' to drink earlier in the day.

The dcs are right back into their normal routine this morning, bickering.

Fnrrrrgh. Still ill. Not sure if attempting work later.

Aiming very low today - laundry stuff mostly.

Well done on the huge decluttering Who - great progress! :)

My two are currently screaming at each other too! :(

We are in dead mode today. Medical issue for poor ds at 1am that took nearly 2hrs to sort. Just about to sort breakfast, get up and head out to the opticians. Will have to ring the Doc for an appointment when we get back. Their new appointment system is impossible.

The weather is going to get very cold the moment I put away all the winter clothing, isn't it? The dcs have outgrown most of their summer clothing, so shopping is one of this week's tasks.

Damn, I really should've phoned in sick :( too late now though. Got to leave in half an hour and not even dressed but had the most horrendous day with DCs. Got nothing done obviously.

We don't really have winter or summer clothes per se, they just layer up whatever they want to wear if it's cold (DD is a big fan of the shorts-over-leggings/t-shirt-over-long-sleeves look :o)

Going to ring my dad and see if he can help with Brownies run tomorrow evening (DH is at an interview)

If I don't put the shorts away in the winter, my dcs will try to wear them.

Dark - I hope your DS is feeling better now -was it asthma/hayfever? It's wretched when it's bad. Hope you can catch up with sleep sometime soon too.

Seaside - - a friend of DS1's used to wear shorts at primary school all the way through the winter months. I always wondered why his mum let him do it. I would have hidden the shorts like you.

Captain - very sorry to hear you're feeling so rough. Good idea to aim low today and concentrate on getting through it.

ta da

Made our bed in honour of this month's habit.

Walked into town with DS2 and did loads of chores. Bought a nice lunch for us all from Caffe Nero.

Am very annoyed that the cobblers - who charged me an extortionate amount to repair a zip on my boots and to replace a heel in January - have suddenly closed down. The heel has dropped off and I was going to ask them to replace it for free. But at least I can wear summery shoes now.

Took an embarrassingly large number of packages to the Post Office to return my unwanted dresses. Not one of them suited me . I have decided that the only way to find something to wear is to do as Dogs suggested up thread and actually go to a shop and try loads on. Tricky to get there though, with both boys at home, so have asked DH if he can help out. Fingers crossed he'll have time.

Not doing any home ed today, so will get started on housework and decluttering...

Off to swimming then a 3-day jaunt work trip to the London Book Fair. Have tried to leave the house reasonably tidy in the hope that it won't be a total tip when I get back... [fat chance]

See you in a few days! Hope all poorly people on the mend, waves, , etc all round.

Both toffee Ds never does anything without style

It has bee a long day with an over tired ds and no internet. Am very grateful that the internet has now returned.