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!……………..

[black coffee and paracetemol] for Toffee and thank you for medicinal brew Greymalkin and congrats on long list achieved!

Achieving nowt much here except coughing. Thankfully, lovely cleaner came yesterday so house is not too terrible.

Furry one has found his bark! Trying to dissuade him from barking at every person that goes past front door (our door is right on the street here). Typically though, when a load of youths ran down the street at 4am shouting and bumping front doors and cars, when I would be pleased if he'd announced his presence, he was curled up in his basket fast asleep .... .

Human barks (coughs) and waves to all fledglings from sick-bed!

Going to try and get up and do some sewing this pm if at all possible but have that horrible jelly leg weak feeling. Such a lovely day too ... last weekend of dd's fortnight Easter holiday ... such a shame to be in bed.

SC poor you, that sounds awful. I detest having a cough!
Toffee Well done on surviving the party on your own. Can you remember much?
GreyMalkin I don't think I've ever deliberately got a horse in an outline so you're ahead of me! I'm just a happy hacker really.
DogsBum The dissertation deadline is 25th June but although I really don't want to, I think I'm going to have to ask for yet another extension. By now I should have finished my Literature Review, analysed my results, done all the stats and got half-way through writing the results chapter, none of which have been done. The rest of life is on hold until this damn thing is done. I want to Kondo the whole house, redecorate, start my business, sell DD's pony and buy her a horse and decide with DH whether to build a small extension or a conservatory or other changes to the house. Can't do any of it yet.

Still I've had quite a good day. Was tired from yesterday so didn't manage to do any study today, but got up (late) and showered, then:
Did some more competition entries for DD1,
Vacuumed up the stairs and upstairs,
Decluttered bath toys and washed and disinfected them ready for the charity shop
Took photos of some dressing-up clothes and branded clothes for selling online
Started to list on local sites and EBay
Decided I couldn't be bothered
Gathered everything together and took it all to the charity shop
Took car through car wash
Got home and decided my pigsty of a car really needed a clear-out
Took all the rubbish out and chucked it away
Took the mouldy bit of carpet out of the boot (something had leaked on it unnoticed sometime during the winter)
Brushed all the crumbled mud and hay out of the boot
Took the mats out of the foot wells and hosed them down
Vacuum cleaner didn't reach car so used dustpan and brush to brush the mud, hay and stones from the foot wells.
Used baby wipes to wipe down muddy surfaces.
Removed all unnecessary stuff (winter gloves, hats, a kite etc) from the boot.
Did a Tesco online order

Now I need to cook dinner and then vegetate in front of BGT!

Today
managed to hoover my room but that was because I was fed up with the family
took dtwins to sports
then took dsons to football match (so lots of fresh air today)
finally got rid of a bag of rubbish in my bedroom

dealt with some bad humour from dd which caused massive fallout (and was probably the only reason I did the hovering - out of sheer frustration with dh dd and everything

However feel fine now. And all is comparatively calm. Looking forward to a lovely walk to celebrate a friend's 50th with lots of other people tomorrow. Ds1 says he will come too which an example of his better self - he has a charming upbeat sensible side as well as a lazy "useless" argumentative side (which is what you would think if you peered into the continuing chaos of his bedroom

Dh continues to feel very frustrated by being ill and unable to go anywhere or do much..However he is doing quite a lot of general meal organising and dw still so that is kind of him.

Toffee you sound like a very experienced bon viveur!

Steady oh dear. Now is the time to say you cannot tackle laundry and they really have to do it even if its just token amounts. I have a washing machine in a dark dank cold basement when I go to Ireland it drives me absolutely insane. When I grew up my mother had a very tall thin house and she cleverly put the washing machine in the top floor bathroom.It made a frightful racket (the whole of the top floor used to shake late into the night) and leaked quite often but was heaven from the point of view of actually washing things.. We did hang all our clothes from the bannisters though or radiators...possibly a mite squalid...

Tomorrow’s links…..

Baby-step no. 19 for Sun 19th 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

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…..

Toffee congratulations on your first outing with dress, glad to hear it was a success even if you are feeling a bit worse for wear.

Steady sorry to hear that you are still so poorly

Bless sorry to hear that you haven't made the progress you would have liked with your dissertation, are they likely to grant the extension or is it difficult to get?

Swan your walk tomorrow sounds lovely, is the weather there good at the moment?

I only managed one coat of paint and the local shop today as I ended up going shopping with DP for some clothes for him for his trip to India and some clothes for Summer in general. I've enjoyed the day though, it's been nice and sunny here and so I enjoyed my local shop and DP had a nice day in the garden. Sitting on the sofa watching Jane Eyre now....

Morning. Over slept so ds will be eating lunch in the car as it will come out of the oven as we are due to leave. Just waiting for the pain killers to kick in and then need to get up, check ds' kit and finish sorting lunch. If i have the energy i want to sort out the lunch box ready for tomo as I know I won't have the energy when I get back and will over sleep tomo as it is the first day back to normal routine.

hope you all have good days

Hope everything going as well as possible in circs Linzer and that your dd is feeling a bit better and coping with being in hospital.

Swan hope you enjoy your lovely walk today! You certainly deserve a bit of time out! Hope your ds1 enjoys it too!

So sorry to hear that your dh is still feeling so poorly. He sounds like my dh who is also horribly impatient and frustrated when ill!!

And well done re: the hoovering of the boudoir yesterday (nowt like frustration as a good motivator!).

And yes, I have often thought about having the wm upstairs (and we may do yet) as continually climbing up and down with laundry baskets does not make a lot of sense, but as you say, the noise issue is a factor (especially as I often have loads on late at night or early in the morning on a timer).

Would rather dh and dd contributed to washing up and cleaning kitchen surfaces though rather than doing laundry (prefer to be in control of laundry room myself!). Came downstairs again today (admittedly rather late after a night of coughing) to find plates and dirty dishes randomly distributed over ground floor and stacked up on kitchen surfaces and dw (which I had stacked and ran yesterday) still full . It's not that hard is it?? I don't think dh had wiped a kitchen surface in over twenty years of marriage!!

But must turn my limited energies to getting dd to switch from holiday mode back in to school mode - go through her school bag - sharpen her pencils - lay out uniform and socks instead of tights etc etc. Sort out spring coat etc etc.

Yes, meant to say Toffee you did well to face a crowd of new faces on your own. Hope you enjoyed last night's party too and that your dh is feeling better!

Bless Congrats on your long list of things achieved. I am rather envious of you having to brush mud and hay out of your boot!!

Re: dissertation - if time extensions don't adversely affect final mark, then I would definitely go for it as in ten years time no-one will be bothered how long it took you; being proud and happy with what you have done is more important. And if you get an extension, can you try and trick your brain and pretend you don't have it ifsywim? That way you will get the bulk of it done in the original time (without that horrid pressure blocking you) and you can spend the remainder of the time "polishing". Easy to say sitting here I know but I'm a desperate procrastinator and know every trick in the book!!!

Hope painting going well Dogsbum!! It's so much nicer decorating when the weather is good and you can open the windows!! Be careful what you are breathing in!

Hope you have caught up on a bit of sleep Greymalkin and meant to say before, am very envious of archery session!!

Bless/Greymalkin another happy hacker here! When I ride now (rather infrequently) it is on the weight-bearing, leg on each corner, armchair type!!

DEM hope pain is lessening a bit today and I wouldn't be too hard on yourself about having lots of craft materials as (a) you are continually crafting, (b) it is a good source of distraction from pain and (c) allows you to achieve something productive and skilled when you aren't able to do anything physically challenging. Totally justified therefore in having a reasonable "stash" if you ask me!!

Dog has shocking haltitosis ! Just about to go and sort that out now with a doggie toothbrush (oh joy!).

Waves to Blue Whoknows Engels Pushme ¨Castle Honu Feetheart, Captain, Seaside and all newcomers and anyone else I've missed!

Enjoy your Sundays everyone!

Second outing with new dress last night. Had a lovely evening with good friends and lots of dancing.

Aiming for a quiet day today. Might go out for a walk later as it's fabulous weather. Definitely following the 'revive your spirit' Flylady instruction.

Swan secretly long for a laundry chute!!

x posts

Glad you had a good time Toffee you deserve a break!! [Proffers strong coffee]

Key word there is 'reasonable' SC

Not much sunshine out there today. Overcast and chilly. I've cleaned out my dining room, and while I'd like to replace the flooring, it's probably not going to happen until next year, so I'm thinking about getting an area rug in there before next winter to keep it warmer. If I choose carefully, I can get a rug that will go with the flooring I eventually get.

So many of my rooms are specifically situated so that the furniture cannot be moved around too much, especially my bedroom. Some days I want to just run around and move all the furniture.

And I dislike my kitchen at the moment. I need to make some changes, but am unsure what.

Maybe I am better off when I am running around trying to get things done, as I don't notice these things as much then.

Everything is relative DEM

Good luck with the house re-arranging Seaside!

Walk was great - took but a moment to do five miles - something to do with chatting I think...
Ds1 looked very handsome at the party in his falling to bits orange jumper Lots of tube travel and we had a great day out in North London seeing 3 sets of old friends. What a relief not to have to think about two other children at the party - I don't think ds2 would have lasted more than five minutes before insisting we had to go home.

back home and dh who stayed behind with twins has cleared out the shed with help of ds2 in preparation for tomorrow's gardeners who are digging up a lot of back section and taking the shed away.

oh dear dd has just appeared and says she feels ill. I don't think she is ill just the result of whole day eating chocolate biscuits and not doing much except grumbling Nothing like a day out to wish children had an "off" button...would like to have a hot bath and watch Poldark in peace without being further interrupted...callous as that may sound...my legs feel like they have walked a long long way..

Tomorrow’s links…..

Baby-step no. 20 for Mon 20th April is here

We are in Zone 4 The Master Bedroom this week: here

If you want to, you can declutter for 15 mins a day in Zone 4!

The detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 4 is here

Monday’s mission is here

The daily focus for Monday is: Monday Bleurghh

The monthly habit for April is making your bed

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

Happy flying…..

Good morning!

Thanks for links Dogsbum!

Good luck with gardeners coming today Swan and hope your dd is better today!

Still got the lurgy (with accompanying migraine type headache -ouch) but everyone back to work/school this morning. Nausea/coughing causing me to move very slowly. House a bit of a tip.

DD went off to school in uniform that is starting to look a bit small (sleeves getting a bit short as is length of pinafores by about an inch) and she is all thin knobbly wrists and knees!! Feel mean but desperately trying not to buy two new pinafores at vast expense, which only have to last until end of June. We have compromised on grey sports shorts underneath.

First dog training session cancelled, owing to flu, unfortunately. Will have to reschedule but dh has very kindly taken dog on school run (much to dd's delight!). Also, because of him getting the flu before me, and still having it to a degree, he has cancelled his intended trip to Mexico this week and delegated it to others (yay!!).

Don't know where to start today - totally unprepared - first day alone with furry one - wish I felt better for it.

Ta da:
fed animals
made packed lunch for dd whose disorganised mother didn't get the hot lunch slip in on time at the end of last term .
held head and rocked in corner for a bit
took painkillers

To do: (the minimum!)
dw and wm
think of something to eat tonight and force myself to prep it
dog walking
should also be sewing but don't think I am up to that atm
hwk supervision
ballet bun (and possibly ballet run)

This week when better:
everything I didn't get done during Easter hols, such as boudoir and home office - [cackles hysterically] - don't think that is going to happen!

Apologies fellow fledglings - all of the above hideously boring!!!

Have a good start to the week everyone!

Good morning SC and to everyone else too.

I got out of the wrong side of bed this morning and am feeling foul tempered. But now have the house to myself, which always cheers me up.

Ta da
DS up, nappy, milk, dressed, taken kicking and screaming out to the car and deposited at nursery he's their problem now
Cats fed
Dishwasher emptied

Am now parked on the sofa with a large cafetière cauldron of Bitchy Special Brew which I intend to polish off whilst reading a few chapters of my book and then:

To Do
Makes beds
Put washing on
Make dinner for tonight
Wrap ebay parcels
take parcels to post office
Get a few groceries
Tidy the clutter all over the living room floor
Business accounts.
Collect mini Satan from nursery.

I have my first interview for my professional training tomorrow afternoon. I'm nervous and stressy and no doubt that is why I'm in a horrible mood.

ta da
work
get beaten up by physio.

Very sore right now and feeling exhausting. But it is nothing like the pain i was in the last couple of days. Early night is needed

oh SC hope you got through today. I bet dog will lurve you being not too busy though. Cheese on toast salad and baked beans for supper (I know it sounds hideous if you have a lurgy but the others might manage it)

Ds1 is fifteen today and we have done nothing special at all. Apart from yesterday's fantastic hike (his godmother has the same birthday). I have made a flattened pancake like cake in 20 mins flat lit candles and we have eaten it. V nice sachertorty type although I invented the proportions. Such a busy day for once I am glad that dh is so finicky about organising presents for the children in advance - he had 3 presents for ds all ready for today including Boyhood which may be thoroughly unsuitable.

Due to ds1's disorganisation had to spend a large amount of time trekking to Hounslow to deliver a ABRSM exam form for an exam I didn't even know he was taking. In between that I was frantically finishing off the EHCP application for ds2 and photocopying and sticking together unphotocopiable pages. AND dear reader I DELIVERED IT by hand. I insisted they give me a receipt which they seemed a bit bemused by. And even then it wasn't on headed paper. Receptionist nearly reduced me to quivering wreck by asking me who it was meant to be "for". No idea - I just put what it said on the council website. So that is done for now. Six weeks to wait.

Gardeners have cleared top of garden and potted up all the plants. New shed/room not coming till end of June so slightly tricky to avoid a mudbath situation whilst remedying old turf. Anyway it seems a lot more pleasant a problem than the EHCP so I will brood about that for a few weeks instead.

Done absolutely nothing with ds2 today and dh refuses to do home ed with him so that was a bit of write off but it was in a good cause. Ds2 did look at some old photos of himself as a baby and declared that we were all "so sweet" in the old days and he was sad because we used to be nice to each other then...

Very good to get a receipt, Swan. I was advised to do exactly the same thing. I'm sure it's not that unusual.

No home ed here either today. I haven't even planned what to do this term. I think I'm distracted by DS2's taster days at his new school and the thought that they may want him to work on certain topics or subjects.

Funnily enough, DS2 also went through a stage of reminiscing about his younger days and saying that I "was kinder then", just like your Ds2, Swan. I have come to the conclusion that I was more patient with him then because he was younger, whereas I expect more of him now and sometimes he needs telling off, unfortunately. But he just sees it as grossly unfair.

Am very impressed you made the birthday cake so quickly. Sounds like a perfectly lovely birthday for your DS1.

Dark -

Grey - best of luck tomorrow. Let us know how it goes.

SC - how did your first day alone with the dog go? Did he follow you everywhere?

Linzer - thinking of you and your DD. Hope everything is going ok and not too stressful, considering the situation.

Dogs - thanks for the links. Have failed on the bed-making front today, but will try to resume that tomorrow. It made me feel very virtuous.

DS1 amazed us by getting up at 6am this morning and asking that DH take him on another walk, as he had really enjoyed our family walk yesterday. So, instead of going straight to work, DH had to go on a one-hour walk across the Downs. I'm so pleased DS1 is beginning to choose to go out again.

DS2 and I walked my DM to the train station, then went to the library and did various chores in town before walking home. DS2 spent the day reading and playing with some old toys from the loft.

DH brought back cheap food from Tesco. I'm cooking a discounted beef joint with Yorkshire pudding for dinner. And trying to only have one glass of wine after my alcoholic weekend.

Tomorrow’s links…..

Baby-step no. 21 for Tues 21st April is here

We are in Zone 4 The Master Bedroom this week: here

If you want to, you can declutter for 15 mins a day in Zone 4!

The detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 4 is here

Tuesday’s mission is here

The daily focus for Tuesday is: Planning Day

The monthly habit for April is making your bed

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

Happy flying…..

Managed to get final coat of paint on my study/Meerkitten room yesterday and DP helped put furniture back.

Today have been trying to sort out the chaos caused by moving everything to paint.

Replaced really old plug socket in study
Re-attached picture rail in my study
Sanded and filled window sill ready to re-paint in study
Hoovered attic bedroom, stairs, landing, my study, kitchen/dining and front room
Emptied bins
3 loads of washing, bedding, towels and wash cloths and DIY clothes, etc
Recycling
Bread batch
Attic bedroom dusting and polishing

So I think it’s been a fairly productive day, definitely still lots of de-cluttering to do in study but I’m finding it really hard to motivate myself to do that. It is nice to have my study usable again though after the last week of chaos

Waves. Still here. Not getting anything done around the house, but went to choir for the first time in months!

I am still trying to catch up from the Book Fair, and need to do follow-up emails, accounts, admin etc and try to write up talks while they're fresh in my mind, but that's not happening either. And I keep failing to go to bed at a decent hour too.

Morning! Absolutely ravishingly beautiful spring day here; birds cheeping, sun shining, buds blooming etc etc.

Still feeling grim though; can't seem to shake chest infection (and I never have chest infections). Constantly coughing (one of those coughs that people move half way down the bus to avoid!) and feel frustratingly weak. Need to get on but keep having to sit down! Fortunately dh not travelling, so is kindly taking the strain but only just better himself!

Best of luck with your interview this afternoon Greymalkin! You'll be great! Give 'em hell!!

Hope physio relieved some of the pain DEM (even if he/she caused more initially)

Thanks Swan! And congrats on what must have a very satisfyingly productive day yesterday! Wishing your ds1 a belated but very happy birthday! Spontaneous cake sounds fab! And hurrah to dh's who organise presents (left to mine, no-one would receive one - advance planning is not his forte!) Hope all the new planting in your garden looks lovely! And congrats on conquering and delivering all that very important paperwork!!

(We did indeed have easy peasy baked beans and cold chicken last night, much to dh's dismay, who made himself a complicated salad because he just can't help himself!!)

Toffee/Swan Thanks! Dog had a very busy day yesterday (mostly with dh) as it happens. He went on school run in the morning, then went to office and was reasonably well behaved until he barked whilst dh was on the phone to the DTI so then came back home for a while. He then popped out on some errands with dh at lunch time, then did reverse school run, and went to the park for an hour while dh was at ballet. Basically; a pig in clover!! And dh is in lurrrvvveee!!

And while he was at home with me, bless him, he was so settled and quiet that I started worrying he might be ill!! Turns out he was just tired from all the walking which he is not used to!

Arf at your ds's reactions to old family photos!! DD adores looking at pictures and films of herself as a baby. And I find old family shots quite a useful tool when she is in one of those "I never get to do anything fun" moods! Just show her endless shot of parties and play dates and riding lessons and group craft sessions etc etc and she soon stops complaining!

Toffee hope 'le rosbif' went down a treat and that is fantastic to hear about your ds1 wanting to go out for an hour-long early morning stroll!! He is making brilliant progress!! Good on him!!

Yes Linzer still thinking about you and your dd. Hope it is going well and sending all best wishes to you and your family if you happen to be lurking!

Dogsbum Congrats on your serious list of things achieved!! I am so impressed by your decorating perserverance when heavily pregnant. It really is an achievement to get your Meerkitten/study walls finished!! Well done!!

[The bed-making link is making me feel because I am sleeping in hideous boudoir at the moment owing to night coughing fits and the bed looks like a cross between Tracy Emin's and a messy desk - because I tried to sort post in bed yesterday and then fell asleep!!]

To do (minimum):
sign and photocopy school report
stack and run dw
put washing on and hang out in sunhine (late with this!)
wipe kitchen surfaces
stroke rabbits
stroke dog
cook something for tonight
try and tidy boudoir a bit and put ironed clothes away
hwk supervision

One very very bad thing happened yesterday as a result of me not being 'on duty'. Dd was tired after her first school day back and a bit reluctant to go to ballet in the evening (although she loved it once she was there of course!) so totally normal and par for the course and usually overcome by announcing, "I will be leaving in 5 mins precisely and Madame X will make you do extra bar work if you are late!" Dh, not being used to this though, over-reacted and promised her ten minutes of 'Star Stable' if she went to dance class. And so, having been weened off it by me for exam season and gone 'cold turkey', dd has now been re-introduced to its tantalising delights ...could see the star-struck gleam in her eye as she came up to bed last night ... [sigh]

I can't blame dh because he was holding everything together yesterday when only just recovering himself and whilst juggling a huge work day at the office. But honestly, I could cry!!!

Have a lovely day fledglings! Big wing flaps to eveyrone I've missed!!

Sorry Blue missed your post! HOpe you manage to get on top of all the admin! Small steps and all of that ... . good luck with it!!