August Birthdays and the Fledglings are a nattering

[DarkEvilMoon]

Ok so here is the August thread.

Another chat thread.

Going to be completely half arsed with this.

launch pad from here is all the linky poos which few of us look at anyway
But we are following Fly lady principles. sort of 15 mins decluttering, babysteps and all that.

Oh we are a long running thread, we may seem clicky but we have been around the wrong side of half a decade. We do welcome newbies, and some of the flock joined us only recently.

If you have any questions on the fly lady system do ask and we will try to answer them. Hopefully back to normal service and regular linkies in September after the hols.

So nerh...

Hello! :o

Another day today of hopefully decluttering a bit more with my parents when they get here. Trying to think of a vague plan but as usual looking round thinking nnnrnrnrrggghhhhh. DH spruced up the living room a bit last night but the kitchen has suffered for it, so I'll give it the once over in a bit. In order to earn my last Dr Pepper. Ahem.

And I'd quite like to nip to Asda - they had a 'guess the number of sweets' thing for charity a while ago... and I won :o got it spot on apparently!?

Also random question - has anyone had a rug dry cleaned and if so do you remember how much it was? DH has an ancient one that he is very attached to, we are going to put it in the little crawl space under DD's cabin bed so it's all snuggly and den-like but there's no way it's going in there before it's cleaned

Thanks for this, DEM. And thanks to Blue for running the thread last month.

Oooh, what did you win, fuzz?

And no, sorry, have never had a rug dry cleaned.

Woke up starving, but it took 40 minutes before I could sit down and eat thanks to a lot of mewing and "Muuuuum, I'm hungry!"

But I am now sitting quietly with a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal. And a very soft cat is keeping my legs warm.

Morning Fuzz and Toffee, happy Saturday to you and your broods.

DH and I are having a short child free weekend away while DS is with PIL. It's just lovely. So sod all flying for now.

BBL

Signing in, thanks DEM, and Blue for last month. Got up reasonable early for me today and have done some tidying, decluttering and hoovered round downstairs. A few months ago I felt I was really on top pf the clutter, but the minute I take my foot off the gas it starts creeping in again.

Good for you, Grey. Hope you have a lovely time.

Thanks for the new thread, DEM August kind of crept up on me there!

Now home, and with a Mount Washmore of truly epic proportions to tackle. Joy.

Yep I'm about to ascend that particular mountain too!

Enjoy your weekend, Grey!

Well, I don't think my parents will be here til much later. I kind of wish they would get here earlier just so we could have a bit more time, but I know that's really ungrateful as really I am very lucky that they are helping at all! And the other positive is that I can take my time to wake up properly and get a few other bits done. I am insanely achy. Clearly wasn't careful enough over the last few days.

And Toffee, I won... the jar of sweets :o think it was wrapped ones, chocolates/toffees type thing. Glad my parents will be here to share them and stop me and the DCs scoffing the lot!

No need to make lunch today then, fuzz .

Signing in here. Almost managed to keep in touch last month, am proud of myself.

Quiet weekend here. Dmum is away, dc's with stbxh and DP flew back to Germany yesterday. I have lunch planned with friend, retail therapy and a lot of washing. Maybe schoolwork if i feel the urge.

Heading up to Filey for a couple of days with dc's and dnephew tomorrow. Dsis has just informed me that she has started potty training...that wasn't part of the agreement when i said i would take him away for a couple of days on her wedding anniversay. Oh and he now has a penchant for running away.

Then we are heading to a cottage in Pembrokeshire on Friday for a week which excites me muchly.

Back later. Waves to one and all.

Morning. shocking night's sleep. Brain was too preoccupied. But it was a good late night conversation because out of it came a plan of action for Ds that includes spending time at the beach with a team mate. Ds is far more needy in terms of social interactions than I tbh that is not hard as my preferred state is almost hermit

Coffee, breakfast and I need to get cracking. I have some knitting to do

I am something of a hermit myself, DEM! DD really craves time with her friends but I still have to put a limit on it to some extent. The days when I think 'oh sod it' and let her stay out all day, she always has a huge meltdown in the evening and the next day is always horrible. She's outside at the moment but I'm getting her in at half past.

Done nothing this morning except Super Skills with DS and sorting through workbooks. Shedloads to do and zero energy. Must attack the kitchen before my Dr Pepper, which is in the freezer to chill, explodes from getting too frozen!

Has your Dsis basically lumped you with potty training duty, ellie? :o

My to do list has changed. No longer is it knitting

To do
Empty bookcase and move
Move wood
Move chest of drawers
Strip more wall paper.

Chest of drawers is going back when decorating has been done. Bookcase is not and will need a new home Looking like more furniture to stuff into my tiny room. It is times like this when I mutter about having too many books. HOW does anyone one have too many books. There is no such thing Not that I was looking at buying some books yesterday, oh no not I

Naughy DEM! What books were you looking at? I was too, although I've been very restrained and have only chosen two for DS' birthday, that I know he loves.

Parents still an hour or so away - but they've picked up stuff for lunch including a baguette, so I'm most pleased. I never get baguettes as they don't really deliver nice ones, and they end up going stale when it's just me eating them anyway (DH is coeliac). Somehow I don't think we will get anything done til the afternoon! I'm going to get a little done before they arrive.

Right, off to get DD from the neighbour's, be interesting to see if she kicks off despite having time warnings. I need to get her a watch that can have an alarm set on it - ideally two alarms so she can have a five minute warning, and know that she MUST come back when the second alarm goes.

Frankenstein, Dr Jeckel and Mr Hyde, that sort of classics tbh. Which I know are possible to find as free electronic download but I much prefer a proper book. Between us I swear ds and I need to live in a library

Hello, can I rejoin please? I've been fairly terrible at keeping on top of the house, but with the summer holidays I have found some time to declutter and the lack of a cleaner now is spurring me on to get organised before term starts again!

Welcome three

Not sure if you have come across fly lady before shite memory for past posters
fly lady suggests 15mins decluttering per day and her babysteps are a set of habits to build up so that you have a routine that keeps on top of the house without thinking too much. Well that is the theory anyway. babysteps start here but take the twee with a large pinch of salt

I am washing wall paper and that horrible sticky wallpapery pasty type thing that comes with wall paper stripping. I want a shower but have still stuff to remove and clear up. Lunch break.

Sorry three

Ta da
Empty bookcase and move
Move wood
Move chest of drawers
Strip more wall paper.
Wash wall paper
Remove gluey wall paper base
remove ceiling paper
wash stairs carpet as was lethal from the blooming wallpaper glue
change out of gluey/papery clothes

I should be getting on with the knitting. But atm I cba

Yes fuzz she bloody has. I was shite at training ds so don't expect this to go well????.

Lovely day had here. Lounged on sofa this morning. Long chatty lunch with friend and then successfully purchased a netbook for ds for his bday in a few weeks.

Am about to do a small amount of flying before retiring to the sofa with wine for the evening.

Hello all. Reporting for duty. My house is a mess, my garden is a mess, my head is a mess, my post baby body is a mess and frustrtaing me and am feeling incredibly stressed out with DH and actually quite lonely atm. All my friends have been away the last 2 weeks though we're finally heading to England this week as long as we can get through Calais in one piece. I feel I've totally lost all enthusiasm and motivation for everything which is why everything feels so out of control.

So, in true returning fledgling style, I'm shining my sink. It's a new month, a new start, almost a new school year. I will be off on holiday on Wednesday for 10 days but hoping to get lots done before then (have 2 childfree days which I have been mostly wasting the last 2 weeks).

I will get the shit tip under control. I will take care of myself. I will get outside of these 4 walls, meet people and do stuff. I will exercise. I will play with my children instead of telling them I'm busy. I will minimise my time sitting on my sofa so that it's a treat, not the norm.

Okay, I've said it, now I have to do it!

Looking forward to actually keeping up with you all.

Thanks DEM. Hugs to Engels - I hope you have a lovely trip back to the UK and good luck with everything.

I had a major breakthrough today with DH and the DSs. We managed to label all the uniform, sort all the clothes cupboards and throw away everything that was too small. I did DDs room yesterday, so I now have no uniform in my room cluttering up my floor and everything looks beautiful in their rooms!

We then went out sharpish so they couldn't mess them up. We have come back in time for them to sleep and do nothing else!!

Ta Das
Hoovered downstairs
Sorted DCs rooms
Took stuff to the recycling pronto before anyone could take anything out
Put all the washing away
Dried swimming towels and re-packed bags

Ahoy there, three - I've only just rejoined too! Well done on your uber-successful day!

Ah, big hugs to you, Engels, I'm glad you're here. A great move to shine that sink. Make sure you use some of that child free time for YOU, not just housework and the like! Are you feeling run down physically too? If so, maybe time to book a blood test for iron levels and all that jazz? (apologies if that sounds ridiculously patronising, it's not intended )

DEM I agree about preferring the printed book. I do have a kindle which I use (although somehow managed to put it down somewhere and forget where... halfway through a fairly mediocre book!) but nothing will stop me loving the real thing :o what with working in a library I do get through a fair few :o actually haven't read much since this latest flare up - I will make myself do some tomorrow.

Successful afternoon here, suffering for it physically, but feeling like we are really making progress. We've cleaned cupboards that basically got stuffed with crap the instant we moved in... in 2008... and haven't seen the light of day since! This is going to work much better than previous attempts where we've only really been able to shift stuff around, because nothing had a place. Lots of things now have a specific place. I've also stashed away lots of the DCs' stuff - they still have plenty out, but I figure it's less to make a mess with while we are still in the process of sorting everything. I've also decided what our reward will be for working together to get the house sorted (DCs certainly still need some motivation!) - we will finally get something we've wanted for ages... MINECRAFT :o I'm not entirely sure they'll love it as much as they think they will, but we are going to start out playing it all together so that might be fun.

Mum has really been enjoying organising our stuff which has surprised her as much as me! And she's said they'll come back one more time before their holiday at the end of the month. :) She's also offered to get us one of those storage tower drawer thingies, she's seen a good one and I reckon it'll be perfect to keep all their craft stuff in one place. Although again it won't be in their reach for a while.

Plan for tomorrow - 2 loads washed and dried, DH ironing work clothes, get DCs to tidy up their lego city and get their room tidy (so much easier now that it's been properly organised!) so they can put clothes away. DH is taking them out somewhere to give me a rest, should try and do some typing done while they're out as well as prat about online! And read, I will read. DCs need a bath and so do I (with Epsom salts in it).

Hmm, that seems suspiciously like a to do list doesn't it, and I told myself I wouldn't do that this time! Hopefully I can achieve the above...

I have epsom salt bath envy Only have a shower atm as bath still holds contents of my room that was evicted for the builders. Not had the energy to do it yet.

fuzzpig to do lists and plans are two different things, seriously they are

Well done 3! That's great getting clothes sorted. I have this problem. What do I throw/donate, what do I keep, is it too small?

Thanks for reminding me about blood fuzzpig. I had low b12 during pg so had booster shots and am supposed to go back and get retested. I'll make a note to do it after my holiday.

We have no bath DEM so am looking forward to being on holidays next week and having a soak.

Managed to shine that sink yesterday.

Ta da for today
wash on
lingering wash folded
run (starting c25k again to go easy on my pelvis).

Now having a quick rinse then into gardening clothes and heading outside with DS1. Pamper session/bath night for boys later.

Thanks for the encouragement ladies.

Morning all,

Welcome back Three and Engels. We are in "relaxed mode" for the summer, but everyone still seems to be Flying to some extent.

Ellie - good luck with that (potty training). We had a lovely week in Pembrokeshire at half term.

I'm still chipping away at the decluttering, didn't do much yesterday, but managed two loads of washing. DCs were enlisted to help yesterday and are getting better at putting their clean stuff away. Need to crack on with the landing today, I am having a major sort out of the bookshelves there. Also need to get the tent put away, it is lying in a heap on the floor of my garden shed, pending a decision on whether it is dry enough to put away properly, it may need to be put up again for a while first.