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...

We have the bastard side banner ads back I suppose at least these ones don't move unlike the kirtcher ones did.

Today it is a case of flying what flying? c.b.a. has kicked in.

I have adblock on so can't see the ads fortunately.

Today has been weird. Some in a good way, some in a bad way. Have just bought uniform for the boys' new schools and now feel superstitiously certain that this will jinx the entire move!

Where is everybody??

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Dealing with an ex caused issue.

no flying has been done.

How are you doing blue?

It's nice and quiet here - my parents have taken the boys to the park, so there is space to breathe, temporarily. Have decided to drive boys to their new schools even though we won't be moved by the start of term, which is a relief in one way and a source of stress in another. Means being super-organised for a while. Hopefully this will rub off in the longer term!

Dead on feet after trip to Alton Towers yesterday. Epic fun, but pedometer says I walked 18 miles. My feet hurt, and I fell asleep for three hours this afternoon to make up for not sleeping last night due to DH snoring

Got a washing on now (soggy trousers from the water rides!) but that's about it.

I'd say I'll do more tomorrow, but PIL are taking us out to lunch so not a chance

If anyone wants me, I'll be manning the naughty corner bar!

Back to work after a month off sick and everything else has already gone to shit. I have reached the inescapable conclusion that I can't actually do work AND have any form of life, anymore.

(Sorry for maudlin post )

Fuzzpig well done for being able to spell maudlin, I am impressed - I have never dared used that word for fear I was going to get it wrong.
I used to work out the home (voluntary in school) and I found it really hard, although I enjoyed the work. It really used up all my strength, emotionally, so I completely understand what are you saying, and I didn't have any (diagnosed)health problems. I am so sorry you are going through this and I am sure you are doing much better than you think, perhaps just an period of mental adjustment is needed - home ed does take it out of you spiritually, if I dare use that word in this context.

I am really failing here too - terrible feelings of panic about various school related things )(not helped by nasty letter from school about ds1 being bad at his GSCEs and needing to do 3 hours work an eve this year - ha ha ha - to catch up. I was literally doing his Spanish homework FOR him earlier just to prove to him that Spanish was not unintelligible (and I speak no Spanish whatsoever, except possible Bastante or Paella)

Dh has taken boys to a football match and I took dd out (she asked to be taken out) to the shops, but I am not really getting that peaceful pre-school feeling I should be enjoying in the last days of not having to get up early etc grrr...uniform is all washed though, and some home ed people are already ringing us up to enquire about meetups - they all feel like old friends after just one year - it really is a lovely community don't know why I am abandoning it to send ds back to school

Thank you nettles

In many ways it's not even the HE that's changed things really, I was due a relapse anyway and I think HEing actually delayed it (not having to do school run etc, germ-incubator classrooms etc). I do definitely need to look after my spirit though, you're right about that!

It's just things had really got a lot better in the time I was off - I was in pain obviously but felt so much more in control of everything else. Now in less than 2 weeks of being back I'm a depressed, chaotic heap. But admittedly I'm not actually sure how HEing fits/will fit into all this, as we basically broke off for the summer anyway. I'd really hoped to be a lot more sorted (the house in particular) by the time we started our new 'school year' and we were getting so much closer to that goal... before I went back to work. Hence the frustration.

Why are you sending DS2 back, if you don't mind saying? I don't mean that in an accusatory way obviously - just think I missed that as it was probably when I was away from the Fledglings for a few months. In other words, I'm being nosy :o

I'm starting in the morning. My life is pretty chaotic. Shining your sink is the best price of advice I've ever read!

fuzzpig Ds2 is quite old (secondary age) - and my goal in home educating was really a last ditch attempt at improving the academics before gsces kicked in as his reading and writing was so behind. I think he has improved, and certainly we have a clearer picture about what his strengths and weaknesses are (he is very easily distracted for example) Our main problem has been that everyone we meet is a year younger, as most people his age are enrolled in coops for gsce preparation, and I don't think those co-ops would suit him at all this year. So we are really up again the brick wall of preparing him for gsces in a structured manner whilst keeping his social life going - most of the families we meet have been home edding for much longer and they seem to have got the balance already and take these problems in their stride but dh feels that ds2 needs to go back to school and have his day "mapped out", as long as he has appropriate help there, which we are trying to achieve by applying for a statement. Anyway it may all not work out, and at least we know now that there is the choice of still Home Educating him. It has been difficult with dh as he works from home - I think he found the lack of time away from a rumbustious adolescent quite exhausting. On the other hand, the fact that he works from home makes a lot of things easier, but he still does have to "work" so interruptions from ds2 weren't appreciated. We did go out a lot, which was lovely to take the pressure off dh.

Hi everyone, I'm still here but ever since hackergate and being kicked off the site for days, I've got out of the habit of daily check ins.

Welcome to Chickens, once the September thread starts, we should have daily 'instructions' and link to the fly lady programme to keep us all focussed well, that's the idea

Blue - how does one perform this magic spell that turns off pesky adverts?

CS4L - hope ex-mess has been / can be sorted?

Fuzz - for you, or if you prefer

Welcome back, Grey. Good luck with re-rearranging all the furniture .

Welcome, LoveChickens. I agree that the shiny-sink advice is so simple and so effective. I can't actually shine my sink (not chrome), but I do polish my taps when I remember.

fuzz - I'm really sorry that work is having such a negative impact on your health [sorry].

Carpe - 18 miles?!

knitting - sorry about the awful letter from school - that doesn't sound very constructive. I'm also sorry you're feeling apprehensive about school starting up again, especially, I'm sure, for DS2. How does he feel about going back?

Like knitting, I'm also feeling a growing apprehension about school starting up again. I'm worried about DS1 coping (will he be able to cope with full time? Will he make any friends?) and I'm worried that DS2 will be way behind and the teacher will blame me for home educating him. I honestly believe it was the right thing to do for his mental health and I also think he has made a lot of progress in terms of enjoying learning again, but this may not show up in testing and curriculum-type stuff .

On the other hand, DH and I are quite excited at the prospect of being child-free for a few hours each day.

Taking the DC swimming today. Am very pleased that this is an activity that really appeals to DS1 and gets him off his computer.

So far I've done very little housework this morning;

however I have.....

done
washed some more clothes
hung out some clothes
hung some clothes on the line (I think rain is due)
despatched one lot of demanding family members so I don't have to think about lunch (dd will make her own and ds1 doesn't deserve any till he's done his Spanish)
dd has done Ocado order for me yesterday

my goal is...not panic
piano 10 mins
mass at 6pm
feed neighbour's cat
put some more toys in the new shed
sweep kitchen floor
food compost
order mini compost bin from council
more clothes in wash
not get stressed by lazy teens ommm ommmm ommm
not get stressed by my judgemental and efficient supermum friends/acquaintances making plans appointments and superdooper socialising...and high achieving children....oh no...

Grey ad block is a plug in for Firefox. I don't know if there are similar things for other browsers.

I seem to recall some discussion of a good Usborne cook book for beginners. Was it AsTime who recommended it? Anyway, getting confused by the number of different options and was wondering which was the one in question if anybody knows...

Haven't done much here either. Cooking and filling in lots of forms for school an that's about it.

Ohhh I'm confused with namechanges now! Thank you both for talking to me about your home ed Toffee and Knitting :) hopefully the transitions back into school will be smooth. And if their mental health has improved by home ed, then that IS more important. Even if teachers disagree. After all they wouldn't have learnt a damn thing in a place where they were miserable would they!

As for us I have no idea if this is going to be long term or not. I didn't actually think that far ahead . I think we will at least keep them home for the next school year, after that we may end up moving to a different part of town anyway (rent is killing us here!) so maybe we will have a look at the schools then. I do think DD misses some of the social side of school except the rampant bullying but DS isn't remotely fussed.

And thank you Fledglings for the kind words (and the although for future reference I'm more a Malibu person :o)

And if their mental health has improved by home ed, then that IS more important. Exactly, fuzzpig, and I must remember to say just that if a teacher makes any comments about DS2 being behind (which he undoubtedly is in maths, but he was behind at school also).

Took boys swimming and was just thinking to myself that nobody would know DS1 had Aspergers when he went all stressy and difficult. He refused to buy anything to eat on the way home (I'd taken them to a cafe as a treat) and had to get home as soon as possible. He was so tricky at home, that I eventually left him with DH and had to go and have a lie down to calm down.

The cats are driving him and DH bonkers. Don't know what to do about it. DS2 adores them.

Yup. 18 miles from 10am until about 6pm. Just walking about from ride to ride.

My legs were a little bit sore yesterday, and I'm stiff today.

Out with PIL for lunch today, but I did manage to get a washing on, and iron the 3 loads that were hanging up waiting - it was supposed to be done tomorrow but it's a family day out tomorrow, so that'll be nice. All day job, so a shove-by dinner planned (freezer hunt!) and probably lunch out.

Then Tuesday will be organising DS for school and Wednesday will be his first day! Can't believe it's happening, where did my wee boy go?!

Blue there were several who have had usbourne cooking books. Not sure if it was Astime or SC who recommended a new one for older cooks. SC is due back from holiday next month. hopefully she will be back and not worried she has been banned after the forced password reset.

If there are no other takers for Sept I am happy to set up the new thread and start us back on the route to flying.

Yeah there was flying, no it doesn't count. Someone decided to do some construction stuff, where i cleaned is now covered in a layer of dust again :(
Monday's to do list, same as today's

Hello all, doing my (now usual) last-day-of-the-month post to promise to do better next month. I apologise for my absence. Again!

We've had a lovely summer, I will miss DD when she goes back to school but will enjoy the time to myself until I get bored and a chance to work alone.

Meerkitten is growing, so cute!

I have been reading the thread, the upstairs of my house is also condemned and will be the main focus towards the end of next week (guess when DD goes back to school). Some 'home improvements' have caused more work/damage than anticipated (isn't this always the case ...) so dust and uneven distribution of items needs sorting! Onwards and upwards!

Greetings fledglings!! SC here. Rtned late last night. Hope everyone OK!

Out of touch with thread and fall out from Hackergate etc. Not entirely sure who is who. So will have to do my homework later!

Loads to do before start of term tomorrow but just wanted to say I am happy to run Sept thread too as promised, or happy to do Oct, whichever suits everyone best! (Can't do November as away early part of month.)

Off to sort out some commune and school admin now but will pop back on tonight

Also see there is some talk of Usborne cook books - will sort links/refs tonight!!

Back in a bit!!

Tally-hooooooo!!!

Sorry just seen your post Cantseeforlooking (have a suspicion wrt your identity but don't want to spell it out here!!)

Thanks for volunteering yet again (if it is you!!! )

I'm also very happy to set up Sept thread. Which would you prefer? Sept or Oct? Happy to do what suits!

Big big wing flaps to everyone else!!!!

Which ever suits you best SC your ativity/travel/visitor plans etc are more restricting exciting than my life could ever hope to be Feel free to take September if it suits