September 2015 fledglings shine their sink and their lace up shoes and prepare for the new academic year ahead

[standclear]

Welcome to the September 2015 Fledgling Flying thread! Hang up your microfibre cloths and park your buckets here!!

[Sorry - I've namechanged again - but remain SC]

This is where from the 1st of the month, we attempt to declutter and follow the 30-step wisdom of Flylady (minus cutesy language and a surfeit of e-mails) with lots of chat and support and mutual motivation (and of course) along the way. (More info available here and here ) and here.

Humungous thanks to our previous thread leaders (nns relating to a planet and to a colour) for guiding us through the summer and keeping us sane throughout the holidays!

As usual we will be following a three-pronged approach - and don't worry - we are all at different stages. Some of us (SC stares at feet) -are stuck at the decluttering stage after an embarrassingly long number of years :

• repeat or start baby steps (again!)

• repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

or

• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

And those of you who have decluttered and are really enthusiastic can throw some detailed cleaning in to the mix as well!

This is a very long-running thread so we may appear cliquey but we really aren't! All newcomers, long-termers, lurkers and intermittent returnees not only welcome to join in but positively encouraged to do so!

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck!

Right now ds is safely at school and I actually have my eyes open I can safely say I have a kitchen that looks like a bomb site, a lounge which seems to be collecting dirty laundry cos where else would you dump dirty uniform when climbing into your onesie? and ds' room that is collecting new species.

Freezer was tinkered with, left to settle and baring one piece of troublesome plastic seems to be fully functioning. So i now have a whole heap of batch cooking that needs doing to get that stocked up.

1st stop will be to put a load of washing up on and do a quick run to the supermarket to pick up a few bits and piece. Then to tackle the kitchen/laundry/lounge/ds' room in the normal crisis clean 15min rounds... Need to get started on the batch cooking prep too so will need to check how much kidney i need to order for steak and kidney pie. Also the ingredients for apple butter (sorta like a jam/preserve kinda thing) or come up with some other cunning plan for what to do with a whole heap of apples.

That is beginning to sound like the list for a week let alone 1 day. Time for more moving less thinking. Thinking is dangerous!

oh dear, today is a bit of a fail already, apart from having successfully desposited/despatched two children to school (one with last minute emergency clean trousers) and done some driving. Also [perks up] persuaded dd that PE was not impossible - she wanted me to give her a note because "her legs were too fat and she didn't like shin pads" I never thought that truism about girls not liking PE could hold in this day and age, purely because they felt self conscious, but unfortunately she is evidence of it. Why can't they just do zumba or something everyone likes not wretched netball or athletics.

Feel immensely scuzzy but no time to have shower, school has sent a very annoying non-committal answer on the admissions thingy
ds2 is tyrannising dh again over football tickets
and my housewifely flaws have been exposed by ds2 inadvertently taking someone else's Judo kit last week. Friend's mum has run to say she has washed and dried his for today..I on the other hand have no drier and also had no intention of washing my son's so it is too late to give her some nice clean kit back..gosh we are so slack in this house

kitchen horrible - strange stench permeating everything - could it be the bin? don't have time to investigate

waves to all...speech therapy followed by Judo this morning and I must get back to MEAL PLANNING..just no idea what to cook anymore, mince does not appeal and no-one will eat my tasty soups especially not my favourite pea and ham..dh particularily dislikes any what he calls peasant soups.

Hi my name is Can'tSee and I can't be trusted in a lakeland shop

Quick supermarket trip was a lie. Tescos, Sainsburys, Morrisons later and I need to go into the next town (1hr away) to the market to find 3 ingredients that are vitally important for finishing off something. Otoh i figured out what to do with the dammed windfalls and it sorta justifies my lakeland trip nope not really

So lunch, actually put that load of washing on and next town it is. Off to another city tonight too so it all about the driving today. feeling totally unproductive atm though. Frustrating kinda day.

Knitting can you not make a batch of soup and freeze what you don't eat in portions for you. Cos it is special Knitting food. We have done things like fiaetas and rice pudding and pancakes for tea recently. It has gone down well. But I have on my to do list to make fish cakes and a souflee and various bits and bobs (incl the steak and kidney pie) only annoying thing about allergies is the lack of being able to take short cuts.

CantSee - Glad you slept. That is very interesting about the CO2 global warming argument. That makes much more sense. I think DS1 may be bringing it up again with his science teacher today (never one to miss out on a good argument, that boy), so it will be interesting to hear the outcome.

knitting - probably that other mother has more time than you do to keep up with washing. I bet she isn't home educating one of her children for a start. Don't feel bad. You sound incredibly busy.

Thanks SC. Yes, I am beginning to feel as if I have more time, although the first week felt rather frantic. Now things have settled a bit, I'm beginning to start decluttering again. Am years behind. Unfortunately, I need to start earning money and am feeling a bit panicky when people ask me what I'm going to do. Not so easy when you've been out of the workplace for years.

Yes, Linzer, it was the BBC recipe . Haven't made it for ages and DS1 suddenly remembered it and asked me to make it for us again. It's lovely comfort food. Sorry to hear about all the medical appointments.

Had a difficult night yesterday, thanks to DS1. At 11pm, when I told him it was time for bed (late, but can't get him to go earlier), he told me he had to do some homework first , but it would only take a few minutes. It took him so long that I'd fallen asleep beside him by the time he finished. I was horrified to discover it was 1am! Sent him up to bed, but was then wide awake myself and couldn't sleep. An hour later, I heard noises and discovered that DS1 was still up, trying to complete a puzzle. Needless to say, he hadn't taken his melatonin because he says he doesn't need it. (He's so logical in some ways and maddening illogical in others).

So this morning, I had to send him off to school after only five hours' sleep (for both of us). Am so annoyed with him. He was determined to show me that he could survive on so little sleep and made a point of saying he felt fine. I suspect he will collapse later in the day though.

Meanwhile, I'm shattered and am going to lie down for a quick nap with the cats before the school run.

Oh, and I have done more Flying: shopping done; also kitchen, dining room, sitting room and hall all tidied up (again), hoovered and mopped. Did some of it yesterday, but needed doing again. And also did washing up and changed the cat litter. Feeling virtuous now. House is beginning to look a bit less neglected.

Aiming to declutter DS2's wardrobe later and do some paperwork. Readymeals for dinner, so will have more time.

for Toffee

I got half way through making green tomato chutney then realised I decluttered all my empty jam jars!! Anyone got any ideas?! thread here

Have been pottering about on vaguely futile errands this morning. Now got to go on the school run again!

Toffee it as home ed Judo and she had a SN child so it really was me that was slack

I have jam jars though lots and lots this year

4 I know I know. Just too tired to even add batch cooking into my repertoire. The freezer is full of weird looking green potions which I know must be leftover soup of some kind but it is never labelled. Probably Kale and lamb broth or something truly medieval.

Well, a successful day although the mess is not tackled will abandon thoughts of being tidy today Ds2 enjoyed the SALT, Judo went well despite a delay in teacher arriving which was not good for my nerves as children started running amok, I managed to drive a long dstance on an unfamiliar road and get round the dreaded BIG roundabout. And find a parking space. One of ds2's friends is coming round to hoover and scrub the inside of my car at 4pm. I am dreading it. I need to clear the car first and get the hoover rigged up and and....but must bite bullet. Poor child hs been offering to do to this job for many months.

Also need to start thinking about curriculum plans for ds2 if he is not getting into the school we want - possibly ordering a scheme of work for GSCE etc. The EHCP is really sidetracking that vital aspect of his education, the actual content which we wish to impart!!!!! If only I could just find out...is it two months to wait, six months, never for this place to come up..but I suppose the best thing is just to proceed as if it is not coming up and plan forYear 9.

The process of getting an EHCP I mean not the EHCP itself..

Hi I'm Can'tSee, I also can't be trusted near wool shops

at mystery soup freezer portions. knitting

No idea what to do about the alternative to Jars Blue. I have a set of posh Lakeland ones that are solely for the purpose of Jam and Chutney etc etc and will sit nicely in their boxes when not in use.

I have peels and cored and cut up about 3 dozen plus windfall apples. They are now bubbling nicely on the stove. I have also chopped a huge about of dates and apricots for something else that is also bubbling on the stove. And I have a ham joint bubbling on the stove. Kitchen is currently smelling confused. I had washed the pots but due to the above will have a glut of pots later. I am currently crossing my fingers and hoping that the burgers will be cooked in time for us to leave at 4pm It really is all go atm.

oi you 'orrible lot nattering on about delicious grub all the time

some of us are trying to diet you know

[hands on hips]

I was hoping that the garden centre cook shop would have posh jam jars of that sort, CantSee. But they only had kilner jars, which were £££ ! I bought one of the large ones and got most of the chutney/jam/marmelade (consistency went a bit funny) into that. The rest can go in the fridge in a plastic pot for eating up soon.

Sorry, SC !

Well, I have cooked an enormous spinach and brown lentil lasagne with cheese sauce. [puts hands on even more wellcovered hips]

Homebase seems to do some jars or possibly Wilkinson?

And my car has been cleaned, finally with disinfectant wipes and teenage labour. One to organise (me) one to wipe (ds2 friend) and one to hold the hoover the wrong way up and peer into it and do various experiments which did not involve actual cleaning (ds2). It was shudderingly disgusting (car I mean), especially the steering wheel. From now on I am going to clean the steering wheel and door catches with a wet soapy cloth every single week even if I clean nothing else in that car.

Dd has been given a letter for a school ski-ing trip in Feb (very cheap too - they'll probably be in a bunkhouse) The Von Trapp Family Ski-ers! I can see it now. Ds2 can ski very badly after our home ed trip last Feb, and Ds1 can ski very badly after his school trip to Colorado last Easter. Just dd now to save the day!

better go and see if lasagne has cooked.

knitting rest assured my hips are extremely well covered atm! And arf at Von Trapp family singers

Glad you found a solution in the end Blue sounds delicious anyway!

Back has completely gone again (in different place this time at base of spine) but fortunately did loads today before it went, but not the intended Flying of course. Dreading tomorrow morning when cleaner will have to wade through virtual rubble on both ground and first floors to wield the hoover unless spine recovers miraculously overnight (here's hoping).

Big encouraging wing flaps to all

Pat yourselves on the back Fledglings - you've nearly made it through another Flying week - roll on the weekend!

*
The baby-step for tomorrow, Fri 18 Sept, is here.

Read the Flylady 11 commandments here! (And perhaps print them out and put them in your control journal.) I fail daily wrt no.4 and can you really will yourself to be happy I wonder [no.10]?

We are in Zone 3 this week (September 13 to 19): The Bathroom plus One Extra Room

If you have finished decluttering in Zone 3 and want do to some detailed cleaning, here is the detailed cleaning list.

Friday's mission is : here mop the bathroom floor and for the stash and dash space: do a 27 fling boogie!

The daily focus for Fri is : decluttering our purses, handbags and cars.

The habit for September is developing a before-bed routine here: www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/september/ .

A summary of the above (which should update itself daily) can be found here: www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-120.

Keep declutteirng eveyrone! (Remember that we can't clean clutter.)
*

Well it is nearly half 1 in the morning and I am eating a banana split. The hot drink approach has not really helped the breathing/coughing thing. The bracken/fern spores are at a really high level and have hit both ds and me allergy wise. Ds is at least able to sleep. I am determined to start tomo with less lung than is heathly. Only another 4 -8 weeks to go before the end of the spore season.

Weekend should in theory be mine. In practice it is a whole heap of batch cooking and stuff I don't wanna do in the sorting and organising front. Anyone want to swap weekends with me? Pretty please?

Morning everyone.

Sorry you are suffering Can'tsee I would happily swap my weekend with yours btw. Not looking forward to mine at all.

Feeling a bit wretched myself this morning. Back has improved but had worst night's sleep ever. Loads of noise in street and from next door and the furry one trying to tiptoe upstairs.

Sorry, that was another Eeyore post.

Hope everyone has as good a Friday as poss!

Thanks for the caffeine - much needed here atm!

was it a heard of baby elephants tiptoeing SC

Actually the "under-footman's" (as dh calls him ) tiptoeing is quite delicate Can'tsee - imagine someone tapping their finger nails very quickly on floorboards - but that is almost more maddening somehow

Furry one knows he is not allowed in the bedrooms. He is testing boundaries currently, bless him. Shouldn't criticise because, in general, considering his background, he has been so kind.

Lawd I must move my generous rear from this seat and do something.

SC poor you, it is awful when the day sort of looms at you and you just feel so so tired. Just cling onto happiness of lovely Brussels, dog and dd enjoying her new school, not to speak of kind reliable (in so far as men can ever be reliable when you wan tthem to be) husband.

Feeling a bit anxious myself today; dh has set me an ultimatum of finding proper tutors for ds2, house is a tip, cleaning lady is appearing (and she is losing patience with our squalor I can tell ) and I still need to sort out my personal grooming which is at all time low..run out of tights, run out of skirts, hair a mess.

However the good news is: I drove dd to school smoothly; she has half day today and is going off with friends in afternoon (blessing she has so many friends) dh is off on business today by train, again a blessing he makes money and is going to see some chums, and my car is so clean I could happily sit in it and listen to Radio 4/3/2 (actually it was Magic FM this morning) as if it was my own personal sitting room. I parked for at least 10 mins to avoid re-entering the bombsite.

My batch cooking last night was not really a success. Everyone scraped off the spinach even ds1 who is notoriously greedy, and dh accused me of poisoning him with pulses before his business trip (only a joke but still...why are they all so bl**dy fussy?) I pointed out to him that really only 3 veg are acceptable in this house, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes which doesn't leave a lot of room for cooking creatively.

Swigs gratefully.

Every time I think we're making a bit of progress, it seems to get knocked back again. We're now waiting on our buyers' local searches, which got held up because of the contract not getting to them in time. So now we're dependent on the efficiency of the local authority. Not optimistic. [wails]

Sympathies re fussy eaters, knitting. A few more vegetables get eaten here, but I do get bored with pasta, which is the only carb that will reliably get past everybody.

Hope you can get some rest during the day SC and CantSee.

Your post has cheered me up considerably Knitting thank you!

Good luck with your challenging day I would go for the personal grooming first, which will give you a boost for the next.

Congrats on your beautifully clean car (did you know you have already completed the daily focus task for today btw? ) and you are not alone in your house being in utter squalor. My cleaning lady has just lost patience and has gone home early complaining of flu. Don't blame her one jot!

YY to kind reliable dh save for house related ishews

yy to furry one!

and dd has made a good start at school in general, although Fr is becoming an issue. We knew it would happen, but not quite so soon. Once a child who doesn't spk Fr at home is in a class with others who do, the difference becomes particularly apparent at secondary school, when their child-like vocab and way of expressing themselves becomes an issue, unlike those who hear adult conversation around them every day. Will have to watch this carefully as over 60% of topics taught in Fr. And negative style of teacher not helping (ie being highly critical in front of whole class/criticising corrected hwk that had taken two hrs to finish, slamming it down and saying it "was almost worst than before" (again in front of whole class) but not bothering to explain why ).

On the positive side she and her friends are at a higher level in Dutch and dd loves her maths teacher (yippee!) and maths isn't her strong point - so that is really terrific!

Isn't it amazing the difference that one individual teacher can make to a child's enjoyment and enthusiasm of a particular subject?

And what was that phrase being banded about yesterday in the media about a mother only ever "feeling as happy as her unhappiest child"?! YY to that!

Not sure I would ever describe Bxls as lovely really - most of its beautiful old Art Nouveau architecture was bulldozed in the 60s - the car is king. But it is easy to escape!!

I hope your dh enjoys his sojourn. Mine is off travelling again tomorrow too.

Btw I'm your dh would suffer dreadfully in our house Knitting if he doesn't like peasant stews and soups which are staples here (and treble arf to pulse poisoning!)

Sorry, I must apologise to eveyrone, this thread is almost turning in to my own personal whinge-fest just finding things a bit tough going currently

But whenever I feel pathetic or sorry for myself, someone 'upstairs' seems to send me a message by way of a story about a Syrian refugee on the news, or a story on the telly featuring how a young previous Rugby-playing tetraplegic is conquering his difficulties and then you feel even more ashamed and that you simply "must get a grip''!!

Speaking of which, must get back to Flying ... house is pitiful!

Back to baby-steps (yuck to that phrase!) today!

Hope everyone who was feeling ill (Knitting Astimegoesby ¨Fuzzpig Blue can'tsee) is feeling a bit stronger today!

[Leaves sustaining berry compotes and oaty biscuits and strong coffee (and herbal tea) on naughty corner bar for everyone to help themselves!]

x post

Oh no Blue not more delays!! How horribly frustrating for you!!

And thanks, hope you can get a bit of rest too!

Sorry, forgot to say

Knitting sorry, that must be so frustrating about the not knowing and not being able to plan for home edding etc for ds2. That really is unacceptable.

Congrats on brave driving headway!

YY to Zumba in schools!

Btw - I find the solution to pulse objectors is pureeing - takes the worst of the peasanty aspects away.

Toffee congrats on mega-Flying!! And hope your ds1 not too tired after his late nights. If it's any consolation, I can't get dd to settle either (just when she needs her sleep). Think it is the 'newness' of it all

Yeah, am kind of beyond frustrated now, SC. That doesn't sound good about DD's teacher. Hopefully the language skills will pick up if she's always talking French with her friends?