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!

No, you can't stay stuck in the house for 3 weeks. It would not be healthy unless you are so ill you physically can't. Fresh air and gentle exercise used to be what the victorians, or one of them used to call taking a constitutional. Medically recommended for all, but especially the poorly. Hope you have a good day soon Fuzzpig

There is much activity going on today. Doors being removed from hinges which is a tad embarishing when you are still in your pjs and need to get dressed ds is computer based and hiding in a quiet corner but eating like he is about to grow 3 inches. I am sorting a pile of stuff on the landing ready for skirting boards but moving extra-ordinarily slowly. Motivation is low.

Toffee it has been so long since I read a book that I think I might have forgotten how [hblush][hhmm] Will you let us know if it lived up to your expectations. Reading more is on my to do list.

SC Good luck. It is hard to accept only doing a little bit when the entire thing annoys but lots of little bits do add up to a lot. Hang in there and perhaps ignore the zones to get it done a little at a time based on the basic decluttering 15mins/day rule? Hope you have a good weekend entertaining!

why did my halloween hats not work?! [fhhmm]

Yes, I'll let you know about the book, Cant. Hope the doors are back on soon.

fuzz - I agree with Cant - very unhealthy to stay in all the time (vitamin D deficiency, lack of exercise, etc), so you should go out. Anyway, sounds like you don't have much choice with shopping to be done. Good for the kids to get out of the house too, even if it is just to Tesco.

ta da

Stocked up on stuff from local chemist and corner shop
Gave DS1 some spray for his sore throat, plus some lemon and honey in hot water
Hung DH's washing up
Put on another wash
Unloaded and reloaded d/w
Cleaned up the kitchen
Sat with DS1 for a bit to keep him company
Had lunch

Loads more to do, so need to get off my arse again now.

what have I done today?

went to a lecture in Kew with friends, last minute Literary festival thingy, very pleased to find it was in the morning, so I could turn it into a coffee meetup
took dcs to drama early on
basically have spent the day skiving and seeing friends whilst dh organised lunch etc

oh no children fighting now over something screen related, as ds2 after an excellent bid for independence has gone to drama by himself and back but now is determined to get his pound of flesh from relatives. It was sooo peaceful a moment ago..but now he has returned

house still a tip, but at least I used up some of the cold chicken in the fridge which everyone else was avoiding, and had a delicious baguette with mayonnaise and raw mushrooms.

My goals for the day housewise are: put my clothes away
hoover bedroom
tidy up the alley
hang up more clothes on line
move some toys out of the living room
watch dr who in a tidy room
go to bed in a tidyish bedroom
menu plan for next few days: carbonara for supper, moussaka for lunch with fried courgette instead of aubergine, cook just one thing from the Guardian food section [frustrated] pumpkin sweetcorn and feta salad anyone?
make rosehip syrup THIS YEAR
make rose water and yoghurt cake from guardian Food section

make a start on the cobwebs near the ceiling in hall

*Toffee hope the sore throat abates soon, in our house we use nurofen liquid (children's) as the best cure and ds1 has had to have antibioltics a few times (although it is said that it only reduces days you are ill by a few days, short of it being scarlet fever or something septic) Hope it is just the viral kind.

Thanks folks. It's good to have your support. I get so ridiculously paranoid anyway so I fret and overthink about everything!

It definitely didn't end up cheaper going out to asda - proof that we really do need to stick to actually making a list/meal plan and order online - but did get some other non-food bits that we needed for winter, and DCs spent their pocket money.

Toffee whenever I get a sore throat I gargle corsodyl (the proper strong stuff, not the 'daily use' one, but I do dilute it) at bedtime for a few days. I used to get (often septic) tonsillitis and throat infections all the time, but haven't had any at all since I started doing that at the first signs of scratchiness. Not that it'll really help for this time, but it is worth doing IME as it contains an antiseptic.

CantSee I like the idea of a constitutional. One of the many ways in which long-ago lifestyles were far healthier than today she says, slouched over a laptop. I was wondering about building a walk into our routine (we do walk to get to places, but not just 'round the block' type stuff) as exercise for me and fresh air. I used to ask DD maths questions on the school run, she always enjoyed it (despite not really liking maths) so I might start doing that as well :o

Re: reading - I go through phases of not making time for it. I particularly remember during my A levels I banned myself from reading. It totally backfired as I was so stressed without that down time. Once I actually allowed myself to chill with a book, I felt so much happier. Even now working at a library though, I sometimes fall out of the reading habit. But I'm always happier when I have a book on the go - it's really really worth it. It's easy to neglect ourselves and not make time for something like that when we have a house/family to look after. IME anyway.

I find the time to do stuff for me to relax but generally in the form of crafting which is just not the same as disappearing into a good book imo.

ta da
landing tidied
Half a box of paperwork sorted and dealt with
half the doors taken of hinges, transported to and from sanding area where someone else thankfully sanded them.

So basically we are now without handles and locks on half the bedroom doors. Thankfully the bathroom door has not been done to be left like this over night

I am now curling up with some knitting and considering at what point to chuck ds off the computer and whether he will actually stop eating today at some point

I forgot to say, I discovered 2 control journals in my paperwork decluttering. Neither are particularly well used or thought out I suppose at least I tried

I like the fact you compiled two journals before forgetting about them, Cant .

fuzz - during the holidays, DS2 and I used to have a daily walk round the block every evening. He loved being outside as it began to get dark and the walk only took five minutes, so not time-consuming for me. We did lots of daytime walks too, of course, but I always felt very virtuous after the quick evening walk and it was good for DS2 just before bed.

knitting - sounds like a very interesting and sociable morning . You are always so busy with the children -I'm sure it was good for you to meet friends.

Thank you for the advice about sore throats. I think we might have some Corsydol in the bathroom. No Nurofen, but I have restocked on Calpol, so DS1 is taking that, plus the throat spray. He's refused to take his meds for the second day, so will probably start to get a bit moody by tomorrow as well.

I've done loads this afternoon, although I don't think anyone in the family has noticed. Actually, DH probably has, to be fair.

ta da

Decluttered under sofas
Put stuff where it should be
Wiped down window sill, shelves, mantlepiece
Hoovered sitting room
Changed cat litter
Brought DH's washing in
Hung my washing and DC's washing out
Hoovered and mopped downstair's floors
Decluttered coats on coat stand and put away summer jackets/coats
Hoovered winter coats (covered in dust and cat hairs)
Hung lint roller on coat stand ready to de-fur us as we leave the house
Walked round with bin bag, chucking in rubbish
Packed some boxes away
Emptied kitchen bin
Emptied and rinsed out bathroom bin
Wiped down hall walls (need painting really )
Looked everywhere for Kindle, but concluded that I've left it somewhere (think I know where, so will ring Monday)

Off to babysit shortly. DH caught my neighbour buying me some wine and told her not to bother (he's right because I'm trying to be abstemious at the moment) - but then told her I'd prefer chocolates. Noooo! How am I going to resist those? He was being considerate, thinking that he didn't want her to spend too much money, but he forgot I was calorie counting.

Then he bought some wine and I've drunk some of that anyway, so it's all gone to pot.

Looking forward to an evening on someone else's sofa, with nothing to do except read and browse online

Evening all!

I have achieved stuff today, but as a result the house looks like a tip and I ache!

Ta da!
Filing and shredding
Two loads of washing
Took boys to castle museum
Lunch at garden centre
Cleared lots of boxes from loft
Sorted stuff that hasn't been looked at in ten years for shredding, dumping, charity shop etc
Shredded one file of stuff

In the middle of all that, been to the hairdresser, which was lovely.

Hope everyone manages to get a restful evening.

Just flying through with a small 'f' to post links for tomorrow! Waves!!!

The baby-step for tomorrow, Sun 27th Sept is here and introduces the concept of meal planning ie starting to plan evening meals before 6pm comes around!

We will be starting in Zone 5 tomorrow: The Sitting Room (September 27-30) : here.

If you have finished decluttering in Zone 5 , here is the detailed cleaning list for the master bedroom.

No mission because it is the weekend!

Sunday's focus is here. Do something to renew your spirit!

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 in the Flightplan: www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-120.

Hope you all have as relaxing and peaceful Sun as poss!

*

Good morning.

Fry up anyone?

Ta da
ds to put clothes away
ds to do part of his homework
ds dressed

About to tackle a bit of filing. But have lost the hole punch.

Sunday has been quite nice so far and more productive than usual. I think partly because I know I'm not forcing myself back to work tomorrow and trying to 'save my spoons' (which doesn't actually work anyway). Will miss DH tomorrow though, as he's got yet another long day tomorrow instead of a half day but he's got an interview in the morning, so fingers crossed.

So, I'm signed off for 3 more weeks. I'm kind of tempted to give myself a housework to do list. I know it sounds crazy seeing as I'm ill, but read hear me out. I can only actually do any of these things when I don't have to work (and I have next to no leave left to take, because I had to use it for all my various appointments). When I was off over the summer, yes I felt really ill, but I actually managed a fair bit - very slowly and gently obviously. But I was actually decluttering and getting various things more organised, batch cooking etc (not to mention doing my Graded Exercise Therapy). These things need to be done, because having a horrendously messy and chaotic house is, I think, the other thing besides my physically demanding job that is making my health worse. :(

Anyway, when I went back to work - clearly before I was ready - everything else fell apart again. Work makes me so sick and tired that I can't possibly do anything else, even on my days off, and everything goes backwards. So I need to actually use the time I have to try and continue what I managed to do over the summer.

I hope that makes sense.

irritable day here, hanging around waiting for them to go off to Rugby, but I am very pleased both boys went to church, and by themselves too (although that did involve having to get both to get dressed and showered)

Lunch was efficient, prepared mince baked with pasta and white sauce in oven

still dealing with terrible muddle here though, and I am not exaggerating. A drop in the ocean is that I've washed some of ds1's school uniform (dragged it out of his room)
and dd seems to have tidied and hoovered her room without prompting because it doesn't get tidied now unless she does it!!! And she doesn't like the squalor ...

DS1 really not well at all . His sore throat has gone, but has been replaced by a dry, endless cough. He managed some bacon this morning, but other than that hasn't eaten a thing. He's slept on and off all day and is presently hanging over a bucket in the bathroom, feeling sick . He's also really hot, so I suspect a temperature. Not sure what to do. I suppose it's just a virus and has to run its course, but am tempted to take him to a dr tomorrow.

His meds have gone haywire and his weight is dropping off him. He looks so skinny.

To make things more complicated, DS2 has a hospital appointment tomorrow afternoon.

Anyway, have managed a productive day again:

ta da

Wiped down all bathroom surfaces and sink
Cleaned loo
Hoovered and mopped bathroom floor
Scooped up empty shampoo bottles, etc, and threw away
Put on washing
Hung washing out
Did all the ironing
Put clean, ironed washing away
Hoovered upstairs landing
DH hoovered stairs

Goodness. House looks quite tidy!

Sat down for a break, but then DS1 called me, in tears, saying he felt so ill . Poor boy, he doesn't know what to do with himself. And he's upset about missing school, although that, in itself, is amazing.

fuzz - I think it's fine to do bits round the house if that makes you feel better. Just make sure you pace yourself and don't overdo it.

knitting - very impressed at your two boys going off to church on their own. And at DD tidying up her own room. (I have a long way to go, clearly).

Right, homework time for DS2, then bathtime and nit check (letter home from school this week). Haven't had to do one of those for a long time - one of the advantages of home ed.

Have made a bed up for DS1 on the sofa, but now he has sent us all away because he doesn't want anyone near him. It's going to be a tricky evening, I think.

That is beginning to sound suspiciously like tonscilitous. Can make you feel very very sick and ds has been know to be sick with it. Have you got an out of hours that you can call. Ds has weight issues anyway and with the meds he takes I personally would be calling out of hours rather than waiting until tomo. Sorry he is feeling so ill, poor mite :(

Today I have discovered that dried apricots and milk free custard is a bad bad bad combination - ill face. Ds has cleaned my car, i have sorted paperwork. Ds is very stressed with the building work and his constant need to make noise is a little draining. He has crashed and I think I will not be far behind him.

Fuzzpig that all makes sense to me. Rest and reduction of causation factors, ultimately the only way forwards to consistantly better. Good luck and remember to pace...

DS1 has had tonsillitis before and says he doesn't think this feels the same. And his sore throat is feeling better now, but it's gone to his chest instead and he just feels awful, poor boy. I feel so sorry for him, especially when he was doing so well at his new school and doesn't want to miss it.

Am not calling out of hours - he really isn't ill enough for that (at the moment, anyway. Am keeping a close eye). He's just lying on the sofa, feeling very, very sorry for himself, whilst DH and I tuck into homemade fish and chips (in a different room).

Building work is stressful for any of us, Cant, but particularly difficult for boys like ours. I hope there is an end in sight.

Have managed to help DS2 with his homework. He has just told me that the teacher at his old school (the catalyst for me removing him) said to him, "You're not good at maths, are you?" Well, thanks for that, teacher. Let's just spend the next few years undoing that damage, shall we?

Toffee Hope fever reduces, sometimes it rises as the day goes on, and then next morning better, and then rises again. I think it is your body fighting the virus. clear soup and dry toast? Lemonade?

Back from Rugby, it went well, less fighting than normal. (not the terraces, my boys )

Whilst they were out I achieved

more washing, hanging out
vegetarian paella (which no one ate as they had fish and chips)
hoovered my bedroom and found some things to throw away. Under dh's bedside table were lots of moths uggh...

:) toffee - enjoy the fish and chips.

Nope no end to the building work. another 18mths ish of vary building/decorating type stuff. Will be a break for christmas though.

Fish and chips, plus white wine. Very nice. Diet out of the window again.

Oh dear, another 18 months, Cant. Thank goodness for the Xmas break, at least.

knitting - I have offered homemade soup, but DS1 only wants Baxter's Highlander's Broth . Not sure how nutritious it is, but he loves it. Will also drink Lucozade (reminds me of being ill as a child). Glad your boys got on ok during the rugby.

Oh dear, worrying about the moths. Our moth issue has improved since we bought pheromone moth traps (although I do have to cope with DS2 weeping at the dead moths and wailing, "They had a family!").

DS1 told me he needed a doctor right now, but is now happily watching telly with DH. He says he is leaving his computer to DS2 in his will.

Ugh! I really hate moths!!

Toffee - hope DS1 feels better soon. Remember a school friend making an incredibly detailed will during a science lesson because she couldn't find her pulse... Oh, how awful of the old teacher. Hope DS2's new teachers are more encouraging.

Have achieved more sorting of paperwork and shredding today, and also cooked roast chicken dinner.

Well done at another productive day, Blue. Very funny about your school friend panicking over her pulse .

DS1 has taken himself off to bed, refusing food and Calpol. Only wants water. I have promised to phone the dr first thing. Am suspecting chest infection now, as he says his chest feels 'itchy'.

Toffee ha ha re: will and the moth family

I've for once washed up, as per my agreement with dh
put dw on
wiped surfaces
put out clothes for tomorrow sort of

tomorrow a fellow home edder and upholsterer is picking up my chairs to redo the seats (dirty green velvet)
two home ed children coming round
dd needs to be reminded to go to tutor straight from school or do I fetch her again and take her there?
something else anxiety inducing is also happening but I cannot quite remember..probably some forms I need to fill in or drop off somewhere..but we will see

hope chest infection will not take hold