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!

I am one of those costume-buying relatives (note that I don't buy them for my own child). I bought a new baby born in December a Father-Christmas-type sleepsuit I just couldn't leave it in the shop! I also used to take photos of outfits on the changing mat, it's all coming back to me now!

DD has just started year 4 in school. She is enjoying it, but it is a very different set up from year 3 and she is making mistakes, one of which caused her a great deal of distress. I hope this is not a sign it's going to be a bad year. They were thinking of taking her off her plan/IEP but if it goes on like this they may not - I'm trying to monitor and be prepared for the discussion.

Tip trip planned for today, I will get on with filling the black bags! Or I could use the numerous charity bags I found when I cleared out a kitchen drawer yesterday ...

Ah it's the weekend and I have a very sparkly clean hallway, dining room and front door - feeling very accomplished and motivated!

Looking forward to see what next week brings.

Planning to catch up later, but turns out that we've had to decamp to DPIL's house (thankfully they're away on holiday) as we have sprung a leak. Probably under a solid concrete floor.

So water off at the stopcock and will be doing stuff between two houses; we don't want to move stuff permanently, but things are not great at the moment. Thankfully, we have somewhere to go!

Do you ever feel that life is just picking on you?!

Still, they've got red wine in so every cloud...

Morning!

Have just seen dh and dd off on their day trip. Back slightly better but still can't get in to car!

Oh no Carpe! So sorry to hear about the leak. That's all you need. Hope it can be resolved swiftly!

That's great Grumpygerte always good to get positive feedback (and you make me wish I had done the specific missions now, although downstairs and hall etc looking considerably better than it did.) If you want to know how the zone work progresses for the rest of the month, have a look here and explanation about zone work here.

Good luck with your tip trip today Fizrim and sorry to hear that your dd was distressed at school but it is very very early days and I am sure lots of pupils will take a while to adjust and get used to the new regime. Arf at Fr Christmas sleep suit

Right, had better decide what to do with my unexpected free 'pottering day' (already had v late and leisurely start). Everything that is urgent requires hauling things up or downstairs or changing bed linen or packing tents or heavy food shopping. Bum. Will start with a load of washing (if I can carry it) and might tackle paperwork [groan] on the other hand, my sewing projects beckon ....

Sorry for hi-jack, but if you know of any good books on Roman history and civilisation for 12 yr olds, please see thread here. Ta v much!

Have achieved stuff today!

Ta da!
2 loads of y'day's washing away
3 loads of washing done
2 loads dry
Returned wrong size boots
Reordered boots
Grocery shopping
Swept hard floors
Mopped
Hoovered
Dusted
Dug up potatoes - bumper crop considering we didn't plant any this year!!
Hacked back encroaching brambles

Collapsed with and

To do
Pick raspberries
Tidy garden
Nag boys into tidying their bedroom
Tidy dining room

Sorry to hear about the leak, Carpe - hope it isn't too much hassle to get sorted.

SC - the books I would have suggested are already mentioned on your other thread.

Carpe hope the leak is easily solved without much damage!

Well done grumpygertie on the zone work. DH took a trailer full to the tip today, still plenty to go (I don't know where we find it all!).

Evening everyone

*

Babystep no 6 for Sun 6th Sept 2015 is here. Continue previous steps and learn about hot spots here.

We will soon be starting in Zone 2: here.

For those Fledglings at this stage: here is the detailed cleaning list for Zone Two.

Just for info: the Flylady site is still a mess when it comes to zones. When I tried to access the zones through the 'today' button earlier, August zones are listed as current [sigh]. And if you try to access the zones through the launch pad tab, it is still showing zone 1 (although this may have changed in the past few hours because I usually put links together in Word doc early in the morning when I am fresh!).

No missions because it is the weekend!

The daily focus for Sunday is here. Newcomers: this doesn't necessarily mean doing something religious, it means taking time out to do something for yourself that makes you feel refreshed ie bubble bath, craft project, reading a good book, taking yourself off for a quiet walk etc etc.

The habit for September is developing a before-bed routine here.

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

Have a relaxing Sunday as possible everyone!

Fizrim well done to you and your dh for getting rid of a whole trailer-load of stuff! Brilliantly done!

Blue top marks - you are definitely on a roll - and how lovely to be harvesting raspberries and potatoes!! Thanks for thought - about books - anyway!!

Mixed culture tonight. Have just finished watching Strictly and am about to dive in to a recording of Yo-Yo Ma and his six Bach cello suites - sublime!

G'night all!

Carpe - we had a leak under our concrete kitchen floor somewhere, rather than have the whole floor dug up we had the pipe cut off under the floorboard part of the house and a new pipe routed round over the skirting board and behind the cupboards. Hope you can get yours sorted without too much hassle.

Harvesting here too, yet more bloody courgettes and runner beans that no one else except me will eat and a load of carrots today. Blue - yes to the brambles, but we get an amazing crop from them, I have pounds and pounds of blackberries in the freezer. I also have recurring potatoes, in a bed I last actually planted one in about 5 years ago.

SC - hope side pain has subsided.

Quite a productive couple of days here. house is tidy although not all clean, laundry is up to date, allotment is getting back under control after being on holiday, grass has been cut and everything DS needs for starting school on Tues has been washed, labelled and tried on. Just doing a last ditch attempt to get him tying shoelaces, he has velcro shoes and trainers but lace up football boots and finds the lace replacement products even worse than the actual laces. Also still trying to get him doing his tie. Had his hair cut today too, he wants to look smart on Tue when I post a pic of him on FB (he has been watching all his friends pop up on their mums pages these last few days and has overcome his natural aversion to having photos on there).

Our runner beans and courgettes have been defeated by the slugs and weather, AsTime, had a few, but not that many. I wouldn't mind the brambles if we got fruit off them, but they're just vicious and in the wrong place!

Off to London to meet a friend today, but first have managed to:

Wake DC up at 7.30 in prep for school tomorrow
Persuade DS1 to have a bath, wash his hair and cut his nails
Empty bins
Put washing on
Done breakfasts for myself, children and cats

DS1's uniform is washed, labelled and ironed. Have found most of his school kit, apart from his pencil case which has vanished, so I'm going to have to buy a replacement set at WHS today.

Have stuck reminder notes up in the kitchen, so I know what to do tomorrow morning when I'm too sleepy to think.

Off to get ready now. Hope everyone has a good day.

Morning.

So much going on in fledgling land. Sorry about the burst pipe Carpe

Burnout has caught up with me pretty badly so it is bare minimum atm and try to recover as the plan. Even have an early night last night and everything

Not sure how much I will be about this next week as it is affecting my attention span.

Hopefully you all manage to enjoy what is left of the weekend and the new week treats you all kindly.

Hi all

Back pain improving but not completely better. Still moving rather gingerly, but trying to keep moving as I gather that is what is best for backs.

Yes, hope you can sort pipe without too much disruption Carpe

Sorry you are suffering Can'tsee hope you can take it steady and recuperate x

Have a good day in the smoke Toffee and well done on all the school prep. (Had to laugh about the pencil case - that is the difference between girls and boys I reckon - dd displayed an unhealthy obsessive interest in new pencil case and must have looked at 20 or more different varieties during summer - as final choice had to be exactly right. As a result, I don't think I want to enter a stationery shop, never mind look at another pencil case, for at least 20 yrs!!! Boys are much easier in this regard I reckon!!)

Will have all my fingers and toes crossed for you and your boys next week Toffee!! It is amazing how far they have come!! And all of your imaginative home edding will give stand them in such good stead and be a great foundation and source of confidence from which to launch in to pastures new!!

Very of your huge blackberry harvest Astimegoesby (think of all those lovely crumbles and fools and compotes you can produce during the autumn/winter) And well done for getting on back of the post-holiday organisation. (I have, with help of cleaner, conquered ground floor but 1st floor a disaster as it laundry pile. Fortunately have long mobility stick thing with 'jaws' at the end of it, so I can do the washing without bending atm!!)

Waves to Blue and everyone else!! (Hope your boys have a good week at their new school too.)

And a huge good luck to all of the dc who are starting back to school this coming week!!

Bit worried for dd who, despite good food, good dog walks, and good couple of night's sleep is still looking white and has developed hacking cough ... oh dear .. we are a household of feebles atm... .

There are the usual back to school bugs going about atm SC it is this that has got me. Lots of sleep, fluids, vitamins (yep tablet top ups) and food that doesn't break my diet list so basically good nutrional food as i normally like to eat rubbish hoping will recover fairly quickly. House is cold though. Autumn is really kicking in early this year. But heating is in a phase of needing to be bedded in and i am not sure how to do that so it is currently remaining off and I am enjoying being in jumpers that are normally too hot to wear. but not the frozen fingers and toes Thank goodness for hot water bottles

Hello everyone. First timer and former exceptionally tidy and clean person here.

Sadly my previous harmonious state has been scuppered by a house move and a baby. I also work for myself and went back to work after 4 months.

After a busy 4 months a couple of projects have calmed down and from Monday I should be able to return to my intended 15hrs a week.

I need to get the baby (7.5 months) into a routine and me into a routine so that I can find time to walk the dogs every day, get back to being fit, eat more healthily and have a tidy and clean home. I find that having the latter helps me to focus better on work and therefore be more efficient.

Today I have hoovered the upstairs, done some washing, tidied my office and cleaned up the car. Have also fed the baby at the planned time rather than fitted it in.

I am in the bath at the moment but afterwards I need to:
Check some website changes
Hang up some washing
Wipe down the kitchen including shining the sink

Any tips are welcome!

[Hands over another hot water bottle to Can'tSee It is cold isn't it? We succumbed and put the central heating on for a couple of hours on Friday which has got us through the weekend. Agree about the 'new term' bugs; worried about dd because she has a very tough couple of weeks ahead - everything new - long school days - and dance starting up again. Have been feeding her on tuna and veg and pineapple and red berries this weekend. Hope you recovery quickly and good luck to your ds this week!

A very warm welcome to Bohemond! Crikey! It sounds as though you have a lot on your plate atm! As a former perfectionist (of the worst "all or nothing kind") which was defeated by motherhood, living abroad with an almost permanently travelling dh, and living in a total wreck of a house) I guess my main tip would be (if I may) : don't try and aim for perfection. This is a new phase of your life and something is going to have to give or you will end up exhausting yourself. A house move is exhausting enough, as is returning to work 4 mths after giving birth. But working for yourself + looking after a 7 mth old + looking after animals + sorting out a home post-move, is a lot to contend with. Take it in small steady steps for fear of burn out and ease back in to things gently and gradually. You may have to face the fact that you won't be able to reach your previous v. high standards, and accept that "good enough" is "good enough" ifyswim!! Good luck with it all!

Meant to say Astimegoesby will be thinking of your ds on Tuesday. Hope he conquers shoe-lace and tie- tying bless him!

I have had a very leisurely afternoon watching the Brits lose at Burghley with the dog real live furry auburn hot water bottle on my lap.

Must devote rest of evening to sorting uniform bits, cooking supper and looking after dd, so going to post links for tomorrow now, and 'see' you all again in the morning!

Have a good Sunday evening everyone!

Babystep no 7 for Mon 7th Sept 2015 is [[

Despite Flylady's assertion (through 'today' access button, that we are in Zone 5 and it is still August!! we are actually starting in Zone 2, the kitchen, this week: here.

For those Fledglings at this stage: here is the detailed cleaning list for Zone Two.

Monday's mission, and all the missions for the week ahead, can be found here scrubbing your kitchen counter tops.

The daily focus for Monday is here the home blessing hour (or as we call it on here, the "home bleugh"). 10 mins spent on each of 7 tasks in your home.

The habit for September is developing a before-bed routine here.

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

Good luck for the week ahead everyone and to the dc starting back to school!

**

Btw, still haven't managed to read back through the the summer threads in their entirety. Has anyone seen anything of Castle and/or Engels
[Big waves if they happening to be lurking.]

And big wing flaps to everyone else!

Still not been able to catch up as finally managed to get insurers to send out an emergency plumber... who looked at the job, sucked his teeth, said it would be a "rip up the floor job" and left.

Heard diddly squat from insurers since then so tomorrow will be a day of screaming loudly talking firmly to them.

On the upside, we met the neighbour over the back fence who kindly loaned us their hose so I could boil a kettle to do the dishes which had been in the dishwasher and obviously we couldn't do! Every cloud.

Thank god PIL are still away though. Fingers crossed for a speedy resolution, but nice neighbours did say it was an issue streetwide and may require a whole new downstairs floor... I am finding the gin to cope!

Bugger Carpe

ds in bed
dw on
I am about to say fuck it, and curl up in bed. Many fucks were not given today.

Good luck for tomorrow Toffee and if he needs to do some more part time days whilst he gets used to teacher, so be it - better than scuppering the whole set up. Very very (practically twisted) crossed fingers for you both tomorrow morning.

SC sorry about your back
can't4 hope you feel better soon

I decluttered the kitchen today as 3 people were out of the house all day. ED pysch coming tomorrow to do yet another assessment of ds2's literacy etc..so so not looking forward to it, I am beginning to feel my bones have been picked clean on that score, yet another lot of questions about his progress/development/likes/dislikes. Maybe I'll just say he is a very mysterious person... His Maths will have dropped though, as I have done NOTHING mathematical for several weeks.

Back to school for ds tomorrow so we have a new evening routine! His bag is ready and I am about to iron clothes for everyone for work/school. Then I intend to be in bed for 11 so I can get up at 6.30
Must find 15 mins for decluttering kitchen tomorrow (maybe before work as I am out in the evening)

Good luck tomorrow, droit.

Thanks for crossed fingers and toes, Knitting and SC.

Carpe - sorry to hear about the flooding . What a pita.

Cant - hope you feel better soon (and warmer).

Welcome Bohemond. Wise words above from SC.

Had a lovely day out with a good friend, whilst DH did his best to exhaust the DC by taking them on a three-hour walk. He did a good job as they both went to bed early.

First day back to school for DS1 tomorrow (DS2 goes on Tuesday). He was fairly calm at bedtime, asked me a few question about school, checked his timetable, then turned out the light. Astonishing!

His uniform is laid out for him, shoes polished (with socks inside) and bag ready and packed with pens, timetable, snack money, etc.

Off to bed now.

Good morning

As your humble thread leader, I know I am supposed to offer encouragement and solace of a cold and dark Monday morning but ... urgh... really urgh.

Just came on to say to Toffee¨sending thoughts and prayers to you and the boys for today!!

Big wing flaps to my Mummy who sounds as organised as ever!

Knitting well done re: kitchen decluttering and as for ed psych assessment, "Non illigitamus carborundum" and all that!

Can'tSee Hope you feel a bit more rested today

Bloody hell Carpe what a pita [supplies more gin for later]ee

Eek, pressed too soon ...

To do:
something appears to be wrong with fridge so that needs investigating urgently
finish list from last week [sigh]
work through pit that is house

Have a good start to the week fledglings!!

Tis all smoke and mirrors sc!
Had a moderate case of can't get out of bed syndrome this morning but had a productive 15 minutes so the dw is on as is the wm. DH has been asked to empty the latter when it has finished as he is not at work till 6pm. I also made a suggestion that he cook tea during the day so all I will have to do is pop it in the microwave and cook pasta but I'm not holding my breath!
DS has gone to school fully equipped. He has even brushed his teeth!
Have a great day everyone