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!

Thank you, SC. Something must be working because DS1 was up first thing this morning, ate breakfast (after saying last night he wouldn't be able to), took his meds without a fight, got himself dressed and left the house with DH on time . He told me off for saying 'I hope you have a good day. Looks like you've got some of your favourite lessons", as, apparently, this made him feel nervous , but apart from this, everything went well.

Now to wait and see if he gets through a whole day...

Well done at also dispatching DS back to school, droit. I'm delighted to report that DS1 also brushed his teeth (and combed his hair) - amazing!

So far this morning i have tried to wash the duvet i washed yesterday and ds is reluctant to be shoved out of the door. He is ready to go, but the shoes and shove stuff in bag is too much effort. Right school run and then i need to make today anti-procrastination day here... deadline on some paperwork.

Well done to all of the dc heading out of the door this morning, bless 'em!!

Would some kind person please tell me when the dates of the forthcoming half term is for state schools/majority of schools in the UK pls? Thanks!

complete full list including most variations

first half of year at top and scroll down for rest of academic year /2016

Well i say complete but on closer inspection it misses the fact that some schools have a 2 week Whitsun holiday May/June time

Oh, good luck with ed psyc today, knitting.

Hope DS went off to school ok, Cant.

yep, even made it in on time. But he has got lunch box duty tonight and had it pointed out that he will be required to have the right stuff for the right day and there is no such thing as leaving it in school next year. He was suitably horrified.

Thanks for the dates Can'tsee!

DD also coming to terms with the horrifically strict and uncompromising secondary school rules wrt punctuality, having the right book and kit at the right time and place, doing hwk on time and sufficiently well etc etc, all of which is fair enough (but unlike primaire) there are no second chances!!

Someone boot me off the screen will you?

I am avoiding the horror of half-emptied suitcases and stripped bed linen and piles of muddy boots and dirty jodphurs that will greet me on the landing

(Anyone else remember that great scene in Father Ted where he kicks Bishop Brennon up the arse? Still makes me laugh).

Still no phone calls from DS1's school. Have menu planned for the week and am now off to stock up on food. Planning to cook one of DS1's favourite meals tonight to reward him for going to school.

God, I love Fr Ted!! [Dh and I were watching the Eurovision one the other day and singing along to the lyrics of "My lovely horse". DD thought we'd lost our marbles.

]

Arse-kick gratefully and duly received ... .

No news is good news Toffee!!

Off to supermarket now too. Praying my back will hold out! Going to take my old lady shopping caddy.

Glad the arse kick did the job, SC. I love the Eurovision episode too .

Yes, will remind myself that no news is good news.

Hope back is ok, SC.

Father Ted is fab!

Right, we are kind of starting our first proper home ed 'term' this week! DD is off on a trip with some other kids, so I'll do a bit of book work with DS before I have to go to work later. I have to make some phone calls too, and do lots of laundry.

SILs' wedding was brilliant. Really lovely weekend, wish we could've stayed longer!

Happy Monday folks!

Thanks for the welcome and wise words sc.
Have given myself the day off 'work' today. DH took me out to breakfast and then we took the baby to the park for the first time. Am just home quickly and feeding the baby (on schedule!) and then will head out to supermarket. I have a list and have cleared the fridge out in anticipation of lots of lovely healthy food.
Will also take car to car wash as parking beepers are permanently on due to dried mud. Then take dogs out and then book holiday YES!
Well done to everyone getting kids back to school.

So in the spirit of anti-procrastinating about the important paperwork I have

ta da
stripped and wash my bedding (incl quilts and pillows)
washed my curtains
moved the furniture about in my room
make 2 types of cake
Iced one of the types of cakes
hoovered a room ready to do the ironing
done the folding
sorting out 2 drawers of being ignored clothes
half sorted a shelf in my wardrobe
checked have the sugar to make Jam tomo
sorted out afterschool club this week
changed a couple of appointments about
made a decision about that pre ds jumper i was making
sorted through the medicine kit
laminated a chart
hand washed 1 load of tights
hand washed 2 jumpers
washed the pots

clearly i really don't want to be doing the paperwork that needs doing.

I can totally relate cant. My blind spot is starting a piece of writing (work). Once started I can bang it out, it's just starting that's the problem. I find nice stationery helps but that can lead to a whole other issue (stationery porn).

Ah yes stationery porn. We do like a nice bit of stationery around here. Deadline for paperwork is tomo. ds in one hell of a strop about technology. He was in a far better mood when said technology was at his dad's

Good luck!

Offers and to CantSee.

It's DS2's birthday today, so have been rushing around madly, after having been woken up at 6.20 by over-excited boys wanting to know if he could have his presents yet. Anyone for ? - extra-lemony sponge as requested by birthday boy.

Hope DS1 had a good day, Toffee.

Ohhhhhhhh cake!! That looks totally delicious Blue (I lurve lemony sponge!!) Many happy returns to your ds2!!
(And here's some for you after your long day!)

Bohemond you have so come to the right place! Many stationery junkies - including yours truly - on here! and I may have a small issue with starting tasks too. Glad to hear you gave yourself a bit of a break today. What sort of things do you write (if you don't mind me asking)? (Feel free not to answer if too identifying.)

Can'tsee congrats on completion of humungous list (which still is incredibly well done despite paperwork avoidance!!)

So brilliant that you were able to enjoy the wedding Fuzzpig despite feeling below par!! Hope your home edding start of term went well too!

Toffee tell us how it went!! All well I hope!!

Enthusiastic wing flaps to everyone else!!

After a very slow start and far too much Mnsetting I did actually manage to achieve a few things in the end.

Ta da:
spot of early unFlyladylike morning ironing of school uniform
morning routine inc packed lunch for dd, dw, wm, animals, s&s, dining room tables hot spots
contacted estate agent
wrote and posted b'day card
dog walk (shorter than normal because of back, but dh made up for it later in day)
quick supermarket shop
found two important docs
school run/dog walk (no point in driving because of farmers' strike)
hung up one load laundry to dry
2 more loads of laundry
cook supper of cod & veg rice stir fry concoction
hwk supervision (poor dd had lots and lots tonight but did it very well - long may this initial enthusiasm continue!)
rubbish and recycling
empty dw again and tidy up
fed animals again
wm on for morning
evening routine

plus we have just spent the last 1.5 hrs filling in incredibly detailed questionnaires for dd's new school.

In addition to filling in basic facts relating to dd's health/nationality/religion/family situation/educational difficulties etc, dh and and I had to answer endless qs about dd's three principle (good) qualities, her one main 'fault', her interests, her main educational requirements, her fears, is one of us there after school to help with homework, how far do we travel to school, does she suffer from stress and if so, what about, what are her best and worst subjects, what are her concentration levels like, how many hours of tv does she watch per day, what does she respond best to, how long does she spend on screens per day and how long does she spend doing hwk generally etc, when is she happiest etc etc and what do we expect from the school?

Of course dd has a corresponding questionnaire with the same questions which she filled in too! Thankfully our answers pretty much matched!! Phew!! We are all feeling quite exhausted now! I suppose it's all for the good ... !

Also had a bit of fun 'helping' dd with her first ever Latin hwk!! Didn't let on to her that it has been 36 yrs since I last studied it!!

Anyway, going to post links and hit the hay now.

Hope everyone had a reasonably good start to the wk!

**

So sorry! I have only just realised that I must have made a mistake and the baby-step for today (no.7) didn't post properly yesterday so repeating it here:

Babystep no 7 for Mon 7th Sept 2015 is here. And it's the all important one about setting out your clothes for the next day, the night before!! Most of us find this really, really helpful. So many apologies for missing it out!!

Anyway, to continue...

**

The baby-step for tomorrow, Tuesday 8th Sept is here putting new habits in to routines and starting control journal (if you want to).

(And yay! The flylady site has finally caught up with the correct current zone!)

We are in Zone 2, the kitchen, this week (from the 6th to the 12th): here.

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

Tuesday's mission can be found here. Spend 15 mins decluttering plastic food containers such as Tupperware.

The daily focus for Tuesday is planning menus, wardrobes, holidays, activities 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.

Keep going fledglings! Just 15 mins a day is better than nothing!

G'night all!

Oops, forgot to leave out for Carpe and anyone else in need!