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!

Actually I might need some more myself because I have just seen a mouse

Yeurgh - I hate the blighters - [plods off to set traps]

Oh dear I think that should have been 'principal' not 'principle' [hangs head in shame]

All going well here. Just ironed clothes for us all for tomorrow and checked DSs school bag. Just need to get the washing in and do the dw while waiting for dh to finish work.
for you sc!

cheers Mummy !!

traps are set [yuck]

G'night all!

Yes, DS1's day did go well, thanks SC. Sorry not to update earlier. He was so tired when we picked him up that he couldn't speak. Gobbled a bun like a starving urchin, then went up to his bedroom to relax. It wasn't until half an hour ago (by which time he should have been in bed) that he became a bit more chatty and willing to talk. Turns out all his lessons went fine, he liked the new maths teacher, he enjoyed the school lunch and he's made a friend!

DS2's turn for a first day tomorrow. He's a bit apprehensive, obviously, but I'm sure he'll be fine. He already knows one of the children quite well and has met the rest of his classmates at his taster days. And it's forest school tomorrow, so he'll probably spend most of the day in the woods.

I seemed to spend most of today in the kitchen cooking and washing up (determined to cook a special meal for DS1). Also went to Tesco, did a huge shop, cleared out the fridge at home and restocked, put the rubbish out, did some washing and hung it out, fed cats, helped DS2 with last-minute revision for maths and English, and organised all the stuff for DS2's first day tomorrow.

Also have two meetings coming up, one with each school.

Exhausting, this school thing.

Sorry about the mouse situation, SC. And I'm relieved to have only had a four-page form to fill out for DS2's school, compared with the 'book' you had to fill out.

Blue - happy birthday to your DS tomorrow. That cake looks delicious.

Sleepy waves to all...

Just a quick Ave et Valete to all fledglings!

Toffee aw, bless him, it sounds as though your ds1 had a v good day although it obviously took it out of him. So brilliant though that he managed a full day! And good luck to your ds2!!

Astimegoesby Good luck to your dc today!!

And any other dc heading back to school!

Dashing off this morning on various car related errands (unbelievably, the radio of my car -a tiny run-around - keeps spontaneously switching itself on and off in the night). And as it's parked in the street, me or dh have to keep getting up at 3am to move it somewhere where it won't disturb anyone - obviously have volume turned right down). It's so strange, it doesn't do it every night, just intermittently. (But it is a renowned fault for this particular make of small car.) So heading off to garage this am! Have already tried main dealership and their ££££ intervention worked for a while, but, annoyingly, fault is back, so heading off to small independent across town in worst traffic known to man now so wish me luck!

Didn't catch any mice last night and impossible to fix all entry and exit holes in this wreck of a house so going to have to consider poision again but very worrried about dog - will have to investigate what other dog-owners do. We get them once or twice every two or three years (usually when there is work being done in the street). Yurgh!!! Going to wash all the floors with Dettol solution today when I get back!!

Hope everyone has a good day!

Thank you SC, he's excited. I'm taking him this morning, we went for an induction afternoon and to meet his tutor yesterday, it was a weird day, I couldn't settle to anything for long. Glad it went ok for DS1 Toffee and hope it does for DS2 today.

Good luck to him Astimegoesby and hope the tie-tying went well!

Productive procrastination was a fail. I am still trying to write the damn paperwork. Motivation nil, urgency - lacking, deadline - looming very very quickly.

Well he's gone. Still struggling with laces etc, but the beauty of this school is that that is perfectly normal and help will be given :)

nice peaceful day so far.

Dh sent the kids to school first thing, the kitchen is still tidy after my blitz for Ed Pysch visit, and

Ds2 is doing captions for his photo album (we do all our by sticking pictures into a big book and handwriting captions) a bit of screaming when he realised he would have to write but all calm now and a meetup later in a big park.

And I'm so excited (but have to keep my emotions hidden from dd - she has a habit of getting bored with anything I find interesting) Dd has said she loves sewing/textiles, plans to do it for GSCE and wants to spend the weekend designing a dress with her friend. AND SHE wants to be a costume designer for the theatre.

Fantastic job ambition from your DD, knitting, and great that she's found something she loves.

AsTime - hope first proper day goes well.

Cant - good luck with the paperwork.

Managed to deliver both boys to their respective schools on time and then get to work. The morning was fairly stressful, but will hopefully get less so as we all get used to the new routines. DS2 went into his new school lugging about four bagfuls of stuff (Forest School clothes, PE kit, lunchbox, etc), but threw me a lovely smile as he walked off with his new classmates. His teacher seems very nice and I really am fairly confident all will be well. And I am so relieved that I can now delegate his education to her!

DS1 forgot his glasses, but will just have to cope without them for a day. He didn't seem nervous, but was very difficult to galvanise, which made us late leaving and could have made DS2 late on his first day.

DH and I are planning to go out for lunch shortly .

Oh, lovely knitting. Hope it sticks.

Enjoy your lunch, Toffee. Hope DS2 has a good day. Forest school is such a good thing.

Actually done some cleaning in the right zone today!

Ta da!
Wiped down all surfaces in kitchen and utility room
Put random stuff away
Swept and mopped floors
Shiny sinks in kitchen and downstairs loo
S&S
Laundry x2 done and on line
Various bits of admin
Cleaned out inbox
Booked skip to clear garage and loft junk - Yay!

Got to remember to go to a meeting at DS2's school about the term ahead this afternoon.

Laundry today and that's about it! Oh and I made a Dr appt so that's good. Hopefully she will agree to fill in the form I've been sent, so that I can get assessed for autism.

DCs actually got on with their home ed work, it was kind of our first day 'back' today IYSWIM.

Lots of pain today, think the weekend has caught up with me - I was absolutely fine at work until 6pm when it suddenly hit me :( hence not doing much today!

Quick list dumping while I'm on the train -
Find id docs
Order business cards
Agenda
Find tea rota and tell Karen
Do assignment
Bath
No idea what is for tea (chippy?)
Electoral role
Check school bag

That's it! Back later - I have Pimms in the fridge!

Both boys back from school and both seem to have had a good day. Phew. DS2 says they did drawing in every lesson, including maths (they designed their own flash cards - great fun, he said). DS1 is too exhausted to speak.

Cooking roast dinner now, then it's baths and early beds for them both.

Managed lots of laundry (about to stick the last lot in the dryer) and lots of MNing while the DCs played. Not as much home ed work as I'd planned but they did their core skills stuff so a decent start at least.

DH is out so we've had a pizza and I'm about to shepherd the small people into their room so I can curl up in front of a DVD.

Early start tomorrow, dropping DCs with new CM and then on to work, thankfully DH is off the rest of the day so he can collect and then do Brownies run in the evening. Not sure I'll last the shift at work, I'm feeling just as bad as I did yesterday, and I've promised myself that I will no longer just put on a brave face. If I can't do it and I need to come home, I will. My 'grin and bear it' method has got me precisely nowhere, in fact it's probably made things worse in the long run. At least my good friends there will be working tomorrow, they always look out for me and will not let me struggle on if they see I'm unwell.

Glad the boys are getting on at school toffee :)

Evening all,

Glad the DSs had good days at school today Toffee - you are doing better than me on the food front, we had rather horrible supermarket ready meals in an attempt to ensure everyone had a something they would eat. My DS had a good day too, pickup and dropoff went smoothly and he has enjoyed himself. Just scanning in his timetable before we lose it.

Not much Flying done. Actually none to speak of. Oh well, I was at work.

Hello to everyone. Thank goodness I only have a baby - have 4 years to sort myself out before DS starts school!
Get to that paperwork cant.

Today I have stuck to my plan:
Done 2.5 hrs work
Got baby to nap at correct times (yay)
Picked and juiced loads of our lovely apples
Fast walked dogs
Cooked nice dinner

SC no I don't mind you asking at all. I am a communications consultant so write everything from an internal newsletter to press releases and exhibition boards (I mostly work in property and planning). I live down in the SW but came from London so not many people like me down here. Sadly property projects don't stop when you have a baby hence the need to return to work so quickly.

Tomorrow:
Actually read what I am supposed to be doing on Flylady
Stick with baby and dog routine
Review stationery situation in office
Prepare presentation for Thursday evening
Book dogs hair cut

fuzzpig

nice day here too, but an afternoon of home edding (well watching ds2 run around and go to and from park on public transport with two tube changes) has made me as tired as if I had done something onerous.. email back from school has said the "waiting list" letter will finally come on Thursday.

Excited about all kids enjoying new schools time glad transport so smooth and that must be a tremendous relief not to have to worry about dropping and picking up
Fuzzpig enjoy dvd

I had planned a nutritious and organic home cooked supper from my veg box and a chicken, but wimped out and bought some sainsbury's pizzas and blt sandwiches for supper as I trudged home. I'm beginning to feel if I don't plan think about and actually cook supper before 6pm it's a no-hoper I just feel too tired..tis these abominable early starts for dd's school at 6.30am

SC it is actually quite fun all this intense stuff when your child first starts secondary and you get so involved - I always look back wistfully on my emotions when ds1 used to come back from school..how was your day I used to say clutching sandwiches and juice..tell me everything..a bit like he had been on a voyage down the Amazon I loved my first year at secondary girls' school. [and went on enjoying it all till about sixth form]

salutem fetus inplumes necant!!

(or something like that anyway )

lovely to read all of your posts but if you don't mind I shall answer them in the morning as am rather tired behind with things here owing to a rather long time spent in car repair shop today ... and car still not repaired!!

**

The baby-step for tomorrow, Wed 9th Sept is here keep doing previous steps in morning and evening routines and learn how to declutter in various ways ie 5 min room rescue.

We are in Zone 2 this week, the kitchen here.

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

Wednesday's mission can be found here clean your small gadgets and appliances.

The daily focus for Wednesday is [cue hysterical laughter] anti-procrastination do the one thing you least want to do in the world!

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.

vale omnibus!

DD started with a cold on Sunday night and didn't get much sleep (neither did I), she looked bad when she came out of school on Monday night and she's been off today. Non-stop sneezing and going hot and cold. Hope she gets a good night tonight!

Carpe hope the repair on the leaking pipe is going well and SC hope the mouse disappears very soon!

Paperwork was done hours ago, work done, 1 load of washing done. Get bored of the great homework debate already. Only another 6 weeks until half term