Autumn leaves flutter as October Fledglings Fly!

[standclear]

Welcome to the October 2015 Fledgling Flying thread!

Park your broomsticks and cauldrons here!! Or is that just me ?

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.

As usual we will be following a three-pronged approach - and don't worry - we are all at different stages. (Some of us are still stuck at the decluttering stage after quite a few 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!

The idea is that we focus on short, ring-fenced, daily steps and routines that will help our homes run (more or less!) on "automatic pilot" allowing us to do far more interesting things instead!

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!

Helpful pointers: No perfectionism allowed! If it took a while to create the current C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) in your home, then it will probably take a while to reverse the situation (you can't clean clutter!). Small steps are the key! And you are never behind: just jump in where you are at!

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck!

fuzz - I love that line too . Makes me laugh every time. But last night I was almost sobbing to: 'But as the curtains close and the last prayers are said, all my dogs and my horses appear round my bed, They have come to say one last good-bye..."

Haven't heard the Bluetones. Will google them.

Thank you so much for all your good wishes everyone. I had a lovely day. Was so nervous beforehand, but calmed down once I got there. Spent over an hour with the HR manager first: she was really nice. Then went to meet my 'team', who were all equally lovely and welcoming. However, the amount of new information I had to try and absorb was utterly terrifying and I did an awful lot of nodding and smiling, whilst thinking I wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow.

Met a friend for lunch, which felt like complete luxury.

To be honest, although it was an overload of information and new people, there was a simplicity and straightforwardness about being at work which I certainly don't feel at home. I realise that may not last, of course.

Meanwhile, DH's first day of being in charge at home was not as easy as he'd hoped. He was so distracted by everything he had to do, that he crashed into another car on his way home from work . Our car won't work now, so he had to ring round my mum friends to find someone to collect DS2 from school. And he also had to sort out a lift for DS2 to school tomorrow. Then he had to walk all the way into town to get our dinner. And tomorrow he has to sort out car repairs.

I think I had an easier day than him.

[Inhales the strong aromas emanating from Greymalkins wine cauldron and feels immediately revived ]

Congrats re: amazingly productive lists and good luck with mega toy decluttering session Greymalkin!

Toffee that is so brill that you had a good day! [Sorry to hear about your dh's incident with car though.] Try not to worry about the information overload - it is all new so very little of it should make sense atm - give it time!! Great that work will provide a bit of "simplicity" too - know exactly what you mean by that - a professional space for yourself. Good luck with the rest of the week!

Well done on another productive day Knitting! And especially well done for getting through to a teen!! DD's responses to enquiries about school have now been reduced to the single word answer of "boring".

Feeling a bit miffed tonight as dh is off to Dallas for about a week. I know he has to go and but I just hate the way that in an instant dog walks, school runs and ballet runs are doubled (fair enough) , some of my volunteering slots are compromised (not so fair), three appts have to be cancelled or altered so that I can go alone (a pain in the bum) and a big get-together with friends and their dc that has been planned well in advance for this weekend has to now be re-arranged. [A real bugger that one as we will be disappointing an eight-year-old.] Wouldn't mind so much if I could plan for it ifyswim. It's the lack of control I hate plus it is not nice when dh is away for the entire weekend as we see him so little during the week as it is.

Big waves to Fuzzpig Can't Blue Scatty Honu Whoknows Feetheart chicken Dogs , Don'tBuy, FishBones, Fizrim, MrsMook, Ellie, Fingersmith and everyone else in the coop and anyone I've forgotten!!

Leaves trail of sausages for

Rather chuffed that I can actually walk across the cleared floors of our boudoir now and thus reach the mission sites for once

*

Baby-step no. 20 for tomorrow, Tues 20th Oct, is a useful one about including laundry in your daily routines.

We are in Zone 4 this week: The Boudoir (October 18 – 24) here.

Declutter for 15 mins in Zone 4 (or do a mission!) if you want to.

If you are at this stage, the detailed cleaning list for Zone 4 is here.

Tuesday's mission can be found here. Wipe down or dust your bedroom furniture (aside from flat surfaces) including the bed.

Tuesday's daily focus is: planning.

The habit for October is: www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/october/ decluttering paper clutter!

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.

How is the paper decluttering going everyone? [Hopefully better with you than it is here!]

***

G'night all!

Toffee - so glad you had a good first day, I hope the rest of the week goes just as well. Oops re your DH, hopefully the other driver is reasonable about it.

SC - I sympathise with you re DHs upping sticks and disappearing off to work and leaving us to manage everything. On the plus side, one less person to create mess and chaos at home grasps at straws

More ta das
Ordered cat food and flea treatment online
Made bed
Emptied, washed and refilledcat litter trays
Cleaned the bath
Folded three loads of dry laundry
Put away folded laundry
Hung up wet washing
Did another small washload and hung it up
Culled DSs unloved toys

In bed now, going to finish reading my book.

Night all

A stupid list day yep watch the burnout trainwreck approach

So in addition to my previous list ta da
Sand down big wall
fill big wall
ds to doctor
ds to dentist
tip out 3 drawers in my room and reduce to two drawers
folding
ironing
2 loads washing
sort out too small clothes from ds' laundry
2 loads of dw
1 load of pots
1 sink load of grill pans yep guess the kitchen was allowed to slide due to building work
wash all the recycling
clean down the main bench in kitchen
soak the toilet in cleaning fluid
clean sink in bath room
wash my indoor shoes
print out some paperwork
file ds' certificates and other paperwork
find vitamin tablets
clean a small storage unit and return to my room
evict 2 drawers from my room, both now ready to be returned to the chest of drawers when it hits it's final resting point
polish ds' school schools, write sick note
put ds' lunch box into soak and make lunch
take feeling a bit better ds to spend some pocket money whilst picking up the needed milk for morning coffee
find an address and package up cards but didn't get chance to send them
Start to set up my home folder
Give both home folder and school folder nice smart covers
Empty bins
find my stamping stuff might treat myself to a new stamp/ink pad at some point
Retrieved a long misplaced toy for ds (involved moving lots of stuff)

Currently looking at my bed that is full of half sorted stuff and thinking about the bathroom that I need to finish cleaning. Mind you I also need a really good to do list as there is a stupid amount of stuff that needs to be achieved tomo.

Good morning fledglings,

Can't I feel ever so slightly queasy looking at your list! Here you go:

I had a crap nights sleep. I couldn't put my book down with only a few chapters to go, so finished that then DHs snoring kept me awake and twitching so I got up at midnight, cleaned the kitchen and watched a few episodes of Desperate Housewives. Went back to bed not long after 2am, still awake, next thing I know DS is bouncing round his bedroom at 6am.

I am on my fourth coffee, with many more to go...

Ta das so far:
DS, cats and me fed
Dishwasher loaded
Washing on
Two listings drafted for eBay
Wiped down breakfast table and work tops
Wine cauldron stirred

General to do list
Photograph eBay items to complete listings
Wrap up eBay items and weigh to work out postage costs
List for sale on Facebook DSs culled toys
Cull more of my hoarded clothing that I kept thinking I would wear but haven't
Hang up wet washing
Hand washing

DH has left for work and won't be back until Friday now so I'm going to to take advantage of this time and try to do some serious sorting of the boudoir. So...

Boudoir to do list (over the next few days most likely)

Strip bedsheets and mattress and pillow protectors
Boil wash the above
Hoover light fitting
Hoover mattress
Spray mattress with something to kill any nasties and freshen it up (any ideas what to use? I was thinking basic anti bac spray?)
Once mattress is dry, flip it
Remake bed
Tackle pile of clothes on bedroom chair
Declutter top of chest of drawers
Dust and wipe window sills, door frame and the skirting boards that I can get to.

DS who is almost 3 has developed an infuriating habit of running round in circles, literally laps round and round a room so that he gets out of breath and dizzy, so he ends up bumping into furniture and falling over. He loves it but it is driving us crazy and causes quite a draft. Sometimes he does it when we are out too, for no apparent reason and it is just baffling. Any experiences or thought to share?

Good morning everyone.

[Does double take at Can'tsee's mega-mega-list!!]

Hope you are alive and well this morning ¨Cantsee after ploughing through that lot !! Brilliantly done though!! [Proffers footstool, footbath, massaging back spongy thing, comfy fur-lined slippers and strong coffee]

Well done to you too Greymalkin for an extremely productive Monday! Particularly well done with all the laundry. Hope can blow dry it for you

Somehow, the house looks like a bombsite again this morning. It truly pisses me off how no one picks up after themselves. Even to the extent that dh and dd gaily step over things that are left at the bottom of the stairs to take up, and things left at the top of the stairs to take down. I reckon they assume the "house fairy" will take care of it .

Didn't do a downstairs home bleugh yesterday, so doing it now.

Still in a bit of a mood about dh going away which is a bit ridiculous but there you go. I know it is my job to step in and be available - and I'm totally fine with that - it's just the assumption that I always will and the lack of appreciation (appreciation is wrong word - I mean acknowledgement that I do make a contribution) that gets me down + the lack of control over my own plans/life.

Anyway, instead of muttering and whinging, I need to start cleaning.

Ouch Grey that sounds a crap night indeed!

Thank you knitting I think DS has forgiven me! His uniform hasn't actually arrived yet anyway so hopefully it'll be done next week. Also hoping DD's sash arrives as they have their enrollment ceremony on Wed - not DD's as she had hers already but they all have to wear full uniform including the sash, oops.

Cant that is one hell of a list! More than I could do in a week :o well done! Please allow yourself to rest now!

Not sure what I'll get done today, need to do laundry as always and finish the quiz and order Tesco and and and uggggh.

Can't imagine doing much home ed at all this week as deadlines have taken over! Not great timing as next week is half term so we probably won't do much then either (not that we follow term times really but their school friends are about so we don't tend to do as much). Although DD has been taking some of the ancient Egypt books to bed to read, and she wrote a poem just for fun the other night. Maybe this week we are practising autonomous ed :o in all seriousness though we do have our family support worker visiting next week about time and she is a bit skeptical about HE so might have to make sure we have some more formal work lying around

Oh dear Grey missed that about your terrible night's sleep! [Pours strong coffee] Your bedroom plan looks amazing though! Good luck with it!

Sorry, no advice about whirling dervish toddlers although furry one chases his tale from time to time . Suspect it is one of those phases that will pass. In the mean time, suggest distraction? An indoor trampoline or some such?

Sorry to hear your dh is away too although good that it leaves the boudoir clear for purging and it will be a snore free zone for a while

Great that your dd is spontaneously writing poetry Fuzzpig!

for Grey, Cant, SC and all in need!

Re hyperactive toddler, Grey, I would guess that trying to wear him out will only wind him up further. Can you try to switch to some kind of soothing/calming activity? On the other hand, it might just be the adrenaline rush he's after - toddler version of going on a waltzer!

Hello all, had extremely busy weekend with in laws and diy so hardly did any cleaning or tidying. Now DD and I have picked up some bug and it's Phlegmsville here.
Feeling particularly bad today but I've hung out washing, emptied DW and wrapped presents ready to post, now I'm going into town to do lots of little jobs.
It's hard to keep up with everyone's news but SC sorry you're on your own for a while, any chance there's a tiny positive in there at all? Nice box set or film you want to watch but DH doesn't? Get some chocolate and wine in and treat yourself once DC are in bed.
Blue I think I saw some good news about your house? Hope that progresses. After a very drawn out conveyancing experience throughout most of my pregnancy I'd be happy to never ever move house again!
Toffee I hope your new job is going well. I'm sure it'll take a while to settle in but you'll soon start to enjoy it. Wine and chocolate for you too I think!
Everyone else Hellooo!
Also wanted to say thanks to you all, joining this thread is really helping me and you guys are keeping me going. House is never going to be a show home but you're helping me make it a little more shipshape.
Have a good day everyone

to do list
do not kill ds who is no longer proper ill but not well either and thus pushing every button when I am tired sore and very grumpy

I have survived the office (ish) and have rather a long list to get done today. Ds is in a strop and all i want to do is fall into bed and sleep for a month. However I have chocolate, coffee and pain killers. Tally ho...

Don't worry too much about keeping up with the thread Don'tBuy just pop in and out as you want to. Glad Flylady and the Fledglings are helping you

Can't I'm right there with you... Counting down to bedtime.

Blue you are quite right, my DS just never seems to tire out. On the weekend we went on a three and a half mile walk round our local country park, we took his trike thinking he'd need some 'help', but no, her walked/ran the whole way! Admittedly, he slept for 12 hours that night...!

Some more ta das
Listed a heap of crap on eBay
Listed some of DSs old toys on FB
Striped bed sheets, pillow and mattress protectors --> into washing machine
Red clothes wash --> hung up to dry
Hand washed bras
Made some outstanding phone calls

Sleep deficit is catching up with me now and I'm losing the will to do much more. DS is at nursery tomorrow so I will be able to get more done tomorrow I hope

things going well up to a point - we endured another appointment for ds2, just about survived that but with a few tears from him - he just hates it all

there is supper cooking

but I am feeling very tense that travel weary dh is returning to a house which is upside down.

Will return now to my boudoir to hang up the clothes, and find the bin liners in there somewhere.

And fold up the ironing board

AND BREATHE>

Grey - DS2 used to enjoy spinning round and round in circles until he fell over with dizziness. It was a toddler phase that lasted a few weeks, then disappeared. Hopefully, it's the same with your DS. I think it was just the novelty of being able to create the weird dizzy state that appealed.

Work was good again today: my colleagues are all lovely and I'm enjoying the work. However, I am worried about my first batch of written work being checked by my boss tomorrow.

Arrived home feeling really relaxed and not at all tired, but an hour or so with DS1 put paid to that. He was impossible to deal with and kept doing annoying things: dismantling the antique mantlepiece clock, hitting DS2 with a plastic sword (meant to be a joke, but, of course, he misjudged), taking offence at me when I was trying to help him with something and be sympathetic. The last straw was when he spat his food out on the table as a 'joke'. Not funny AT ALL. Honestly, seven and a half hours at work was blissfully easy in comparison to an hour with him.

I know he's going through puberty now and life as a teenage boy with AS can't be easy, but sometimes I just don't have the patience to deal with it all.

Off to bed soon. Have to read up on some stuff for work tomorrow, but will be fighting sleep, I think.

knitting - sorry DS2 had to endure another appointment. They are difficult, I agree.

Glad work went well at least, Toffee.

Waves to DontBuy - yes, move is on for next week now. We're certainly not planning to go through this again any time soon!!

I have been diving under the spare bed and found a box packed with old ornaments and trinkets that I had as a kid, but hadn't looked at since shoving them under there 10 years ago! Some might be worth putting on eBay as and when, so they've gone back in the box. Just hope I don't find them all again in another 10 years...

Have also done lots more admin and errands, and cleared out a whole heap of junk. Anyone know if you can recycle jiffy bags? Have put them on Freegle but might not get any takers in time.

Glad work went well at least, Toffee.

Waves to DontBuy - yes, move is on for next week now. We're certainly not planning to go through this again any time soon!!

I have been diving under the spare bed and found a box packed with old ornaments and trinkets that I had as a kid, but hadn't looked at since shoving them under there 10 years ago! Some might be worth putting on eBay as and when, so they've gone back in the box. Just hope I don't find them all again in another 10 years...

Have also done lots more admin and errands, and cleared out a whole heap of junk. Anyone know if you can recycle jiffy bags? Have put them on Freegle but might not get any takers in time.

oh dear Toffee - but I'm sure he'll settle down soon, once new routine is established - half term after all is quite tiring when you've only just got used to being back at school. Ds2 being quite "lively" at the moment too - I suppose I am used to it now, the joys of puberty. Smelly, noisy ,touchy, greedy people with terrible table manners, who fixate on certain items of clothing (in ds2's case it is hideous orange shirt which I am now going to have to hide, ds1 insists on wearing a green leprechaun hoodie from two years ago, and dd is endlessly washing the same pair of black leggings, and grey sweatshirt (this is her chic outfit) They don't eat my food but seem to be snacking machines.

Yay for work being satisfying and nice people in the office! I forgot to say sorry about your dh and his car experience for yesterday - hope his nerve held for today

SC I was thinking about you today as my dh was on his way back from abroad. It must be very frustrating to have things change at short notice and to feel that is your role is to be the cheery sensible coper, when you might (on occasion) want to say HELP!! It is as if you signed up to something that over time doesn't quite suit, even if it did before. Also there are always new situations (like say dd starting her new school) that make coping less endurable.

Actually my patience wears thinner as I get older and I find myself grumbling an awful lot, and wondering why SHOULD I do x y or z. Ironically this evening I felt it was my duty to cook a housewifely supper for dh on his return so I spent quite while organising a roast dinner (not the sort of thing you usually get in this house) so he would be blessed by a calm orderly scene when he wearily put down his hat. Only to find that the poor man had given up expecting such scenes and told me he had an M & S sandwich at the airport...

Good morning! Sorry I didn't get back on here last night to post links, herewith:

*

Baby-step no. 21 for today, Wed 21st Oct, is one to ignore imho about Flylady Q&As.

We are in Zone 4 this week: The Boudoir (October 18 – 24) here.

Declutter for 15 mins in Zone 4 (or do a mission!) if you want to.

If you are at this stage, the detailed cleaning list for Zone 4 is here.

Wednesday's mission can be found here. Declutter the shoes in your wardrobe.

Wednesday's daily focus is: anti-procrastination.

The habit for October is: www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/october/ decluttering paper clutter!

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.

Have a good day lovely fledglings!

*

Thanks for kind words about dh being away Don'tbuy and Knitting, and everyone else, and for the Blue!

I am just beginning unnecessarily mouldy atm! It's not dh being away in itself that I mind (in fact that is quite nice sometimes and certainly less work in many ways) it's the lack of control over my own plans that gets to me and the fact that somehow it is assumed that my plans don't matter/that I am always available (which I am - as this is major part of my role here - but let's just say that that my being available at a moment's notice is not necessarily acknowledged or appreciated and, over the years, comes at a cost ie my own work prospects).

Knitting "having signed up to something that no longer fits" is exactly how it feels, in fact, I never formally signed up. When we were first married, I thought we would be here for 5 yrs. Never thought it would be a life-time thing. Never having really signing up properly or consulted is half the issue I think!

And your post about cooking your dh a roast made me ! I can never get it right! If I cook something, dh will have eaten on the plane. If I haven't, then he is starvingly hungry.

And ditto about grumbling and feeling less 'compliant' as one grows older!! Perhaps we should form a protest group?

Glad to hear your dh is now safely back in the fold now though but so sorry to hear your ds2 was so upset over his appt, poor lad. It must be very stressful for him, and for you to see him so upset.

Blue¨that is so wonderful to see the words written in black and white "the move is on for next week". More power to your elbow with all the decluttering but save some energy for the move itself!! [Excited on your behalf emoticon]

Toffee good luck with written work check today! I am sure you are worrying for nothing though! And sorry things were a bit turbulent at home upon your return last night. I guess it's a huge change in the dynamic of the household, with you being out at work all day, and everyone has to find their "new role" etc etc. Perhaps your ds1 is protesting at the change but doesn't consciously realise he is doing so ifyswim! It's a big change for everyone (not that that makes it easier for you to deal with of course!)

Enjoy your child-free day today Greymalkin your little ds sounds like a really power-house!!

Can'tsee good to hear that your ds is sufficiently well enough to be testing your patience again bless him!

Don'tbuy great to hear this thread is helping you to keep on top of the chores but sorry that you are feeling under the weather. Hope you and yours recover soon!

Knitting hope your dh appreciates all the 'bottoming out' you have been doing in the house in his absence which, by definition, requires a bit of disorder! You can't make an omelette without cracking eggs and all of that!

Huge wing flaps to everyone else! Had better get on. Need to be out of the front door in under 20 mins!

Ta da:
morning routine inc animals, wm, s&s, dd lunch, school run
(but still have to do dw and kitchen)
walk dog
e-mail volunteering

To do:
dining tables clear and sort
yet more on-line parcel returns
pasta lunch (prep tom sauce as didn't do yesterday)
find mobile phone

Have horrible feeling mobile phone may have fallen in now-full kitchen bin ... may have to rummage through potato peelings

oh dear, not a good morning. I made the mistake of driving dd to school today and there was only one school shirt for ds1, (i was washing a big batch of the others) which dh managed to put in the wash the morning first thing (Why on earth was he meddling with the laundry?), because I thought it was a dirty shirt yesterday and put it in the laundry basket, but it was actually THE clean shirt which dh had taken out of the ds1's drawer last night, only I didn't know this (and ds has form for leaving his dirty shirts draped over his chair), and because I wasn't there to explain this (as in car driving dd to school) all went pearshaped.

You have to laugh really or you cry...And next to ds1's room was an enormous bag of only slightly outgrown shirts which he could have worn...but dh did not know this. [sigh]

Honestly I wish he would return to Berlin now!!! At least I knew what I was doing (badly) when he wasn't here. To cap it all he has not slept a wink all night for various reasons and we (two parents) have another bloody appointment today to see the Ed Pysch without ds2.

Strangely enough I felt very tense yesterday and having medicated myself with a glass of wine felt absolutely fine and relaxed, and now this morning I feel more stressed than ever..Interesting that wine seems to initially make things MUCH better than seems to ramp up the anxiety; it seems to affect my sleep.