Remember remember through all of November the Fledglings will flutter and fly!

[fuzzpig]

Halloween’s over, Christmas (sorry) is drawing near, but perhaps you have too much S.T.U.F.F. (Something That Undermines Family Fun) getting in the way. Or maybe you want to rid your house of C.H.A.O.S. (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome)? Have no fear, the Fledglings are here! We are all learning to get into a routine for maintaining the household, so we have more time for that thing called life.

This is where, from the first of the month (seriously, HOW is it November already?!), we follow – loosely – the rules of FlyLady. We ignore the somewhat barftastic language, and also thoroughly recommend NOT signing up to the emails… unless you want your inbox full to bursting.

Here’s some basic info on getting started – but don’t worry, all will be revealed on a daily basis (assuming I get the links right…) so just jump in.

There are 3 basic stages:

• Baby Steps – if you’re new, start here. Or if you’re coming back to us after a break (trust me, we’ve been there!) then these are good way to get back into it.

• Repeat Baby Steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current room or 'zone' - yep, just 15 mins, it makes a difference!

or

• Reinforce Baby Steps + do Daily Missions - if you have finished decluttering (one day I’ll get to that stage… one day…).

There are also detailed cleaning guides if you’re really enthusiastic.

NB
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!

Another NB
Start where you are. There is no need to worry about being perfect – perfectionism = paralysis! There is no such thing as ‘falling behind’ with FlyLady, if you miss anything, just move on and continue as normal the next day.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck!

[CantSee4Looking]

The missions that get done aren't the same every month, they are varied and I think there are 3 or 4 versions of the missions. Very similar but slightly different. It would be an interesting thing to track tbh.

[fuzzpig]

Thanks Cant yes I'd thought they were the same for each zone each month IYSWIM but then today's is Halloween related.

Haven't started my crisis clean and not dressed yet either! Not a very efficient start to the week but I'm so sleepy. I have a tiny can of Dr Pepper in the fridge that might just be my saving grace.

[Shannaratiger]

Morning all

Dogs glad you're going to another group. Sometimes I think it's easier to go to a new group where no one knows you so you're in control of your personal information.

Cantsee definately can't clean with builders around, perfect excuse! Glad ds is enjoying his new school, such a relief when they leave the house happy! I think I've been FLYing since about 2009 and no I've never done a proper control journey either, I know it would really help me though. One advantage of living in a rented, housing ass. property!

salix Well done on the lie-in. I never manage one as need a cuppa as soon as I wake up but do go back to bed later once breakfast is done as dc's refuse to let DH do it. Joys of having dc's who need routines or have a melt down. Lamb dish sounds delicious. Long To- do list

fuzzpig Enjoy trip to the woods. Don't over do it and then suffer for days after.

Ta da

Washing on
Ds to school, Dd inset day but made her get dressed and walk down with us.

To do

Hoover downstairs, stairs and landings
Dust hallway
Make flapjack (for lunch boxes not me!)
Stop Dd playing and watching on You Tube, Five Nights at Freddy's all day. The only thing, apart from Mincraft thats she's at all interested in. i think it's the ASD that makes her obsess over one thing and not understand that other's don't share her complete love for it!
Write out a list of all the foods and items that I need in the house so I can do a proper shopping list and not be daily going to Tesco's!

Will stop now and do the hoovering to block out the sound of FNAF on You-Tube!

Have a great day everyone

[knittingwithnettles]

done
dropped ds2 at tuition, long drive in fog and bad diversion round here, so traffic galore, but fine
the others are in school bright and early (dh and I exhausted already by 630 start after nice long break)
dropped car at new garage, nice and nearby what a treat maybe this year MOT will get done without so much flapping in Dec

did some EHCP email
spoke to OT, she is so helpful (LA one)

put a wash on

now to tackle house in a very unflylady like way because I need to get it done today!!

[DontBuyANewMumCashmere]

Oh my gosh I miss a few days week and there's a shiny new thread 3 pages thick! Must come here more often...
Thanks for last month SC (nice new name btw) and thanks fuzz for doing this month, I feel enthused just reading your OP!

Today's ta das:
Dw emptied, laundry hung out, dogs walked, baby napped, toys cleared up, dog bed washing now, hall cleared of some hand me down baby clothes

To dos:
More laundry (does it ever go away for the love of God?!)
Tesco shop plus meal plans for the week
Hot spot clean up in hall

Hope everyone is well today. Mondays are good days for me as we can return to our usual routine which is normally totally devastated by the welcome presence of DH at weekends. It's great to have a pair of extra hands but for some reason everything goes out the window and were normally left with an overtired screecher by bedtime. And our DD ha!
Wing flaps to all!

[DontBuyANewMumCashmere]

Little picture to (hopefully) make you smile.
I know it's over but I've never carved a pumpkin before, and just look at those smiles!!

[fuzzpig]

TOO CUTE Dont! What a gorgeous pic :) and well done on the pumpkin, looks far neater than mine do (we didn't actually get round to carving ours yet )

Back from lovely morning - other families didn't make it in the end, which was in some ways easier for me as I find group conversation very hard as I try to work out when to speak, where to look etc (one of the many things I will be mentioning to autism specialist tomorrow!). Took it very gently as the DCs were exploring everything anyway, so although a bit tired it's only a very mild tired rather than 'oh crap I overdid it' IYSWIM. Fresh air was lovely too.

Having a little rest/lunch while the DCs play then I've told them we will be doing our core skills stuff (reading etc) and also I have a vague plan of getting them involved in the Home Bleurgh [insane optimism emoticon] . Not sure if that'll work as they are a bit hyped up now - might need to chill in front of a DVD first as DD is getting very stressy over lego.

ta da
shined sink!
brief crisis clean
rearranged family support worker visit and wrote it straight in the diary
exercise and fresh air!
composed a bit more of some pieces
sent mum a map to print for the trip to the specialist tomorrow

Need to do laundry, the Flying stuff from today's links, and also find my info for the autism thing tomorrow - she sent me questionnaires, and I printed some relevant stuff out, can I find it? Of course not.

[CantSee4Looking]

[fhlgrin] fuzzpig this is normal

[CantSee4Looking]

Offs where the hell have those halloween smilies gone!

[fuzzpig]

I'm almost not bothered about finding the tick box questionnaires (which I'd totally forgotten about until coming back to the thread!) as they'd have another copy for me to fill in quickly... AND it would only serve to demonstrate one of my many issues i.e. organisation :o

ta da
put a wash on
put clothes airer outside (and forgot to take it in again so now it's even damper due to descending mist!)
mission (gave DCs the halloween stuff to keep in their room)
Super Skills Time ie core skills home ed (although not quite as much as usual, they were a bit too fidgety)
home bleurgh! I DID IT! A very short version thereof, but we did cover all seven things. DCs joined in with all of it - they stripped their beds and put new stuff on, DD hoovered what we could actually see of the floor and dusted, DS put old newspapers out etc. Not even a hint of whinge either, I think they liked looking at the list on the laptop and mentally ticking each thing off. Should be able to do that every Monday now and gradually increase the amount we do.
made simple dinner

Not a bad day really. Now really must find the questionnaire (the written one is vital as it includes loads of stuff I'm bound to forget), will put another wash on including bedding. Not managed any decluttering in Zone 1 - much needed as despite being a tiny space it is heaving with piles of shoes and coats everywhere.

[CantSee4Looking]

Just remember the stuff you were going to type up and print out for them!

[salixcaprea]

Evening all!

What a totally gorgeous baby Don'tbuy: utterly gorgeous cheeks and utterly gorgeous smile!!!!

Sending one in return to you featuring a (rather different) furry smile

A fairly productive day but only got half way through my list. The Smeg man hath cometh but it is a bit of a sorry tale. Made first call and they promised a visit within a week. Then received a second call the day before the appt saying that they couldn't come because they needed to order parts and there would be a fortnight's delay. I questioned why they needed parts when they didn't know what was wrong yet but they insisted this was usual procedure. Finally turned up today - and guess what - having pulled the whole thing in to pieces, they didn't have the correct part! Grrrrrrrrrrr. And the gas connection is out of date and we need to get that sorted separately apparently. Double grrrrrrrrrrrr. All of this took up rather a lot of the afternoon and dd was home before I could blink.

And rather than being exhausted after 6 hrs of continuous dance + 1 hr of running around the park at lunch time, she is totally hyper and running around the house ... and says she has to work on her pirouettes ... .

anyone? I am supposed to be giving it up for Nov. Not good to have succumbed on day 2. Heigh ho!

Yes Fuzzpig as Can'tsee said, the missions aren't the same each month. You can get to see the current ones on a Sunday night/Monday morning via the "sneak peak for the week ahead" button on the launch pad. Not sure they are available on the site before then, but I could be wrong! Good luck with the assessment tomorrow!

Can'tsee sympathies re: the missing floor boards - quite a bit of that here.

Waves to Shannara Knitting and eveyrone else!

[fuzzpig]

Oh I've typed it already (so if needs be I can print it tomorrow if we go via the library) but it ended up being 4 full pages :o brevity not my strong point clearly. I'll never remember all that. Not that I really know what to expect in the assessment anyway, I'm not sure whether I'll just be talking or answering questions etc. It will be REALLY good to talk to someone face to face about all this though, so although I'm a bit nervous I'm really looking forward to it as well. When I've mentioned it to HCPs before - even those working in mental health - they've looked at me like and I always ended up feeling worse.

And now I really must go and find the stuff. I seem to have been distracted looking at a possible cheap (Travelodge offer) night away for my birthday next month

[fuzzpig]

Links for Tuesday 3rd November!

Baby Step No.3: Do what you have done the last two days! Yep, we are consolidating Baby Steps 1 and 2. And, erm, exploring the website, if you want. That’s a big IF.

We are in Zone 1 this week: Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room (November 1-7).

Declutter for 15 mins in Zone 1 if you want to.

If you are at this stage, here is the detailed cleaning list for Zone 1.

Mission for Tuesday: Declutter your dining table, or clean/dust under it if it’s already decluttered (bloody well done if so!).

Tuesday's daily focus is: Planning.

The habit for November is: Menu Planning!

A summary of the above (which should update itself daily) can be found here in the Flightplan.

[knittingwithnettles]

okay today has been hijacked by car situation, so I didn't really get anything done but I DID do lots of walking on this beautiful day
(Yay Fuzz to getting out to the forest and enjoying the scenery) to pick ds2 up from yonder, tried out a new busroute and went to an appointment re: EHCP. Also bought supper from Tesco.

Indoors done
washed and ironed all ds2's clothes for the week
managed to organise ds2's Maths
found the cat pee smelling item in dds room (the lace curtain)
cooked supper
loaded dw
put another load of washing on
washing upstairs, including dh's shirts which I also ironed this morning



Hope tomorrow will be more productive unfortunately I've got the carpet cleaner booked, lost his number and I've not decluttered at all, so the landing is impossible to clean (and dd's chest of drawers is on it) May have to confine his activities to the stairs, a mattress and the sofa, possibly ds2's bedroom if I can move his stuff into dd's (she is getting new carpet later this month) Ds1's room needs fumigating but it may be a step too far to shift the stuff out of it.

grrrrr. why did I book the carpet cleaner? tis a classic, never arrange for anything professional to be done whilst you live as an amateur.

[knittingwithnettles]

cashmere fantastic first pumpkin with the witches' kitten

better hang out my last wash of the evening now and totter to bed. Early start tomorrow as we are back on the bus again to tuition.

LA pysch helpful, but I'm concerned she is not going to specify much that needs an EHCP, so we are back to possibly SEN plan, the old Note in Lieu. I've given up really, they are all so woffly, by the time they've finished consulting amongst themselves ds2 will be at university (I wish) or employed

Cat asleep on the floorboard that has central heating pipe running under it, so sweet. It is unfortunately a natural trip point as well

[fuzzpig]

I found, erm, some of the stuff for the appointment. About the only success of the evening, was a bit of a wreck other than that! See you tomorrow Fledglings

[Greymalkin]

Good morning Fledglings, thanks for all the links Fuzz - no complaints from me, your thread leading is grand. Although I shook with sardonic chuckles at today mission of clearing the dining table. I have been working on this for over a year now not joking I'm afraid I dream of walking into our dining room and seeing a clear, polished expanse of wood with nothing but a gorgeous vase of roses in the centre.

Good luck with your assessment today Fuzz and you day out with the DCs sounded lovely.

SC your Smeg man reminded me of an old dishwasher repair situation we had years ago. New DW installed and then not working within two days, so phoned the manufacturer/installation people. The woman on the phone looked up our location and insisted that we lived in a hard water area and the fault would be down to lime scale. The sodding machine had been installed two days before hand! So she sold me some fucking expensive de scaling solution, and guess what? It didn't work. Second call to company who reluctantly sent an engineer, who confirmed that the machine had faulty electrics. You have my sympathies.

Cashmere - your pic is gorgeous, and I totally relate to the presence of DHs wrecking a perfectly smooth running home.

[Greymalkin]

We were out all day yesterday whilst the builders were in. DS and I visited a botanical garden and had a lovely time.

The builders are great - they clean up after themselves, bring their own slippers to wear in the house, wash up their cups before leaving and are very polite. Plus I'm thrilled that lots of itty bitty irritating DIY jobs have been dealt with so easily.

Some ta das:
Cats fed and let out
DS up, fed, medicated and dressed
Washing on

To do
Take some stuff to the charity shop
Get some rather specific light bulbs for electrician to install this morning
Fold and put away four loads of washing
Stir cauldron
Mix up another brew for a second cauldron
Make a blood donation appointment

[fuzzpig]

Glad the builders are good Grey! And muchos sympathy on the dining table. Same here. It is the worst hotspot in the house I'd say. I'm going to get the DCs to help me with it - think they will like the idea of having a 'mission' and it seems to help if I just say 'right we're doing this now' rather than nagging throughout the day saying 'you need to help tidy' etc as the latter always results in groaning!

Really achy arms today though and have no idea why, as I didn't lift anything in the last few days and piano was carefully limited. Taking a very slow stroll can't have done it either. It's frustratingly unpredictable sometimes (rant over sorry).

Haven't got up yet parents should be here in a hour, then we need to drop DCs off with DSD who is babysitting during the appt. Think home ed will pretty much be a write off today as I need to sort out a few bits so I think I'll use what energy I have to get the essential housework done. Except Super Skills Time which I'll try and get done with the DCs before my parents arrive. But first I should get dressed as that is part of the Baby Step!

I'm going to have to post tomorrow's links now, sorry it's a bit early but I'm staying at mum's tonight and won't be taking the laptop this time.

[fuzzpig]

Links for Wednesday 4th November!

Baby Step No.4: Use post-it notes! Unless you feel they add more clutter, that is. :o

We are in Zone 1 this week: Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room (November 1-7).

Declutter for 15 mins in Zone 1 if you want to.

If you are at this stage, here is the detailed cleaning list for Zone 1.

Mission for Wednesday: Clean your front door.

Wednesday's daily focus is: Anti-procrastination! Do something (or many things!) that you have been putting off.

The habit for November is: Menu Planning!

A summary of the above (which should update itself daily) can be found here in the Flightplan.

Not sure if I'll get a chance to be back online later today, so have a great couple of days Fledglings!

[knittingwithnettles]

today I have:

Found no of carpet cleaner YAY! Cancelled carpet cleaner and paid him a small cancellation fee and rebooked, it was a disaster for him to come today, with the school run issue, getting back etc, furniture clogging the bedrooms and no-one to help me move it. If he can clean the carpets properly, it will mean we don't have to give boys new carpets which will save money in the long run, but it all depends on using dd's room to store the furniture in the meantime, and I have to declutter their rooms first.

[Tuition for ds2 today, so we are getting back into school run routine, which is hard for both of us]

reaped benefit of ds2's clothes being ready and ironed
not reaped benefit of car in garage as ds2 REFUSED to go on the bus so I had to get a taxi, which ended up with me arguing with driver over the route [grrr] However ds and I had a laugh about it afterwards, and these things teach him that buses aren't worst option and arguing is very unpleasant We got to our destination in plenty of time despite my taxi driver's insistence that we should have taken a dual carriage way route [in the wrong direction]

How I hate men who think they know the best route to somewhere when you know exactly how to get there and how long it takes. I said to ds2 that buses/tubes give you automomy and independence when you are a teenager, whereas relying on lifts can backfire.

Lots of exercise for me on the way home
picked up car, paid for new brakes
sorted out more laundry, but not yet put away, part of the decluttering I think for boys, and summer stuff still on the landing, waiting for chest to be moved out of the way of the loft hatch!!!!!!aaaargh.

Food for supper has arrived in veg delivery (chicken too)

Better press on with upstairs then. I have till 2.15 before picking up ds2.

[salixcaprea]

Afternoon all! (Well, it is here!)

DD didn't have to be at dance until 9am today but she is so enthusiastic about getting there and putting on her instruments of torture pointe shoes that suffice to say we were all up rather early ....

Knitting I have no idea why your ta list yesterday was accompanied by a - you did loads!! Including advance ironing which earns extra merit points in my book! And again today, you have managed to plough through a huge variety and quantity of tasks! Glad carpet cleaner crisis has been averted! But sorry to hear ECHP/SEN/LA situation turning in to such a long saga for you and ds2. Good luck with returning to home ed routines.

Fuzzpig thanks for links in advance, hope assessment goes well and that you have a good time with your ma!

What wonderful builders you have Grey please can you send them over here immediately?! Sorry to hear you have suffered similarly at the hands of incompetent service technicians - I now have no oven (again) for goodness knows how long - if only "common sense" appeared on page 1 of their handbooks!

Big waves to eveyrone else!

Negatives: dh travelling again

Positives: Other than the usual routines, and keeping the wm fed (oh and doing some urgent work on clearing dining room table hot spots again and paper shredding and 15 mins ex bike) I am doing no Flying at all today! Going to use tom sauce from freezer tonight for quick pasta supper. And spending the rest of the day sewing and dog walking. Would have been nice if a friend or two were around - but such is expat life - whenever you have time to meet up, everyone is back in their 'native' countries. But at least I have set up get togethers for next week! And furry one is always the cheeriest of companions; he never complains (well, hardly ever) and his tail is constantly wagging!

Another positive: dd had me in stitches last night doing a (far too cynical for one so young) impression of Nigella Suffice to say, the phrases 'barky shards' and 'lambent puce' were banded about!

[Am definitely going to try that chick pea and cauliflower dish though, it looked delicious!]

Have a good afternoon everyone!

[BlueEyeshadow]

Am in the cafe with WiFi again... Still,the phone is now connected and broadband should follow shortly...

Have skimmed the thread, but to Fuzz, SC and dogs, and waves to everyone else!

Am going to need to really get to grips with zones and baby steps as the new house has loads more rooms than the old one! It's been empty for a long while too, so quite a lot of cleaning to do.

Have cleaned the windows and dusted a bit this morning, and unearthed some of the flower beds from beneath grass , thistles, nettles etc. Planted loads of bulbs and some of the things we brought in pots.
Unpacking is at a stage where we can't do any more until we get some more bookcases etc. Just waiting for the chance to do a big online Ikea order...

[Buttercup27]

TA DA s finally got round to selling double buggy so there is now lots of space huge void in tbe dinning room

-have dusted and washed walls me for Mil arrived

-started painting a chalk board on the wall, which will hopefully stop ds2 scribbling all over the walls

• have ordered the magic eraser which will hopefully get the biro off of the wall (any suggestions would be gratefully received )