Festive building work, house moving and fledglings flying. Gotta be the December thread.

[CantSee4Looking]

Morning

It's December. Are you ready for this?
festive cleaning, decluttering and then the required throwing about of sparkly stuff in the name of the holidays? No? Yeah neither are the rest of us. But let's do this.

So we sorta follow the Fat fairy and her fly lady system. We have adapted to suit lifestyles and sometimes roll our eyes at the fluffiness of the website but we do:
1. 15mins decluttering
2. Missions and Zones
3. have a naughty corner bar but someone else can decorate it this year

All the links can be found from the launch pad

But as it is the 1st of December It is babystep 1. This one looks easy. Shine your sink.

missions are here

The zone is zone 1 which is the porch, dining room and hallway. 15minutes folks, 15 minutes. get that decluttering done.

Tuesday is planning day

And just for the crazy people Christmas missions are here

the 1st Christmas mission

Oh yeah, the disclaimers:
long running thread, regulars been here years so can seem clicky, we're not. Newbies are always welcome we just as you to be respectful

baby step 1 linkie

Good morning all!

It can't be December already can it? [rabbit in headlights emoticon]

Thank you very much Fuzzpig for guiding us through November! It was really good of you when you have so much going on.

And thank you for oh so bravely taking on the tinsel terror that is the December thread Can't. Positively heroic of you whilst you have renovations going on and are preparing for your own Christmas.

I shall attempt to make your life easier by not bleating too much on here I promise

Although can I just start by saying that I have been up all night with a vomiting dog?

Argh, just realised new nn was spelt incorrectly

From November thread:

Crikey Whoknows! Once you make a decision it is certainly full steam ahead and all guns blazing! Congratulations and very best of luck with it all! [And I'm sure everyone will understand if your contribution to the school fair is minimal this year in the circs.] [Proffers large vat of gin to get you through the tough days ahead.]

Knitting Is LA obfuscation about lack of resources (forgive me talking through my hat as usual when I know nothing about this at all)? Are they trying to do the right thing but don't have the money but can't admit to that openly so it just ends up in muddle? Horribly frustrating for you all if so.

Yes, agree with you about mahoosive contradictions and baffling omissions wrt water conservation issue and all resource conservation in fact. I remember sitting at a dinner party once while someone was trying to explain to me why it was actually kinder to the planet for the UK to import NZ lamb than for us to raise our own . It made absolute sense at the time ... . As you say, one would go mad trying to balance all of the clashing merits and drawbacks of these things ... but gd to foster a basic awareness in dc (something which is just and trying to do as much as possible on an individual basis (although, agree, with it all being so confusing, one could very easily end up doing the wrong thing). Definitely going to look in to water butts and flushing lavs with grey water (from shower and bath) for when we renovate though.

Blue great that your boys have tied-up swimming on a high and new house is beginning to feel like 'home'!

Big waves to everyone else!

Right, sorry for early morning essay. Have been up so many times in night tending to furry one I feel positively delirious! Vet has given me appt for furry one later on. Bit worried about him (and writing this is a distraction.) All the dogs I have ever known have been walking dustbins but he's never been quite "right" when it comes to food tbh; always on the slim side and one has to tempt/cosset him all the time to get him to eat. Assumed that this was just part of his nervous temperament but now beginning to suspect there is something more complicated going on

Have a good day's Flying/decluttering everyone!

Bit missed out of conservation para to Knitting "something which is just starting in schools over here"

Hello, just thought I'd pop in and Carpe the momentum [awink]

Blast... how do we do holiday smileys again?!

Yay Phoenix great to "see" you again! Still jugglin' ?

Yeah still juggling, but we're back in the house now so happy days.

I am planning to use this thread to try and get Christmas ready. There's an awful lot of decluttering to do. Unfortunately some is DH's so I can't just lose it at the tip, but I'm going to really try. Little and often!

At least the Christmas decorations are up - I just have to declutter round them!

fence problems continue gardener has bailed out on us and no-one in this vast city seems available for these tasks at short notice

now driving ds2 to school to induce zen

christmas shopping plans have been killed by doctor's appointment for ds. Who is dragging his feet and saying it is stupid to go to school to come out for the appointment and he should have the day off. Nice try kiddo but aint no chance in hell.

To do

Hi all! Thanks Cant for leading December, it's brave good of you to take on this crazy month! Great title and opening post.

Really enjoyed doing it in November, hopefully I'll be better at the actual Flying part...

Had a really lazy morning but before getting up I actually grabbed some clutter from our bedroom and sorted a bit of it. So that's something!

Place marking

Doghouse has lots of opinions about digestive issues in dogs from slippery elm to raw food diet to no cereal products - have you tried canvassing? There are also those who think vets might just try and sell particular brands of food, not that I'm saying this is the case with your vet.

nice coffee with home ed acquaintance at tuition centre lots of issues discussed and I felt at one point as if in a parallel world as she had never even heard of statements or ehcps...the happy world of home ed where these things sometimes do not have any relevance (although in my case they do, but it is good to have some perspective sometimes that reality is not always one's perception of it )

felt a bit depressed by ds2 telling me he really didn't understand science even 1:1 at tuition place but he didn't want to offend teacher by saying so. Cue me trying to explain atoms and molecules like the difference between individuals, and families who are individuals joined by bonds, cue him looking very worried indeed. Oh dear, may have to try a more visual approach. Beads or something like that.

done
invited three more people/families to party!
driving
3 kids to school

Waves to all and plonks vat of on the bar.

to Fuzz for November and to Cant for taking on December.

Right. On with my list. 'D'H is working from home today so I'm not going to get a lot done as he wanders... Still, he's sorted out a draughty window so it's not all bad.

Ta-da

• usual shower, dress, breakfast and DS to school
• ordered turkey and veg box for Christmas
• emptied dishwasher
• ordered sideboard/table thing for living room
• hung clock in the conservatory

Am about to have lunch and plot the demise of next door's workmen who keep setting their alarm off. Constantly. For at least 5 minutes each time.

Ooh how annoying Phoenix!

Right, well I've retreated upstairs while the DCs expend some energy hurtling down the mattress they've put on the stairs. Childhood rite of passage IMO

I'm surveying the mess in the bedroom and am wondering where to start! When I next go downstairs I'll stick the dryer on so we can do all the clothes later.

Also this morning I finally started organising those craft drawers! Finally!

Forgot to say, SC - love the festive name!

marking spot too, back later.

I've just reserved (DH collecting on way home) a couple of those linen hanging storage thingies. We have two tall Ikea Trofast units, which used to both be used for toys, but then we used one in our room for our underwear, PJs, spare bedding etc. But we really need to use that for toys again, so I'll rearrange it.

Had a really lazy day - pottered about doing a few bits, but not really enough considering we are now hanging out on the sofa watching Famous Five :o

A very frustrating day here.

Linkies for Wednesday anti-procrastination day

baby step 2

Launch pad

Christmas mission - should hopefully update itself at midnight.

Normal mission

Just declutter in the zone - 15mins - porch/hall/dining room pick 1 and get it done.

Don't think I have forgotten anything but anything is possible, Nighty night

another talk with solicitor. Things becoming clearer. Decision to issue should be in a day or two, but the trouble just begins then, in trying to formulate the provision. La reports very clear in what his needs are, but then the provision recommended to meet those needs is substandard or unspecified, and it is just tying it all together in some formal way which is going to cost money (to call a spade a spade) or some serious brain power beyond that of mere mortals.

Had a bad day with ds2 today after tuition, he broke down and said he just didn't understand the science he was doing, even though it is a 1 to 1 lesson, just for him. He said he couldn't concentrate, and was fidgeting because he didn't understand. Very frustrating as it is meant to help him not make him stressed. Teacher I think is getting frustrated too at the level of his incomprehension, although I pointed out to ds that teacher cannot really object as he is only there to help HIM, and he cannot be behind or ahead. Still a bit depressing. Not sure what to do, as it is part of a tuition centre, rather than organised by me directly, and I cannot exactly tell them their teaching method is not working. Oh dear. Back to the drawing board.

Dh has taken him to have a haircut though.

Roast chicken for supper

That mission makes me very depressed. Holiday linens indeed...humpf,

Just to make it clear, it has always been my dream to have holiday linens, table cloths embroidered with holly leaves, damask napkins with silvery edges, runners with red tassels, but alas, as usual, it seems this is not my reality and the sewing machine is still in the shed covered up by a dying rose scented geranium plant.

Deep breath. Everything is fine. I have a dark blue tablecloth with fancy stitching. We have no visitors staying over xmas, although family coming for lunch only...I am indeed blessed.

I don't even have table linen let alone festive table linen :o oh well that means less to wash

DCs are driving me INFUCKINGSANE this afternoon tidying went to hell.

I have shit loads of christmas linen. People keep giving it to me It just all sits in storage atm. Spare bedding for visitors otoh is going to be needed. Assuming the building work stops early enough to allow visitors

Anyone know where the tipex is hiding? I need to find it I am writing christmas cards and it will be needed

Christmas fayre 1 of 3 tonight Ds is rather excited, I want to go to bed.