January Fledglings - Resolve to Fly!

[WhoKn0wsWhereTheMistletoes]

So, here we are at the start of 2016, poised with our control journals and ready to Fly for another year. New and old, all are welcome here, we loosely follow the principles of Flylady to manage our homes and lives, we also chat and lend an ear to whatever life throws at us.

We post links to the Flylady site each day throughout the month, with daily babysteps and missions inside that weeks zone. We also declutter. No links in this post, I'm on my phone and will do some separately, but it's time to get ready for 2016. A big thank you to everyone who has run the thread in 2015 and everyone who has contributed .

Morning all

Dogs - we went to Lisbon, DH needed to go there on business and I tagged along. On the days he was working I went off exploring and found some wonderful museums. We also got stuck into the local cherry brandy ...

SC excellent progress for your DD

Fuzz sorry about the stress re your DHs work, always horrid. We've been through it in our family many times and its a worry like no other. Hope things are made clearer for you soon

Einstein and Blue I have also fallen behind on the reading thread - too busy exploring Lisbon!

Who I am also wrestling with tax returns, glad yours is sorted.

My Ta da list so far:
Took DS to nursery
Unloaded dishwasher
Online shop ordered
Online banking done
Some serious hoovering in the living room:
*pulled all the cushions off the sofa, scraped debris and dust out of crevices
*hoovered sofa base
*tipped sofa over, hoovered underneath and retrieved lost objects
*reassembled sofa
*pulled out TV unit (OMG the dust!!!)
*hoovered behind TV unit, all the wires, back of the TV, plug sockets and vents
*hoovered unit itself and skirting boards
*put unit back

My new washer-drier arrived!
*after delivery men pulled out my old machine I ran in with the bleach spray and kitchen towel to clear out all the dust and grime that was underneath the old machine
I've never really used tumble driers before, but given that I nearly always have a clothes horse up cluttering the place, I might start using it. I worry about the expense of using the drier, but the new machine is super energy efficient, and I suppose that as long as I don't overload it, it should be fine.

To Do List
Make beds
Assault Mount Washmore
Yesterday's mission - decluttering in the living room (desperately needs doing)
Test the fire alarms

TMI Alert DH and I spent rather a lot of time whilst we were away and child free [ahem] getting reacquainted with each other Result is I have a horrible UTI and feel like I'm peeing razor blades. I've ordered some cystitis relief with the shopping as I couldn't get a doctor's appointment today. I find keeping busy takes my mind off it but, fuck me it hurts.

As you were.

Ah, the old honeymoon disease eh Grey :o glad you enjoyed your time away though! Child free opportunities must be seized!

You've had a very productive day, well done. I... have not. We've done some home ed (and DD has been rather unwilling today, so it feels like more of an achievement) but housework just ain't happening! I feel so distracted (thanks for the kind words BTW ) and can't focus on anything due to the worry. I really need to try and put it out of my mind because I can't go on like this for what could be weeks.

YAY for the tumble dryer. We've had ours a year now and OMG it makes so much difference. Now I only have to hang out maybe one wash a week on the little airer thing (the stuff that can't be tumble dried) rather than everything forming a backlog, or having to hang it over every spare banister and chair in the house.

Right, I am now going to hang out the non-TDable stuff (washed yesterday ), clear up lunch debris, and finally get up the courage to make a couple of phonecalls. Hopefully. But will try ringing DH first for moral support, assuming he is on his lunch break. Will also get DCs to put their dry clothes away, and then tackling Mt. Washmore which is building up fast.

Have a great afternoon folks

Popping back to say I did achieve some stuff. Laundry underway, phonecalls made (not all were answered, but I did try!), DCs have made two different posters today which are now decorating the living room door :) also prepped the burger mix as planned so it wasn't a terrible day all in all. :)

Ouch Grey , that'll teach you to overdo the cherry brandy...

Today has been work at home day, I didn't need to do too much and what I did do was on the sofa watching telly with a cat and a laptop on my legs so I also made a batch of soup, did some laundry and generally pottered. Weather was foul, think it's probably the same everywhere. I also fell asleep on the sofa at about 7.30pm, which is most unlike me, all my late nights are catching up.

Links for Wednesday

Babystep what's for dinner

Mission living room hotspots

Daily Focus Anti-procrastination day

What's for dinner seems like a good babystep today. I actually know what's for dinner because of our meal plan on the whiteboard :) from now on Wednesday is going to be the day we eat separately - DD has scrambled eggs before Brownies, DS can have something quick, then DH and I eat something together once I've had my piano lesson (something that the DCs won't eat - risotto tonight!)

Social meet up today, and once again I've messed up because I don't have bus fare. I'm sorely tempted to not go, but the DCs are so looking forward to it. We'll have to walk down to the shops in horrible weather to get cash out, or get a taxi and go past a cash point. Argh. Fail.

Aaaaah somebody please give me a boot up the bum! Got back from the meet up, bathed the DCs as they were wet and muddy, and now all my energy is used up :(

Got to get DCs fed, DD to friend's for Brownies run, somehow make the living room into less of a pit before my pupil arrives.

I hurt all over though :(

Oh, poor you Fuzz, hope you feel a bit better now.

I am grumpy and fed-up, not a good day generally. Grrr. Didn't manage much Flying either.

So, going to get straight in with some links for tomorrow:

Babystep Take a break

Mission get round the edges of the carpet done

Daily Focus Errand Day

The weather is not helping atm is it fuzzpig as for stress, yep trigger. Sorry you are having such a tough time.

Wow, it's quiet on here isn't it at the moment, I've not been on for a couple of days and expected to have missed loads. Me and Meerkitten are still under the weather so I've just been staying in and taking it as easily as Meerkitten will allow. I'm getting better but a good nights sleep would help fat chance

Grey I'm feeling super envious as I love Lisbon, we've been away there a few times and I think it is a vastly under mentioned/rated capital city.

I'm drooling thinking of a restaurant that we always go to in Lisbon that literally makes the best chicken I've ever had in my life. The Portuguese know what they are doing with food and drink....drool..... Must make sure we go back in a year or two when Meerkitten is big enough to make it possible.

No flying as I'm trying to make myself take things as easily as I can. I'm watching programmes that I've recorded and don't normally have time to watch. I've also managed to watch the Endeavour DVDs DP got me for Christmas which has been great, so being ill hasn't been all bad!

Get well soon, Dogs and Meerkitten.

Hope you're feeling a bit better today too, Fuzz and WhoKnows.

I have been getting work done, and invoices, today, so not much flying going on. Decluttering a bit by taking stuff for the Beavers to do junk modelling with this afternoon though, so I guess that counts!

Dammit I am now full of cold!

I'm less grumpy today thanks Blue and decluttering like mad, having done a load of detailed cleaning earlier. And yes decluttering to Beavers counts!

• Dogs maybe some for you too but not sure if you are drinking ATM, hope you all feel better soon.

It always seems to go quiet on here around the end of Jan, but it does normally pick up again as we go through Feb, just got to hang in there!

Tada!

Two bags of stuff to charity shop
Cleared out the part of the desk with all the A4 sized stuff (jiffy bags, big envelopes, dividers, gift bags, you name it)
Various hotspots
Reasonably deep clean of the living room (vacuumed, cleared several hotspots, wiped down door frames, lightswitch, windowsill, dusted, etc).
Also in the hall, cleaned skirting boards, dado rail, door handles, windowframes, radiator.
Hotspotted kitchen
Cleaned loo
Tidied my bedroom floor
Invited friends round for coffee tomorrow in order to make sure I vacuum the rest of the ground floor and mop the kitchen floor

Also did some work at home and a bit of shopping.

Back in a minute with links.

Links for Friday

babystep - Taking Care of You, very important this one.

Mission - place something pretty in the room

Declutter your purse and car / date night or rather dash around town ferrying your DCs all over the place night

Wow, WhoKnows, that's an impressive list! I like the way you used an invite to friends as a kick up the backside. That always works for me too.

Had a difficult day at work. My manager is a classic narcissist and she is exhausting to work for. Today was especially draining. Luckily, my colleagues are lovely and they all know exactly what this manager is like, so that helps. But it's draining working with someone so self centred, who explodes if she feels threatened (which means everyone tiptoes around her, trying not to upset her).

The only Flying I've done today is load the dishwasher.

Noticed blossom out on the trees today. So uplifting to see.

Off to bed now. My eyes are closing....

Good morning all

Work situation sounds v stressful Toffee I've worked for a few of those before

Top list Whoknows

Sorry you have gone down with the lurgy Fuzz

Hope you feel better soon Dogsbum and Meerkitten glad to see you are taking it steady

Well done for getting the invoices out blue

Waves to Einstein and everyone else

I just wanted to come on here (in a bit of a rush because I've got to leave for 'old' volunteering' in 20mins) to apologise because I think I may have offered to run thread in Feb and/or March but I am in difficulty.

Terribly sorry because I am conscious I haven't run it in a while (not since Sept & Oct last year) but have gynaelogical procedure coming up (delayed from when it should have been) and also have to go and sort out sil's flat 800km away during half term (a week and a bit away) because she is refusing to go back to it because it holds too many unhappy memories for her (which I totally understand in a way, but her late parents and herself have form for this sort of thing ie moving house without notice and then leaving dh and me to sort out old one. Have previously sorted out entire house for them in London, and then their previous flat in Paris. Both house and flat were stuffed to gunnels as they never throw anything away. This one is too although sorting process has already been started thankfully.) Anyway, anyway, half-term is a week but I suspect it is going to take a lot longer than that and I am the only one who is free enough to do it.

So many apologies, cannot run thread for a while and what with above +gynae issues expect to be absent from thread for long chunks of time for next couple of months or so.

Hope someone else will offer to thread lead or we can keep thread running in different form for a while!

Got to dash but sincere apologies again.

Big waves to everyone.

Yikes SC that sounds very stressful. :( No need to apologise either!

I'm happy to take February - can't do March as we have a little trip away then.

Well we are doing precisely nothing today. DCs are engrossed in their lego and I'm quite happy with that!

Annoyingly I had to cancel one of my pupils yesterday (the one where I go to their house) - I basically made myself a rule that if I'm 'just' (!) suffering with the usual CFS/fibro/POTS symptoms, I will still teach, as I can just about handle that, but if I have anything else on top like a cold, I won't, because it's just too much.

I did meet another home ed family though (thankfully this was before it got really snotty bad) and we are going to do a skill swap - I'll do piano for them, and they're going to teach me ukulele and crochet! :o Woohoo! They are such a lovely family too. :)

Toffee sorry about the boss situation. Well done for your achievements Blue and Who (putting those names together sounds like it should be in a Dr Seuss book!) and Dogs/Meerkitten hope you are recovering well!

Forgot to say - am trying not to get excited about it, not least because it's still a couple of weeks away, but DH has an interview for another (better) job. Fingers crossed. :)

Morning all,

Fuzz sorry you're not feeling well

Who - great list!!

SC I'm more than happy yo do the thread for February or March, I haven't done one in aaaaages

Ta Da list for me so far:

Fed cats
Took DS to nursery
Made beds x2
Folded and put away dry washing
Put another wash load on
Home visit from family support worker who has signed us off as we are all doing so much better

I'm now about to get swallowed up by paperwork and book keeping. Much coffee with be drunk...

Fab Grey are you happy about being discharged? We were recently signed off from our FSW as well :)

I thought i wrote a post yesterday seems like i forgot to hit the button nothing really done today we are still in pyjamas dishes not washed house upside down. Ds is sick and on antibiotics with a few late nights and hardly any sleep i just dont have the energy or will power to get up. I might in an hour before dh gets home.

I think I have twigged why the thread always slows down at this time of year - everyone is ill . Take it easy Welove

Evening all!

That sounds awful Weloveourfamily hope things improve over the weekend

Loads of people still have flu here Whoknows that's for sure - it seems to be a particularly long-lasting strain this year for some reason - back in UK too.

Btw, if I don't get back on here for a while, thank you so much for so bravely taking on the running of the January thread - whilst keeping on top of your jobs - the dc ferrying about - the decluttering - your allotment - your ou work - and your tax returns and loads of other stuff. You deserve a medal or three!!

Grey and Fuzz really, really kind of you both to offer to run threads, particularly when you both have so much on. Hope you won't overdo it!! Take it steady both of you!!! Huge thanks though.

DD has various friends (some from dance class) over tonight so I have retreated upstairs to office. Many slices of pizza, bowls of ice cream (and chopped up carrots and cucumber sticks) have been consumed.

They have choreagraphed dances to Maitre Gims and that song "I can't feel my face when I'm with you" (I am praying that that isn't some dubious euphemism for something entirely unsuitable for 13 yr olds that has passed me by???)

They are doing that sort of dancing that incorporates ballet moves and they are all so grown-up and seem so tall - sporting long hair and those snood like scarves and are dressed in leggings with shorts over the top or leg warmers over skinny jeans with asymetric tops - it looks like a scene from Fame

Lawd, I remember being hideous looking when I was 13 ... with spots and a greasy fringe - why are 13 yr olds all so beautiful and willowy nowadays ...??!!

On the Flying front - not much done (except by cleaner thankfully) - but furry one and I have done loads of laundry and a bit of ironing this evening

G'night all!

[Leaves out for those in need .... .]