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 .

Grey based on what I've been hearing I think the WI may be almost trendy these days.

I was talking to a trendy young thing in her mid thirties talking about her WI membership with no trace of irony. Someone else confirmed that it is huge in our area (Yorkshire)

I looked on the Internet today and there are ten groups in my city, four plus in easy walking distance, I couldn't believe it!

Apparently you can visit numerous groups to see which is for you, I have to confess to being tempted to at least visit one or two!

Worst case scenario I'll come away with a funny story or two

I can provide Jam recipes for those in need. Some are a little less mainstream than the ones that get promoted. Although be honest I need a friend with a orchard and a ton of windfall apples to rehome as I really really want try making cordial in the pressure juicer

Flying? I decluttered my to read reading list a bit today. About to grab a new hot water bottle and start a new book

Fuzz - that's lovely about the grandmother-daughter shared interest. We have a bit the same in my family, my DGM and her daughter (my DAunt, the one who died just before Christmas) were great crafters and such an inspiration to me growing up, but the interest skipped my parents completely. DD and DMIL are both very keen on sewing (I'm only moderately interested) and I know it brings a lot of pleasure to DMIL as none of her other grandchildren have been interested (DD is the youngest).

Jam recipes - yum, yum. I love making jams and preserves, my new potting shed is great as I have finally been able to buy a big preserving pan as I have somewhere to keep it plus loads of jars. I was given this book for Christmas and am looking forward to trying a few things The Modern Preserver.

Sorry you are having to deal with CAMHS again Einstein, hope it goes smoothly

Well, today feels as though it has been more productive. Got a reasonable amount done at work, then it was off to take DD for her formal dyslexia assessment. I had thought I was going to be able to leave her there and go off shopping, but she insisted I stay in the waiting area so I had 90 minutes with nothing to do except read a book on the Kindle app (no internet for MNing) which was nice and relaxing. Then home for tea, DS off to Scouts and DD and I have baked her birthday cake for the weekend. I have just realised that there are quite a few things I need to do for her party, I wish her birthday wasn't so soon after Christmas.

Flying wise, I have packed up all the non-decoration Christmas stuff (spare cards, wrap, re-usable advent calendar, Christmas tea-towels etc) ready for the loft. Erm, not much else. I think I might have to institute a dunce's hat award for myself.....

Links for Friday.

Babystep Start your control journal

Mission wipe down your kitchen cabinets

Friday's Daily Focus is Declutter your car and purse

Love fridays!
The car has petrol in, must top up with water for the windscreen. I must also hoover it and give it a wash, that'll be saturday because I go to work and come back in the dark.
Couldn't find my earplugs for swimming so on my break wednesday I did my bag and purse.

Got new microfiber clothes, I'll do the wiping after work tonight.
Have a lovely day everyone!

Thank you Who :)

Aaaaaaaaaaargh feeling spectacularly disorganised and can't-be-arsed today. Enjoying home ed stuff but feel like everything else can just, frankly, fuck off!

Right, feel slightly more positive now, although still in a majorly procrastinating sort of mood!

ta da
reading/maths with DCs
ordered grocery delivery for tonight
put wash on
made cornflake wreaths with DCs (pretty sure it's worthy of a Pinterest Fail!)
made model with DS (DD wants to do hers later, they're 3D puzzle things)
kicked DCs out for fresh air/exercise
cleaned butter dish
couple of internetty admin things, although not everything that actually needs doing
had a conversation I'd been dreading (nothing serious just my anxiety making it into a bigger deal I think) - all ok I reckon.

Once the DCs are in we'll be doing some RE (again inspired by the exhibition). It's perhaps just the novelty of 'back to school' but so far they still seem quite amenable to actually doing a bit of structured work, which considering they are in really boisterous moods today seems like quite an achievement all round.

TBH though I think perhaps it's because today I actually set my alarm. DCs haven't been sleeping til very late at night, and I think it's because they are sleeping in each morning (up to 9.30 some days). Which is great for me of course, because I physically find it very difficult to get up some days (due to dizziness mainly), but it's clearly not healthy for the DCs. So I've set an alarm for 8 every weekday to see if that helps.

Did the errands I didn't manage yesterday. Now wishing I'd bought even more of the pull-out caddy things currently on offer in Aldi which have revolutionised my kitchen cupboards!! Question is, can I be bothered to drive over there again to get them before they sell out??

Need to clean the car too, AllGuns but currently can't find the stuff in the garage...

Hi. Sorry for being missing in action. I caught a nasty sickness bug on Tuesday and coupled with gestational diabetes it put me in bed until today. I am thankfully feeling much better today and since getting up at lunchtime have been reasonably productive.
Ta da
Scrubbed and disinfected bathroom
Disinfected kitchen sides
Decluttered kitchen table
Washed up
Dried wash load
Tidied living room
Dusted, hoovered, mopped downstairs
Hoovered stairs
Stripped bed and washed sheets

I feel better for the house feeling cleaner. I hope everybody else is ok and I will catch up with the thread this evening.

Wiping done!
I meant to do the home hour yesterday, but stuff happened. I will do it tomorrow.
So, this week'tasks achieved were: countertops, tupperware, faucets and cabinets wiping down. Tick.

I have never actually written a journal down, I started this week.

Could someone please remind me: monday was home hour, and friday car and purse, which were the other ones? I've gone blank because I am writing it down!!! Thank you :)

Ok what can you manage to get your ds to do flying wise?
Ds and I are having a difference of opinion.

Evening all
Sorry to hear there are so many finding life hard at the mo.
With regards to getting the kids to help it depends on their age.
When mine were younger they loved doing a 5 minute treasure hunt for things to recycle or bin, the it was things from round the house for the dishwasher.
They are great at sorting washing into 4 piles (4 of us in the house)
It all seems to work around the timer on the cooker. 5 clear minutes of anything is bearable.
Boys are now 9&12 and they do their bedrooms in 10 minute chunks if I put the timer on.

As for flying today.... Well I have managed very little, but have been blessing my friendships and having new tyres put on the car, making dinner and packing ds1 off to scout camp

Lots to do though as house looks like we have been burgled!

Monday - home blessing
Tuesday - planning
Wednesday - anti-procrastination day
Thursday - errands
Friday - car and purse
Saturday - family fun
Sunday - look after yourself (or whatever it's called)

I have done far too much procrastinating today, especially considering we have a houseful for a sleepover tomorrow for DD's birthday, but I did get my cloth out and do some wiping.

Also:

School run x 2
Two loads of laundry
Iced a birthday cake
Went to Sainsburys twice
Did some work
Did some OU work
Phoned a friend
Texted various people
Paid some bills
Mopped kitchen floor
Concocted dinner out of Christmas leftovers

My DCs (nearly 10 and nearly 12) empty the DW every morning (one rack each on a rota because there were so many arguments about who got which rack), put clean clothes away, tidy rooms (under duress), help clear up after meals, empty waste paper baskets and other jobs ad-hoc (occasionally). I'm training them to iron at the moment.

Saturday's links

I don't think you need a link for Family Fun Day, it speaks for itself. Not sure how much fun having a houseful of 9 year olds is going to be for me, but hey-ho!

No mission as it's the weekend.

Babystep - we are on Number 9 Declutter a few minutes at a time

I have decluttered all social media from my phone today in an attempt to cut down on time wasted idly on FB/MN when I could be picking up a cloth or putting something in a bin.

whoknows, thank you!!!
I've been flylady-ing for so long it's become ingrained and I had difficulty separating what she advises with what I am doing anyway. I do my planning on a wednesday, probably, as a result, the whole anti procrastination day has been erased from my memory. Right, that's why it's good to get back on the wagon again!

To do:
hoover, dust, clean the car.
Clean appliances

Family fun day is going to be just that! Planning to add to our tropical fish 'collection', a movie afternoon with DD and just chill.
Hooe you all have a great weekend!

ds and I are dealing with the issue of tidying his room. The standoff started at 7am. Anyone else think it will take the same 8hrs as last time?

Otoh I have not slept so cba will kick in shortly and there is a fry up in the process of being sorted, and so far virtually no shouting just a swapping of opinions

I woke up with a huge knot of anxiety this morning. I think it's because I have loads of stuff that needs doing and I've been putting loads of it off. :(

one thing at a time Fuzzpig, you can do this!

Right pirate ds has requested me to check and instruct do stuff for him but not going to happen his way Good humour is part of what is happening atm so that is good.

As for DCs and chores, I'm still very much working on that. I never feel like I can ask them to do much because the house is such a mess anyway that I can't exactly expect them to keep their room tidy! My parents always did that and the hypocrisy really grated.

They put all their clothes away but that's about it really. We are trying to approach it as a teamwork type thing, all learning together to make the house better, but it's very hit and miss.

Sorry for being very negative this morning!

Just writing a to do list, not sure what I'll get done but there's a lot of stuff I've been putting off and I need to remind myself. Hopefully if I manage at least some of it, I'll feel less of a sense of impending doom. :o

ta da
all dressed and breakfasted
online banking
remembered to take ADs
tumble dryer loaded (will switch on when back home)
DS eczema cream

to do
email word count of author's manuscript to publisher
do some editing
DD to dancing (take stuff to do with DS while we wait)
reading/maths basics
fill in research forms
look at bank forms for savings acct
wash on
fill in form for work
find out info for appt I missed
pay in cheque
start packing toiletry bag which will stay at mum's
dinner (spag bol sauce defrosting)
baths all round

Tbf I started the negativity this morning Fuzzpig

Attitude is the big thing here. ds' dad built a rod for both of us as until the last two months he did absolutely everything for ds so ds regularly tells me it is my job to do stuff for him. Needless to say that never goes down well and he ends up with me doing nothing for him. He is sulking as he was demanding so I have ignored him until he can ask politely. it is going to be a very long day.

ta da
got ds to take his washing out of his room
got ds to put last weeks clean clothes away
put a load of washing on
cook a fried breakfast.

Definitely agree there is a huge disadvantage to doing too much for your children, it can backfire! Much better to make them independent, but we seem to have failed in that.

Anyway, back from dancing, DD was really nervous (joining the group for the first time, so I wasn't in the room) but enjoyed it so that's a big relief. Forgot to take the cheque with me so we had to come home, but that's meant we were able to have lunch at a decent time at home, so avoided the DCs whinging in town for food (they probably still will though!). So that's a positive for the bank balance at least.

ta da continued
dancing, took snack and played a game with DS while we waited
quick bit of maths done
DD has read, DS will after lunch
checked bank opening times (open til 4 today so I can still pay cheque in)
DD put tumble dryer on for me
made lunch

Ds was tag teamed. I dealt with the attitude and refusal and lovely mum helped him tidy when he was ready. All done and ds quietly on his computer thingy.
Unfortunately in the process of tidying up we found his holiday homework which we due in last week and has not been started so we will have to tackle that tomo.

Mount washmore has been conquered and its siblings mount foldmore and mount ironit are waiting to be scaled. Also need to run a hoover about.

OH dear!!! Only the 9th of the month and not only have I fallen off the wagon it has gone into the sunset without me!

Why is my life so manic?

A friends 50th birthday party tonight, so i have just returned from shopping with DD1 for some new clothes to wear. I now need to get some study in so once again the housework gets knocked to the bottom of a very long to do list!

I would very happily swap you with a 10 year old's birthday party PA.