February Fledglings Fluttering and Flying! It's the awesomely alliterative Flylady Fred.

[fuzzpig]

2016 is truly underway and maybe the New Year Resolutions have been forgotten please say it's not just me - never mind, it's a new month and a new start beckons.

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 to enjoy life!

This is where, from the first of the month, 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!

and/or

• Reinforce Baby Steps + do Daily Missions which introduce specific things to work on.

There are also detailed cleaning guides if you’re really crazy 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!

Someone trying to break in doesn't sound good Einstein. I'll do the links again shortly unless they pop up in the meantime. Sounds like a few of the thread posters are having a tough month passes cake and something a bit stronger

Evening all, here are the links for Friday 26th February!

This month’s habit is decluttering

We are in Zone 4, the Master Bedroom

Today’s Baby Step: No 26, jump in where you are

Today’s Mission: declutter the top of your dresser

Friday’s Daily Focus is to declutter your bag and car

Thanks fizzrim
All good here. Fort knox and then some established. some of the to do list done. with the exception of the cake. I need to go make the cake about now but I am procrastinating rather and cba has kicked in. Is it bed time yet?

Friday's to do list
Empty car
clean car
work on birthday present - spent a good amount of today unpicking and redoing. Thankfully conquered the bit I was struggling on but there is still soooo much that needs to be done.
Send cake to dsis.

Good morning everyone,

Einstein are you all ok? Glad Fort Knox lockdown has been successful, although I hope you are all ok with any aftermath. I think I'd feel quite unsettled for a while afterwards. I understand you won't want to say much on a public forum, but I'd be inclined to report to police and insurance company.

SC and Fuzz has warmed up some heat packs for your aches and pains, he left them in the naughty corner with comfy pillows.

I'm still happy to look after the March thread, I'm aware it has been a loooooong time since I did my bit for you all!

Oops, suppose I ought to make a plan for the day:

To do:
Finish writing some letters
Finish making corrections to my Will
Think about doing some ironing
Declutter in bedroom (in desperate need of doing)
Go into town:
*appointment with financial person re Life Insurance
*optician appointment
*post letters
*drop stuff off at charity shop

I am fecking freezing. Our boiler has broken down and I'm expecting the worst in terms of having to replace it. Got someone coming to look at it this afternoon to pronounce death at scene no doubt

Anyway, I'm getting of MN now as my fingers are numb from the cold and moving about seems the only way to survive the deep freeze (or I could consume lots of biscuits and chocolate to lay down plenty of blubber reserves to stave off the cold....)

Morning all - hope the boiler is fixable Grey, they're not cheap to replace and that's not something you want to do this time of year! But hey, it's Friday! DD has skipped into school even happier than usual as they are baking (and eating) biscuits. Baking is a great mood improver for us.

Today -

• pay milk bill
• sort out meals for tonight and the weekend
• swap musical instrument firstworldproblems
• tidy lounge/diner ready for weekend
• update diaries
• declutter magazines
• food shopping must remember to buy wine

Coffee and cake for everyone!

Good morning all!

Thanks for links Fizrim and for the something a bit stronger

Oh no about the attempted break-in Einstein - that's v unsettling - good to hear you have some strong security in situ! Hope you survived parents evening!

(We have a further fresh hell coming up this weekend - a parents dinner - groan. I normally wouldn't mind and important to go to meet and other newcomers I feel, but not looking forward to it in present hobbling state. Also am meant to be cooking food from a variety of different, prescribed countries; sigh.)

Oh no about the boiler Greymalkin Here's hoping it is something minor and that you don't have to replace it. Btw, I often do the task third down on your list

Thank you so much for offering to run March thread (hope you are not taking on too much) - tis very good of you - and please thank for much-needed heat packs. (It's those sulphurish fumes that get straight to the spot!)

To do:
hobble about abd attempt to do a bit of choring (emptying dw one level at a time, that sort of thing)
doc's appt
try and track down grabber stick from a bandagiste shop so I can do the washing (I've leant mine to someone in need).

That's about it today!

Hope everyone has a good one! TGIF!

Parents thingy all i am saying on that.
People trying doors and locks is a regular occurrence around here. Like most nights for the last few months. It is ridiculous but there is also other problems too that are getting more and more prevalent. Don't think there is much the police can do as nothing other than doors being tried is happening. But it has been reported on multiple occasions.

To do:
ice bastard cake
clear bastard car
clean bastard car

Manage to chuck a pint glass over my desk whilst hitting the alarm snooze button this morning. I am not feeling the love atm. Is it bed time?!

I have DS1 at home today, apparently completely knocked out by some kind of virus this morning, but rather perked up again now. Grr!

Hope you're taking care of yourself SC.

People breaking in sounds very bad, Einstein, glad all is well.

House is quite tidy at the moment because our tidy neighbour came round for coffee yesterday! Long may it last.

Speaking of , time to put the kettle on. Anyone want one?

Very long cross-post with half the thread due to getting interrupted in the middle!

Waves to Grey and Fizrim too.

Big waves to Blue and proffers in return ... .

So sorry to hear your ds1 is ill. The perking up thing is frustrating (especially if like you, you have deadlines to meet); dd has done it before. Sometimes has genuinely perked up (after a sleep or some such) but has gone on to be ill, sometimes an over-exaggeration of symptoms to avoid something such as a test, or sometimes it was anxiety. I'm much better at working it out now (and tbh she is a terrible liar because she has the kind of face that betrays all!) but hope you get to the bottom of it anyway and that he feels better soon.

Good luck with bastard cake Einstein !
We have someone in the neighbourhood who likes scratching the sides and bonnets of cars and damaging windscreens when people are asleep. Really costly and upsetting. Dh has a very unsavoury phrase carved in to the bonnet of his run-around atm After my late in-laws (French plates) had their windscreen bashed in one Christmas, we were tempted to get CCTV but it's not really done here (save for embassies and such like) so we didn't in the end and anyway, I felt a bit uncomfortable about it.

I'm assuming that it was a pint glass of water you threw over yourself this morning ?

It was a pint glass of water. But it went all over the important paperwork that was also on the bench. :( Not exactly how i planned on waking up this morning. I had 3 snoozes set that I didn't get to use hate mornings, don't speak to me until I have drunk coffee person

Bastard cake has been done and delivered.

Need to convince a poorly ds that he is well enough to get his hair cut It needs doing badly but there is never any time which coincides with opening hours.

Thanks, SC.

He's coming and going a bit today, but is quietly watching TV or DVDs most of the time so I'm being quite productive with my work!

Cross-channel jaunt was good, by the way.

Hope the poorly children are improving. I always think a sleep in helps, if mine isn't bouncing off the furniture by lunchtime I start thinking a second day off might be in order!

I did pay the milk bill, go shopping but forgot the wine and swap the musical instrument, did a little meal planning but the tidying never made it to the top of the list. Ho hum. Always tomorrow.

And talking of tomorrow - it's Family Fun Day. Here's a link to the Launch Pad with the details.

Here's today's babystep 27

Ohh sorry I just realised you did the link already

Thanks both for keeping the links going, it's so kind of you.

Things are variable but not nearly as bad as it was. Actually getting a bit of reorganising done so that's great.

And managed family fun day to some extent - snuggled up with the DCs and watched anime :o

More links the better IMO

Another busy day, mostly out of the house but should only be out for a couple of hours tomorrow. Need to make sure all the school uniform gets washed though!

Have taken DD to her drama class and a kids disco. Have eaten a takeaway and looking forward to wine in about an hour. Have a good Saturday night!

DS1's temperature spiked alarmingly this morning, but settled down again over the course of the day. Keeping an eye on him, but still bets are on non-specific virus at the moment.

Took DS2 swimming and grocery shopping. Then went back to the shop with him in the afternoon to get the things we forgot in the morning!

Have done the hoovering, and also found out why our shower wasn't draining - 2 years' worth of sludge and hair down the plug hole (we've only been here 4 months so mostly not ours). First time I've felt moved to type

On the plus side, DH has finally managed to get all the radiators working, so downstairs is properly warm for the first time since we moved in. :)

Did you manage the hair, Einstein ? DS1's needs both washing and cutting, but neither is really plausible while he's like this.

Sunday's baby step looking after yourself

In a similar vein, Sunday's daily focus is to renew your spirit.

No mission as it's the weekend but we seem to be moving into Zone 5, the living room (mission thingy hasn't quite updated)

Had a reasonable day, got DD to dancing (she is doing really well and loving it. Today she came out beaming with pride because the teacher complimented her 'samba bounce' :o) and in the afternoon managed to bring the DCs' non-fiction books/bookcase down, so their room is pretty much done now other than the cuddlies (toy hammock arriving next week). Need to carry on with laundry tomorrow and hopefully continue with the living room.

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday.

Blue my DD's temp spikes for days after a viral infection - I rushed to the GP when she was a baby but it's just normal for her (if rather alarming). I am used to it now and more blase about it but it took some time.

Isn't the samba bounce a double bounce and a difficult action, she's doing well Fuzz

Don't have to take DD out until 1.00pm today so should get on with some stuff instead!

Oh Blue that sounds worrying about the temperature spikes. Nowt more stressful than a child being ill. Good call about keeping him at home last week!! There are all sorts of bugs about atm which, just when you think you are better, strike back. Hope your ds1 has begun to feel a bit better as the weekend has gone on.

Lovely that your dd is enjoying her dancing so much Fuzz and ta very muchly for links.

Hope you managed to save the paperwork Einstein and your ds was cooperative re: haircut.

Parents' dinner/event went very well last night despite misgivings. DD had a great time playing "after dark" games in the playground and made some new friends. Rather nice in that this annual event is open to all parents in the entire school, but only pupils invited are new incoming first years; so they get to feel a bit special. Really well organised too and happily was able to sit down for most of it so back just about held out, although was in pain when I went to bed. Attempting to converse in three diff langs very exhausting though and rather embarrassing too when everyone else is about twenty yrs younger, the other mothers are all terribly thin and stylish and all seem to have mega careers ... .

If I continue to post here now it will be just an endless frustrated spiel about my back still being bad, endless doc and physio appts, and how dd and dh need to keep being told every ruddy time ad infinitum to pick up their shoes, hang their coats up, not to drop anything on floor, to carry laundry up and downstairs etc etc. Honestly, you'd think that their memories are totally wiped between one week and the next, honestly!! Suffice to say, I now know WHY I have a bad back ie I am the only one that ruddy well pickeed anything up off the floor in the first place. So I am in a grump again. [sorry]

Oh and dh and I are involved in truly petty argument involving dog v rabbits. Latter (imo) have become second class citizens in the house since furry one moved in. So I gave them priority on the lawn today (the two cannot mix which is difficult logistically). Dh in a huff!

Hope everyone is having as relaxing Sunday as possible and please forgive my misery ramblings!!

Waves to all!

Oh yes ... Flying:

ta da:
put on dw
put rabbits out on lawn
wash uniform
wash gym kit
grey ballet tracksuit/shorts/leggings wash in
ballet kit wash in
roasted a butternut squash for soup later

back now shot ... yargh... frustrating!!!!

well, today's pluses were:

dh and ds2 cooked fantastic roast dinner
I went to Mass
Dd and ds1 are cheerful
ds2 is cheerful (but lazy and too loud)
I made pancakes when I felt bored and ate some...
dh planted some plants I bought last week
I hung out some washing on the line

minuses were:

ds2 spoilt lunch by talknig so loudly that both the other children argued with him and then left the table
I did absolutely no sorting or tidying (although I did move one pile of clothes and wash ds1's school trousers, AND find him a file)
we did not get out on any sort of walk (although I suppose walk to church counts somewhat)
everyone has been on a screen of some sort (including me) most of today

and I really haven't read anything much or talked much to any human being this weekend..apart from my immediate family SC so you see you are doing well!!!

I HATE FEBRUARY!! so cold and windy

Right. Last day of the month tomorrow people, we can do this!

Babystep 29 - reading summat about self care I think

Monday's daily focus: the Home Bleugh, we know the drill some of you may even do it, as for me I've only ever done it once

Last day in Zone 5, the Living Room, and the mission is detailed vacuuming

Enormous thanks to you all for getting me through this month, it's been one heck of a tough one.

We had a productive day today - sorted out some cupboard space and sorted more board games and home ed stuff, and a display shelf for our various nerdy figures etc. Also put up DCs' toy hammock and filled it.

Got plans tomorrow to start some new topics with the DCs, and will aim to do some more tidying too. I'm very pleased we are doing stuff now - it was so tempting to just leave it until DH has left work and we've had our little trip away, but we've made good steady progress. :)

Oh and Fiz I don't really know what the samba bounce is TBH! I was enjoying learning along with DD when she had private lessons (they gave her individual sessions for a few weeks to catch up with the group she was joining) as I could sit in, but now I'm totally lost! I must say ballroom is something I'd really like to do. DH and I went to classes when DD was a baby, as we lived nearer my parents then and they'd babysit. If I recover sufficiently I am hoping to join one of the adult classes run by DD's club. :)

I think you've got more pluses than minuses there knitting :)

Sorry your back is bad SC :( and hope miniBlue is feeling better.

I need more than one day in zone 5 whimpers

DD was out again today, and met a real mean girl. Gosh, they start young nowadays. She cried for a good 45 mins when she came out. Just awful. Parenthood isn't for wimps is it, I'm hitting the wine now!