Combining April showers with Fledgling powers (2016)

[SpareCrust]

Humungous thanks to Greymalkin for leading us so professionally and capably through March!

And thank you in advance to Einstein for covering the first four days of this thread (while I sidle off)!

If you are struggling with C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (Something That Undermines Family Fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own unique, relaxed style) with lots of support and chat along the way.

Flylady link here.

Don't let the somewhat sickly and barftastic language of the site put you off: the underlying system is sound!

This little-and-often system is designed so that you can follow a series of steps and routines each day (which gradually become second nature) in zones of the house which are designated weekly; defining and minimising housework; which in theory should leave you with loads more time to do something more interesting instead!

At the same time it is intended to reduce that panicky "rabbit in headlights" feeling when you are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once. No problem if you miss a day or two; just jump right back in and it will all come around next month again!

It's up to you, but we advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be swamped with masses of bumph. All the information you need will be linked here on a daily basis.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's steps and routines using a three-pronged approach (dependent on the stage everyone is at):

• start or repeat baby steps
• repeat baby steps + do 15 minutes a day decluttering in the current zone
• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

** And if you are really enthusiastic and have finished decluttering - you can go on to detailed deep cleaning in each zone.

There are three key points to keep in mind throughout:

• No perfectionism allowed - this is harder than you would imagine and many of us on this thread struggle with this one.
• You are never behind - just start where you are and anything you do is progress.
• It didn't get into a mess overnight - it won't get tidy over night - accept it will take time to get on top of things.

If you are new; then trying to spend 15mins decluttering daily and doing the babysteps is a good way to start. Some of us (mentioning no names!) can have scary looking ‘ta-da’ lists but don't let that worry you. Do what you can, anything is better than nothing, and don't judge yourself against others.

If all else fails, a brew + the power of three technique + a bit of support on here can work wonders!

Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings

Oh and don’t let it put you off if we appear a bit cliquey, we really aren’t! . Some of us have been on here for years and some of us natter rather a lot – but all lurkers, intermittent returnees, oldies and newcomers are very, very welcome!

I've walked back into the house this morning after dropping dd at Drama and I've walked into a depresssingly familiar rubbish filled scene. Front path piled with milkbottles, recycling and dead petals, hall covered in assorted shoes, table cleared and dw on (kind dh before he went to bookfair in Oxford) but otherwise, just

laundry
blood sweat and tears!

ds2 is lurking in his bedroom, he seems to have had a shower which is something, but I now have to drag him off to visit the school (which has a Saturday school there, not the real thing, but a convenient way of reminding him it is a friendly place, it also has a pop up sweetshop on Saturdays ) So if I deviate and start doing housework I am going to lose my advantage!!

However, I could at least take the ironing upstairs. The cleaning lady came yesterday, and it doesn't seem to have made any difference to how the house looks today, as she never even gets upstairs...(I suppose it could look even worse if she hadn't come - cheery thought)

todo
sweep front path
take ironing upstairs
PUT THE CLEAN LAUNDRY AWAY
wash another load
swish and swipe both bathrooms
wash bathroom floors
disinfect loo seat
hoover my bedroom!!!!aargh

Garden enchanting. Purple and oranges, and now floating white blossom from rhodendron and exchorda. But work needed there too, a load of clutter in the corner (sledging equipment and the remains of Xmas turkey bones in the shed - don't ask) and now dh has cut down a enormous pile of honeysuckle and just abandoned it on the terrace. He did cut the grass and feed it though.

Hi fledglings; hope everyone is having a good Saturday. Starting to get a bit chilly here.

Good luck with your list Knitting

Einstein and Cag (and I think some others on here) - I reckon this thread may be of interest.

Attended truly impressive lunch time Catholic-Muslim service at my local church.

In my absence dh had: walked dog, picked up bread, and taken duvets and his shirts in to laundry bless him. And dd had done a tiny bit of hwk but not a lot else. Hwr, dh had also decided to cook "brunch" for them both and left a disaster of greasy frying pans, egg shells, tomato skins, bacon fat and bread crumbs across my previously clean kitchen. At least it was quicker to tidy up, now things aren't so cluttered!

Anyway have emptied dw, stuck some laundry on, and done a bit of weeding in the sunshine. Need to make soup and yet more jam tarts later on.

Rest of house ok-ish (well as OK-ish as this place ever gets) but home office still a disaster zone. Just looked through check list of detailed cleaning for Zone 4 and have done about half I reckon. Oh well, there is always next month.

Big waves to all!

Toffee congrats to your ds1 on his ICT award!

Cotswold enjoy your cooking free day!

Whoknows hope you are surviving busy w/e!

Waves to all fledglings!

Oh SC what have you done! That thread! :o

I've done fuck all today. Pardon my language. Except ordering a Tesco delivery for tomorrow, and redeeming some Clubcard vouchers for some magazine subscriptions for the DCs, which is rather exciting.

I should really get on with... erm... something.

Nope.

Oh lawd ... dh is in the kitchen again broadcasting sugar and cinammon and flour across the floor and smearing butter on the cabinets making crumble. I am now wondering whether it was a good idea to declutter the kitchen surfaces or not .

Nothing much else achieved today; didn't make soup or pastry. Just couldn't face it somehow. Did try and help dd with French theatre piece though. Dh had a 2.5 hr snooze this afternoon, I read a book and dd seems utterly exhausted too and I found her asleep on the sofa ... .

Going to watch a film together now so posting tomorrow's links herewith:

**

Baby-step no 24 for tomorrow, Sun 24th April is: the very effective swish and swipe. Fwiw, I do not hold with Flylady keeping her loo brush permanently wet in some sort of shampoo/water solution. I know loo brushes are a contentious subject here on Mumsnet. I personally have no problem with them as long as they are kept dry and spotlessy clean between each use (and the holders/covers too) and bleach is involved but that is possibly very environmentally sound.

Sunday will be our first day in Zone 5: The Living Room, Den, Family Room (April 24-30)

Spend 15 mins decluttering in Zone 5 (if you do zone work at weekends that is).

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 5 is here.

No mission because it is the weekend!

The daily focus for Sunday is: renewing your spirit.

The monthly habit for April is www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/april/ making your bed!

For a summary of the above, see the flight plan : www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-120 which should update itself daily.

Wishing everyone a peaceful Sunday!

G'night all!

Cag

Duh! Sorry! Environmentally unsound!!

I've posted on that thread (and the fountain pen one and the bullet journal one and I'm awaiting a related delivery from Amazon )

Whoknows

Family film not happening tonight. Dh is watching one of his "how to restore a classic car" programmes.

I tried to get on top of the the bullet journal system as I am a bit of a list junkie but think I am too impatient or thick to understand it!

There are youtube videos on how to use a bullet journal. No idea what they are like but youtube keeps suggesting I watch them

SC just the mention of 'car programme' has me gnashing my teeth in recognition. What is it about car restoration that is so interesting?

Now pens and paper - stationery - that's interesting . I don't have any expensive pens but my fave fountaincartridge actually pen is a child's red plastic writing one . And I may have bought more stationery from Sainsbury's reduced aisle today.

Good for keeping all the lists of house tasks. I just write them down, I don't cross them off or anything

Really should get a grip on the bujo. Keep meaning to give it a go, heaven knows I have more than enough A4 notebooks to use on the task

The issue is finding square dotted or squared lined notebook. Plain lined A4 is so old school these days

What is it about car restoration that is so interesting?

Nothing.

Oh Einstein YES to squared paper. I bloody love the stuff. When I was a kid and couldn't find any in the shops, I made some on Publisher instead. 1mm, 5mm and 1cm squares. I also have a book of isometric dot paper. [swoon]

And now for my tutor group I will have a reason to make even more lovely customised grids and things on the computer to set work for them YAY! :o

I have endless notebooks too Cotswold (I feel the need to call you that, as if I call you CS I'm just going to get confused with SC! :o). No such thing as too many surely?

Arf at 'nothing' So much eloquence in one word there, Cag.

So I need squared paper for the BuJo? That's a trip to Staples looming then, I think I saw one in the reduced bin a few months ago ....

Laundry again today, may push the boat out and iron too. We have today free but then DD has something on every.single.day which will test my poor organisational and planning skills to the max. Envy my party lifestyle, fledglings.

Mornin'

Cotswold and Cag Funnily enough dh is watching that wretched car restoration programme again this morning. I have to grit my teeth because I absolutely loathe having the telly on on weekend mornings.

DD should be doing her hwk but she is sitting there on her Ipod with dh. Will he say anything? No. Because that is a wicked witch mother job of course (even though I am busy decluttering on another floor). Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Cotswold Cag Einstein Whoknows you stationery junkies should definitely take a trip over here where school children are required to have, not only notebooks with square lined paper, but various ones with different sizes of squares .

I also confess to having many notebooks and my second favourite fountain pen is also plastic. (Absolute favourite is an ancient thing one has to fill with ink by hand; it's so old it doesn't even take cartridges!)

I seem to have huge numbers of notebooks because I can't seem to bear to write on the first page. Not sure about the logic of that .

DD on the other hand has a multitude of notebooks on which she has written on the first page, but then hasn't written on any more

Cotswold - not compulsory but an excuse if you need one. I think that square dotted might suit me but I have banned myself from buying any more stationery.

I need to finish ds out of technology. he let me sleep in - so he could use his technology. But he needs to de-teenage his room and do homework today. He spent all day on technology yesterday and I didn't see him really at all. It was needed, but today he needs to be sociable even if he doesn't think doing stuff with mum is cool anymore.

How to get your child to tidy their room without any fuss? Answer the question I know it won't be today but can so and so come play with the response, well if your room is tidy it can even happen today

Also motivating when not feeling motivated

I use a lined book for my bullet journal, I don't like squared paper.

Could've sworn I posted here earlier will have to go and check I didn't post it on another thread by mistake!

Glad you thought my description was eloquent Cotswold - I almost wrote 'fuck all' instead :o

Day didn't quite go as planned as DS really didn't want to go out with DH, DD and DD's friend. I can't blame him TBH, it's DD's old friend from school and she is actually not at all nice to DS. :( So probably better that they have some girly time together.

DS and I did some maths and played on the Wii for a bit, but I've also done a little laundry and am making slow progress with the craft/home ed drawers.

< pricks up ears at mention of bullet journals > I love mine! It is a Leuchtturm1917 square dotted notebook with two ribbon book marks. I have adapted the system to make it my Flylady control journal.

Does anyone else here have notebooks that are so beautiful that to write in them would be to defile them?!?

SC - I feel your frustrations re DHs who like to cook for fun but conveniently disregard the mess and tidying up afterwards...

Sympathies to those of you with pre teen and teen woes; sounds challenging.

Haven't seen you for a week or so Einstein - hope things are ok

My DS is back to his old tricks of waking up at 4:30am again - so I have been super grumpy this morning. We got him a groclock that seemed to be working well, but then he worked out that he could fiddle with the button to turn the settings on to 'morning', so he could shout out 'Good Mooooooorrrrrning!!!!' ... at 4-f@*king-30! The first time he did it, I was super impressed with his ingenuity, now I am peeved, to say the least.....

You've got a sneaky little genius there Grey :o [wince] at the early starts though.

Does anyone else here have notebooks that are so beautiful that to write in them would be to defile them?!?

Obviously! I'm finding lots today as I do the home ed drawers. Also got lots of half-used old ones (one possibly even pre-DC ) which I'm tearing used pages from so we can use them up with general note-taking, maths quizzes etc. I don't like leaving old pages in for fear of them finding innocence-busting old lists of Santa presents or something as I often write that sort of thing down! Some of the nice notebooks are mine though so I'll put them somewhere else. I guess I'll need one to be my maths teaching plan book :)

Think the washing's done... time to get the next lot on then. [heaves self off sofa]

Hi lovely fledglings. I have fallen off of the thread the last couple of weeks but I am determined to clamber back on. Your ds made me smile Grey - he sounds like a real problem solver.

Today I meal planned, did a food shop and cleared the hotspot in our bedroom before taking the dc out for a walk this afternoon.

I hope all of you lovely fledglings have had relaxed weekends.

Evening all! Hope everyone has had as good a w/e as poss!

My notebooks aren't bad but not particularly beautiful and I still don't write in them! I just, um, sort of like having them... .

Grey sorry but that's hilarious about the clock! Genius indeed! Sorry about the return to early starts though which is not so funny!

Hope room and hwk got done in the end Einstein (I resort to bribery wrt to bedroom ie x can't come and play if your room is looking like that!)

Waves to Cag Whoknows and everyone else!

We've had two quite relaxing weekends in a row now without any entertaining which is quite a relief tbh. I don't know though, I thought I would be bursting with energy. I haven't done that much but it all seemed to take ages for some reason. Didn't even make it to church (as I paid my dues in that direction yesterday, well, sort of).

Ta da:
animals
morning routine inc dw, wm, td, s&s and dining room table hot spots
renewed spirit by sitting in bubble bath reading a novel for a bit
decluttered one bag of papers in home office - yay!
helped dh replace damaged slats on one side of Ikea bed accompanied by lots of bad language
one dog walk (dh did other two)
put washed mattress cover back on mattress - lots of wrestling involved
folded towels and paired socks
folded sitting room net curtains for calandering later in the week
folded dry laundry and took downstairs
made quick snack lunch and tidied up
made chick pea, butternut squash and root veg soup (while helping dd with French theatre piece)
washed school uniform, gym kit and ballet kit and hung up to dry
hung up dark wash
cooked roast pork with caraway seeds, peas and new potatoes and annoyingly, totally ruined the gravy [harrumph]
made pastry
made jam tarts
tidied up
school forms + money + signatures etc

Evening routine ain't happening! Think I will go to bed early and get up early instead.

Here's to a week of Flying high everybody!