Fledglings Flying into June - In or Out we'll find out soon.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

Welcome all - and thanks to CotswoldStrife for leading us through May. It's going to be a momentous month on the political front, but this is where we can concentrate on the domestic front instead.

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.

Link to the Flylady website Flylady

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 Launch Pad

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!

Evening all,

Zoo - what a lovely idea to make a garden in memory of your mum . Sorry to hear you witnessed something so frightening. Everywhere I've gone this week I have encountered blue flashing lights it seems, cars and vans being pulled over, sniffer dogs, two serious accidents

GreyandGrumpy - my only tip is to just keep looking around you for things that can be put away/taken back to another room/thrown out and do it every time you have an idle moment (waiting for kettle to boil, DCs to get their shoes on, whenever). Never leave a room empty handed is a good motto.

Fool - hope DS feels better tonight.

Bebop - I have one very delicate cat that you hardly hear coming, she is very slim and stealthy and the other is much more "solidly built" shall we say and she does sound like a herd of elephants upstairs. Our bed is directly above where I'm sitting now and I often hear a thud as she jumps off it.

Ta-da!

Fridge semi-tidy, I rearranged a bit but didn't do a full clear out.

Foil etc drawer wasn't too bad so I didn't do that either
Hoovered garden

I don't seem to get much done on work days at the moment, what with ferrying the DCs around in the evenings too, then there's the allotment. Spent another 45 mins up there this evening.

Links for Friday

Babystep the power of 15 minutes, see how much stuff you can throw away in that time.

Mission - sort out that under sink cupboard.

Friday is declutter your purse and car and Date Night

DP safely back but taxi took insane route home so journey took twice what it should have done so that added to his tiredness. We went out into countryside and enjoyed sun, Meerkitten and eating outdoors Sat and Sun so that sort of made up for missing Meerkitten's birthday

After a week of showering mishaps I put Meerkitten back in bouncy chair and she was OK, maybe even she was ready to admit that it is a disaster her being free during shower

Although sadly she has discovered a brilliant new game during showering which is bashing toys loudly against radiator which appears to bring her great joy

Loving zoolets, it has made me laugh each time I read it, wasn't sure at first if they were kids or animals but now fairly sure they are kids

SC very jealous of thunderstorm, they've been predicting them here all week but nothing has happened. Flooding sounds miserable though

Last post has failed and been lost twice, will do quick test post before trying again

Einstein thanks for re-enactment and falconry ideas, have started researching local groups. Arf at your DS being a museum snob

Zoo thanks for crafts at museums idea. It turns out that our local museum runs them most weeks

Posting success at last

Grey good luck with the house, sounds lovely from your description

Meerkitten had one year jabs on Monday and she is still not herself again I'm sure the heat isn't helping either.

Four jabs, one in each limb, it's a lot for a little baby to cope with

She is definitely subdued, clingy and extra tired. Hopefully she'll bounce back soon.

dogs kids or animals?hmmm it merges into one so it's a grey area but as we go gp,not vet I guess we are talking kids

I couldn't sleep so already have a tada
Fed cats
Water pots in garden
Made pack lunches
Fed zoolets
Made banana and coconut cookies
Wash up
Clear and wipe table
Wipe sinkand bath
Harpic lav
Empty bins into bigsmelly bin
Made beds
Washing done,dry,fold and put away

[SC tries to un-crump spine.] Hello/salut/dag everyone! Got up 4.5 hrs ago as dd is anxious to get to school earlier and earlier atm and I feel a bit cream crackered now. Every bone and muscle in my body seems to ache for some reason, think it is the weather! It's been a long week with dh away (thankfully he is supposed to be coming back in a couple of hrs.)

Will be very pleased when dd can do school run entirely by herself. It won't be long - she met several school friends when we got off metro - and I was dropped like a hot stone and even just that took 20 mins off my journey.

Chuffed though as I think I have lost over 0.5 of a kilo this week. (I've put loads on so overall in the scheme of things it isn't that huge a triumph - loads more to lose but it's a start!) Weight loss is so much easier when dh is away! For example, yesterday, I just had crackers and a tiny bit of cheese for lunch with an apple. It was a bit difficult waiting for supper but when dd told me about three of her classmates who are fasting all day for Ramadan atm + doing sport in the heat , I felt truly ashamed that I (an adult - not a growing adolescent!) found it difficult to fast for 5 hrs!!

Ta da:
put out rubbish
dd packed lunch
rabbits
school run
fed the wms
emptied dw
tidied up kitchen and cleaned surfaces

To do:
Finish last French doc bits and send
on-line parcel returns
continue laundry
on-line food order (from reclining position)

I should be fetching dog but as I can't drive atm, dh is unfortunately going to do that when he gets home. So frustrating!

Blilmey oh Riley Stilllivinginazoo you have certainly got a head start on the day! Well done!

Sorry to hear that Meerkitten is feeling below par Dogs, hope she recovers quickly. Two other poss solutions to showering prob (pinched from Internet) could be: 1. to have a "special showering box of toys" ie some very interesting and absorbing toys that live in a special box that only come out at shower time (keep changing them from time to time) and are put away at the end and hidden! 2. To change your routine for the moment and shower/bath/wash hair etc before you go to bed (not ideal but perhaps less stressful???)

FoolandFitz hope your ds is feeling better today.

GreyandGrumpy ditto what Whoknows says about picking things up as you go and possibly putting a timer on for 15 mins per evening and go hell for leather in that time only and do one small task/one bit of decluttering! You'll be surprised that even 15 mins (or 5 mins for that matter) of focused effort makes a difference!

Bebop missed the bit about the half eaten sparrow yesterday !!

Waves to Cag and everyone else!

TGIF!!

Morning all! The others have gone off to the steam railway, DH thought it was a great idea. So I will be spending the morning finishing a DVD I got yesterday, and, erm, laundry or something.

Afternoon all, I'm a bit tired after a long day yesterday but trying to crack on with a bit of tidying today needs to be a lot of tidying really and about to do the shopping. I normally go first thing but couldn't face it!

I had a cold last week and have a really bad cough. I always get a bad cough after a cold but this is something else and does put me off going out a bit.

They do say to see a GP if a cough goes on for a while Cotswold. Hope it shifts soon.

I'm not likely to achieve much today - epic pain, made worse by AF as well (for some reason my fibro symptoms always flare on period day 2?!). I've stuck a wash on and put the airer with yesterday's wash back outside, but that's it. The others won't be back til dinnertime so I can have a long rest, but TBH resting doesn't actually help pain that much, as I need distraction or I go crazy. And we won't be able to get anything done in the house as a family really.

Watching the movie yesterday/today, the main character moves to a run down house in the country and gradually gets it all nice for her children. It made me really yearn for a simpler life and for the ability to be more houseproud. But it also made me sad because I don't actually see how we'd ever get to that stage, not just because of being ill which obviously makes it all feel impossible but because I don't think we will ever actually have our own place. Bricks and mortar, it's a pipe dream. I know that sounds stupid, I should really just get on with THIS life but sometimes I feel so sad that this isn't how I thought my life would be, or should be.

Right, self-indulgent moaning over, sorry!

Hello all.
No real flying done the past two days, apart from bits of washing, and walking my mum and dads dog.
Going to get on with bits tomorrow.
Can you tell I'm tired 😞

Only first week back after half term, and the children at school are emotional, hot and tired. Six weeks to go!

I didn't achieve much today... just did some laundry so that's something. And I registered my business with HMRC, which was a very small thing but I'd been procrastinating over it. So that's something. :)

Evening all,

Stillliving - impressive list for so early in the day!

Cotswold and Cag - sorry you are both under the weather, and Meerkitten too. Hope everyone improves soon.

SC - well done on the weightloss, a step in the right direction.

Sprocker - are you a teacher? School must get pretty hard-going at this time of year I imagine, with the end in sight but not there yet.

It was my day off today and it was absolutely lovely to not have any studying/revision to do. So I spent a couple of hours at the allotment, including a nice chat with a neighbouring plotholder who I rarely bump into. Then off to a garden centre for a few bits and bobs, had lunch there and came away with a couple of pairs of shoes and a pile of clothes for the DCs as well as seeds, fertiliser and canes (it's one of those garden centres that doesn't sell much garden stuff but has various concessions).

Into town to pick up a parcel from M&S - school uniform and this baby beauty box - bargain!

Then home and a couple of phone calls before the school run, stayed for a cake sale and chat on the sadly soon to be built over school field and home for pizza and football.

Flying-wise, it was a decluttering day. Took a box of stuff to the charity shop next to M&S and bagged up a binbag full of old clothes for next time I'm in town. My foil and plastic bag drawer was OK so I decluttered my tupperware box drawer instead.

I'm out tomorrow (going to the races and out for a meal afterwards) so might not be posting links till Sunday morning, Saturday's coming up next.

Saturday 11th

No mission today as it's the weekend, but we still have a Babystep, which is:

Inspirational pages

It is also Family Fun Day

It's stay-at-home-with-DS-day for me tomorrow :o might have some family fun with board games or something though. DH is off so he's taking DD to dancing in the morning, and then in the afternoon he's leafletting with the remain campaign people in town - and they've said he can bring DD, so he's taking her along so she can find out more about it. She's getting quite interested. They had to warn him about possible, erm, angry people getting rather vocal about brexit, though... so hoping it goes ok.

Anyway, then in the evening DH is off to watch the football at the pub with his eldest, so that's the telly free for me again! :o Although I always say that, but lately I've barely had the actual TV on when I'm alone, I always watch/read something online ok usually I just while away hours on MN.

Really need to try and sleep now though as I've booked a quick grocery delivery for 7-8, as it was the only slot available, ugh. Mornings. I do want to read a bit though as I'm about to start a little book about decluttering. Feeling like I need a new injection of inspiration.

Morning all!

Lovely that you are able to enjoy some well deserved r & r Whoknows after all the exam study!

Yes, hope Cag, Cotswold and Meerkitten are all feeling a bit better today!

Cotswold there seems to be loads of people here with tonsillitis, sinusitus and various chest infections. I think this humid weather isn't helping. Agree with Cag - do get yourself to docs if it symptoms haven't cleared up soon or they become v severe.

Cag good luck with the grocery unpacking this morning! And well done for registering your business - not a small thing at all - 'tis a significant step forwards!! Congratulations!

Work sounds tough Madsprocker! Hope you can rest up a bit this w/e.

Speaking of hot, emotional and tired, dd had a complete melt-down last night. I think exam pressure is getting to her (here, in the state system, the children have annual end-of-year exams which they have to sit in order to progress on to the next year. If they don't reach the required level, they are given remedial lessons during the summer and have to do re-sits at the end of the holidays. If they don't pass those, then they might be kept down a year. Anyway, exams start on Wed [gulp].

Not helped by the fact that dd's dance teacher (probably in an attempt to stop them getting too bolshy after the success of the show but timing could not have been worse frankly) opted to give them a complete hour's session of barre au sol last night - ie one hour's worth of strenuous strengthening exercises on the floor. Think the plank held for ages but with your arms in fifth positional horizontal to floor (frankly it made me feel sick just catching a glimpse of it through the window of the door at pick-up time).

No wonder dd was in a bit of a state when she got home. She was aching so much I actually had to help her in to the bath poor thing! Then we had huge melt down over a French exercise later on. It's going to be a tough weekend I think.

And we didn't have a restful start to the morning today as a poor blue tit managed to fly in to our sitting/dining room having stunned itself on our French windows. Dog went mad!! Took dh, me and dd to get the dog away and encourage the poor bird to fly off after it had taken refuge on one of our light fittings and pooed on my table cloth.

House is a pit. No cleaner available yesterday. But dh is back now thankfully so going to ask him to carry up the hoover for me and carry down the washing and I think my back will be ok to carry on from there.

Enjoy your weekends lovely fledglings!

Whoknows just spotted you are going to the races tomorrow! Am dead jealous!! Hope you have a lovely day!!!

[I'd offer to do links in your stead - back is ok now if I sit for 5 mins - but as luck would have it the "copy and paste" function on my mouse/computer is now totally shot. Going to try and go to computer shop to get it fixed today.

I'm a teaching assistant, but lots of needy, emotional children in our class that need extra support.

Anyway, to do:
Usual Saturday washing of school/work clothes.
General tidy of everything that has been neglected over the last few days.
Supermarket shop for lunch and dinner.
Nag children to do their homework, and probably argue with ds10 about redoing his neater, as the teacher came and spoke to me about his presentation last week.

Ugggh so much rain all of a sudden. Doesn't bode well for DH/DD's trip to town, and my laundry is all wet again. Bah.

Thank you SC I do get really anxious about even little things, I am such a procrastinator with anything official like that, so I'm really glad I have taken that step. I have a business name and everything! :o

First class is actually set, I don't feel so nervous about it especially as DH is off that day so any last minute tidying won't exhaust me so much (although it's looking fairly decent, I still want to do a bit more).

Toothache driving me insane though, think I'm going to have to stop procrastinating about that too and actually face the dentist :(

Agh! Spent the day tidying up ready for the kitten inspection, and the afternoon in a state of heightened alert only for the woman not to turn up. Eventually phoned to check and she'd got the day wrong. DH is now in a towering bad mood and says he's lost confidence in the entire operation. She's on her way now but the boys will probably have trashed the place by the time she gets here!!