Fledglings flutter vaguely into August - summer mode continues

[BlueEyeshadow]

Ok, so stealing Einstein's OP from last month, summer mode hereby continues.

This means:

1. You are still welcome to join and post
2. If you want there to be links and no one has posted them, feel free to post them.
3. As technical thread leader I shall be hanging out in the naughty corner bar when I am around, and there'll be other people in and out too, I'm sure.
4. We'll still answer questions for anyone wanting information on the fly lady system and support each other. It's just a little more relaxed.

And with that, bring on August and yet more crazy pants school holiday stuff...

Happy packing Cag (having chickened out of a trip myself )

DH has now got the decorating bug and has started on the downstairs cloakroom! Woo hoo! We did buy paint years ages ago for some decorating so have checked if it was OK (obviously the unopened stuff was fine ) so hopefully a bit of decorating and a few days out next week would be lovely.

Will be off to the DIY shops tomorrow to buy sugar soap and other essential items and no doubt anything else shiny that catches our eyes .

Have a rare day at home and the house is a tip. I don't know where to start, so am heading back to Flylady for inspiration. So lovely to see familiar names on the thread. I'm sorry I've been AWOL.

In case it's useful to anyone else, this is what I use when the house is a complete tip: crisis cleaning.

I'm wearing an apron right now, reading MN

DH has gone out for lunch supplies and DIY bits He's painted the downstairs cloakroom and is planning to take DD out later on. Which will give me a chance to really clean the walls of the kitchen so he can paint those as well.

Booking DD into a few activities for the remaining weeks as finding it hard to meet up with her friends at the moment - she says she's having a fab time though and not looking forward to going back to school me neither I still need to sort out some of her after-school clubs/lessons which are changing which means the first day back at school she'll have something on afterwards as well right back into the action straight away

Crisis clean worked brilliantly. It really helps to break down the cleaning into 15-minute chunks.

ta da

Two loads of washing and drying
Emptied and cleaned sink
Emptied dishwasher and reloaded
Decluttered kitchen surfaces
Wiped down all kitchen surfaces
Put out recycling
Emptied lots of bins
Bagged up sitting-room clutter
Tidied papers and put stuff in right place
Cleared up a fur ball
Hoovered throughout
Mopped floors
Fed children
Folded laundry
Cleaned out two litter trays
Polished brass
Swished and swiped in bathroom
Tidied bathroom clutter
Hoovered bathroom floor and ceiling (webs)

About to start on the ironing now.

On an entirely different topic, is anyone watching 'Stranger Things'? We are absolutely hooked. We've been binge-watching it all week and have the final episode to watch tonight. It's a drama/horror set in 80s America - great fun for those of us old enough to remember that decade .

< slips back into thread with Toffee and places goodies in the naughty corner >

Toffee - I have been AWOL for over a month now, haven't 'seen' you for aaaages! How are you? Job still going ok? And how are your boys?

Dogs - Meerkitten is looking lovely

Big waves to SC, Blue, WhoKnows, Einstein, Cag, Cotswold, Mercury, Celeste, Fool, StillLiving, 8, Honu, Feetheart, Shannara, Ellie and others I bound to have forgotten (sorry)

I've not been online much in the last few weeks as I had laser eye surgery and so had to stay away from all screens and intensive close up work like reading. So I've been borrowing loads of audio books from the library to keep myself occupied. Eyes are on the mend, but healing is on the slow side.

In case any of you remember, we were trying to move house back around May time and it all fell through. We have since found a further four properties we liked and put offers on, and lost out for various reasons on all of them in turn. It has been so disheartening and frustrating.
However, we have finally found somewhere, and our property chain seems reasonably stable, so please cross all your fingers and toes for us.

So, I have been on a mission decluttering like a fiend. The loft has been virtually gutted of random hoarded junk and I have blitzed our filing and paperwork (still more to do there though).

Do we have a volunteer for September's thread leading? I'm quite happy to do it if not.

Hi welcome back Grey and Toffee!

Flying visit as I was happy to see your names pop back up :)

No Flying here, leaving Mum's tomorrow and we'll hopefully take stuff to the tip/charity shop. DH has cleaned my medical chair thingy and it's outside as no idea what time they'll collect it!

We had an awesome day though - drawing workshop in the morning, then DInosaur Zoo at the theatre.

Popping back in too, more lurking than posting this month .

We reached the point of needing a crisis clean last week too, we were away the first week of Aug and although we did unpack promptly, we neglected the routine stuff in favour of the garden, allotment and Olympics. I invited a friend round for coffee on Friday morning which had the required motivating effect. I have also been reorganising a lot of stuff around the house.

Grey - great to hear you are back in a chain again, fingers crossed, it's been a long haul for you. Do you mind me asking how strong your prescription was pre laser? I do sometimes think about it but might not be possible as I am around -12 now I think.

Hello all,
Detailed cleaning planned tomorrow, today I just put the dishwasher on and hoovered the livingroom.
I need to wash the windows, mop the floors with zooflora in copious quantities :)

Sorry to hear you had to have an op, Grey. Must have been frustrating not to be able to read or look at screens for so long. Hopefully, it's all been worth it. Awful about the house sale falling through. My mum is going through the same thing at the moment: she has lost two buyers so far and it's really getting her down.

Lovely to 'see' you, Cag and WhoKnows.

Dogs - just seen your photos of Meerkitten. Where's that little baby gone?! She is still very cute, though.

Grey - you asked about job and boys. The boys are doing well, thanks. However, the job is a bit up and down because of my manager, who is self-centred, unpredictable, overly controlling and sometimes snappy. Colleagues are lovely, though, and I enjoy working with them. Not sure how much longer I can take working for the boss, though, so I'm job hunting again and also looking into freelance work.

Morning all, I hope everyone had nice weekends. We went out for a walk Saturday afternoon then Sunday we went to my parents all over before you know it. Back to the slog catching up on the weekend chores this morning.

Caglio Cute bat. Glad you saved him

Toffee Huge list yesterday for you!

Grey Hope you get better soon. I hope your house move happens soon too. Been there in the whole property chain before and it going wrong. Sure it will happen soon.

Ta das

fed ds
put another wash on
washed dishes
emptied kitchen bin
put clothes on the line
made beds
tidied ds room
wiped bathroom and bleached loo

Thats as far as i have got this morning. Upstairs is done just downstairs to do.

Thanks for the welcome back :)

Glad to hear the boys are ok Toffee, shame about the work environment though. Good luck with the job hunting.

WhoKnows - my prescription was really quite small. The first time I had the surgery ten years ago it was -2.5 ish The the surgery I have just had was a re-treatment as I've been wearing glasses again. But this prescription was -1-something. So I guess I'm not the best person to be asking as we are so far apart on prescriptions.

A few Ta Das

Lie in as DH got up with 'Greylet'
Dishwasher on
Wash load on
Yesterday's wash loads put away
Beds made
Family trip out to park
Dropped off x2 duvets at drycleaners
Washing put on to tumble dry
Gave blood

That's it for now...

Cheery wingflaps in from breezy trousers skegness,dumping rock,fudge and various seaside goodies in naughty corner.
We got back at 6 and by time did emergency food shop,de sandificated the zoolets(then the bath)and fed everyone I now ready for bed!! Will read back thru what's been gobon while we were away n pop back tomorrow

Still - your post reads like poetry, especially the first line!

Sigh. Can't find the glue gun. It has a place (a particular drawer with other glue/scissors/tape etc) and it's not there... haven't found it yet but an unexpected bonus is that in scrabbling through various BRCs (Bags of Random Crap) I've gathered a bag of recycling.

Feeling really shit today. Got a maths lesson later but it's the last one with some who aren't carrying on next term so I'm gutted. Just want to sleep all day really. Blah.

Why thank you toffee(takes s bow)
cag anything particular wrong or just one of those days?

I was rota to do cmunity cafe before dp book the hol,so this sm I was in church at 9chopping veg for our monthly knit n natter group(vegi and meat lasagne,chips and salad.plus ice cream with home made raspberry sauce n chocolate buttons plus drinks for £5)it was hot in the kitchen,but feed back was good,esp as it was just me and a girl who does chips n bacon/sausages buy not confident with main meals,and dd2(who did the sauce and help stir veg lasagne sauce as I threw in ingredients!!) Long shift(9-2) in sweltering kitchen n knowing I was walking back into a bear pit of dumped holiday bags and hideous washing pile wasn't appealing!!

So ta da
Second attempt get rid last sand from bath
Bleach lav
1load washing
Fruit n veg shopping

Fussed my very needy cat scout.he was so pleased to see me get out car he was mewing at full tilt n jump onto me rub his little furry face all round mine,bless him!!)he has demand a nap on my lap and currently akip next to me on sofa

I really need get off my bum n feed every one.start feel very weary!!

Couldn't face the chaos anymore so made an early start

Ta dad
Fed cats
Tool binbag zoolets clothes into garden n shook out sand before sort wash piles(learned from previous mistake filter will stop machine once clog with sand n major palaver empty it,empty filter n start again!!)
Load wash on
Fed Zoolets
Clean bath n sunk
Bleach toilet
Relocate dining table from mounds stuff deposit on it.clean n wipe anti bac spray,as found bit dry up tuna under a place mat(yuk)
Sift thru bag stuff took keep zoolets busy if rained,and returned usual homes
Tidy front room back to normal levels of clutter
Wash living room,Hall and kitchen floors
Wash into dryer(towels),2nd load on(to be dry on airers as get quite warm already)
Wipe kitchen surfaces
Wipe cupboard fronts
Empty bins into black one outside
Try restack paper recycling+it sits in kitchen as we don't have anywhere else to put it n we missed this weeks collection,so its get on my nerves now!!
I had plan do bit tidying upstairs, but scout is now making self comfy on my lap and it would be rude to evict him when he has clearly missed me and wants some love!!

Bath and sunkshould've said sink!!

Hi Fledglings, quiet on here! Hope everyone is enjoying summer.

DH has taken the Caglets to Ikea as we need a few bits; I am sad to be missing out on meatballs :o but relieved to have the house to myself. Yesterday was lovely (home ed meet which lasted all afternoon and evening) but tiring!

LOADS of laundry to do, I'm ordering a grocery delivery for this evening, the living room is a tip. I also need to do the quiz for my old work (an event is coming up that was my 'brainchild' and is now going to be an annual thing - they are happy for me still to be involved in it). I have various phonecalls/emails to make as well.

Hopefully my little and often + frequent rests housework method will see me right today, but I'm really tired. We'll see!

And thank you Still I'd had a bit of a blow with my tutoring income, I haven't developed a thick skin yet so it was a dent in my fragile ego! But all ok now. May be doing a lesson swap instead as the other parent is also a tutor in a core subject, and it means we don't have to struggle to pay each other.

First wash is on. Off to Tesco website now. Fun.

caglesson swap sounds good idea!
Little zoo has her best friend here,she slept over.quietest kid I've ever met,so shy doesn't even speak in my presence just nods if ask a question!! She Polish too,so was but worried how my food would go down, but cornflakes well received,n I making crusty roll with corned beef and cucumber for lunch,as lil zoo eager to keep her as long as possible!!dd2is at her friends staying over so it's working in one out one in system!!

Ta das
Fed cats
Hotspot dining table
Wash on
Fed zoolets+1
Wipe bath n sink
Clean lav
Wash onto airer
Trip park
More wash on
Bake rolls for lunch(part cook,not homemade)

Gah mumsnet ate my post testing 1,2,3....

Right, try again...
Good idea cag- finger x she open to swap skills

Lil zoo had best friend stay last night as dd2 cleated off her mates and one out one in policy means no bed sharing!!
She very shy,barely speaks in adult presence nods if ask question.she Polish, but I think she may been born here.her mums English better than my polish anyway

Looked at me oddly as I Mr sheen slide at park(can I count that as flying?)super whizzy after that!mwah ha ha

So tadas
Fed cats
Hotspot dining table
Feed most Zoolets +1
Clean bath n sink
Bleach lav

Trip park(am adding clean slide as it still cleaning)

Laundry-one load on airers,second load in

Cooked some part bake rolls for their lunch

I really need a nap,but aware other peoples kids here that just not a poss ability (sighs)

I can't believe that,sorry people.it ate my post,but appears to have regurgitated it!!

Thanks, we have dabbled in a bit of lesson swapping with others so hoping it'll work. It's quite popular in some home ed communities, but it's not that much of a 'thing' here - yet.

Right. I have booked my smear test, finally. Second wash load is on, and while on hold to the GP I sorted a load of other laundry for the next lot. Including heaps of odd socks. See, when I do washing (most of the time, as DH's main thing is all the washing up since I can't stand long enough to do that!) I only ever wash pairs of socks. If there's an odd one, I leave it in the basket. Whereas if DH puts laundry on, any socks go in, and then we end up with a load of clean odd socks which frankly is just yet another thing to find a place for! And then they end up in random places, it gets all out of whack and everyone complains they don't have clean socks. My way is better, that's all there is to it. :o

DH and the Caglets are on their way back from Ikea already, so I won't have as much quiet time as I'd hoped thought! Oh well. Family tidying session it is then.

We are amassing BRCs like crazy as we keep panic-tidying. This week I amalgamated a few into one of those huge Sports Direct bags, and tidied some of the contents as I went, but still. Ugh.