October Fledgling thread 2016: where we fluff up our feathers and fall back in to autumnal Flying routines

[Strikingclock]

Welcome to the October 2016 Fledgling Flying thread!

Come and park your broomsticks mops and buckets here!

This is where, from the 1st of the month, we attempt to declutter and follow the 30-step wisdom of Flylady (minus cutesy language and a surfeit of e-mails) with lots of chat and support and mutual motivation (and of course) along the way.

More info available here , here, here and here.

As usual we will be following a three-pronged approach - and don't worry - we are all at different stages. (Some of us are still stuck at the decluttering stage after quite a few years ):

• repeat or start baby steps (again!)

• repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

or

• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

And those of you who have decluttered and are really enthusiastic can throw some detailed cleaning in to the mix as well!

The idea is that we focus on short, ring-fenced, daily bursts of activity (steps and routines) that will help our homes run (more or less!) on "automatic pilot" allowing us to do far more interesting things instead!

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!

Helpful pointers: No perfectionism allowed! If it took a while to create the current C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) in your home, then it will probably take a while to reverse the situation (you can't clean clutter!). Small steps are the key! And you are never behind: just jump in where you are at!

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck!

No dragging required Zoo, I'm right there with you!

Hi all! Gosh, so many posts since yesterday, can't keep up! Only a few personals tonight - bit of a meh day - dd is much worse and will need doc appt tomorrow. And have been sat at computer doing admin that dh sent from across the atlantic and my back is protesting.

Good to see you Grey

Zoo hope you get help with breathlessness etc tomorrow at follow up appt.

Celeste held out as long as poss but heating is going on for a few hrs every eve as very cold at night atm

Big waves to everyone else. Links herewith:

Tomorrow's baby-step no 11, for Tuesday 11th Oct is here. An ignorable (imho) one about writing 'inspirational phrases' in your cj.

Newcomers - here is the launch pad from which you can navigate the site:
www.flylady.net/c/lp.php .

We are in Zone 3 all this week (the main bathroom plus one extra room 9th-15th inclusive) here.

Either declutter for 15 minutes in this zone, or, if there is no clutter left, do some detailed cleaning.

The misson for Tuesday can be found here. Spend 10 mins or so scrubbing your bath or shower in a non-perfectionist manner. And in the other room (guest room?) it is suggested that you tackle the bed and make it guest ready.

The daily focus for Tuesday is: planning menus, wardrobes, appts, holidays, family fun etc.

The habit for October is getting rid of paper clutter,
here: www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/october/.
(Scroll down for detailed explanation.)

Also, just came across the paper clutter missions for 2015 which some of you may find helpful here.

The daily flight plan here: www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-120 will update itself (hopefully) and if you click on it tomorrow will provide a quick summary of the above.

Even 5 mins makes a difference everyone! Keep going!

Thanks zoo - it's Thanksgiving, but I'll take it!
The miners completed their excavation task (with a bit of help from dh and I to finish off when they bit shipped out to work). Guests been and gone, wine drunk, turkey eaten, and the basement of doom is spick and span. A successful weekend on all fronts!

Ta da:
Basement emptied, tidied, vacuumed and dusted
Half of the Leaning Tower of Ironing
Main floor tidied and vacuumed/ dusted
CHAOS banished
Two full bin bags of clothes donated to visitors with smaller girls
One full bin bag of clothes ready for thrift shop donation

To do:
Make stock out of turkey carcass
Leftover pie
School work
Other half of Leaning Tower of Ironing (and dh is on it right now whilst catching up with the Madam Secreatry episodes he has missed - yay)

In other news, it is still snowing. Gah. Ds1 needs new snow boots. And coat. And snow pants. I should add 'rob bank' to the to-do list. When will this child stop growing??

Waves to everyone busy with the week x

Babble I hope your hip(s) gets better soon.

Zoo I hate inconsiderate dog owners too. Especially the joggers/cyclists who have their dog running behind them off the lead chasing after swans/geese and/or crapping on the paths which the owner is 'oblivious' to But how rude for the dog owner not even to apologise to you.

Grey grrr with the ds making you having to call an early end to your first day at work. Sods law.

Waves back to Ponti feels bad about moaning about the cold here now when you are talking about snow

todays ta das

washed dishes
made beds
tidied ds room
toilet duck'd the downstairs loo
hoovered all rooms
finished the ironing
done the weekly grocery shop
washed dishes
zoflora'd kitchen worktops

Got our 1st primary school visit tomorrow. Its not our preffered school but its on the list of maybe's for reserve choice.

Morning all. Its just turned 7 am, We had chippy chips last night, there was no way i could stand in front of a cooker even if i wanted too. but at least there isnt much to bung in dishwasher. Our bedroom is tidy...and really cosy actually, its not been cosy since we moved in, even in its hideously decorated state it feels cosy. Kitchen is clean, just needs pots and rubbish putting away. Living room is reasonable, it has a hot spot which I'll be putting out now, cushions fluffing, that sort of thing. bathrooms need a degunge, they were the only rooms we didnt touch, but are also the only rooms that are left in a more reasonable state...despite having boys. All the boys cleaned their rooms, ds1 decided he needed a declutter so off went a box of dvd's and games. Hall and stairs need a hoover, but we're looking good.

to do
get dressed
make bed
shine sink
clean bathrooms
put out living room hotspot
hoover stairs and hall
open curtains
air freshener everywhere
wait for impending visit from housing officer.

Morning all,

I've been up since 6 getting ready to go this school. I've not been in a school since i left school myself 17 years ago lol. I'm very intrigued to see what schools are like these days. Do you think they will show us into a classroom whilst the school is in process? I just can't believe my little baby is almost ready to begin school

[Hands Babble a bottle of domestos to attack the bathrooms with] also you can't beat a chippy. Chips always taste nicer from a chippy for some reason

Good morning all

Good luck with the school visit Celeste; it is exciting! Next week I am going to a talk by the county council about the school admissions process ready for when it is our turn next year.... It doesn't seem long since he was a newborn!!

Babble - we love chip shop chips, especially the crackly little bits that fall to the bottom of the paper. My DH is having to work 'oop North" at the moment and he says the chippies up there keep these crumbs of deliciousness in a special pot that they then sprinkle like seasoning onto chip portions < salivates >
You and your brood sound very productive btw.

Pont glad you had a lovely holiday. I have embarrassed to say that I didn't realise Canadians also celebrated Thanksgiving . I would love a basement, it seems to be a 'thing' across the pond?

So my DS is at home today as well, so another day where I can't go into work. They seem understanding though so far. I hope I can get in tomorrow.

Ta Da
Cats fed
DS fed
Dishwasher loaded and on
Stripped bedsheets, put in to wash
Sorted two more loads of washing
Prepped ironing for my lovely cleaner
Got some bits out ready to list on eBay

To Do
Declutter lots of things on to eBay, Facebook, auctioneers,
Declutter more paperwork

Good morning all!

[Peaks in thread to see if Afreshstart is still with us ... proffers ]

Hope the visit goes well Celeste and that you get a good "feel" from the school!

Honu how exciting about the imminent arrival of your new grandchild! Always lovely to have a new baby in the family! Hope all goes well!

HerdofAntilop sounds like you have had a tough time in "survival" mode with you all ailing. Hope your first day back off maternity leave went well yesterday!

Babblehag great to hear that the system is making a difference, and well done re: cosy bedroom! Hope hip is less painful today.

Pontification a belated Happy Thanksgiving! So glad to hear that it all went well! Genius to declutter clothes to departing guests too! Enjoy the white stuff!

Grey hope your ds is better today and good luck with the temping!

Afreststart Toostressy Shesgotelectricboobs and Foxes you all sound v industrious and organised and on top of things!! for Flying high!

Waves to MrsK and arf at serial killer cat

Wow Blue that is some list you got through at the weekend Bloody well done!

Hope ECG goes well today Stillliving

Enthusiastic wing flaps to everyone else!

Progress painfully slow this morning because of back but at least its progress!!

DD and I got up at 6am to see if she could possibly go to school but it was a definite no go (she still has temp) so have booked doc appt for later this afternoon. DD is distressed though because she was meant to have two tests today which count towards her first end of half term report. She's sleeping again now though.

Since then have ta da:
rabbits
empty overnight washing
hung up laundry
fill machines again
empty dw
cleared dining room table hots spots
Vanish stick stained two table cloths ready for wash
s&s
tidied up play/tv room
gathered up mugs, plates, and medicine glasses from dd's room
filled dw

To do:
on-line shopping order
order two Christmas presents while I think about it
look at calendar and sort presents, cards etc
pack more parcels
make a healthy soup
continue laundry
see if I can risk a quick trip to the supermarket if dd ok to be left

Have a good day everyone!

x post

Oh no Grey - sorry to hear your little one is still unwell, bless him. Sod's law isn't it?

I was just pondering that dd always seems to get ill when dh away, but in fact the reality is is the other way around and dh is always travelling!

Hope you are coping ok on your own and work are being understanding.

You have reminded me that I have to add bed stripping and making to my list too in addition to more admin for dh.

Good luck with the decluttering!

To do:

Put washing away
Put new load of washing on
Charity shop stuff in the car and to the shop.

Well the school visit went fine. We were shown into the classrooms. Pleasently surprised at the small class numbers. The school had a good feel to it, much more nicer feel than i thought it maybe. I always thought a town school may not have that feel snobby former country school pupil here but pupils came rushing to the headteacher greeting her asking how she was, etc, which was cute. They have a staff member who is specialist in children with speech problems which is reassuring for us as ds is still not great with his speech. The outside space wasn't too great tbh but the school is an old victorian school so to be expected i guess. we asked about the sylabus and it seems they get to go out often to do things outside. Got a few more school to look at however including the one we really want ds to get into.

Grey Its annoying when they ask for you not to bring back a child after they have been sick but i guess its understandable they don't want a bug spread through the pupils and staff.

Not a lot of chores to do today, even ds room is relatively tidy but that can easily change within a short amount of time! Reading about all these poorly children on here and knowing there are a few bugs around here is making me wanna get the zoflora and bleach out now ha. Cuppa coffee first though

Glad to hear the visit went well Celeste. It's good to have a few options to fall back on in case your no.1 choice doesn't work out! And things like speech therapist/teacher-parent relationships are more important than facilities. Very few of the inner city schools here have any playground space at all (they just didn't build them like that) and everyone manages.

Shesgotelectricboobs all of your decluttering is making me feel guilty!! Need to get cracking!

So upon waiting for officer to come, I looked at the card that was put through our door, and it said she'll be coming next Tuesday...not happy, not happy at all....

ds goes to pre school at the school we want him to go to, and the school seem pretty confident that he will be accepted but from what i understand its some bod in County Hall who will decide so its definitely worthwhile sifting through other local schools as a back-up. Just had Mum on the phone wanting to know all about. Think she is excited at seeing her grandson go to school, whereas i am being clingy lol.

ta das

made beds
washed dishes

Not much to write home about on the chores so far today but gonna now go and give the bathrooms and kitchen a quick swish before lunch.

Oh. Was that an ovesight on your behalf or did the card literally arrive this morning?

Afternoon all,

I've been to Mordor, 3 bin sacks full of old bank statements etc that need shredding. Another ten or so leaver arch files to go through. It's looking better though, I can see the floor in there again. Tidying the under stair cupboard of doom ties in well with the October theme of "paper decluttering ", I didn't realise how many files were in there.

Cat has brought in two mice so far, one dead & one very much a lively little thing. Spent a good five minutes chasing it around in my Marigolds, whilst being pursued by cat. It was rather like something out of Tom & Jerry.

Hope you're DD is feeling better SC & your back too. Celeste, glad 1st School you looked at was better than you thought, it's good t have options. I wasn't looking forward to DD going to School & losing my little buddy.

Can I join the naughty corner this evening Grey & Stillliving? I think I need a glass after today's endeavours. I can bring supplies, found four bottles of Champagne (hurrah) in the debris, think they must be from DH's 50th?

Thanks SC for this thread & to all you lovely ladies, I wouldn't have done or accomplished any of these tasks without you

Canadian Thanksgiving seems to be just a harvest festival type thing - no pilgrim fathers in sight here, and it's a month or so earlier than the American version. I'm not going going to turn down a bank hol though .

To do:
Dishwasher load/ unload
Move stock from fridge to freezer
Laundry - sofa covers
Three volunteer emails
Play catch up with school work after long weekend
Bank
15 minutes paper declutter in dining room cupboard
15 minutes declutter in bathroom cupboard (definitely overdue - opening the door and gazing at the half empty bottles of shampoo/ assorted first aid/ hairspray/ selection of feminine hygiene products piled therein fills me with dread)

Kids don't go back to school until tomorrow, but am confident that no one will get under my feet (out of bed) for another couple of hours yet!

Grey - what a pain to be dealing with poorly kid on top of everything else. Hope you catch a break soon! And cake and wine to everyone else dealing with sick kids xx
Ah babble - at least you have a tidy house? Imagine how fabulous it will be by next week? (Enjoy a break now the urgency is postponed!)
MrsK - yay for Mordor and being able to see the floor! I keep walking in to the basement just to admire it There is a kitchenette thing in there that is stuffed to the brim with nonsense still to clear, but I didn't add to it this weekend (and in fact I got rid of some of it!) so still plenty to do, but content with how it's going.
School visiting is lovely! It seems so long ago - I can't believe we are looking at universities dd2 needed a fairly accessible school when she started, and our preferred school was in a Victorian building with lots of stairs etc. They were absolutely great with her and managed the transition really well. We started a year before so the OT report could highlight the modifications needed and the building work could be done. The year after she started, the school had become pretty sought after for sn - she trained them well

Argh I've missed loads of stuff! Thread is moving fast!

Ta das
Toddler group
Top up shop
Room rescue bedrooms and living room
Washing up
Dishwasher on
Rubbish in bin
Laundry hung up and more on
Cleaned the bath thoroughly as part of detailed cleaning (my bathroom is already decluttered - not room for much in there!)
Swish and swipe toilet
Started dinner, dh finishing it as ds woke and wanted feeding so I've had to put my feet up...oh what a pity!

Not even going to do a to do list because I'm totally worn out! I'll probably clean up after dinner and that's it.

I accidentally bought chocolate when I went out earlier...told myself I wouldn't eat it until the weekend but not sure I can resist!

celeste utter oversight on my part, it came on friday, i just read the tuesday bit and assumed the 18th was this week. Oh well at least the house is tidy, went for a much needed nap this afternoon, not had much sleep with anxiety of the impending visit (I hate that part of this illness). We have an extra animal staying with us for next few weeks while my friend goes to america. Hes better off here than in kennels even if he does get pestered by an annoying puppy. Hes also furry and leaves fluff balls everywhere which will make me more inclined to sweep often.

at three bin bags of bank statements MrsK We always ditch ours but i suppose its handy that banks now store e-statements if ever needed in an emergency.

Sounds like you have done enough on your ta da list today to warrent you to put your feet up Foxes

Happened to me many a time Babble I'm awful for only reading the first line or the highlighted text lol.

ta das

made beds
washed dishes
domestos'd both loo's
domestos'd both bathroom basins
domestos'd both kitchen sinks
zoflora'd kitchen worktop
general tidy up
made tea
washed dishes

I went a bit bleach crazy this afternoon only because of all the nasty bugs and poorly children around at the moment made me feel the need to go on a germ killing spree. It probably wasn't needed but can't grumble at clean bathrooms and kitchen. Need to bath ds but thats it for today.

*only 1 kitchen sink, we don't actually have two kitchens lol

It's twenty years of bank statements Celeste, there was obviously a time when I filed literally everything. Found invoices for things like a new tyre in 1998, quite why I felt the need to keep & file things like that.

Thanks Pont, I've opened the cupboard door a few times to admire my cupboard. I didn't realise either you celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada, how's the snow?

I'm in the naughty corner with 🍷 & Olives anyone care to join me?

Have a lovely evening everyone, hope all the poorly soldiers are on the mend

Tantrums all round here this evening! I feel like I need a big drink ...that chocolate is definitely going to get eaten!

mrsk sounds like you're doing a fab job with paper clutter! I must tackle mine soon...i hate sorting paperwork. Might delegate the task to dh!

Bonsoir à tous

or three to Foxes!

V well done on your lists Foxes and Celeste!

Cheers to MrsK and brilliant going wrt to paper clutter!! Glad the thread is helping!!
at Tom & Jerry pursuit!!

You are on a roll Pont!! And what a great response from your dd's school! So good to hear a positive story for once after all the battles people have on here.

Oh no Babble how annoying! But the upside is you are now so organised you are a week ahead

Wing flaps to everyone else!

Not as much Flying achieved today as intended.

Risked popping out in car to supermarket and, owing to some sort of unexplained incident or accident, got stuck in traffic in a tunnel for 1 hr and 10 mins!! (Only 5 mins away from home!) Luckily had telephone contact with dd and she is feeling better today and going back to school tomorrow morning (half day on Weds).

Then got called by stressed dh asking where his document was which I had sent through yesterday. He couldn't open it which resulted in about 10 calls back and forth to him and his colleague and our technical bod. It turns out the encryption prog had gone wrong and it all took ages to sort out.

Then got called by estate agent to say that they want to conclude deal early which meant I had to call our accountant and bank manager and other connected parties which took all afternoon and I am not sure it is going to be possible anyway.

Then went to collect furry one from behaviourist tonight and got delayed in evening traffic on the ring road for another hour or so. It's quicker walking or using public transport here atm with all the security checks and bomb scares going on!

One of those days

Anyway, those are all my excuses, but you all have been v busy and keeping the Flylady flag flying high, so top marks to all!