Fledglings flapping and flying in February - the Flylady thread

[TooStressyForMyOwnGood]

Hello all and welcome to the February Flylady thread! Welcome to all current posters and also to any returners plus of course anyone who would like to join. The more the merrier.

We are a friendly group who (sort of) follow the Flylady system in hopes of a more organised home and life. Some of us manage that better than others .

It's my first time running this thread so here we go with links... Please if anything is wrong feel free to correct me. Hopefully it will all go swimmingly this month but I apologise in advance for anything not slick! I'm starting a day early as have work tomorrow and I am slow at this but will try to stay on the old thread until tomorrow. Thanks so much for doing the December and January threads Cotsowold.

We are in zone 5 for the first few days of the month.

Flylady advises decluttering for 15 mins a day. I tend to manage 5 but I know lots of people have great results with 15.

I can't figure out how to post the individual missions (I will get better, I hope!) so as a treat here is the sneak peak for the rest of the week which has all the missions www.flylady.net/c/sp.php#missions

Feb 1st's mission is to clean our vents!!

If you have already decluttered then you could start some detailed cleaning www.flylady.net/d/zones/detailed-cleaning-zone-5/

For a summary of what's going on, go to www.flylady.net/c/lp.php or just follow this thread . Sometimes the Flylady website takes a little while to catch up on a new month.

Newbies, welcome, have a look around the Flylady website - it can sometimes be a bit disorganised. Unless you want to, beware of signing up for her emails - there are hundreds and all the info is on the website anyway. Here is the getting started link [[http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/

I'll post the baby step and Wednesday's daily focus next.

---------> Afresh

Can someone send the pointy stick this way? I've had a stressful morning on the phone trying to sort out changing the mortgage direct debit date so it doesn't coincide with pay day. They were lovely but because pay day falls so late in the month it looks like we need to find an extra payment. Things are so tight at the moment and I'm not quite sure how that's going to happen. It's either that or keep a buffer of £800 in the account in case pay doesn't arrive before the mortgage goes. That's looking pretty impossible too. Needless to say finding a job/new pupils is now top priority.

To do
General clean of the house
Job application
Book vet appointment
Sort out a BRC
Work on crochet

OMG the point stick is not working all I'm doing is eating toast

afresh I can't help all I'm doing is eating DD birthday cake! At least toast is healthy ish!

Ta das
Opticians
Food shopping for tonight
Few bits in town

To do
Everything else...And pick up dd in ten minutes

Purple--->

Been on roll today.u love routine and was up 445 plan dd2 pack lunchesshe norm has hot lunch at school but flute practise in lunch break means she needs me send something in with her and as she has huge apetite sandwiches don't work well....
Tadas
Fed cats
Wash on
Plan dd2 lunches
Empty all bins
Recycling out
Made couscous salad fir dd2
Fed zoolets
Made little ones pack ipd
Wipe bath n sink
clean bathroom windows
Clean bathroom mirror
Wipe radiator
Floor-to do

Bag up zoolets washing. Its breeding again.I have(incl towels 5loads)

Wash in dryer,more on
School run
Emergency trip shops milk,bread etc

Clean out fridge
D's room- clean windows, polish
Girls room-as above

Garden-45mins do battle brambles threat take over my garden.then clear a binbag litter trap under said brambles. Sometimes I hate living in a corner house on a windy hill?!
Trim next doors hedge

I have 15mins til load number 2 ready fir dryer so I shall hoover stairs whilst waiting....

Wish I had cake

I am also having trouble with motivation today. I had a burst of energy before school drop off and did a lot then, but I seem to be fairly glued to the sofa now. Will do a bit of Wii U fit in an attempt to dodge the pointy stick before it heads my way! See you later.

The pointy stick didn't get me off the sofa but I did a stack of email admin so that's got to be something...

I could murder a piece of cake.

Glad it's not just me who's struggling to get going!
Decided to list what I have actually done even though house looks like I've done nothing

Ta Da

Pots
Bottles washed and sterilised
Worktops and table wiped
2x bin empty
2 x wash load
3 x dry load
Dry washing away
Trainer wash on

I've also had a shower and everyone is fed and dressed, DC 4 is down for second nap of day

Did someone mention cake?
Hall stairs and landing hoovered. Approaching end of my spurt of enthusiasm (cleaning without cats/zoolets mucking it up behind me has been quite a novelty)and suns gone in-irs been glorious here.dare I say it warm and sunny!! I attacked garden in just shirt and jeans. No coat,no jumper(disclaimer,side my house is a sheltered spot and at this the of day if suns out a Suntrap)
I need lunch and cake

Sorry didn't mean to make everyone want cake!! Joys of leftovers from a birthday party I have a couple of squishy bananas and I'm just wondering if it would be madness to make a banana loaf with them...Maybe I could give to dh to take into work with him!

Ta das
Started daily routine. Kitchen more or less sorted now.
Given dd lunch

Ds asleep on me now so stopping for tea and toast.

My house seems to be a total mess. It's amazing what a week out of normal routine plus very busy weekend plus extra toys because of a birthday can do! It hasn't been this messy since before I started doing fly lady. Which I suppose shows that the system does work even if I don't appreciate it all the time.

*

Hello lovely fledglings [SC here]. Hope you are all ok!

NB about thread running March

I'm terribly sorry but I am not going to be able to run the thread in March as promised; much as I would like to be able to do so. Thought I would let you know asap.

Renovation of wreck2 not going straightforwardly at all. The short term problem is that not only do we not have wi-fi yet but we no longer have electricity in only habitable part of buildings.. Everything we touch seems to turn to rubble! Same with plumbing: had one tiny problem with thermostat - got that looked at - turned in to bigger problems and now we don't have functioning boiler. As for electricity - tried to sort out one element of it - turns out whole building needs re-wiring. And those issues are the tip of the iceberg I'm afraid. We knew it was going to be a challenge so we are still v happy and excited about project etc, but it's just going to take much more energy and time than we anticipated. And back and forth very erratically.

So sorry everyone - as you know I love this thread - hope to be able to come back and contribute at a future date. But it's not possible just now I'm afraid.

Huge apologies again and pls forgive hi-jack. Big wing flaps to all xxxx

**

Happy Birthday to your dd Foxes!

Greymalkin have just skimmed briefly down thread and wanted to say "congratulations on your new job" and "yes it is totally normal to have periods of time when dc totally ground you down and when your nerves are totally shot". I think all parents feel this at some point. And keep plugging away at new house - bit by bit - you've been through so much of late and it will take time but you are doing mega-brilliantly

Hope eveyrone else has overcome lingering colds/flu/earache/sleeplessness etc and if not that you are managing to cope

Sorry - no time to read rest of thread as have to nip to supermarket before dd gets home - she is going through another wibbly wobbly stage and doc says I have to up her bmi so am 5 meals a day for her at the moment (she has good appetite but small "capacity" ifsywim) and meal planning has gone out of window with being away so much.

Big encouraging waves to all xxx

And apologies again for so mahoosively underestimating project ahead etc and letting you down over thread running. I am always stupidly unrealistic about these things I'm afraid

Sorry to hear your challenge is more challenging than expected SC

Ta Da

Pots
Bottles washed and sterilised
Worktops and table wiped
2x bin empty
2 x wash load
3 x dry load
Dry washing away
Trainer wash
Washing machine clean cycle
Put away more dry washing
Washed more pots
Swept kitchen
Swept porch
Sorted pile of shoes

Hi all, will be back on properly later but just to say I can do March as well if nobody else is able.

I can also do/share March if needed. Good luck with the project SC

DD is still battling a cold that comes and goes, so I'll be in tonight instead of out (which I'm quite looking forward to, I think we are all still a bit tired!). Will catch up with the thread in more detail later.

I would offer to do March but be a massive let down so it's safer for all that I don't .....

Job application number two is now finished. I hate hate hate doing these stupid things. I'm having a nice cup of coffee and a quick break before starting dinner. It's a bit of a ready steady cook job with the fridge after totally failing to get out to the shops. Never mind-it's foggy and cold.

Anyone got spare cake? I've eaten all the biscuits in the house and they didn't hit the spot.

Just taking advantage of the presence of dd's Latin tutor to rush in to say say gosh and thank you to TooStressy and Cotswold for offering to run March thread. You are fab and it's extremely decent of you both when you have done it so recently

[Since when did we have a gin emoticon?? Turn your back for a minute and ... ]

Thanks Afreshstart it is going to be even more challenging than anticipated (apart from anything else materials such as paint are about 4 times the price and you would not believe the misogyny of tradesmen over here, it's like being back in the 1970s yes I am looking at you "Petit Michel" ) but still feel dead dead lucky to have the opportunity. Life has changed so much in just a matter of weeks. Been slightly bored, slightly dissatisfied/unhappy with life for years and years and now things are finally (I hope!) falling in to place. Sounds really ungrateful to say it but everything has been sacrificed to dh job for so long, and it's like I am finally getting my life back a bit!! So I'm not really whinging, honest

Purple good luck with those job applications and subsequent interviews! Hope your gp is doing ok? Sadly we lost one of our beloved buns recently from heart failure. Thank heavens I was here to be with her for her final moments. She had been fine - bouncing around and eating at 11.30pm night before, and ditto again 8.30 am following morning - but went down with some fresh food just before lunch and found her almost limp and lifeless. Called emergency vet who got here within 20 mins (v good for a Sunday) and he confirmed her heart was failing and as we wouldn't bear to let her go on suffering she was PTS. Very hard since as I absolutely loved that rabbit. Sorry to be maudlin! Hope your little lad is doing ok.

Crikey Zoo your lists don't get any shorter, do they?

Must go - laundry pile has reached Everest proportions - must triage! We have acute CPC (clean pant crisis)!

Humungous wing flaps to everyone else!

Hi SC all sounds very challenging but very exciting!

Purple I have a chocolate cake, ginger biscuits and party rings so take your pick
I decided against making a banana loaf with the squishy banana and instead mashed it up for DS. Who promptly threw it all on the floor. Weaning is not going well!

Ta das
Dusted all furniture
Cleaned dressing table
Decluttered under my side of the bed
Made dinner and tidied kitchen
Dh has tidied living room and hoovered under the dining table after dd dropped most of her baked potato and cheese on the floor not a good day for food mess in this house.

SC, don't worry you have done loads for this thread!! Sounds as if you have a lot on your plate but all very exciting . Sorry to hear about your rabbit (being maudlin never a problem with me, pretty used to it in my job). On a lighter note I love the idea of triaging the laundry pile .

Purple, good going with the job applications .

Afresh, you have four DC including a baby so I am guessing you are kept very busy, don't worry!!

Cotswold, thank you for the offer. I really don't mind doing March since you did the two really busy months - unless anyone else desperately wants to do it. As long as we line up someone for April . Think having done it once it will be much more copying rather than cutting and pasting so easier to do this time.

foxes, amazing the chaos a birthday can do to a house

While I'm here, is my thread leading ok? Should I change anything (won't be offended) I have found it easier to do personals throughout the day most of the time then do the summary at the end.

Quite productive day here . Ta da:-
5 mins decluttering
Gave bag of clothes to friend with younger child
Some party organising for DD2
House not complete mess
Went for run

To do:-
Tea
Evening routine
Before bed routine
Make to do list for tomorrow
Calendar check
Couple of things on to do list
Look at holidays

toostressy your thread leasing has been fab! Definitely no changes needed.

I'm building up the courage to offer to lead for a month. I have no idea how to do it! I can't to March or April as I have holidays in both months but I will definitely volunteer in the future - promise!