Ease towards Easter with the Fledglings and the Flylady April thread!

[CotswoldStrife]

Welcome to the April Flylady thread. We will be posting links every day to the Flylady method of maintaining your home and all posters, lurkers, newbies and returners are welcome - there will be a lot bit of general chat too. Post your ta-da successes and inspire others (or join some of us in the naughty corner on a less-than-stellar day, we all have them!) and bask in the support of the fledglings as we swing into Spring and ease towards Easter (avoiding the dreaded pointy stick of motivation)!

I remember doing role play of answering phones properly in junior school. We all got told off for only answering "hello?" rather than saying "hello, X speaking" or the last 4 digits of our phone number! How times have changed, I'd never say my number or my name now! But I can still hear my parents' intonation saying "5760" :o

All this letter talk has reminded me I must help DD write back to her new pen friend! It's the DD of someone I FB-friended via MN a few years ago. It's a shame we don't live nearer as they'd really get on in person, so pen friends it is :)

DH is bringing home some ginger beer for me. They don't sell the new pepsi in his shop.

Technically term starts on Monday. Got a day trip first but after that I'm quite looking forward to getting back into some kind of home ed routine TBH, much as the break has been needed.

My friends mum still answers the phone with their phone number, does make me chuckle
How cute your DD doing her first bus ride on her own Cag

Glad you had a good night out foxes am sure MIL won't be put off babysitting again sometime!

Thanks zoo, upset with DD is all forgotten, she came home from nursery happy. I think I felt particularly awful as had to leave for work when we were both still quite emotional even though had a cuddle. Anyway, all back to normal now
Toostressy that is a really good point about mornings and acting up for attention. I hadn't thought of it that way. I do think we need to get up earlier and try and have less of a rush getting ready but so much easier said than done! What sort of things have you been doing to improve things if you don't mind me asking?
Enjoy the hotel stay, I so know what you mean about being away from the clutter, isn't it lovely!

Not much done today as had to work until 2pm and still not feeling great with this cold. DH took DD to her cousins party, so I had a couple of hours to myself after work. Got some washing done and gave kitchen a good clean, carefully skirting around Kettle Pile of course

Great gardening efforts mermaids and Purple Hope to get some gardening done tomorrow if feeling more energetic. Also need to give plants a good soak, can't believe how dry everything is for April!

At hotel and DH has left for his work thing so going to relax for a bit then have a few bits to do. Back to reality this afternoon when we will get back to two excited children and in laws will be leaving straight after tea I think. Have some preschool paperwork which needs to be done tonight - frustratingly too bulky to take with me as could have done it leisurely this morning otherwise.

Next week is a strange one where we are doing a bit of a role reversal. I have some training all week and DH is off looking after DDs and doing school run etc.

Pheasant, with DD1 (6), she needs time to wake up but is happier on her own - the deal is she gets up and watches one tv programme (I know, not popular on MN) with her milk then gets ready.

With DD2, we had a bad morning last week when just as we were getting ready to go out the door, she changed her bag (which had been already packed for childcare) and shoes. This delayed us and led to crying etc. I realised later though that she probably felt as if that was the best way to get some attention as I had just expected her to get ready quickly. Or maybe she just wanted to change her bag, who knows????!

I have tried to take a few minutes more helping her to choose her clothes etc (can take a while ) and to be over the top with eye contact and big smiles in the morning. It doesn't actually take any longer to do some of those things.
Will wait and see how it goes . All change next week anyway.

Hello to everyone else .

Jealous of your time out toostressy
Enjoy the peace!!expect will be very strange going role reversal

Tadas
Wash on
Fed cat
Bleach lav
Sort 3 BRC that were hastily accumulated panic tidying for meter man fri
Wash in dryer
Zoolets fed and watered
More Wash on
Sink cleaned
Bathroom s+s

At least I've made a start today!!

OMG I went well AWOL

Thanks toostressy, going to make an effort to make mornings less rushed and stressful this week.

Ta das

Beds stripped
2x loads washing hung out
3rd load in machine
Swish and swipe bathroom
Tidied lounge
Clean kitchen after breakfast
Tidied DD room although still looks a bomb site, cuddly toys getting out of control!

Off out to get some gardening things now

OMG ginger beer. No. Just no. Euwwww.

Oh dear cag was it alcohol free or full monty?I've never tried it,but adore ginger flavour won't try it now

afresh where you been hiding(pats seat in naughty corner)is it this week you go back to work?

Tadas
Been shopping(nothing new there)
Been library
Clean kitchen cupboard fronts

I am as I've put £15 on smart meters for gas and same electric and eons taken the money from my account but not accredited my meter
Grrr.electric currently at £2 and as a sodding weekend no one there to listen to me rant.grrrr.....

Means laundry mountain ain't going anywhere...

Just a bog standard Old Jamaica, not alcoholic. I'm a total wimp though when it comes to strong tastes. I like actual ginger in stuff like soup but this was too strong

Ginger can be very hot/spicy if too much added....

If dd2 tries the Pepsi in next couple weeks will let you know what its like after pinched a swig

zoo I got lost in the mess that is my house, and yes I am back to work this Tuesday and my house awful and I running around like blue arsed fly and it's making no difference

I got some fruit juice cartons (the lunchbox size) for a picnic tomorrow. Can I freeze them or are they too full so they'll explode? (I may have left a Dr Pepper can in the freezer too long once)

Hi ladies, glad you're all doing well

Cag, just popping on briefly as still catching up with washing etc from weekend and only just finished eating. I'm not sure about the cartons but could you freeze them but in a plastic bag so at least if they explode it won't be a huge mess in the freezer? Of course that doesn't help if your DC will be upset if they are not drinkable so may not be worth the risk!

Soz, completely MIA today. Will post links for tomorrow and catch up then.

The daily summary for Monday (also available on the Flylady website at flight plan which should update automatically each day.

**

Baby-step no 24 - swish and swipe your bathroom

We are in Zone 5 this week: the living room

Spend 15 mins decluttering in Zone 5.

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

Mission for Monday go sofa and chair surfing!

The daily focus for Monday is: weekly home blessing hour

The monthly habit for April is making your bed

daily reminders

Cag sorry can't link ATM from this tablet thing but if you Google "can you freeze juice boxes?" the consensus seems to be that you can and they don't burst but they may not thaw in time for lunch either, so depends on timing of yr picnic. Hope you have a good one anyway!

AWOL today too in country. Lovely to be there and got a
Iot done, but as we are discovering, a lot is never enough!

Bit pissed off tonight too as when we got back, dh revealed that he is away Mon and Tues in Germany (when he'd previously told me it was just Mon) and DD piped up that the same group of classmates who were here on Sat, will also be coming this Wed pm and next Wed pm. Now I don't mind facilitating study group at all but it would have been nice to be informed, esp as the appts I had made for Tues and Wed now have to be rearranged. Not happy.

On a more positive note, v happy that Macron has come out ahead of Le Pen in first round of French elections, hopefully leaving followers of other two main candidates to throw their support behind him in order to oust Marine. Here's hoping anyway!

Waves to all and will catch up with personals tomorrow.

Cag have you tried ginger ale (Canada Dry)? Tis a bit gentler than ginger beer. (Both contain mahoosive amounts of sugar though; I love both but approx six teaspoons of sugar per can of ginger beer I think and ale not much bettet). Or you could try making your own recipe with water, fresh ginger and lemon juice (will try and find recipe tomorrow).

G'night all.

Thanks! I didn't think to google it I didn't risk it in the end but they've been in the fridge anyway. I should've frozen the water bottles though (after drinking some of it to make room)

Weather doesn't look great must get up and assemble (very low effort) picnic

Hope you enjoy your picnic Cag!

To do:

• morning routine
• try and get my 'work work' done for the day in 8 hours or less
• prep & eat 3 healthy meals
• laundry load
• keep kitchen/sink shining
• go to butcher
• days mission (there are currently extra handbags and papers around and under my sofa, I so need this mission right now!)
• pregnancy yoga class
• complete list whilst holding on to smile and sanity!!

Oh no about the weather Cag hope it holds for you!

(I partly googled about juice boxes because it is something I have always vaguely wondered about myself. Use those frozen gel packs from Lakeland normally.)

Ginger tea recipe (for nausea):
Steep 20-40g of fresh, sliced ginger in a cup of hot water. Add a slice of lemon or a drop of honey if you fancy.

Natural ginger ale: here.

And ginger drink for summer: here which was originally intended for weight loss purposes but you can add honey or sugar to it for nausea.

V impressed by everyones gardening efforts btw.

Had very early Flying start here because dh left at 5.30 am.

Just trawling through the washing. (Including all sheets and towels from wreck2.)

Downstairs still ok-ish (or it will be once I've given it a quick tidy and wipe down) but need to resume tackling the hideousness that is the first floor.

Waves to Danigrace Cotswold Toostressy Zoo Afreshstart Bluepheasant Mermaid Purple Foxes Honu and anyone else who is around!

[ Looks around for Zoo - brews fresh pot of coffee.] To answer your q from down thread; no I wasn't designated driver thank heavens. One of fathers kindly took on that role. I have a v small car that only seats one passenger (and a furry on the back shelf)! Partially deliberate as I am not a natural driver, the "natives" drive like loons here (despite being generally calm and polite off the road!) and although I will happily take responsibility for driving my own child about; not prepared to take same risk with other peoples dc!! Dh does his share of chauffering when he is here though.)

Danigrace falling asleep at your desk doesn't sound good! And batch cooking + painting nursery doesn't sound like much of a rest on your day off either. V v impressive but take it steady and hope you are ok

Good luck with role reversal this week Toostressy

Hope everyone has a productive day!

Hi all! We have been busy with the garden too, putting some decking down by the back doors, I can't wait to get some nice pot plants on there when it's finished! (Still a work in progress...)

Ta das
Daily routine
10 minute declutter in living room
Sorted some socks

To do
Ironing
Sofas (including wash throw and put new one on)
Make cakes

Almost time to pick dd up from nursery. Might go a bit early and take some bottles to the bottle bank. As ds is whinging and whining anyway may as well get him out of the house!