Gather ye dusters (fledglings) while ye May, for soon we shall be Flying ... !

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Welcome to the May 2017 fledgling Fly thread!

Feel free to park your mops and buckets here from the 1st of the month!

This is where we attempt to declutter our homes and follow the 30-step wisdom of Flylady (minus cutesy barftastic 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 ):

1 - repeat or start baby steps (again!)

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

or

3 - reinforce babysteps and/or do daily missions
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 welcome!

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!

Ta das
Cooked dinner tidied kitchen
Daily routine
Tidied living room approximately one million times over the course of the afternoon
Hoovered downstairs
Got stuff from shops
Changed towels and bath mat
Cleaned bathroom floor

I haven't ordered the photos though and have a feeling that will be put off yet again for another day!! I'm just about ready to flop once the children are in bed... exhausted!

Well done on the job application Einstein

Great lists everyone!!

Can definitely relate Einstein and another for completed application!

Big waves to Foxes and Purple and everyone else. So sorry! In a rush so just posting links and running tonight... .

Phew what a scorcher! Still have chores to do ...

Rosa hope your dd had a lovely trip!

Links for tomorrow here ... "see" you all in the morning!!

The summary for Thursday 18th May is available on the Flylady website here under "Today" and via the flight plan which should update itself automatically on a daily basis.

Baby-step no 18 for Thurs 18th is here. Read Flylady's eleven commandments. No. 10 is not obligatory for fledglings I hasten to add!

We are in Zone 3 this week: The Main Bathroom and One Extra Room (May 14-20) here.

Spend 15 mins decluttering the current zone.

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list for Zone 3 (if you are at that stage) is here.

Thursday's mission is here. Spend 10 mins tossing any cosmetics or scents that you have not worn in over a year!

The daily focus for Thursday is running errands.

The monthly habit is moving in May!.

Daily reminders (which should also update automatically) are here.

Keep going everyone, step by small step!

***

Oh yes, ta da cont'd/...

4 more loads of washing hung out to grill on terrace
catch up with friend
chauffering of dd
furry walks 2 & 3
animals again
hwk supervision
French study
15 mins of tidying in boudoir
cleaned downstairs lav and sink

G'night all!

Hello all, sorry was AWOL, was at work today and have lost interest in doing anything productive tonight.

Einstein can definitely relate!

Evening everyone today is one of my long work days so not much flying done but DH has done a wash and got all our lunches ready for tomorrow and house is reasonably tidy! I've just shoved another load of washing in as determined not to have piles of it to do at weekend especially as it's my birthday!

Made a right twat of myself at work this evening and why is it always when the patient is also in the medical profession I blamed my equipment playing up but was me getting tired really. She was lovely about it but I didn't exactly feel very proficient! Oh well, no harm done, just took much longer doing her appointment than should have done

Oh dear Einstein not the best day! Well done getting application done in the end, I hate any type of form filling in (hence why our passport renewals got left to the absolute last minute )

Lovely hear heartbeat Cag hope feeling more relaxed now

Glad poorly DCs over worst of bug Rosa, adds so much extra work doesn't it!

Waves to everyone, going to try and do an hours blitz before bed.

To dos

Drink tea most important one!
Dishes
Daily mission
Ironing
Evening routine
Start making packing list for holiday!

Final revisit to today's to do list for the Ta da's

Ta da
Write job application
Wash my duvet
Rotate wool items in the freezer
put ds' clothes away done
get ds to remove washing up
put my clothes away
distribute old towels

tame my room
find book voucher
Ds into a shower and clean
Play hunt all the paperwork in order to complete the application
Clean cutlery drawer out done
Construct a folder with CVs and contracts from previous jobs done
Construct a summary document that pulls info from education and jobs including pay info and location of org for future job apps ie everything that could be needed needed for job apps Significantly completed (just needs personal statements and to track down some missing info before reprinting
Handwashing incl 'not able to go in washing machine' animals done
A load of animals through the washing machine and in dryer done (just to clarify i am referring to the toy type of animals not actual real animals, because that would be silly because how would you get an actual shark into the washing machine )
Ensure contract folder is up to date done amap
Rescue mountain of books previously loaned to mum done

Quite good for a total ta da list even if I ignored half the stuff on my original list and did a load of other stuff --normal for me-
And with that I am calling time on doing stuff, running a bath and taking a book in with me. Although that does mean i will probably have to clean the bathroom first

Evening all

I've had the worst day

Ds2 (who has autism) is currently in the middle of yr2 sats and the change of routine has spun him out completely. So this morning he was in a mega grump not wanting to go to school. Ds1 was just faffing about I asked him to put the bin out and he called back saying "Mum there's a bird outside"

I thought he was just being silly and told him to just shoo it away (we are 5 mins off leaving for school/work at this point) but no it was an injured pigeon just sat on my doorstep.
I tried catching it in a box but he hobbled into next doors garden so I couldn't get him. He was gone when I got home tonight so I'm hoping someone rescued him and the cats didn't get him.

Anyway wrecked with guilt over the pigeon I went to work and accidentally mistook a male customer for a female

Picked merlets up and got asked if I could speak to Ds1's teacher tomorrow which is always ominous

I bought alcohol tonight

Another one relating to Einstein's motto here!

I am also considering & tonic even though it is only Wednesday! DD had a couple of stuck baby teeth removed today so is still on the Calpol. She's had a few uncomfortable health-related issues and tests recently so I'm hoping it all stops soon! Although the teeth did need removing I wasn't expecting them to be done today.

Did do a tad of exercise today, but only WiiFit stuff.

Craft - I'm not artistic, but I do like to sew, knit and crochet although I haven't done much for years. I'm getting back into it though, and it's fun to sit with a group and do stuff! I am lucky that there are a couple of craft centres around here that run various classes you can go to so I'm looking forward to trying new things.

Sympathy Mermaids, my DS also has autism and while he can cope with planned for changes in routine, unplanned ones can be extremely challenging for all of us.

More detailed cleaning on my Tada! lust today. Steam cleaning to be precise. Oven, microwave, cooker hood and splashback all done in no time at all, I love my steam cleaner. Also ran the vac round downstairs, did a load of washing, top up shopping and paid various bills.

Cotswold if you get back into the knitting and crochet I would highly recommend joining raverly (its free) they have a really good database of patterns (loads of which you can download for free or at low cost depending on the pattern)

Good morning.

Today the only flying will be running errands. Partly because this involves a 4 hr drive, partly because I appear to have found muscles that hate me.

Hope you all have productive happy Thursdays!

Ouch about the muscles Einstein

Sorry Foxes the following vent is not going to be very positive at all.

Having sung dd's praises in an earlier thread, she has reverted to stroppy teen mode today. The weather is very humid, I am still feeling a bit weak and feeble from illness and I heard last night that one of my favourite aunts is dying (she is very elderly and it is anticipated) but nonetheless just feeling generally crap and a bit and tearful today (and worried about doc appt tomorrow).

Heigh ho, trying to channel general angst in to doing all the bathroom missions that I did not achieve this week and by putting clean and ironed washing away and sorting bed linen. Can't face cooking. Have also washed our entire supply of towels and am have folded them.
Sorting laundry can be quite therapeutic!

Sorry for "me, me"' post; how are all of you?

Re: stroppy teen. Didn't mean "in an earlier thread" meant "earlier down thread!".

Stroppiness has just got to me today

A mega for Whoknows who has gone in to steam-cleaning over-drive

Cotswold hope your dd has recovered from teeth removal today. Poor thing, it sounds as though she has really been in the wars recently x I think carving out a bit of time for yourself each week to do something creative is REALLY important. I used to ring-fence time for myself on Tues to sew but that has gone out of the window recently (mainly because of the logistics of this house rather than lack of time) but it's an awful faff having to put it away and get it all out again. Great that you are going to a class, because you avoid all that sort of hassle.

Mermaids sorry to hear about your horrible day yesterday and I hope today went better! That sounds really hard re: your ds2 and SATS. I hope the school are providing proper provision for him and that your teacher is able to offer appropriate support and that the meeting goes well. What happened to the pigeon in the end btw?

Crikey that is one impressive list Einstein (and I mean writing it, never mind doing it!! ) Hope you get invited to an interview as a result of your application btw!

BluePheasant sorry your day yesterday was tough too. Your work sounds challenging; not surprising that fatigue gets you down from time to time. And I am certain you did not make a twat of yourself at all. Glad to hear you have a holiday to look forward to!

Steaming cup of reviving for Toostressy

And all encompassing wing flaps to everyone else! BBL once I have done some tap scrubbing!

BluePheasant sorry, meant to add for organised house!!

Cag and Zoo hope you are both ok?!

Rosa hope your dd1 is enjoying being back at home and that the poonami has subsided for the little ones

Busybee that app looks frighteningly efficient

Foxes happy birthday to your dh tomorrow, in case I forget

Purple glad the recipe looks suitable. It is always a worry making a recommendation like that in case it's a disaster but I hope not I have always found the recipe pretty reliable in the past anyway (unlike some of Nigella's which seem, imho, to be either spot on or completely out!

Big waves to Honu Afreshstart and everyone else I have missed!

Forgot waves to Mumontherun TherealMrsJolly DearohDear Mercury Dudsville Zoflorabore Bin85 Socialanxietyrus

Note to newcomers: I hope all of the chat isn't putting you off! Please don't let it and feel free to post yourselves; some of us have been on here for ages and consequently know one another quite well so I hope that doesn't come across as cliquey. And any qs, don't hesitate to ask!

Pigeon was gone when I came home but there was a lot of feathers on my doorstep

Oh dear

probably a fox then ... . Funnily enough we don't see any at all in the countryside (the farmers have shot them all) but there are loads in the city here.

Bit of a strange day here. There have been armed police on our street (some sort of international conference). Was carrying back post between office and home for the third time and overhead one of the policeman saying to a lone man standing by himself "oh good afternoon, are you here to protest?" and lone (Chinese) man responded "yes, just waiting for some friends". Two hours later and he is still standing alone. Perhaps I should go and offer him a cup of tea?

There's s lot of mean cats round where I live so I think one of them might have had him

SC sorry you're feeling down and sorry about your dear aunt , that's sad, will you be able to visit her soon do you think? Hope lone Chinese man found some friends!

Hello to everyone else! I did try and post first thing this morning but MN on my phone hasn't been working all day so am now posting on the laptop as I've finally sat down. Didn't get everything I wanted done today, it has been one of those days where everything was non-stop and I was slightly tearing my hair out by the time dh came home...

Ta das
daily routine
went to shop for MORE last minute birthday stuff (mainly beer)
Wrapped dh presents, wrote cards and helped dd make a card
Cleaned step, dd toilet seat and scales in the bathroom
cooked dinner and tidied up
last tidy before bed
Got milk from the shop

And relax!

Friday tomorrow! Must remember to put part of dh present downstairs tonight so he sees it in the morning, I got him some chocolate to take to work tomorrow as he goes so early he won't have time to open anything else but thought something edible might help the day go quicker for him! Then while he is at work we can set about making his cake, got all the ingredients ready and the recipe so fingers crossed it will go to plan. Not even going to attempt any fancy icing or anything, I'm not talented with cake decorating...was it purple who made the lovely hedgehog cake recently? Wish I could do something like that but I will end up stressed and with a really bad cake to show for it so I'll stick to what I know! I can do tasty cakes but they don't usually look pretty.

Thanks Foxes . It's not really appropriate to visit, her (large) close immediate family have all gathered about her though and thanks to her daughter, they have managed to keep her out of hospital and comfortable at home.

Good luck with the cake making tomorrow!!

Oops, nearly forgot links

The summary for Wednesday 17th May is available on the Flylady website here under "Today" and via the flight plan which should update itself automatically on a daily basis.

Baby-step no 17 for Wed 17th is here . [Looks around for Einstein grin ] This is the infamous baby-step about setting a bed-time and sticking to it!

We are in Zone 3 this week: The Main Bathroom and One Extra Room (May 14-20) here.

Spend 15 mins decluttering the current zone.

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list for Zone 3 (if you are at that stage) is here.

Wednesday's mission is here. Check the supplies of toothpaste, loo roll, shower gel, shampoo, soap, cotton buds etc etc in your bathroom and add to your shopping list if running low.

The daily focus for Wednesday is anti-procrastination. Do something you have been avoiding!

The monthly habit is moving in May!.

Daily reminders (which should also update automatically) are here.

No perfectionism allowed remember!

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OK, I have ùanaged to post completely the wrong links

Apologies, will remember to preview next time Please ignore post below!

Sorry about that (had a middle-aged brain moment)

Correct links below!! (Hopefully!)

**

The summary for Friday 19th May is available on the Flylady website here under "Today" and via the flight plan which should update itself automatically on a daily basis.

Baby-step no 19 for Fri 19th is here. One you can safely ignore about reading Flylady testimonials. Up to you!

We are in Zone 3 this week: The Main Bathroom and One Extra Room (May 14-20) here.

Spend 15 mins decluttering the current zone.

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list for Zone 3 (if you are at that stage) is here.

Friday's mission is here. Spend 5 mins using an old toothbrush to scrub sink and bath taps.

The daily focus for Friday is decluttering cars, purses, handbags etc.

The monthly habit is moving in May!.

Daily reminders (which should also update automatically) are here.

One tip off the Flylady website which I thought was quite good and worth sharing is about not rushing around. It's counter-intuitive but Flylady reckons we get more done if we set our timers and slow down and focus.

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