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
Hoovered upstairs
Bit of daily routine

Cag -you can get those donut shaped things in Superdrug or Tesco. I use them for the buns. Just put hair in a ponytail then wind it over and pin with Kirby - wait till she wears a tutu!!! I love the ballet outfits.

Ta das
Washed bedding
Morning routine
Took DD to horseriding
Had a coffee with the mum's
Bought DS new school trousers (again)

To do
Hoover
Do kids bedding
Ironing
Plant garden tubs
Walk dog

It's a lovely day here!

Have a nice day!

Ps Does anyone use Zoflora? A girl in work was raving about it. If you use it what for?

Our dance school strongly discourages donuts for buns, we're only allowed them if your hair is too short to make a bun by itself. I think they are ok if you can't tell it's in there but often they are very obvious and don't give a classical ballet bun shape. Bun nets are strongly encouraged for neatness.

Mum - I use Zoflora sparingly as a disinfectant, it's very concentrated so you don't need much. I get the impression some MNers douse their houses and laundry with it for the fragrance but I prefer to use more natural products and only disinfect when strictly necessary. I don't like the fragrances either, very synthetic, like cheap air fresheners.

I agree with everyone in that work makes staying on top of the house so hard. Dh and I haven't both been full time for years and I had underestimated how much I used to do in the day time, even if it was just picking up stuff and putting it away.

The good news is the hedgehog cake is saved. It looks cute even though it's shoulder is mended with an icing-crumb cement type mix that probably is inedible! I'm hoping to cut slices away from that bit and I've got an extra bought cake if I run out. Phew. I'm knackered already.

Picture of Mr Hedgehog. I don't know why I didn't just pipe the spikes from the start.

Wow he's adorable! Now I'm hungry though.

Yum! That looks amazing!

Good afternoon everyone!

Wow lots of posts to catch up on!

Purple your hedgehog cake is amazing! It has the perfect nose!

Just emerging out from under my duvet, having had a tentative lunch of crackers and San Pellegrino , and feeling altogether so much better!

So thank you Cotswold and Toostressy very much indeed for taking over yesterday! It was much appreciated . I can definitely do links tonight!

Will just go and prepare them and in the meantime catch up with everyone's posts!

Hi everyone

purple your cake is amazing!!

It's Ds1's birthday tomorrow so have just taken delivery of a very good pokemon cake made by a very talented cake maker I know. I can't make cakes at all!!
Had a very productive day so far

Ta das
Hoovered
Dishwasher on
All surfaces wiped
Roast beef slow roasting in oven for tea
Cleaned everything upstairs
Made beds
Fixed broken curtain pole

To do
Go to town to buy cards and balloons (I have a phobia of balloons so wish me luck)

Here is the cake he will love it!!

purple fab cake well done you!

Wow Mermaids that is amazing too!

Thanks all. I'm pretty pleased with the outcome, especially given the state of him at 11pm last night. I should have taken a cake wreck photo.

Love the Pokemon cake metmaids. I'll definitely nick that idea. I really like baking when I've got proper time to do it.

Right just catching up with thread ...

Thank you again to Cotswold and Toostressy for stepping in to the breach last night! Really kind of you both and .

Mermaids I hope your ds has a lovely birthday tomorrow and good luck with the balloons!

Cag don't worry about the ballet bun! It is a faff the first dozen times you do it, then you magically find that you somehow get the knack (and this is from someone who is totally cack-handed with hair but). And even better, when your dd gets older, they will get used to doing it themselves! (By the end dd could manage a perfect ballet bun done blind in the car on the way to class, whilst snaffling flapjacks and wriggling in to tracksuit bottoms at the same time!! )

Whoknows/Purple oh I love the look of a ballet bun too! I try and persuade dd to style her hair like that now but she is in to those complicated Dutch plaits that I can't seem to get the hang of! Happily there is a girl in her RC youth group who is a whizz at them, and dd always comes back from there magnificently braided!

All this talk of ballet is making me feel very nostalgic. Used to love watching dd and it was such a huge part of her/our life. For a while now, she has wanted nothing to do with dance and so we've played things very cool and not mentioned it. However, she is just starting to talk about taking up some alternative forms of dance/exercise which I am v happy about ... we'll see ... .

Waves to Mumontherun (love a bit of horse-riding of a weekend!) I'm afraid Zoflora doesn't seem to have made it over here, or I've missed it.

Bluepheasant sorry to hear about your dh's potential job. Hope something else even better comes up soon! Here's to a less fraught time in the week ahead

Purpledaisies/Toostressy/Afreshstart/Mercury and others - I take my hat off to everyone on here who is working and Flying! (And parenting!) (And cake-baking!) (I only work 16 hrs or so per week and I still don't get all the Flying tasks done although that is probably down to laziness/boredom tbh rather than time restrictions if I'm honest ) Those are very long hours you are all working and it's simply not possible to fit everything in imho - I found it difficult when I was working three days - I think you are all heroic!

Glad to hear you are getting a tiny bit more sleep Afreshstart. Still in awe of how you juggle everything!

Foxes Well done for the multi-tasking yesterday. That's the best thing about this system I think - that one gets in to the mentality of "just doing 2 mins here and there" while the kettle is boiling or the onions are softening ... . It's amazing how those little moments add up sometimes! And great that your ds is feeling a bit more like himself!

Thanks for the flowers Mercury and enjoy the planting!

Rosabella Yay to a clear play room sofa! And hope the paper decluttering is going/went well!

Cotswold hope your dd is feeling better ...

Forgot to wave to Clawhammer

and to send sympathies to Zoo over device stress! Technology is the biggest source of tension and arguments in our house! It's a nightmare isn't it? Would humbly advise all of those of you with younger dc to set v v firm boundaries from the outset; as the influence of technology is insidious and before you know it, you have been invaded!

How is teething going Rosabella?

As dh, dd and I are all feeling below par this weekend ... we are doing absolutely sod all. Sorry, that's not very inspiring or "thread-leaderish" is it? Lots of games of Monopoly and Strip Jack Naked on the "to do" list I think.

Big waves to anyone I have missed!

Will be back to post links tonight! (Thanks again Toostressy¨and Cotswold!)

And waves to Dudsville Bin85 Honu and Socialanxietyrus !!

Argh missed out Zoflorabore apologies! (Brain still a bit swimmy!)

Mermaids meant to say, surfing therapy sounds ace!

Waves to anyone I've missed!

Urgh I've gone into a really really bad mood

Anyone care to cheer me up?

Not 100% what triggered it TBH

Afreshstart from 13 yr old DD ...

"Did you hear about the person whose entire left side was cut off? He's alright now!"

"I was thinking about having a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind."

Alternatively

Seriously, sorry you are feeling low Afreshstart will you get any time to yourself this w/e?

SC . Afresh, I'd go with the or . Haven't been vey organised and forgot to amend our Tesco delivery so it is coming but with no wine and probably with bits we didn't need .

Ta da:-
More laundry on
Dishwasher on

That's about it. Have friends round so not much decluttering etc will take place until later on I think.

I've had a bath this morning. Those 30 mins are probably the most peace I will get this weekend. Think I am just knackered TBH. Sat here with grumpy baby who woke up from nap screaming and is now nodding back off and I can feel my own eyes going.

Dp working
DC1 + 2 + 3 split up for arguing etc

Not surprised you are feeling knackered Afreshstart. Any chance of any baby-sitting help?

afresh gah babies waking when they're not supposed to is the most frustrating thing!

I'm having a crap day too. We have come to visit my grandad who has dementia (late stages) , we are looking after him today and it is bloody hard. I seriously feel for my mum and dad doing this daily. He won't eat or drink and shouts at me when I try to persuade him to have anything . I don't know what to do with him to be honest. I haven't seen him this bad before and I feel out of my depth tbh.