Fledglings are raucous in August - the Flylady thread

[TooStressyForMyOwnGood]

Thanks to paxillin for our August thread title .

Hello all and welcome to the August Flylady thread. We are a friendly bunch who try to roughly follow the Flylady system. How strictly you follow it is of course up to you! Every day the thread leader posts information about which zone of the house we are in and the missions for the week.

Newbies are always welcome. All information is available on the Flylady website www.flylady.net

On the website there is information for beginners. You can also sign up to the Flylady emails but we would advise caution as there are hundreds of them.

We post our achievements (ta das) and our to do lists and any other general chatter about life / flying.

There is enough information on this thread to start getting on with things but you can also trawl through the (confusing at times) website:-

Information on getting started: www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/

The launch pad is also a good starting place:www.flylady.net/c/lp.php

Fly stands for Finally Loving Yourself. The general idea is that short bursts of tidying / organisation are more achievable than marathon efforts. Flylady advises 15 minute bursts is effort but you can tweak this to fit your own circumstances.

I'm on holiday this week with intermittent internet connection so will not be on much but will keep an eye on the thread and hopefully everyone else will feel free to jump in!

With it being summer holidays it may be pretty quiet on here but missions etc will be here for those who want them.

Aldi wipes are good cag but I don't rate their nappies they used to leave my dds bum red raw.
It's crap when you fill things in wrong! I have done this twice in the past month!

Last night I did something I haven't for a long time - I wrote some lesson plans! This is a big change in our home ed style. For those who weren't on the thread earlier this year, DD suffered bullying from another HE child (sadly bullying does still happen in HE!) and it was mostly related to her being 'stupid'. Subtle digs that I had no idea about along the lines of "you should be in kindergarten" etc, many kids might shrug that stuff off but my sensitive little girl can't and the bully knew that .

After taking so long to heal from what she went through at school (she's been out 2.5yrs and still panics when we go past the school), this set her back massively. For a long time doing any kind of written work was a no go, even picking up a pen was scary, so we just didn't. She is behind where a 10yo should be, and the paediatrician wants her investigated for learning difficulties too. It feels like a life sentence for her TBH.

But it's got to the stage now where we have to try and move forward from this setback (thankfully we have pretty much eliminated the bully from our lives which has helped - for a start she can now go to sleep without screaming). She is NOT, as she believes, stupid. She's enthusiastic and passionate and has amazing knowledge and creativity. She just can't express or organise it like most kids. :(

Anyway I realised that gradually building in more academic work is essential now to improve her confidence. But it's going to have to be super slow - ginger I totally understand about not changing things too much at once! It's going to be a delicate balancing act and I need to be careful not to go in all guns blazing with all the subjects I've been itching to do with them. DS is resistant too, he doesn't have the trauma that DD does but he's had more of his life (nearly 8) to get used to not having to do anything IYSWIM. But he's ready too.

We've done a bit of daily maths over the summer (we always had done until the bullying became awful) and that's helped, and DD is doing a summer writing challenge which is really helping so I need to figure out how to continue that in September. I've also signed up for various learning sites like literacy planet as we will gradually add in more computer based stuff like Scratch programming.

I have decided science is next for actual 'lessons' as it's something they both enjoy and talk about a lot. Just going through KS2 study guide and expanding on the content with experiments etc, I've written plans for the whole first unit. It'll mean writing/drawing in books which they haven't done for a very long time... I sense a battle!

Sorry for the waffle I know it's not flylady related! It has just really been on my mind lately.

Morning everyone,
cag I love your blog, my two boys are autistic and my youngest ds also has ME and other mental health challenges.

Had a bad nights sleep as my anxiety was at an all time high and then my youngest ds was awake with body aches. So feeling pretty drained today and can't even have caffeine to perk me up. Oh well onwards and upwards.

Ta da
Dishwasher emptied
Mini zoo all fed and watered
Beds stripped
Washing machine on

To do
Make beds
Polish bedrooms
Vacuum bedrooms
Load dishwasher
Finally finish upstairs closet.

It will be a day of staying in today as it's very stormy outside so luckily I can get everything done.

cag it must be heartbreaking to see your dd treated like that and the lasting affects it has had on her. Poor girl. One of mine has had some minor issues at school and I nearly clobbered another kids mum you must have much more restraint than me. Horrible to see your child upset.

Yesterday I managed to get all the bedrooms tidy and hoovered. Well big two did their own rooms, I helped dd and did mine and baby ds's. All landings also hoovered. So upstairs is pretty good, except the bathroom which I'll aim to do today.

for all that need them. Fab blog Cag!

Ta da:-
Breakfast
Sent work email (with typo in so will look careless )

To do:-
Morning routine
Make packed lunch - am so bloody sick of making packed lunches!
Get out of house!
Have half an hour to do all that so hopefully doable if I get on.

I haven't been on here much of late. (Totally blames school holiday mode) The housework is slacking as much as my logging onto mn. I'm confused; we now have two zoo's?

Hi everyone.
celeste indeed the zoos are taking over mwah hah hah
cagbuggy is gorgeous.... i really think you should review games.i have no idea which to pick half the time.mine are currently loving both labyrinth and indigo!!

My hallway qualifies as a lack of control station

So zoolets left at 630am.its so quiet here.hating it😭last few days been a flurry making sure clothes wanted are clean and dry and sourcing suitable stuff for lil zoo can eat as dp hopeless remembering check labels
I have ocd(clearly not carieng variety)and for once its come in useful as ive pack 3 carrier bags.each label with the day and inside 3freezer bags labelled breakfast lunch and dinner.breakfast has disposable bowls.cereal.snall carton soy milk and plastic spoons plus note to buy pint semi skimmed!lunch has crisp.dairy free biscuits and tubs fruit(wuth spoons) note to buy subway 6" for each if them.dinner theres smalm ring pull cans tuna/chickpeas and jelly pots with fruit in and note pick up salad bowls (sainsbo x rd from premier inn) dd2 in charge backpack with snacks(rice cakes.biscuits.breadsticks.etc)first aid kit.baby wipes.hand gel and talc(for de sanding feet).they eere all so excited.i cry my eyes out once they were gone

Tadas
Fed cat/kits.littertray
Wave of zoolets(they want breakfast on beach)
Washing- 3 rd load bedding in.first dry and foldef and in pillowcae ready to return bed on sunday night.seconds near dry(not remaking yet as kits will sleep on anything fresh washed)
Bathroom
Clean tiling
Clean windows
Sill.radiator.skirts all wiped
Bath n sink gleaming
Floor washed

I am niw going to make myself a bagel and read for a bit.i cobtemplating uf have steength tackle zoolets bedrooms whikst theyre gone.....

I have a new phone and it clearly autocorrects in gobbledygook.my posts may get even more unreadable (and may include more howlers.tho doubt any as worthy as haughty corner!)

Aw thanks all. I don't share it much so it's lovely to get feedback :)

So I had a really helpful phone call with the LEA. Basically to get an educational psychologist assessment we will need to apply for an EHCP!!! Which is not particularly relevant to home ed kids but may be helpful in the future for exam allowances etc. So worth doing but it's a heck of a hoop to jump through.

Wait! What is this talc on Sandy feet thing?

So far in the bathroom I have -

Emptied the bin
Fresh bin bag in
Scrubbed sink
Scrubbed loo

Having to do bits here and there as ds a teething mess

Morning all

Brilliant start to the day so I'm really motivated

We've been trying for years to get a big pub chain to come to my town and found out today that building work is going to start next week councillormermaidswillsortitout

Also had a call offering me a job interview on mon so cross absolutely everything

Pulled furniture out to give it a good clean
Windows and glass cleaned

Need to go food shopping but I have the merlets who are In a bad mood

afresh liberally talc sandy feet and it comes off much better than try use water(and doesnt feel like taking off half your epidermis) i remember first used it dd2 was around 4.ds 2.we sat them in boit if car n douse them.great clouds talc flew swirl around us as was very breezy.kids were giggling and they smelt all like the sea mix wuth baby powder

How have i had 4 dc anď not learnt this

Stealing that sand/talc trick

Another who is stealing the sand/talc trick.
Well so far all I have done is a stock take of the pantry and I'm now rewarding myself with another cup of rooibos and another cinnamon bun. Now I need to crack on with the closet

I have OCD too livinginazoo hence being so annoyingly organised with things like this. I wish I could relax a bit more but if I try it then makes my anxiety worse

What's a rooibo?

So do you tick those off as you use them Mumofzoo?

Afreshstart its a caffeine free tea I drink as caffeine makes my anxiety worse. It tastes delicious hot or cold.
celeste yes I do I have inventory for nearly everything

Do you find it helps with your ocd to see it written down? I do lists like shopping lists then also random notes on my phone.

Oh. I thought it was sweets 🙁

celeste yes it helps my ocd a great deal, I have everything written down as I've got a fear of deleting something if I put it in my phone.
I have a handbag sized organiser that goes everywhere with me and also a mini notebook with an index that goes everywhere with me. I also have a file that's the household organiser, that has meal plans, pantry and larder inventories and the household routines, medication charts etc.

Afreshstart ah sadly not I used to have a terrible sweet tooth but since starting my anxiety meds, it has killed it off.

Cag you can get a private educational pyschologist assessment. With no EHCP but it is money (approx £300 if through dyslexia institute or whatever they now are) we looked into it when there was concerns about ds on the dyslexia front and because of being Aspie he would have been unable to have an assessment without full ed psyc report. I would suggest you also look into alternative routes for assessment.

Also with write could you not build in some board games that require more writing as a way to start with writing? Ie keep it fun and no educational until the skill is developed. Also writing can be taught on a computer to get the skill of communicating if it is the handwriting thing that is the issue. And then when confidence is built in the hand coordination thing for writing can be added.

Someone today said I was awfully angry at ds' last school, then I explained what had happened and they were surprised I hadn't dragged them through ofsted. meh.

Flying has gone to hell in a hand basket. Personally I think it can stay there until tomo. did you bet right? i did give you good odds on this happening

Hello everyone.

Ta da:-
Lovely time with friends
Both DDs enjoyed swimming
Wrote some cards
DD2 asleep
Takeaway ordered
DD1 bedsheets changed
Towels washed
Mortgage advisor rescheduled call
Bit more unpacking

To do:-
Dry our bedsheets - was determined to get them done but will need to rush to get them dry tonight
Encourage DD1 to sleep
Before bed routine
More unpacking

Can't face writing any more on to do list!

Next week need to investigate when I have booked dentists for DDs. Thought I was organised with it already in calendar then a friend pointed out that the date was a bank holiday so dentists unlikely to be open .

Cag, from my limited experience with adult education I agree (also agree with Einstein as usual ) that it may well be worth persuing an assessment if only for the benefit of extra time / adjustments In exams etc.

ofazoo, you are so organised although I know you have said you feel you have to be .

Hello again celeste . We still have the lovely stilllivinginazoo (zoo) and now have mumofazoo (ofazoo) who has joined us and I am hoping she shares some of her amazing organisational tips!

That all sounds great mermaids . zoo, I am waiting for some brilliant auto corrects from your new phone . at your lack of control station.

Cag, I agree with Afresh - I use Aldi wipes and they are great and really good value.

Big wing flaps to all. Happy Friday.