Fledglings Fly back to school & work, September 2017, decluttering along the way ...

[Sandycarrots]

Hello, it's time to brush the sand off our feet, empty out the suitcases, sharpen our pencils, polish our lace-up shoes, and get stuck in to the September 2017 fledgling Fly thread!

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.

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

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!

More info available here, here and here.

Your choice whether or not you sign up to the Flylady e-mails, but we advise caution as there are lots of them!

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 da
✅sorted all duplo including getting rid of some
✅got rid of some wooden blocks (plain ones as DD said she wanted to keep the coloured ones for baby)
✅more stuff for charity, recycling, bin
✅sorted more toys etc
✅spellings and maths with Caglets
✅booked flu jab (3 weeks away so might ask if I can get it elsewhere)
✅cancelled tomorrow's lesson as I might not be back in time and may be in no fit state to teach anyway
✅answered various messages I've been ignoring (always hide away when I'm feeling bad)
✅did pregnancy workout DVD for the first time in a few months - man I'm so unfit! Only managed the warmup/stretch section. Hoping to keep doing that until I can handle the next bit too

Wow that is loads Cag. Sorry to hear about light bulb issues zoo.

Ta da:-
10 mins decluttering in spare room
Laundry and dishwasher under control
Couple of options for tea later
At gymnastics with DDs and they have had a packed tea each. Gave them their sandwich straight after school for a change this time - we usually do a snack on the way then sandwiches here - which seemed to work loads better so will do that next time we need packed tea.

Good evening all!

I hope you have your shotguns at the ready because I only managed a pathetic 2 x 15 mins in the boudoir today (for no other reason than I find it so mind-crushingly boring) and that amount of time barely touched the sides.

Also, I spent a large chunk of this afternoon at the foot of her bed discussing atoms, protons, electrons, nucleons, ions etc etc and various scientists such as Rutherford, Boyle, Thomson (she was very chuffed so many of them were British!) and something called the plum pudding model ...! (Is that right?) Anyway, that took up a bit of time and for the rest ...

Ta da from this morning:
ironed dd uniform (not needed but ...)
made dd packed lunch (ditto)
emptied dw
carried all dirty laundry downstairs (a big task as scattered everywhere)
sorted laundry
washing x 2
bagged up rubbish and and recycling
clean kitchen and recycling bins microscopically
cooked dd and me cold roast chicken, pesto rice with peas and mini
sweetcorn for late lunch with salad
filled dw again
thoroughly cleaned stove top
shone sink (clear vinegar left on for 5 mins works wonders!)
wiped down kitchen surfaces
hung up washing x 2
re-fed wms

Desperate to get out of the house for a walk now but dd still a bit flu-wobbly; currently simmering some chicken noodle soup for her supper tonight.

scAs you had a considerable chunk of timr in florence nightingale mode i shall point an empty spud gun at you

Cag Congrats and for humungous decluttering achieved!!
I am not surprised you are feeling very anxious with so much uncertainty to contend with atm re: time of Cagletini's arrival and date of house move. They are both huge and totally natural and understandable that you are feeling very anxious about both. PS Could you perhaps sort books incrementally? ie go to each room in which books can be found (one room per day or per two/three days) - take three boxes to each room marked: chuck, keep, give away, - and then gradually do each room over next fortnight or so, but don't do any heavy lifting yourself!! (Sorry and ignore if that sounds patronising/you have already sorted it ages ago/or too many bks for that method.) Just thought it might be a bit less daunting than thinking "cripes, I have to sort entire book collection in entire house". The main principle though is: cut it down in to small chunks (this is why I think Kondo is great if you are on your own without dc but not so good if you are constantly interrupted).

Zoo Wow re: fantastically humungous list! And oh dear about truly pathetic council response to landing light issue and frustration over blood test results! Hope you get better responses tomorrow. (And have similar issue to kitty snot trail - furry leaving multiple nose prints on car windows!!)

Well done for great list Foxes and for decluttering toy box! Hope your ds not too grumpy tonight! "This too shall pass" and all of that (although not much consolation while it is happening I am sure!).

Einstein thanks for hot chocolate and I'm impressed (as ever) by your pre-Christmas planning/present-making. Hope trapped shoulder nerve much better post physio exercises.

Afreshstart impressive that you got 4 up and out on time despite alarm clock malfunction!

Really well done for exercising Cotswold!! And hope school visits go ok. I find Mumsnet getting a bit too aggressive for my liking nowadays - I have to avoid getting sucked in to Brexit threads - but can't resist sometimes!!

Waves to Toostressy and proffers for after gymnastics

Mahoosive wing flaps to everyone else!

Yep plum pudding model is an actual thing. SC

Thanks for being so typically kindly and merciful Zoo

Might ask you to put actual spuds in it tomorrow though!

Thanks - I went to a totally crap school and didn't do much chemistry so this is all a bit new to me Einstein must go and read up ...

30 minutes is an awful lot better than none sc

Oops x post will catch up after talking to mum on phone

If no one minds, as I still have vestiges of dd's bug (much less severely than her), and I fancy a hot bath and an early night ... I am going to post links for tomorrow right now ... .

*

The summary for Tues 26th 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. 26 for Tues 26th is here. This step emphasises the fact that "we are never behind with Flylady". It takes a month to establish a habit properly and we mustn't give up if we miss a day here or there!

We are in Zone 5 this week: The Living Room, Den, Family Room (September 24-30) here.

Spend 15 mins decluttering the current zone.

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

Tuesday's mission is here. Spend 5 mins sofa and chair diving!

The daily focus for Tuesday is planning. Plan menus, family expeditions, holidays, hair-cuts; anything that makes next wk or next month a bit easier!

The monthly habit for September is the before-bed routine: here.

Flykid's challenge: here (hopefully continually renewing itself).

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

Everyone is doing fantastically on here! V impressive lists today! Well done fledglings! Keep going .....!!! We can do it!!!

Have a good evening everyone!

Thank you Cag!!

"FlyLady Tip: When we feel like we are behind; we get stressed out. This is how we have always lived. I want you to slow down. Getting in a hurry only makes you forget things! Take time to enjoy the process!

You are not behind! Jump in where we are! ~FlyLady"

Easier said than done but fwiw, I think it is a very good tip because sometimes, I spend so much energy on getting stressed about being behind that I fritter away the time and energy I actually do have ifyswim. By the time I have stopped stressing and getting in a pickle, I could have done two hrs calm decluttering if that makes sense. This is a pattern I tend to repeat so I have to remind myself that "I am never behind" quite a lot!! Even when I patently am

Einstein no worries if you are busy, but you might be able to answer a question on my thread here??

Attempted but doing computer maintenance so god knows if I am able to post or if I need to hunt all the passwords/ accidentally locked myself out again < sigh >

Thank you so much Einstein - it did indeed post on other thread! Much appreciated!

Just sneaked a peek at your thread SC. I have no advice on that I'm afraid but it may be worth posting in The Staffroom bit if you get no replies. I have posted once before in there (made apologies for not working in a school!) and got some really helpful replies.

Thank you very much for the tip Toostressy!

Not patronising sc it's a thinker, but we didn't get round to it today as we were really busy with toy sorting mainly.

The main issue I have had with books so far is that with it all scattered all over the damn house 😳😳 I have not a flipping clue what we actually have. For example, science books - I have bought so many and been given others, and I'm sure there is lots of overlap in content and a variation in quality too, so I feel - somewhat anally perhaps - we could make more informed decisions if we could see them all together. I'm also planning to do the sort of "choose five favourites out of this pile" method which I did with cuddlies a while ago. But what might work to make it a more gentle process is to do it by category - mainly picture books, chapter books and - the biggest by far so may subdivide - non fiction. So in that sense doing a bit at a time would work.

I've got nothing planned after the midwife tomorrow morning as this week's tap class is cancelled (secretly glad!) so I'm going to ask DH to take all the books downstairs from our room tonight. The Caglets can fetch the ones in theirs, and then we will add the ones (entirely non fiction) on the little downstairs bookcase. It will take up room so it's a bit unnerving (this is what DH is worrying about I think but TBH he knows a lot less about what the Caglets actually use because he is at work when we do most of the home ed stuff). I'll get the Caglets to sort it into categories (a valuable exercise in itself :o). Hopefully there will be loads to get rid of and then we will know exactly what we have left and can decide how to store it, and all similar books will be put together.

Thinking that any picture books can be packed away (they no longer use them so it's just what they decide to save for Cagletini), and there will be chapter books to put in their room, and the non-fiction can finally all go together to make a decent library. Once we've got rid of the Caglets' bed frames there will hopefully be enough room for the bookcase to move up there.

That's a lot of waffle about books sorry! I feel a bit more positive now though :) we have achieved a lot today I think and at least the book sorting is one thing I can manage alone, if DH does the heavy lifting :)

Sometimes it needs to be written down Cag. Makes a lot of sense and can help give others strategy approach thoughts.

Going to be honest I am ready for bed already. Ergo ds is going to be a pain in the ass about bedtime. < sigh >

Great that you have a plan Cag! Sometimes it's the "how the jeff am I going to tackle x y or z and the overwhelming-ness (if that's a word) of it all that prevents us starting - and I speak for myself here!! So good to have methodology all worked out. Best of luck with it tomorrow! (Go steady though!)

Didn't get my relaxing bath. DD is feeling pukey now ... . Looks like it is proper flu unfortunately.

Apologies now if you get flamed for posting in there although you may not need to of course now you have replies.

Can also totally, totally relate to wasting time stressing about getting stuff done. Have made a conscious effort recently to just do something, as Flylady advises, rather than stressing about what I should be doing. Some days are more successful than others with that .

Xpost, poor DD, hope she can get some rest SC.

Thanks Toostressy dd was meant to be going on a school trip tomorrow (kayaking - class bonding) but obviously won't be now. On the positive side, at least she won't be missing another day's work.

Thanks for warning: will don't hard hat when/if enter "staffroom"!

Oh and I'm with you on the "just do it now" strategy!

Dah - "don" hard hat, that should have been!