Lost the plot with clutter? Want sparkle(r)s in your sink? Come Fly with flare on the November Fledgling thread!

[Sludgecolours]

If you are strugging with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of chat, support and and along the way.

This is where, from the first of the month (seriously, HOW is it November already?!), we follow – loosely – the rules of FlyLady [see website here ]. (Pls ignore the barftastic language, and we suggest NOT signing up to the emails as there are rather a lot of them. All the info you need will be posted here on a daily basis.)

Helpful info on getting started here!.

We adopt a three-pronged approach:

-start or repeat baby steps

• repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone or area (yes, just 15 mins focused work a day makes a difference!)

and/or

• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.

[And if you are really enthusiastic and have finished decluttering - you can go on to detailed deep cleaning in each zone.]

NB
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 not only welcome to join in but positively encouraged to do so!

Another NB
Start where you are. There is no need to worry about being perfect – perfectionism = paralysis! There is no such thing as ‘falling behind’ with FlyLady, if you miss anything, just move on and continue as normal the next day.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck!

Change DD bedding (do ours tomorrow)
Put away clothes
Change guinea pig cage.
Clear shelves and bed side cabinets in master bedroom and chuck into attic.
Cook tea

Just pigs to do now. Oh and email rota.

jellyfish you are doing great!!
afresh its hard with poorly ones.hope ds feeling better today cant remember whats wrong.but i having a week like that!!

Got dp around for a few days.tip run on the aagenda.oooh yeah.i know how to have a good time😂

come blitz my house i actually think cleaning elsewhere waaaay easier.not sentimental attatchment and all that

So sorry I didn't post these links last night! Here they are!

BBL to catch up with everyone! Have a good day!

*

The summary for Friday 10th 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. 10 for Friday 10th is here. An effective one about the power of 15 mins!

We are in Zone 2 this week: Kitchen, Back Porch,Laundry Room,Pantry (November 5-11) : here.

Spend 15 mins decluttering the current zone.

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list for Zone 2 (if you are at that stage) is here.

Friday's mission (last for this week in the kitchen zone) is: here. Sweep and mop your kitchen floor in a non-perfectionist manner!

The daily focus for Friday is decluttering our purses/handbags/cars + date night.

The monthly habit for November is menu planning here!

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

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

Holiday missions here!

Keep going everyone!

***

Thanks Sludge
That's easy for me today.
The one I love isn't here. The others ( kids) are all working I imagine.
I haven't got a pantry, we knocked it down in favour of a kitchen table for 6 space. Wish I had one.
I haven't got a laundry. So just the kitchen which is fairly clean and I can see most of the table. Not keen on the 27 fling! 27 🙀
Ta Das last night
Cleaned out two drawers in computer desk and flung some rubbish on the fire.
Feeling better today so off for shower and off to work.😀
Good flying everyone and it's Friday yeah!
Cag give baby caglet and extra long cuddle from me.

Thanks zoo :)

Working today so missions are:
Finish washing/ drying clothes
Dishes
Accounts.

Morning all. I did manage to dejunk the table before bed last night. I now just have one pile of important stuff to sort through!

No flying at all yesterday, and trying to get back in the swing of it today. I need to find my timer and motivation!

I have timers..

I think I need a truckload of them! No children in the house and I keep on just enjoying the peace and quiet.

Morning all! No flying myself here again. Baby is super snuffly so overnight was quite tough. What happened to the whole breastfed babies being healthier thing? I feel cheated :o

then imagine how poorly she would be if bottlefedcag.useless fact i learn as breastfeeding mentor....babies give u some of their germs as they feed so milk is tsilor made to fight whatevers making them ill.if you havent had that germ it make u under the weather as you prduce antibodys

More of a ta didnt than a tada...dp text me as i was walking home from drop lil zoo dont feel like coming today...builders have trapped my car and i cant leave carpark(he lives 5min walk away from work)it takes 20 from his to mine.as i need go town(which i pass a field/playarea his work is near n not far from lives)wanna meet me n walk in tog.no i in a mood...sod you thenbloody manchild.grrr
Hour walking to n fro school followed by another 2.5hr town trip.but as dd2 near killed ds for asking borrow a black pen as his ran out.i broke my veg knife and i need cheap bits for next week lunch boxes(gotra love home bargains) without trailing zoolets with me tomorrow i had no alternative despite 3hr sleep as both cold and dd2 was snoring((sigh))

And top it off fecking wash machine on blink((cries))
Its spin but not ip to rev speed so washing it dripping(useless as dryer wont take it like that and ive no where to hang it to drip
I think it may be one of those days
(Contemplates hiding in naughty corner under huge fluffy blankie and eating body weight in chocolate)

Urgh, grey, cold and raining here; just got back from supermarket and bank run and am soaked to skin after a morning of office stress (servers have crashed again). Agree with everyone that a shed load of timers and motivation will be required this afternoon to get through the urgent chores!

to everyone feeling below par, de-motivated, overwhelmed, or whose dc are poorly. The clocks going back, the dark mornings, nights drawing in and cold weather certainly don't help!

Feeling a bit beseiged on all sides here with various things related to visitors, Christmas, operation, medical tests, more visitors - have to resist all instincts to bury head in sand and confront them one by one but they involve saying "no" and disappointing people so dreading it!

First on list is second hand sale which is tomorrow and not on Sunday as I thought (yargh!!!! ) so I am not as nearly well organised for it as I'd intended and just have this afternoon/evening and tomorrow morning to finish sorting. Only have my own poor time management and procrastination to blame for this!! Sometimes I despair of myself I really do .

Think Flylady may have something when she instructs us to look at the calendar properly (baby-step 30) ; quite clearly, my sub-conscious was avoiding it!!

Enough of my whinging ... how is everyone else getting on?

First, a huge treble awarded to Afreshstart! Hats off to you for getting that huge list done yesterday while looking after a poorly little 'un¨- who I hope is feeling better - (and doing school runs and organisation for 3 others). Really, really don't know how you do it! And partic congrats for paper pile sorting despite earlier setback with it! That shows true grit.

Great you have a functioning wm back Hills - I have only just sorted backlog from when ours broke down a few month's back - personally think prompt processing of laundry is far more important to successful overall functioning of house than shiny sink (for us anyway). Hope flatback building went well.

FlyingJellyfish I hope your dd is feeling better and that you are feeling less overwhelmed. I agree that gps are the just the best pets for little 'uns! Much more gentle and tactile than rabbits. Agree with Zoo that you are doing brilliantly!

Hope your ds is feeling better today too Foxes

Sorry you had such a tough day yesterday Bowerbird5 but glad you are feeling better today, and well done for continuing to do chores despite feeling below par!

Encouraging wing flaps to everyone I have missed and anyone who is lurking! It's going dark already here and lighting is so poor in this house I must go and make the most of the last hour when I can see properly!!!

Have good Friday evenings everyone!

Zoo oh that is so disappointing about your dp (his loss) and so sorry to hear about washing machine too! Chocolate sounds like a very good idea!

Cag sorry - missed that Cagletini wasn't well - hope she recovers soon.

Waves to TaylorTinker Toostressy CallmeCordelia LadyMuddle Getyourrocksoff Honu lljkk I'vegotbills, Aurora , BzyB , yummyeclair ibuiltahomeforyou Lelly78, Shannara, Justonemorecoffee, Jingsmahbucket, Longtime, Lizziesnips, Whoknows, Cotswold, Toostressy Jenthehen Mercury, Dsmummy Phoenix and anyone else I have missed!

Whoo hoo - a miracle - it's stopped raining and the sun has come out!

My cue to get cracking!

Ta da
All washing away
Kitchen floor swept and mopped
Half cupboard doors wiped down
Hallway hot-spot cleared which will last until DCs appear
Some admin done
Parcel dropped off
Trip to town to run some errands and have lunch with a friend

To do
Beds. Still.
Washing. Always.
Kitchen paper clutter
Bathrooms

Happy Friday and hope everyone has a good weekend.

Zoo I did mentor training too! I have forgotten pretty much all of it though😳

Hi all! DS is much better today thanks he slept until 8.15 this morning!! He has discovered the kitchen bin though and keeps taking things out of it

Ta da
some daily routine
cleared out car
got dd friend birthday present and card

To do
declutter in kitchen
sweep and mop kitchen floor (useful mission since ds has just spilled the cat's water everywhere)
finish daily routine
declutter purse and hand bag
make veggie chilli and nachos for dinner

SC I feel very similar to you being besieged on all sides atm...helping my mum with funeral plans for next week, got work to do, kids to look after, dd has lots of parties coming up so need to get countless gifts, got a wedding coming up and need an outfit (which I'm dreading, I'm sure I used to enjoy shopping!), still haven't taken my mop to the post office...the list is endless!!! So you have my sympathies and I don't have the medical tests part so that must be an added stress

SC surely if there's ever a good time to turn down hosting, it's when you have operations etc going on?! I hope you will get enough time to recover from all this.

Great end to the choring week there CallmeCordelia Congrats on long list achieved!

Thank you Foxes although I am sure arranging your grandfather's funeral is something that is much more onerous for you and your mother I hope the planning goes as well as these things can x

And thank you Cag - really torn about this - because I know I will be hugely relieved at having to say "no" in one way because my energy levels are low currently and although I was looking forward to it, this house is tough going at the best of times. On the other hand, I was so looking forward to having everyone here and the expat thing makes it hard (for example my db's partner in UK is also an expat so they go to her family every other year so it will be 2018 before a big meet up can be arranged again). Also, I HATE disappointing everyone, especially dd, who was up for a big Christmas . Don't have much choice though... although frustratingly .... dates for op still not fixed definitively but everyone needs definitive answer arrghhh! Anyway, dh (voice of calm, clear, reason ) says "better to disappoint everyone now rather than a week in advance". I know he is right. [Also ignoring voice in head that wants to pretend op not happening because I am a coward] Sorry rambling on ...back to clothes sorting ... ..

Food planning tonight = takeaway!!

Oh bloody hell. DD has just texted saying she will be back in 30 mins (she is in park with a friend who is a boy - arrangement previously agreed with us as they walk home along same route) and she is already 30 mins over agreed time of return. Need to think how I am going to handle this. Most unlike her - she is always very reliable about friends and coming home on time etc - not sure if I should be worried or not ... eek ... where is the teen manual?

She probably just lost track of time. I would stress to her that the nights are closing in and you don't want her coming back in the dark.

Some great TaDahs today😄

My Ta Dahs today.
Lots of ta dahs at work but no break ( someone nicked my kettle again) and no drink. No lunch as promised a weekly app. That they could come today and I didn't get out in time to get any lunch. I only had chicken cup of soups & I eat fish on Fridays. However it meant I was starving when I got home.
Left at 4pm😄 so I would be home before dark to get a load of wood in so wheelbarrow full of wood.
Bucket of coal
Chicken in bed ( not mine!)
Cup of much needed tea!
Pasta with sauce, added anchovies, tomatoes and mushrooms plus left over salmon fish cake on side.
Binned fish cake that I suspect caused allergy. Different one.
Unloaded and loaded dishwasher and put on and wiped worktops also glass hob.All before 6 pm and only came in at 4:45pm! Recycling soaking too.
Lit fire, twice. Emptied bathroom bin. Toilet roll inners got fire going😊
Now sorting/decluttering paper from work and then starting on dining room paper pile.
Swished and swiped toilet before work. Haven't made bed because I was thinking I might change sheets tonight. Wed. job😙

***

The summary for Sat 11th 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. 11 for Sat 11th is here. It's about adding "inspirational phrases" to your cj - whatever ...

Tomorrow is our last day in Zone 2 for this month (if you do zone work at weekends that is): Kitchen, Back Porch,Laundry Room,Pantry (November 5-11) : here.

Spend 15 mins decluttering the current zone.

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list for Zone 2 (if you are at that stage) is here.

Newcomers, FYI we will be in Zone 3 next week: The Main Bathroom and One Extra Room (November 12-18) here.

No mission on Saturday because it is the weekend! Yay!

The daily focus for Saturday is family fun. Hope all poorly dc are feeling better for the weekend!

The monthly habit for November is menu planning here!

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

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

Holiday missions here!

Have a restorative weekend everyone (if at all possible!).

*
Thanks ¨Bowerbird5 dd came home eventually (2.15hrs late from my agreed time, but she had negotiated a different home time out of dh and he hadn't told me, although she was late for that too!!) so we have all had a word tonight and she will be coming home 40 mins early from friend's house on Sunday and doing an extra chore for us tomorrow. Trying to be reasonable because she did text us frequently while she was "awol" and want to keep those lines of communication well and truly open!

Fantastic "ta da" list Bowerbird5 very well done indeed! (I did wonder about chicken in bed!! ) You have done loads on top of working!

Ta da:
animals
dd packed lunch
furry walk 1
empty dw/shine sink etc
s & s
put clean and ironed clothes away
dining room table hot spots
endless phone calls/e-mails about Christmas arrangements
supermarket shop + bank run
sort dd old clothes and toys for selling (this is taking ages)
gather together carrier bags, pricing labels, foldable table, collapsing rails, plastic table cloth and boxes
tidy up for morning/evening routine

Wow!
Good Ta Dah from you too.
I just got one bag done and most of it went back in. Cut out a few things ready for laminating next week.
Decided to go to bed and get up early ish and get a good lot done as no flying on Sunday. As you can see I woke up😧

Today's list
Change bedding and tidy bedroom. Dust and vacuum.
One load of washing.
Dining room table
Computer draw
Vacuum downstairs, wipe skirting boards.
Menu plan for the week.