September fledgling roll call: Ready, Set, FLY....

[HillsBesideTheSea]

Yes this is the bonkers back to school thread. We welcome you to jump aboard for the ride. We are following the Fly lady system for taming the chaos (can't have anyone over syndrome). We are at various levels and there is NO obligation to follow it to the letter (we've installed a bar in the naughty corner for hanging out and relaxing when needed)

4 levels for flying:
Baby steps - good for finding a routine in the tasks and getting over the perfection crippling effect
Baby steps and missions - yep basic routine and more in depth tasks
Baby steps, missions, and deep cleaning - can't clean clutter so don't consider this one if you need the next level
Flying combined with a decluttering system (kondo/unfuck etc etc) lets be honest fly lady is good for routine but not so quick with the decluttering results sometimes.

So ground rules, yes ground rules it is September:

1. Newbies - we are a long running but friendly bunch. We try not to seem clicky but it doesn't always come across as some of us have known each other on here for a long time, just join the chatter and you'll soon be a fledgling
2. There is NO wrong or right way of doing this, it is about adapting the system to suit your life circumstances, which will be different from someone else's.

Linkies will be posted daily and will appear shortly. Until then, jump on board, enjoy the ride and there are still hammocks, sand, comfy seats, cushions, blankies and a full English on the naughty corner bar it is a Saturday morning, breakfast is earnt

Morning all. Wide awake since 4am. Usual strategies ( cup of tea and piece of bread and butter, listening to the Archers) not working. Loads to do today but can I sleep? No! Arrrghhhh. Need to be up in half an hour or so anyway ... .

Was out most of day yesterday doing various errands so decided to have an entire day in house tidying and cleaning and cooking today in the hope I can make some inroads.

To do:
walk furry X 2
DD packed lunch
clear and tidy kitchen
collect dirty laundry from all over house (thank you dh and DD!)
sort laundry
washing on
rubbish and recycling
make soup
make veggie chickpea curry
30 mins boudoir
1 hr sitting room
30 mins TV /play room
30 mins hall
French study
bathroom design app thing
dining room table hot spots
put away woollens
drying rack downstairs etc
carry lots of things that are downstairs, upstairs and vice versa

Might as well get on with it! Have a good day everyone!

My theory is if can't sleep crack on and potentially sneak a nap in later

Another fledgling that's at home today and needs to make inroads..best get on with it!!

How do you not wake everyone up Zoo? DH in London but DD has just emerged rather cross that I disturbed her an hour ago (it's 6.30 here now which is our usually rising time). This is a fairly big house but you can hear everything!

And I hate day time naps! On the rare occasion I've had one, I felt so wretched afterwards it's not worth it ifyswim. I like having a bath 6.50 (rigid, moi?) on the dot every morning and staying in daytime clothes until I get to bed at night. Can't be doing with changing and getting hot and ruffled and all of that half way through the day.... I just don't understand why I am wide awake at 3.30 am with racing heart every bloomin' morning having gone to bed at 11pm!!!

I nap SC if I'm so tired I can lay on sofa and be asleep in under 4minuteszoo speciality I lay in my clothes,alarm set 30-60 mins DEP on time of day...never after 2 or don't sleep at night!!

As to waking the house I often declutter/iron/ sweep up/bake which are relatively quiet things.lil zoo used be up at 5 and woke Instantly anyone moved,but as she's reset her body clock to 6the last year or so it's not affected her if I'm shuffling around tbh dd2 could sleep thru hoovering under her bed😂😂😂😂

As for be tired and wide awake in middle of night I'm told darn hormones or lack of them I regularly have at least a week a month I get 2-3 hours a night max then songs buzz in my head and my body gets agitated if I just lay still.takes me to the bloody edge but my reading quota is becoming impressively good ....

That's certainly a skill Zoo - DH can fall asleep in 10 secs flat - I've always been envious!

Don't know why this house is so noisy, think it's because we have wooden or tiled floors throughout (no carpets even on stairs) and everything creaks!! . Believe me, I make a hell of a racket when I declutter or bake! and thats just the swearing.

Definitely know what you mean about mind racing and body being "agitated" at 3am, I don't know what to do with my arms either!!

Heigh, ho, feel utterly wretched but had better close the screen and crack on tries --not to think of in a month or so when it will be cold and dark too.

We only have carpet on the stairs SC-linate/tiling downstairs.cushion flooring that looks like laminate upstairs.my house not too bad on the creaky front

It's pitch black here as raining...I love the light bird singing summer mornings.cold and dark are for after-school when we pull curtains,put fire on and shut people outshould be banned in the a.m!!

I don't dare get up if I wake early for fear of waking the dc! I don't think they would wake up but not worth the risk. I prefer to sit in bed and drink coffee that dh has left for me tbf though I don't wake nearly as early as you all have been - I haven't been sleeping at all well though. Just really restless.

And sc I can't nap either. I can't get to sleep easily so it would take me ages to fall asleep and then I'd feel groggy. I wish I could as a power nap sounds fab zoo!

I'm working today so need to do the school run and get the house reasonable before my mum collects ds. I'm looking forward to some peace actually as yesterday from about 3pm onwards was awful. We were all so grumpy. Me and dh argued. The dc were being difficult. It wasn't good! Let's hope today a bit better. I think like you say cag new school year is quite hard , dd settling in and tired, ds tired from all the walking to and fro to school!

I never did before I hit 40 foxes - there's time for you yet!!

Tada
Wash on
Ironing
Fed cats
Bleach lav
Make hummus for pack ups
Wash up last night's tea things
Pack ups and breakfasts

We’re all a bit grumpy and tired here. Really not looking forward to the day - it’s back to Badgers/Cadets tonight, which means I’m hanging around with the baby. Also an expense we don’t need ATM (last week’s trip away really cleaned us out) as I have dinner with each Caglet while the other is at their club. In the summer we will be able to take a picnic and head to the park but it’s cold wet miserable and will be dark by then. At least the pub is quiet and clean (unlike the Wetherspoons on the other side of town, I used to go there to wait before baby arrived).

Really struggling with keeping up with housework ATM as well. Novelty is wearing off (much as I am still very happy here!) and it’s getting really hard to keep on top of with everything else going on.

I had to add the Japanese keyboard to my iPad settings to continue with Duolingo and now I keep accidentally switching it on and getting random hiragana everywhere.

こんにちは! (Hello 👋)

I have no idea if i posted the links for today or not. SO n just in case - linkies:

launch pad
babystep - laundry...
missions
zones
thursday is errand day

So far today my dishwasher has broken and my computer has broken . My mum has picked ds up and I'm all ready to actually do some work and I can't even start!!!

Oh how annoying 😡 I live in fear of broken appliances.

I put a towel wash on and tried having a nap but couldn’t sleep so I’m watching The Slap.

I think my computer is up and running again but i won't get nearly as much work done now which is frustrating. The dishwasher will have to wait for now despite it being a bit smelly yuck.

I've just eaten some cake to make myself feel better.

Sorry you are having computer issues this morning foxes

I will have to admit that this morning I got ds to school and went back to bed for a nap. Been averaging around 6hrs a night which is not enough for me so feeling vaguely more human but mostly like I could have slept a damn site longer.

Mahoosvie food shopping list written (been living out of the store cupboards with tiny top up bits because I was too lazy to go food shopping. Also need to carry on batch cooking and filling the Freezer. October, November and December are going to be off the scale levels of crazy so anything I do now to make it easier the better!

PLugging away at the huge to do list slowly over the last few days, keep starting posts and then forgetting to post them Hope your days are treating you all kindly!

My zip broke on favourite jeans just before school run
It was light drizzle,not too cold when left so just took fleece.absolutely pissed it down halfway there and I got drowned.only decent pair jeans left now dry by fire(still)
Toilet blocked
This is why I went back to bed....

Hung up wash on airer(jumpers)
Lunch--squash and sweet potato soup and cheese roll😋
I still feel very sleepy and fed up....

Yummy lunch here of granary toast scrambled eggs bacon and beans 😋

Need to leave fairly soon for St John. I am actually full of dread. It’s just getting harder with the baby as she is tolerating less time in the buggy and doesn’t much like being held either unless she’s sleepy! Home ed is proving tough too. I wouldn’t change her of course but I feel bad the Caglets aren’t getting enough done 😞

zoo your day sounds a bit like mine. Dishwasher broken. Computer broke then fixed so made rush to get any work done. And now the water is off on our road!!

Off to pick up both dc soon, got half an hour to myself first, work finally finished. Although can't even have a cup of tea due to no water. Humph.

Cag totally hear you on the baby starting to hate buggy, being held etc, it's a tricky age like you say!

Ta das to prove I have done something today!
Washed up some bits (due to broken dishwasher)
General tidy up
Typed something up for committee meeting
Did actual work - finally
Put washing on

To do
Hang washing up
Collect dc
Cook dinner - quick and easy freezer stuff whatever we've got plus chips and beans!
Clean bathrooms

That's the aim...

Achieved virtually naff all
Will try again once got lil zoo
Really tired and lacking motivation today...

Can't clean the bathroom with no water can I! Doh

I feel the same zoo today has been very much one of those days.

Don't blame you Zoo the crap of life is relentless sometimes isn't it? I'll join you in the fed up corner if I may!

I am finding it very hard going indeed today. It is 24°c here, glorious sunshine, but it feels a lot hotter in the house. I am red faced as a beetroot, perspiring heavily (lovely image eh?) lugging paniers of washing up and down the stairs. And tons of everyone else's random crap up and down the stairs so it seems. Seem to have permanent stomach pain too. A 4 min walk to chemist for dd prescription took me about 10mins! Must keep going though; following Hill's good example and plugging away.

How frustrating about computer Foxes and about your jeans Zoo! Sod's law that machines break down when you most need them and it's always the zips that go in one's favourite trousers, never the ones you are meh about!! Tis the law!

Better get back on with it before I spread any more gloom and doom. BBL with ta da list (or some of it) anyway!

Very impressed by the forward planning and batch cooking Hills btw!

Wing flaps to Cag and to everyone else!

Sorry, was interrupted and thread had moved on by the time I had finished and posted there!

Meant don't blame you for having a bit of much deserved shut eye Zoo!

Oh no not the water too Foxes poor you!

Cag that sounds very challenging having to balance the needs of everyone all at once. Would Cagletini stay still enough to enjoy a little activity table of her own I wonder while the others are studying? (A home edding friend has "special" toys and books that she only brings out for younger siblings when older ones are studying.) Something like this maybe [[https://www.very-kids.fr/eveil/558-table-dactivites-baby-forest-j08018.html? here]] Or perhaps for when she is a bit older? What do I know though (never had to wrestle more than one!!) and of course they are ££££.

Thanks SC funnily enough I was wondering about getting her some special toys just for the playpen to try and keep her interest. We can try and fit in learning around naps but they aren’t very predictable.

Also I’m planning to make one of those sensory boards, with stuff like light switches and bolts and things to fiddle with as well as squares of carpet etc. Thought it’d make a great home ed project to get the kids designing, budgeting etc (with accompanying paperwork, I actually quite enjoyed that at school).

Well we didn’t end up going to badgers. Because I’m a fucking idiot and have lost my bank card. So no money to get anywhere or to be able to sit indoors while waiting (as not able to buy food). We’ve made the best of it, using up a jar of sauce now to make pasta bake with added grated veg etc as it’s been lurking in the cupboard. Trying to get a bit more house stuff done in between sulking! Back later as I’m going to continue watching The Slap on the iPad while cooking