Stepping forward in October: the new look fledgling Fly thread.

[Spreadingcudweed]

OK so maybe not new and improved exactly... but a more slimline, concentrated version!

Huge thanks to Hills for guiding us so slickly through September !

Many of us have been here forever; the thread where we (loosely) follow the Flylady housekeeping system here to combat CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome) with a load of chat and mutual support along the way. For that reason, we may seem cliquey, but we really aren't and all newcomers, lurkers, returnees and (intermittent) regulars are hugely welcome!

We are not posting links to the Flylady site on a daily basis anymore, just the daily baby step and flight plan, and the missions and zones on a weekly basis, but don't hesitate to ask questions about the system if you have any!

More information available here and from the launch pad here.

And borrowing heavily from Hills September introduction ... .

There are 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 (if you are at that stage) - 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.

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.

And when it all gets too much: come and take a seat by the fire in our specially adapted "naughty" corner where you can enjoy virtual and and tangible support from fellow fledglings.

bower I've left ds and walked off and dd is always more upset than he is - ds knows I wouldn't really leave him i think! Toddlers!!

Ta da
Dishwasher on
Washing on
Quick tidy everywhere
Dinner in oven (chicken Kiev's from the freezer tonight!)
Updated online food shop
Emptied kitchen bin

Not doing much today, feel ready for the weekend tbh!

Evening all! Not much achieved with DD at home but at least fab cleaner has hoovered everywhere and cleaned bathroom and kitchen.

Obviously with dd ill we can't go to wreck2 tonight which I was really looking forward to. Not that she can help it of course but when I asked DH if I could go for one day and stay here for one day (ie we share parenting duties) he reminded me that he is working/travelling for large part of this w/e which I'd totally forgotten about! Bum!

Ta da:
emptied dw
frantic tidy up ahead of cleaner
took furry for long walk while she was cleaning
made fish cakes (for oven) and mucked up kitchen again (bad planning!)
took DD lunch up on a tray
tidied up kitchen
laundry X 2 and hung up
quick nip to supermarket
bought some birthday and Christmas presents on-line
watched a film with DD (sense and sensibility)
just making salad to go with fishcakes now

That is all. Nowt v exciting I'm afraid.

Sass and others: I love Liverpool and have just seen the amazing Giants on the news! Reminds me of a modern version of the giant saints we have parading around the small towns and villages here during the summer!

Have a lovely Friday evening everyone and I hope the ailing among us are feeling better!

Is DD any better SC
I need to pull up my big girl pants and do some self care this weekend as I'm sliding into a black hole
Will keep on top of thread and post but if I disappear at all I will be back!!

Her stomach is better thanks Zoo but she is still achey/fluey/coughing etc unfortunately. So sorry to hear you are struggling. Keep posting if it helps. How is ds?

Sorry was interrupted there; meant to say keep posting if it helps but totally understood if you need "alone" time. Take care x

Please look after yourself zoo I know it is so immensely draining having an anxious child x

I am eating too much toast. Fridays are a bit awkward until Christmas, as DD is doing both grade 1 and grade 2 ballet classes (she is doing the first exam in December but they’ve said she can start learning the next stuff - she was much older than average when she started) so it’s either eat very early or eat very late. TBH though it’s DH’s problem as he’s off on Fridays. Yay!

Giants were ace! We might go to see them at the very end of their thing on Sunday...we live walking distance to the docks so no traffic craziness to deal with. DD1's school sent a text saying that they could all have 'authorised lates' due to the bonkers traffic!

Didn't achieve much today really, but I needed to relax after how crappy I felt yesterday!

Glad you are relaxing a bit Steggy. Saw amazing Giants on the news! Loved the way the dog snored when "resting"! Do you know why this year is their last appearance out of interest?

Cag I really sympathise about the toast, as my diet is going very badly atm it has to be said. Was rushing around yesterday before hospital appt, discarding trousers left right and centre that I can't do up!! . Good luck with ballet logistics tonight!

Yea! I have nearly finished my list. Still need to do the tidying in the sitting room as I am sitting amongst some of the RC from the bag. Put all the confidential stuff in the fire to burn tomorrow. Just doing the last bit as I found another small bag. I am so pleased to have done this as I was overwhelmed by it all and now I have not only gone through each bag but I also have it organised for different days. It has taken a few days.

Sounds like the virus over here SC pity about plans hope DD gets over it soon. I’m still Coughing 4 weeks later. I do have problem with immune system though.

Think I will finish sitting room tomorrow I can’t be bothered to finish it. It won’t take long tomorrow as I have cleaned it, then emptied bags so in piles around the room. I have so many different roles within school that I have so much paperwork but at least I am getting through it and getting more ruthless. If it isn’t current or useful for this year I am binning it, trouble is I am working with R, Yr1,3,4&6 plus another group. Not doing all the roles this year but may next term! So lots of stuff. I just want to get it back into school and will have to have some sort of system to pick up maybe the night before. Getting extra planning time on Fridays soon so hope to get it done and then leave it there somewhere.
DD has just brought me a big mug of tea. Those toddlers do grow up.😱

I swear time goes faster when you have children - the days are long but the years are short. DD has taken herself to bed early (for her, she's a night owl like me) tonight. DH is back with his laundry and there is a daddy/daughter trip planned tomorrow so that will give me some ironing time. Go me.

Zoo do what you have to to take care of yourself.

I am drinking the wine that I put the fridge earlier, accompanied by echinacea as I can feel a cold coming on. Hope no-one else gets it.

Ugh mood slipping here too. Must take my vitamin D and play the long game. It did feel good to be at the park for sports club though, got plenty of sunshine and fresh air.

ta da
✅tiny bit of home ed, less than our new normal as we had people round and was a bit thrown by the change in routine
✅panic tidy
✅sports club
✅paid ballet invoice

House definitely escaping from us a bit. Also discovered that the new kitchen cupboard doors the HA put on weren’t done properly 🙄 one screw in each hinge instead of two!

DD has ballroom tomorrow and then we will go to a nearby town as their board game shop, which I adore and visit every time we go there, is closing 😭😭😭 will probably buy the baby shoes too and maybe a few more things on our house list - seriously craving some retail therapy

Evening.
Thanks for the heads up on the possible disappearing Zoo we worry about you sometimes most of the time Hope you manage to sort the self care you need.

Hope you are ok Zoo. I love to hear about your family. I hope your DS is coping.

Good morning fledglings! Hope everyone ok! [Leaves out ginormous teapot and platter of buttered tea cakes for Zoo and other early birds.]

*

SATURDAY 6TH OCTOBER
Today's baby-step: here
Today's flight plan: here.
Need more info? Pls. flip the thread and consult opening posts!

Oh dear, oh dear! I now remember why it was more accurate to write everything out by hand! According to this we should be starting in Zone 2: the kitchen & pantry (Oct 6-12) today. But (unless it recalibrates shortly) the flight plan manages to mention being in two zones, neither of which are accurate! Business as usual then on the clunky (imho) clunky Flylady site! .

Morning all signing in for the weekend

Hope all are well

Damn I should have got up when I went to loo now all the teacakes are gone.😫I shouldn’t have decided to go back to bed.

Having a lie in because I went to bed late ...naughty.
Need to have tea. DD is up so hopeful I will have one made when I go downstairs. Need to finish RBC pile as I got so far last night but then couldn’t be bothered so it is sitting in a pile as I refused to let it go back into a bag. I have done all the bags now. There is still a lot of bags but it looks tidy to me and DD. She has just brought me a mug of tea. Bring ‘em up right and you reap rewards later😁
I wonder if it is time delay SC depending on which part of America she is in. Are they behind our time in which case it might still be the 5 th there? I don’t know about America as I have never been. No real desire too yet.Any way I don’t mind because I haven’t finish that zone. I haven’t started in dining room yet. I plan to do some of that today and then start on kitchen maybe or get DD to start in there if she is willing. If she did fridge and corner cupboard it would be a big help.

Plan
Get up.
Complete sorting pile of RC
Check hall / front door area.
Dining room table. Sort pile of books from school. Think about getting rid of some.
Clean table.
Lunch

zoo I wonder if your DS will relax a little today with it being the weekend. I hope so for your sake. If not perhaps you need to give him a timer with an hour set to not disturb you. Thinking of you.

Cags Enlist your DC to help so you can get back to where you were. It doesn’t take long for a few things out of place to make the house look messy. I am still fighting that battle with grown ups. However it can disappear quickly if you gather it and say take your stuff or it goes out. Sometimes it becomes the background when left long enough. I know because it happens here and I am guilty too. I have noticed it more with DD and DH both being here though. They leave mugs instead of putting them in kitchen, let alone making it to dishwasher. Other stuff too. Really hard with a toddler pulling stuff out left, right and centre. She is so gorgeous though.

I hope others have a productive day and enjoy some family time. DD and I are going for a short walk. I can’t go too far due to ankle apparently I have torn ligaments I did think that was a possibility and GP confirmed it.

👋 to newbies. How are you getting along?

Oops that was long. Sorry!

Hi all,
At my in laws this weekend so having a nice fairly relaxing weekend . Do need to take DDs out to a party this afternoon though and we need to leave early as not sure exactly where we will be able to park which might be fun on a busy Saturday.

Glad to hear DD feeling better foxes, sorry to hear your DD is poorly SC.

I can sympathise (of course) with houses and clutter. I haven’t done any true decluttering for weeks. Have joined gym and been exercising on my day off which of course is good but is a massive time sucker. Not sure what the answer to that is.

Thanks bower and I totally agree about things becoming background! Our entire old house was like that really and I can definitely feel things slipping in that direction here. I don’t think it could ever be that bad simply due to more space etc but I am starting to struggle with keeping on top of things especially as darker colder weather creeps in.

Well done on tackling all the school supplies BTW!

I was saying to DH today I need him to take some weekend days off. This is really hard at his work but hopefully they will let him use the odd day of AL. But we need some time to sort the house, it’s great he has weekdays off but then we are focusing on home ed and the afternoons are always taken up with clubs. At least it will be a bit more free in half term though I guess (a couple of clubs still on, but much less work to do).

Off out shortly but wrapping up warm and not planning on spending too long out because it’s chilly and baby was really snotty and grumpy overnight.

[Wipes buttery teacake crumbs from mouth with swift guilty gesture and swallows hard]

Hey I've hope you had a good week!

Toostressy Glad to hear you are having a relaxing w/e! I'd always prioritise personal fitness over clutter as your energy levels often determine how much effort and time one can put in to housework (especially when working as you do). Mind you, I would always prioritise anything else over housework!

Also I imagine that your clutter isn't as overwhelming as ours is here (20 yrs of crap and no proper storage in which to put it). I can't quite believe that I'm nearly in my mid-fifties and I still don't have a functioning home. It really does no good for ones's mental health I must say.

DD (who seems a bit better today thanks) is upset this morning because I am getting at her because her school books cover over one and a half of the two dining room tables on the ground floor (it's such a pain having to tidy it up every time we want to eat). She explained to me very reasonably that they are there because she has inadequate desk and bookshelf space and lighting in her bedroom, which is quite true. And so the cycle of utter frustration continues... . Don't ask why we don't do her bedroom... it's a very complicated situation.... but let's just say my patience is running out.

Hope you have a lovely weekend with your dd Bower! And well done with continuing to tackle the BRC! I think website issues might be due to time delay or some such, will check this evening, but tbh I get the impression that (imho) the Purple Fairy abandoned her website some time ago and is just paying it cursory visits (if that) from time to time!

Zoo what Bower said. Would be good if you could possibly ring-fence some alone time for yourself ... even if just 30 mins ... sending positive thoughts and

x posts Cag hope Cagletini not going down with something. YY to background clutter becoming normalised. If I was starting again I would prioritise everything having a place and there being a place for everything. Alas, gone way beyond that stage here ... .

Tbh sc it’s only because we had the fresh start of moving that we’ve managed as much as we have. Still a way to go though as the whole of Cagletini’s end of the room (which she still isn’t in yet) is BRCs! Not piled high or anything but still a fair few. And we made the mistake of shoving a few things on the tops of all the Kallax units so they are a right mess and yup, normalised background. And we keep adding to it. Think the main thing I need to do is organise one of the shelves to become the home ed one, as currently the exercise books and printed sheets etc are all over the place.

Ooh my lunch is here. Then we are braving more rain to walk through town to the game shop. They are reducing everything by 20%

Oops! Post went wrong there! Meant to say small steps and all of that; you've only just moved and with three DC at home (one of whom is toddling) I can't imagine you have much time in the day!

Also, yes, meant to add, that I imagine it will take something as drastic as moving to get us sorted!