Autumn leaves and a clean sweep: it's the October Fledgling Fly thread (2019)

[Slowchirp]

Welcome to 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. Quite a few of us have been on here for a while, so for that reason, we may seem cliquey, but we really aren't, and all newcomers, lurkers, returnees, regulars, and intermittent regulars are very welcome!

Every day I will post a link to the activities for "Today" which summarises everything you need on a daily basis if you want to follow the system strictly, but we tend to adapt it to suit our individual circumstances, homes, and energy-levels!

Please note that, athough Flylady is keen for us to check in to the website, we've recently had a few concerns wrt security, so although there is lots of useful info on the site, it's best not download it or put any of your personal details into the website for now, or sign up to the (many and frequent) e-mails (but your choice as some fledglings find the latter helpful).

More information on getting started available:
here (containing baby-steps!) but please don't hesitate to ask if you have any further qs.

There are 4 levels for Flying:
-Baby steps - good for starting a routine and overcoming the perfection crippling effect
-Baby steps and missions - basic routine + more in depth tasks
-Baby steps, missions, and deep cleaning (if you are at that stage).
You 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) let's 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 don't be put off by the barftastically twee nature of the Flylady site, the underlying system is sound. Feel free to ignore any step or routine that doesn't suit you or your home! No perfectionism allowed!

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 lots of support from fellow fledglings.

More info follows (but again, please note we advise only looking at the pdfs and not downloading them):

** launch pad (general info) here

** daily babysteps pdf (ignore the ones that don't suit you or your home) here

** week day missions (some fledglings find it easier to do them at weekends) here

** info about zones (explanation of how zones work) here

** weekly zones (a rough weekly guide to which area of the house we are tackling currently, again adapt to suit yourself) here and here

** daily focus (helpful guide to allocate a certain day for a certain task) here and here

** deep cleaning lists pdf (only attempt when you have decluttered as you can't clean clutter!) here

Good luck and happy Flying one and all!

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Last but not least, a huge thank you to ChicCroissant for running such a lovely (and busy!) September thread [cake[

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Afternoon! I am back and I think I've caught up with the thread. Fabulous weekend away, managed to get another date for the cancelled hospital appointment and DD is now fighting off a bad cold (but has gone to school anyway). No flying, still need to unpack one of the suitcases and we were only away for one night

Welcome to the newbies that joined while I was away, Dave and Elloello.

I'd rather move than face months of builders myself Tidy, hope the jabs go well. I think that freezing is quite common actually Laputa, I've seen entire offices do that when waiting for something big to happen! Stressy I like your combo of MN/coffee/wifi. SC you'll need a hot bath tonight after the megaclean!

Bower those holidaying quiz team members should consider their positions, no one wants to carry that sort of lightweight IVE I hope the Uni work is going well,

Ah Laputa I'm EXACTLY the same with phone calls. Particularly medical ones but any phone call really. I've bad hearing so have to concentrate hard.

Procrastinated this morning about doing a check on the smoke alarms. I've one with a vibrating pad and lights which is wirelessly connected to two alarms. But it freaks me out to test it because everything goes off at once - lights, noise etc and I'm always worried I won't get it to stop.

It was installed by two lovely Fire fighters as part of their community service for free. An actual fire truck pulled up outside the house. Anyway, I digress .

Husband is away until Sunday. I'm in full control of the remote control for the foreseeable

Having a cup of tea. General downstairs Hoover then 15 mins in zone.

I think someone put that image up previously. I'm sure I've seen it on here before. I love the closet reorganisation part!

How's it going Dave and elloello?

Laputa another one who freezes.like foxes I am then mad after for wasting so much time!this is why I love this thread.its great to know you are not alone doing these things!

SC good luck with builders.may I borrow either medieval pike or flame thrower?(or Ives spade)
"D"p text at 9 he's "too tired" to take us shopping.so instead of two shops in a car it was a walk to local shops,drop off heavy bags and then go out again to further ones hunting as much as was on shop list at cheapest prices(but not as cheap as going further afield with him.aaaargh)
Exhausted and breathless by 11 it was then I trailed D's to wellbeing cafe.today we did modelling clay for a bit
Got home to find wash machine full water and clothes and lights flashing...appeared filters blocked so successfully drowned kitchen floor/my knees of jeans (why are filters at the bottom so there's no way if getting decent sized anything under damn thing when these things happen and it's towels at the ready for tidal wave of water??
Limescale and a razor safety plastic thingyretrieved and reassemble filter into machine.rinse cycle the clothes in there as soapy,they're now rewashing
It's been very blustery here,and getting dark.i think rain is a coming...

Heads down tails up Lisette

Chic yes, they will be suitably chastised! That is three quizs in a row they have missed.Two at a new venue nearer to them.

Been in the summerhouse reading...checking for spiders there are loads moving in. Cut back one buddelia, a bit of another as it is Black Knight and a rose which has got out of hand. Some alliums which have finished and anything dying back.
Cleaned out all Henny Penny's poop and rearrange and fluffed shedded paper. Like the story of the Little Red Hen she appears to be growing her own wheat around the edges of the pen. She is so smart.
Ta Das
Gardening
bed made
three loads of washing done and out on line or on Everhot.
Made lunch, well i put bargain butcher's sausage rolls into oven.

Nedd to Vacuum downstairs Typo but has any one seen him I could do with a hand. DH has just got dressed and appears to be settling in to watch another film. Bloody hell he hasn't lifted a finger today.

Zoo I would be telling him not to show his face around there for the rest of the month because "YOU"RE TIRED OF HIM LETTING YOU DOWN" Rant over on zoos behalf.

If I was near you I would gladly take you.

No phonecall yet. Not assertive enough to chase it up.

Bare minimum home ed achieved. Also fought with the toddler over sweet chilli crisps that are two spicy for the big two 🤔🤷‍♀️

The builders have just gone. They do put in a long day. Ridiculous really but I felt obliged to work same hrs so I have only stopped now too. And (because of being slow and overall crumpedness ) I am only half way through major clean. .
Thankfully kitchen & bathroom are ok because I always like those very clean but loads more to do. Utter stupidity on my part for not doing more sooner - ain't that always the case - and leaving everything to last day! Heigh ho!

Ta da:
washed dog blankets
filled dw
wiped down kitchen surfaces & shone sink
served builders tea & coffee
stripped three beds
gathered washing
washed towels
tidied front b-room
hoovered cobwebs from window frames, ceiling, skirting etc front b-room
cleaned window sills
hoovered floor and under bed
tidied linen cupboard
went through clothes and divided in to "keep here" (put those away) , wash (for car) and iron (for car)
cleaned new bookcase sitting room
gathered books from all over house and put them in
wiped down two tables
more tidying
recycling of plastic bottles and cardboard
emptied two boxes
cleared and cleaned two desks
cleared and stripped another bed
wrote a letter & delivered it
went with neighbour/ friend to look at and photograph barn door (with owner's permission) admired their Friesian horses (wow!)
quick stop at bakery & chemist
collapsed table and carried it through to back b-room
sorted present box
sorted stationery box
packed up dd clothes and belongings in bag for car
sorted DH clothing
wiped out laundry basket and laundry panier and stored away
sorted toiletries
sorted medicaments
made more tea and coffee for builders
sorted papers
sorted recipe file
carried everything for car through to front b-room
half hoovered sitting room
sorted out arrangements for bulb delivery
sorted out arrangements for last d🐎 visit in a while

I did more than that but can't quite remember everything! Unfortunately it was more tidying than cleaning but have longer to do that tomorrow than I thought!

Just going to make myself a cup of tea and catch up with the thread!

Bath 🛁 and bed 🛏 for you SC You are a MACHINE!

I wish I were I've but thank you . Only have a shower here but at least the water is piping hot! And yes, an early night is on the cards!

My word SC. An Epsom salt bath would be just the thing.

Thank you for the naughty corner supplies. I love madeleines.

That's not on for you zoo - "d"p should have helped with the shopping trip.

I can report lots of spiders here. Wasps seem to be leaving though. It's getting cold.

Excuse my language but she didn’t fucking phone

Waste of a day

Huge amount to sort out tomorrow including phoning CMHT and asking if she actually is going to ring me

😡😰

I agree with Lisette and the others Zoo that really isn't good enough . If he feels "tired" how the blazes does he think you feel? Sorry you have had such a crap day

Laputa/Foxes/Lisette /Zoo another one here who can't focus on anything else but the thing that is bothering me when very anxious. In fact, when anxiety is really bad, my legs feel physically heavy, like they are welded to the floor. It's very strange. DH is the total opposite, he positively thrives on pressure. The more high stakes and close to the wind, the better. I don't know how he does it actually week after week. I would wither and die in his shoes.

Laputa/Bower hope you got your calls in the end!

Bower/ Lisette there are some real whoppers here at the moment. The ones with eight rather meaty/furry legs

Lisette whey hey to firemens' visit! Enjoy being in sole control!

Great list Bower oh I used to love the story of The Little Red Hen. Haven't thought of it in years!

Welcome back Chic!

Argh going to post this as screen keeps jumping about!

xpost Oh no Laputa that's really rubbish

Glad weekend away totally fab Chic!

Love an allium Bower must plant some now! Have met some scarily large tractors of late on narrow country lanes. I drive a tiny car. Put it this way, the tractors aren't the ones reversing!

The potato pickers are the scariest! They are huge, tall, like something from outer space!

They are harvesting the last of the maize here and the very last of the potatoes. Still lots of beet growing though. My favourite time of year is pea-picking season in early July. They always do it in the middle of the night (something about maintaining freshness) and so you wake up to this amazing all-pervading smell of fresh peas!

Workshop sounds amazing Tidy and yep, you've guessed it, we are crazy doing this but we are enjoying the process (sort of ) and I can retreat to town when the going gets really bad ... And we have some land which I care about more than the house really just as well as its falling down. Hope dd2 not too upset by jabs bless her .

Waves to Toostressy Expletive Dave Elloello Honu and everyone I have missed!

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Baby-step no.9 for Wed 9th Oct: here

Launch pad link: here

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Laputa that's proper shit
Bower zoolets i love the little red hen booklots fond memories...
SC/Lisette spider central here too spiderlings hatched in bathroom and lil zoo refused to shower Tuesday after couple descended on her in there Monday night

Thank you Zoo, you are up late/ extremely early?? Hope you managed to get some sleep! It's 5.40 am here and I am wide awake so may as well get up and at um! Body-clock evidently turning to "farmer" setting!

Hope everyone has a good anti- procrastination day!

SC one of those nights I fell asleep at 10pm then woke up 130 thinking it was morning,then barely slept ....
Got up at 430 so already have a tada
My aim for today is to blitz the front room in a deep clean/decluttering style as it's full stuff that belongs elsewhere(do you suffer with migrating belongings?anyone?)and some areas never bother to clean

Tada
Fed cats
Wash in
Bleach lav
Sort littertray and bins
Locate whites from lil zoo floordrobe that need soaking.pop in napisan solution
Sort thru pile of "stuff" in a bag by front door.tuens out was predominantly leaflets,letters from sunlife etc address to "owner of house/occupant" school letters from 2-3 years agofew school certificates
Cleaned lampshade in front room...oh my stars!!don't think it's happened in at least 5+ years.its cream and dare I say the room seems brighter now I've wiped with damp cloth.amount dust and cobwebs were disgraceful,I should be banned off thread immediately for crimes against cleaning(or hunted down by hippies smoking strange things for decimating spider homes)

Onwards and upwards,need raise dd2 from pit and do breakfasts,then I'm pulling TV off meter cupboard side and TV unit and sorting thru the mess accrued there!!
Bbl

Good morning everyone.

Look after yourself today zoo
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Sc* craziness is what keeps life interesting!

Lots achieved yesterday but I was so tired by the end of it I didn't reach for my phone to update. Dd2 didn't even whimper at her jabs - she watched both of them go in!! Hard as nails that kid !!

I'm at work at 10 so I'll see if I can at least get all the morning routine done before I go. I'm not sure what my aims for today are ......just to survive I think

Good morning all!

Bravo bravo Little tidy! Survive is good! And yes, why take the easy route when you can bankrupt yourself and suffer permanent stress ramble? . Joking apart, I love it here, love the green and the wildlife, but I might be tempted to strangle the previous occupant who started everything, finished nothing, did whatever he did do badly or dangerously, then left it abandoned without doing a minimum of upkeep for over twenty years ....grrrrrr.

Sorry you had such a rough night Zoo. . Do I have migrating belongings? All of our belongings have spent over a decade wandering around wreck1 (sometimes and sometimes not in cardboard boxes) without a home! I insisted on buying a bookcase for wreck2 and I must admit, the change is transformative! What a difference one cheapo bit of IKEA furniture can make!

Small ta da (not often I can present Zoo-like list this early in the day:
emptied DW
washed towels
hung up towels in high winds under roof overhang
untied summer bunting in high winds
measured greenhouse
hoovered office
put (tiny) futility room in good order
stripped another bed
dusted horizontal surfaces sitting room again
measured niche
measured windows
gathered French bks together

Still loads more to do...

Catch you later everyone and I hope you can reach that pysch person Laputa and have some peace of mind!

that should have said... tempted to strangle previous owner if I happened to meet him in the street ...not going stalking him or anything .

Maybe you should stalk and strangle SC?

Remove TV from unit
Take out all dvds/CDs/remote controlled/dvd player
TV unit off meter cupboards
Climb on surface over said cupboards
Remove plethora cobwebs so thick like a hammock
Dust all photos of zoolets on walls
Clean surface
Put TV unit back
Sift thru 2carrier bags worth of paperwork rammed down the side sorting into bills,schoolstuff(reports etc filed upstairs drawer with rest of them)stray photos put into album,paper work for hospital app/outcomes from camhs etc
Sift thru all dvds,checking boxes had discs and chasing stray disc/empty boxes
Ditto CDs
TV back on unit
Dvd player wiped and returned to unit
DVDs and CDs back on unit
Tiny drawer set reloaded hair bobbles,pins etc rather than scattered all over top units
Sift thru plastic tubs yet more bits random crap,chucking/placing into piles for various locations
Wipe TV screen

It looks 1000%better in that corner,but rest room now looks shambolic

Wash in drier,more on
Need take D's to view orthodontist now and grab milk on way back as someone drank it all at breakfast

Did you buy a house that hasn't been lived in for 20 years SC

DD still struggling through her cold, bless her. Making a shopping list and trying to include what DD needs for her food tech (cookery) lessons, I am enjoying the results so far.

DH fitted some sockets and wiring last night under the carpet to enable us to move the new router from the hall to the lounge (so we can plug in the TV and the remote hard drive storage we have)

I am suddenly behind on laundry again - how did that happen, I only had a couple of days off and it has all gone wrong! So will do a few loads today before going out for coffee and catch up on the dishwashing as well (lots of plastic containers I don't put in the dishwasher ready to carry ingredients tomorrow).

Catch you later, fledglings!