Festive fledglings flying through December - the Flylady thread

[TooStressyTooMessy]

Welcome to the December (dare I say the Christmas?!) Flylady thread. This is a really lovely thread where we loosely follow the Flylady system (see the Flylady website ) in the hope of having organised homes and lives.

Every day I will post a link to the launchpad which has everything you need for that day if you do want to follow the system strictly. Plenty of options to follow the system more loosely as well :).

Please do familiarise yourself with the Flylady website, especially if you are new. The Flylady is (understandably) keen that people do look at the website.

On the website there is information for beginners. You can also sign up to the Flylady emails but we would advise not to as there are hundreds of them.

We post our achievements (ta das) and our to do lists and any other general chatter about life / flying.

Information on getting started: www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/

The launch pad is also a good starting place:www.flylady.net/c/lp.php

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

Be kind to yourselves, jump in where you are and be careful not to crash and burn!

Any newbies are very welcome .

**
Flylady also does Christmas missions which I will link to each day. They are really useful and nearer the time she does super missions which help you if you have not managed the regular missions. They are just there to help and as Flylady says... do not worry as you do not need to catch up, just jump in where you are .

Link to the holiday cruising is

here

December’s habit is usually [[http://www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/december/
pampering yourself]] which is much needed this busy time of year. This can be as simple as taking two minutes to have a cup of tea, if long pampering sessions are unachievable.

The website will update to the December missions etc in the next few days so I will link it again if it is different.

*
A daily summary (which should update automatically every day) is available on the Flylady website at flight plan here.

The link to the current zone and missions is [[http://www.flylady.net/c/sp.php#missions here].

Re. zones, do what works for you. I don’t always stick to the zones myself and do what works best at the time!

daily focus

missions for the week

Flykids mission

beginner babysteps.

The best place to look for an overall summary is the launch pad.

Happy flying everyone.

Please note that while there is lots of information on the website, from a security point of view we would advise caution with putting any personal details in or downloading anything.

Also a huge thank you to Ghoulette for the November thread.

Launch pad

Christmas missions

‘We get there in the end ’

Ok so I have tried updating on my phone throughout the day. I was trying to attach pictures of some goodies I have made, but my comments aren't showing up. Hopefully this works!

Interview went well, I think. There's a few applicants so will hear back by next week they said. I got all the goodies done that I planned on making, I actually cut back on a couple of them as I was starting to get overwhelmed. All there is left to make are cookies! I gave one lot of caramels to my friend already, and dh saw another friend so took him the goodies I made.

I do need to start wrapping, but I'm not going to worry about that yet - I have a cake to bake tomorrow night after my works Christmas party, as I'm working 2nd job Thursday night. I'll finish it Friday morning before main job so I can take it. I'm going to be very tired and glad when the lead up to Christmas is over.

So sorry your dd2 is so anxious Zoo

Well done re: the wrapping Willow

Morning all ,

Some great festive progress being made by the Fledglings .

Today is my last day going to work before Christmas (WFH tomorrow, I don't work Fridays and have taken next week off). My main task other than that is to gather all my various lists and check what still needs doing, plus various other non-Festive admin jobs. I have posted all cards, written local ones, but no wrapping done yet (no parcels need posting).

I blitzed the kitchen with the steam cleaner on Sunday (both ovens, cooker hood and various random grot spots). Need to do the same with the bathroom now.

Meant to say have every minute of Wed-Thurs-Fri planned out/accounted for and then another huge effort Sat-Sun if I am actually going to pull Christmas off as it were! Guests arriving Monday night.

[SC assumes position in starting blocks and ...sprints>>>>>>🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃]

Good luck everyone! Have a productive non-procrastination day!

xpost Expletive (waves) good luck with everything!

Mmmm that emoticon was a yellow figure sprinting to the right when I pressed "post". Now seems to have morphed in to a man/child ambling to the left!

I hope this isn't symbolic of how my day is going to go

Glad interview went well Hazel!

Fingers crossed for the job Hazel. I have no idea how you juggle so much. Baking a cake after a Christmas party and decorating it before work is impressive!

Good luck SC. You can do it, and if there’s anything that doesn’t get done no one will be any the wiser and it won’t ruin Christmas.

Sounds like you’re well on track Expletive. I also only have one work day (Monday). I am taking the week before Christmas off every year in future. It’s been a game changer!

We had a lovely day yesterday. Minimal flying other than the basics.

Had to be up and ready by 8am this morning for the smart meter to be fixed. Not here yet but hopefully soon.

Tada:
Dishes
Beds made
Tidied
Downstairs vacuumed (DD has wandered round nibbling a dry weetabix this morning 🙄)
Benches, hob and dining table wiped.
Started today’s mission of wiping switches and door handles. Will do the rest later.
Swish and swipe upstairs and down
Washing in

To do:
Rest of mission
CARDS!! Written and if possible posted. Last day is Friday but I’m aiming for before then.
Make some cards with DD
Taking DGM shopping
Ironing

Hazel, glad the interview went well and well done on stepping back if you're feeling overwhelmed. That's a skill a lot of us could learn!

Expletive, Shambly, remember to stop and breathe! Zoo, hope DD is better today. I'VE, in past years I've not started wrapping til the 20th and then end up locked in my bedroom for hours trying to get it all done. I think that's why this year feels so odd. You've got more DC than me, and smaller ones - getting anything started at this point is a win! Stressy hope you get the last job done today.

I am having a sense of humour failure this morning. DH is now on holiday until 6 Jan (he had some holiday that must be used or lost) and thoroughly getting in the way. He usually works from home, so I'm not sure what's different, but I'm not on holiday in the sense that the house still needs running, washing still needs doing, people still need feeding, DS2 and DD are still at school. DH has put everything down and is spending great swathes of the day reading his book or watching TV and has taken to having a sherry at 5.30pm "to start his evening" which is all well and good, but my evening doesn't start til 8.30 when DS3 goes to bed. He is also trying to watch the early Star Wars films with the DC prior to the new film on Friday, but keeps bouncing those plans because there's football on - which also prevents him walking the dog. He's also ignoring updating the milk order / putting the bottles out even though that's an evening thing and I do mornings. Aaaaaaagh.

Right. Today's To Dos

• rest of morning routine - haven't been able to S&S because DH is still in bed. Ditto bedmaking and getting first wash on.
• DS3 drumming lesson
• Sort out tins cupboard - I have very little idea what's in there
• Get a big black bag and throw everything I don't like in it!!
• DD counselling appt at 11 (this is DH's issue)
• DS2 on trip into London this afternoon
• DS1 desperately trying to write an essay on the photographic records of the Irish Famine (eh?) whilest also Getting The Old Gang Back Together Again and having another driving lesson at lunchtime.
• bloody cake. Bloody marzipan.
• bloody, bloody lego.
• start a visual timetable for DS3 as advised to dial back his anxiety. Ideally it needs to be on felt with velcro "diary" things in it so he can own it. In a spare moment!!

Oh, blast, and I forgot tomorrow is the last green bin day until mid-January, so I want to have swept up the wet leaves out the front at the very least.

Hello all, at work, will be on later.

Cherry waves to all.

10 min

Thanks for the encouragement everyone - it is truly appreciated and really helps (otherwise I just feel I am plodding on alone as it were [plays tiny violin ]- sending lots back to you in spadefuls !!

Willow wow! Hats off to you for managing all of those activities for each individual dc. The visual timetable alone would take me half a day I think!

Huge sympathies re: dh rage. I could have happily throttled mine this morning when he gaily skipped up the stairs ignoring the mound of folded towels, pants and socks (mainly his) that were waiting on the bottom step to take up when I had already been up and down eight times at the start of the morning carrying boxes, ironed and laundered clothing, dirty clothing, carrier bags of toiletries etc etc. Grrrrrrr.

Good luck with your list too KTCluck I am still writing cards frantically in between other tasks!

Forgot to mention - had long overdue mammogram yesterday and all was ok so feeling very relieved. Perhaps tmi, but v good facilities over here, you get looked at by the ordinary "hamburger between two halves of a bun" type machine, and then you lie down and they do the "iron the pillows very forcefully" bit as well! They go off and examine the films while you wait and I was waiting a rather long time and getting very anxious but all ok in the end. You then get a piece of paper with a code whereby you and your ob/gyn and gp can access the films too.

Moral of that long boring story: we must get ourselves checked folks! And try not to delay putting off the important stuff even at busy times of the year!

Right, more wrapping next! Keep going everyone!

Cherry waves [sorry no emoticons on big computer] back to Toostressy!

Another quick very minor seethe on-line so I don't vent in rl!

DD friends have come over, eaten late pasta lunch, destroyed kitchen in process and left to go ice skating, followed by Christmas market and frites-mayo/beignets etc down town. Glad she/they are having a good time but oh the mess!

Have just had cause to go in her bedroom too (linen cupboard is in there) and oh the mess there too!

Just wrapped and about to deliver 12 office presents + 2 to colleague's dc.
Last of parcels sent.
Still writing cards.
Windows in sitting room cleaned.
Glass in new piece of furniture cleaned.
Shelves wiped down and lined.
Pictures dusted and rehung.

sc rant away, that sounds very frustrating!
Also, I'm going to have a little rant too , went to the supermarket with ds this morning, he had a huge tantrum because it's Christmas time and there's toys and sweets everywhere you look (so I wasn't altogether surprised but had to get this shopping done!) Anyway, one random man started pushing ds in the trolley away from me and then made a comment when I looked round"oh you did notice me moving him then" yes and that upset ds even more (understandably!) And then a woman came over to ds while he was full on screaming and said "father Christmas doesn't bring presents to naughty children" so that also didn't help!!! More crying and sobbing from ds. Lots of tutting and staring from people. I don't usually get bothered by stuff like this. But today I felt a bit defeated!

Anyway he has had a 2 hour nap this afternoon and is much happier now. And my dad popped in to see us which was nice although I told him all of the above and I don't think he really got my annoyance! He just said " do what I do and don't go to the shops near Christmas" yes because my mum does all that!

My phone changed the above "woman" to "snowman" which I almost left in because I could imagine you all wondering about this mean snowman I encountered at the shops.

I need to go and cook dinner, some sort of curry tonight.

Sorry for the all about me post!

Omg foxes i dont think i would have been able to control myself, a while ago dc4 ran off while we were shopping and a woman tried to tell me off for it. Yeah i bet she keeps her comments to herself after that because it did not go well for her!

sc foxes

willow

Get a big black bag and throw everything I don't like in it!!

Love that. Anyone have any man size black bags? Or actually. Any colour will do.

Bloody hell, the grumps are out in force today, aren't they? DH had a ten minute phone call from FIL that was entirely whingeing - "it's cold... I had to fetch a parcel... I didn't want to stay in for them to deliver it but I had to fetch it... the neighbours have Christmas lights.... there's weather..." etc. Sorry the shopping was hideous, foxes and sorry about thoughtless teens, Shambly.

My earlier list was To Dos, not Ta Das, so don't panic!

Actual Ta Das:

• morning routine including DW, three washes (including our bed), 3 bathrooms S&S, walked the dog
• raked up the wet leaves out the front and got them into the green bin and the green bin out for collection tomorrow.
• got the lego upstairs and away
• got the tins into the tins cupboard
• got all DC to all appointments
• dealt with the charity shop stuff by putting clothes in the recycling bag and making the rest of it DH's problem!!
• got to Tesco for squirty cream for hot chocolate tomorrow (as long as I can keep it hidden from DS2 til then!).

I'm supposed to be finishing off DH's homemade Christmas present, but actually I'm fossicking about on MN.

It turns out I am not completely wrapped - I remembered another gift for DH that is hidden in our room earlier. And I've been out-Christmassed by 3 different people on the cards front, so will have to find a way to fix that. Perhaps by hiding.

I've. Believe man sized bin bags are called body bags and are available at mortuary or local undertakers

Foxes I encountered a thoroughly overwrought toddler and mum in home bargains the other day.kid was working,mum was snapping.loads people tutting as I passed I said "goodness that's a lot of noise honey.its not fun shopping when is so busy is it?i wish I could get so cross but grown ups aren't allowed "and winked at her.her mum gave me a defeated half smile.i nodded at her and said "it does get easier as they get older."she said I hope so.we both smiled and I moved on

amazonsellsbodybags

See still when people say things like that and smile at me it makes a huge difference! I always try to catch people's eye and smile in an understanding way!

I gave some hard stares ive I'm not very good at confrontation I need to work on my assertiveness I think!

I obviously just encountered all the grumps today!

Checking in early tonight, on the laptop to do a few jobs.

Foxes - you poor thing, some people are awful towards children.

WIllow - thank you for your mention of EHCPs, you have reminded me to chase up DS's (waiting for his post-16 placement confirmation).

SC - grr to teenage DDs and their mess. Mine is poorly and has just spent three days on the sofa watching TV and creating piles of banan skins, empty cups, sweet wrappers while looking pitiful at any mention of emptying dishwashers or putting laundry away. Glad the mammogram was OK.

It's been a very busy week at work and I am tired, but got to out and pick up DS and friend in an hour . Bathroom will have to wait till tomorrow.

Ah that was a kind thing zoo.

Hi everyone, I am also feeling overwhelmed. Feel as if I have a shit load of things to do. Back from work half an hour ago, just quickly eating while I write this. DD2 grumpy and still up. In fact everyone is grumpy.

I am not even sure what my to do list is at this point. Aaaagggh.

Will be back later with links. Keep going everyone!

Launch pad

Christmas missions

‘We get there in the end ’

Thanks for links Toostressy!

What horrible people Foxes I have no time for horrible judgey folk especially when it comes to children and harassed mothers. Do they actually think they are making things better with those comments?

I've gone as hard at it as I could today but (same old, same old) didn't make as much progress as I'd hoped. So taking tasks off today's list and adding it to tomorrow's (already packed one). Loads of people here tomorrow morning too (but not teens). Time slipping away ... .

Waves to all!