February Flying for Fledglings, No More CHAOS here

[ExpletiveDelighted]

Welcome to February! This is a friendly ongoing thread where we follow (n some cases, very loosely) the Flylady method for sorting out our homes and lives!

Newbies are always welcome here! It’s a long running thread so please don’t worry if we appear cliquey. There’s a lot of chatter and support for all sorts of things, alongside the housework stuff.

Every day I will post a link to the Flylady launch pad, which is where you can access the information for that day - babysteps, missions, daily focus etc. But if you’re confused about anything, please ask!

Check out the website too - but we suggest not signing up for the millions of emails.

The great thing about Flylady is that you jump in where you are. Everything you do is progress. Don’t worry about not “keeping up”. Any achievement, however small, means progress.

More info to follow.

Oh. Chess cancelled. Rest day #3 then I guess. Tuesday-Thursday are draining so I’ll take that.

Sorry to hear about the alopecia We3kings. That must be very difficult.

Rest day perhaps for the best then Lane.

Breaking news... I am sitting down so tv my feet up! Have wine and crisps and am about to turn telly on. Just spent a pleasant 15 minutes pottering with a show on my phone while sorting laundry etc. For now I am actually going to relax.

Note that relaxation was postponed briefly as I came upstairs to find the cat licking my crisps so had to get another lot. Have told her off and she has gone off in a huff as if I am the unreasonable one . Love her.

Evening all,

Shannara - so sorry to hear your news, what a terrible run of illness and bereavement. Hope the meds start working ASAP, my DH takes half a pharmacy and the logistics can be very difficult, plus the fear of unavailability.

We3 - I think you get of the day for that list

Glad Cagletini is feeling a bit better now, hope the rest of you stay well Chez Lane.

Willow - at the antics of Wendy and the carrot.

Chic - we get the overfull freezer thing too. Someone partially solved it for us not long ago by leaving the door ajar and a load of stuff thawing we had to throw away some packs of fish but refroze stock portions and veg as it was still half frozen.

So, tada!

A bit of self care this morning, short run followed by yoga class (going twice a week at the moment). Then home to prepare dinner as we were all off out to swimming and football in the afternoon. We bought a pasta machine recently so decided to give it a go, great fun, very messy, used the pasta to make lasagne which just needed popping in the oven when we got back home. Been doing a lot of work with DS, he has a couple of BTEC exams coming up.

Felt less anxious today (stayed away from insurance renewals - I don't know why this bothers me so much, I'm capable of sorting out EHCPs, DLA etc yet insurances send me into a tail spin). Also had a nice natter with the other parents at football. DH is staying up to watch the Super Bowl, so I'm off for a nice early night with the bed all to myself .

Going to post tomorrow's info now.

Monday 3rd Feb

Launchpad

Now we are into February proper, a reminder that the habit of the month is Decluttering for 15 minutes a day.

On Monday we are doing 15 mins blitz on each/all of hall, porch, dining room. On Tuesday we move into Zone 2 which is the kitchen.

Thanks for info expletive glad anxiety’s lower

Well done for TV time stressy

A friend has been turning her phone off for hours each day and said it’s already making a big difference to her mood. I really need to follow her example.

To do list for tomorrow:
🎯phone psychiatrist
🎯shower
🎯nail trim and bath for Cagletini
🎯nail trim DS and make him have a bath
🎯phone shopandscan
🎯print weekly research sheets for DS - I don’t think we will add anything new this week, just keep going with current projects
🎯choose and print ten maths sheets for DS
🎯vaguely fill in chore chart for DD
🎯weigh myself
🎯air house out
🎯delegate phoning nursery to DH
🎯laundry
🎯find ACEs diary and write up last week
🎯ACEs homework
🎯find another notebook and write up Solihull (parenting course) from last week
🎯Solihull homework
🎯gather OT and sleep referral forms (not even asking myself to fill them in yet - baby steps!)
🎯pay some/all of tap invoice (they’ve given the option of staggering it which would be rather welcome as we now have show costumes from the other dance school to pay for)
🎯DS gum shield mould thingy (DH doing that)
🎯watch episodes 5-8 of the stranger 😁😁😁 absolutely loving it so far!

Best stop there as it’s somewhat overwhelming! Cagletini is wide awake, sleep all messed up, but I’m about to escape her mauling me for a bit and I’ll go write my journal since I couldn’t last night (I think that was the earliest I’d fallen asleep in weeks!)

Shannara so sorry to hear that.💐

To those inquiring thank but no not much better. Think I am going to have to cough up to the Osteopath this week. The pain killers are helping though.

Meds. Assistant told me that they have lots of people /thousands and you can only have one lot of meds...after someone else told me that my asthma drugs would come at a different time of the month to my other meds. I now have my high blood pressure capsules and the amitriptyline that come together and likewise I run out of one before the other. I tried to explain that I had increased it and was told I should have done that. GP told me too. Anyway I told him I keep running out and due to my sleep problems he made it a 25 g dose.
I picked up my asthma inhaler only to find when I got home that there wasn’t any ventolin inhalers which is the one I needed. I switched to the one nearer as I had the one near school. The benefit is it is miles closer and the craic is good because there is always people waiting. One lady nearly lost the will to live the other week. The other one seemed far more efficient and the pharmacist was spot on the drawback is it is about three miles more and sometimes/ often you would have to wait while the sorted out the people on methodone first. Which was tricky when I was on my lunch half hour. If there was a problem they rang or faxed your GP straight away.New one says go back to your GP ...like your going to get an appointment! There was 12 people in there one day waiting!

Been to church and had a lovely time at choir. Our MD is so funny. She goes off telling you little tails. She has the men hanging on every word! Learning a new one and tiding up the edges of two for the festival comp and sang an ABBA one. Quite cheesy but we all love it. She loves it if we “ take the piss” a bit and make it really cheesy.

Right going to put the light out. Not tired😣annoying. Builder supposed to be coming in the morning.

Sorry loads of mistakes in there hope you get the gist. Tales not tails must be thinking about Wendy.

Morning all

Toostressy you were unreasonable.your furry overlord should've had her own packet if crisps,not be expected to share yours!

Ty zoo

Sorry people are facing these difficulties with meds etc. We are lucky in that dp just needs inhalers monthly.

Baby dc turns 5 months this week and with that in mind i am going to purchase a highchair. Something else to clean

Re watching tv i sometimes think i would like a little one in my kitchen so i could multitask and watch it while i wash up / cook etc

Don't know where this morning went.

Ta-da's
✔️S&S
✔️ LOL
✔️ ironing
✔️ bath. Was still in the bath when my DGM turned up (she has the dc for me on a Monday while I'm at college) I'm usually ready to leave when she gets there so it was a mad dash to get some clothes on and leave 🙈

Yesterday’s ta da
✅cuddled and fed toddler
✅wrote to do list 😂

Cagletini just threw up again 😭😭😭 after over 24hrs free (in which she did keep proper food down). Confusing.

poor Cagletini. Perhaps it's just the last of the bug Lane?

Shannara I'm so sorry to hear about your bereavement. You have had a lot recently so take care of yourself.

I'm cackling here at toostressy's cat. That's catitude for you. I imagine she was entirely hacked off to have her crisps removed.

Still on sick leave. Temp is still slightly up but GP deciding on a wait and see management plan rather than more antibiotics. I finish the meds tomorrow. I am so tired but at least the temp has gone back down again to near normal as I write this. I'd no idea how much a chest infection takes out of you. I'm sick of phoning the doctors and I don't much like phoning for advice - I feel like a pest.

I hope you don’t need more meds lisette :( chest infections can be utterly evil. My worst one was I think three lots of abx plus some steroids. I did get xrayed at one point as they thought it was pneumonia.

She’s back to herself again now but not sure if she’s eaten much. She was coughing a lot so that may have triggered it I guess.

I’m in bed, well on it anyway. PoTS symptoms even worse. So annoyed. And now worrying again that I won’t manage to get to my course tomorrow.

It could be the cough Lane.

Yeah she has been fine since.

Where is everyone?

Hello! I am around, but trying to stay off the laptop a bit more wait until later

Yesterday - cleaned two cars (they really needed it, should do that more often and it would be so much easier), cleaned up after tea.

Today - laundry, ironing, vaccuuming (self-propelled not Wendy style, no carrots were harmed today). Shopping but only for two items.

My drawer-slamming in the freezer actually cracked the drawer front a bit We will be eating out of the freezer until everything closes easily

Need to collect DD from dance, prod her to revise tonight for forthcoming exams and DH is out for a bit. Must empty dishwasher and then wash up tonight, it is so much easier when the kitchen is clean but DH is going through a large amount of plastic boxes!

Back later!

I'm on my couch, with a blanket. Dh and ds are watching the Superbowl.

I have noticed that the biscuit and crisp horde has built up during my absence from the kitchen. Dh and ds have been stocking up because I was too ill to notice😁

Glad Cagletini is better

That's a good long ta da list chic

ta da
✅phoned psychiatrist... they swore they faxed the prescription over on Thursday so I need to go back to Boots I guess.
✅DH rang nursery as I reminded him
✅chose and printed ten maths sheets for DS
✅taught him reflections
✅printed other worksheets for the week
✅checked blood pressure
✅weighed self (only 1.4lb down but hey)
✅finished journal entry
✅made a plan for tomorrow, I can hopefully do at least the beginning of my course but will be waiting for a call back from the GP as they triage you for same day appts.

Other than that I have been in bed for several hours now.

I haven't had a very productive day at all. Finished early but I've still only managed
✔️ school run
✔️ make lunches for Tomorrow
✔️ dishes
✔️tidy toys
✔️ ironing
✔️polished whole house
✔️ trip to Sainsbury's for a few bits
✔️bath youngest and he's had his milk now dh is putting him down because he will not let me put him to bed

Going up to bath DS3 now and then will make dinner for me and DH then I'm gonna get cracking on a biology assignment.

Had planned on hoovering and mopping downstairs and changing al of the bedding but haven't got round to it.

Hello! I am here too.

zoo and Lisette yes, I should have set the cat up first with her own crisps . She seems to have forgiven me today at least.

That, I will often watch something while I am prepping dinner or in the kitchen, just on my phone. The problem (not a real problem, I do realise) is that I am always on the search for the ideal programme for this. It needs to be good enough to be worth watching but not good enough so that I end up absorbed and not doing the task I should be doing. I tend to find either I don’t like it enough to bother watching it, or I really like it and it has to be upgraded to a relaxing time programme or a folding laundry programme. I do find YouTube videos good to watch half heartedly.

Ta da:-
DD1 was fine today but skipped her activity tonight which I think was sensible. So have had an easier evening than usual. Dishwasher on and tea for DH in the oven. Laundry under control. Kids’ beds changed. Both DDs swear they want to do their school reading just before bed so will see how that goes . Going to encourage them into PJs in a bit but for now they are having some screen time.

Do any of you know much about pathological demand avoidance? Seriously starting to wonder if DD2 has elements of it. Don’t think she has all the traits but some.

Keep meaning to read The Explosive Child. Wonder if you can get it as an audiobook.

Big wing flaps to all. to all poorly people.

Hello all!
I've brought pancakes for all to celebrate imbolc - festival of hearth and home - and new beginnings. Seems rather apt.

I tried to catch up on all the news but the sheer quantity boggles me rather. Will do my best.

Dropped out of the loop for a week or two due to .. hmm not sure! Not a lot of sleep for either dd or the babe , lots of meetings with tradesmen re the damp falling down house. But generally things are on the up as dh has started on anti depressants and is like the man I knew 5 years ago. Wow I can't believe the difference. V happy wifey :)
Will give ypu my list of jobs tomorrow but I truly am loving flylady. My sink shines every day , I still can't get on to the missions but the daily stuff really works for me. But I still will not wear shoes in the house, fluffy slippers for me!
Speak soon xxx

Too stressy good idea re watching while chore-ing. I will do this!
I tend to listen to womens hour on podcast but it gets depressing sometimes. Also truly hilarious online comedy thing I totally reccomend 'dear joan and jericha ' it's so rude but v good wuslity comedy from julia davis - v v funny

Oh that is great re. your DH rachael .

I think I would love podcasts but shamefully have no understanding of how to listen to them . I don’t know if I need some kid of app?

I’d like to listen to audiobooks too but I think that needs some kind of paid subscription? Really can’t justify that as already have amazon Prime and Netflix.

Terrific news re: your DH rachael. Hope cageltini is better, Lane and your prescription turns up. Don:t push yourself too hard if you're feeling rough.

I really don't enjoy Mondays, they are so full on and there are usually tears before bedtime, but today I have:
✓ washed, dressed, shoes, hair and face
✓ walked the dog
✓ fed the dog
✓ 4 LOL
✓ DW rotated twice
✓ S&S all 3 loos / bathroom bits
✓ done homework with DS3
✓ started to register DD for her comp sci iGCSE
✓ finished writing a client report and done all of Appendix 1 and most of Appendix 2 image prep
✓ booked DS3 a taster session of Kung Fu, as it's supposed to be good for dyspraxia
✓ dusted the living room
✓ cleaned the kitchen
✓ done 2 loads of washing up
✓ updated the bookkeeping for home and business
✓ decluttered 2 pairs of outgrown trainers and 2 dead candles.

I am now in bed with a cup of tea, writing a to do list for tomorrow.