Mad March Fledglings Fly in to action 2020

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A warm welcome to the monthly thread where we (loosely) follow the Flylady housekeeping system here to combat CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) with lots of virtual wine, chat and mutual support along the way. The thread leader of the month will post a link to Flying activities daily. Quite a few of us have been on here for a while, so we may seem cliquey, but we really aren't, and all newcomers, lurkers, returnees, regulars, and intermittent regulars are very welcome!

Very simply, Flylady is a zone-based cleaning system which we follow to varying degrees, depending on our individual homes, circumstances and energy levels. There are five zones and at the beginning and the end of the month we usually straddle Zone 1 and Zone 5. When you first start decluttering, cleaning, and organizing your zones, Flylady encourages you to spend 15 minutes per day decluttering in the current zone.

Each week, we work in a different zone. Each month, we repeat all the zones. After a few months of following this system consistently, you should start to see an improvement in the main areas of your house.

Pop on to the Flylady website to have a closer look about how to get started here but signing up for emails will probably lead to very many landing in your inbox. Also there has been some concern about securely downloading pdfs from the site so proceed with caution.

The Babysteps system is a light 31-day introduction to the system which familiarises you with Flylady routines (such as dressing to shoes, shining your sink etc) and with her philosophy, which emphasises self-care, her abhorrence of perfectionism and the adage that you’re never behind - just jump in where you are at - even if you only do 5 mins work, that is so much better than doing nothing at all!

There is a morning routine and an evening routine to keep things ticking over and a weekly home cleaning hour (which most of us find tight!) to change bed sheets, mop, hoover, take out rubbish etc. We've found over the years that the system isn’t brilliant for major decluttering so you might want to supplement with Kondo or another decluttering system. Flylady doesn’t want us cleaning all day so she is very keen on using a timer. Clean and declutter with focus, then stop and do something more interesting instead!

In addition each day has a purpose, see the daily focus here:
Monday: weekly home cleaning hour (can be split into ten minute sections and spread over week)
Tuesday: plan and play (menu planning, family event planning, doc appts etc)
Wednesday: anti-procrastination day
Thursday: errand day
Friday: clear out purses, bags, cars, date night
Saturday: family fun
Sunday: lift your spirits.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have any qs. And remember, 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, so feel free to ignore any step or routine that doesn't suit you or your home! And don't be put off by the barftastically twee language of the Flylady site, as the underlying system is sound.

And if/when it all gets too much: come and take a seat by the fire in our candelit, specially adapted, virtual "naughty" corner where you can retreat and enjoy all manner of lovely things such as fluffy pillows warm blankets, fine teas, strong coffee, and platters of sumptuous foodstuffs offered with lashings of support from fellow fledglings.

There may be mention of Ned (and his cousins Ted and Fred) who started their lives as autocorrections, but who have morphed in to virtual helpers, and are borrowed by thread members from time-to-time when the going gets tough on Mount Washmore.

Most days we pop on to post our "to do" and "ta da" lists of what we’ve managed to do and have a bit of a natter. Please don't compare your list with someone else's as this is all about individual progress.

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

** launch pad (general guidance and 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) [[http://www.flylady.net/d/br/2017/09/02/please-explain-the-zones/

here]]

** weekly zones (a rough weekly guide to which area of the house we are tackling currently, again adapt to suit yourself) [[http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/zones/

here]] and here

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

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

Habit of the month: here

An explanation about the March habit of the month: Getting Dressed to Shoes here

Good luck and happy Flying one and all!

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Many thanks to Tinselette from whom I have stolen and adapted quite a bit of this introduction!

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And last, but definitely not least, a huge thank you to Expletive for running a really fast-moving February thread so splendidly

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Oh no Lane. Better safe than sorry though. DD's school have said they have cancelled all sports fixtures till the end of term, I wouldn't be surprised if many more follow suit.

Oh sorry to hear that.
Loved Cagletini’s picture.

I slept for an hour been awake for over an hour. Wide awake bloody insomnia. I had a couple of glasses of wine too which usually means a good nights sleep.

I have heard about a part time as needed job nearby which I was well qualified eeck forty years ago. I am going to enquire about it. It is working with animals especially horses and donkeys. Pay is rubbish but might be a nice retirement job.

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Baby-step no.14 for Saturday 14th March is: here.

Launch pad link for zone, missions, reminders, flight plan, etc etc is/ here.

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bower sometimes the joy of doing something is worth more than the pay.glad you got out for a bit and soup sounds yummy.common sense would surely prevail with bf grandchild.poor lamb

ED Big hugs lovely.we are still in EHCP hell and it's exhausting and depressing faced with can't dos,when you want to scream but they are amazingly kind/good with X,y,z

Lane crapola timing,but rules are rules.as there's petition running on gov to close schools/unis(time I post this over 48,000 signitures) I suspect lots events being cancelled.hope everyone's feeling better soon
Willow good to hear you survived.sounds like a full on cleaning experience.well done DD for giving up some things though!good luck and may the force of fledglings be with you for round two!🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Tada
Wake "d"p at 5(conveniently forgot charger and phone died.sigh)
Make banana muffins
Fix him breakfast and pack up(he's head home after work and claiming has no food)
Feed cats
Sort food bank stuff I bought yesterday into two big bags.i still feel guilty I couldn't find pasta but dp reminded me lots people drop a couple items not huge load and no one will judge a few things not being available.its all part my anxiety I guess.i am a feeder and it literally makes me cry thinking children (anyone really)are going hungry..
About finish tidying cupboard understairs-

To do
Cupboard understairs-
Tidy corner near where I sit.i tend gather stuff in piles around me if I'm not careful and I'm gaining a mini mountain of things ranging cookery book/recipes to stash biscuits etc in a bag

I need to make a plan to keep dd2 off her phone as much as poss as she's drawn to the news coverage on social media,plus lots "friends" in u.s and Europe who experiencing shortages etc and she's becoming very anxious

SC I forgot to add hope you got things you needed doing done yesterday.lots love and prayers from across the pond.x

Wishing you stamina and fortitude with the awful PIP form Expletive, v well done for breaking the back of it. I hope your ds is feeling a little less anxious today, bless him.

Sounds like the perfect job Bower! I do love a donkey
Fingers crossed for you. You have had the builder there for ages, which must be quite wearing when you are already feeling stressed. Glad you got out for a bit though. Hope your BF's family members are ok.

Lovely drawing by Cagletini Lane. I'm sorry dd1 is ill and she may have to miss ballet and football. Really disappointing for her. Top marks for long list of pre-FSW meeting cleaning tasks!

Well done for tackling the pit of despair Willow, really good going! I need to follow in your footsteps as boudoir out of control again here. Glad to hear the doc got in touch.

Zoo/Foxes when it comes to panic buying I agree grabbing 30 jars of honey or baked beans is despicable. It's not just a case of surviving this situation, we need to try and survive it with dignity and compassion for others surely?

For example, one of my siblings lives in a long street in the UK and they are planning a meeting on Monday to work out which of the elderly and disabled inhabitants will need extra support such as milk and bread runs etc. Here, in the supermarkets, they have put big cartons at the end of each till in to which customers can put extra tins/jars/supplies for the less fortunate in the quartier.

Having said all of that, I think picking up a few extra tins or jars for ourselves each time we visit a shop is also good practice, as it limits multiple visits to the shops and the spread of infection.

Whey hey to liberation from braces Foxes! I hope you are enjoying flashing those newly aligned choppers And YY to all the talk/news being a bit overwhelming atm. I will try and keep it minimal on here from now on. (I think we are judged to be about 10 days ahead of UK which is why everything ramped up here late Thurs night.)

Zoo well done for tackling cupboard of doom under the stairs!

Hope the cat sailed through his post-op check Toostressy, I assume him busting through the cat-flap is a sign he is fully recovered . Will have a hunt through Facebook and sign the nursery petition.

Specific schools (now all closed for lessons) have been allocated as "hubs" here where dc of hcp will be looked after for the duration of special measures. So maybe something similar will happen in UK?

Attempting to end on a positive note: I suppose some of us being at home more than usual (with everything closed) means there will be more opportunity for Flying! (If that is a positive )!!
I doubt whether that will apply to Toostressy and KTCluck though so they must have a special Flying dispensation

Waves to Tinselette and to everyone else!

Dh has a (mild) sort of flu atm, and we are all feeling a bit sniffly/under the weather. So we are staying in and avoiding contact with others as much as humanly possible. The dogs are confused because when we see their regular furry chums while out walking, we are not going to greet them as usual, but speeding up and heading in the other direction!

Hang in there fledglings! Hope you can all enjoy a bit of family fun this Saturday despite everything going on in the outside world!

Oh dear, apologies Toostressy I mis-gendered your cat! Very much the wrong thing to do on Mumsnet !! I hope she is feeling much better this weekend!

Thank you, zapping them there good vibes over to you in return Zoo

You have reminded me that we have four small bananas going a bit brown. I think Nigella's loaf might be in order today! Going to go and assemble the ingreds ... .

There are already lovely smells wafting up the stairs as dh already has his bread machine on which he has brought back from the office. (Loaves are mainly sold in old-fashioned bakeries out in the open here (not bagged) and the server puts them through the slicing machine for you. So we are avoiding that atm!)

Morning all, thanks for the kind words about the PIP form, I am going to have another session today. I have various useful guidance documents which tell you what the relevant points are that you need to make so I can plough on, but then I need to cross reference supporting evidence, collate it all etc. Zoo - hugs for you too, EHCP limbo for us, we still haven't had DS's 6th form placement confirmed but are not actively engaged in that particular fight ATM. Need to keep my DS off his phone too, he doesn't do social media but keeps checking news and his usual favourite subject, football, is all off now. His mental health through this is my main concern, sport as a participant and a spectator are his main hobbies and v.important to his MH and if there's none that will make things harder.

SC - good to hear from you, sounds as though you have got things in hand WRT changed circumstances.

Stressy - hope Dcat recovers quickly. I have booked ours in for jabs next week as I am of a mind to get all routine health stuff up to date as may be tricky over the next few weeks.

Foxes - similarly have got both DCs booked in with their different orthodontists next week, so nice to bear you are finally free of your braces.

Lane - hope DD1 and Cagletini feel better today.

Bower - that job sounds great even if pay not so much. I've never worked with animals but imagine the mental health benefits are great.

Morning all! Sorry to hear about DD1, Lane, very disappointing about dancing and football but, as zoo said, rules is rules. I'm amazed by the number of people I see on Corona threads finding ways around the advice because "it's just a bit of a temperature and a cough". On the other hand, the Willow Family are all naturally anti-social introverts, so staying at home doesn't really bother us much!

Zoo, you are so good about filling food bank bags. I try to add a few things every time I shop, but it's never occurred to me to do a full shop. Try not to kill dp for failing to set his phone! Sorry DD2 is anxious - it's hard not to constantly check a rolling news cycle, I think, particularly if it's all you've ever known. I am trying to restrict myself to reading the headlines at 7am and 6pm, as if it were 1979.

Bower, sorry the insomnia bit you again. That job possibility sounds like just what you need.

ED, good luck with EHCP stuff, it is awful. We still haven't decided what to do about DS3 or DS2. Everything has been on hold since Tuesday when I Went Back To Bed. I've not touched my Bullet Journal since last Saturday, and it's starting to show. Need to get back on top of things.

Covid-19 issues are starting to be a bit of a thing locally. DH chose not to go to the theatre last night. I'll admit, I pointed out to him that as he is an asthmatic on blood-thinners who had glandular fever only a year ago, I felt it was a needless risk. My uncle and aunt are supposed to be celebrating their Diamond Wedding anniversary in Cheshire on the first weekend in April, and currently planning is still going ahead but we shall see. DS1 tells us some of his friends are self-isolating flat by flat, but the only info he's had from the Uni is an invitation to a yoga class! DS2 is struggling a bit as he is our almost-extrovert who loves people. School is still open, albeit with a stricture to take temperatures and not send anyone in with a fever over 37.5, for him, but he's also had glandular fever and I have underlying concerns about him. If nothing else, 37.5 is a roaring temp for him, he usually runs at 35.9!

So, onwards. DS3 is going to an outdoor paintballing party in half an hour, and then I need to get on with getting the house back on track. 🍒🙋 all round to Stressy (hope the cat is ok), KT, We3, SC (hope the teenage sulks are receeding) Cineraria, Chic, foxes, Hazel (you've been quiet, hope all is well) Tinselette, That and anyone else I've forgotten.

Just made D's breakfast and we out cow's milk!
When pop shops I might see any spaghetti if can't get pasta.its bothering me as it's a big thing food banks use.will also pick up hot choc (just add water type) and some squash I think.hard times shouldn't mean no nice things
SC that's fab to hear of the street pulling together.i wonder it would be possible do that here
(Bottom end our road overrun feral screeching kids but from just before us up it more older people)

Morning all. Not been able to get up and take my meds or check DD1’s temperature yet. That would be the reason to stay isolated as no cough at all. Either way she won’t be at ballroom (normal lesson not rehearsal) but the rest of the next few days all hinges on whether she has a fever or not!

DS is driving me batshit with stimmy noises this morning. Just SHHHHHH please 😭

I must admit sc I do sort of relish the prospect of all being home and just having to focus on the house! We would have ages to at least sit and sort the millions of BRCs if well enough. And it’s not like it’s a problem having DD1 back home, if anything a bit more home ed would be a good thing as I’d at least be able to follow what she’s been doing at school.

I'm the same, every cloud and all that, and if we do have to stay in for a while I'm just imagining how tidy I can make the house!! But in all seriousness I'm just trying to take it day by day, and definitely staying away from media as much as I can. But it's hard.

This morning's big ta da is that I cleaned the oven!!! Thanks for the elbow grease scrubber recommendation zoo it has come up well..still some stains on the glass door which won't shift but maybe I'm not trying hard enough!

I've woken up with a blocked up nose , honestly feel like I've had a permanent cold since January but since I've no cough or temp I'll stick to my plans for today, wasn't going far anyway but I do have an appointment and I need to go to the supermarket (although I've heard they are absolutely jam packed today) I feel a bit guilty going out with a blocked up nose it's crazy isn't it!!

Mil has been messaging dh telling him and us to stay safe, I think she is starting to panic, her husband is a major conspiracy theorist and known to panic in any situation so that probably doesn't help her! I'm wondering if they've been out early panic buying...

Also going to make a jam Roly poly later as part of dd homework!

All four of us having to self isolate here is the stuff of nightmares, we're constantly out and about, every day, pretty well every evening, in and out al day at weekends.

Well the good news, no fever!!! So no need to isolate. The bad news, she’s in a foul mood 🙄🤬 not happy about us restricting her activities the next few days (to preserve energy - essential rehearsals only), in a way it would almost be easier if she did have a fever as at least it wouldn’t be evil mum and dad making the decision 🙄🙄🙄

I’m in a mood too because I was just falling asleep again and now I have to get up and watch the toddler

here you are Lane and anyone else that would like one.

Sorry to hear that Expletive. I've a slight cold but no cough or fever. I think cleaning the conservatory did it. I've more to finish out there but it's currently suspended. I'll move on to the bathroom on Sunday.

The other room is my office which is messy.

Hope everyone is bearing up.

I’m tired and bored really. Maybe overdid it a bit yesterday plus two nights of not much sleep. Trying to keep a handle on the anxiety too - I take beta blockers as and when anyway but they’re getting more use at the moment for sure. Cagletini fell asleep on me so I’ve just been faffing online again.

Likely to just do the bare minimum “social” stuff for now I think - the courses only have two more weeks anyway, it would be awful MH wise to miss those (if they’re cancelled/postponed - both take place in children’s centres and if schools shut I expect they will too - then that’s different). I have therapy on Monday too, which means a longer bus ride, but I still plan to go as we have particular plans for discussion, and then I won’t book another one for a while.

Aaaaand I forgot my afternoon meds AGAIN. Oh well. Makes them last a bit longer I suppose. Luckily I have a bit of surplus from January when they had to reorder the different brand, I do also have some of the dodgy brand if I really need. I think I might add ringing the psychiatrist to my to do list - I’m meant to have a follow up in a few weeks but I could ask if I can make it a phone appointment instead. Two buses each way is a lot even if we aren’t locked down etc and it’s not like I need a physical exam, and they can wire the prescription to the Boots in the town centre anyway.

Unfortunately DH’s counselling is at the hospital but I’m not sure there’s any alternative for that. It’s a separate entrance I think.

No loo roll in town! Luckily we don’t actually need it, but we are very low on kitchen roll which is annoying especially as we may have more time to clean soon! We do have cloths though so I guess we will just have to do more hot washes of those.

DH said he managed to get most of the other stuff we need - some household and toiletries etc but a few bits for home ed/Cagletini entertainment too.

I must say I am often grateful for our house (HA property we moved to in 2018) but even more so now. The thought of being in lockdown in our old place is just horrible, but it would actually be pretty bearable here - more space, better lighting and ventilation, heating that actually works, a little garden. ❤️

Glad everyone's keeping positive!
ED I pray things don't lock down for you,that would indeed be the stuff of nightmares.

Dd2 freaking dreadfully,I'm off over local nature reserve short walk with her.i dread not being able do that.as ment have a window open could we potter in garden if we end up "trapped" at home?

Lil zoo getting quite poorly.shes had below average temp all week and tight chest sore throat.its now a "wet" / plegm sounding cough and temps coming up a bit.hope she's not getting a chest infection as dd1 fears she has one(asthmatic and prone) and has been basically told we have bigger fish to fry take your inhalers more!

Tada
Finished tidy cupboard understairs-
Half way thru stack crap round where I sit

Off out DD for a bit

It is crazy zoo I’m actually more worried about other illnesses in a way - especially the Caglets since they aren’t really at risk from CV, but might not be able to access help for other things?! Just glad the issues DH and I have are not dangerous/acute.

Ugh.

Anyway.

Still lounging around drinking bubble tea DH brought back for me.

ta da
✅gave DH a list of essentials from Wilko and Boots (managed to get most, and Boots are now taking points payment again after a weird hacking thing so that saved over £20)
✅set up TT for Cagletini... now regretting it as she decided to practise her motor skills by transferring all the lentils etc elsewhere 🙄🤣

Thanks for sustenance and brandy, zoo - two more hours done in DD's room until she ran out of oomph - there's a lot of emotional stuff to process there about bullying, leaving school, her diagnosis, deceased grandparents that she never really processed when it happened. But we have made one lovely reading corner for her, and put all her art stuff in one (huge) box, and made separate boxes for stationery, note books and K-Pop stuff.

Expletive, hope self-isolation doesn't become a thing for your family.

As I feared, DS3 had a marvellous time at paintball for an hour, then totally ran out of energy, happy and tolerance for people, noise and things that hit him. I had stayed to help gear up all the boys, then went to Tesco for my prescription, then basically went straight back to fetch him early! I had about 15 minutes at home.

I've now had the first dose of steroids and have been running round like a mad thing all afternoon. My brain is still spinning at that speed, but it's way beyond my energy.

Sorry that Covid-19 is ramping up anxiety in DC. DD is very calm and dispassionate about it. DS3 is hysterical with fear. I'm about to read an article in ADDitude magazine about explaining Coronavirus to DC with anxiety, I'll share if it's any good!

If anyone does get stuck at home, someone on fb reminded me today that Google Arts and Culture have virtual tours of the major museums of the world (including the British Museum) that might be useful / interesting.

Pleased you are pleased with your house, Lane ❤ . I am trying to plan how we will work in our space, and am being very grateful each child can have their own bedroom (or DS2 and DD would start WW3. They are much, much better 5 miles apart!).

Hi everyone, lots to catch up on, I’ve been slacking!

Expletive, Willow, Zoo for ongoing forms / dc struggles.

Lane well done to your DD on the positive parents evening. Hope she’s feeling better. Love Cagletini’s picture!

Bower the job sounds exciting, good luck if you decide to go for it.

SC we’ve done another few shopping trips for PIL. They live between us and the shop, and have a porch we can chuck the stuff in so it isn’t a hardship. They were attempting their first ever online shop today though. Thanks for the special dispensation from flying. I’m sure Too will join me in accepting . There are rumours of potentially cancelled annual leave in our trust if necessary.

Hope you’re ok Hazel

Waves to other fledglings. Hope you’re all staying healthy.

I’ve been feeling a bit / flat anxious the last few days about the whole CV thing after previously staying fairly calm. Had a worrying email from a friend abroad about the situation where she is. It’s looking fairly certain my trip away with friends won’t be going ahead (hoping for forced cancellation rather than having to make the decision not to go, losing the money etc). Worried about various relatives and the logistics of self-isolation / schools closures etc. Basically the same things the rest of the world are worrying about so I need to give myself a shake. We have a full chest freezer and well stocked larder. The local co-op doesn’t seem to have been badly hit yet - there were yellow-stickered loaves today so bought 2 for the freezer. Can’t get paracetamol anywhere though. Going to attempt an aldi shop in the morning I think as need fruit and veg.

Ta Da list is small today - had an early appointment then lost motivation with feeling flat, but got a grip of myself after lunch out and a nap:

✅ 2 x LOLs washed and dried
✅ loos cleaned
✅ bit of tidying
✅ DW set off
✅ downstairs dusted

Currently scranning some pasta and wine.

Plan for tomorrow is aldi shop, ironing and hoovering / mopping.

Signing in from the PIP form corner of doom again. God this is hard. DS keeps coming into the kitchen and chatting away to me bless him and I've had to send him away just so I can concentrate on this dratted thing. If this was something I was doing for work I'd really enjoy it, I love picking through documents, finding relevant info, piecing it all together and cross-referencing it all (saddo). When it's a Saturday night and it's all about what your child can't do it's bloody depressing

Back later for some proper chat hopefully.

Boo hiss for PIP forms, ED. Hope you can stop the flat feeling, KT. Well done on resetting yourself!

DD and I have just done another 2 hours in her room, and are done as far as the fireplace. It looks amazing and she is so happy with her "new* space. She says it feels less closed in and like a new start, which is lovely.

Although all the spare furniture is now in DS1's room - dressing table, set of in-trays, lava lamp, lego police station (obvs). That will need to be sorted out, I can't just shut the door on it!

Right, I'm going to award myself a glass of wine. With these steroids and a badly timed cup of tea I'm physically exhausted but mentally totally wired. Hopefully a small glass of white and my book will sort that out!

Well done Willow, hope you manage to get some sleep. I hoicked myself out of the corner of doom about an hour ago (TBH the last hour of work was the most productive of the whole session, the rest of the family left me to it and I finally worked out how I was going to cross reference all my supporting evidence.

Off to bed now, night Fledglings. x