Mad March Fledglings Fly in to action 2020

[Sizeablecontours]

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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Glad you are back with us Zoo but sorry things continue to be so difficult. No pointy sticks from me either, you need to rest! What a shame you had to cancel specialist support visit when it sounds as if you could do with some right now (not sure if right kind though). So sorry that your ds hates the outreach school, although if it is the one I am thinking of, the long commute seemed a tall order. Huuuugeeee sympathies re: aching muscles. Please, please try and take a bit of a rest today if at all possible

Good luck with the mega spare room clear out Cineraria and well done re: decluttering so far!

Lane it's so lovely to hear of a good step-mother-daughter relationship when so many people on Mumsnet are posting negatively about them! Please don't regret your lost morning, you definitely needed it to recalibrate (especially if you rarely get the house to yourself) in fact you could try and build some rest periods in to your timetable. Hope your scratchy throat doesn't develop in to anything and so glad to hear your dh is feeling a bit stronger mentally if not physically

Toostressy stealing hand sanitizer gel from a hospital is one of the lowest things I have ever heard. Do people have no morals at all?

Well done re: your anadine-powered productive day on Friday That and for chauffering yesterday. Good to hear you are a puke-free zone for now

Wow sounds as though you are giving your kitchen a thorough top-to-toe scrub Tinselette

Good to see you Chic! Have you seen those plastic under-the-kitchen-sink shelves that go around the main plumbing pipe? They are quite handy for making the most of the space.

Hope your stomach pain has subsided We3kings. Glad your ds4 not affected too badly by cp. Hope you enjoyed your family day out yesterday and take it steady cleaning today!

Hope your stomach pain subsided too Hazel

And thanks, of course the rain stopped as soon as we had put temporary measures in place in roof! No doubt it will start raining again tomorrow when builders are back!

Willow/Hazel arf at your ds's and Corona beer; we need a bit of light relief from the subject!!

Willow So sorry about ECCP application rejection Judging from some fledglings experiences on here, it's always such an unnecessarily horrible battle.

Still thinking of you Bower and your difficult decision . Will see if the pm is working again now.

The moral of yesterday's story was: do not try friendly farmer's home brew in the late afternoon unless you are made of stern stuff Came home and had a slightly surreal evening flitting drunkenly between Crufts and the Voice and had the great idea that the Beeb should commission a new show with singing dogs, then realised it was the beer speaking Hoping for a slightly more sedate day today and will have some time to myself this afternoon when dh goes to collect dd.

Have a relaxing Sunday everyone (well relaxing as possible given current news reports). Not to make light of it, but I am imagining everyone back home finding all of those "keep calm and carry on" posters they have in the roof and dusting them off. Good idea to prepare for the worst and hope for the best I think. I haven't quite got my head around it all yet but off to continue pulling dhorse's mane right now (not as painful as it sounds) to distract from it all.

Take care fledglings and take some time out to look after yourselves today

Sorry, roof/rain comment was meant in response to We3kings but got paras in wrong order!

Forgot to wave to Foxes Shannara Honu Bower Expletive and everyone else I have missed!

Ooh x posts!

Btw...sorry if this sounds horribly sexist ...but at the gathering yesterday, I was interested to note (through the beer fumes) that the men were all talking about the potential effects of Covid on property prices, business and sporting fixtures, and the women were talking about elderly members of their family, and not being able to travel to see family in the summer etc.

Morning all! Thanks SC for epic name-checking and thread leading already. I got ahead of Flylady with a proper kitchen scrub last night - behind the toaster, cupboard fronts, outer reaches of the dishwasher, mopped the floor etc. I'd been out all day and DS2 had Happened in the kitchen. I'm pleased he cooks, but really...!

zoo I'm so sorry to hear you are being pushed too far by circumstances, I feared that would be the case. Bitter experience suggests that this is not a point when you can dig deeper and "just give 10% more" and everything will be alright, you need some proper help, urgently or you will end up in hospital. Can you pass anything over the Manshape? Surely he needs to have some part in holding up his own children (or have I misunderstood)? Really hope you can get some proper rest in the next few days. I know the OT is a pain, but is this the point to admit that actually you're not coping and someone, anyone needs to help you? You are carrying your family alone (and deserve a medal for it) but you can't do it forever with 3 children with complex needs. Sending - not much practical help but hope they make you feel a bit supported.

Horrified to hear people are pinching handgel from hospitals, but not surprised. The media and the government are whipping everyone up into a frenzy over this - I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but I do wonder what they're using it cover for. I think it is partly driven by social media, as it wouldn't make for good copy if the news was "nasty new virus about, everyone's washing their hands more", would it? Had to talk DM down yesterday over ordinary hand wash being as effective as anti-bacterial if she's washing properly. She (and I) have skin that dries out and cracks really easily and I know from when DS1 was in Special Care as a newborn that washing with anti-bac often just means I bleed everywhere all the time, which is far more of an infection risk.

[Flowers] for everyone with stomach pain, sicky small ones, non-sleeping tinies, itches, sore places, no sleep etc and so forth. Life seems so relentless at the moment. Lane, I think some time off just zoned out on the computer was probably a good thing. We can't actually run at 100% all the time, that's not how humans work.

DH did all the base-level Flying again yesterday and was, again, toast by 10pm. This is quite an interesting learning curve for him!

Today I'm out again, helping a friend fill a skip at her DM's house prior to selling it. Meeting the new cousin yesterday was amazing, partly in terms of seeing how character traits and genetic inheritance comes down the family, and partly in terms of seeing baby photos of my grandmother we'd never seen before. It was just lovely. We have hope of getting all of that side of the family together sometime soon, which would be amazing because only my DM is in touch with them. I know names but very little else and it would be lovely to put faces to them.

Although if anyone else mentions how much I look like my grandmother I shall explode . Clearly I need to invest in good corseting, now!

Willow and others the lack of common sense with hand washing is so irritation. Hopefully you got through to your DM. Actually the public health advice for Coronavirus is thorough hand washing with soap and warm water in preference to hand sanitiser (unless using hospital grade stuff which has probably been nicked anyway). Aaaaggh.

Had better not get on my soapbox about all of this anyway as I will not get off and it will veer info giving medical advice on a subject I am not an expert in.

Very interesting re party conversation and men and women SC. Again unsurprising but definitely interesting.

Had better get on. Zero flying here so far.

Just read that back and hadn’t meant to imply the your mum was irritating Willow .

Morning all. Sorry I’ve been AWOL for a couple of days. Thanks for all the sympathy over our damp awakening. Thankfully she’s agreed to a pull up the last few nights so we’ve stayed dry.

So Friday morning I managed to give myself a shake and drag myself out of the naughty corner. Put the wet sheets on a quick wash to refresh them and got them dried, plus dishes done and a quick tidy downstairs before work. Sheets back on before bed and work clothes washed and in dryer. Filled the car up with fuel for next week.

Yesterday was quite productive, although it was one of those days where despite lots of cleaning the place never seems tidy, so I’ve got some sorting out to do this morning.

Yesterday’s ta Das:
✅ dishes done
✅ hob and benches wiped
✅ Utility benches and appliances wiped
✅ tv, windows and mirrors cleaned in living and dining rooms
✅ front door and hall mirror cleaned
✅ sorted hall unit hot spot
✅ downstairs dusted
✅ hoovered downstairs
✅ washed hoover filter. (Seconds later DH spilt sugar on the kitchen floor. Swept it but the kitchen now needs hoovered again once the filter is dry)
✅ downstairs mopped except kitchen
✅ DD’s new bedding unpacked, washed and dried. Bed isn’t coming for two weeks so we are left with a mattress in the hallway
✅ both toilets and sinks cleaned
✅ clean washing put away.

Had a lovely morning at a birthday party with DD yesterday, but unfortunately she was shattered in the afternoon and all the sugar lead to her becoming like a possessed thing. She was wild and DH has gone out so I had a nightmare with her. She settled just before bed and he poured me a wine as soon as he got home . Tea was a cheese sandwich for her and frozen pizza for us after she fell asleep so minimal washing up for this morning!

Today’s plan:

• cup of tea in bed while DH occupies DD
• kitchen floor
• tidy upstairs bombsite
• ironing
• make soup for work, Sunday dinner and overnight oats
• bags packed
• visit to family and possibly park trip if DD behaves herself

Have a lovely Sunday everyone

Zoo glad to have you back but sorry to hear you’ve been feeling so poorly. Definitely no pointy stick for you. Maybe a gentle back pat to get you through the things you have to do. Disagree with you That - the stick shouldn’t go through his head but instead should be inserted somewhere else!

Fab news for your DSD Lane

Hope you and your DD are doing ok Hazel

@TooStressyTooMessy, I didn't read it that way! And she has her moments, much as I love her .

KT maybe there are multiple sticks? 🥢

Aha! Yes. Come to think of it, I’ve definitely seen a few lying about. One in the head, one of the other end and still a few pointy sticks left for motivation for those who need it

💐💐💐 to zoo Bower and that and 💐 to anyone else on the thread who needs it. I hope you find peace in your decision about work Bower. You've had an awful time of it. Zoo you should be gentle with yourself - no pointy sticks

Cleaned half the walls and all the doors and rads in kitchen. Dh will clean above worktops as it's too much of a stretch for me. Next is deep clean of floor and bins out. I've cleaned the light. I have not cleaned inside any presses.

Ds was sent home from school early on Friday with a cough - it's the dust allergy. We have cleaned properly since December and me flying deeply has unleashed lots of dust. We'll have to keep on top of it now.

I meant we haven't cleaned properly since December..

Rubbish sleep as had stomach cramps.bad gut when moved...I highly suspect IBS isn't happy by turn of events

Appreciate kind words making me cry but experience has shown as I am on my own without family or friends I can call on to help out if I cannot keep on things threats of all kinds rain on me

KT/THAT either of you have a few minutes for whittling we could try making them into large darts and play human dart boards?
He has no balls so eyes get top marks

🎯✂️🔨🪓⛏⚒🛠🗡⚔🔫🏹🔧🏏🎱

Many weapons

Aha KTCluck/That/Zoo I had similar thoughts about where else one could apply pointy sticks!

Congrats on your amazing list day yesterday KTCluck and for ploughing through on Friday

Wow Tinselette bravo, that all sounds very vigorous for a Sunday morning! Hope your ds feels the benefit!

Willow that sounds fascinating about your "new" cousin! Funnily enough, we are just getting acquainted with the less well known side of our family atm! (Think they had been scared off by my late ma who had rather a "forceful" personality!) And congrats on getting a head start on Zone 2!

TooStressy I don't think there is enough emphasis on sanitizer only being being necessary when good old soap and water isn't (ie when on the move etc.)

My plans have been thwarted this morning. Keep forgetting that farm (where dhorse lives) is not accessible through usual means on Sunday mornings (and I stupidly forgot to take key for alternative access. This is the third time I have done this so only have myself to blame ). But now I haven't been to church either! Gah! And it having started out a lovely day, it is now chucking it down. Must go and do something more productive than browse on the computer and drink coffee but it's so cold and grey ... and DH has already exhausted the furries on a long walk ... . Very comfortable here in front of log burner

👠 It being Women's Day - a pointy stiletto

X post Zoo sorry for wittering on about my lost Sunday morning when you have real things to worry about. I'm so sorry about SS etc. Is it the same team of people? Dont answer if you don't want to, but have explained to them why you are so distrustful of them? Coukd you ask for different team? Is there any way of pursuing your complaint (like PALS in NHS)? Tell me to mind my own bananas but can't still help thinking you can't carry on like this alone and you still need support of some kind? Could you tell nice lady vicar you could do with some help (especially with transport) and ask her to rally troops? There is no shame in asking for help on behalf of your DC, especially when you are ill

Hope I haven't spoken out of turn there Zoo but worried about you

Happy Women's Day Tinselette 👠👠👠 although I suspect some of us may prefer 👞 . (Can't be doing with heels now I am plump/older.) . Actually there should be an emoticon for furry slippers ... .

Heels are evil. I like my feet flat on the ground!

Same, no heels here! I live between two pairs of trainers (identical “model” but different colours) and occasionally my old work boots which are super comfy and supportive.

We can’t give more than we have. Oh boy. Wise words indeed. 💐

Slow morning indeed here. I think I may have totalled 5 hours sleep. Definitely coming down with something, hopefully will steam it out tomorrow (was hoping to actually swim first but doesn’t look like it). Toddler snotty and grumpy again (not sure if I confirmed, the spots did disappear within 24h and never developed fully into the classic “dew drop on a rose petal” CP spots, so was a random reaction to something we think).

Must move last night’s laundry on, and try and get some admin stuff from the epic list done. I don’t think I’ll manage much of the physical stuff, might see what I can delegate to DS. DH is still in bed. Being more “present” during the week after his counselling evidently didn’t (couldn’t?) last. :( Need a practical (and entirely non-accusatory, this is not his fault) discussion about how on earth to get through the next few weeks I think.

Yes I wear flats mostly too, the odd kitten heel. It's a good pointy thing though a stiletto 😜😉 if you have a pair lurking in your wardrobe.

Arghhh - found mould in a corner of the kitchen. Fixed it with bleach cleaner but we'll have to ventilate more.

Not fully caught up yet - just reading a few posts in between trying to crack on with stuff. :o at singing dogs idea sc best get Simon Cowell on it straight away!

The thing with my “wasted” morning is, I guess, that really I need to relax “productively”. I absolutely don’t mean relaxing by getting my to do list tasks done like admin/housework - no way! That’s not relaxing for me :o but I mean, I need to actively engage my brain in something, rather than mindlessly scrolling FB etc. As the latter doesn’t actually make me feel rested and refreshed at all. I feel better when I’ve read, or played piano, written my journal, or done some sketching, or even watch something properly on Netflix like a new drama (not to mention swimming/gym/yoga when I’m well enough to leave the house). Unfortunately at the moment I also have the more “demandy” tasks of keeping up with my courses, which is good, but I also need alone time for that, so I end up procrastinating over them and end up not doing anything 🤦‍♀️🙄