Flapping calmly through lockdown: Fledglings April 2020. Welcome to the Keep Calm Corner!

[LaneBoy]

Hello all!

Thank you for joining us, please note if we seem cliquey it’s only because it’s a long running thread - everyone really is welcome!

Welcome to (probably) the most bizarre Flylady thread yet... in which we are attempting to impose/maintain some kind of order in our homes, while also many of us are adjusting to working from home and homeschooling the kids for the first time too! Not to mention the anxiety around health and accessing food!

Of course, normally the opening post would talk about banishing CHAOS - Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome - but now we aren’t allowed anyone over anyway :o so, let’s just try and make our homes nicer FOR US. We are spending more time than ever in them, so let’s make them really wonderful places to be, our own safe little nests for our families.

Flylady routines might just help us get through this crazy time, by giving us a little structure to work from when all else is unpredictable - but as usual there is no right or wrong here. All of us follow it only to the extent it helps us - we can take ideas and make them work for us. And the key principle is, YOU ARE NEVER BEHIND. I feel like that is even more evident now, with so many of these outside pressures and commitments suddenly gone, and frankly the days rolling into one!

This is potentially a great time to declutter. Of course, Flylady suggests 15 minutes a day - but perhaps in these unprecedented times we will all do more! But we are all busy getting into our own routines now that school is out, and work too for many, and we’ve lost a lot of the outside structure to our lives. There’s no right or wrong here, we just have to try and adapt.

Links wise, I’ll just post the launch pad, and will add reminders about zones too. If anyone has Flying questions, please ask!

The Keep Calm Corner
The lovely SC came up with the brilliant idea of the Keep Calm Corner last month - this is a daily post with things to make us happy! I figured each monthly host can make this their own, and I’m a little worried my taste in art and music would not be calming to most :o so for this month, the KCC will consist of:
Some memes - either funny (we all need a laugh! Warning though - some will likely be unsavoury :o) or thought provoking/relaxation based. Do PM me (here or FB) if you have any you want to add!
A daily “ice breaker” type question - obviously answering these is entirely optional, and don’t say anything that will out you, but if you want to join in and create some extra conversations on the thread then treatment, we can all get to know each other better! Again, if you think of any questions please PM!

Thank you for settling in, and of course thank you to SC for making March such a lovely thread. And lastly, a huge thank you also to our key worker Fledglings, who are doing an incredible job of keeping things running!

I forgot about the clapping, luckily DH and I were sitting in the garden and heard it start so we went through to the front. It's nice now it's light later in the evenings.

Well, apart from the shopping it has been a pretty unproductive day again. Did a bit of work (half-arsed). 1 x LOL. Got DCs to do some ironing. Did a bit of tidying in the boudoir. Watched Doctos (guilty pleasure!). Half an hour at the allotment, the ground is rock hard now, after being a mudbath a few weeks ago.

Oh, but I did have a lightbulb moment about the EHCP. So I can get that sorted tomorrow now.

How are people doing these quiz things? I don’t really get how it works! We tried a Harry Potter one the other day but it kept buffering 🙄

ta da (with animal emojis)
🦆made soup, put half in fridge for tomorrow
🦉emptied my/DH’s bags and got DD to do hers. One to be chucked, lots to be washed/stored! Still need to get DS to do his but he’s just gone to bed. Very glad DD1 unpacked her school bag and not me 🤢🤢🤢
🐢another LOL - must put it in dryer now
🐬found all the duplo and put it away (seriously need to do that quicker next time as it ends up everywhere
🦜gathered some complete toys and stashed in our room
🦥reorganised some boxes in hallway - reduced the random crap and put all incomplete wooden stuff in one box so I can rehome things more easily
🦡threw away some stuff, recycled other stuff
🦚episode of The Split while sorting stuff
🦩sprayed and wiped shower screen thing - not sure it made much difference to the water marks though, any ideas please?
🦔moved books back onto Kallax in living room - absolutely zero order to them and they’re just shoved in between other books and games but at least they’re in the right part of the right room now

Feeling a bit achy now and regretting the dustiness of the decluttering as I coughed loads after! Dinner helped though, DH did a kind of tomatoey stew thing with chicken wings and butter beans etc, it was soooo good I didn’t even pick out the mushrooms :o

During tonight’s Rowling movie session I might disappear to the bedroom and write my journal - I haven’t for about three weeks which I think is the longest I’ve gone since I started in July. I don’t want to give up on it. It’s been really good for me but I’ve not had the reason to write about anything as life has been very simple and boring! Other than the (possible) virus but then I had zero energy to write anyway. I had been trying to do a monthly summary/hopes for next month thing so I’m over a week late on that now 😳😳😳

Well work was good, busy though. I'm tired after my long day and glad I'm on a 3 day weekend now. We did clean up the kitchen after dinner and I even wiped out the microwave.

I love the marvel movies, we had a marathon last year, leading up to Avengers End Game. We did a search and made sure to watch them all in order. It's amazing to rewatch them and catch things I missed previously. I do love Thor and black widow. I can't wait to see her movie when it comes out this year. We also love star wars, pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter. I love dirty dancing (it inspired my username!), the holiday, Red (1&2) and a whole bunch more. The last movie I watched was return of Jafar, we didn't like it. Nothing like the original Aladdin.

DS pulled a tooth out today, another molar. We were teasing him, saying the tooth fairy won't be able to come due to the lockdown!

I'm planning on tomorrow being another productive day. I'm so tired now though, it's not quite 9:30pm. I could probably do with an early night. I look forward to hearing from you all tomorrow.

zoo I hope things aren't getting too overwhelming for you. I hope your DC realise they can help you out.

Has anyone heard from bower lately? I don't remember seeing any posts in a while from her.

Hello to everyone else 👋 I'm too tired to name off names tonight, please forgive me!

Oh I almost forgot, lane I laughed way too hard at the kid cutting the outline of scissors. Must be my immaturity coming out!

bower I just scrolled back through and found your latest post (my days are all screwed up as I thought you had been gone from the thread longer than that!) I hope your cat is feeling much better now.

Sleep well hazel*

Been awake since 3
Might get up shortly and sort some recipes

ty zoo

Last night i stayed up and got in the tesco queue at 11.50pm. I got "in" at 12.15 and got a slot for last day of the month. I am happy now. I have 2 april slots just over 2 weeks apart so can hopefully just do a fresh top up shop in the middle and be ok

As i stayed up later than usual i also left downstairs a bit tidier. Most of the toys are away and there were ALOT out. Dc4 is like a small tornado.

I signed up Tesco and Asda that but can't get delivery or click and collect on either!

Oh gosh give hope it’s not chicken pox. Or if it is then I hope it’s a very mild case! I suppose at least it’d get the “staying in until the appts crust over” thing done while everyone is already staying in 🤔 but really not a stress you need right now! Is there anyone who could pick up some calamine lotion if so? And some oats as if you put some in a knotted pair of tights when you run a bath it’s quite soothing apparently.

Re: the quiz someone told me the one they do, apparently they put a link up where you can watch it on YouTube. So it’s not interactive but you just play along at home but I think some people also set up Skype or whatever with friends/family to compete or work together.

Hazel I now have hungry eyes stuck in my head :o I’d never made the connection before.

I might try walking to the small Tesco today, as when the others are due on their walk (we are trying to keep to a rough schedule otherwise it won’t get done) my therapist is on another radio interview and I want to listen. Also, DH was telling me last night how anxious and stressed he’s getting, especially with all the shopping - in particular noticing shoplifters which are more common ATM! (He used to work in retail and caught a lot of them which gets a bit awkward!) So I should try, I’m quite nervous about possible queues and the walk back up the hill though as I struggle with those things physically. 🙄

Really hungry so going to have my meds and breakfast!

☕ For thoe who had a sleepless night, I hope you get to take things easy today.

Yes, Lane, that was the virtual pub quiz I did last night. They put a link up to a live youtube video and ask the questions/ give answers on that. Then if you want to on a second phone/tablet/laptop you can video call some friends and family to play along together. We did the general one last night, but I preferred the disney one that we did last week.

DH is officially furloughed now. So today we are going to work out a plan of what we would like to do over the next couple of weeks. We both have some projects/hobbies we would like to work on that requires childfree time, so we are going to make a schedule, so that one day DH gets a morning to himself, then I get an afternoon, and then we have days completely together...etc.

Morning all! Blimey, I dropped off for a couple of days and I've got lost catching up. 🍒🙋‍♀️ all round, if I start listing names on my phone I'll get lost. zoo, hope the OCD is more under control today and you can get some kind of help / support, even from a distance. Bower, hope your cat is better and the thyroid meds are working. ED, brilliant that you had A Flash Of Inspiration about the EHCP. We have abandoned ours for now. Hazel, rest well on your weekend, you sound exhausted. Ditto That, sorry the financial situation is troubling. KT (I think), glad you've found a bit of focus with planning. Strawberry, I did exactly the same thing - sorted food for yesterday and for Easter Sunday and have now realised there's today and tomorrow too. Oops! Fluffiest, I've built a general "base level" flying list that keeps me ticking over every morning:

• rotate DW while coffee brews
• strong cup of coffee (this may be the most important bit! )
• S&S all bathrooms
• LOL
• sweep kitchen floor and wipe sides and sink
• at least know what's for dinner and get it out of the freezer if necessary.
• open windows for half an hour, then make our bed

The home bleugh is all very well, but only works to her timings if it's in a small house with only 1 bed to change. I can strip and change a double / superking bed in 10 minutes; I can't do 5 beds in that time! Everyone has a designated bedlinen and towels day here, so I don't drown in washing either.

Sounds like a great plan re: childcare to give you both some time.

Ta das over the last few days (can't remember which day!)
💖 Usual DW, S&S, LOL, kitchen floor etc
🧡 washed the sofa cushion covers from the music room sofa and dried on the line!
💛 got 2 hours' writing done, for work (and a nice quiet period in the living room office)
💚 dog walk yesterday in the sunshine and birdsong
💙 40 minutes in the garden, deadheading the hydrangea and persuading nextdoor's honeysuckle (which has spent the last decade trying to take over our garden) not the throttle the dwarf apple tree. Hopefully, photo of cheerful tulips attached!
💜 spoke to DMum
🖤 made hot cross buns in case Tesco hadn't got any. Was dead easy, even with iffy yeast, and they tasted lovely baked fresh this morning and glazed with golden syrup. Have attempted to attach photo and recipe. hot cross buns I didn't even faddlearse around piping crosses on the top, just cut them into the unbaked dough before they went into the oven, in the old-fashioned manner.
💖Tesco. Ugh.
🧡 got out my next embroidery project
💛 downstairs hoovering
💚 got 2 hours' writing done, for me. Was lovely but now can't remember what I've written here, what I've written there, what I've written on my decluttering thread etc!
💙 Still considering whether to pay for Mumsnet. "My" pocket money comes from the business and it's a bit squeaky itself at the moment, and I too have standing costs that must be met whether I have any clients or not. I would guess the reason they've not got a Paypal option is that Paypal charge 4% to businesses for processing transactions in, and that's quite a hefty cost over what they're hoping to raise. However, MN do seem to be rather free-and-easy with people's personal data. Still cogitating. In a pinch, I have you lot on fb, but it's not the full thread and I would miss that.

Still To Do
📌This morning's basics
📌 Walk the dog
📌 Online coffee with a friend
📌 wash the big back bit of the music room sofa while the weather holds
📌 make cottage pie for tea from roast beef
📌 dig out the elderly mincer and see if it's usable, before making the cottage pie!
📌 consider a third hot cross bun
📌 try to get DS1 and DS3 out on their bikes together today
📌 clear up my downloads folder on the laptop, which is heaving again

Films question - basically, I Don't Do Film. It turns out that I'm where all the DC get their sensory processing issues from and I can't deal with moving pictures and sound and plotline simultaneously. I very rarely do TV either. This can be a bone of contention, as DH and the DC love films very much. I watch 2 films a year - Muppets Christmas Carol, on the day the schools break up in December, because that is out Start of Christmas Tradition; and whatever the Christmas Outing Film is on around the 20th. For the past few years we've gone to see the new Star Wars film, so goodness knows what we'll do this year (assuming we're allowed out by then 😮).

Oops. Have written an essay. Many apologies! .

Morning all,
Hope its not chicken pox Give, but if it is I suppose there are worse times to have it than when you're at home anyway.

I need to get up and get moving.

Really hope it's not CP, Give, but at least you're all stuck at home anyway!

Hi
Hazel I’m here. I was too tired last night. iPad wasn’t charged yesterday until night time. I am medicating cat every morning and she is looking a bit better. She had her medication, ear cleaned, breakfast and then went for a walk down the garden to the water trough and just when I thought she had got lost she appeared. Glad as I am still in PJs. She seems to be less disorientated. She is such a dear little cat. She has the softest coat I have ever felt on a cat. It is like a kittens or velvet.

I haven’t caught up yet...page 22😳

Wednesday among other things like S&S and LOL plus I painted the shed. Three sides done when I ran out of stain.

Yesterday I went shopping first time since February. I felt anxious 😥 I thought DH would go and I would sit in the car and check up on him.
We went to the large butchers near us which has fruit and veg and some groceries and 🍞 bread. So I bought loads. I wrote a list and managed to get everything except flour. It was only one person and they made people queue when there was more than about 7 plus staff.
There was a man annoying me because he seemed to forget the 2 metres and ever aisle I went in he followed and came close or passed me he was back and forth on the meat section then went to the chicken shelves stood for ages at least 5 minutes then didn’t get any! One of the older assistants was stressed poor woman. I had a bit of a chat to her and waved to my favourite butcher. He is Italian and we usually have a chat but he was serving someone so I just got a “ how are you?”

I have walked most days between 1 1/2 miles -4 miles we have four to chose from so we alternate them. We litter picked on Wednesday because someone had thrown loads of bottles out on a strip of grass where riders have a canter along. We found fourteen bottles mostly whisky.

DH is going to make my breakfast ( I came back to bed with a cup of tea) as it’s my birthday today. It will be strange not to see my children. I think DS2 might cycle over to say hello over the wall. He could stand on the village green😁
🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥓🥓🥓🥓🥓
Here take your pick. Will catch up later he has gone to make me a bacon buttie.

Are any of you going to pay for mumsnet? It seems quite a lot.

Morning all!

🌷🥂🍾🎂🌹💐
Happy birthday Bower!
Hope you have a lovely day!

Well as much as poss in circs!
🌷🥂🍾🎂🌹💐

Giveme oh no about poss chicken pox. Hope it is a mild case if so!

Drum roll...I am cleaning. Its truly tragic that its come to this. But it has.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Happy good Friday everyone.

We’ve been up doing Easter crafts since 7, and have put up some decorations.

I had a few ta Das left from yesterday:
✅ downstairs hoovered and living room roughly mopped
✅ yoga plus 20 minutes dancing round with DD
✅ kitchen cleaned up after tea (stir fry) and cupboard fronts wiped down too

Today’s ta Das:
✅ showered, shaved, hair washed, me and DD dressed.
✅ bed stripped and bedding in WM
✅ DD’s bed made
✅ windows opened
✅ all fed
✅ s & s

To do:
Clear up craft stuff
Wash breakfast things
Clean bedding on
General tidy this evening
Family walk

SC I also can’t do the bed change within the hour, so do that separately, usually on a Sunday when I do little else.

Fluffiest we are also trying to ensure we each get free time to ourselves. It’ll be harder when I go back to work next week, I think poor DH is in for a shock and will be ready for my day off! Hope you manage to get some time for you and enjoy some time together too.

Hazel I hadnt worked that out about your name. The song is also stuck in my head now too Lane

Zoo that is a perfectly acceptable meal and I’m impressed with the added veggies. When I resort to a tin it’s heated up and served as is. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Hope you’re feeling better today.

Wing flaps to you all.

Oh lots of cross posts. Been writing that list for a while . Catching up...

Happy Birthday Bower! Have a lovely day

Willow those tulips are gorgeous and I’m very impressed with your hot cross buns.

Giveme hope it’s not chicken pox!

Hi everyone! I'm feeling a little flat this morning after a good start cleaning the bathroom floor and dusting the bedroom. Then dh announced he has to go back to work next week (he had been furloughed) because a job has come up with is classed as essential works. So now I've got lots of mixed feelings about that! However, I am now going to pull myself together because in the grand scheme of things right now it is not a big deal and we will just have to get on with it!

So I'm going to get up and make a cup of tea and then decide what to do next. We were hoping to make a big chocolate cake today 😋

Happy birthday bower🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂

I was adamant today would be better!!

Got up 530
Internet banking
Woke dd2 at 615
Headed Tesco express(take 35 mins at brisk walk,opens at 6am)man in there with no concept social distancing irritated me as he got told off not following the one way either.twit!it's very quiet at that time which be small store is good as hard avoid contact with others.that unnerved me.in other news they had pasta
Onto co op on way home.they had plenty hot X buns,so got 2packs,Easter eggs seemed quite cheap so got dd1 and fiance one each❤️they had a reduced d.f one with caramels so got lil zoo an extra,and dd2 a bournville one.ds I chose Oreo mini eggs..
Got fair bit of what wanted.couldntbget everything but I cannot face another rip big store with security Gestapo ranting about bringing dd2

Came home
Wipe milk and put away
Had toast
Wipe rest shop and put away

Felt bit flat,so googled exercise workouts of the 90s and found some i used to do!;convinced lil zoo to do "bodies in motion" with me🤣it's not as intense as shred etc so I was just about able to manage it without getting too breathless which was great.sadly toning was stomach and I nearly died,I've now got muscles I didn't know existed anymore complaining a bit🤣🤣🤣🤣was fun tho,nostalgic and manageable!!perked me up and I feel much more energetic and calmer!

I looked up another I used to do "everyday workout with Cynthia kereluk" and might do that later,just for old times sake😁👍

To do
Wipe down kitchen
Lots recipe sorting
Some Easter crafts
Plan something for dd2 birthdayas gifts aren't going to make it here by then

Also must do lots things to keep my mood up,so thinking k need go thru my me time drawers as have puzzle books,colouring etc in there

Have a great good Friday everyone!!