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!

zoo unfortunately my acid reflux was caused by overeating/ drinking- so completely avoidable 😔😳 I do have allergies, but to cats and dogs (even though I have a dog) I take allergy pills year round and if I miss a day I start itching, it's not fun. Allergies are my trigger for asthma too.

lane we are learning Spanish with Fluenz, I haven't got to try it out yet, been busy learning everything. I'm hoping that next week I can start.

No flying here yet today, although I think I'm going to tackle the bathrooms at work, and possibly the disgusting microwave and fridge. I haven't used either one until this morning, had to warm up my coffee and was almost too scared to use the microwave! Ugh!

zoo I keep forgetting- happy birthday to Celeste, even though it's now very late! She looked so happy, especially under the circumstances. Not happy about "D"P not calling her though, completely inexcusable- and his behaviour lately is starting to be deserving of being under your patio! The least he could do is help you get your shopping!

I am also sat on a sofa, languishing on my phone when I ought to be getting up and having a shower.

Afternoon ta da
❤ cleaned spare room - dusted, mirrors and window and vacuumed
🧡 DH finished clearing the undergrowth around the lime trees
💚 made tea, chicken wrapped in pastry with pesto, homemade potato wedges, carrots and green beans
💙 lit the fire pit and toasted marshmallows
💜 Washed dishes

Nostalgic things shared with DD - Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, lego, all the toys and books that she plays with at Grandmas are my old ones so that brings a lot of memories to me, she loves a Sooty soft toy that DH won for me from a grabber machine when we went bowling on an early date.

Right, no more procrastinating, I'm off to wash the smoke out of my hair (even though I actually quite like the smell)

give, really sorry your anxiety is troubling you and you are struggling. I think we all wish it was over, or at least a clear end in sight.

Fluffiest, good job in the cupboard and on the sermon.

Nostalgia: I tried sharing some of my childhood books and toys with the DC, but the world has changed so much some of it was inexplicable to them. We have a book of stories called "Oh, Abigail!" that I used to read them, but I spent more time explaining than reading. She wants to join the cubs with her brother, but she can't, she's a girl... There are no seatbelts in the back of the car and they slide about going round corners... She has to wash and change into a proper dress and buckle shoes to go into Town with her Mum, to choose material for her new frock. I remember a world like that, but to children born in the 21st century it's just odd. The DC do say I speak fluent Enid Blyton, tho', and regularly accuse me of trying to bring them up in the 1950s!

ta da
🌷family walk
🌹shower and clean clothes 😳
🌻sorted some BRCs, rehomed various things, still a work in progress but definite improvement!
🌼read some stuff in advance of therapy tomorrow
🌸played piano briefly (mostly joined by the toddler... sigh)
🌺made a box to “dispense” nappy bags which otherwise end up all over the living room
🌷gathered remaining random crap (stuff I couldn’t decide on immediately) into a bag
🌹amalgamated random board game pieces/cards into a bigger box
🌻finished therapy notes/reading
🌸tested some pens, chucked or added to my case along with some pencils (leaving the kids’ ones for another day)
🌺put more books/games on shelves at random
🌷watched some Gavin and Stacey (very important task set by FSW :o)
🌹cleaned out a couple of plastic tubs as I need them tomorrow (going to pack up some books - dad subscribed to a series for me as a gift but there’s no way I’ll get round to reading them for a while so it makes sense to save shelf space for now)
🌻got Cagletini’s various teddies put in her bed (which she currently isn’t using... there may be some clean laundry in there too 😳😂 although not as much as there has been in the past!)

Less than two hours till school results I guess - good luck to those waiting

I have a little black hen in my garden.😁
My hen doesn’t like her and I have had to separate them. She got out today we don’t know how or where but she was keen to go back in. My hen chased her and while talking to her I was thinking of a name. I thought of ebony and then midnight. My BF always thinks of funny, quirky names I thought I need her help. I have called her Gladys.
Gladys Knight came to me after working through a few more. The two new ones( next week) can be the Pips.

I made three tea loafs. One is awful, it overflowed and it was really strange. I tasted a bit. I must have put the sugar in it twice. You soak the fruit and sugar overnight but when I stirred it there was no grittiness so I thought I had forgotten the sugar and put some in. DH said we will be running around the garden all hyped up.

Ta Da
Lol x2
S&S
Made three tea loaves.
Planted and trimmed. Some plants. Did some weeding.
Sorted out the hen house ramp and the fencing.
Walked up to hens owner and gave him a tea bread. He is a really nice lad. Promised him another cake next week and will collect two more next week.

Made pasta and a veggie sauce. Had last of pavlova with ice cream and strawberries.

Sorry should have said welcome to the newbies.👋

lane tell me more about this nappy bag box please

bower what is tea loaf?

Morning
Give most of us just want it over.i hope today is a better one for you
Willowwe have a hint of Wallace and gromit language here,fuelled by D's love of Victorian words(put downs are especially funny apparently)people do comment on our "old fashioned quirky use of words" I can live with thatquite confortably

Bower hope Gladys settles in well and henny stops with the attacks

Did some shopping.different man letting in at Waitrose,other one was with him still.when was our turn in the queue he said only one I replied u cannot leave her home alone with my issues.as next shopper came out he let usin no question despite Hitler security glaring at him and us.a regular served us at til and she said there's notices outside stating those with MH/ASD etc conditions cannot be restricted or prohibited bringing DC along as long as social distancing observed .. as we chatted I mentioned dd2 birthdays and she said pick some chocolate quickly to dd2.ahe came back g+b bar and was told grab another(was in offer so total cost £2.50 stead £4)and she put it thru as on us,so free birthday chocolate...one is dark with raspberry and hazelnut 😋😋😋bought smile to her face
Only allowed 3bags frozen veg Waitrose too so still veg deficit.are all supermarkets implement this?

In other news she admit cry self to sleep Tuesday night as D's wascbat dad on his phone when she went to bed.ds says he text dad and dad offered to ring.he said if dd2 texts dad be will talk to HER SHE SHODNT HAVE TO MAKE FIRST BLOODY MOVES my heart breaks for her.i told D's had be off call by 11 so she don't bear it again.dad not ment contact at night adds ment be asleep but it's another fight I can't win as I'd be stopping twatface talking his kids conveniently forgetting on late's he could talk anytime before 1pm

The rage us in danger of consuming me completely

Today I need do few chores and some relaxing/self-care stuff with everyone.lul zoo picking her fingers til bleeding loads,D's extra worried now as has upset dd2 but don't want upset dadeither.dd2 a wreck.we need a clear path forwards or we all going to drown

*DC with Mh/asd

zoo 🍫

thattrade for a and

Tada
Lav harpicked
Wash on
Sweep all lower floors
Tidy cupboard understairs-
Wash hang out
More in
Zoolets breakfast- in progress(Weetabix and fruit/toast and marmite)

👍any luck on a shopping delivery zoo? Asda have slots here for 25th and 26th

thatNope.no slots Asda here at mo.trued Iceland couple times yesterday,twice already this morning!

Wash up and wipe down

Today's plan-
Exercise in 20- girls have own workouts they do.ds and I will be doing the everyday workout by Cynthia kereluk on you tube.from 1980s it's not too complicated or hard and its unique in fact it's split screens during the aerobic section to a moderate and easy level I'm hopeful he will be able to follow it

During tidy understairs- I went thru my extra food box storage and found PLAIN FLOURso D's and I are going to bake today.
Tomato seeds are also going to get planted
A craft activity
A board game
And a film of some kind

Alice living is doing stretching at 1pm so we shall have a go at that too I think.

I may be over ambitious but the days are just blurring in a sea of frustration,apathy and arguements and as the grown up I need be setting an example and some rules

Right before exercise commences going to s+s
And sort rest laundry piles as determined try break part that problem as dd2 has declared we are NOT going out out today

Thats rubbish zoo keep trying

Launch Pad

Missions reminder as we are near the end of the week

Detail cleaning list ditto

Daily focus is errands, so... shopping for essentials :o

By the way to our new joiners MrsL and Tea do ask if you’re confused about anything Flying related, although it seems you are both very familiar with it anyway! We do things very, um, loosely here :o

I did wonder if FlyLady herself might post stuff about the virus/lockdown/hygiene etc! But I can’t see anything.

🍉🍓🍒 TKCC 🍒🍓🍉

Another note for our newbies - The Keep Calm Corner is a new thing as described in OP, please don’t feel you have to join in with answering the questions etc, any level of participation in the thread as a whole is absolutely fine - no need to respond to every poster, skim reading, popping in every now and then, all is good! That goes for everyone BTW, nobody needs to worry about not joining in enough and namechecking etc, life is hectic! 💕

I’m using up the memes in my iPad album first (I deleted FB off there a few weeks ago so not getting new ones) so today’s eclectic mix is:

• the first haiku I ever learned :o my dad’s favourite
• some info about caring for yourself in different ways, super important right now to do what we can, but also to think about for the future when things go back to normal
• avocado instructions... 🥑

Today’s question is, while we are all stuck home 🙄: What is the most magical place you have ever been to?

For me it’s undoubtedly Carcassonne in France. Pre-Caglets, if I’d had the chance to live there I would have. It’s a fortified city and it’s just so lovely - I’ve been in the day and it’s great, but at night it was even better. The first time I saw it I was 11ish and we were driving past in the dark, and I saw it from a distance and was totally taken aback! I’ll put a photo in the next post. Went as an adult too and was so happy to see it again. Would love to go again... will NOT come back pregnant this time :o

Not my photo, but this is basically what I saw except I was further away. It was the middle of the night and everything around it was pitch black. I was 😱😍

That the nappy bag box is worthy of a crappy “take a break” reader tips letter tbh it’s embarrassing 😂 I just squished them all into a big yoghurt tub and put some tape (folded over so it doesn’t stick to the contents) in a cross over the top, which is enough to stop them falling out but means they are easier to grab. Sort of. 🤔🙄 I would rather have a naice nappy wipe style lidded thing but I think for those (like I’ve seen with plastic shopping bag storage “hacks”) you need to fold them and overlap them in a specific way so when you remove one it pulls the next one up etc... who can be arsed with that?! Not me with the amount of bags needed! We bought in bulk before Cagletini was even born and we haven’t used them all yet 😳

Zoo I can’t even 🤬🤬🤬 he’s a dick. Hope today goes better.

Hoping school news has been good for everyone waiting?

I need the others to get up soon really. It’s hard to get anything done when I’m alone with the toddler. All I have done so far is add some more music to her playlist :o (music used in Little Einsteins)

Forgot to say I love the hen names bower :o

Just showing Cagletini another bit of Fantasia 2000 (which I didn’t see until adulthood but it’s soooo good!)

Zoo I loved Wallace and Gromit as a kid too, that was another thing dad recorded off tv for me :o they are on quite a lot here as well as some other aardman stuff like Pirates in an adventure with scientists, I love that one.

I’m glad there is some awareness of SN with the lockdown rules. This article reassured me. DH took DD1 out for an extra walk yesterday and that helped a lot.