Social distancing around the Maypole: Fledglings fly into Flylady thread May 2020.

[Lisette1940]

Welcome to the May Flylady thread Fledglings! We are finally coming to the end of Spring and, erm, what a Spring it has been. Keep safe everyone and a special shoutout to Fledglings who are in the frontline of the response to Covid 19.
Lane has been superlative with the keep calm corner and has had a truly magnificent engagement with fledglings all through April – well done Lane!!! I have totally abandoned my routines (and my clean eating) and have been flying perilously close to the ground but am ready for take off again. But we operate a no fledgling left behind policy and indeed Flylady herself stresses that you are never behind in the system – no need to deep clean the house first, just jump right in.
All are welcome here from longtimers to newbie and those lurking – we all follow this zone-based Flylady cleaning system:
There are five zones and at the beginning and the end of the month we usually straddle Zone 1 and zone 5.
(amend rooms to suit your house – I do the living and dining room together as it’s all one room in my house)
MAY
Zone 1 Hall, entrance/dining room (Fri 1 – Sat 2)
Zone 2 Kitchen (Sun 3- Sat 9)
Zone 3 Bathroom and another room (Sun 10- Sat 16)
Zone 4 Master bedroom/closet (Sun 17 – Sat 23)
Zone 5 Living room (Sun 24 – Sun 31)

Pop onto the Flylady website to have a closer look here but be aware that lots of emails arrive if you sign up.

Flylady has an introductory scheme called Babysteps which is a light 31 day introduction to the system – dressing to shoes, shining your sink etc here.

There is a morning routine and an evening routine to keep things ticking over and a weekly home cleaning hour to change bed sheets, mop, hoover, take out rubbish etc. Flylady doesn’t want us cleaning all day so she is very keen on using a timer. Clean then stop!
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) here
Tuesday: Plan and play (Menu planning, family event planning)
Wednesday: Anti-procrastination day
Thursday: Errand day
Friday: Clear out bags, fill car with petrol, date night
Saturday: Family fun
Sunday: Lift your spirit

Launch pad for guidance every day! launch pad

Habit of the month of May is moving – whether that’s your daily get out of the house during lockdown or in house movement. – moving is not my strongest point apart from pottering around the house…
We also have a naughty corner as a restful break out space and a Keep Calm Corner (KCC). I suspect I’ll be better at the naughty corner rather than the latter but I’ll do my best! Not sure I can muster the memes but I’ll do my best to keep spirits up.
So welcome to the new thread (I hope I haven’t left anyone out): Lane, SC, zoo, Bower, KTCluck, Willow/Megiddo, foxes, That, averytiredMom, fluffliest, ED, Strawberry, Chic, Hazel, Happiness, Cineraria, We3, stressy, and give.

And breathe!

Afternoon all, spent the last twenty minutes catching up on the thread. Hope you're new morning routine helps zoo, and sorry you've had a couple of down days bower, its completely understandable.

I had a nice thing last night. A friend from church dropped off a box of plants that she has grown from seed and a bag of books and a little tea set for DD (things her own daughter has grown out of). It was completely unexpected and really nice to have a few minutes catch up on the front street. Only downside was that I was wearing fluffy Christmas pyjamas and the teenage boys hanging out across the road were a bit of an awkward audience (there's a whole extended family across the road that live in 4 houses - cousins, brothers, grandparents...etc... absolutely no social distancing between them and they often congregate on the street to see one another)

I'm seriously slacking in the flylady department. I think I might need to write out the lists in a notebook. I do better when I can physically tick something off.

Ta das
🎀 meal plan done for the week
🎀 big food shop in ASDA and I reduced my spending by £20
🎀 lol
🎀 dishes
🎀 planted plants in the garden
🎀 called a friend for a long catch up
🎀 finished reading the Chronicles of Narnia and only cried a little bit. The ending is so very sad!

Bit overwhelmed. Had therapy, not had a chance to debrief myself (in usual times I sit with a drink/lunch and a notebook and write it up after but at home I just log off zoom and go straight back to home educating).

And then I was dealing with the Scary Emails. The one I mentioned in my list last night was asking the HOY if DD1 could be considered eligible for school attendance due to her needs (she doesn’t have an EHCP) as well as the fact she now has both parents classed as having disabilities and we have a family support worker etc. The policies now say that schools can “use their discretion” to decide if children without the obvious markers (EHCP, key worker parents, social worker) would benefit from attendance.

This morning said FSW also emailed them and I had a phone call from HOY saying that given her needs, yes, they’re happy to have her, full time if she wants. I’ve said she can go in Thursday, which gives us tomorrow to get stuff ready and determine the rules (showering immediately etc). She has to stay home Friday because we finally have the assessment with the autism support charity which she needs to take part in. Then full time from Monday.

I’m a bit overwhelmed to be honest! But I think on balance it’s for the best

And now they’re going to do the food shopping (including packed lunch stuff) and I’m watching the other two while thinking I really really need to get my head straight and write up my therapy session. Sigh.

Afternoon, another non stop day , I think we are all a bit tired and grumpy here at the moment! Ds looks half asleep on the sofa, the dc are watching garden rescue they love it 😂

Ta das
Worked AM
School work with dd , we did reading, maths, a few bits of English
We also did a 7 minute kids work out we had to be different animals, so that counts as my movement today
Went for a walk with the dc and posted their letters they've done for grandparents
Spent 15 minutes attempting to declutter dd bedroom...barely made a dent in it
Dishwasher on
Two loads of washing on
Very quick tidy through house
S&s bathroom
Deep cleaned bath / shower attachment and used the mould spray which helped a bit but still loads of black bits everywhere including on the new spots we stuck on for grip, really thought they'd last better than a mat but nope

Bathroom week always makes me fed up because we really need a new one and I can scrub it as much as I like but it always looks grubby and horrible, broken mirror, mold spots everywhere, cracks everywhere...argh.

Lastly to lift my spirits I made a fruit crumble for pudding

I needed to do some dusting but not sure I have energy for anything else today!

Sorry lane just read your post , I can understand you being overwhelmed by the decision, it's very hard isn't it but it sounds like it could well be for the best , how does your dd feel about it?

Thanks foxes she’s really happy. She understands it’s going to be very different from usual (1000ish in the school normally... apparently there are about 7 kids in most days atm!!!) and that there will have to be strict rules etc. But I think given she’d just got used to school again it’s been so difficult to have that change after only a term.

To be honest I am relieved as well because trying to support her keeping up is really intense (it was still hard work when she was home ed, but in a different way because I could tailor the work to her needs rather than following a blanket curriculum IYSWKM) and balancing that with continuing to HE DS as well has been exhausting.

Just really hope it’s the right thing to do. I wouldn’t feel so happy if I wasn’t fairly sure we had the virus already - I really hope we did

lane it's very hard for you pushing D's to his potential whilst trying not make DD feel she's lagging behind.that on top health issues etc at home and fact you think you all had it,I'd be inclined to agree it's best solution for your family

I hear from senco today his role school are not plan enforce staff in,and I see on BBC news there won't be fined for parents opting not send DC.its truly as clear as mud what to do for the best!!

Foxes I need to know what type of crumble and if any left for naughty corner

List written for dd1 Tesco trip
Watch film on 5with dd2,who looked utterly wretched curled up in blankie on verge tears.
Now lil zoo watching call the midwife

That’s lovely of your friend fluffy

lane I hope you’re able to debrief from therapy. I can understand why you’re overwhelmed, it’s a big bit of news!. If DD is feeling positive that’s good though. Hopefully the risk to health is low due to the measures they’ll put in to make her safe.

zoo it's an apple and blackberry / raspberry crumble, all fruit I had in the freezer, with custard 😋

Lots left for the naughty corner

I'm pathetically excited by news dd1 has secured a new 2lb loaf tin at tesco.been hunting for one for weeks as my cheap ones warped and now burning one quarter of any attempted cakes.ive try reduce recipe of D's fave banana loaf but I cannot get it right in a 1lb tin.hes going to be so happy

zoo, I'm so sorry to disappoint you, I have no idea where "make facemask" came from on that To Do list! I haven't done HM beauty stuff for at least 15 years! My apologies. Sorry to hear that DD2 is still struggling.

Sorry I've not been round much today between school and work. Also my birthday too along with icys sister so was busy with family. Ds now has a headache so I'm off to sort him out. I'll catch up tomorrow - you're all doing amazing things. I particularly liked zoo's 2lb loaf tin find. Much better than the puny 1lb tin 🤩

Epic bold fail there 😂

🎊🎈🎈🎈🎈🎊🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎊 🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊Happy Birthday lisette and Icy ‘s sister and it is my college friend b’day too. Hope you ahad a happy day.

Checking in late again, I have felt s bit wobbly again the last few days. When we were first heading into lockdown I was quite anxious but calmed down once the rules were set and we knew what we had to do (or not do). Now it's changing again and it has unsettled me. Also a bit tired of WFH, I don't like not being able to just go and speak to someone for a second opinion (a lot of my work is about making small but significant decisions, weighing up options, trying to make workable solutions for people). Email just isn't the same. Also still a bit wobbly about the death I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I wrote to his family today (it was an extended family member).

Happy Birthday Lisette . My most used cookbook is my Be-Ro baking book, following my mum, both grandmothers and FIL who is a great baker.

Zoo that's great about the tin. Years ago I bought 1 and 2lb loaf tins, don't think I've ever used the 1lb one.

Lane what a big decision about school, sounds as though it's the right thing for you and DD. I am almost certain neither of mine will be back before September.

I had a productive morning today. Made bread dough and soup for lunch, S&S, declumped litter trays, washing on and watered all the plants in the greenhouse before work at 9.15. Knocked back the dough and shaped into rolls at break time and baked for lunch, which was nice, the upsides of WFH. Also rotated fridges - we have a second one in the shed where I keep spare butter, milk, fruit, juice etc, every morning I restock the house fridge from the shed one to make sure we use things in the correct use by date order.

Late post from me!. I’m up planning some more homeschool activities. I think since I’ve started just letting us do whatever we want and having no structure I’ve started to feel worse. So back to a bit of structure from Thursday. I’m going to give me tomorrow to structure it all and then I am sorted.

Happy Birthday lisette!!

Sorry to hear you’re feeling wobbly ED, I feel similar. I thrive off structure so the new rules have made everything feel a bit up in the air. I hope you feel a bit better tomorrow

lane I think you are making a sensible decision, none of these circumstances are clear cut to navigate. I'm really glad that the school is supportive.

ed I'm sorry you are feeling wobbly, must be very hard to grieve when you cant see your family and have a good cry and talk over memories. I hope today is a better day today.

Forgot to answer the favourite cook book question- I found this one hard, because I really do love my cookbooks and try to use a new recipe once a week to add a bit of variety. Right now I think my favourite one is my Avoca Cookbook: A year of Avoca. My MIL got me a copy signed by all the chefs. It's a beautiful book to look at and I do sometimes just sit down with it to drool over the pictures. The lamb casserole is the best stew I've ever made.

Thanks all. It’s nice to be able to share this on MN - I’m keeping very quiet IRL and have only told my 3 best home ed friends, and the other woman I speak to who works with our support worker (the one who ran the parenting course) - not planning on putting anything on FB about it, there are some very judgy people around.

Hopefully DD1 is managing to get up, she set her alarm for 7.30 (school days it is normally 7). I’m stuck under a toddler feeling achy and bleary eyed. Regretting doing no exercise yesterday (was quite overwhelmed with making all the decisions etc)!

Belated happy birthday Lisette!

My favourite cookbook at the moment is an eat well for less one , really good simple recipes. I love cook books though, have got loads and use them a lot.

My day off work today so more time to spend with the dc on activities and school work, hoping to find something ds will enjoy too because he gets left out but doesn't really like colouring etc.

Off to look at today's flying list!

Morning all.
I seem to have missed seeing the question. I have a lot of cookbooks. I don’t use them enough really. I have some hand written family recipes too. I was going to put them into a book and copy and make one for darling sisters. I need to get around to that. I bought a pattern ages ago to make the cover in fabric.
The ones I go back to a lot is the Dairy Cook book the first one they put out, the one I have mislaid ( someone on here has it too I think it was Mary Berry Hamlin) and Mary Berry’s large book. I have old ones from my aunt and some newer ones from the tv chefs like Jamie and the Hairy Bikers. I also have Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks which I refer to for old favourites too.

To do
Going back to power of three

1. Put away ironing
2. Plant herbs taken from a friend.
3. Dust and tidy boudoir. I did all I could in the bathroom yesterday.

Morning all! Happy birthday yesterday, Lisette, hope you had a lovely day 🎉🎈🎁🍧🧁🍹💐🍍 (that last one is a Stunt Pineapple for effect).

Lane, I think you've done the right thing, although I quite understand not talking about it on fb. I am pulling back from there again, it's driving me insane and I've had to hide some people I was at primary school with who have recently made contact. There's a reason I've not been talking to the for the last 35 years!

foxes, good luck finding something for everyone to do. Could DS do junk modelling or somesuch while DD does colouring? (This assumes you have not decluttered all your cardboard etc. There is a famous tale from my childhood, that my two friends from down the road, whose mother ran her house to showhome standard, appeared on our doorstep to say to my DM "hello Mrs Megiddo, our mum says you have lots of old junk, can we have some to build a model?" !!!!!). Sorry you are blue about your bathroom - in our last house, the bathroom was apricot and brown, all over, and I hated it. One night I dreamt we replaced it with a beautiful white suite and was so disappointed when I found out we hadn't, I nearly cried. In my defence, I was pregnant at the time!

Hazel, it's great to have a low-carb buddy / fount of all knowledge here. Thanks for the offer of advice. Going well so far, and managing the cravings ok with bouillon powder "soup"!

ED and Icy I'm so sorry the lack of certainty is giving you trouble. I am much the same, but at present the family structure hasn't changed so we're doing ok, but DS2 really, really needs some genuine human interaction that isn't family, soon. Sending and ((socially distant (( hugs)) no-contact, see?)) ED particularly sorry about the recent bereavement.

zoo, 2lb loaf tins are the best thing if you are feeding more than 2 people. I have a pair of them in constant use. Hurrah for the find!

Half my post has vanished! So, 🍒🙋‍♀️ to Stressy, Chic, Fluff, Cin, SC, Dancing, MrsHardy, Santas, very, Bower, Shannara and anyone else I've missed.

Ta das today already
💖 Long dog walk with DH (exercise for me too - over 7,000 steps and 37 heart points)
🧡 Got to Tesco really early and now have both plain and SR flour!
💛 Planned meatballs for tea with leftover roast, and complicated swaps in and out for DD and DSs 1 and 3.
💚 Cleared emails
💙 Persuaded DH that today could be good for getting noxious rubbish to the tip

Still to do:
🐱‍👤 DW
🐱‍👤 S&S
🐱‍👤 LOL
🐱‍👤 Wash etc for me
🐱‍👤 open windows
🐱‍👤 make beds
🐱‍👤 wake DS2
🐱‍👤 writing for client
🐱‍👤Help DD adjust the fit of her trousers, using my sewing machine

Zoo, I've just remembered what the facemask thing was - I meant a cotton mask to go over my mouth at Tesco! I didn't get to it in the end, and very few people in Tesco were wearing such things anyway.

Have a good day, all.

I have done nothing this morning. Forgot this was the day DH was meant to have a lie in and I’m in charge of getting the kids up... fail.

Oh well at least as of Monday DD1 will have to take care of herself and I only really need to worry about getting DS sorted. Ideally need to return to getting all his work set up the night before.

Actually I need to add that to Future Friend along with a few other things - I think I might print out a specific lockdown FF list, removing the things I don’t need (we have taken down the control wall sheets for now as so much is irrelevant) but encouraging me to actually do the things that help

Bower I love the hairy Bikers and I remember the Hamlyn All colour cookery book from childhood.

Daily Focus is Antiprocrastination day - here

Flylady baby step 13 here - find one of the missions from the launch pad and do it here

KCC

Question: Which type of learner are you? See attached image.

Also my husband thinks I am largely tolerant but that my nonsense threshold is very low indeed. See other image.

I'm a mixture of visual and read/write. My hearings poor so aural is useless for me.