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!

Forgot about the surprise!
Very best one was when my four siblings turned up here for my 50th birthday lunch unexpectedly! We are hardly ever together so it was very special.

What an amazingly thoughtful present from your nerdy friend Lane!

Bravo for running Lisette and bravo to your coach too

And I could have written your para:
"I do feel a bit wistful about the sparkling career I might have had but I think it's partially midlife crisis talking and other family traumas over the years which have worn me down."
I feel the same way (career was never been going to be sparkling but I did enjoy it!) Especially the bit about family traumas. We are still paying bills for dh's late and current family. Musn't say too much but it's all been a bit of a nightmare that has used up a lot of emotional energy. It's been particularly hard for dh himself.

Fluffiest sorry about your sleepless night Hope friends' drama gets sorted soon. And thanks for heads up about Chelsea; have copied it so will watch later!

Don't think my career was every going to be sparkling SC

Hello fluffiest sorry to hear about your friends.

Thank you all for your welcomes!. I will try my best to keep up with the fly lady. I always find I’m happier when the home is tidy.

I haven’t done much today, the weather is lovely so we spent it in the garden. We have FaceTimed my Df (which led DS1 to cry because he misses him so much). And that’s it really..

fluffy sorry about the friendship drama. It can be really stressful but as you say best to keep out of it.

Hi everyone I have only briefly skimmed through all the posts I've missed sorry!!

Welcome to didmyhouse!

Thanks for birthday wishes for dh, he has the day off work so he has spent a very happy day so far tinkering with his bike

I haven't had time to bake unfortunately sc as I actually forgot to book any time off work myself and I work all day Monday and half day today 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ but I did buy lots of party food on the last shop which we've just had for lunch and I also bought him a caterpillar cake which is his favourite!

Need to do a bit of housework now and then a bit of homeschool with dd, she's only done a couple of bits today as she's under the impression that if it is daddy's birthday she doesn't have to do school but I don't want to be playing catch up for the rest of the week.

Then I think we are going to go for a family bike ride later but I won't be on my bike because dh wants to cycle off and leave us at some point and I can't look after the kids on their bikes whilst cycling myself!

meg I truly don’t believe what half of the ppl on mn say. Some of them just seem to find joy in making others feel bad. Housework is flippin hard and takes a lot of time in my home and I’m all on one level!.

I’m considering driving to a place the kids love to have a picnic, I think it might cheer us all up!.

That’s sensible foxes I always find if I give my two a day off it’s far harder to get back to it. Or even a morning TBH. I also realised that was the issue with DD1 too even when allowed back to school last week - I’d go with the easier option of letting her delay the evening work but then it would be much harder to get it done later without a strop from at least one of us :o now we have an alarm set for 4.45 and then we get a bit done so she can then relax fully. Need to sort something out for the weekend though as it would really be better to get it done in the morning.

She’s allowed into school in half term as well, if we want. I thought it was only if childcare was actually needed for key workers but apparently not.

Sitting in the park for a bit as the bus isn’t for 40min. Expecting my Homestart phone call in a few minutes though. I had to move to another bench so I could sit in the shade! It’s so hot today.

meg fuck the lot of them us my adviceyou do what's best for you and your family and all the sideways glances in the world can go to the far side of fuck off,then fuck off some more

Little welcome back lovely
SC be careful or i be paddling over the pond in a wash up bowl for real treatment like that offered in naughty corner

Pulled up big girl pants and...

Tada
Wash up
Made breakfast
Cleared 3brc from down corner near where I sit.one was full of shower gels,conditioner..also had hand masks,a face pack and a deep hair conditioner in it
Argued with dd2 try pull out fridge to clean behind itwe end up yelling at each other and I have manage to knacker both my shoulders/top armsthis is highly rare as usually someone decides need me whilst in there

Obvs that's a cat not car!!

Honestly zoo, life is so mad at the moment it wouldn't surprise me at all if a car sat and yowled at me! 🤣

You're always welcome Zoo! 💕

promise not to look at the state of my skirting boards

Sorry to hear about your shoulder Zoo btw. Do take it steady

DD won the battle and has just gone off for a socially distanced hair cut. (Hairdresser only letting in one client at a time and operating other hygiene measures apparently.) Tbh it's not the most necessary appt in the world but she was so desperate to go neither dh or I had the heart to say "no".

DD has gone off to office to faddle with our servers.

So I am here pronking like a goat ; enjoying having the house to myself for the first time in weeks!

Signing in from the naughty corner (garden bench). Overslept this morning and had to start work fairly quickly but it wasn't a very productive day TBH, couldn't get anything finished as waiting for other people's contributions. This is where it's so much easier at work, I can remind them by mentioning whatever it is in passing. Now I feel like a nag constantly emailing.

Did 20 mins weeding at lunchtime and I have scrubbed out a metal filter we use for making tea, all the holes were blocked. That's been about it. Yesterday I managed 4xLOL and none has been put away so that's next.

KCC - I don't use shower gel much (I have eczema and find bar soap less drying) but I like citrussy ones, especially lime. Surprises - I'm not keen on them TBH control freak. I've been thinking and keep coming up with unexpected proud parent moments. Such as DD auditioning for a fairly big role in her drama group and getting the lead role. Or DS getting man of the match in one of his first adult hockey matches. I should make a little list of those ones.

meg if a car yowled at me tbh I'd probably still carry on muttering about not getting any peace to wash🤣
SC enjoy the peace.hope DD feels happier once hairs sorted
EDnone zoolets like surprised at all either.only surprises I can think of are when "d"p and i were newly together and he sent me flowers.i only ever had them delivered to me that one time,rarely given flowers in person either.and when dd1 gave me a photo album for mothers day of photos of her and zoolets from her phone."d"p was at that point taking almost all photos

Thank you SC for the tip. DD already got a cage online. It's 3 levels, with little ramps, plastic at the bottom, wire on top part of it. It is huge. We had a hamster a few years ago, got rid of that cage, thank goodness. It had an enclosed wheel on top of the cage, he liked to sleep in there so he took bedding into it, then he would pee and poop in it and at night, run in it. It made such a mess and was a nightmare to clean. I don't remember if I told you all this but DH had her do a slideshow on hamsters, covering how to take care of it as well as costs involved. She was so mad, but got it done in an hour. She titled it "all about hamsters. You guys suck" it made us laugh, but she did a good job. That was a couple of weeks ago now so she's been anxious to get one. She did want a ferret though, told her she can get one when she moves out! I'm not taking care of any ferrets!

Anyway, one of my favourite surprises for me was waking up one mother's day to DD having made French toast for breakfast, about 7 years ago, so when she was 9. They all brought it in to me so I had breakfast in bed. That was probably the last time I've had breakfast in bed!

Glad your cage is sorted Hazel! re: hamster slide show (especially title!). Totally agree about ferrets in a domestic setting btw- a bit whiffy!

Zoo sorry about ds school stress. That sort of decision is hard enough without Covid-19 and what sounds like poor communication .

I've only just finished as I didn't get the best of starts today! But have left DD downstairs finishing organic chemistry hwk. She has a one-to-one on-line lesson tomorrow morning at 8am with her teacher.

Ta da (in no particular order):
Emptied DW.
Cleaned sink and kitchen surfaces.
Took about 1hr 45 mins to finish home bleugh: stairs, bathroom, more hoovering, bins and recycling. Didn't do beds though.
(Boudoir a disaster again and didn't touch it today. Or my home office.)
Did about 3 hrs work : archiving, filing, typing/formatting, billing.
Folded huge stack towels and pants.
Rang sister.
Made ham & cucumber sandwiches for lunch and cleared up.
Washed and dried veggie drawer from fridge and wiped out microwave.
Arranged some flowers.
Made a veggie rice dish.
Chopped up pineapple & mango for pud.
Dossed about on Mnsnet.
Sent business e-mails.

G'night all!

Also tidied and hoovered first floor landing.

I just had another lovely surprise from DH-a bouquet of flowers with a bottle of wine, delivered to my place of work! I'll have to take a picture when I get home and post it. It says on the note it's just because he loves me (although I have my suspicions that it's due to not getting me anything for mother's day). Back to work I go now, but wanted to share!

I’ve not done much flying today. We stayed in the garden most of the day, I have done some exercise though. Tomorrow is meant to be boiling, not sure I will have much energy to clean!. I’ve had an awful day with DM, we have a strained relationship as is but I found out she had been going to see my stepdad and not socially distancing, and then complaining about others doing it I told her that she shouldn’t complain if she’s doing it herself and she told me I’m disrespectful and she doesn’t want anything more to do with me

Ooh that's lovely Hazel!

Oh no didmyhousethismornin that sounds v hard re: your dm. That's an awful over-reaction on her part in response to a valid challenge from you

didmyhouse I've one of those mothers! Don't know if she's broken lockdown but she's capable of all sorts of double think. You have my sympathy. Yours wants an enabler.

Hazel I'm very glad you got a lovely gift.

Thank you sc it is really difficult. I’m happy I have my dad though he’s worth more than 100 of her.

lisette it’s so frustrating isn’t it!. She has an enabler in my step dad, my Gm, all her friends. So I always look like I’m in the wrong. I felt like a parent telling a teenager off today😂