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!

🐚completed first week of my futurelearn course (still very behind) although the optional very long article I’ve saved to read another time
🐚hung out mattress covers in the sun
🐚gave washing a final blast in the dryer
🐚LOL (towels)
🐚finished yesterday’s maths with DD1
🐚emailed her teacher and came up with plan
🐚short walk round lake
🐚sat and drew another view of the park (and then sulked a bit as I’m not so pleased with this one)
🐚printed supermarket vouchers
🐚audiology phone appt
🐚waited for DH to initiate next bit of work with DD1... gave up and reminded him (and decided on last ta da below)
🐚more maths with DD1, managed a whole piece in one go (with a few questions marked as too difficult, but the point is she did go through the whole lot)
🐚DS set up for taekwondo, I entertained toddler upstairs
🐚read a chapter
🐚lovely evening picnic (which for Cagletini mainly consisted of declaring “we having picnic” about 742 times 😅) with tennis, frisbee and football 💕
🐚put towels in dryer (ugh realised we need to clean the WM seal soon)
🐚set up LOL for the morning
🐚put up DS’ Islam poster (about time! 😳)
🐚found first “set by me” level appropriate maths work for DD1
🐚put maths and English in clipboard with list for tomorrow (those two plus science which is online, she already looked at it today) because due to incident mentioned above I am ABDICATING ALL RESPONSIBILITY for schoolwork tomorrow. DH is in charge of getting her to do it all. I. Am. Not. Getting. Involved. (I don’t mind setting it all up this evening at all - this approach works well for us in home ed and makes me less anxious about stepping back, I actually really love the planning side)

Didn’t actually stick to my to do list but quite pleased some of it got done and other unexpected stuff too. The picnic was just so so nice, we definitely need to just switch off like that more - feels like we’ve forgotten how! I absolutely must ring the doctor tomorrow though or I will very soon be drugless and the ta da lists will disappear along with any semblance of sanity I had left. 🤣

I’m now going to do my second brain training app and then try and sleep!

Hello all, just dropping in to say "hi"! Hope everyone is as ok as it is possible to be atm!

You've all been producing some fabulous lists!

Sorry haven't caught up with thread. Just going through a bit of an overwhelmed patch: can't keep up with cleaning, everything is a mess etc etc and work is ever present. Longing for some hours to myself when I can crack on with sorting house in peace.

Also have been distracted by UK political shenanigans and glued to Sky news.

We all went through a tetchy/shouty bit as well but thankfully seem to have emerged from that! A bit energy sapping though.

Not helped today by trying to sort out summer wardrobe and even my "fat" clothes from last summer are looking tight. Really disgusted with myself.

It's really, really difficult keeping temptation at bay atm; especially when dh is constantly offering me platters of food. He asked me if I wanted anything for lunch today and I said firmly "no thanks" (he knows I am actively trying to lose weight) and 20 mins later he appears upstairs in the office with a beautifully cooked plate of pasta which of course I ate! Why does he do this??? And why did I eat it????

Arrggghhhhh!

However, on the positive front, I have finally finally finished organising under the kitchen sink again (which I cleaned out a couple of weeks back) and put in the new storage etc so that is good and everything is much easier to access.

Also managed to write one really difficult e-mail today that I had procrastinating over, so I am glad that is out of the way.

And things are gradually opening up here and dd is happier as she can go off on socially distanced bike rides with the same three friends. At the same time, it is a little bit more anxiety provoking as there seem to be many more people about.

Bower just a little travelling then? I am very familiar with the Scottish Isle of Arran and with Rum, Muck and Eigg and all of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula there and with Skye of course. Dh went on to North Uist while I waited on terra firma (not a good sailor). A truly beautiful part of the world.

If money and time were no object I think I would either go horse wrangling in Montana or study something obscure like lichen (I love lichen and have already done an introductory course about it!) at a UK field study centre for a year. Or I would do all of dhorse's debardage training in one fell swoop! I'd be interested in some sort of textile design course as well.

Megiddo I watched the programme about the history of the sea captain's house in Bristol (copied from Beeb) earlier and thought of you from the historical continuity pov. Fascinating but truly horrific about the slave trade.

Great to hear things are improving for you Dancing and I love the sound of your artistic activities!

Thank you again for TOMM viewpoints everyone - very much appreciated and really helpful!

Hazel I love your drawers as the actress said to the bishop

Awol gosh, missed that about your ds! So relieved all is ok.

If I could come back to a fully renovated house that might swing it. Hear hear to that Lisette

Must get to bed. I was going to catch up with Sewing Bee but too tired!

G'night all!

Crikey Bower and SC you might need two years for all that! I'd love to live on Fair Isle though I'd be a bit scared of the dinky little planes to get there!

lane sometimes a rest from schooling duties and letting some else take over is a good idea. You've had a lot on lately.

I'm raging that I missed The house through time programme. I had intended to watch it.

I'm on a running day tomorrow. I did a core and back toning routine today. I feel much more mentally together on the running days so it's doing me some good. Also I can get upstairs more quickly - I've noticed that!

SCif any consolation someone offers me nice things to eat and I'm even moderately hungry I will eat it all.please don't be disgusted with yourself,I don't see failings I see someone doing their very best in extremely tough situation.you really need to work on your kind to yourself voice
Lane stick to keeping out of the homework.you cando it! Picnic sounds lovely!
Bower bathroom sounds like coming along nicely
Meg older doesn't meanwiser here either.regular gave step in on arguements to prevent fisticuffs/broken belongings
Fluff what a lovely idea!wish mine wee still young enough to appreciate a day like that
ThatI wish I was a machine,I could recharge easier and not get emotional.tbat said in my house as I'm not a phone no one else would think to charge me up
Lisette love the procrastination memes!
Foxes hope click and collect had all you requested

I braved under dd2 bed dear lord,I near died on volume of dust!!a binbag of rubbish taken,a carrier bag of odd sock found,and large selection items that have been AWOL been located!

Today"we" are tackling chest drawers apparently

zoo 😁 loving the phone comment. Ds2 regularly comes down in the morning and is enraged that someone has unplugged his phone and shock horror it is on 99% 🙄

This week has been much more chilled without school work. Did some reading with dd yesterday as we had been slacking (it shows) another mum from school has recommended reading eggs so i will have a look at that later i think

Actually slept all night with no wake ups. Must have been about 10 til 530. Amazing.

that same here with the reading, it's very hard to remember everything!!

Sc please don't be disgusted with yourself. Could you perhaps suggest to your dh that if he does want to make you food could he at least let you dish it up yourself for portion control? Sorry if I'm way off the mark but when dh makes me food he gives me the most insane amount!

Our morning started at 4am when a pipe decided to burst waking me up (but not dh!) and when I went downstairs the kitchen was flooded luckily we managed to stop it from going too far into the living room. We have also discovered a leaking pipe in the living room so dh has now taken the carpet up and it's ready to attack the concrete floor with a grinder...he has taken the day off work, I think he may need a bit more than one day

The dc are arguing, I need to start work and I've already had enough today!!

Morning all!

Whoo hoo to an uninterrupted night's sleep That! And glad to hear you are having a bit more of a chilled week but I imagine that is a relative statement when you have 5 DC!

I think you are self-charging Zoo but we'd all come and charge you up using extra super dooper gold batteries 💕💕💕

Thank you for the encouragement, I really appreciate it, especially this morning. Had an interesting night with lots of palpitations and felt a bit strange. Finally got to sleep then a bird fell down a chimney at about 4am in the room next to us, bringing a load of soot and God knows what with it with it, the dogs went mad, the bird crapped everywhere and it took me and dh about two hours to catch and release and do an initial clear up but I need to go back in there and finish the job properly now.

Have a productive day everyone!
How the jeff can it be Thursday?

That, DS3's school used reading eggs to good effect, I think. Zoo, aren't you lucky getting to tackle the chest of drawers today! Isn't DD kind to think of such a treat for you 😂. DS1 and 2 are getting a bit snappy because they approach the world from very different places but I could do without sending someone taller than me to sit on the stairs!

Bower, that trip sounds such fun, maybe you and SC could double-team the first half! Any of you who wish to call in to see me in France in this mythical year off, I'll be in the centre near Cluny / Mâcon. I'll be staying near two tiny villages that were called Poliacus and Fusiacus a thousand years ago, but are now Pouilly and Fuissé... 😂 (My PhD tutor laughed heartily when I told him the bit I was looking at, geographically. 10 minutes in Tesco's wine aisle explained all!). All are welcome!

DH has much work to do today, for the first time in several years, and is both excited and terrified, hence the snappiness. We are all falling over each other more than usual, which is not helping.

SC, sorry your DH is not helping your diet by Cooking Stuff. I find it hard to refuse things other people have cooked for me too, and maybe he is (slightly cack-handedly) showing care for you?

I confess I didn't watch A House Through Time - I tend to do it on catch-up as David Olusoga makes me cross! But the history is amazing and very important if one is to understand Bristol today.

Right. To dos
♥️ S&S
🧡 Scrub family bathroom, which has been Teenagered, with vigour
💛 LOL
💚 Emails
💙 Make beds
💜 Think of day-before-payday tea lamb tagine to use up leftovers, done in the slowcooker so I can forget about it!
🖤 Finish making bunting, if my thumb has healed enough (or cheat and use the machine!)
♥️ Make OT file
🧡 Email OT re: DS3 panic over assessment week 😢
💛 Have socially-distanced tea and biscuits with a friend and her DC in the field behind us (just me, as 1 person from another household).
💚 Sit in grown-up sized paddling pool that was definitely purchased with the DC in mind. No, really

Hope everyone has a good day!

Missed the bit about the chest drawers Zoo! Very best of luck, we'll come and rescue you if you are not out again by lunch time!
🔦 💪 🏆

X-post - sorry about Domestic Disasters, foxes and SC. Hope they are resolved soon! I remember my Dad taking up bits of concrete floor with a hammer and chisel after a leak in the living room when I was little... Good luck with soot and feathers, SC, and I hope you can hide in some work, foxes!

Omg foxes that sounds very chaotic! Why do things like that always happen at daft o clock!

Ta da
💜 last nights wash load on the line
💚 more washing on
💛 dry washing sorted and away
💙 dry pots away
❤ last nights pots washed
💜 highchair scrubbed
💚 bottles washed and sterilised
💛 a few stray toys returned to their homes

Oh and i would not do good if a bird flew down my chimney think i would hide

Oh no Foxes your night sounds even worse! Thank heavens you woke up when you did! What an awful start to the day... really feel for you and your DH. . I hope your day improves! Also give yourself permission to rely a bit more on CBeebies and the microwave today... .

And thanks, yes, have already said that to dh that I will serve myself from now on. I also need to ignore the next carrot cake, sugar bread, focaccia that he keeps producing in between meals! Honestly, the bread machine seems to be on permanently! (And yes Megiddo you've mailed it, the Belgian side of him is very interested and focused on food but being English (the Irish part of me can say this ) he isn't overtly demonstrative (except to the dogs!! ) so serving up delicious snackerels of something is how he shows affection. Trouble is, if this goes on, he will look up one day and realise his wife has disappeared and he is serving Jabba the Hutt instead!

Megiddo that is absolutely fascinating about Pouilly-fuissé! I must admit I am very partial to it, as was my late pa. Any fledgling passing through Northern Europe must definitely come and hook up with us here first and we'll create a base camp!

I do so agree with you about house through time presenter. He is deeply irritating sadly! Such a shame when the history is so interesting.

Very best of luck to your DH with his work today!

Thanks all! (Must get stuck in to it now!)

See from your list you have had a productive start to the day That!

Tally-ho everybody!

Megiddo mailed it? . Nailed it!

sc missing the point sorry but I'd love a bread machine! I bet your house smells amazing!

Unfortunately the TV has had to be unplugged due to the work going on in the living room this morning! I'm hiding upstairs trying to work and escape the dust and the kids are next door in dd bedroom playing (and not arguing for now!) . The dust is everywhere and now our sink has also blocked so we can't use the dishwasher or the washing machine. Our car is broken as previously mentioned so my dad is very kindly bringing some bits of pipe over that we need , it's crazy!! 😂

In better news I've signed up to a weekly fruit and veg box delivery so that's exciting 😂

Feel slightly hysterical!

Eek not much thread left! We’ve had a really productive morning so far. DH actually did ask me something about how long DD1 should have for schoolwork but I shrugged and said it’s up to you :o it actually makes him sound a bit feeble but we are definitely in a rut of me being In Charge of that stuff. Massively self inflicted as I’m quite a control freak when it comes to home ed. Which with DS I don’t mind the planning/resource finding etc, I enjoy it most of the time, but “lockdown school” for J has just been horrific.

I feel guilty too for not taking on nearly as much of the housework as him, especially now we both have physical issues and not just me. But I sort of feel like if he can share the mental load of the school stuff I can manage more of the house stuff because my brain won’t be so overwhelmed and stressed IYSWIM? For example this morning, knowing DH was covering it, I’ve concentrated on watching a play, and got plenty of housework done with the DCs while DH was on a work call, and I don’t feel all tense because the school stress is not on me today. So hopefully we can balance everything between us a bit better.

SD hugs to all overwhelmed Fledglings!

Will start new thread now - hang on

by hang on I meant please bear with me!! I didn't mean to be so rude. Lane thanks for the heads up because I was not watching the post numbers on the thread!

I have not had access to a computer today until now: new thread here

New thread

I'll have to come up with something really calming for the KCC because burst pipes and indoor wildlife really are pushing our limit at the end of the month.

I am glad that that did not get an early wakeup so that's something.

I also find the presenter on the house programme to be a bit irritating. I'm not sure why - i think he was a bit judgemental about one of inhabitants once and I was a bit irked. I suppose no one is perfect. But I do love the programme.

I am glad of my sleep too lisette 🥳

Living room 1 is looking pretty good. However the baby is napping and everyone else is upstairs, no doubt once they appear it will be trashed

Ta da

💛 2 more loads in washer
💚 1 more load on line
💜 more dry washing sorted and away
❤ spellings with dc 2
💙 renewed dc4s 30 hour code
💛 sorted through big toy box so lid now shuts
💚 moved furniture in LR1, swept and mopped underneath
💜 found lots of random crap, socks etc
❤ tidied toys in LR1
💙 wiped tv unit, tv and sky box
💛 fed dc
💚 made bed
💜 scrubbed highchair (again)
❤ swept and mopped rest of LR1
💙 tidied sofa in LR1

Wow!
Busy, busy bees. 🐝 🐝 🐝

Hop, skip jump..to the new thread......

Ooh I'll jump on the new thread in a mo, but just wanted to do personals here:

Sorry foxes that your house is having a strop. Really hope you manage to get it to behave itself!

lane applauds and hates off for you for persevering in trying to get a better balance between you and DH. It will be worth it, so stick with it! And we're here to help shoo away that woman guilt we get for doing anything that isn't putting ourselves bottom of the list.

sc hope you get the dust sorted, and I'm also piling on pounds at the moment. Despite all my best intentions I did not go for a run last night, I went to the fridge and got some chocolate and then watched Downton Abbey.