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!

ta da
💕went to town for a few essentials and added the odd non essential! Felt much better after some sunshine
💕showered off The Outside World and even shaved legs
💕spoke to friend who is having a rough week
💕twenty mins exercise bike
💕put away some laundry while watching G&S
💕discussed extra Caglet chores with DH
💕tried and failed to put up football goal! A bit snapped so now need to find the gaffa tape
💕workout

Didn’t get round to maths with DD1 but she’s agreed to do it tomorrow. Must make sure to find all remaining sheets from that pack.

Tomorrow I will watch the Andrew Lloyd Webber concert while sorting some BRCs - we’ve built up loads lately where we’ve just stuffed things in shopping bags, and I’m sure I could at least sort some stuff easily, even if the rest gets amalgamated into fewer bags! We are going to put big boxes in the sort-of-airing-cupboard while we continue with the furniture rearrangement but I don’t want to put too much in if there’s stuff I could easily fix now.

DH is watching some weird boring film so I’m going to do my month summary in my journal. I haven’t written in there since I did the previous summary, which was halfway through the month in the end 😳 I just don’t have much to write about ATM! But I don’t want to get entirely out of the habit as I feel I’ll need it more again when the world starts to return to normal and a lot of stressors creep back in.

Just back from an hour's walk. House is tidy and we're about to watch Inspector Montalbano.

I forgot to say that my favourite birthday was when I was seven with a party at my house and a backgarden tea with my favourite sandwiches. I can still remember my Gran helping out and I had a lovely cake from a cake shop. I also remember friends having ice-cream birthday cakes with smarties.

I do use the Hoover on our hard floors but I am rediscovering the usefulness of a broom! So quick!

Well done on getting to the end of the girls' laundry baskets zoo.

We move into zone 2 tomorrow which is the kitchen. I'll put up some links tomorrow.

We are going to sit down on Sunday and work out what needs to be done DIY wise to the house and flick through some brochures - just to plan ahead for when things get back to normal.

[Flowers] have a relaxing evening.

I put flowers in brackets and on the app it appeared as a cake!!!!!

I'm glad you like the meme lane. ☺️

:) It’s nice you have evening walks. I’m wondering about trying those sometimes - the aim for us was primarily vitamin D but TBH we aren’t managing every day anyway and sometimes the stars are so incredibly clear, maybe the caglets would prefer that now and then.

I had a bit of an epiphany just now. I was on another thread saying that tomorrow’s BRC-sorting while watching the concert on YouTube would count as time to myself, but that I’d rather be sitting in a pub with a book for that time.

And then I realised that actually maybe I wouldn’t. I definitely miss having proper space and I don’t want to use all my alone time for housework but I feel a lot better after using my time to achieve something even if it’s boring. I’m looking forward to the BRC sorting as I’ll feel a lot better knowing I’ve managed it.

Another day in the garden here. I started off vacuuming in the sitting room , dining room and kitchen then DH asked if I could help him and that was it. day of rest tomorrow so

Checking in late, I can't keep up!

Foxes tissues and everything else out of pockets before they go in the laundry basket here.

Shannara - welcome back, good to hear from you but sorry things are stressy with homeschooling.

Well, usual Saturday routine of up at 7.30 to get DS off on his paper round then tea and toast with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Didn't enjoy the concert as much as the shows but still worth watching. Then a shower and spent an hour cleaning the bathroom top to toe (it's small but not much built in storage so several shelves and their contents plus the bin, scales, floor (apart from the corner where shower gel got spilled last week) plus all the tiles, pipes etc that seem to gather dust. Then lunch, made pizza dough for tea with DS and off to the allotment for a couple of hours. It has never been so well looked after as this year. Home for pizza and telly and some work, I'm proofreading a degree dissertation for a friend's student DC as it's in my field.

Birthday memories. After DS was born my parents came over on my birthday (a few weeks after his) and DH and I went to the pub for an hour. When we came back I went to feed him and it was all lovely and snuggly and I got my first proper smile

Awww a birthday first smile! That’s so special 💕

Is pizza dough easy to make? I’ve been looking out for a base mix as I’m a wimp when it comes to trying these things, but figured at least the Caglets could do it and enjoy topping them etc as we’ve not done that in years. But can’t find any.

Well done on gardening bower

I’m regretting the Pepsi Max with my kfc now. Caffeine 😳

Thinking further about the pub vs time doing chores, I usually feel a bit “meh” about going back home after purely because of the thought of all the responsibility I’m walking back into (admittedly my MH was pretty bad last year!) so maybe being avoidant wasn’t actually helping sorry for waffling, I am going to make a note to discuss this with my therapist 😅 in fact emailing her to book my next appt is on my to do list. Which I really really must start tackling tomorrow along with those pesky BRCs.

Right. Sleep.

We have a shark too ktc and i was just about to suggest "sharking" I sometimes use downstairs (all laminate flooring) on the hard floor setting but its easier to get it corners etc with a brush. I need a new brush mine is looking worse for wear.

Baby woke at 4. Sat bolt upright in the cot so that needs lowering today! He has started pulling to knees in past couple of days and i suspect may be early to stand / walk / run

Trying to get him back to sleep as do not want a 4am sunday start!

Welcome back shannara

SC I wouldn't give yourself a hard time over chocolate. I do regret cheating at times, but usually I've thought it all through before deciding to eat something I shouldn't. Most of the time I can pass things up (when they have gluten it seems to plug me up for days and I hate that feeling) but it's definitely in my head and the way I think. I can't beat myself up, I tell myself nothing is off limits, so instead of saying I "CAN'T" have that, I say I "DON'T WANT" that, and it totally works for me. Good luck, but don't be too hard on yourself, try to take each meal at a time and if you have something you shouldn't, try to make better choices the next time you eat.

we3 sorry to hear about the pen on the wall. If it was really bad I would just paint over it, but when I get in the mood I love to decorate and would paint with any excuse 😆

tired you're very brave having your little DC paint. They look like they're really enjoying it though.

bower great flying today, I really think flying should involve doing some work outside as well, I'm thinking maybe fly lady has a gardener or lives in an apartment so doesn't have yard work to do.

Grrr, I had typed another post before that one but its not there!

Easy going day today:

🦋 Grocery pickup.

🦋 Drive by DHs GM at care home so we could wish her happy birthday in our cars that had balloons on 🎈

🦋 Went back to pick up cold stuff as they forgot to bring it out to me (grocery pickup)

🦋 Tried shoving stuff into freezer, couldn't put blueberries back in.

🦋 Took DC out to go riding on four wheeler and dirt bike.

🦋 Baked lemon and blueberry bread and blueberry crumble (both keto friendly)

🦋 DH and DD did oil change in my jeep while I baked.

🦋 Had DH order from dominoes (I got gluten free pizza, but still not keto friendly, oops)

🦋 Relaxing on the couch the rest of the evening.

🧁 Most memorable birthday was when I was 28(?) I think. DH took me to dinner at Red Lobster, followed by a night's stay in a themed hotel, we stayed in Romeo and Juliet room, then the next day took me to lava hot springs. When we got to ILs, they surprised me with steak and shrimp dinner followed by cake, all decorated in the house and everything. Was lovely.

lane I vacuum my wood floors all the time, my Dyson has a button to push to stop the brushes, but I never do. I do still sweep sometimes if it's just the kitchen, or a small mess.

I know I put more in my post that I lost, but it's all gone now from my head. So I'll just have to say 👋 hello to everyone and see you all tomorrow.

Hope you are asleep that
I've have had a princely hour total.taken in few minute increments.ffs

Dd2 had huge fall out with best friend from school who moved to Scotland at start of quarantine.all over we fact I dye her hair redapparently said friends always wanted red hair and waiting her mum willing to do it....this led to DD be accused ruining all her other friendships as so needy when anxious and that she copies everyone else's styleand the big sting your "mental health issues" are a load of shit you attention seeking and won't amount to anything as bound drop our of college...

She refuse engage all our war over it and just stepped back saying very little,but obvs hurt

That was on Thursday...

Last night said ex friend put on social media watching X,y,z about to drag a bitch.next thing another from friendship group,who tight with girl left to scotland launch similar attack stating same stuff.dd2 very upset/angry.agsin didntrise to bait

I might add new attack on back of said girl not getting in on same college courses dd2 apply for and been accepted into.two nasty little madams blaming DD for thing in their lives not planning out.quarantine sure does bring out the best in some people....

Hello do you accept new people onto the thread?

therealmrshardy
Most definitely!we may seem like a clicks bunch initially,some of us have been here FOREVER but we are very happy to have newbies.welcome aboard!

Absolutely mrshardy the thread is always open! Welcome :)

WTF zoo that’s awful! I take it it’s out of character for her? How can a kid of that age flip out over a friend dying their hair first, is she actually 3 years old poor DD2 :(

Hazel aw that’s so sweet about balloons on the car :)

A bit annoyed to have woken up already, was hoping for a lie in. But had to get up as AF arrived 🙄 gah. Going to experiment with dropping my meds dose for a few days as lots of women on ADHD treatment do this apparently because they can make AF symptoms worse. This means I have a convenient excuse if I suddenly get (even) less productive with housework than usual 😅 I’m still determined to get some exercise and sort some BRCs though. Please aim the pointy stick at me if I don’t!

Was late to bed last night and DD had me up at 6am. I am not going to last today without a nap.

zoo that's awful, you're poor DD. Hope she is able to cut those horrible people out of her life.

Baby slept from 530ish to 7ish so better than nothing! 🥳

Welcome therealmrsshardy 😁

Ta da
💜 changed 2 x poonami
💚 wash on
💛 dryer on
💙 dc 1 3 and 4 fed
🧡 checked what shopping asda are actually delivering this afternoon

Zoo teen girls can be awful. I know i was myself 😖

Welcome, therealMrsHardy, good to have you with us. No fledgling left behind!

Zoo, that's horrid and so unfair, teenage girls can be vile. Hope DD2 is ok.

I had lots of answers for other people and they've mostly fallen out of my head! Bower, I agree with Hazel, yard work should count as flying. I think flylady works best when you can exactly mirror her circumstances. Of course you can do the Home Bleugh in an hour if there's only 2 of you in the house, and only 1 bed to change!

Hazel, great list there. 🍒🙋 to fluff, We3, Happiness (you ok? You've dropped off for a bit) Chic, Stressy, That, foxes, KT, Cin, Lane, SC, ED and good to see you again Shannara. Apologies to people I've missed.

Lisette, no favourite birthday memories - maybe my 40th which I seemed to manage to stretch over about a fortnight!

Favourite TV detectives, though... I grew up watching Poirot, Miss Marple, Bergerac and I do love a good police procedural. I loved John Nettles's Barnaby in the early Midsommer Murders and Aurelio Zen more recently, but I've not watched anything for ages. Do Criminal Minds, The Mentalist and Castle count?

I did get some stuff done yesterday afternoon - I bribed DS3 to help me tidy up the front of the house, so we look a bit more cared for. The previous owner had block paving put down, badly, about 20 years ago and it needs constant weeding to look nice. We borrowed a paving brush - like a toothbrush - from DM a little while ago and finally had a go yesterday. It looks much better.

Today, I will be mostly forcing DS2 to face up to his responsibilities. He slept all day yesterday, then laid waste to the kitchen, twice, overnight, ate half the strawberries meant for pudding at teatime today, used DS3's special mug, and didn't clear up at all. He also hadn't slept when I spoke to him at 8am, so I've told him to sleep til midday then get up and get on with stuff. He cannot be a passenger in this process, no matter how much harder he is finding lockdown because he is our extravert.

I have also decided to pull back a lot from the rest of MN. This thread, and my decluttering thread, are lovely, but everywhere else is so unkind at the moment. I spent a lot of yesterday reading the thread about the interplay of Covid-19 and obesity, which once again began as "everyone with a weight problem is greedy and lazy and too stupid to understand how to lose weight" and went downhill (!) from there. If that's truly what people think of me, I'm done. I fought my weight for 35 years from 7-42 and right now, I've given up. I'm trying to make good choices, but have also just had 3 slices of white toast and marmalade for breakfast, which I know will give me indigestion.

Meh. Onwards and upwards. DS3 and I are taking MegaHound through the woods down to the riverbank and back. That should use up some calories.

Tiredmom not constantly doing activities with the DC does not make you a crap mum. In fact IMO it's good for them to learn to entertain themselves. I have a friend who moans that her DC will never just sit and play without her and I think Well they won't because you've scheduled their lives so they've bounced from one activity to the next from the minute they were born.

Forgot about my favourite birthday. It will have been when I was 7 and had my first proper party in the pub where my mam worked. Her friend made cakes and she had her make me a princess castle cake which my friends talked about for ever 😂

Lane you can make a really simple pizza dough with just flour and natural yogurt. I use my hoover on wood floors all the time. It's not a hoover either. My grandad is a stickler for the vacuum/hoover thing lol. I think all of us are discovering how hard it is to help DC with schoolwork when they have different needs so don't be hard on yourself re DS and maths. I'm an absolute caffeine addict so one Pepsi with a KFC would be a drop in the ocean. I drink at least 2 ltrs of pop a day and about 5 coffees. I Used to worse and it would be around 6ltrs of pop a day 🙈

KT we had the belt argument so many tones that in the end I just washed his leather belt 🤷‍♀️ he always takes it off now 😂. Totally get you on expecting to drop weight because you've had a takeaway. I cook healthy meals mostly and often make things from ten pinch of nom books and then I'm like why am I still fat? Well that's probably for something to do with the chocolate, cheese, ice cream, nachos and everything else I eat on top 🤣

Fluffiest that was quite a birthday! DH got taken to Disneyland for his 18th because he'd loved it so much the first time they went. He still loved it but was a bit sick that he's finally reached legal drinking age and they took him somewhere the age was 21 😂 lime and coriander chicken wings sound amazing

Hazel I think flylady does mention gardening under her porch bit doesn't she? We do have the paint there to paint most of where he's decorated but I'm going to have to get it off the windows and things.

Zoo what an absolutely awful thing for that girl to say. Your poor DD.

Welcome mrshardy 👋

Apart from a few dishes and quickly running the hoover round after we had Couscous for dinner (when will I lean the couscous and small DC = so much mess it's not worth it) I did absolutely nothing. I got completely sucked into a spooky story MN thread and that was me done for yeh day.

Have written our to do list for today and hopefully everyone will pitch in 🤞 first i need to make DS1 some porridge because we're out of cereal.

Forgot my 👋 to chic, jigolo, foxes, lisette, that, SC, expletive, shanara and Bower. Sorry if I missed anyone

we3 i am also powered by caffeine! Full fat coke and mugs of tea are my poison.

Morning all

Good start to the day:
✅ LOL in
✅ clean clothes sorted
✅ s & s x 2
✅ DD’s bed made
✅ bed stripped and new bedding on . Want to spend a bit of time prettifying the boudoir later to do to justice.
✅ 18 minutes of a 30 minute cardio dance workout thing (could have managed it all but DH came in and put me off)
✅ showered, hair washed and, inspired by Lane, legs shaved

Have now demolished a sausage sandwich and can feel the lure of the naughty corner but I’m going to keep up the momentum and get me and DD dressed.

To do:
✅ ironing including work clothes
✅ cook a roast
✅ food prep for work
✅ phonecalls with family
✅ family walk, and deliver a thank you card
✅ wrap a couple of bit thy day presents to be dropped off on my way home from work tomorrow.
✅ some sort of alone time to ‘renew my spirit’.

Welcome MrsHardy

Megiddo I saw that thread. Sorry it made you feel so crap. Most people know weight issues are far more complex than just greed and laziness. I’ve scaled back what I read on MN too. It can be fantastic for support (like this thread) and I’ve really had my eyes opened to how others live) but there are some posters who can be so judgemental and some downright cruel. Plus some threads really don’t help anyone’s mental health, especially right now. Hope you enjoyed your white toast.

Zoo how awful of DD’s ‘friend’. I know teenage girls can be cruel but she’s a bit old to be going on like that. Completely nasty and unnecessary. Hope DD isn’t too upset and realises it says more about her friend than it does her.

Glad you got some more sleep That😍

Hazel I agree. There should definitely be a garden aspect of flying. I suppose 15 minutes a day would be sensible to keep on top of things. We need to get on top of things in the first place though