August already?! Time keeps flying like the Fledglings!

[SingToTheSky]

Hello and welcome to the (slightly early) August Fledgling Thread! Join us for housework chat and a ridiculous amount of non housework chat too.

We follow (supposedly) the FlyLady system, which helps you gradually build up a set of routines. This month I won’t be putting regular links on, but there will be regular references to whatever the current zone and daily focus is. Please ask if you need any further info!

Here are some links to get you started (but don’t sign up for the emails as you’ll get inundated!)

www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/ - a set of little tasks to gradually add to your day - some are a bit twee so pick and choose what you want!

www.flylady.net/c/sp.php#missions - this updates weekly with a set of five specific tasks for the weekly zone - worth checking for ideas! I will try and remember to remind us what zone we are in. It changes on a Sunday and we will be starting with Zone 1, the entrance/porch/hallway, and dining room if you have one.

www.flylady.net/c/lp.php - this contains links for most other things so is a good place to check if you don’t know where to start

It looks like the focus of the month for August is LAUNDRY - getting into the habit of a full load washed, dried and away each day.

Also I was bored a while back so I put together a little glossary of the many weird and might-seem-a-bit-cliquey terms. We have been going a long time but we always love newbies - hopefully this list will help you settle in.
KCC - the Keep Calm Corner, invented by our lovely Fledgling SC back in March, where the OP posts nice diverting links, memes, questions etc to distract us from the pandemic.

Ta Da - instead of a to do list (which is of course welcome too) we often post our achievements, with accompanying jazz hands, in order to celebrate the positives, however small they seem! Sometimes if we want to share an embarrassed giggle/commiserations we also post a ta didn’t - the stuff we didn’t get done. Oops.

BRC - Bag/Box of Random Crap. These are usually formed when we are panic tidying and shove anything in “to sort later” which is also known as a stash and dash.

Power of Three or PO3 - the idea that if you’re feeling really unmotivated/overwhelmed by your to do list, you just choose three things to do, and then post when you’ve done them.

Cherry Waves - borne of a typo of “cheery waves” this is now - to the extent my autocorrect just changed it again - often how we sign off. You may also see it in emoji form! 🍒👋🙋🏻 (😷 for socially distanced waves!).

Haughty Corner - this is from a typo of the naughty corner - the virtual hangout spot where we hide from housework and eat virtual snacks.

Future Friend or FF - the idea (apparently coming from The Organised Mum Method) of doing something to make life easier for yourself in future. Includes things like choosing clothes for the next day, getting bags ready etc.

DLMS - didn’t lose my shit - in other words, somehow stayed relatively calm despite a stressful day!

SS/S&S - Swish and Swipe - this is one of the key parts of the morning routine, a quick once over of the bathroom.

And a few basics:
LOL - load of laundry
WM - washing machine
TD - tumble dryer
DW - dishwasher
HSL - hallway, stairs, landing

And finally, for any Fledglings old or new who are trying to lose weight in lockdown, here’s our new body clutter banishing thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/3975886-Body-Clutter-Be-Gone-The-Fledglings-Weightloss-Thread?pg=1

I’ll stop waffling there. Welcome one and all, a huge thank you to KTCluck for steering us through July while also working, and away we go for August! 🍒👋

Home from the fiery depths of hell, AKA the next town centre along from us. TBF any town would probably feel the same to me today! The day went a bit topsy turvy right from the start and it’s barely halfway through! 😭

Ice cream and ice sculptures in the naughty corner today. Mine's pralines and cream with sprinkles and extra caramel sauce.

That’s a good idea meg 💐 we’ve not had much time to actually discuss the Mind Map of Doom so we’ve just been writing down ideas and passing the notes to each other like smugglers in the night! There are a few practical ideas now, so I think we can make a bit of headway. I’m also painfully aware of looming deadlines so I need to figure out when to do the work without ignoring everything else.

My review with Homestart charity was nice today but despite the “you’re doing well dealing with so much” I still felt worse after as it’s hard to believe people who say that stuff. I don’t feel like I am really dealing with anything, I just see what I don’t manage, which is a lot! She said we should relax as it’s summer holidays and I feel like I can’t even do that right. Relaxing and fun are just items on the to do list now.

Sorry not being a very motivational host this month 😳🙈 anyone want to join the pity party/snivelling heap corner? It’s an extra blankety, chocolatey part of our usual naughty corner.

sing I needed a few bits for the kids, shoes, hats etc, opted to go to the local big Next which was blissfully air conditioned! Spent way longer than intended in there and spent too much money, but did benefit from the eat out to help out scheme in the Costa inside it

I'm now back home and far FAR too hot and the kids are irritating me so much! I got meatballs that i had pre made out of the freezer for dinner thinking at least all I need to do is cook them and add tinned tomatoes, even that seems horrendous right now though!!

The house is a tip but I have no energy to do anything about it. I really can't wait for this weather to cool off a bit!!

meg D's slept living room floor his room too hot.lil zoo wanted wear thick long sleeve pj top last night as "didn't like" vest top goes her pj shorts.huge row with tears to get her not to wear itshe's in swelterbox of a room in jeans and t.ds in just pants,dd2 bikini top and pants in front room in full range of fan...

Returned half my stuff back to where it should live.its just too hot upstairs do any more
Started shop list for dd1 having done some of menu plan

Forgot
Sing if sweets not choc

God it’s hot! I’ll be back soon with personals and lists just to say the rain cleared the air not one bit

Oh yes not getting chocolate at the moment, unless people like it from the fridge 🧐 I actually ordered a bar of my fave the other day on amazon to make it up to free delivery threshold. I didn’t consider the impending heatwave and it arrived melted. I put it in the fridge but the next day it was soaking wet on the outside (fridge can be a bit weird sometimes) and looked really odd. Gutted as I can never find that type in the shops (green and blacks milk with salt) 🤬

I have done absolutely nothing since getting home except have a bit of a cry 😳 not very productive. DH is taking DS to taekwondo soon. I did get some play buttons in the charity shop earlier so maybe we will get those to break up the peppa pig marathon (which reminds me, bacon baguette for dinner yay 😂). They are different shapes and colours with different numbers of buttons so should keep her busy - I feel quite nostalgic as the caglets had them when they were little!

sing D's hates sweets so on minstrels from fridge
Dinner is what salad veg left with cheese

I should clarify I wasn’t crying over the chocolate (although I may have felt like it at the time 😳) 😂 I am just In A Mood.

And we now have an email about Cagletini’s nursery place and I’m reeeeally not sure what to do. We were managing much better until recently and were thus not bothered about sending her. But I think we might have to accept that help and just hope she manages. She’s grown up a huge amount in lockdown, talking loads. There are a load of new rules of course too.

sing I would have cried over that chocolate situation to be honest, I don't do well when it comes to food I want but can't have 😂

I have started dinner, meatballs are simmering away so I can leave them now and then just got to cook the spaghetti. Salad so much more sensible zoo unfortunately we have pretty much run out as veg box due tomorrow!

I'm a real meal planner and it has annoyed me that I haven't cooked half of what I planned this week due to the heat, I just didn't plan enough hot weather meals.

I really really need to clean the bathroom but I just can't motivate myself to do so. Keep putting it off until it cools down.

foxes I check 10 day forecast as usually very hot spells appear and are acknowledged well in advance so I don't get caught out too badly
Sing only you can decide what's best with cagletini.not easy making decisions tho❤️

Well it end up being last pitta,last d.f cheese,cucumber,carrots,yellow pepper and tomatoes.salad drawer now has couple cherry toms and a courgette.deffo ready for a refill!!dd1 at Tesco now

Ps mum of 10 I've mentioned before here became grandma first time today.little Lilly was 8lb and is a little chunk with shock dark hair!she's do excited!!her eldest DS is beside himself happy.mum had have surgery for stitches blood loss,but go be ok.best days are the days babies come

In my baby fuelled excitement forgot to add..ITS RAINING

Big "thunder spots" rather than good downpour.was cooler at 6 as wind whip up sky black and we saw two forks and couple loud bangs,but alas that rolled by without as much as a raindrop..hopefully this is beginning of cool down!

sing. " My review with Homestart charity was nice today but despite the “you’re doing well dealing with so much” I still felt worse after as it’s hard to believe people who say that stuff. I don’t feel like I am really dealing with anything, I just see what I don’t manage, which is a lot! She said we should relax as it’s summer holidays and I feel like I can’t even do that right. Relaxing and fun are just items on the to do list now. "

I think I get how you feel. What they say here is "You're doing an amazing job" , and it feels so patronising, and dismissive of my very real concerns. Especially after they've asked what my concerns are, and I open up to them against my better judgment, as I've been through this so many times before with the same result.

Aww how lovely zoo 👶🏻
Love reading about everyone’s specialist subjects! I don’t think I could do public speaking now. I was really amazed I managed it at the time.

Not sure about plan for tomorrow as some friends were meant to visit, depends on weather. I’m not sure I really have the energy though as I feel swamped and they don’t really get it as they have lots of support etc. It doesn’t usually bother me and she’s my oldest friend so hopefully I can pull myself together a bit if they do make it!

ta da
🥵bought a few needed things and a few nice things
🥵wrote priority actions list (must get DH to read it)
🥵booked breakfast date with a friend on Saturday - probably six months since I’ve seen her!
🥵had review phone call
🥵played with toddler

That’s pretty much it I think.

Did a practice school run, to check out traffic patterns and parking. Came back to 31C at the back door. Wilted after breakfast, and mostly gave up. Kitchen gets hotter throughout the day with getting the full glare of the sun on the flat roof from early afternoon. Did the dishes and a general cleanup in the evening. Must remember to do that in the early morning from now on, as I certainly won't feel like it after 3pm school pickup. Got a bit more cleared off the kitchen table. Utility is full of garddening stuff. I'm getting myself depressed just writing this down. My bedroom is full of midges attracted to the light from my tablet.

Friday is residual bin day and garden bin day, ie everything that can't be recycled, and our chopped up hedge. So tomorrow will be tidying more of kitchen and get rubbish out.

Something just bit me!

Hope we all manage some sleep. Nyt nyt everyone!

Ah thanks tidy 💐

Sing the beauty of good friends is often you don't need to pretend or pull yourself together in front of them. Don't stress yourself out too much about their visit (I know, so much easier said than done!). She will understand and she is coming to see you and to spend time with you. Hope it goes well tomorrow.
Tidy I believe in you, you can conquer the sshhtuff.
I haven't even started to sort out those 3 kitchen drawers of random rubbish. I shall brave that tomorrow.

Ta Da:
🎉Living room, bedroom and spare rooms dusted and surfaces wiped.
🎉Hoovered upstairs and downstairs (and including between sofa cushions on one of the sofas)
🎉LOL - washed, dried, folded away

To do for tomorrow:

• tackle the kitchen drawer number one (out of 3) to declutter and organise
• LOL
• Quick bathroom sort out

Okay! Very late one but going to catch up now. Have had a really hot day, I’m feeling so guilty that we haven’t been going out far because DH has the car in the day at work. So we went to the park for a bit but everyone got too hot. So stayed at home and just did some fun garden activities. I also put a slide in the boys room for us to okay, have attached a pic. I felt like the worlds best mum!!. I also have some exciting news! Baby kicked for the first time today!!. It’s feeling so real now!. We have also definitely decided on a name and I’m so happy!.

ED I’d love a hedgehog corner! We don’t get many in our garden but we’re right by a motorway so it might scare them away a bit

MC I know how you feel about cravings. Have you got any weird ones this time around?

Meg you’re all more than welcome here!

Thank you sing, sorry about the toddler not sleeping!. It is crazy how quickly everything’s opening back up, I think it will close back down in the winter though so a lot of people are having their fill. I’m sorry you’re feeling rubbish, but you are juggling so much!. I think it’s so easy to just focus on the negative, and also see everyone else doing so much. But most people probably feel the same they just don’t want to share it.

That’s a gorgeous thing to do zoo ❤️ lovely pic. And congratulations to your friend on her lovely new granddaughter! What a beautiful name. ❤️

Thanks everyone for the kallax love. I adore the boys room, it’s so cosy.

I’m sorry you aren’t able to see your DC bower that must be really difficult❤️. I’m sorry your DH is being crap too!. Thank you, I love the boys room too!. It originated as the play room that’s why it has the mountains in it but then they all wanted to share so they went in the big room. I am worried about the phones, social media really scares me. The stuff they’re exposed to is crazy at their age.

KCC well because of my uni course I did a lot of this, but I’d do it about how the education system is a bit crap!. I used to actually want to do it for a living and maybe become an MP and change it all but then in my final year I got pregnant so that never happened.

tidy I also did the practice school run today too! It’s a bloody nightmare though as for the first 2 weeks DS1 will be having taster sessions that don’t coincide with DS2 and 3’s nursery sessions. I’ll have to make 8 trips a day!. Thankfully it’s on the same road as us but I’m going to be very fit that month!.

Ta Da
✅Me and kids dressed
✅Beds made
✅Animals fed and watered
✅Eggs collected
✅Breakfast made
✅DH seen off
✅S&S
✅LOL (pic of my crazy washing line attached)
✅Ordered some big water bottles for us all to make sure we’re drinking our water
✅Went through DS1’s reception welcome book with him so he understands what it’ll be like
✅Did the school run
✅Went to the park
✅Got home
✅Made lunch
✅Cleaned the animals dishes
✅Watered grass
✅DH got back from work
✅Made tea
✅Drove to woods
✅Walked dogs and kids to tire everyone out
✅Showered the DC’s
✅Put DC’s to bed
✅Washed up
✅Dried and put away
✅Brought my washing in
✅Put away
✅Started storming
✅Wrote shopping list
✅Agreed on baby name
✅Had a shower
✅DH cleaned up living room
✅Went to bed

DC are now awake as a storm started again lots of thunder and lightning and heavy rain. So back in with us tonight. DSis1 turns 11 tomorrow and I’m having a bit of a cry, I know it’s silly but because there’s such an age gap I almost feel like her mum and I just hate that she’s growing up and I can’t protect her from everything. She’s starting high school next month and I keep having nightmares she’s getting bullied. It’s lovely she’s growing up and I can’t wait to watch her become a strong independent woman (which I’m sure she will be as she told me at age 2 she didn’t want children as she wanted to be a doctor and they’d get in the way😂), but if I could freeze time I would. I suppose I’ve just got to look forward to the 4am phone calls when she’s been out drinking at 16 and needs me to pick her up!

Howl your washing line got me chuckling ☺️
Congratulations with the first kick! And on choosing the name. Lots of biggies today. I love feeling baby wriggle, there is something magical about it.
Earlier on I had craving for sausages. I was eating them by a kilo in first and second trimesters. Thankfully this has calmed down, now I am more partial to tangerines and apples. Are you craving anything specific?
Sounds like you are very close to your sis. She is lucky to have you watch over her like that 🥰

Zoo oh it was to my mother! Thank you Zoo. It would just have been nice once.

Well the rambling on here did me good. I kept down the bottom of the garden and out of DHs way. Then at 12:45 he comes and says if you give me a list I ‘ll go to SCs favourite supermarket near here. Usually I go for the ride out but he didn’t offer and I didn’t ask.i had four hours of peace. I did some jobs and then read my new book for an hour. It is set in the Cotswolds so lots of description about the villages. It was one of those in the moment times when I looked up at the view, the blue sky and little fledglings playing. I thought to myself this is a good moment.
We had a bbq tonight. I would have liked to ask Bf and family but DH kept saying it might rain. He doesn’t like socialising. We enjoyed it anyway.
Very few ta Das as I have declared it our holiday week.
S&S
LoL
One small area decluttered. I can’t be bothered with it.
Washed up
Vacuum through
Washed kitchen floor
Put away shopping after wiping.
Wiped down worktop and into window. Kitchen is fairly tidy bar a bit of the table.

I have a big pile of clean washing to put away or iron and put away in boudoir. It’s looking at me. It is very warm in here and I can’t open the window. I had forgotten about fan. I think we have one in the loft.

I am so impressed with the photos and how you got three beds into one room.
Ah I loved it when you could first feel the baby kicking. Not so much towards the end when it sometimes hurt.

Did I say I found out whose house it was and they lived 3/4 from here. So I was right about the very loud clap of thunder it was because it hit a house- large farmhouse no one hurt thank fully. Smoke in the hallway and fire brigade arrived quickly. Scary.