Festive Fledglings Flap Frantically Towards A Calm, Clutter-free Christmas!

[SingToTheSky]

OK so clutter-free is a bit ambitious. But anyway, all welcome to join us for a jolly holiday thread, in which we very loosely follow (or at least half-heartedly mention now and then) the FlyLady system of housekeeping.

I’ll be posting links and reminding us all of various tasks up until Christmas Eve, for those who want to follow the system - and if it’s like previous years there will also be some specific extra missions to help us prepare our homes for Christmas. However, we really are just a bunch of frazzled Mumsnetters who will be very happy to welcome you along for chat whether you follow the system or not! We discuss housework, sure, but a whole lot of other stuff too.

We will also continue with the Keep Calm Corner, in which you’ll find various diverting questions, memes etc.

And finally a huge thank you to Foxes who did a fab job of running the thread for the first time in November! 💐

I think the contacts are 48hrs before symptoms started. So should be ok anyway.

🎁 sorted phone contracts (e-mail said to ring them. Phone number sent me a text, which linked to my online account, where I could sort it all online. Might have been easier if the email said to log into online account )
🎁 more presents wrapped. I’m about a third of the way through I think.

Oh dear! Sing🤔

Today we are trying to be awkward!

I was supposed to go to DS2’s this afternoon with DH. He went this morning. Must have nearly killed him to get up early just to spite me.
I just asked. I was supposed to put DS2’s tree up as he is really busy.

Ta da
I have cleaned all the bathroom fromtop to bottom.

I’m sure DD1 would heartily approve of that tree topper too woolly :o

Just had a lovely delivery of a Christmas hamper from Homestart charity who have been supporting me since the first lockdown ❤️ Made my day! It is more than we could possibly need so will donate some back to the foodbank when we are allowed out.

Oh I missed the word lifesize :o fab tree too.

Survived town
DS freaked on call,do meeting rescheduled
Picked up lil zoo and grab bread as didn't want go into town supermarket as busy.co op is near lil zoo school...girls behind us in queueone coughing and complaining how hot she was.fruend asked if had test done."no.my bf tested negative so I don't need one"needless to say we shuffled forward in queue and got out of there ASAP

sortedall shopping
Lunch
Nap

I need get up and crack on with chores now that I've spent half an hour with camhs who were useless with lil zoo checking in on her

Btw I messaged hazel other day.she is find,drowning in truffle orders and hoping post soon!

ta da
Banking run
Post office
work
MOT booked
shopping list made up
batch of bread dough made for proofing for pizza for tea

Next i am off to do a big food shop....

Hopefully i will sleep well tonight. I expect that ain't going to happen. But at least i will have been productive

[Slithers into the naughty corner, donning sunglasses and a hat as a disguise, setting down a mound of chocolate truffles and caramels as an apology for being AWOL]

Welcome back hazel glad you are okay

Zoo oh seriously that makes me very cross re the girl in the shop.

Sing that's so lovely about the hamper!

Hills I really do hope you get a good night's sleep tonight

Glittery hope you get things sorted with your dd and find some help for her

Bower can't believe your "d"h went without you! How mean is that!?

Have you tried unplugging it, giving a shake and then plugging it in again? (Clutches pearls)😬

Hello Hazel!

Noooo! I think DH would actually expire if that happened.

Hey hazel glad to see you!

I’m hungry and grumpy (no change there then). DH is for once able to watch a football match and told the Caglets to sort their own dinner so they are cooking some pasta, which they’re fine with but they keep sniping at each other 🤬 cabin fever hasn’t taken long to set in! I’m just glad I got myself one of my fave ready meals to have in a bit (DH not hungry).

Sing sorry to hear about your DS and all of you needing to isolate.
dancing, bower and whoever else I missed, sorry your 'd'h's are being awful. Shovel is at the ready. My DH was lazy Sunday while I was at work at my 2nd job (a full 8 hours!) and didn't even get the DW rotated, so I had to do that after working a full day. He did do one LOL though 🙄 He made up for it yesterday and got the rest of the laundry all caught up. He took a couple days off to use his vacation up.
We have so far gone shopping to do a big bulk shop, I was just about out of butter and need a tonne more for my toffee and caramel that I'm making.
I have several orders that need to be filled still so once we are home I'll get working on them. My plan is to have all the orders done this week so I can focus on wrapping next week.
Not much flying done by me, luckily the DC have got some of the cleaning done, although the whole house needs a deep clean very soon.

I love all the pictures of the decorations and DC. I still have more to put up in my house, but did add some lights to the kitchen. I'm never this far behind!
My favourite ornament is my angel wings, we bought it the year we had a miscarriage and named the baby "Angel" it feels like he's with us every year this way. I've attached a pic, but it might not show up good. There's a lot more for me to do today, so best be off!

⛄❄👋 to everyone, since we got dumped with snow a couple of days ago

Lovely angel wings hazel 💐💜

Sorry DD is struggling so much woolly :( well done for phoning up about the foot, hope they can help!

If you were a lighter - used a few times a year for birthday candles - where would you be if not with said birthday candles? 🙄

Also ta da
Huge food shop
finish making pizza
Burnt tounge eating pizza whilst to hot
sorted the boxes for decorations going away
sorted out storing grill pans that too big for new oven
Sorted out help with washing up
Sorted out advent treat for ds
put food away or in quarantine zone

Just waiting for pizza to cool enough to eat, grab a de outside bath, clean my bed and fall into it for some much needed and over due studying...

Sorry for flying through today. been a bit crazy busy.

Finally got my dinner out (I did eat a bit of the salad DD1 made earlier) having spent a while putting laundry away upstairs which felt like a treat after being talked at about all manner of things by DS! 🤯

Forgot part of the ready meal I’ve been looking forward to all day has to go in the oven not the microwave 🤦🏽‍♀️ So it will be even later but I just realised I haven’t watched that second bujo video hills kindly shared with us so that’ll be a nice way to pass the time!

Never did find the lighter, DH lit the new candle with the hob instead! It’s a mystery.

Hiya, a bit of a late one tonight. I’ve had a crap day if I’m honest, the DC have been nightmares, DS2 isn’t sleeping much so I’m exhausted with that and the big 2 are constantly at each other’s throats, I think excitement has gotten to them but my god they’re draining me. FIL has also been an idiot, we’ve discussed that we aren’t making any Christmas plans and will keep to our little family and then visit family in the front garden, no contact etc. FIL isn’t happy with it and wants us to go over for Boxing Day, we’ve said no multiple times and now he’s asked if DH could go over for Boxing Day and then DH, SMIL, FIL and SIL all isolate there for 2 weeks so Dh doesn’t bring anything back to us. He’s really peed me off! He’s basically just expecting me to look after 3 DC on my own for 2 weeks over christmas, meaning we can’t spend new year together!. DH has told him no and now FILs kicked off saying I’m keeping DH from seeing his family🙄. I wouldn’t mind but he’ll be spending Christmas with his daughter and girlfriend, it isn’t like he’s alone!. Sorry for my moan, it feels good to get it out.

I know I’m biased but he’s so beautiful isn’t he sing I could eat him! I’m happy to hear you son is feeling a bit better and I hope that you feel better soon too. That’s lovely about the hamper.

zoo I’m so sorry about the lack of sleep, that sounds awful. Sorry about that lady in the shop, that’s terrible of her!.

I hope your son is okay tinselette

wooly your tree looks amazing!. Great list too. You can cuddle DS2 when he won’t go to sleep at 3am if you like😂 I hope you find some help for your DD. I hope your kettle works soon!.

You’ve been very productive today hills I hope it helps you get some sleep!

Welcome back hazel :) I love your angel wings( and the lovely meaning behind it💐

ta da
Breakfast made
Kids dressed and off to school/nursery
Bedrooms tidied
Bathroom and kitchen tidied
Multiple feeds and nappy changes
Multiple school runs
Lunch Made
Washed up
Snacks Made
Bags unpacked
Dinner made
Dh washed up
Bath and bedtime

Didn’t get too much done but hopefully will bet some more sleep and energy soon

ta da
More stuffs - a lot of planning and coordinating stuffs
Long soak in tub with epsom salts for achy achy muscles.
delegated some washing up
sorted stuffs for others to do tomo whilst am at work

Currently looking at my bed that is full of half sorted paperwork and really cba to do anything about it. But can't face plant into bed if i don't. First up bread stuffs into freezer and lunch boxes/bread bins.

Don't think i am going to get to bed before midnight at this rate and another early start planned for tomo.

Slightly disheveled day for me today. I need to come up with a routine, mainly for myself, to give the day a bit more solid structure to minimise that flailing feeling.

Ta das:
🎉LOL - washed, dried, folded
🎉Hoovered downstairs
🎉De-moulded entrance hall (again). That crazy humidity in that tiny space is driving me insane.
🎉Morning and evening routines
🎉Gas safety check

I really need to get on with writing Christmas cards. And I still have 2 outstanding presents to get plus few smaller bits. That's a jobbie for tomorrow.

Sorry about the crap day isaw and FFS at your FIL, what a manipulative twonk he’s being!

ta da
🧸tried to book test again
🧸sorted hamper things into proper places/donate pile
🧸sorted incoming food shop
🧸found and ordered DVDs I’ve wanted for years yay
🧸put laundry away
🧸Italian on Duolingo
🧸chatted to friend about Christmas lists etc

ta didn’t
❌study
❌do my therapy journal or even write up notes for it

Also must get back into reading, I was really hoping to finish my current reads by the end of the month - I always like a fresh start on stuff like that!

Obviously never printed a plan for this week as DS has been resting but I think he will be able to do a few bits tomorrow.

Woolly you can have my old one. Our electric kettle has gone to the shed as we have one for Everhot now.

I reminded DH and he took me over. So I decorated DS tree and a bit of his house while he was at work. He has a tree 🌲 with red baubles and beads. I had a ball of antique gold pine cones so took some off and twined them into a long sway which I put over an antique side board

It is a walnut half moon shape so it looked good on the back. His house is quite tidy as he doesn’t have anything much. I look around all the stuff we have and wonder how it got here. I’m not a big spender. I think Martians have snuck it in at night.
Hills. Hope you get a restful night.Hazel good to know you are ok. The truffles, toffee etc sound yummy if you have that many orders. What a lovely decoration as a memory.
Isawthat FIL is out of order sorry you have to put up with that.
That how are you now?

Merry that decoration is amazing I have a book with some honeycomb tissue and it looks quite difficult.
Foxes he can be an arse at times. I am still getting the silent treatment I am ignoring him. I might get up early and go out in the car.
Sing what a lovely surprise re hamper.enjoy!

So I cleaned the shelves, shower, basin and toilet. New Joseph toilet brush is good. I clean under the rim but this brush found some🤮nasty bits. Its the shape of it and it cleans easily. Well impressed.
Did shelf and shower.
Wiped top of drawers.
Washed the floor.

Washed x2
Made baked potatoes, pork leftovers and cabbage.
Washed some of the kitchen floor again!

Been cutting out the shepherds for my window. Have most of it together. Need to have a practice run tomorrow.
Right better go to bed