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! 💐

Zoo I wish I knew what to suggest lovely. Is this worse than the usual winter blues, pre Christmas stress type stuff? Keep talking to us (messenger always open too 💐)

Oh Woolly how absolutely rotten for DS2. I can’t believe it’s almost a whole year since Not GF officially dropped the Not!

glittery oh yes the not girlfriend! Doesn't time fly?!?

I'm just feeling a bit flat. My brother and his family were obviously meant to be coming but we have been back and forth so much it was never a sure thing. So I was expecting to not see them deep down. But thought we'd be able to see my mum and dad as they are more local but that's off too.

We were meant to be doing a zoom murder mystery tonight which would have been a good chance to take my mind of things and be silly but friends cancelled because they've had to go and do their Xmas shopping before the shops shut 🤦‍♀️
Hopefully we will do it tomorrow or another night though.

Sorry others are feeling down and sing you're right we just have to let ourselves feel however we feel about it. There's no right or wrong here!

Flying wise, I didn't do much today but dh has deep cleaned the kitchen and he even decluttered some of the cupboards .

mrfox
Woolly I would get D's regardless of rules

Hugs to all in tier 4,like sing gawd knows how we clinging to tier 2,esp as our local rates are about national average

I feel unravelled as I'm treading water day in,day out woolly try support 3 stressed zoolets each with quite demanding needs by myself and winter I always dip anyway.chuck in 2020 and it's been very hard mentally trying keep head above water this year meaning I'm going into darker months with no reserves iyswim?I should stop moaning,others are in much harder places

to those of you affected by today’s shit storm. We are still in tier 3 and only had plans for DSis and DN to join us Christmas Day anyway, so that can still go ahead.

You don’t need to stop moaning Zoo. Other people having it worse doesn’t make things are any easier for you. Your DD1 sounds lovely BTW.

Hurrah for negative test Sing!

How’s the migraine Hills? Hope it’s cleared.

I’m sure DH can pick up DS1 Woolly. I can’t believe Not-GF became GF a year ago. That means I’ve been on the thread over a year . A very strange year but it’s been lovely to share it with the fledglings. Hope the phone stops playing up. We want Christmas crafts!

ED well done on the weight loss! That’s brilliant, and so good to keep your motivation in the week before Christmas. I’ve been losing and gaining the same 3-4lbs for weeks now. I’m going to knuckle down in the new year.

at Santas Tinselette.

Good progress on reclaiming the bedroom Merry

Today involved Christmas films and a lovely long walk round the town looking at lights. There was yet more bathroom floor scrubbing (and nearly a pink-stuff covered toothbrush inserted somewhere DH would not have liked when he said he couldn’t see the difference . He narrowly avoided it when he turned the light on and changed his mind). I dusted the living room and cleaned the window, and generally kept on top of dishes/mess. Feeling very sleepy now. Night all!

Migraine lift, sugar and meds helped.

Bloody hell fb is lit up atm. People are not happy at the last minute changes of plans. Most are ok with the change just not the short notice.
I have no changes to what we had planned. Although I am planning for furlough again. Will have to see what happens, but it would not surprise me it it happens in Jan. And better to have prepped for it than not. Especially as it is about 15mins of work before we lock down for christmas.

Teen is at his fathers now. miss him already. But also not. iyswim.
the other 2 are having off days and tempers have been a bit short on my part. Bath and bed is the plan with a bit of a lie in (10am alarm rather than 7am)

Hope you are all ok, and able to work around the new situation so that you have good food etc. We will get through this but yikes tis a bit on the rocky side init.

for Zoo just because

In my head i was kinda envisaging something like this....

Evenin’ all (should I say mornin’ 🙄)

Just lazing on the sofa and catching up on the thread, as I can’t be arsed to go to bed. DH is currently reading our tenancy agreement to see if we have any more back up with which to yell at them, it is getting really difficult tbh and we are just lucky that the house (mid terrace) isn’t too cold although I’ve now come upstairs and the bedroom is bloody freezing. And of course we can’t risk airing the house out and dropping the temperature, which when we’ve all been stuck indoors isn’t great. I WANT A SHOWER 🤬 as it is I’ve been telling Cagletini that she can’t have a bath because the tiger drank all the water in the tap just like he did at Sophie’s house (tiger who came to tea is one of her fave books, I’ve bought the DVD to watch the new version on Christmas Eve!).

Gaaaah.

Dancing change of meds could well explain his personality transplant! DH is on a pharmacy’s worth these days and I lose track but one that made him virtually divorceable was gabapentin, he’s vowed never to go back on that, it was horrible.

Right, must go to bed. Lots to get done tomorrow, I don’t really want to think about the details yet 😑😴

❄️🍒👋

ta da
🥶freezer inventory
🥶helped take in tesco shop
🥶wrote town shopping list for DH, they had to cut the trip short though
🥶washing up including wasting almost a kettle full as I hadn’t put the plug back in
🥶LOL

Can’t actually think of anything else, where did today go? 🤔

ta da
🥶freezer inventory
🥶helped take in tesco shop
🥶wrote town shopping list for DH, they had to cut the trip short though
🥶washing up including wasting almost a kettle full as I hadn’t put the plug back in
🥶LOL

Can’t actually think of anything else, where did today go? 🤔

Sorry iPad went weird and it posted again!

Morning all.been awake 2 hours.going get up and take Arun at massive to do in a mo...

A bit of a post-and-boast, but just brilliant for my morale.

Managed to slide small bureau down carpeted stairs to landing, where LG can decide whether she'd like it in her bedroom. I had been agonising over trying to move it for days, then hit upon an easy way.

Also slid a wardrobe out from against the wall and hoovered behind it. That room smells so much nicer now.

And the best thing - I unblocked a toilet. DH always did the plumbing and it often involved a lot of huffing and puffing and massive toolboxes. Last night I suddenly thought of YouTube after three days of portapotti, did a search and half-an-hour later remembered where I had last seen the plunger, and after a few tries got into it properly and now all fixed. I also now know how to make a plunger of a large plastic drinks bottle.

The moral is don't let learned helplessness creep up on you, even if it does let your OH feel like a hero.

Body clock has gone slightly mad recently. Awake around 3.30/4am most mornings. But not in a miserable or depressed way. Just...awake. So I've started going to bed as soon as LOs asleep, around 9.30. Catnap after lunch.

Today's to-dos

Clean and tidy fridge, freezer
Check order for tomorrow's delivery.

No school for four weeks until review - remember to order extra each week. Both LOs going through massive growth spurts.

Spend time in garden tidying
Try to fire up car. Connect battery charger.

String up more fairy lights in gloomy corners.

for everyone.

Tada
Cats Fed
Wash on
Harpic lav
Sorted a bag of random crap
Cleaned out the fridge
Tidy freezer
Wash in drier
More in
Find Amazon orders and check what's still in transit/arrived/not going to make it here for Xmas
Fold dry washing and stack on sofa

Today we need bread,milk,fruit and salad veg
Need get a grip and start epic wrapping session

Need get a grip generally...

Laundry trickling down stairs

tidy your post didn't come up when I next posted
Well done on fixing things yourself.i get immense gratification when I fix something unaided
Woolly I know how that feels. To have those kind of conflicts-"d"h constantly tells D's he's not autistic he's "just like him as he's ok" if he was just like his dad is have failed my job. Not Helpful.

I'm off to Tesco express/co op(40 minutes and then co op on way back,25 mins from home) .can't face big shops,jostling and queues forever to get in on a Sunday
Big girl pants and snuggly keeping eyebrows cosy.positive hat is glued in place and I AM going to squeeze in a nap somewhere and break back of this hideous to do before Xmas list!

mrstidy that's an astonishing achievement. I'm lying here in the dark in awe - between the bureau and the plumbing being fixed. Hats off. Stellar ta da list already zoo. Today is final 2 coats on wardrobe doors, Tesco delivery, fridge freezer Tetris. Must buy turkey crown. public service announcement for Spiral fans (french detective/police/legal series). Series 8 starts bbc4 Sat Jan 2.

Oh dear woolly - I've been there before with people close to me not being on the same page about things (much less serious issues) and it's a difficult thing to negotiate. Zoo keep warm and do squeeze in nap.

Lots of us up too early for a Sunday.

Ta da:
😴 caved to DD’s demands and dragged self and duvet downstairs
😴 fed me and DD (cereal) and cats
😴 sausages out of freezer to have with mash in place of a roast
😴 put TV on for DD and settled bum on sofa

I don’t feel today will be very productive

Impressive morning list as ever Zoo. Hope the shops aren’t too bad. Good luck with the wrapping. The thought is always worse than the doing.

How difficult re GF Woolly. Has DS2 been anxious about Covid, ie will accept what you’re saying? Hope you get your washing done too.

Tidy post and gloat away! I’d be very proud at any attempt at plumbing, even better that it was successful! Well done for cracking on.

Busy Sunday for you Tinselette. Hope it goes to plan. I’m allowing myself to do nowt until 9am then see if I can get motivated.

Morning, still feeling a bit flat here but I'm going to really try and pull myself together and try and get everything feeling a bit more festive again.

Our zoom meet up with friends is now postponed until next weekend and I was really looking forward to it as a nice pre Christmas activity so that's a shame.

Mrstidy you should be very proud! And very wise about learned helplessness, I have to remember that.

Glittery I hope your ds understands your position re GF visits. I'm guessing officially he can only meet up with her outside at the moment?

X post glittery - good luck with the kitchen clean!

Will paint after Tesco arrives. Currently tidying downstairs and tackling washmore