It's February - Fledglings are Flying (let's face it there's not much else to do).

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Here we are on the February 2021 Flylady thread - this time last year we were just starting to realise that the world was going to change in a big, big way. The Fledgling threads have pulled us all together and been a great source of comfort and distraction from it all.

This is a friendly housekeeping thread based (loosely... Extremely loosely sometimes 😂) on Flylady's housekeeping system . Welcome one and all, lurkers and long-time posters alike. Join in, hang out, but above all remember you are not behind, just jump in where you are.

The beauty of Flylady is that you don't have to flatten yourself trying to get your house clean to begin the routine upkeep; the first - and only - thing she asks you to do is to shine your kitchen sink. Routines - morning, afternoon and evening - are built gradually through her Baby Steps. To those, you add a Daily Focus and a weekly area to concentrate cleaning on. By the end of a month, your whole house will have had some attention. If you miss a bit, never mind, it'll come round next month!

For this month, I'll be posting daily links to the Launch Pad on the Flylady site so you can follow the daily focus and cleaning missions. You can sign up to receive emails from Flylady, but we suggest you don't - she sends masses, which will clog up your inbox and drive you insane into the bargain.

Because this thread has been running a while, there are some acronyms we use to make life easier
S&S - swish and swipe, round the bathroom to keep it acceptable daily
LOL - load of laundry. No, we don't find washing that funny!
Ned - born of a typo, a mythical being who assists with laundry mountains
The pointy stick ----> to motivate people
PO3 - Power of 3, if you can only face a few tasks. People often find groups of 3 tasks stack up over a day!
The Naughty Corner - where we head when it's all Too Much. Usually stocked with fresh coffee, fluffy throws, delicious snacks and the opportunity to sit quietly with friends or build a blanket fort and sulk in it if you need to.

During the Pandemic, we have also been using the KCC or Keep Calm Corner, invented by long-time poster / thread leader SC. This is a regular dose of memes, questions for discussion, random trivia etc to distract us from the rest of the world. All contributions welcome!

Remember - No Fledgling Left Behind!

My motivation ran off too. In fact judging by my ever expanding waistline I think it’s eloped with my self control and they’ve got married in Gretna Green!

I heard DD1 leave around 8, but I then slept until half 9. Watching Mickey with Cagletini now and the boys appear to still be asleep.

I should wake DS at least and get him going on some work but I honestly can’t see how to keep up the charade of motivation for the next few weeks.

Up BF has had hers. She was sent a letter rang to respond to it feeling a bit guilty as she is in her 50s and they told her to come next morning. She feels very guilty but I said don’t as she has one elderly couple and four that she is doing shopping for plus she was minding grandchild who is vulnerable and a diabetic husband. She is a care with a capital C.
I think they have covered all the 80+ in the county. DH 67will likely be called up before me 63 but I have asthma and an erratic immune system.
Our county had over 100 deaths in the last week including some I know. It is the highest in the country just now according to the news. We are trying to stay at home as much as possible. Shopping for two weeks at a time. I might try for click and collect this week. Difficult to get delivery.

Butta I was better organised than now I think but that wasn’t to say that I didn’t sometimes say “stuff it” and leave the washing up till next day. When DS1 was a baby it was a nightmare he was “ a failure to thrive baby” and had to be with me a lot. I wasn’t well and I had no friends. Mum was in hospital for a long time and dad had bought a pub. I looked after my 8 year old sister a lot and sometimes the ten year old.
We had very little money as DH s good job had finished hence the move. The village was lovely but the rented accommodation was open plan over looking the beach and very cold. The heating system was too expensive to run. I was a much better mum by the time he was 2 so we had another and that was better but tiring as still getting up to DS1 and from 11 months DS 2 was up at 5am every morning. That’s why I got organised. We had moved to a rented two bedroom bungalow and I managed quite well after a while as DS2 was an easy baby but a mischievous toddler. So it was tough sometimes.

I have too many things out. I have a lot of things people have given me as gifts and feel guilty for putting them away plus some of my own from childhood and a few bought. I have toyed with putting everything in a box for a while and see how I feel. It would be good to do now as no one is allowed around. I would leave the dresser as I don’t mind that. I took a few to the summer house as they are garden related.
I think I got so stressed and depressed about my job and now this. I would like the house back together as seem to have waited the last 18 months for people to do things. Waiting for plasterer- now done, waiting for joiner- recently finished, waiting for tiles, waiting for painter- still waiting. Some days I just say to hell with it and don’t do anything. Yes, to can’t be bothered about toys I remember that but then someone said get a basket and chuck them all in so at night you have a tidy place for you so I used to do that sometimes. I also think “ What’s the point some days.” It must be so hard with kids at the moment. Going out to run off energy and have a moan to another mum were lifesavers. You can phone and have a chat though. Plus you can moan on here as much as you like. You definitely feel better for it.

Right I better crack on.
PO3
Going to wipe door then Hall is done we have no coats up because the coat hooks and the banister are still off waiting for the painter.
1 LOL
Dishes to put upstairs - Christmas ones.

See you later.

Zoo if you find pointy stick can I be next please.

I have no routine. No sleep routine, no get up and function routine. No this has to be accomplished routine. It has all gone to hell in a hand basket. And the lack of respite/mental strain is contributing to my flare.
I actually have no way to reset this without triggering another massive sleep day. It is getting ridiculous now. Really in the grand scheme of things it is a small none thing. But it is really really getting to me. I just function better with enforced boundries of activity.

Thankfully today I need to do a food shop. So i get to leave the house. But yeah. I am done with covid and lockdown now. Never know so many people to be walking up and down our road making so. much. noise. Also being trapped with 2 partially deaf use your sodding hearing aids! there is just so. much. noise. And then through in a gamer teen. So. much. noise. I just want a little quiet for a few hours. So escaping in the car will be nice.

Red if you have iceland we found that it was much easier getting slots with them than the big 4 (asda, tesco, waitrose, sainsburys) And we have been really impressed with their customer service. Choice is more limited but the website is ok as long as you remember to enter no subs every order if this is something you require as it does not save that.

I just went on FB and discovered my cousin has died.he was 4years older than me,the baby of his family.my sister posted on his sister's post her other brother rang and told me last night,I'm so sorry.then on the brother who rang hers post she added I've told my elder sister we both send sympathy.its a very "physical" reminder I'm excluded in everything from the rest of the "group".pathetic it still matters/hurts really

Kicked self up bum and decided tackle crappiest crap first...

Tada
Wiped quarantined delivery stuff
Scrubbed fetid kitchen sink and drainer
Scrubbed cat bowls in bathroom.sink
Scrub sink
Clean littertrays
Proper scrub under/around littertrays
S+s

Still feeling bit pathetic and lonely,but I really need to stop wallowing in my own crapulence.our families were very close til my mum passed then things splintered,and continued to splinter.past jealousy/upset grew bigger and lodged bigger voids.
I really need to shut up and stop festering in it

Washing machines bleeping so best go sort that out

Zoo

Aw zoo there’s nothing to be ashamed of about feeling upset! It sounds like a horrible situation, being excluded is never good.

Hills sorry things are falling apart somewhat. It’s so hard to know how to deal with things when everything is such an uphill struggle :(

DS is finally getting on with some work (just iPad stuff like duolingo) just as DD1 will be finishing at school for the day! She will have to do more at home obviously. Just found out there’s an inset day on 12th here, which is good as it means fewer days of new work being added before half term. I don’t want her thinking she can leave everything till half term of course but it is good to know there is a week in which she can catch up without new stuff being piled on top.

I'm trying to get my routines in order Hills so I know the feeling.

Zoo - that's so hurtful. I found out on Facebook that my aunt and uncle had passed away. It was on the village Facebook page not even a family one. So I know how you feel and how it magnifies the shock. I'm sorry it happened to you.

Dammit. I had forgotten about the 2 weeks isolation thingy before the week of hospital appointments. No food shop today. Thankfully it not for anything urgent. And whilst nice dairy free ice cream is not essential. Plus I can make sorbet. So perhaps will do this instead.

Afternoon! Today was a much calmer nursery drop off thank goodness! My day off today so always easier anyway.

red love hearing how you used to manage. Getting up early sounds such a good idea but I don't know if I'd have the willpower I do try and get the first few chores done before we even leave the house, the more I do before I start work the better I find.

up glad you took some time for yourself and you feel restored. My parents area have finished vaccinating over 70s. I think it's amazing.

zoo sorry to hear about your cousin and finding out that way and all the other stuff with it too.

hills it's so hard at the moment

Ta was so far
Ds packed lunch
Ds to nursery
Dishwasher on
LOL
Science experiment with dd which was good fun actually
Phonics with dd (not so fun, really hard actually!)
Did half a Joe wicks pe with dd (we are lightweights!)
Made dd lunch
Collected ds
Made myself lunch

Just remembered I made a tea which is now cold

So much still on my list so much for getting it done early!

Sending you hugs zoo and hills.

Foxes glad to hear it was a calmer nursery drop off. Hope you warm up your tea and sit and drink it.

Up its ok to feel like that sometimes as this lockdown is feeling tough now. Sending you a hug.

Red thank you, it was interesting reading how you coped.

Sing you are doing great. Glad ds is doing duolingo.

Yesterday, I pulled a muscle in my back and kept up with chores.
Last night was angony.
Lots better this morning.
Kids just arent engaged in writing today so i have given up. I am in bed. I admit defect.
🏳
I have a flexable routine. Today is a write off.

I was very sad to hear about Captain Tom. I thought he was wonderful what he said about meeting people from around the world. I did cry. I think he was a lovely person with wise and kind words. The type of person that is needed these days.

Well done waders!

I had some alone time updating my journal for a while, got a few bits to finish up and I still need to set up my February exercise tracker. Put a couple of red non tumble dry things in the wash, will do my bras and gym leggings in later. Then went for a quick (but slow) walk in the park with DS - first time I have been out since Thursday and I’m shattered now and can’t really find the energy to shower. 😳

DH also cleared the bottom of the stairs. He was saying how difficult motivation is for him too.

I also threw away my three items - an old bra, a pair of baby socks and something else I’ve now forgotten (well actually I need to throw away the bra as I wore it to the park 😂)

Damn, what was the other item?!

Teen is in for a shock. I am done and if he has decided he wants to play old school and effectively drop out of school without any GCSEs he can damn well get a sodding job. That conversation is going to be fun. Other than a complete break done of the costings of the resources he uses, any other suggestion as to how to make him realise he is being a lazy entitled twat?

School were trying to get him in because he refuses to engage. It was deemed pointless as he refuses to attend half the time normally. He is a bright entitled arse who needs a shock of reality. I mean he is my entitled arse but i have been fighting him and his sodding attitude since he was 2 and i stopped winning when he was about 11. I have no more ideas how to get through to him.

It really is everything piling up today

Oh ffs the govt is an arse. And I am caught between 2 arses. One which has no idea how to deal with kids who don't survive their pissed about education system. And 1 who refuses to engage with said pissed about education system and really needs to be in full time employment.

I can’t think of a more appropriate consequence TBH hills he needs to appreciate what he’s throwing away here. Maybe he will end up on a better path (eg I know many who have refused to engage with school who have ended up excelling in an apprenticeship - often they are better paid now, mine was above NMW). Or maybe he will be someone who ends up going back to study in a few years once he’s realised that mum was RIGHT :o

I have remembered my third thrown away thing - an old reed diffuser which had been spilled and I didn’t realise there was literally no oil left 😳

Have finally had a bath and defrost, and finished my book #elitemultitasker

Annnnnd the teen is no longer speaking to me.

Hills sorry you are having such a tough time. The trouble is teens know it all! Could you encourage him into a trade as from what I can see they are the ones who are getting plenty of work. A good apprenticeship for a joiner perhaps.
I hadn’t thought about Iceland. We have a city centre one and one inside the Range.
We don’t have Waitrose but have Booths not too far away in a. Country town and although it is more expensive it is much quieter and only two allowed. It was singles but they have allowed two recently. Trolleys wiped down and someone always at the door to advise/help. Staff are really pleasant the whole town is like that for shopping.

Waders lockdown fatigue is spot on. I think lots of us are finding that. DH went to get some shopping today I didn’t want to go with him. That is a good box of fruit and veg. We get a box for £15 every Wednesday.
Extras can be added on like milk, eggs, butter or specifics.

Yesterday I would have but today I CBA . I was cold (read tired) so I sat beside Everhot with a mug of ginger tea and finished my book.
DH helped bring the Christmas crockery upstairs so it was packed away quickly.hall done and started on dining room. Put a few things away.
LOL done

Zoo that is awful. So sorry that has happened. DHs aunt died we are still waiting to be told. We saw a thank in the paper because she had an unusual surname so it caught my eye. The funeral had been three months before. They never bothered but he always sent them a Xmas card they both lived within 10 miles of us. They were his father’s half sisters. Families! Can you put something on publicly to say how upset you are to find out this way or do you want to ignore them? It is where I don’t like social media.

Sing love the #

Dancing ouch. Try some deep heat or freeze.
I am normally a morning person so that helped. I was usually in bed by ten. Now I am staying up to watch New Tricks and sometimes can’t get off to sleep. Certainly not up early but I am on medication. When it wasn’t in last month I was awake at 6:30am but I also don’t see the point of getting up early now I am not going to work.

Over 100 deaths locally here. I have seen a voluntary role for 1 Day a week but we have the mutant strain near here so feel too anxious to apply. I might ring and chat it will be available again as it is an animal refuge just a vacancy for ponies and donkeys which I would like. It is only about for miles away.

Waders that is shocking. Such a lot of money is it worth asking Martin Lewis? He seems to sort out a lot of money problems and likes a challenge.

You win Waders i am glad I am just fighting the teen and not the system.

Evening all, sorry I have been a somewhat absent leader, I am extremely busy both at work and on the swimming club committee (full day work and just come off a two hour zoom, another zoom tomorrow night but at least no work). Hopefully swimming club will calm down a bit soon. Work is fine, just busy.

Oh Zoo I’m so sorry about your cousin and it’s very unfair for you to find out like that. It’s not a pathetic whinge at all.

Sorry you are struggling Hills. I have no words of wisdom in the teen front, except to say that if he’s naturally bright I’m sure all will turn out well in the end, even if he does make things hard for himself to start with. My DH was similar - sailed through school with minimal effort (touch and go with a levels) but it bit him on the arse at uni and he has a couple of failed degrees under his belt. He knuckled down and has since managed to sail himself into a good job (only 10 years later than he could have done), probably at the expense at some of poor MIL’s sanity. Hope the sorbet satisfies.

Waders what a stressful few days you’ve had. Nightmare with the exam charade. Fab lists though. Forgot to congratulate DS2 on his new job 👏 👏

Glad today was better Foxes, nothing worse than dropping them off after having to lose your shit. I had similar recently and the guilt hangs over you all day. They forget in minutes though I’m sure.

That volunteering role sounds great Red although I understand your reservations at the minute. No harm in contacting them though.

I’ve decided to do the bare minimum for the foreseeable future - the reason I’m feeling like there’s no point is probably because there isn’t . So I’m aiming for keeping on top of the laundry, s&s-ing and kitchen until I’ve recovered from my bout of can’t-be-arseditis. I rebelled today and didn’t do any of the upstairs bleurgh that I planned. I’ve got work and nursery clothes sorted for tomorrow and some breakfast prepped, but will just buy lunch. Braved the rain with DD for some fresh air, which helped, and also implemented some set screen limits for both of us which worked ok. Have started watching Bridgerton tonight to see what all the fuss was about and it seems I have been drawn in!

up - Bridgerton was a great distraction in my moments of I couldnt get off the sofa. I loved Bridgerton so much I binge watched it in 13 hours. I was actually considering getting the books to see if it read the same.

Hills- I am so sorry you are having teen issues. I met young people who just about attended school but were not engaged in school if that makes sense.
I would have suggested a trade too but if he isnt interested..... Hmmm, could you send him to volunteer somewhere? Needs to be volunteering for x number of hours to get access to the house wifi code.
I am dreading the teen years. Sending you strenght.

waders- oh my goodness...how much....eek.....i would be really pissed off...hope they refund it to you soon! Wow you have done so much mending!

Red- thank you, i keep resting my back and arm and it helps. I would enjoy watching New Tricks too and stay awake.

Tadas
🍐got 15mins of rest around 3.30pm then the kids found me. They were hungry.
🍐fed milk and toast to the kids.
🍐told them they are doing school work now or no spaceship mini cups...i will eat all 9.
🍐forced both kids to do 2 days work. Gave lots of praise while muttering under my breath...for f sake...just colour the picture or label it...deep.breaths.
🍐photo all work send in to teachers.
🍐give mini cup cakes to the kids they loveed them! (Co-op mini space themed cupcake. Lovely!)
🍐told kids we are clearing the floor of toys. Vacuumed the floor and moved things around.
🍐home corner still in my sitting room
🍐carried a large desk from upstairs to sitting room to create a learning/writing/ bookworkand laptop table. I think I should avoid crouching on the floor.
🍐kids like the workdesk.
🍐try to clear junk on sofas, boxes of paper, coloured card, books, millions of books and general stuff.
🍐kids love the space in the sitting room running round and round.
🍐upstairs moved ds bed so the mattress would stop sliding off.
🍐let the kids enjoy sitting the double bed with a single mattress ontop. The where so excited they could nearly touch the celiing!
🍐made the single bed and got kids into the bed.
🍐phew kid are asleep!

I am using school work as a routine prop too. I didnt go anywhere much precovid. But I am really missing seeing my dad.

Oh...tiredness has finally hit..and my back and arm ache.
Cherry waves everyone.