Fledglings May 2021 thread: MAYbe we’ll keep our routines going as the outside world opens up 😊

[halfhope]

Welcome fledglings to May’s Flylady thread – many, many thanks to ED for her expert guidance through April 2021.

All are welcome and especially Newbies. Don’t be shy in making yourselves known because we are a friendly bunch.
We follow Flylady’s system for house and sanity maintenance which is based around 5 room zones spread over the month. There is a weekly quick home clean in the midst of more thorough zone cleaning. I am an aging fledgling who really should be more proactive about following the plan but to be frank I enjoy the natter and good company more than I enjoy cleaning. Every day I will be checking in and giving the ‘flight plan’ for the day with links to the Flylady site. You can join Flylady on her site for email updates but she does like to send a lot out, just so you know!
The most importantist thing to know is that you are NEVER behind – just do what you can when you can. Many of us post ta da lists as we cross items off our [never-ending] to do lists.
You may find the following acronyms along the way (adapted below from ED’s useful list from April)
LOL = load of laundry
S&S = swish and swipe, a quick daily clean of the toilet and sink
PO3 = power of 3. When motivation is on the low side or you’re overwhelmed just pick 3 things at a time and do them
DNLMS = did not lose my shit
Ned = our mythical mate who helps with the laundry
Pointy stick —-> = for when a fledgling needs a motivational prod
The naughty corner = a relaxing haven where we hang out when motivation is low or when life becomes overwhelming. Usually enticing food is left there with squishy cushions.
KCC – (Keep calm corner) these are little stories, photos, memes, off-topic questions, just to keep us all distracted from the general tedium of lockdown life. Feel free to chip in.

ta da
🥐continued last night’s declutter of bathroom
🥐shower
🥐emptied bathroom trolley and rinsed it off in bath, left to dry
🥐had breakfast with friend! Definitely renewed my spirit!
🥐dusted bathroom
🥐hoovered bathroom
🥐scrubbed bathroom floor
🥐scrubbed sink, cistern and a shelf
🥐cleaned top of bathroom bin, emptied and put new bag in
🥐some stash and dash in living room and a bit in kitchen
🥐removed random crap stuck on kitchen cupboard doors
🥐gathered a bit of recycling from the living room
🥐put some books on shelves in living room
🥐filled and ran DW
🥐went through bag of hand me downs with DS (will sort the not keeping ones properly another day)
🥐LOL
🥐dried bathroom trolley and started refilling
🥐cleared kitchen windowsill (decluttering, deadheading plants, bagging up paint sample pots)
🥐scrubbed pot stands
🥐scrubbed windowsill and frame
🥐cleaned inside of window (DS did outside)
🥐arranged stuff back on windowsill
🥐cleared and cleaned living room windowsills
🥐cleaned windows/French doors inside and out
🥐decluttered and refilled Switch game/accessory basket
🥐replaced/refreshed reed diffusers
🥐scrubbed back step

Too tired to vacuum, I’m off to bed!

Wow, loads done there Sing! Enjoy your rest.

Zoo sorry LilZoo is being tedious and grumpy. Hope you get some rest tonight.

MrsTidy just getting through the week is a thing to celebrate some weeks. Febreeze and TD is a brilliant trick, wish I'd thought of that when mine were small! So sorry LG is worried about senior school, it's awful to watch them do it but you can't do it for them.

Hills hope getting out restored your equilibrium.

Ta da
❤️ Bathroom wallpapering complete
🧡 Bathroom picture hung
💛 Living room rearranged by DH, but it seems to work
💚 Tip and taking things back to shops done
💙 Bathroom cleaned and polished now it is all spiffy and finished.
💜 DH cooked tea
🤎 I had a bath.
🖤 DS3 tested the finished bathroom and reports it is good
❤️ The dog also had a bath because he rolled in something unspeakable and now the whole upstairs smells of cross, wet dog.

Had best get to bed, I have to run DD to work for 7am tomorrow!

hills glad you got out for a bit
Sing well done on tidying
Ed best reason not to be crochet I say💞
Tidy all fed no one dead and you're doing ok,so to be freshening up clothes is say that's definitely more of a win than you think
Hope/tidy given new rules etc will there be transition days?it's been tough for all DC,but esp those switching schools without that introduction/step up.lkl zoo was in year 7 when it went pear shaped,so only did winter and part spring term,and it's been tough getting her back in.shes angry and hates it now,which makes everything harder

X postswillowwell done finishing the bathroom!!

Thanks mrstidy and zoo. Yes there were earnest conversations in the kitchen with DH about school today - I'm swerved for some reason. Currently a list of worries is being prepared by ds and he's decided to try to find ways of dealing with it. I think there was chatter about school when he was out with his mates today. I think there is a small on-site visit with limited numbers of students brought in and online meetings from beginning June. He'll be meeting up with kids from his House. It'll be all nerves but his entire class is going. Unlike his move from Uni nursery to primary where he knew no-one. That first day was traumatic 😳. He's lucky - the Senior school is, I'm not joking, a five minute walk away along a busy pathway/lane at the back of the school backing onto housing - no crossing roads.

Hey Willow 👋👋👋👋👋👋🎉🎉🛀🛀🛀🚽

hope no excuses about being late because of the traffic then!!
Been awake since 130.didnt sleep til 11
I am losing the will to live

Tada
2hoirs recipe sorting
Fed cats at 430
Harpic lav
1st load wash in
Wash up
Wipe kitchen surfaces
Wipe dining table
Sort cupboard in kitchen that's a massive mess of baking stuff,baking dishes,grater,mugs etc into neat little crates
Sweep kitchen floor
Sweep living room floor

About to clean the hob,then rebox/jig couple bits from dining table under the stairs and then try my hand at artificial flower arranging......

Tada cont
Hob scrubbed and spray stuff to make it shine
Tidy cupboard under sink
Clear dining table
Wipe hob
Wash to drier
More in

Couple bits found that need wash up and put away,then onto me flowers...

Flowers arranged

I wish I had cake flowers...fake my friends,fake flowers

Mmm cake flowers zoo... Count me in! I reckon your phone has a Freudian auto carrot setting. 😂 Sorry you got no sleep though, and are buried in laundry.

Sounds like DS is taking a very sensible approach to new school worries hope, and I like the idea of an easy walk to school! DD will be going by train in September as a 40 minute walk along a dispiriting B road is not really her thing.

Today is going to be a quiet day of sorting things out in DS1's old room, so I can work in there tomorrow, as I think I rather overdid it on the foot yesterday. No more decorating this weekend, I will start our bathroom next weekend.

Morning. Am full of ache again today and hopefully can just do a last few little jobs to spruce the place up further. Not sure when parents are getting here (it’s a bus, tram, train, taxi journey!)

Cleaning up has made the place look a lot better of course but my goodness it has also really shown up the mess we still have!

I’m trying to work out the best order to do things in. Really the first thing we absolutely must do is move the desk from DS’ room into ours, so we can set up the computer (currently in a box in the otherwise uncluttered hall!). But that involves a lot of sorting both in our room (random crap everywhere) and his (Lego everywhere, plus we need to sort his clothes properly (currently in our room since decluttering them and ordering next size stuff) into his under-bed drawers so the Lego and transformers can somehow be organised into his trofast units.

But then we also have vast swathes of BRCs to sort. The trofast units along the landing are basically all full of disorganised stuff, and there is more in the living room - the Kallax units have lots of random crap shoved in among the books, and there are more games on top (we have most of the decent games - ideally we will just keep Cagletini’s downstairs). Plus a little in the cupboards off the hall and landing.

Basically I can’t see where to begin. Should I start with the landing stuff so we have empty buckets to use? Or the random stuff elsewhere? Or take everything that isn’t a book or board game off the Kallax units? We also need to have a massive book declutter, but that also requires putting stuff on FB which I barely use at the moment (I usually just donate stuff but a lot of the kids’ reference books and some games I could definitely sell in the home ed community).

I suppose really the first thing I need to do is go through all random stuff and throw away/recycle/donate everything possible. That should create a fair bit of space. Then I’m wondering if the next step would be to do the book/board game declutter and at least gather anything that can be sold into one place 🤔 and then there will be a lot more space on the Kallax units to organise what we are keeping. Hmm. It’s so tricky! I can’t believe how cluttered and messy we still are despite so much improvement 😳

I'd do one kallax box at a time sing that way if you get tired/overwhelmed you aren't knee deep in stuff and despondent.
Each box think
-will it now live here?
-if not where to...
X room,chazza,bin

Everyone's fed
Dry load folded and put away,
Wet in drier
More in
Wash up

It's zone 5 - Living room

I'm still in zone 4 - Master bedroom!

today

babystep23

Flower arranging

And yes I know the tables still not cleared properly!!🤣

I'd start with the random stuff sing. Hope you are feeling a little better.

zoo has clearly had coffee this morning as she's buzzing away!

I have tidied my closet and ordered some bits and pieces to replace worn out stuff.

Now need to hoover bedroom and clean en suite.

That's amazing zoo!!!!!!

I was just wondering what you were going to bake as I spotted the loaf tin.

Thanks zoo (lovely flowers!) and hope 💐

Getting knee deep and despondent is very much a risk! So it’s wise to be sensible and not pull lots out at a time for sure.

I saw a really useful video the other day about cleaning a messy room. She said that any mess can always be divided into only five categories. I thought “WTF no way” however her categories are - in order (although I may have 2/3 mixed up):

1. Trash
2. Laundry
3. Dishes
4. Stuff that does have a home
5. Stuff that does not have a home

I have always done the “sweeping” method when decluttering - looking for obvious rubbish first then the next obvious categories. But 4 and 5 blew my mind a bit as I’ve never thought about the rest of the stuff in that way. So you sort 1-3, then anything that does have a place you put away. Then what’s left doesn’t have a home so you can either find a place for it, or get rid.

I’m up and dressed, I must move our laundry on but I think the few cleaning tasks that still need doing I can delegate to the Caglets - vacuuming sofa and taking rubbish/recycling out. I can give the kitchen a quick once over after.

Sing- the only way I have got my sitting room half empty was by scooping everything into large canvas shopping bags and hiding the bags in a room that needs sorting through.
So half my sitting room looks very pretty
I feel like I have made progress.
Then I worked in my kitchen to make it pretty. It makes me smile
Dh cleaned the fridge.
I have bought fridge baskets from B and M and it been lovely to put fruit and veg into them. The fridge looks pretty.

I am sorting to the bags of doom...as and when I have strength. There are lots of kids drawings, pictures and maybe books.

zoo- oh no! Lack of sleep is horrible and makes the mind and body feel odd. Hope you get a chance to grab 10min naps somewhere....inbetween the mountains of washing.

willow- hope you foot is ok? You have been doing loads! I love the picture of your bathroom wallpaper, love the mordern art deco style.

YestTadas
Soaked bath taps in vinager and cotton wool- its worked- the limescale is lifting off- i have left it overnight too- yay no chemical smells!
Cleaned bathroom- lovely and shiny.
Lolx2 dried
All uniform washed dried and on hangers in cupboard.
Roasted butternut sqash and carrots.
Dw unloaded and loaded.
Kids washed dressed
Visit park for a coffee.
Mil visited - kids were so excited to see her after so long.
Kids emptied all thier games onto sitting floor.
Butternut, carrot, pepper soup made- soupmaker is amazing- (why dont i use this more- it the most healthy thing I have eaten in 2 weeks 🤪)

Todo
Ds bedding in wash
Breakfast done.

dancingany soup left??
Hope alas D's one true love is banana bread and that's on rotation of various varieties.he eats dates at a push but no other dry fruit,choc chip,almonds and various spices are all acceptable.cinnamon swirl one is indecently delicious!that's actually a new tin as oven man scrambling thru my grill full of tins thinking he had left a part in there

dancing I love basket/boxes in fridge.makes easier pull stuff out and see what I've got💞

Love the flowers zoo glad you did get a lift the other day. Sorry about the insomnia. Have you ever considered some medication? I was put on 10mg of amitriptyline which I had to halve to stop having weeks like yours. I was down to 2 1/2 hrs a night and going to work. Did find I was flagging by 2pm. On higher dose just now because of the shit that happened but hope to decrease it soon. Have to make appointment as had a message. I don’t like taking medication but having very good GP he told me I couldn’t carry on like that. Had a good chat years ago. I figure 5mg isn’t much and makes for a much better life. Just have BP and asthma meds. Prescription not in and I realised last night I have no BP capsules left. Oops, meant to go back yesterday.

Lovely pet pictures. Could we have a pet parade this week in the KKC ?

Sing you have been doing loads. I like the five step. Makes sense doesn’t it?

Ah transition time, difficult time! I used to sometimes take Yr 5 to various school visits. Sometimes saw old pupils. Remember once getting a big hug from a girl about 15 when she saw me in room. She had often had difficult times and sometimes outbursts, often in bother. We used to chat when I was on duty. She was so likeable. Will be an adult now. Bless her I hope she found her way.

Well the Fat Fairy wouldn’t be too impressed but I spent all day in the garden yesterday. I actually ached yesterday and also this morning. DH did some moving and making small beds. We changed a few things around and he painted chicken coop roof and a wooden trough.
So I planted beans, peas, potatoes, strawberry and another tomato. I need more pots. I also made canes and string structures for beans and broad beans. Tidied up greenhouse. Planted out a few plants in garden 😀10+ Found two director chairs I had forgotten about so one has gone to the greenhouse for pondering. The backs don’t fit😤 don’t think Tesco will won’t to exchange as been in the shed for about two years. I think I can unpick and make better fit or make new ones from old curtains. Seat ok just back too small.Note to self ALWAYS check purchases.

Going to Mass soon then don’t know what is for lunch/ supper as forgot to take stuff out of freezer. Would like a season and throw in Everhot to slow cook so might need to go and purchase something or have mince something.
ED did you decide on colour yet? Some great pics on that EPage.

Boudoir doesn’t seem to have tidied itself while I was in the garden. Sitting room is pretty ok so will carry on with boudoir and flick duster around sitting room tomorrow.

Take it easy That not much chance but do delegate and put feet up occasionally in between. Watch BP!

Dancing missed post but sorry you didn’t get position. You will be prepared if anything good comes up.

Willow great achievement re 🛁 now relax today if you can.

Hills I saw a cheaper lighter weight gorilla type thing and thought of you. Also thought yesterday I would love an allotment.

🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋 to others. No sign of Ships over last few days hope she is just busy? How’s the feeding going MC. Thanks for links Hope can the point stick come out tomorrow please?

Wondering hope SC is? Been away a long time I hope she returns.

Must kick self up the bum!