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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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

989 replies

halfhope · 30/04/2021 16:26

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
31
Dancingtomusic · 25/05/2021 22:16

Sing- go for it 💖

Mc3209 · 25/05/2021 22:16

Sing I'd say go for those jobs. The more experience one gets at interviews, the better one gets. Also, as Hills said, you never know where your opportunity may lie.

halfhope · 25/05/2021 22:52

MC sorry to hear of bin disaster. Stomping on recycling is very therapeutic.

Sing go for it, I'd say.

OP posts:
SingToTheSky · 25/05/2021 23:34

Thanks all.

Hills I was wondering about some shelves being ok on the weaker walls because the Lego is so light, but the problem is DS himself really 😳 he’s so very unaware of his own body - always leaping about, leans hard on things (and people 🙄) - so it’s more that he’d be pulling/leaning on them when putting stuff on there etc IYSWIM. It’s the same reason we decided against a high sleeper bed (which would certainly give a lot more storage 😫) - he’s not wilfully destructive at all but stuff like that just doesn’t last around him. 😭

He has cheered up a bit as I showed him some nice (and cheap!) display shelving that can fit on top of his trofast units which will at least give a bit more space for smaller models, leaving the bigger shelves for the larger ones. Tomorrow I’ll take the two Kallax shelf dividers from our unit too.

ta da
💜got a very grumpy (despite over 12hrs of sleep) Cagletini ready for nursery
💜put a lot of laundry away, it had built up over a few days - haven’t hung the tops up yet though
💜got DS to sort his transformers
💜volunteer phone call
💜emailed summary to coordinator
💜bagged up DS’ piles of transformers he’d sorted for chucking/donating (he did really well!)
💜some BRC sorting (well, more “BRC diving” really as I’m just taking out the stuff I know what to do with, and leaving the rest)
💜with Cagletini’s help, sorted some Christmas decorations that were inexplicably in a box in a corner of the living room instead of put away with the rest - they are now in a bag with a few tatty ones binned
💜more BRC diving
💜emptied and reloaded DW
💜ordered prescription
💜wrote DS a little list to help him get his room ready to move round
💜towel LOL
💜carefully moved some of DS’ models and then got him to sort loose pieces that were in the drawers
💜towels into dryer
💜vacuumed under bed drawers - amazed how well they turned out with the brush attachment!
💜organised his clothes into those drawers and showed DS
💜emptied desk drawer into a tray (one must never assume a loose Lego brick can go back in the main box, it might be saved for something specific!) and vacuumed the empty drawer
💜stories/bed with Cagletini
💜looked at space saving display options and ordered some
💜looked at job specs

halfhope · 25/05/2021 23:57

willow 💐 for DS3.
A mathematician sees three people go into a building. Later she sees four people leave. When she is asked how many people are in the building she replies, “Well, if one person enters the house it’ll be empty.”

OP posts:
HillsBesideTheSea · 26/05/2021 01:51

Morning Zoo (hope you manage to sleep properly tonight and you see this when it actually is morngin and not middlr of the night.

Night every one else

Stilllivinginazoo · 26/05/2021 06:05

Sadly I was awake at 230,came to look at active at 4,the other thread I'm.onhills .fed up of being so bloody tiredSad

Busy day yesterday
Dd2 got eyebrow pierced(dad paid)
Whilst in town purchased couple bits from Argos
He paid few more bits at Primark for them
Home by lunchtime
Lunch
Then had email school chosen for D's can't meet need so chasing up lea was difficult.their next options in life an"exciting new Sen unit" which turns out to be attached mainstream school which Ofsted had horrors over in 2019,head left 4 weeks later and march 2020 update was still inadequate
I am start wish we had never gone down who route at all and just went off grid home schooling for him
Very low,lil zoo ask a walk try ease her tummy discomfort.she the proceed to tell me all my failures as a parent to dd2(who died and made her a family psychiatrist?)and would not be silenced "as I know I'm right/better at stuff than everyone else" And by time we got home I had lost will to live
D1 drop shop and began ask questions about table options for the wedding etc.i said I don't know
Put shop away
Too stressed eat dinner
Hug cat and cried
Watch bit TV
Slept 3 hours
Lay awake on phone rest night

Today's go be long,miserable and I've already lost will to live...

MrsTidyHouse · 26/05/2021 07:24

Our routine has changed a bit this week, with the LOs now starting school half-an-hour earlier. Less time for messing around - just up, dress, eat, go. And I get a better start to my day, particulatly since mornings are my best times for concentrating. Also great for getting LOs into bed earlier, and having a bit more time to clear up and relax after.

Jumping back on to the Flying wagon.

Mc3209 · 26/05/2021 07:29

Hope 😂 I like that
Zoo 💐💐

SingToTheSky · 26/05/2021 08:10

Hope that took me a minute 😳🤣

Very grumpy Cagletini again. She’s horrible in the mornings 🙈 well, not first thing - always have lots of lovely cuddles until it’s time to get dressed.

Plan for today: get our room ready to move the desk in, and sort the Kallax units downstairs a bit to facilitate further decluttering. I’ve decided not to clear the shelf dividers today - better to wait until the new mini units arrive (tomorrow apparently) and I can build those and move the others in all at the same time so he can see exactly what space he has to arrange everything in one go.

I am pondering some lightweight shelving - there are even command strip ledges. Maybe DS could use them for models he definitely won’t be changing or playing with, so he won’t be touching the shelves much IYSWIM. I’ll see how the move goes and how much space he’s got.

StillUpholding · 26/05/2021 08:37

Morning.

I can sympathise with morning grumpiness Sing. DD is a nightmare for getting dressed at the moment. Sounds like you’re making good progress on the decluttering front.

That hen party sounds lovely Mc.

Zoo Flowers. Hope you manage a nap today.

That made me laugh Hope.

Nothing to report here. Gradually getting back on top of things but it’s slow progress. I have an appointment this morning so need to get us both dressed. But I’m comfy.

HillsBesideTheSea · 26/05/2021 08:46

Yeah i am caglettini in the morning, ds too. We be grumpy!!!

Nearly 4am til i got to sleep last night. Today is going to hurt. I am just grateful that it was 4hrs of quality sleep so i feel somewhat rested. Even if my body is eying my brain up with the "try it bitch" intent, and popping everytime I move. Sounds hideous. Hmm

SingToTheSky · 26/05/2021 08:59

Yeah I’m not exactly a morning person either TBH. I just tend towards the “nope” rather than grumpy 🤣

Well we realised after struggling to get her dressed that there was probably no point in taking her as we’d have to pick her up early for her jabs. 🤦🏽‍♀️ DH forgot a zoom committee meeting last night too and we only remembered about the gas check five minutes before he arrived! Doing well aren’t we. This despite the fact everything is on the board! But we apparently aren’t used to actually using said board yet.

Must get DS to actually do some more work today - I’ve been so focused on decluttering that I’ve not really been on it. Why is it so hard to manage all aspects of life at once?!

HillsBesideTheSea · 26/05/2021 09:02

Because there is so damn much of it!!!

I am running late. But ds has gone into school. His first words this morning? "fuck" Grin yep definitely my kid that one. Blush

Dancingtomusic · 26/05/2021 09:08

up- kids here needed encouraging to get dressed. I used my special calm voice with dd even tho I just wanted to scream.

Zoo- oh zoo, sending you a hug!
Dont pay any attention to your dd, the childs point of view, will always vocalise the negative stories first. It takes until they have children to apprieciate what our mums did for us.
Its hard- try to close slam the door shut on what she said. It serves you no good to listen to what she is saying about your skills as a mum.

I am hanging on by my fingernails with motherhood and household management.
Actually I am pretty close to failing. (Spent monday crying as overwhelmed- that why I havent posted much.)
But I am working on holding myself together inside and building up my inner strength. (I would have rather have learnt to do this than so silly subjects at school.)

I am trying to develop some onion layers in my heart, so people cant hurt me.
My first one has been about my childrens school teacher and school. I am trying to block any feelings disappointment.
I am still learning.

SingToTheSky · 26/05/2021 09:16

Aw dancing :( please don’t avoid posting here if you’re upset. You know we are here for you 💜 do have a vent if it would help xxx

SingToTheSky · 26/05/2021 09:17

IM(extensive)E blocking it doesn’t work so well. Talking it out is more helpful and cathartic (although of course I appreciate not everyone finds the same)

HillsBesideTheSea · 26/05/2021 09:18

What Sing said.

Gotta run... today is going to be... ugh...

SingToTheSky · 26/05/2021 09:33

I have Been Brave and thrown my hat in the ring for the vacancies. The email mentioned informal chats with the boss so I’ve asked for that even if it’s just to discuss what I’d need to work on for future opportunities. But I’ll certainly put forward why I think I’m right for the role(s) even if I don’t quite have all the essential criteria. It’s rare to see some roles that don’t have driving as an essential (it’s only even a desirable for one of them) so I really want to try.

Stilllivinginazoo · 26/05/2021 09:35

dancingAlso agree with sing let it out.we listen and offer support/comfort/virtual alibis😁
Hillsas deffo showing signs of his mother's son the teen will go far!

I am up
Two loads wash done,both on airer as not TD friendly
One row with D's over drinking last milk then not wanting come and buy more with me

Stilllivinginazoo · 26/05/2021 09:36

Go sing go
There's no harm in trying lovely💞

SingToTheSky · 26/05/2021 09:49

Thanks zoo 😊

Aaargh totally anxious now. Why?! I hate overthinking everything 🤣

Stilllivinginazoo · 26/05/2021 10:02

Remind yourself-The worst that can happen is they say no,carry on in current role...in which case nothings changed

SingToTheSky · 26/05/2021 10:10

Absolutely. Either way I’d be carrying on with this as I love it! I think it’s just the fear of rejection 😳 but I’ve been honest with my supervisor that I’m not even sure I have all the criteria so that sort of protects me a bit against the possible “LOL as if” (even though I’m sure they’re too nice to say anything like that!). I dunno maybe I should be more confident but this is all quite new to me really and I think being a SN charity they’re very friendly employers too. I’ve not done much job hunting for a long time. At least if I’m not ready for these roles yet I can find out what to work on and the boss will know me and know I’m enthusiastic etc. So it’s worth it regardless.

IWillWashTheGreenWillow · 26/05/2021 10:15

Oh Dancing please don't try to hold it all in, you'll make yourself ill. I know that from bitter experience too. We are always here just to be a sounding board for you to go blaaaaaaaaaaah at us, if you want. I promise not to even try to problem solve, just to listen and help you sit with the horrid feelings, not even accept them. Just sit. The world won't end if you do. 💖💐

Hills hope today is ok. I am a morning person, but my family generally aren't. I've just found DD in the kitchen staring into space trying to remember what should go into cinnamon pancakes because it was too early to remember about looking it up on t'interweb 🤦‍♀️. Are you sure your teen is not mine? His first word this morning too was "fuck" because he took his meds an hour early by accident and was extremely efficient by 7.30am 😁. He'll be asleep in his dinner by 7pm.

zoo the bloody cheek of Lilzoo. I'd be very clear with her that such character assassination would lead directly to you refusing to go on walks with people who are foul to you, for self-care reasons. I know teens bite the hand that feeds so we let them go, but that's a bit much!

Sing it's fine. Even if you're not an appropriate candidate at this time it's not in their interests to be mean to applicants, particularly up and coming ones. They're far more likely to say "not this time, but go and get this experience and we'll talk again in two years". No harm in trying, as zoo says.

I agree with lightweight shelving for lego. If DS is struggling with change to his room (been there, DD driving the change but also very upset because it's "different" 🤦‍♀️). Can he help with the planning so it's clearer to him how it will work? DD's lack of an internal picture means we have to draw / map it for her so she can see what it will be like.

Right. Ta Da:
💖 Dog walk
🧡 LOL
💛 DW rotation
💚 Kitchen clean
💙 S&S
💜 meds etc
🤎 Diary update and planning
🖤 Baked spuds and TSM for tea, so that's easy

to do
🦚 Counselling homework (I am avoiding this, which is why I am writing this list...)
🦚 Counselling at 12.15
🦚 Writing for Client A
🦚 Admin for Clients B & C and family member D
🦚 remember to put potatoes in the oven to bake
🦚 usual round of washing rotation, more kitchen clearing, bed making
🦚 Research Art Deco sideboards for the living room, as apparently one of those will upset the accoustics of DH's Marvellous Speakers less than the Ikea Benno shelves we have. Who knew?

🍒👋 Hope, Red, Up, foxes, ships, Cloud9, SC, ED, Chic etc.