It's July, Fledglings are Flying towards Freedom (hopefully!)

[EverythingDelegated]

Hello and welcome to the July 2021 Fledgling Flylady Thread. Thank you Willow for an excellent pair of June threads. Welcome to one and all, old hands and newbies, lurkers and longtime posters and anyone in between. This thread keeps us vaguely on track with Flylady and is where we post our Ta Das and Yes Ta Das (what we did yesterday 😁), our To Dos and To Didn'ts, and discuss anything that comes to mind (often not housekeeping!).

The beauty of Flylady is that you are never behind, the whole system repeats every month, just jump in wherever. The aim is to gradually get into good habits and regular routines that keep the house ticking over rather than having a huge blitz on it.

To help you with this I'll be posting links to Flyady's Flight Plan and other useful parts of the website, which is updated daily, it's also good to go in and have a browse (some of it is a bit twee though). Do NOT sign up for the emails, you will be inundated.

The system divides the house up into weekly zones, then in each zone there will be timefor decluttering, a small daily task (the Mission) and each day of the week has a theme too (eg Errand Day). You can switch things around to suit your circumstances, there is a weekly Sneak Peek page to help you plan ahead. There are also 31 Babysteps, small daily habits to adopt (eg wearing shoes around the house if you'd rather not). Finally Flylady wants you to make time for you and your family, so weekends are more relaxed.

Jargon
Flylady (and the thread!) has a little bit of her own peculiar jargon it can help to know:
S&S - swish and swipe - a quick go round a bathroom or cloakroom to keep it acceptably fresh
LoL load of laundry. We are not collapsing into hysterical laughter over the state of our washing baskets
Hotspots any areas that tend to collect clutter no matter how often you clear them - mine is definitely the corner of the worksurface by the kitchen door, and the bookshelf at the bottom of the stairs
5 minute room rescue a quick whizz round any room to create a semblance of order
Weekly Home Blessing (often Home Bleugh here) - an hour a week to keep the house acceptable. I think this can only be done in an hour if you only have one bed in the house to change, so take it with a pinch of salt. I spread mine over the week as I cannot get it down to an hour and don't have an hour to give to it either.
Ned and Ted - imaginary friends often draughted in to assist with washing and ironing
BRC Bag, or box, of Random Crap
(D)LMS (Didn't) Lose My Shit - often a necessary acronym around spouses and teens!
Naughty Corner - the thread's imaginary space for rest and recuperation when it all gets too much. Often stocked with soft cushions, blankets, drinks and snacks. May or may not have a free bar, fire place, sunloungers, hot and cold running barmen etc.
Cherry waves 🍒👋 - lovely type for cheery wave that stuck!
All Fed and No One Dead - a good outcome to a busy day.

The beauty of Flylady is that is can be adapted to any household setup - lots of DC or just one, or none; a partner / spouse, or ex, or those going it alone; those working within or outside the home; shiftwork, you name it.

Our motto is No Fledgling Left Behind, so if you are a returner or a lurker, welcome on board, there is always space her for more Fledglings.

Right, today we are motoring.

❤️ Up, washed, breakfast, meds
🧡 S&S, 2x LOL
💛 Took DD to work, failed to collect GCSE certificate (word on the street is the Exam Centre is in trouble. Anyone know how that works?), bought meatballs for tea, enquired at the Eco-shop for fizzy loo cleaner (no dice)
💚 Found photos for DS1's memory book that I will give him this weekend
💙 Ate cold sausages and tomatoes for lunch
💜 In depth and ultimately circular discussion with DH about curtains for the music room
🤎 Agreed with DH the measurements for the curtain rail were correct (DH has no sense of plumb or horizontal. Everything in this house is pissed unless I have been on hand to insist on use of a spirit level).
🖤 Discussed future plans with DS2 (in flux, but he is keen to pay his way with rent. Today, he is my favourite).

In 15 minutes school finishes and DH and I are taking DS3 out of an end of term ice cream.

Well done willow!

How is it half 3 already?! I’m bored and restless but also lazy (I did put a second LOL on though). Must motivate self

po3.2
❗️Check a game for completeness
❗️Pull some books out of the unsorted pile for definite keeping (can’t actually get to the shelf to put them away yet)
❗️Call parents to discuss possible dates for meeting

Game is complete so will keep it (a childhood favourite 🥰 and we are studying the book next year), have stacked up some books I’m definitely keeping, and chose 8 more to sell. Slow progress, but still progress!

So it turns out if you let your pain levels get too high it can affect your balance... Whoops!

Been struggling to get anything done, failed at running errands because just couldn't. Came home, took a nap, took pain killers and can now function. I am such an idiot

hills
Dancing hoping today was better
Sing intrigued by the game
Willow end of term ice cream sounds great
Ed hope you don't need holiday to recover from holiday when you get home!

"D"h came.pissy moods must be in the air as he was frightful,saying how we need be doing not pandering to dd2/my anxiety with smaller trips before bigger ones.he successfully made dd2 feel inadequate,I got moaned at clearly she's replicating me and throw her life away,D's felt brunt him sit there stony silent instead chat and gaming together
It was stressful morning shop.sainsbo was like start pandemic shelves stripped(no flour,pasta etc)and ended up trying 4supermarkets to get bottled water

Better day today. Feeling better.

Ta-da

Got ready for day
LoL
Bed made
Clothes picked up from tailor
Lunch provided for DS and friend
Dropped off friend
Dropped off stuff at parents
Helped mum sort through jewellery
Cleaned bathroom

Progress report...

to do
wash 2 duvets
wash some pillows
wash a crap ton of bedding - someone it was clean but never got put away so it is full of dust
bring in the milk
hoover and steam clean my mattress
return the sewing table to my room
flip unit right side up so can put the plastic drawers away into it
put some hooks up.
remake my bed
figure out what furniture will need to be moved for building work
consider my curtain options. - replacing the thermal lining with black out lining etc
make sure i have retrieved all the things I temporary put in other people's rooms in progress - one room done, the other needs me to rescue paperwork that needs filing
bring the bins in.
run the errands - quick top up food shop and to sort a new phone because yay technology? attempted and failed
ironing
unload, then reload and run dw
wash some pots
draw up a count down calendar so that I can mark off days until room can return to normal.
pickup some batting so that i can sort the bug cover out
sort 5 boxes of random paperwork got 2 done

also ta da
folding

did not get done everything that was needed but going to take the stupid pain killers earlier tomo, and hopefully a better night's sleep tonight will help.

Hills calling yourself an idiot for a mistake made due to not being kind enough to yourself seems a little counter productive no? [stern yet can totally identify face]

Still reading but not even a fledgling currently, just sat in the nest thinking, nope, I'll land on the floor if I try that.

Actually I should curl up in the naughty corner. I've been reading though which is lovely - haven't had time and mental quiet for reading in a while.

Evenin’ all. Haven’t done much this evening. Meeting mum in London tomorrow with the Caglets 🥰 so that’ll be nice.

Hello...its been busy here.
Dd woke up at 8pm happy and feeling ok. She didnt eat anything 2pm she was very hungry.

Lol anddry my duvet
Lol n dry ds duvet
Lol random clothes.
Played tea party with dd inbetween tidying.
Ds got huff so played lego for 3mins.
Made picnic lunch- everyone still very hungry.
I was bitten by midges on my legs last saturday and again on Thursday. The lumps have multiplied and got huge and on my arms.
Take ds cycling and dd on the back of my bike to chemist to get insect bite cream. Kids loved it. The cream hardly worked.
Sister dropped by to show her new vintage bike.
Then she took me shopping- lest kids with dh.
Got home and have taken liquid antihistamine to try a stop the pain from lumps. I feel drowsy with chest pain. Dd wanted more food before bed.
Finally everyone is in bed and asleep.
Phew.

Honey- reading is the best thing ever.
Zoo- sending you a big hug. Hope you are ok?
Sing- that game loves very different.
Hazel- does it help lots having the tue off?
Yup-glad you are feeling better today
Hills- thats a big list
Willow- 🤣talk in circles about curtains
Ed- hope you are having a lovely holiday.
Foxes- miss your posts about dinners you are making.
Red- hope you are ok.
Half- you have been cracking on with stuff

Soo sleepy now.

dancing yes, it really does help having Tuesdays off, especially when the DC are in school 🤣 I can usually get loads done, especially if I get up fairly early (like before 8am).
I hope you're doing okay, bites are awful to deal with. Have you tried witch hazel? It seems to help me, but I'm not sure if it's the placebo effect. That and calamine lotion (although I never have any of that, it has worked in the past). Oh, and I have been using hydrocortisone cream too, too help with the itch.

Sorry, that was a long reply.
Ta Das:
🍸 DC vacuumed the whole house, mopped the hard floors, cleaned the bathrooms
🍸 I took DD to work tonight when I got home from work myself
🍸 Cooked dinner
🍸 Cleaned up the kitchen, including handwash dishes while the food was in the oven
🍸 Wiped down some door frames as I could see handprints and dark marks
🍸 Cooked breakfast for DH for the week
🍸 Cleaned up the kitchen yet again
🍸 Discussed knocking walls down in the main living area, he's itching to get started. Me too, but not looking forward to the dust
🍸 Started going through paperwork, it's what I struggle with the most, filing, putting away, shredding. Does anyone have a really good system/ routine that really works? I'm willing to try anything at this point. We have a filing cabinet that works great, but it's getting it in there that's my struggle. Especially as it's now downstairs in the basement.

hills considering what you've been through lately, I'd say that's quite a list of to Dos and ta das. I'm impressed, but worried you'll overdo it.
Sing enjoy London. I'm itching to go back, but know realistically it'll be next year before I can visit again.
honey self care is needed, you can't run on empty. Enjoy a break, then get into a routine again.

So we're having a BBQ tomorrow night (Saturday) we've invited people from work (not me though, everyone is busy), but the friends I haven't seen in forever haven't even replied. I'm trying not to take it personally, knowing they are busy/ out of town. A simple story can't make it would suffice, but nope, nothing, zilch. I just keep reminding myself that my family will all be there (well, DHs family, as mine is all far, far away), and that's all that matters.

Sorry I really don't know where I was going with that, other than just getting it off my chest. I do really wish that my friends were actually good friends, but between moving away from my friends back in the UK and losing touch, and finding that I'm not as accepted as I thought because I didn't go to school with them here, it's making me really appreciate the family we have here. I still have times when I feel lonely and want to have a friend who will text me randomly (I always text first) and will want to just spend time with me.

sigh sorry again for going on about it.

There will be a few people coming over tomorrow, lots to do, food to buy & prep and a few rooms to sort a bit. We still have boxes around the house but I'm not going to worry about them just yet.

🍒👋 to everyone

Sorry for the typos, I hope you still understand what I was trying to say

hazel it's ok to feel hurt about your friends lack of effort.i feel upset for you
We all want a tribe to run with and to be accepted.ive always found making friends tricky,as adults waaay more so.i realise this isn't helpful or great advice,but it's more of a that you aren't alone in this/I've been there too kind of thing.big hugs

Dancing glad you had a better day.sorry you are having bite issues,fleas were my nemesis but less now.im told it's hormones making me tasty,so lesson those I'm less delicious!not sure midges work same as fleas tho!
Honey you can't pour from an empty cup!readings productive if it helps reset you ready to go again
Hills you've achieved so much lovely,I hope the fallout is manageable

Morning! DS1 and partner suddenly arriving at 1 not 6, so all systems go here!

Dancing I'm glad you had a better day, but sorry to hear about the bites. Sympathies, I always get bitten too and have not yet found a way to stop the itching. Bit concerned about your description of being "drowsy with chest pain". I think you should try to see a GP, chest pain that takes you out of it is surely a red flag.

Hazel I understand. It's hard, the lack of shared history, sometimes. I'm sorry it's making you sad, and I really hope your old friends come through with some kind of answer.

Zoo grrr at kids' dad. How dare he roll up, bugger everything up for everyone then sulk a bit and piss off again? That man is a bad mood going somewhere to occur.

Hills hope you get what you need done today, but don't push yourself too hard. You need rest and recuperation too.

Honey enjoy your downtime in the naughty corner . Sometimes you just need quiet time to read and reset. That's what school holidays are for!

Yup glad you got things done.

Elfycat how's the fresh, fresh start going?

Sing have a good time!

🍒👋 to everyone else, getting back up my ladder now!

Morning all 🥐🥞🧇🥓🍳🫖☕

Aiming for a productive day today! Temp highs of 19 which sounds AMAZING!

Ta da
🤍 wash on
🤍 small 4 dc up and fed
🤍 dragged biggest two dc from beds
🤍 order bits inc a bday present from argos

Hazel sorry to hear you're out of sorts about your friends. It's hard in a different country (I don't know where you live, is it the states?). I know how you feel and can empathise. 💐

Paperwork. I spent 4 days sifting through paperwork last year. I was ruthless. What kind of paperwork is it? Taxes, pensions, mortgage and insurance? Business stuff? Medical stuff? Big item purchases? I don't have a filing cabinet as it's a faff. I have 1 arch lever files each for home stuff (mortgage, insurance, bills, safety certificates etc), business info, tax info and one for pensions and life assurance. I have one expanding file for everything else: car paperwork, medical, receipts for big items. The files live on shelves in my kitchen, just above a countertop where I open my mail and has the bin and the shredder underneath. There's also a holding, to-do box file (without a lid) on the countertop where I shove paperwork into for actioning or filing later. I try to go through the box file before it gets too full but hey-ho it doesn't always happen. Oh, and I don't keep manuals as they can be found online, except for the boiler manual which I keep in a poly pocket stapled to the wall next to the boiler.

Morning all, after a long drive back yesterday we are home, trying to re-adjust to having no kitchen and stuff EVERYWHERE. Flying is going to be minimal for the next couple of weeks. We have got the washing machine and tumble dryer rigged up in the shed, so we're OK for laundry and I think things will look a bit better once we've unpacked the holiday stuff, but I keep picking things up and wandering towards the kitchen then having to do a u-turn. We are also awaiting delivery of the new units today.

Saturday is a day off Flying Family fun day, back later.

Morning all. I slept late 😳 need to look at the weather forecast as it was absolutely heaving down when I briefly woke around 5. Hopefully it’s just grey and chilly in London.

I’m dressed but need to make sure DD1 is awake (she had a friend round to sleep) and get downstairs for meds and breakfast

Morning all

Thanks for the permission to sit in the naughty corner.

Hazel - that sucks. I've moved around a lot and my few true friends are spread far and wide. I have one good friend here thankfully and she is ace and it really does make all the difference. She's the one I go to the gym with and on Sunday we're off to do an outdoor swim at this session we found. She used to be my mischief and drinking buddy but gave up drinking and I'm pleased our friendship has survived her sobriety despite me still being a bit of a pisshead
Hope you find someone you click with soon.

I've actually done a lol and rotated and put on the dw - both much overdue. I also finished my book this morning Hope JKR is busy finishing up the next one. Going to read the new Hunger Games prequel next.

Off to the gym in an hour despite already being sweaty just from pottering around the house in humidity.

Paperwork wise - open and file straight away - 1 touch prinicple works well for me. The reality was that it was often a 2 touch but same day filing. I have also found a simple routine works so that it gets filed every x day. but it is the conscious effort to make sure it does not go in a pile that is necessary.

unfortunately i have not filed paperwork in like the last 5 years if feels like and i have a crap ton that is daunting now. but once i have sorted it all i am going back to what is basically a tidy up as you go system.

to do
wash pillows
wash pots
retrieve stuff from other people's room
laundry
pick up some wood
do the other shopping errands
deal with the people when they return
sort out bug netting
ironing
washing up
rubbish out
tackle some more boxes
Tidy landing
hoover landing
make sure have bed
crash

moving is hard this morning. It was a night of many go to sleeps and i am going to be honest i did not want to wake up when the alarm clock went. But i have a crap ton to do before the people get back about lunchtime.

breakfast and moving is slow. going to be honest.

Morning everyone, thank you all for you kind words and wishes. This morning I no longer resemble the elephant man 🐘 (well my legs really.) (They only part half decent were my legs. The rest of me has gone to pot.)

Hazel- I completely understand how you feel as its very tricky with friends here. My work collegues are in a different part of the country and everyones lives have moved on. So not contact.
In the last 6months i told myself to give up in making new friends. Oddly, 1 person has become a new friend.
Its been very, very lonely here too, so understand the feeling. Sister is friends with a million people so i wonder what is wrong with me. I understand you writing so much about it as its playing on your mind. Its good to let it off your chest here. I have found this thread abit of a life saver really.
Sending you a hug. Have a fabulous bbq with your wonderdul family!
If i ever get a job, i want tuesdays off too.

Late start here due to the liquid antihistamie, Ceritze (sp) i slept like a log until 9.30am! Wow i havent slept like that in a looonng time.
I had made sanwiches for my ds and put the in a tub for when he woke up. As he always wakes up very early. He loved it!

The leg fit to burst swelling has gone down thankfully. I have so much to do and all I want to do is stay at home and rejig the house to make it easier to clean.

Today i am giving away a toddler bookcase. It just collects dust and kids never use it.
Does anyone ever feel like they are pulled in different directions. (Strechy man emoji needed.)

Hi everyone. We are back from a lovely holiday. Took a break from my phone so I have lots of posts to catch up on! Hope everyone is plodding on ok.

We got back mid afternoon yesterday and, apart from bringing the stuff in from the car, after the long drive home all we could manage was a nap and Chinese takeaway. It’s been a slow start to today but I’m eventually dressed. Second LOL is on. I’ve done some craft with DD this morning and have persuaded her to put it away. Need to hoover (a weeks worth of cat hair has accumulated in our absence), unpack, do some more washing. Yak.

People are back. certain tasks have been delegated. No one has said anything about the lack of progress not said anything about the progress either but i will take no complaining