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.

Morning all.

I'd ask for medical advice on that one Dancing - wouldn't like to advise. As for wetsuits up to you - lots of people who I think were triathalon training were wearing them yesterday. We had to wear bright swimming caps and take a tow float that was bright in colour. My friend made good use of hers for rests.

I think I'm going to actually do as Flylady suggests this week and as a babystepper just actually do the 15 minutes a day doing something towards sorting the living room. No grand plans, just chip away.

I'd second Honey there, Dancing - you really need to ask a medic. I don't want to worry you, but when my Dad lost his swallow it was the only outward sign he'd suffered a TIA and it took nearly a week to notice. He did get it back, though.

Mc great to see you again and hear plants and fish survived your time away. Did DH also survive the trip 😂?

Hills sorry you feel rubbish, lovely. 💐 for you and zoo who need more rest and fewer things to do.

Zoo that house sounds insane. A friend locally has just bought a newbuild Magnolia Palace with 6 bedrooms but a new-build garden for £1.6mil. None of us are impressed, it's very short on character / comfort but he always was one to buy a lifestyle by the metre, not a home. What I don't get is that for the same money, they could have had a 15th century hall-house with a "modern" (17th C!) extension and three quarters of an acre of land (but NOT in the posh area). Bonkers.

Sing well done on shifting the buggy. Big step. I still miss mine for pushing shopping home in 😂.

Ta da so far:
❤️ Up, washed, dressed, breakfast, vitamins, windows open, bed thrown back
🧡 Links posted for ED
💛 Bathrooms S&S
💚 First LOL on (DH)
💙 DW emptied (DS3), refilled (DH) and put on (me)
💜 DS3's pasta for salad cooked
🤎 DS3 taken to holiday tennis club
🖤 Top up Tesco shop done (turns out having 8 for every meal eats us out of house and home very quickly!)
❤️ Ikea chair arrived - trusting it will have all bits this time.

Now hiding in Costa within Tesco, having 15 mins of my own.

Must get going, tennis finishes at 12 and I need to unpack the shopping first. 🍒👋 to everyone!

Ha yes, we have our supermarket vouchers to spend at asda some time over the holidays and usually DH would take Cagletini plus buggy for the big top up shops like that 🤣 oh well the Caglets can still carry plenty.

I’m bored and restless, DH is still in his meeting. The girls are finally up and about need to send friend home. She ended up staying an extra night as it was storming all evening and her sister’s car isn’t working.

Sing yep, that's me with Fred the Ficus 🤠 I can highly recommend, it's pretty low maintenance. If you were anywhere near me, I could have given you a propagated and potted one. I've done it when I was pruning Fred last, and now I have too many of them 😂
Willow he scraped by just the skin of his teeth 🤣 We managed to reconnect again, which made me very happy. Your day reads like a military operation, hope it goes smoothly!

Ta das:
💥DW rotated
💥Huuuge pile of clean clothes put away

A kind thought but yes I believe it might be a bit of a commute for Fred’s sibling 🤣 if I get one I might call him Filbert 🤔

po3.3
❗️Book this week’s dancing
❗️Make sure Caglets get ready
❗️Go to retail park

Thanks everyone. We think its a inhertited thing as a cousin has a similar thing and usually occurs when eating rice.
I had a mum with dementia and in the last year of her life she completely lost her swallow reflex, it was awful. So we have experience in it as a family. My dad is fit, healthy and independant- touch wood he stays this way.

Zoo- I just read things back. How are you feeling now? I love looking at houses too! Some of those prices are crazy! 🏘

Sing- i love the idea of a big pot plant in the hallway!

Mc- i remember fred!

Wellies- fab you are having a coffee in peace!

Tadas
I have done loads of shifting things and laundry....
Sitting down to cool down.

🍒👋

dancingdid kitchen and living room of home bleurgh then slept a bit.lunxh and lay sofa all pm,can't sleep but exhausted

Afternoon folks. Just on way home. Glad to be really as annoying autistic brain has apparently decided that today is National Day of Overthinking so I’m really anxious 🤬

Was going to write another power of three but I’m just going to try and relax, watch something on my phone maybe. DD1 is at dance and DH will be taking DS to taekwondo but Cagletini is due some quiet tv time anyway. She was very good in town today, and trying out sofas. She also fell in love with various bunnies in the pet shop.

ta da
survived work
havent burried anyone under the patio YET!!!

mc it almost sounds like what I have. What i have is called a Schatzki ring. When I was pregnant with DD I had acid reflux really bad and it burned the bottom of my esophagus and made it inflamed, making the hole to my stomach tiny. They discovered it during an x-ray, had me swallow a pill like thing and they watched it go into my stomach. They said it can be fixed by putting a balloon down my throat to extend it, but everything here costs money, so I usually just make sure I chew my food really good and drink lots of fluid. I also have to avoid food that's too dry, or too much rice. I would definitely take him to a doctor to check out it.

Sorry, my last post should have been directed at dancing not mc 🤦‍♀️

Haven't had time to catch up.

Ta-da:
3 LoL including bedroom curtains
Walk with DS
Shop at corner shop for 2 essential items
Ironed mum's clothes
Dinner made
Watched DS's favourite YouTube channels with him

To-do
Tidy up living area.

Yup- thats a good list going there. So nice you have watched youtube videos with your ds.

Zoo- its good you are lying down and resting even tho you cant sleep. Please watch you favourite tv program, radio station or podcast to keep you company. Sending you a hug lovely 💞

Wellies- I re-read what you wrote earlier. I am sorry your dad had a tmi and lost his swallow reflex. I am glad to read his swallow reflex came back. It must have been a very worrying time.

Hazel- I am sorry you have experienced this ! Its very interesting its called Schatzki ring! What you have described is what my dad experiences when eating dry food and rice.
Thank you for posting this 💞

Sing- 'National day for overthinking!' 😆 its so true!

Hills- weldone for not burying anyone!

Mc- hope mctiny is ok after your holiday.

Ed- thats great you did some laundry on holiday as it must help. I still have 1 suitcase to unpack - mine. All clean clothes that I never wore.

Red- hope you are ok?

That- hope you are ok and not doing too much! Hope babyThat is ok.

Honey- hope you have been enjoying the weather.
🍒👋 half, merry, mrstidy, double, and anyone else.

also ta da
kick the people out the house
deep clean the kitchen to one inch of its life
make quiche from scratch
deal with people on their return
eat quiche.
discuss plan of action for garden
agree it is not a today plan of action
water up garden
harvest stuffs from garden

Dancing sending health vibes to your dad. Hope you will get some answers soon.
McTiny did ok, I was impressed his sleeping routine is pretty much preserved despite travel.
Zoo 💐

More ta das:
💥Epilated legs (and toes 😬).
💥Nails sorted
💥Cleaned out hoover filter and put few drops of essential oils on it. It actually works to make the house smell nice during hoovering!
💥Hoovered
💥Dusted
💥Rubbish out to the bins. Recycling needed shovel therapy to fit it all in
💥Blitzed the bathroom
💥Batch cooked fish gel food
💥LOL x2
💥Usual kitchen tidy up with DW rotation
💥Ordered a pretty storage basket for baby's bath toys to go in the bathroom

I need to do a proper cull of my existent wardrobe. I want to freshen it up in few months time, but I need to donate/recycle stuff I no longer wear.

Evening all, apologies for absence this morning and thank you to Willow for standing in. It has been quite a crazy day, with work being an oasis of calm in the middle. Apologies also for not keeping up with the chat, I am reading but not finding much time to reply.

DCs both started new paper rounds this morning. So, up at 6.45 to sort and mark up the papers, both rounds are quite complicated plus the shop had asked them to deliver monthly bills too, some houses had a paper and no bill, some houses had a bill but no papers, one house also had a pint of milk. So that took 40 minutes and ended up with me hot and bothered. DD went to get her bike out and found DH had blocked the path with the wheely bin, so I went out the front door in my (fairly skimpy in this weather) PJs to move it just as the bin lorry arrived, then she forgot her helmet and went back in so I was holding the bike just as the bin lorry arrived and had to just stand there feely deeply embarrassed while the men came for our bin. To top all that, DD is cat sitting for a family friend and one of the cats was AWOL yesterday so she had to go back after the paper round and try to track down the cat (more of that later).

Back inside, very quick cuppa and shower, look around kitchen to check a few things before tradesmen came back. Tradesmen turned up, it was my old friend Sweary Painter who doesn't speak much English apart from expletives (also painted for us last year, some of you may remember). Talked to them, sorted a few more things, took two phone calls from DD who was lost. Realised I didn't have anything for packed lunch and had to just grab some bread, fruit and cheese. Text from DD saying Cat2 still AWOL. Find some cash for DH to buy petrol as he has lost his wallet and cancelled all his cards (raided DCs piggy banks). DCs home again. Went to work.

All of this by 8.30

So, work was fine, went to give blood on the way home, got rejected on medical grounds (something that wasn't on the questionnaire, not serious at all but they have to stick to the rules). So that was a waste of time. But I did pick up a book I wanted from the charity bookshelf in the community centre.

Home. What's for dinner? Fuck knows, no kitchen, no food to speak of. DD went to feed cats again, cat2 still AWOL. She decided to go and ask the neighbours, but phoned me and asked if I'd come over too. Arrived to find her talking to one neighbour who was suggesting go and ask the next neighbour. Ask next neighbour, yes, he's here, he's always coming in if we leave the back door open FFS. End up chatting to extremely talkative neighbour for 45 mins. Go home, pick up DS, go to supermarket for ping meals. Home to ping and eat. Go to allotment, my friend is there but she's been cornered by the site busybody, manage a chat after he'd gone. Home, ring mother, collapse on sofa.

So, tomorrow's links now just in case!

Tuesday.

Our mission is to declutter our living rooms , we have most of the contents of the kitchen in ours at the moment including fridge freezer, kettle, microwave, table and chairs.

The flight plan is here flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-60&d=1

Tuesday is also Plan and Play day.

Evening all.

Long conversation with DD1 this evening.

She said the craziest most unexpected thing.

She asked to do maths in the summer WTAF 😱 basically we had a lovely chat about what she wants to do after GCSEs so we made a big plan about what to find out about various colleges and courses etc. Then she piped up that actually she does want to do some maths (I’d specifically told her and DS the other day that I wouldn’t make them do any work at all this summer) because she does want to pass it and not end up delaying moving towards her goals.

I’m so proud of her but I’m almost a bit gutted 😳 as I was particularly looking forward to a complete break while I focus on planning/prepping for September and getting other stuff done etc, but maybe as she’s asked to do it there won’t be so much angst over the actual work.

But anyway I am now adding “look for a suitable maths book” to tomorrow’s (today’s) shopping list.

The other plan for tomorrow is to start prepping the bathroom for painting. DD1 is getting up early and showering then clearing all toiletries away before she goes out, then we need to do the walls and I want to bleach the grouting etc in the next couple of days too.

Should really sleep.

I haven’t caught up with the thread but hugs and 🍒👋 to all!

Aw that's lovely about the maths sing

Ed Mother of God and the wee donkey - I hope you've collapsed somewhere with wine (it's allowed 🍷)

I'm on annual leave - getting our patio plants sorted. Apologies for being AWOL from thread.

Bloody great. Power cut. My radio alarm cut out just as I was reaching for the snooze button.

DCs despatched on paper rounds, a lot easier today (no bills but lots of Radio Times). Can't have a cuppa because no power = no kettle and we have no hob (CBA to set up camping stove). . Hope it's back for kitchen fitters they will presumably need to use power tools.

Further investigation has revealed that it was our power supply that had tripped, so the kettle is now on

DH is still asleep so I'm having 5 mins peace by myself.

ED that sounds like a crazy stressful day!
dancing the doctor told me Schatzki was the name of the guy who discovered the ailment. The thing for me is I start out with hiccups, but they're not normal, almost hurt. Then the food feels like it gets stuck. Anyway, enough of that. I really hope your dad does get it checked out and that it's something that can be treated.
Sing 😱 maths in the summer break!? My DD is doing a couple of classes this summer, but she wants to graduate early (December). These will give her enough credits to be able to do just that.

I'm dozing off, as it's late here. We knocked down part of a wall this evening! I had to vacuum really thoroughly to get all the dust, I'll still need to wipe everything down in the kitchen though, as well as clean the floor in there.
On my lunch break I vacuumed my ILs house, trying to follow flylady but not doing the best job at it
🍒👋 to everyone

Thank goodness it was a simple solution to your power going out. I also love having the house to myself, especially when the DC are back in school. Bliss.