Flip, flap, the Fledglings are back! April 2022 Flylady thread, all welcome!

[SingToTheSky]

Hello everyone, and welcome to the April Flylady thread!
We welcome newbies and returnees - if you are curious about the system feel free to ask questions or lurk! We do follow it, erm, loosely to say the least. So there is a lot of chat about random life stuff as well as housework, decluttering and organising.

A key element of flylady is not being a perfectionist!
I don’t think the regulars would mind me saying that most of us here are not naturals at housekeeping etc, so please don’t feel we are some intimidating group who demand perfectly shined sinks. We are human. We fall off the wagon. We commiserate and help each other climb back on, and we stock the virtual naughty corner with snacks and blankets for the days when adulting is just too hard.

So, the system:
🔹Some baby steps which are designed to help you build up a routine.
🔹Daily missions to help with sprucing up particular areas in the zones, for example the first zone of the month is the entry/porch and dining room if you have one.
🔹Try and do 15 minutes decluttering a day. It didn’t get cluttered in a week so it will take a lot longer to clear it!
🔹Daily focuses to help shape the week.
🔹Here on the thread many of us post to do lists, but also “ta da” lists of things we’ve achieved that day.
🔹We also recommend the Power of Three technique - if you’re overwhelmed with too much to do, just pick three things and don’t think about the rest.

Anyway, I will post some links each day (hopefully) but whether you follow the system or not - many of us just take the bits we like or build our own flylady style system to suit our own lives - do join in if you want a place to chat about keeping a house and family running!

Finally, thank you hugely to the lovely willow for steering us beautifully through March! 💐

That sounds like an excellent life choice Hills! Very touristy round these parts over Easter weekend too. We don’t usually attempt to go out in the car at all as it’s bedlam but I have plans to meet friends and will need to get to the station at some point .

Hope you enjoyed your dinner out Red

Sorry you’re still feeling a bit meh Sing.

First day of the school holidays is going ok. I’ve decided to keep us in the school routine and get up, dressed, fed and out the door by 08:30 so DD2 still has her long morning pram nap. Today we had a walk about then went to the park for a bit before I got cracking in the house. PIL decided last minute to take DD1 out for a few hours and I had another short walk with DD2 at her next nap time, followed by feet up for a bit and then some more flying.

Ta Das:
✅ usual beds made, s&s, LOL etc
✅ floors swept downstairs and rug de-crumbed.
✅ tidied bottom part of larder as the door wouldn’t shut
✅ organised transport for a wedding that’s coming up
✅ washed DD1’s old baby toys ready for DD2
✅ general tidy round

Wise words Hills and cracking up here about the cleaning level. Unfortunately they are male level cleaners but that will do for now! I am due to go downstairs tonight and may watch some tv then. Currently airing the main bedroom and changing sheets. And packing as we have three days away to the nearest city an hour away. Husband is testing negative so we are good to go. But I will have to pace myself and the virus has wiped me a bit. And I'm not getting any younger.

Grey skies combined with an easterly wind for a couple of days now, and the same for tomorrow and possibly Wednesday. Not doing much outside just now; it is bitterly cold today. Decided to have a lazy day instead, and it's done me quite a bit of good. Feeling very relaxed now.

It's bathroom and one other room this week, isn't it? If I try to scroll back, I'll lose this post. I need to prioritise my own bedroom, then the LOs' rooms.

Just remembered that the recycling trolley and food waste bin must go out now for tomorrow. Ugh, into the dark and freezing wind!

ta da
✂️sorted through printed activity supplies
✂️laminated stuff
✂️did an insane amount of activity sheets with Cagletini throughout the day
✂️two LOLs
✂️made lunch for me and Cagletini
✂️filled DW
✂️sprayed and wiped worst bits of kitchen counters
✂️work emails
✂️stuck labels on and organised drawers
✂️threw away some rubbish
✂️made Cagletini a “days of the week” calendar thing
✂️put Cagletini to bed
✂️stuck new tea towel holders to kitchen wall

Apologies to those who’ve seen it elsewhere already but here are the newly organised and labelled drawers :o I will need to do the rest at some point but I decided forging ahead with the current stuff would be better as hopefully they can stay tidy easily while I continue decluttering.

Work event tomorrow is now not a thing, a shame but the extra day off will be useful. Must use it productively.

🐝Home blessings done.
🐝 Decluttered a bag-of-bags.
🐝 Spent the afternoon watching a film.
🐝 Took in delivery, unpacked and put away.

Sorry I slipped off there,still super tired and trying deal with zoolets who are now - buy still not up to speed
Dd2 in particular is really struggling power back up and needs daytime naps every few days,D's has a nasty cough and is still tired.lil zoo only just - so hasn't done anything to possibly tire her out.yet....

Got fed up of the mess so ploughed in yesterday-

Sorted worst D's room,under bed(midi sleeper) returned to order and quick tidy
Mucked out the girls room.all available surfaces wiped.everything tidied up.helped dd2 sort her wardrobe out.
Washed all her bedding and blankies,and lil zoos
All lil zoos clothes washed
Quick tidy front room and kitchen
Scrubbed bath and sink
Did way too much,didn't eat enough and ended up in tears

Dd2 is 18 tomorrow.have sourced a cake and candle that's it.no birthday banners made yet.no gifts to open(wants money for shopping,but wanted a little something for her to actually open)
Today I hurt,tomorrow we are walking into town apparently and shopping
Someone find my power up button FFS and press it HARD

My experience Zoo is that if you push too hard too quick you just don't recover quickly and it can take longer with more complications. Take it steady and for the love of that strange glowing orb in the sky - be kind to/look yourself too.

I slept hard and deep last night and have woken up with a cracking dehydration migraine.. Also a sore neck so must have slept at a funny angle.

To do
study
laundry
discover the kitchen

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Morning everyone. Happy Tuesday and all that.

It’s planning day so write some lists!

[[http://www.flylady.net/c/sp.php#missions Your mission is to shine your bath or shower. It also says about cleaning the spare bed if you have one.

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Well, since my earlier post (and indeed since I woke up) I appear to have done the sum total of Fuck All.

po3.1
❗️Message book seller friend re overdue refund/replacement
❗️Phone toy shop re ordered item
❗️Log on to work and get stuff done

Can I just point out that those first two tasks combined took less than two minutes. And yet I have procrastinated over both. And probably spent longer thinking about them than they actually took.

Have got some work done too.

po3.2
❗️Go through phone notes and extract some more easy admin tasks to do today
❗️Write a list of small decluttering tasks to try and avoid overwhelm with how much there still is to do
❗️Take some laundry upstairs

Oof, apologies for dropping off! Yesterday was a strange day, first day of the Easter hols so:
❤️ Dentist for me
🧡 Two new front tyres on the car (ouch)
💛 Shopping for the lunch stuff I'd forgotten we'd need because it's the holidays 🤦
💚 Went to a gig in the evening that the rest of the day was focussed on getting to.

Today - back to Operation Study
❤️ New IKEA bookshelves delivered at 9.30
🧡 DH built bookshelves while I
💛 sorted out washing and hung it out
💚 Posted a parcel to DS1
💙 Order lamb for Easter
💜 Bought shellac primer and paint for bookshelves

Bookshelves are now primed with ghastly quick-drying shellac that makes you feel drunk.

Going to have a cup of tea before I start putting colour on them.

Well I’ve had an unproductive hour or so with Cagletini being an absolute pain, so I have now asserted that it is my time to hide away. Except my hiding away involves doing stuff.

po3.3
❗️Finish chapter of textbook
❗️Locate current bit of study website and do a bit more
❗️Bring some more clothes up

Tada
Acquired dd2 a card,D's chose one.lil zoo declared them all ugly.i suspect the choice caused overwhelm and a shut down.we have sane problem try find clothes for her(compounded with fact she won't wear basic t shirts,joggers etc as have "no style" so she's slowly run out clothes that still fit/odd bits she's found and instantly loved.anyway i digress).I suggest a video edit instead.now in progress...
Got wrap paper,and D's chose her marbles (look ,feel and sound nice he said)whilst she was picking out a huge 18 badge!we made her go outside whilst paid so didmt see them
This was after I'd ventured shops for milk,bread etc and put that away!
Lunch(Mexican corned beef wraps for littlies,rolls for dd2 and I)
Settled to watch film on 5with her under blankies.both fell asleep.i woke 90 mins later to lil zoo demanding a snack and did I know it was 430?!
Mini hot X bun snack to try and power up(didn't work)
Looked at quotes DD favourite shows for her birthday banner(which I will have to make in the morning early as she is very anxious today and like velcro to me- birthdays,Xmas etc are uncertain things and she don't do changes of plan/unknown variables)
Snaffled couple biscuits as still feel lethargic
I need fix D's and lil zoo food soon
At some point need wrap couple bits and write the card(if I can get 5 mins by myself!)

Evening all,

I have had a busy couple of days - tonight I took my life in my hands and took the cats to the vet for jabs. They threw a massive hissy fit about going in their carried but then snuggled up to each other and wouldn’t come out. Also put up the Easter decorations. I have noticed more and more houses round her have Easter wreaths on their doors so I bought one last year, they do look nice.

Happy Birthday to DD for tomorrow Zoo, hope she has a lovely day even if she is still a bit under the weather.

Willow - hope you have recovered from your big night out

Hills - hope you made it to the hills

Red - a belated Happy Birthday to you

Sing - hope Cagletini’s behaviour improved, she seems like a Girl Who Know Her Own Mind.

Thanks ED loving your new name.

Up we went out for lunch. The first place was booked up two weeks in advance so we went to a cafe DH and DS had discovered when Fell walking. We had a sharing platter with ham, cheese, salad, local pork pie and lovely piccalilli, Chutney, Apple and sour dough bread.

We had Nepalese curry take away at night. Ordered four different curries, starters, etc. Delicious. We don’t get a take away very often because we live about 6 miles from the nearest and they go cold and then the faff of reheating so it was good. We get fish and chips about once a month because they box them and double wrap for us. There are three good ones within 6 mile radius or we go to the pub which is dearer but first class!

Sing love your labelling and new organisation.

I worked Monday in Market had yesterday off as met old friend. BF will be mortified as she has forgotten my b’day. She came yesterday for a cup of tea I didn’t mention it.
Be back later

Red- the Nepalese food sounds amazing!

Sing- weldone for keeping the amazing lists you do and to keep going.

Zoo- 🎂🎂 Happy Birthday lil Zoo! 🎂🎂

Ed- love your new name too

Willow- what colour did you paint the shelves?

Hill- so lovely the hills make you happy.

Will be back....trying to clear up breakfast dishes, put away laundry, sort lunch and shower all at same time.

Morning all. Tried posting my list last night but MN was down for maintenance.

Luckily Cagletini did chill out a bit, she was just in a very “mummyyyyyy” mood, I think she was bored. She kept coming up to me when I was trying to study too, I really need to leave the house to get more work done. Not sure where though as Easter means more places are busy and noisy, including the library!

YesTaDa
🌊bit of random home admin
🌊bit of work
🌊put most laundry away
🌊swam 500m

I ache like crazy today 🤣 but it was nice to be in the water again. I woke up early because DH didn’t turn his alarm off 🤬 but I did doze off a bit more thankfully and now suddenly it’s gone 10?! 😳 Must get on with the day.

po3.1
❗️Shower, hair, get dressed
❗️Put last few bits of laundry away
❗️Volunteer call at 11 and send summaries to supervisor

What i needed to do:
hit the ground running

What actually happened:
ended up on pinterest looking for something that is totally not important right now, but will be needed at the end of the year.

Sounds like par for the course, Hills!

Zoo happy birthday to DD2! 🥂🎂

Red so glad your takeaway was tasty! When it's that much of a faff, it really has to be worth it.

Dancing I will be painting them blue to match the walls after all. I have decided this is my study and I will have it how I want. I didn't get any colour on them yesterday, I decided I was too tired to do it properly, so I'll be starting again in a minute.

Ta da:
💖 Up, washed, meds etc
🧡 LOL on
💛 DW almost ready to go on
💚 Clean washing sorted and handed out
💙 Phone call at 10

DH is about to go out with DS2 to look at a car (can't remember if I said - DS2's car needs a new exhaust system which will cost more than the car is worth as scrap). Other than that IT'S THE HOLIDAYS and I shall do as I please (within the confines of keeping people fed, clean, supplied with socks etc).

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Good afternoon folks, sorry the info is late again

It is anti procrastination day, so do something that you’ve been putting off!

Today’s mission is to deal with bathroom rugs etc and dusting in the extra room here

Today’s baby step is to… do a mission.

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I have wiped the bathroom windowsill while I was in the shower.

I have done some of the APCM booklet! That's antiprocrastination and a half.

still haven't tidied last year's minutes mind, so lots still to go

Fell off thread because lazy. Did not succumb to the plague. Maybe I'm naturally immune.

Thanks for the birthday wishes
Dd2 is now 18!!
We went to town with birthday money this morning.she got some clothes at Primark/charity shops,some books,hair dye,and face wash.the shopping bags of a grown up!

We both needed a rest this afternoon.cake was by Waitrose,serves 8 vegan vanilla sponge with thin layer icing and sprinkles.moist and quite satisfactory (zoolets like shop bought for birthdays as I make cakes as their normal,but hate too much sickly icing etc)
Dd1 has offered to take her out for dinner tom.night with lil zoo(sisters date) so D's and I can have some quiet time ahead of Easter

Notmuch flying,I did do a quick tidy up (making sure photos weren't complete shit tip backdrop🤣)
Other than that,the birthday banner,wrapped gifts and allied no one dead!

We ment be going back into town Friday as the works had loads books in 3 for £5 and we assumed (wrongly) would all be online so wouldn't have to carry them.home bargains have a 6.8kg weighted blankie we weren't prepared lug around either,so hoping to utilise dad and his car(IF he can be bit less flakey)

How time flies zoo 🎁💕

Been a long day with not much really achieved. But Cagletini did make me laugh at bedtime. We do quiz questions after books (because I lack the imagination to make up stories like DH!) and we were doing some about gods (she has an ancient Egypt obsession).

Cagletini: Who is the god of volcanoes?

Me:

Cagletini: ME!!! I use my magic to make them “corrupt” 🤣🤣🤣

😂🤣😂 she is hilarious.

Zoo wow 18.
Sounds like she had a pretty good day.

I was given a beautiful bouquet of M&S roses by my new friend today. She gave me chocolate and a tin of toiletries on my birthday.

Poor BF still has Covid fog and hasn’t remembered yet. She will be so mortified.
Had soup with another friend and DH. Ukrainian borsch soup.Yum.

Met someone from another charity who gave us some boots, toys etc
We are back struggling to keep up with packing. We really could do with one week of no donations so we can pack all the ones we have then start again.
Called in to villager to check something. Checked in on a lady to make sure she was ok. Haven’t seen her for a while. I think she was quite pleased. Her friend left the village and I don’t think she has much contact. She is a widow too.

Going to market tomorrow as friend’s daughter has a hospital appointment. Planning to make some badges, knit something. Might take the crochet wool for squares.

Not much done but boudoir still fairly tidy. Need to do washing.
S&S basin and loo.

🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒👋🍒🍒👋to everyone