Festive Fledglings are Flying into December

[EspeciallyD]

Welcome, everyone!

Here is the December 2022 Flylady thread. We use her system to get on top of our housekeeping and our lives and families and, mostly, it works. By all means have a look at her website - www.flylady.net/ but don't sign up for the emails if you value your sanity, she sends hundreds!

The system is very straightforward. Starting one thing at at time, you build up morning and evening routines to keep things on an even keel daily. Then you add a weekly structure to get various jobs done:
Monday - quick whizz round the house cleaning
Tuesday - planning day
Wednesday - anti-procrastination day
Thursday - errand day
Friday - clean out your car and handbag / date night
Saturday - family fun day
Sunday - renew your spirit
Then, through the month you have a weekly cleaning focus Zone so the whole house is mostly cleaned every month.

It can look overwhelming if you've never tried ot before (and even if you are 19 years in like me have), so go slowly, do what you can.

Two important things to remember are:

you are never behind. Just jump in where you are and do something
you can't clean clutter, so if you need to run round with a binnag once a day for the first week / month / year then it's ok to do that.

I'll be posting links to the Launch Pad every day, which you can click on to find basic tasks, Zone cleaning, daily focus etc.

There's also a Flylady app if you like ticking things off on your phone.

Although this is a long running thread with many regular posters, all are welcome, if you are curious about the Flylady system or just fancy joining in the chit chat while you go about your daily life please join in, also ask if you don’t understand anything.

Thursday 1st December.

Here is the Flylady Flight Plan for the day (it updates daily also has links to the next day.

www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0

Thursday is Errand Day, the mission is to put away any autumn decorations you still have out. The December habit of the month is pampering.

Thank you ED for running the December thread! I have to say, I think this would be the hardest to run with being so busy.
Thank you willow for running the November thread! You did a great job, especially considering everything you were getting done.

So I worked today, no flying, unless making soup for dinner counts 🤣
I am blaming lack of enough sleep and the germs going around, but I feel like shit! I'm glad I felt well enough yesterday to get that much done, but I'm thinking that I may call in tomorrow and take a sick day. I feel so crappy. Anyway, I've had 1 hot toddy, about to make another, then I'm out for the night! (It's not quite 8:30pm here).

Oops forgot to change my username for December! Christmas is coming and I'm already more ready than usual! I do have to go through what I already have for gifts, but I'm mostly done. I also have a party to plan and it seems I have some time off from my 2nd job after this Saturday, so hopefully I'll get that all done 😁

Okay, now I'm really going to get my 2nd hot toddy and then get ready for bed 😴 this puppy is keeping us up at night!

Ah, I forgot to change my name too, if I do it now my posts won't be highlighted, so I will have to leave it this time.

So thanks for the new thread and name change prompt.

I've been off the thread for a week due to child off school sick and marital woes and general misery through lack of sleep.

I have achieved some things though over the week:
🎄hoovering
🎄dusting
🎄bathroom
🎄big food shop
🎄Christmas craft with kids to break up the day of beds on the sofa and tv
🎄some collection for womens aid
🎄got H to agree to marriage guidance counselling
🎄tidied airing cupboard

The big news is I've decided to knock the baby's sleeping and feeding into shape. She's nearly two and definitely not a baby and if we could all get more sleep life would be better for everyone. So last night she actually slept in her cot. There was an hour of on and off crying and complaining but she got up at 6 instead of 3!

Not even going to attempt to change names. It would just be one more thing on the to do list.

Ds: How is it December?! yesterday was the 21st and 2 days before that was March. What the hell is going on with time?!?!

I not only feel that but feel old. It feels like time has evaporated this year.

ta da
dealt with the bathroom conflict by sleeping through it as the boys managed to coordinate themselves this morning
dealt with the unexpected drama over the fact there is no shopping list this week.
pulled out some of the glass trays from the fridge to warm up so they can be cleaned.
Some online admin
Left over pizza for breakfast

It is a hit the ground running kinda day this morning. Except i want to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. <sigh> welcome to December where miracles happen, building sites become tidy homes, and the prep work is exhausting. Not helped by the fact i am still trying to cough up a lung. Hey ho. Joys of being the adult responsible for welfare of people and making Christmas happen.

Thank you very much for running last month's thread Willow
And thank you for taking on this month's thread ED

pompoms well done to toddlerpompoms for sleeping through till 6am! That really is an accomplishment and hope it continues. It's positive that your DH agreed to counseling.

hills it really does feel like it was January just a hop, skip and a jump ago! And now we're in December!

willow in not surprised you forgot about the online seminar, considering the last minute changes thrown at you. Is there a recording you can still hear in your own time?

So I did have the hot toddy's last night, not sure if they caused the headache I have this morning, or if it's just this sickness. So now I have drank one of my cups of coffee I will take some pain meds for it (I have to have something in my stomach so before I take anything).
I am off sick, my throat is still sore, sounds really rough, so thankfully not doing much for talking today.
I ended up sleeping for over 10 hours, which is unheard of for me! Was the norm before I had kids 😆 it was broken up since the puppy had to go out a few times last night, but clearly I needed it!

I found dark mode. which makes my little geek heart happy. So much easier on the eyes too.

To da
all sorts of stuff
mutter about how the hell the teen stinks the whole house out with the smell of garlic but I can avoid doing that when i use garlic.

I really struggle with dark mode, I use it between 11pm and 7am out of consideration to DH but find it much harder to read.

Hi fledglings! How on earth is it December? I don’t think I managed to get on the thread at all in November (but thanks for running the last few months Willow). I’m going to have to do better this month as it does help me stay on track and, like everyone, I have a very busy month coming up. Thanks for the shiny new thread ED.

sorry it took so long. I forgot that i was going to link it.

I am away for a few days now, but was a good Fledgling this morning and replaced my autumn wreath with my winter one. I am in the town where DS is at uni, have spent the day pottering round the shops and drinking coffee and then taken DS out for a meal (he had lectures all day). This was meant to be tomorrow when he is free all day but since making the plans a friend has died so I pulled it back a day and am making an 8 hour round trip on the train from here tomorrow for the funeral . I am staying here again tomorrow night as I have another event to go to near here on Saturday.

wreaths

Sorry about your friend and the disruption to your plans. Hope it goes as well as possible tomo ED I agree both wreaths are lovely.

How not to do the washing up:
Pick stack of plates up in your right hand
take two steps
feel really sharp pain in your shoulder
watch helplessly as the plates fall from your grasp and shatter as they hit the floor
realised you have subluxed your shoulder and now in intense agony
pick up big pieces of crockery
wonder where the fuck the hoover is so you can clean up the small sharp bits

Oh no @HillsBesideTheSea . I hope that was before not after washing them all.

hills that's not good at all!
ED your wreaths are beautiful 😍 I switched mine out the other day, but no pictures
willow an afternoon of baking sounds bliss! What did you bake?

This afternoon I was feeling much better so I got some wrapping done. I got quite a bit done so I'm feeling a little smug 😏
This evening I'm not so good, just started coughing, which in turn tightens my chest (asthma). Time for some tea and honey I think.
I'll have to play it by ear as I'm on the fence of going back to work or not. I'll give it a few hours before I decide either way. I spoke to MIL earlier today and even she was starting to lecture me about overdoing it and going back to work too soon.
A snow storm has just started too, so that's going to make it even harder to want to go into work tomorrow! The roads will be terrible.

Thank you Willow for the November thread 🥰and Ed for December.🥰

Well having lots of connection problems here at present so fingers crossed. Our internet keeps dropping in and out. DH contacting them again today.

Lovely wreaths. Mine is up the loft🙄still. No decs down yet.

So sorry about your friend ED.

I’m ploughing on slowly. Did a couple of hours in boudoir yesterday. Sorting, putting away laundry and vacuumed the rug. Need to dust.
Had dentist and went to Dobbies afterwards for our free coffees and a stoopwafel mmmm. Had a wander. Bought a new mince pie tray. Few groceries.

Made some more cards but I mislaid all the origami bits. Will need to make more. I am planning to post rest of overseas cards today. Then British ones then make local ones.
I am in the market today. I am making tree decorations. I am nearly finished another pram blanket. I am using Aran wool and just plain knitting but making blocks and stripes of blue/ grey/ fawn. Left over wool. Then I am on to bright coloured crocheted blanket squares. Will need to stop to do a couple of home projects and a village one.

Power of 3

🌲1 LOL washed and on radiator before I leave.
🌲Vacuum sitting room.
🌲Remove anything to car that shouldn’t be in the dining room- re Ukraine. Not much but I always find something I have missed or someone drops off a bag.

I cleaned out my Ness summer handbag last night and put it away. The winter one is out now. I have a small, black, everyday bag.

Lovely to hear from people who dropped off for a while. Busy times ahead.

🎄Christmas Ta Das🎄
Ideas for all children, need to purchase. Waiting for a unexpected cheque to clear then I can purchase the three boys presents as DH doesn’t seem to be putting his hand in his pension. I won’t have much left over.
Two presents for friends wrapped.
Secret Santa wrapped.

Ah I need to drop off a present and some biscuits for some gorgeous, young girls in the village. I don’t usually buy them something but saw Nadiya’s Christmas book in Oxfam and looking at it found no good for me but perfect for them.

Anyone making any Nigel Slater’s recipes?

Morning everyone, signing in a day late. Has been a high pain week, and sleeping with the electric blanket on all night hasn’t helped. Yesterday was good despite that though, got lots done at the children’s centre and also got invited on a staff theatre trip despite not actually being staff 🤣

It is the work Christmas lunch today which will be lovely. I don’t really do Christmas jumpers or anything though - so as I needed more work tops I got a green shirt, which paired with a red t-shirt underneath will have to do 🤣

I have made Nigel's light Christmas pudding and reading The Christmas Chronicles but haven't made anything else yet.

🤬 I just tapped the back button and lost my long post!

ED every time I read someone had read the Christmas chronicles, I think of the movie on Netflix! Can you tell me what he wrote about (other than the obvious - Christmas)?

Red it's good to see you drop in, hopefully your connection gets fixed soon.

Perry how did your work Christmas lunch go?

willow those biscuits sounds delicious 😋 I'm hoping you'll share some in the naughty corner?

Has anyone heard anything from zoo lately?

I made the mistake of going into work this morning as I only had a sore throat. I lasted 4 hours out of my usual 10, and should have gone home sooner. I now have body aches, have been shaky on and off, but still no fever. I also had a headache where my head would pound when I spoke or heard the tiniest sound.
I have spent most of my day on the couch watching Christmas movies. Drinking chamomile tea with honey and randomly taking spoonfuls of honey to soothe my throat and supress my cough.
I'm currently in the bath, soaking in Epsom salts, drinking a hot toddy. FIL made turkey soup for me since I'm sick and I've been eating that as well. I'm really not hungry, so I've been forcing myself to eat something. I did call my 2nd job and told them I won't be in tomorrow for my 8 hour shift, so they will find someone to cover for me. I tried to give them time to find someone.

@HazelNuttyElf it is winter generally as well as Christmas. It's in diary form, with entries from mid Nov to sometime in Jan. Part diary, part explaining winter traditions and legends, then recipes at the end of each chapter. There are some podcast excerpts of it if you can access them, just called Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles. Hope you feel better soon.

Yesterday was a really long day but I'm glad I went, I met some lovely people and my friend had a good send off. Still away from home and posting on my phone but will be back tomorrow.