Fledglings January 2023: the one without an interesting title

[CurseYouPerryThePlatypus]

Hello everyone, it’s that lovely time of year when we all aim at a fresh start! Welcome back to our regulars, and if you are new or returning, a huge welcome to you as well! Please feel free to post or lurk, whatever helps you most.

So, Flylady. That mysterious system that promises a lovely clean house! This link is a good place to read about the basic principles, but we strongly recommend ignoring the first bit - do not sign up for emails as you’ll be inundated!

www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/

If you’re new to the system, or are wanting a refresher course, the baby steps may be a good idea. Some are more useful than others, we’ve found, and stuff like affirmations may not work for you, so pick and choose what you want to try. You don’t have to do it all! Perfectionism can be left at the door, we celebrate any achievement here no matter how small it seems (this is why you’ll see our Ta Da lists as well as To Do lists!).

www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

There are parts of the house called zones, each taking a different part of the month, and missions in those zones to do little tasks we may have neglected. If you don’t feel ready for those though, a good way to start is doing 15 minutes decluttering in that zone! Remember it didn’t get messy in a day so it won’t be fixed in a day either. Slow and steady.

Then there’s the daily focus - each day of the week has a theme, although many of us switch them around to suit our own lives.

Each day I’ll provide the link to the launch pad, which is where you can see what is meant to be done that day (but again don’t feel you have to do all of it! That way lies burnout!).

A couple of principles we talk about on here are:
Future Friend - the idea of doing something today that benefits you later, such as choosing your clothes or making your lunch the night before.
Power of Three (po3) - if you’re overwhelmed, just pick three easy tasks - no matter how small - and forget about the rest until they’re done. Then reassess and decide another three.

Finally a few acronyms:
DW - dishwasher, not dear wife!
LOL - load of laundry, we aren’t finding washing hilarious
WM - washing machine
TD - tumble dryer

Out of must do list, I did the load of towels, got the recycling trolley back in (lots of steps here), and heaved more stuff out of understairs cupboard.

Being doubled over at the back of the cupboard was more tiring than anticipated. Less sorting and tidying got done than anticipated. I moved over to try to do list.

All the socks now paired, with small number of odds waiting for partners. Some of the miscellaneous hotspot items were put where they belong.

Today's must dos :-
Change and launder one bed.

Massive load of socks and pants, overlooked in futility room during colds/flu before holiday.

Put away yesterday's delivery.

Try to do :-
Continue with cupboard and storage tubs.

Yesterday didnt go to plan at all.

Christmas decorations are still in the lounge - because people
played phone tag with a person from ds' college.

Yesterday's ta da
glasses ordered
ds' meds collected
small press closed food bag acquired
frustration, hanging about and general chaos.
constructed shopping list

Today's to do list
study
ds to college
actually speak to college person
deal with laundry that got forgotten in the machine
get out for a walk because so much stress going on here that it will help.
find an extra 48hrs in the day.

🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹

Wednesday 4th January

It is Wednesday, so that means anti procrastination! Do something you’ve been putting off

Today’s mission is to clear the entry way of coats etc.

Remember to shine your sink and declutter in zone 1! But if you’re like me and missed a day, don’t feel you have to catch up by doing half an hour. Flylady doesn’t work that way. Just jump in where you are!

Baby step #4 is, shall we say, a less popular one.

www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-4/

Here’s the launch pad:

www.flylady.net/c/lp.php

🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹

I do often crave a time turner like hermione grainger tbh.

Feeling very unmotivated and sore today, haven’t got up yet despite waking naturally over an hour ago. Need a power of three to get me going.

po3.1
❗️Shower and dressed
❗️Meds and a cuppa (I don’t drink tea much but am craving it lately… maybe I’ve finally grown into it like my dad said I would 🤣)
❗️Get set up for meeting at 10

Fingers crossed. Lost second post the other day.

Everyone seems busy. Welcome to newbies. Don’t fret if you don’t get something done.

Hills

How can I lose most of the post. Bloody wi fi cut out again upstairs. All post was on came downstairs and connection fired up so I quickly post only for that piddly amount to show argh runs into the night.

😡🤐Bloody wiFi.

So DH is out finding fallen branches -free wood- so it means i can nip on here while i have a belated coffee break as like Perry I was snuggled in my bed later than I should/wanted to be. Back to school here and I don't have to go😁or be up!
Now forgotten all my personals I posted .
Hills was about the glasses, glad he has new prescription on its way.

So Yesterday I went to Dunelm (good sale) to buy some Velcro for door curtain as it is too thin and draught still getting through.Bought some thermal, thick stuff off Market holder just before Christmas so after a bit of difficulty and DH having to take down curtain and me stick Velcro inside two fabrics and on the thermal it has worked so far. Good and wide so it should take weight and no draught now. Did mutter about 'get what you pay for' as DH wasn't wanting me to buy the curtain I wanted which would have been thicker in the first place and better made. No straight seems in sight. It hangs better too because of the extra weight, Brownie point for me.😂
I am ignoring Flylady and still in the Boudoir most of the time trying to wade through baskets of random crap. I put sheets away yesterday which is difficult as trunk in front of wardrobe door. Done now and put away a basket of laundry. So most of the room is done. Top of wardrobes dusted and chest of drawer tops.
X Front door needs wiped and glass cleaned but will now leave until tomorrow when wreath down and it is about to rain again. Dirty great cloud.Steel grey!
🙆Stairs and hall vacuumed. Bottom of stairs has stayed tidy and table dusted. Planning to put changing items on it. It has a Mark Herald card of birds at present. They open out into three so appear a bit 3 D. DD's Chinese Lion is there too and it is a great place for him.
🙆Coats sorted and DH actually took some of his upstairs. I removed my good jacket and my leather handbag which shouldn't be there because the radiator is under the original board & hooks.It was covered by Dh's coats.

I also gave the kitchen window sill a good cleaned and wiped or washed plant pots, polished worktop and put hand soap etc back. Looks better. DD's Prayer Plant is looking like it might survive after me re potting it. I chopped it right back and new growth is showing, yeah!

ED gave the Everhot hotplate surround a good clean and all the lids etc cleaned and polished. The shelves don't fit in the new dishwasher and DH still hasn't taken them to DS2 even thought he has been twice...argh! Lemon juice the hot plate and polished the induction and front as she has worked hard over the hols. Made slow cooked topside beef last night ready for today and we have half a duck to cook too. Butcher's bargains on New Year's Eve😃

Sink has been cleaned and shined but I am not dressed to shoes.My UGGS are my indoor shoes as this is a stone cottage and they keep my feet warm.

I am finding that I have a bit more energy since stopping the market and hope it is channelled into getting some of the clutter out. I am still knitting for them and collecting ( last night ) and will help with some packing. Our first van of presents arrived safely and was given to children who have lost a parent or orphaned in the war. We have a little video of them receiving them from St. Nicholas.😍
Cherry Waves

@Redsquirrel5 that sounds absolutely awe inspiring!

❄️ family day out to farm
❄️ 3 lols
❄️ cleaned main bathroom thoroughly
❄️ decluttered 2 items
❄️ zero spend on stuff. Paid for farm entry but took flask and picnic and no gift shop tat.
❄️ evening PO3

Will do: sink shine and also definitely doing food shopping list tonight as forgot last night

I should say that doing my teeth earlier in the evening, when the kids have gone to bed seems to stop my evening snacking!!! Hope that continues.

ta da
🤯shower
🤯external meeting
🤯phonics reading book with Cagletini
🤯insanely long and mind frazzling project planning meeting
🤯proper lunch
🤯maths with DS
🤯added up today’s work hours and made a note (I need to keep doing this until it’s habit - we no longer have time sheets and I’m struggling to adapt!)
🤯made list of things I need to anti procrastinate 🤣

That was it. Today is very very not good in terms of pain/energy so unfortunately I just need to go with it. Apologies for lack of personals, need to sleep!

I was quite useless with the anti procrastinating stuff today. Must be something in the air, like many of you I struggled to do anything much today. I really like that FlyLady makes us do a Control Journal, it's very useful on the days when I wake up but my brain stays asleep.

Oooh I love a farm Pompoms

So sweet about the Christmas presents for Ukraine Red

Ta-da's:

💥 Morning routine
💥 Took in delivery, unpacked and put away
💥 Kept on top of the life admin
💥 Took a quick walk before bed
💥 Read half a Christmas magazine
💥 Decluttered some mostly dead flowers before they reached the mouldy stage
💥 Decluttered the fridge of soon-to-go-off items and ate them for tea
💥 Evening routine

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Thursday 5th January

It is Thursday, which means Errand Day. Again, this may not actually fit with your own life, but the general idea of fitting in all errands efficiently is a good one!

Remember to shine your sink and declutter in zone 1! The mission is getting rid of any remaining outside decorations (if you want to of course).

Baby step #5 is another not so popular one although I appreciate the principle.

www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-5/

Here’s the launch pad:

www.flylady.net/c/lp.php

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Can be very tricky to find motivation at this time of year ditzy 😩

I have no meetings today, but a vast and overwhelming to do list. Going to try and get as much done as possible in 2 hours I think, then I can go to gymnastics with Cagletini and see friends there.

Yesterday - Did the required lol.

Front hall from door to bottom of stairs is now tidy. Small occasional table now fits at end of settee and will be very useful.

Found some cans and bottles in understairs cupboard, now in kichen where they belong. Toilet roll stash was unearthed and moved to where it will be used.

Dragged more stuff out of that cuoboard. It belongs in the diy corner of the kitchen. Must put it there today.

So basically today will be more laundry and lots of tidying. Wish I could get past this to the desperately needed declutter.

I'm only buying the minimum necessary, which should reduce the piles gradually and make routines easier.

Wow Willow that makes me feel tired reading it. Hope you plan a bit of time for yourself.
DS1- don't know if they are still available but there used to be lots of smaller businesses and charities that gave out bursaries and grants. Several large books in the library when I was at college😳30 yrs ago. they weren't know about really but if you ask there maybe some still.Worth trying for.I didn't get one but I think a couple of the young ones did.DD wouldn't apply for one through her school then the same year one of the rich farmers kid applied and got a substanial handout. It is a small, ancient group. I did send her his photo! A TOLD You So mum's remark in pictures.

POMPOM I have never been told that before! Was it about the Velcro curtain lining. It has worked. Still up and blocked all draft last night. I am think i might put a strip over the letterbox with a bit of the offcut of thermal hanging down as the brass bit keeps getting knocked off by the postie if we have a parcel or a wad of letters etc.

Perry Could you make your own time sheet as once you find an easy way to keep track it is annoying to have to change then you could transfer it over. I hated filling them in as we had to include minutes.

Also not feeling quite as productive today but I am chipping away at it.

TA DA
Hall
Wiped down inside of door and cleaned glass. Need to go and rescue door wreath between showers. I am thinking I will make another and put Ukraine ribbons and some doves. In Kiev they decorated their whole Christmas Tree with doves of peace.It was truly beautiful.
Vacuumed and polished table.

Sitting Room
Vacuumed
Need to put fresh cushion covers on cushions I never got the Christmas ones out.

Dining Room
Vacuumed

Kitchen
Vacuumed, wiped worktops.
Gave stove top a good wipe as already had some marks on SS surround.
Wiped table

Boudoir
Made bed
Picked up some clothes and put in wash basket(missed last night).
Started sorting another BRC and emptied it 👋Need to find homes for stuff now on bed from another basket.

Made Mushroom soup from left over fresh field mushrooms, pack of Shitake and pack of some others. Vegetable stock, thyme, seasoning and some oat milk. Made yesterday and ate some today. Delicious. Had with left over pate on toast.
Slow cooked beef leftovers tonight.The duck DH bought was off.Stinking. He will not learn.I wanted two small chicken breasts that day.I will be telling the butcher though as it was dated till today.

Need to go and take the tree down.I have been putting it off as it looks so pretty and i put extras up in the kitchen this year as we were eating in there and it looks lovely.Will be leaving the swag and the robins on top of the dresser though. I might add in the snow flakes I made in a one off pottery class before Christmas. The reindeers may stay up too.
Our Christmas Cake was cut yesterday.DH response...it is too sweet(re icing) I could have thrown it at him. I put hours of work into it.I cut the icing off his today and the marzipan which he does like.

I am seriously impressed with all ta da lists. It was a pointy stick I needed 😬

Ta das:

• Zone 1 decluttered and cleaned
• all hot spots put out
• 2 LOLs
• Soup batch cooked

First day back to work went reasonably well. Long may it last.

Stinking duck Red 🤢 eww

You'll get there with the excess piles of things Weegie

I'm also getting back to normal food Willow ie dinners containing vegetables and not made primarily of chocolate! I'm extending the Christmas feeling with rosemary crackers and caramelised onion cheddar cheese for tonight's tea, tastes like stuffing

Hope you managed to make a dent in the to-do list Perry

Ta-da's:

🧚 Moved stuff that didn't belong there out of boxes, found suitable homes for it all
🧚 Put things that did belong there into their boxes and moved boxes to a more convenient place
🧚 Cleaned Christmas tree corner
🧚 Moved things that should be in the hallway into the hallway
Decluttered

My living room is looking a lot better now.

Forgot to add, I had a successful No Spend day today. I think I need more of those.

ta da

👊2.5hrs work. Felt like I achieved very little but I know I got a fair few bits from the to do list done really.
👊shower
👊went with friend to home ed gymnastics, DS came along too as some other siblings go and they all play for an hour. When I expressed surprise at the fact he was ready to go, he said “well I AM a bit of an extrovert you know” 🤣
👊DLMS*
👊vaguely Future Friended by deciding what I’m wearing tomorrow and charging laptop
👊put Cagletini to bed
👊made a note of work hours for today

*for newbies, this is the staggering achievement “didn’t lose my shit” when faced with annoying/testing circumstances offspring, partners, pets etc

Other than that my main achievements have been in a magical kingdom-building game TBH 😳🤣 screw reality!!!

Anyway best go to bed as I’m up early for a school visit tomorrow.

@DitzyBluebells I've never bothered with the control journal. What's it for?

@GreenWillowAndFairyLights great impressive lists! I'm a bit jealous your dog gets its nails done and I don't.

I'm up as baby has come into our bed and now I'm wide awake.

❄️lol
❄️ evening po3
❄️ big food shop
❄️ two errands
❄️ wreath had fallen off the door itself overnight so it obviously knew the fly lady mission. So that's gone away.
❄️ Christmas crockery away
❄️ took kids to respective friends houses for play dates.
❄️ decluttered two items. I'm aiming for at least one a day.

Definitely not a zero spend day but I only bought things on my list

I know Fridays are clean the car day and ours is revolting so must do that and also we are taking the Christmas tree down which has never lasted to the 6th before but schools are still off here.

Pompoms the control journal is your own personal file of all the shit you need to do but never remember or get distracted from. So the things that make up your morning, afternoon or evening routine, the special focus for the day of the week and each month, your shopping basics that you constantly keep in stock, basic recepies, your list of tasks for the home blessings and deeper cleans, your ongoing major to-do list, regular house maintenance etc. As well as family stuff like birthdays, repeat prescriptions, extra curricular activities etc to keep track of. If you're the kind of person who gets into a routine easily and stays there that's great but a lot of people doing FlyLady are the disorganised distracted procrastinating kind of people who can just about keep track of what day it is and sometimes not even that! . The control journal keeps you on track when you're struggling. You build it up gradually by following the baby steps and tasks on the FlyLady Launch Pad. I've made my own as each page cropped up but I think she sells one ready made for you to fill in. I guess a lot of people might have their control journal on their phone these days, but I think I read somewhere it's supposed to be accessible to other family members in case of emergencies, so the rest of the family could keep the house and family life running smoothly in your absence

@DitzyBluebells thanks so much for that comprehensive answer. Why are you up at this time?

I feel like the control journal could be a thing of great beauty. I'm imagining a gorgeous and generously sized notepad.

Pompoms I'm an insomniac. Mine is a pile of loose sheets of coloured paper and card (to make it easier to go instantly to the right page) in a plastic cover. A notebook would do just as well though. You could get really creative with it.

I have never managed to get far with making one of those! 😳 I do want to gradually increase the amount of routines etc but it’s slow going in this house.

I didn’t get to sleep for a while after posting so I’m still tired, but awake for work.

po3.1
❗️Up/meds/breakfast/caffeine
❗️Shower and dressed
❗️Pack bag