Summer holidays are coming, fledglings flying into the fun.

[HillsBesideTheSea]

Welcome to a long running chatty thread. We love new faces so feel free to join us as we attempt to tame the chaos and building routines using the fly lady system.

We have a few words and phrases that we use that might not make sense, just ask and someone will explain. I'd like to explain but the brain noped hard and i can't think of any

a few rules cos i like rules
🍄you are never behind. Jump in where you are with what needs doing because everything comes around again

🍄you can't clean clutter. lets be honest you can but it is going to take 50 times as long to get the basics done and you might loose the will to continue in the process. So that pile of paperwork that needs dealing with, yeah we all have one. Deal with it don't ignore it.

🍄be kind to yourself. chaos does not happen in one day unless you decide to knock down a wall but that's a different kind of chaos so it is going to take more than one day to get rid of it. Also habits take time to build and reinforce.

So tomo we start with the baby steps and you can find the information about it here

In case the links go awry the launch pad which is a good place for starting to explore the system more can be found here

Saturday is family fun day so do something fun with the family.
You can define what fun means to you and your family. It doesn't have to be big and flashy, ie could just be watching a film together.

1 dose in and i feel well enough to have stuck a load of washing on despite a terrible terrible night's sleep. Not sure how long this med induced activity ability will last, but going to try to make the most of it and do the following:

Deal with the HMRC/WPD mess
get the DW loaded and run
wash the grill pans and slow cookers
get a slow cooked chicken noodle soup on to cook for tea
Ring family

Perry I hope Dad's interview went well. Does she know the outcome already?
What are your plans re decorations?
Hazel it's a pity re visitors, especially your mum and brothers, but as you say, sometimes these things can't be helped. My mother never visited me at my house since I moved away aged 16 (she came to 2 out of 3 of my graduations, and my wedding). But we have a very different relationship to what you have with your mum by the sounds of it!
<She is visiting next weekend and it's already giving me palpitations 😬>
Cherry how did vet's visit go? Hopefully you didn't have to hang around the whole day waiting.
Hills that's a promising start on the meds. May it be the beginning of an upward trend.

Ta das:
🐟Fishtank maintenance X3
🐟Indoor plants dusted
🐟IPL-ed all the bits I could reach 😂
🐟Haircut attended
🐟LOLx2
🐟Dinner sorted

Perry that's the autocorrect being ridiculous. I meant DD's (not Dad's!).

Elf we have a good relationship so it does make it harder. It has helped that we video chat a couple times a week. I know her health conditions are part of why she hasn't come over, but I think she's also scared as she's never flown before. I hope your visit goes well with your mum.
hills hopefully the meds continue to work for you, just don't overdo it!

Ta Das:
🧚‍♀️ made myself coffee while DH was talking to project manager/ contractor
🧚‍♀️ LOLs x5, including towels and blankets from couch in living room 😇
🧚‍♀️ bleached both bathrooms
🧚‍♀️ bleached grout on floor in bathrooms
🧚‍♀️ vacuumed main floor & stairs
🧚‍♀️ mopped kitchen & dining room floor
🧚‍♀️ cleaned ceiling fan in master bedroom
🧚‍♀️ took in textiles from the team
🧚‍♀️ started to put away some of the clothes, some away in totes during construction, some stayed in boxes, some went in drawers
🧚‍♀️ cleaned under kitchen sink

We are currently on our way to the next big town to buy some RV batteries for our camper, ours needs replacing. We will eat dinner there also. I'm so tired though, I would rather be home, but DH insisted that we head out to get that now!
🍒👋

Morning 🌄 everyone 👋
Vet visit was efficient, he rang to give me a time and he was spot on.
@HillsBesideTheSea hope the new meds continue working and you're on the mend now.
I've woken up feeling loads better, since our spat at the weekend I've been so exhausted I've been on a 2 day carb fest, but I got a handle on it yesterday and feel so much better for it.
Hospital this morning, I've already said I'm not having any more steroid injections (and as I'm driving myself I can't have one anyway).
My surgeon himself has been brilliant, his injections are pretty painless. He's been talking about operating again to see if there's a nerve impingement, but the last 2 times I've seen one of his team and the injection was so painful I fainted!
ToDo
My shower drain was a bit clogged so yesterday I poured drain unblocker down it, so will give the shower a good clean.
If any of my old "no point only doing the shower and not all the rest" thoughts pop up I'll quash those. Or clean the whole room 😁

Elf thanks she felt it went quite well, doesn’t know outcome yet as there are more applicants to be seen! So proud she got through it though, bless her she was so nervous.

Decorating wise it’s a big task to paint all the walls, ceilings and woodwork, and we have flooring to put down as both rooms still have the yucky carpet from when we moved in. We are not a family with the energy to overhaul a room in a few days, we have so many issues to work around and I have no clue how we will fit it in to the next 5-6 weeks TBH! We started the bigger room a few weeks ago but didn’t get very far before work etc took over.

I only just woke up because the Tesco driver rang, thankfully the others are downstairs to get the shopping in!

Finally read this month’s thread earlier today. Having a very lazy day, in a bit of a fibro/CFS flare post-holiday which was inevitable really but worth it, both for the memories and the “I can do this on my own” confidence boost.

Feeling a bit blah for various reasons mainly that marriage is Bloody Hard Work currently and trying to conserve energy for a busy couple of days ahead! Although tomorrow may be called off due to weather.

Hazel you’re doing amazingly well powering through all the tasks post-fire! That’s such a shame about your family not visiting even though it’s for valid reasons I’d happily pretend to be your sister and visit, just saying…😁

Hope various unwell fledglings are on the mend!

Hmm. I have no excuse not to at least do some laundry really so I’m going to put a LOL in.

Perry come visit! No need to be my sister to have an invite, although it's a bit of a mad house at the moment 😂
Sorry to hear things with DH aren't going so smoothly for you, I do hope things improve.

I have a massage booked for next week, so desperately needed 😩
No ta das, at work today, although I am making progress work wise, which is good!

Perry well done to your DD.
Sounds like you have a plan for the redecorations. Pace yourself, no need to push through things only to keel over later.

YesTaDas:
🐝washed living room throws
🐝Washed more bedroom pillows
🐝LOLx1

Let's see what today brings.

YesTaDas: (after work)
🌳 washed Jeep
🌳 pulled weeds
🌳 trimmed tree
🌳 put blankets back on the couch

I plan to not really do anything today after work, so probably no ta das from me today. Well, I take that back! I plan on taking a shower early, body scrub, shave, so I can apply my self tanner. Then do nothing, other than figure out pricing for things we lost in the shed. I need to make it an early night also, I'm dragging today, I'm so tired 😴

Hazel sounds like you and me had a similar idea re housework today 😬 The only thing I did was rotate DW and usual nursery run. Then I spent the day moving between sofa and bed, binge watching Netflix.

Got my section date for Wednesday next week, so I'm planning to hibernate until then, maybe will try to get ahead on few zone cleaning.. then the chaos ensues 😂

Morning 🌄 everyone 👋
Hope everyone is well.
Before I went out to sort the horses yesterday I covered the shower in limescale remover (and said a quick prayer asking for the energy to clean it when I got back 😅). We've got really hard water, plus my (non rust) shower caddies have rusted really badly, and it was pretty grim.
It's all shiny now, apart from the bits I couldn't get to behind the caddies, which I couldn't get off the walls. I can't remember if they're stuck on or screwed in. Anyone got any recommendations for genuinely non rust caddies?

I've even polished the glass with window cleaner.
I did clean the rest of my bathroom too.
3 LOLs, a lightening quick whiz with the hoover upstairs while I had it out, and that was me knackered!
I'm now on the list for my (3rd) hand surgery, it's only minor this time, but I want to make sure everything is fly lady'd to the hilt beforehand.

Elf oooh, that's so exciting! Definitely get some rest in between now and then, you have a good plan!
Cherry is it going to be much of a wait for your surgery?

@BloomingHazel I have no idea, hopefully soon though.

DP has just gone up for a shower, he's under very strict instructions to squeegee thoroughly and use the shower spray stuff. He just looked at me like > 🥱
😁

Cherry he better not miss the squidgy!
Hazel quick question re gel nails. I am in two minds whether to get my feet done before section, I just want to feel I am starting the chaos by being polished 🤣 My only reservation is that I will need to take it off at some point as I would imagine it won't look as good as the time passes. How long does gel pedi usually lasts? I don't want weird looking feet 2 weeks in just because I can't make it to the salon to remove it 😬

Ta das:
☕Bag cleaned out
☕Kitchen wiped, DW rotated
☕LOLx2 - weather was perfect for drying outside, so all folded and put away already.

@DomesticElf I'm impressed that you're thinking about your feet at a time like this! I looked like a bag lady when I was pregnant 😄
I heard DP squeegying furiously, but he didn't bother with a bath mat, I don't think he knows where they live 🙃

No particular ToDo's for me, just a cleaning frenzy for the weekend, my daughter's child care has fallen through for the foreseeable and I'm travelling down on Monday to help her out.

Elf they do last a long time, 2-3 weeks, they do last longer usually, but are really starting to outgrow at that point. If I was you, I would get them done, have a really nice pamper session! You get to soak your feet, they usually scrub them to make them soft and smooth and moisturise them afterwards 😍

Cherry men are a different breed! At least he tried!

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do the first part of the day. I do know that we are going to go to the big city this afternoon/evening with ILs (they are wanting to buy a new-to-them camper and want our input). It'll probably be a late night as we'll have to eat dinner there too.
DS is going boating with a friend and DH is working this morning, so I'll have the house to myself for a few hours! bliss
I do know I'll need to cook some hard boiled eggs this morning, we currently have close to 50 eggs in the house, all farm fresh, a lot were given to us. We eat a lot of eggs, but even that's a lot for us! Plus MIL has another 18 for us too 🤦‍♀️

🍒👋 to everyone

Thanks Hazel. Enjoy the blissful solitude of your house today 😊
And that's a lot of eggs. What are you going to do with them? Lots of cakes and fritattas come to mind..

Cherry that's very kind of you to help out your DD like that.

Ta das:
💃LOLx2
💃Washing machine cleaning cycle
💃Endless DW rotation and kitchen wiping between bouts of cooking
💃All loos cleaned
💃Sink unblocked liquid into all plugholes overnight prophylactically
💃Quick hoover around of high traffic areas
💃Spot cleaning sofa. I should really put some sort of throw on it..

🍒👋

Hi Everyone, I have finally caught up with the thread- omg so much has happened here! I have been wondering for ages how you all are keeping!

Elf- cant believe you are so close to your due date! I remember when you had Mctoddler!
Hazel- i am sorry to hear you had a fire but so glad to read your son was safe.
Pompoms, hills, perry - hope you are feeling better.
Ed- Nice you are putting stuff back.
Red- bet your garden looks lovely.
Cherry- so lovely you are helping your dd out.
Sorry if I have forgotton anyone. I have been awol due to work. I Love working and have be noted for my high quality pastoral/teaching ability (I want to say to the school - "I am an outstanding graded teacher - duh!") i have loved making new friends. Its been great to get out of the house and to earn my own money again. I feel equal to Dh now I earn again.
I have decluttered the kitchen and sitting room. They have been huge projects and have taken weeks and weeks. I want to be out having fun - not cleaning clutter.
Perimenopause means I dont tolerate shit from Dh. I am on a mission to declutter the whole house.
I want to be in the countryside and walk, chill and be happy. I have been wearing my lindy bop dresses all this week 😂.
We had a holiday at the seaside- which was nice but its abit wearing being with a moody Dh. I did LMS at him when he picked a fight. He has never seen that side of me and I think he will think twice about before entering a arguement. I feel like all my family relationships are on the rocks- I wonder if its perimenopause.
Cant sleep- in the morning I have to be ready to take my fraggles to a farm park tomorrow- oh blissful countryside! My fraggles are doing well and are funny, they make me laugh! They have been a great help in tidying - I reward with pokemon trading cards 🤣. Sorry for the long post!
🍒👋everyone!

Hi @Dancingtomusic , what is LMS? I have a moody DP and need a good technique for dealing with him 😁
On the subject of OHs, do any of you have one that's on board with FlyLady or any form of tidying and cleaning?
Mine is tidy, but his housework is confined to wiping down the sides after cooking, the dishwasher, and putting out the recycling. All of which I take turns in doing.

He does his own laundry, sometimes I'll do some of his, although he complained last week that I didn't put enough fabcon in, and yesterday that I'd put it on too short a wash. So I won't be doing that again. The only time he's ever done my laundry was after I'd had my hernia surgery and only had a few clothes that I could wear, and I had to specifically ask him for help.
Yesterday I blitzed the bath/feed/dog room, whilst washing dog beds and door mats, and he walked over the clean, still damp floor with muddy boots. Because the doormat wasn't there. We have stone and tiled floors downstairs, so he thinks it's fine because they're easy to sweep, but he's not doing the sweeping.
Today's ToDo's
Normal daily (animal) routines.
Buy horse and dog food.
Dead head and feed my pot plants.
However many LOLs so I don't have a meltdown packing because something I need is dirty 😁
Strip bed so mattress can air while I'm away.
Hope everyone has a lovely day, whatever you're doing!

Elf I plan on cooking hard boiled eggs, turning some of them into deviled eggs. I will cook some up as egg muffins (in a muffin tin with veggies, bacon & cheese) so I can freeze some - they are great for camping! I'll cook some omelets, we've already had some fried as a breakfast for dinner. I think this is what I'm going to do today, meal prep and take care of the eggs!
Did your sink unblocker work for you?

dancing so good to see you on here again! I don't know about being peri, but I know I'm also less likely to put up with DH being grumpy in the last few months. I put it down to getting older and maybe stress

Cherry LMS means Lost/Lose My Shit & DNLMS means Did Not Lose My Shit.
My DH is pretty helpful, although it's mostly him telling DS to do stuff around the house (cleaning wise) 🙄 he will help rinse dishes if I've been cooking for a while and made a mess, take rubbish outside & has vacuumed once or twice 😄 he's good at cooking on the smoker and I've been adding a lot of those kinds of foods on our meal plan for the week as it helps give me a break (he does enjoy it though, too). I just take care of the side dishes those nights.
He's really good at home maintenance and vehicle maintenance so it ends up being a really good balance for us.

Sorry that post was so long!
Cherry when I looked back at your post quickly I saw "horse head" so it threw me off and had to reread it 😂

To Dos:
🐳 meal plan (need to get DS to figure out what meal he wants to cook this week)
🐳 grocery shopping (there's going to be a lot to get as I didn't go last week!)
🐳 meal prep
🐳 video chat with Mum
🐳 get in the pool with DH & DS
🐳 clean yoga mat
🐳 do some yoga
🐳 get to bed earlier tonight

I've just had both cups of coffee this morning, everyone else is still sleeping! I've been awake for over an hour, thanks to Coco 🐶 it's almost 8:30am here. I'm enjoying the peaceful house 🤫

@BloomingHazel I LMS on a regular basis but to no avail, he may wake up with a horse's head in his bed if he doesn't shape up. And if the barsteward horses don't stop breaking through the fencing 😄
TBF he does help me a lot with the horses, takes the water to the field, empties the muck trailer and fetches hay so I shouldn't complain. And does the mechanic stuff if I nag him enough.

Hazel it sounds like you do have a very good balance.
I usually try to remember to use sink unblocker in all plug holes about every 2 months or so, to prevent any blockages. It has been working well so far. The only time I had to deal with a truly blocked bathroom sink is when I had D&V recently and didn't make it to the loo (with a bout of V). It was so gross.. that's when I discovered Venturi effect generated by flushing the loo which significantly helps in clearing sink blockages, unless there is some creative non standard bathroom plumbing.

Dancing so good to see you! Very happy to read you are enjoying your job and fraggles are doing well. Decluttering is key. Since moving house and hiring a skip, it is so much easier to clean the house.

Cherry my DH is absolutely useless in cleaning department. My 2 year old is better at placing rubbish in the bin than he is. For me it's always an uphill battle. He cooks though (usually weekend dinners).

I didn't really do any housework today, other than usual kitchen tidy up.

Dancing I'll bet it's because they don't like the new, happier, more confident, less people pleasing version of you. Every time I was feeling on top of the world my ex would pick a fight with me, took me years to realise the pattern

Hazel there's nothing quite like having the house to yourself is there

Cherry yes I have a house-trained one 🙋. After my ex I vowed there'd be no more smokers, drinkers, snorers and messy dirty bastards who "can't see what needs doing, it all looks fine" whilst they wallow in the midst of a shit pit because they've "been at work all day" or "it's the weekend". Like nobody else in the history of the world has ever had to use their downtime to clean, tidy, do life admin and repairs. Nope, this time I got me a fully fledged human being who comes home with things like loo roll and food that's made of food - not chemicals and sweepings off the floor - knows what detergent is for and gets washed every single day. I can't cope with the other kind, they make me want to punch things...mostly them

My decluttering is going well. I'm doing it in fits and starts but things leave the home each week. I can't see any real difference except things are looking generally tidier. Keep watching decluttering videos on YouTube to get me into the mindset