Flying out of summer (what summer?!)

[partypompoms]

Welcome to this long running thread, we may seem clicky, but all are welcome to join in!

Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - it's an excessive amount sent every day.

There are Baby Steps for starting out, add one thing at a time to start good habits and routines.

There are 5 zones that we will rotate through, don't worry about finishing it all this month, it'll come around again next month! Flylady is NOT about perfectionism!

Habit of the month of August is Laundry

Daily missions: each day of the week has a different mission.

• Monday: Home Blessing (or as we call it, home bleugh)
• Tuesday: plan & play
• Wednesday: anti-procrastination
• Thursday: errand day
• Friday: clean car & purse out and date night (what's that again?? 🤔)
• Saturday: family fun day
• Sunday: renew your spirit

Common acronyms we use:

• LOL: load of laundry (washing is certainly NOT funny!)
• DW: dishwasher, we are not rotating wives by any means, although an extra pair of hands could come in handy sometimes 😆
• LMS: lose/lost my shit
• DNLMS: did not lose my shit

I'm sure there's more I haven't mentioned, feel free to ask us to explain something. I'll try to update links every day, although if you can, it's worth downloading the app, you can even have it send you notifications (although I only have it for when the zones change).

I like the app as it has a tick list and I love a list.

Links are below 👇 and I'll tend to post the links the night before ready for the next day.

Launch Pad: www.flylady.net/d/new-links/

Zones: www.flylady.net/d/zones/

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

ta da
Nothing. Just rested. I would love to say this was a nice relaxing refreshing sort of rest but nope just a no choice but to stop and hope tomorrow is different sort of rest. Contemplating taking sick leave for the first time in this job (it’s so flexible that I’ve not needed to in 2 years despite chronic health issues) but that will potentially store up problems for later.

pompoms what does PMDD stand for? Sorry, that might sound stupid, but I can't think of what it might be 😳 is there treatment for it?

Elf yes, quite a bit of damage (a lot in money terms!). It made me laugh with you wiping your car with your sleeve. It's been a minute, but I may have done that before too! 🤣

Interior damage.. this room still looks the same, nothing can be started until the trusses are on the ground 😢 it was my closet/workout room.

We have had fun camping, it's our last night out here. We're local, so doesn't take long to get out here. We have played disc golf on and off all day, I have recorded over 15,000 steps today!
Here's some pics so far..

@DomesticElf I made the ridiculous error or saying no tv early on the day and then I felt I had to stick to it.

@BloomingHazel that fire damage is shocking. The fire happened when I was off the thread for a few months. Can I ask what happened?

PMDD: ( I have to look it up as I can't remember it). Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a very severe form of premenstrual syndrome.

@SingToTheSky take the sick day if you need. Don't plough on.

Morning everyone,

I've heard of it @partypompoms . I really struggle , when I went to the doctors years ago they told me I had 'true pms', I don't think pmdd was very well known. Mine starts around 2 days after ovulating. I get insomnia for a few nights , anxiety, nausea sometimes leads to vomiting in the night, painful cramps , I feel weak, shaky legs when I stand up , struggle to concentrate, even parking the car can be difficult! Then it switches to extreme tiredness once I start my period , around day 3 I start feeling ok again. It can be exhausting, I always liken it to the early days of pregnancy!! It takes over my life some months and I have taken a sick day every now and again when the exhaustion is just too much. I really feel for you , rest up and be kind to yourself ❤️

The reality of your photos is so sad @BloomingHazel, I can understand your devastation and frustration with it all ! I have everything crossed that it all goes ahead of schedule. It must be emotionally draining 💐 glad you enjoyed the camping - you don't have to go far when camping to feel I like you're in another world !

@DomesticElf that's a pretty impressive list ! My dryer is on its last legs - I'm dreading the day it packs up ! I do have a Lakeland heated airer which is handy through the winter months but takes up loads of space !

@DitzyDaffodils the sentimental stuff is hard , take your time and go through them at your own pace . You'll get there .

@HillsBesideTheSea I hope the dust settles quickly and didn't make you feel poorly again 💐

I hope the move to uni went well @InAndOutOfTheRedBalloon ? Has the diagnosis of your DM helped ?

I was so tired yesterday that I did what needed to be done , tried to do more but felt awful (still got my monthlies) so I sat and started making dd2 a scarf that she's requested - still a practical use of time but less energetic! Feeling better this morning , I'm going to concentrate my efforts on upstairs, the bathroom and getting organised for the week ahead . A few PO3's needed .... after my morning coffee, it is Sunday after all 😄

Good morning everyone, was asleep by 10 which is really early for me.

Hazel the damage is so shocking 😞 it’s such an upheaval too, I hope you are being kind to yourselves while it’s all being fixed 💐

A friend has PMDD, she has hormone treatment like HRT I think.

I don’t feel awful this morning so hopefully the worst is over but I am going to be careful while trying to get some bits done as otherwise next week is a mess.

po3.1
❗️Get some work done at my desk
❗️Have breakfast and drink lots of water
❗️Make a phone call

@SingToTheSky , glad your feeling a little better , take it easy and look after yourself 💐 also I'm copying your method today :

po3.1
✅ dry washing folded and taken upstairs
✅ odd socks that were downstairs paired up (took forever , still have odd sock pile though 🤦‍♀️)
✅ conservatory sofa cleared of any other stuff that was on there and hoovered

Morning all! Thanks for the good wishes for DM and the rest of the family. I am hopping mad that I've been querying whether this diagnosis is relevant for some years and everyone medical has told me it can't be, because it's so rare. Oh look! Now it is. It's not treatable, but it is manageable, and as @DomesticElf said having the information is half the battle. I am on a train to London to see DM again as we speak, my Dbro went yesterday and will go tomorrow. The week from Tuesday is under review, depending on what happens medically. My DSis has had to go home, she lives 120 miles away and her job and my niece's job are geographically-specific.

DD got safely off to Uni yesterday, her room is nice, her flatmates seem pleasant and she sent us a picture of her pushpins in her pinboard - they are duck shaped, so all her ducks are in a row 🤦😂. And I only cried a little bit. 18¾ years have gone so fast.

Because I am with DM today, I am leaving The Domestic Stuff to DH. Please think positive House Still Standing When I get Home thoughts for me!

@BloomingHazel those pictures are quite shocking, I hadn't fully realised the extent of the damage. Glad camping has been fun.

Right, change of plan and didn’t even get through the power of three 🙈 but I’ve done two hours of pretty productive work, and drank lots of water, then had toast. But after much debating with myself I kept a lunch date with a friend and our little ones - I cancelled last time because I was unwell over summer, and I am hoping that forcing myself out of the house will help (we are getting a lift there and back so minimal walking therefore shouldn’t make me feel worse 🤞). But it does mean that I don’t have time to sit on hold this morning and I need to gather some bits I wanted to give to friend’s DD - been unceremoniously shoving stuff in a bag during decluttering.

po3.2
❗️Make sure Cagletini gets ready and makes a card as it’s the DD’s birthday next week
❗️Shower and dressed properly
❗️Check stuff for friend’s DD

Getting out to see your friend sounds like a lovely plan @SingToTheSky !

The years do fly by don't they @InAndOutOfTheRedBalloon ! Enjoy your day with DM 💐

Po3.2
✅ breakfast
✅ washed
✅ dressed

Po3.3
✅ 15 mins of tidying bathroom and decluttering cupboard (bin emptied , sanitary wear box refilled, toothbrush heads changed and mouth care box decluttered, throughly cleaned and refilled) still other bits to be decluttered but it can wait until next month
✅ 15 mins of cleaning sink, bath and windowsill
✅ 15 mins of wiping down outside of cupboards, bath panel , toilet , skirting board and floor.

Hopefully home bleurgh in the bathroom should be easier now and will stay manageable until we hit that zone again . It's so hard to leave it and move on but I have so many other things to do that it's a case of good enough is good enough . I'm having a short break to drink some water , watch a bit of my mum your dad and knot a bit more of this scarf . 15 minute timer is set so that I don't go too far off todays tasks !

Po3.4
✅ washing hung out, any dry washing folded and taken upstairs
✅ 15 mins putting ds clothes away , all caught up 😊
✅ 15 mins putting dd2 clothes away, all caught up

After putting the kids clothes away , they are both desperate for decluttering 🙈 that'll have to be a task for another day though because the next set of tasks will be about prepping & cooking a roast dinner and ironing clothes for tomorrow . Every task I do seems to reveal an extra task 😩

I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday !

@Searchingforsunnydays you have just hit the nail on the head with that description. Is it worth going back to the dra again? There are various treatments available and I've started the contraception pill and that seems to help a lot. Its not completely solved it but it's definitely better.

✅hula hoop
✅ lol
✅ dyed hair
✅ made a roast
✅ tie dyed T-shirt for daughters PE kit
✅ part made a pirate hat for Rainbows
✅ got H to clean bathroom
✅ half a home bleurgh
✅ sewing machine making props for toddler group

Going to paint nails now

MONDAY: www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-60&d=1

✅ home bleurgh
✅ zone 4; master bedroom mission:

Your mission for today is to grab a trash bag, set the timer and start tossing anything that is trash. Just toss toss toss. Sometimes we have hidden trash in our bedrooms, things that are disguising themselves as necessary items but really they are trash. Toss those magazines, the junk mail that has been tossed in a pile, the old perfumes that are never worn but still have a place on your dresser, the old clothes that are on the chair that need to be donated or tossed but are still there, empty tissue boxes etc. Toss toss toss!

✅ pamper mission is have a long hot bath at some point this week

Pompoms you are putting a lot of effort into that toddler group, they are lucky to have such an involved leader.
Hazel loving camping photos. Very serene.
Balloon it really does go in a flash. Here is to new stage 🥂

Ta das:
⏲️LOL
⏲️ Dining room clean up
⏲️Usual evening routine
⏲️ Actually LMS at H who did nil of use in the house or with children all day. It's tough when your toddler drops a nap but your husband doesn't.

pompoms the fire was started by our neighbour! It was an accident, of course. He was burning his fire pit to make room for their next BBQ, thought he put it out, and went in to take a nap. Either something flew out or some embers did, catching some of his junk on fire, which was by the fence, which then jumped to our shed 😭 the flames were up in the air at least 30ft, scorching our tree in the back garden as well.

PMDD sounds awful! I'm sorry some of you have to go through that 😞

balloon it helps when it seems DD will be surrounded by good people. I like the ducks too 🦆

On our way home from camping now. It was a nice getaway with beautiful views 😍

@party My gp has never been great with the female stuff unfortunately, I've been to him a few times suggesting a hormone imbalance (the pms symptoms are accompanied by acne / rosacea, bristly hairs on face that I constantly pluck / shave , anxiety & low mood episodes, thinning of hair) but he just brushes it off and tells me to eat well and exercise 🙄 the joys . I probably should bang on the door some more but I just feel like I'm wasting their time . Sounds like you've had a lovely but busy day ! What colour are you going for in your nails ?

Tada
✅ battled with dd2 to do her homework 😩 took well over an hour and numerous melt downs to do 10 mins reading , 10 mins times tables and fill out a form for school, what a nightmare 🤦‍♀️ she has been a little all over the place going back to school .
✅ 30 mins ironing
✅ showered, hair washed and dried
✅ ate a lovely roast dinner cooked by oh
✅ kitchen cleaned
✅ 15 mins on putting clothes away in my room (still more to do 🤦‍♀️)
✅ wash on
✅ quick tidy downstairs.

I am knackered , settling down to make a bit more of dd2s scarf and watch the woman in the wall at 9pm 😊

💐🍷 Elf it sucks when the man of the house decides they don't have to pull their weight because they know we will. I'm sorry 😞

@Searchingforsunnydays can you see a different dr within the practice?

I've gone for an more autumnal shade now or dark green.

@BloomingHazel how absolutely shocking. How are things between you and the neighbour now? Have they been completely apologetic?

Hi everyone, I dropped my new routines on Friday and Saturday - so they are not quite habits yet!

I must have some ta das but I can't think of many:

✅ put some stuff in the loft
✅ tidied living room
✅ decluttered a handful of products (have tons more)

@partypompoms your toddler group sounds immense! And @BloomingHazel wow, I can't imagine the stress.

My DH is away this week so not sure how that is going to impact my progress (good or bad!) but expect to be left exhausted by the kids by the end of the week!

pompoms lovely nails.

Non cleaning question for mums.
There is something my almost 3 year old DS does that sends me to the edge of insanity. It's a me problem, rather than DS problem, and I would love some thoughts on how best to deal with it.

When he falls asleep or generally wants a cuddle, he tends to either gently stroke the inside of my wrist or grab my arm like a toy. This gentle stroking of the inside of my wrist I absolutely can't stand. It's unpleasantly sensitive, and I hate it. No problem with stroking anywhere else. But he is absolutely insistent on my wrist. I recognise it's a soothing thing, but it drives me up the wall.

Another soothing behaviour is him holding my arm hostage. Usually won't be a problem, however typically I am holding a breastfeeding baby with my other arm, and that leaves me no arms 😂 it absolutely triggers me beyond what's reasonable. I usually end up taking my hand away rather quickly and DS is left perplexed and then sulky.

I don't want to take away his preferred soothing things, but on the other hand, both things just press some unknown button.
Do I just keep explaining that mummy doesn't like it and hope he will move on to normal cuddles, or do I try and put up with it somehow?

ta da
☔️LOL1 (DH put it in dryer)
☔️work
☔️talked about next week with DH
☔️sorted out some of Cagletini’s old toys and books for friends’ 4yo
☔️went to lunch with friends
☔️more work
☔️LOL2
☔️home ed planning (still quite a lot but definitely quicker than last week)
☔️hung up LOL2

Not too bad a day really but I definitely don’t feel as rested as I hoped! However next week’s schedule looks ok and I don’t now feel like needing actual sick leave will be necessary as long as I’m careful next week. 🤞

Elf I would try explaining to him that you don't like it, and can you try this toy/ blanket instead? I get that it soothes him, but it shouldn't be at your expense and make you feel uncomfortable.

derry Hopefully this week isn't too awful for you without DH. It's okay if you end each day with "everyone fed, no one dead"

pompoms nice nails!
Everything is okay with the neighbour. He did get burned, trying to put the fire out with a hose. He does feel awful for what happened and we have no bad feelings towards him. It's just frustrating that he has minimal damage (fence and hot tub got destroyed) while we have a whole upheaval and restoration. We are going to upgrade our fence all the way to the end of the garden (not just replace what burned) and will give him the fence panels at the end of the garden that will be replaced, so he can rebuild his fence.

Ta Das:
🌻 unloaded camper
🌻 almost everything put away
🌻 showered (included 10 seconds of cold at the end, brrrr), moisturised and in comfy clothes
🌻 watered outside plants

I need to do my nails too, both toes and fingers!

Ah elf that’s really tricky. Somehow little ones are remarkably talented at finding the one behaviour that drives us up the freaking wall 😩

Any chance wearing something tight on your wrist like a sweatband would help? He might still like the sensory input from it but it’s not direct on your skin?

@DomesticElf can you direct him / encourage him to stroke another area - just move his hand to somewhere which you hate less? Or give him another part of your body to hold hostage?! We had similar with my 5 year old when she was smaller - she used to want to pinch my boob whilst falling asleep! I got her pinching a soft bit of arm which was marginally preferential.