October Flying - lets get those Fledgling nests cosy

[EfficientlyDecluttering]

Welcome to this long running thread, a lot of posters have been here a long time but all newbies and returners are very welcome, do join us!

Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - there are too many of them.

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

There are 5 zones in the house 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! You may need to adjust the zones to suit your house.

Habit of the month of October is paper clutter http://www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/october/

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 (which can be anything you make it, night in, night with friends, actual dates are not always going to happen)
• Saturday: family fun day
• Sunday: renew your spirit - again whatever you make of it, but it is time just for you.

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 will try and update the links every day, but they do update automatically on the website so you can just click on the ones in this post.

Apparently the app is very useful too, I am going to try that this month, I know some are already using it.

Links are below 👇

Launch Pad : http://www.flylady.net/c/lp.php - this is the main hub of Flylady, you can find links to most of the useful info here, including the Daily Flight Plan.

Direct Link to Flight Plan here http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-60

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

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

Of course knitting is a dark art. You wiggle 2 sticks around whilst muttering magic works like k2tog, slpsso, brk, brp, etc and you end up with a thing. Totally a dark art

Well urm i still have one of my earlier power of three but i have:

ta da
cleaned my car out
taken the recycling out
create a few more shopping bags of files/books
gathered small stuff in a box for storage
remove pictures off the wall and clean them
get the dw on

next up po3:
drop food service for the poorly ones (lunch)
move the packed up stuff
hang washing out and get next load on
figure out where to put the pictures for safe storage (yes i know po4 technically but the first one i am not counting so i can count really )

Afternoon didn't go quite to plan - I was wiped out by 12.30 pm! DH is off work at the moment with like flu (maybe covid) symptoms. I think I might be fighting it/or something similar off too - ended up having not one but two naps! That on top of going to bed so early last night makes me think this could explain it. See if I sleep tonight...

Ta da:

💎Ocado order (coming sat am now rather than tomorrow as I lost my slot snoozing!)

Realistically, I think keeping up with the perpetuals and cooking dinner is all I will manage manage now - maybe get the other two items on my last PO3 done...I'm still pleased with this mornings efforts though 😀

Tada!

Cleared out enough of understairs cupboard to allow boiler to be serviced and put it all back again
Cleaned out litter trays
Paid a bill
Put dishwasher on
Cleared hotspot on kitchen counter
Work
Took DD and my neighbour to town for shopping (too wet to walk and neighbour doesn't drive)
Put away shopping
Re-organised fridge a bit
Made some yogurt

Woah, that's a big list @EfficientlyDecluttering . Sorry you're not well @HouseorHome - that's how my Covid started, I just couldn't stay awake. Sorry.

Today has been a Po3 kind of day.

🐕 Walked BalloonHound
💅 Had his nails clipped
🛍 Bought more dog food

(had a sit down)

🥕 emptied the bottom of the fridge before something started in Independence movement in there
🍲 made two kinds of soup
🍝 made a pasta sauce

(had a sit down)

📑 Read a report
📚 discussed it and response to it with DH
🧾 fulminated about the council mowing up my sodding hollyhocks again 😤

(had a sit down)

🧼 loaded and ran the dishwasher
🧽 cleaned the kitchen, including tap degunking
🎂 made a quick and dirty packet cake

(had a sit down)

🧹 swept the kitchen
🧹 hoovered the downstairs
🧺 put a wash on.

(having another sit down).

DS3 has done the evening dog peramble for me, which is fab because I'd run out of legs. I'm done for today now, I think!

Balloon I am sorry about your FIL's house sale misfortunes. I find the whole property scene quite frustrating. Just as I was reading your post, the sellers have decided to go ahead with the sale! 🤯 so we maybe moving after all. I am holding off on any excitement until legal paperwork is done.
House keeping up with perpetuals is an achievement in itself!

Ta das:
⏲️Taps de-gunked.
⏲️LOLx2 out to dry. Didn't get around to folding dry laundry as was too busy watching GBBO catch up, so a bit of a fail here.
⏲️Took the car to be valeted. I know car and bags are jobs for Friday, but I was a rebel and did both today. Feeling virtuous with a tidy bag and pristine car 😂 Let's see how long the order lasts.

Thursday
👽found payslips/p60 for college finance application
👽let DS’ chemistry tutor know he’s unwell
👽let DS’ college know he’s unwell
👽ordered tesco

Well done everyone for yesterday’s lists especially as some of you are still unwell. @DomesticElf particularly good flying getting the bag and car done early! I have taken to getting the car valeted every now and then and it does spur me on to keep it cleaner and tidier in between times.

So today’s daily focus is indeed clearing out your handbag and car. It is also date night, which won’t be happening here as DH and I are both on taxi duty for the teens this evening but never mind. I’m off to the tip shortly, hoping it stops raining.

Today’s flight plan is here http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-60

The mission is to sweep and mop your kitchen floor properly. We do this about once a month, ie move all the chairs, doormats and bins out and get right round the edges with a cloth before mopping properly, in between we tend to sweep around and just use the squirty mop. I did the full mop last Friday so just going to do the quick one today as I am going to be out most of the day.

Morning 🌄 everyone 👋
Not much going on here, think I need a spell in a convalescent home 😅. Do they still exist?
Did gut the fridge yesterday, and cooked up most of the random bits of veg that were lurking.

A convalescent home sounds lovely! I don’t know if they do them anymore but if they did, I’m in! Hopefully I can get on and do more flying soon

Oh, I'd love to convalesce in an old fashioned sanitorium - nourishing meals, mornings in the sunshine on the veranda with a blanket on my knees, plenty of peace and quiet to regain my equilibrium, hot milk liberally laced with brandy at bedtime. I vote we establish a Fledglings' Convalescent Home next to the Naughty Corner.

Today I am very short of energy again. I had hopes of properly doing the kitchen floor - or at least the edges - but that's not going to fly. I have managed
🧺 1 LOL washed and dried / hung up
🛒 received and put away the Tesco order
🐕 walked BalloonHound in the piddling rain
📞 Spoke to Dm after her consultant appointment yesterday

🤞 the house is back on again, @DomesticElf .

Never under-estimate the ability of people to be self centred and stupid.

That is all
(well with the exception of a long ta da that i am not typing out cos it is more of the same - paperwork, boxes, laundry, furniture moving) etc

Morning!

💎Got up at 6.30 am
💎Had a shower & got dressed all before Ocado due to arrive at 7 am (-8am)
💎Put all shopping away properly
💎Perpetual Slave (laundry, dishes, tidying)

DS has noticed and commented on all the things I cleaned on Thu - which was nice but then sobering at how grubby everything must have been for a teenager to notice to this extent! Oh well, hopefully it will be the norm is a few weeks.

I've decided, for now, that I'm just going to focus on keeping on top of the perpetuals on work days. The weekend and day off I'm going to aim to get going with the housework beyond that first thing until I've had enough. I'm fighting a losing battle at the moment trying to motivate myself to do more in the evenings.

I've got an hour before I go for my weekly walk with a friend, so I'm going to do some more zone 2 work.

🛎Kitchen/utility cupboard bases
🛎Kitchen/utility floor detail work
🛎Vacuum & Mop kitchen floor

Morning all,

I’ve been up for an hour or so.

✅hung out last night’s washing
✅put another load on
✅put DW on
✅did the mission of cleaning the worktops properly which took a while as we have a corner full of small appliances and tangled leads
✅gone to fetch the milk in and found it hasn’t been delivered.

@HouseorHome that sounds like a good plan, I think the main thing is to have a basic routine that works for you. Now my DCs are older teens I am not rushing about every evening ferrying them to Scouts, swimming, football etc after work so I have put more back into my daily routines because I have a massive amount of free time then compared to previously. A lot of the less frequent stuff gets left till Fridays (my day off) still.

Today it is Saturday, Family Fun Day. We are splitting today, I’m out with DS all day and DH and DD are going out together (they both do archery).

I have been browsing the Flylady sitemap and thought I’d post the 11 Commandments today https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/flyladys-11-commandments/, worth a read.

Also, here is a different page describing the babysteps, so you don’t have to click on them one at a time http://www.flylady.net/d/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/31-Beginner-BabySteps2262015.pdf it’s worth browsing as we don’t tend to remember to talk about the babysteps on here very often

Next week we will be moving into Zone 3, bathroom and one extra room http://www.flylady.net/d/zones/zone-3/

home I wouldn't worry about the state your house was before Thursday, just accept that someone noticed the things you did get done. Now it'll be easier to keep on top of those things! You've already had a productive morning!

ED you've got quite a lot done this morning too!
I'm like both of you, try to get what I can done when I'm off, the days I work is minimal housework. DS does more on those days!

Last night I went out with a couple of friends for a birthday, had a lot of fun. I didn't think I drank too much, but I've got a headache this morning. I had to wake up early as we have workmen showing up at 8am today. It's not quite 8am here, so still have a few minutes.

Hopefully I'll be back later with some ta das. We're hosting ILs tonight for dinner, I have decided on chicken fajitas as it's easy.

Friday
🧸phoned DS’ college as he’s still sick
🧸bit of home ed with Cagletini
🧸emailed therapist requesting appt
🧸finished first week of uni module

Saturday
👚ordered t-shirts on sale (one being a Christmas present)
👚emailed CAB asking for an appointment, because DH still hasn’t and I may as well see them myself
👚LOL1
👚lots of uni work
👚LOL2
👚put Cagletini to bed
👚hung up LOL2

Definitely on the mend, hopefully should be back to work as normal on Monday

Ta Das:
🎃 Jeep washed, vacuumed & detailed
🎃 grocery pickup order placed & picked up
🎃 mirrors cleaned
🎃 windows cleaned (inside)
🎃 glass doors cleaned inside & out
🎃 swept carport
🎃 cooked dinner for ILs & had relaxing evening

The workman never came today, so I woke up early for nothing 🤬

Oh, I also washed one LoL and put away the clean clothes

I didn't manage my PO3 yesterday - getting down on the floor was a bit of a mental barrier 😂

So ta da yesterday afternoon was:

💎Ordered some detail cleaning tools from Amazon (coming today)
💎Researched best type of mop and chemical for vinyl flooring (e-cloth mop and washing up liquid seemed to be the most convincing - I already have these!)
💎Washed the throw off the sofa
💎Plumped up the cushions on the sofa & rearranged (there is a ridiculous number and this is a bigger job that it seems)
💎Vacuumed downstairs
💎Damp dusted part of the TV room

PO3 is the list I didn't do yesterday:

🛎Kitchen/utility cupboard bases & floor detail around bases
🛎Finish off TV room
🛎Vacuum & Mop kitchen floor

That’s so annoying hazel 😡

I’ve been awake a while but haven’t got up yet. I really should get ready for the week ahead.

Does anyone else ever feel like Saturdays are spent recovering from the week and Sundays are spent preparing for the week ahead? We don’t seem to ever have much of an actual weekend here.

Not so much now @SingToTheSky but I think that's because of the age of my DCs so I don't really do anything in the way of preparing for their week any more. My own week too, so long as I have food in for my packed lunches, diary and laundry more or less up to date I'm good to go. But again that's a benefit of having a 9 to 5 job. I think for you juggling home ed, OU and a much more flexible work pattern it must take a lot more headspace. I think it is really important to remember the Flylady principles of family fun day and whatever she calls Sunday (time for you day) and block out a bit of time for both each weekend even if the house slips as a result, they don't have to be big organised outings, maybe just watching a film or similar. I don't know if it's possible with your work but would you be able to block out one day a week consistently as a non-work day? I don't work Fridays and it really helps, I do all the errands and a lot of odd jobs then as well as tackle the laundry.

House I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written a power of three here and then not finished it 😳🤣

Aiming low this morning though:

po.3.1
❗️Breakfast
❗️Remove nail varnish
❗️Shower/hair wash

Thanks ED 💐 as it happens I’ve just started having a proper non working day for the first time, the first was this week (but obv I was off sick anyway). H was meant to be doing a work thing (for newbies he works very minimal hours due to his health) on Tuesdays so I’d need to be focused on Cagletini. That work thing hasn’t happened yet but I’m still keeping it as NWD. I’d really only been thinking about what that would mean for Cagletini with home ed stuff but I should fit some weekly housework tasks around her.

It really does feel like we have no fun as a family, we used to do things like have a weekly movie night at least. It doesn’t really feel possible to have any fun with H around so I’m hopeful once he’s living elsewhere it will get easier in some ways even if it’s more difficult in others.

po3.2
❗️Uni work
❗️Clean desk and pick up rubbish generally in room
❗️Put clean laundry away

Sing it was very annoying! They showed up today, and can speak no English! (There's a lot of Mexicans in this area, and we don't know Spanish). But, with the help of a quick phone call to translate, they are able to get on with finishing the texture on the ceilings that were placed on Friday.
No ta das yet today, other than finishing my first cup of coffee and getting dressed, but have some to dos.

To Dos:
☠️ drink 2nd cup of coffee (very important!)
☠️ strip bed and wash our bedding (is usually my Tuesday job, but with everything going on in the house, I'm going to do that today instead)
☠️ wash towels (same reasoning as above)
☠️ get any other laundry done that we need for the week
☠️ maybe sort through a box or 2, maybe not, we'll see how the day goes 🤷‍♀️
☠️ vacuum/ other cleaning (I know, really vague!) - the workers brought in some debris from outside with wearing their shoes, and they have been coming in and out a lot 🙄