Festive Flying with the Fledglings

[ExpensiveDecorations]

🎄Welcome to the December Flylady thread, this is a long running thread with many regulars but newcomers and returners are all very welcome. We love to chat as well as looking after our homes.

Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - your inbox will end up very cluttered!

There is an app that you can customise to suit your schedule and home but I haven’t tried it, others on here have, you can customise it and use it for notifications.

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!

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 a week. It's also date night (with your significant other, or friends, or yourself!)
• Saturday: family fun day
• Sunday: renew your spirit

Common acronyms we use:

• LOL: load of laundry (we aim to have lots of laughter too)
• Mount Washmore - multiple LOLs
• DW: dishwasher, not wife
• LMS: lose/lost my shit
• DNLMS: did not lose my shit
• BRC/DRC: box/basket/drawer of random crap

I'll try to update links every day, although it could get a bit hectic as we proceed through the month.

Links are below 👇 if I happen to not add links in time, they do update at midnight for you. Ask if there us anything you understand - our motto is No Fledgling Left Behind.

Launch Pad (the heart of the system): https://www.flylady.net/d/new-links/
Zones (different weekly focus areas of the house): https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/
Baby Steps (these build up into daily habits): https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/
31 Beginner BabySteps | FlyLady.net
https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps
Flight Plan (daily summary of the relevant parts of the system) http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0
Festive Flying http://www.flylady.net/d/cruising-through-the-holidays/

I haven't been on this thread (well the last thread) for weeks, as I've been barely flying. Big spike up in workload combined with Christmas malaise and a death in the family.

Now I've got the time and seriously struggling with the motivation, so one tiny step at a time is the way to go I guess. Trying to think of a PO3 with tasks simple enough that I will actually do them...

PO3.1 make bed; tidy bedroom; get dressed

Happy Christmas Eve eve.

Got a sore throat yesterday and it’s lingering, I am most miffed! Had a very lazy morning but I need to get on with things.

po3.1
❗️LOL
❗️Go through my clothes drawers to reorganise and extract any hidden presents… including hopefully one I’ve lost!
❗️Get Cagletini to wrap her presents for H, DD1, DS and Cagbunny

Happy Christmas eve eve to you too Sing!

PO3.1 make bed; tidy bedroom; get dressed ✅
TaDa: LOL, went out and bought last few Christmas presents & food & spend a bit of time thinking about changes for next Christmas...

PO3.2 take dog for a walk; wrap last few presents, get decoration (I've used less than half this year) boxes back in store room

Sorry for your loss @HouseorHome 💐 you've done an amazing list today !

@SingSongVerilyTheSky nooo not a sore throat on Christmas Eve Eve ! Hopefully it'll be nothing and clear up super quick ! Did you find the missing present ? I bought some mini games last year for the family to play on Christmas Day - lost them - found them earlier in the year - I've lost them again 😂😂!

Tada
🎄Me and the girls have been to the hairdressers
🎄 a nap on the sofa

To do
⛄️ dd2 to wrap presents when dd1 goes out to work do
⛄️ ds to wrap presents
⛄️ i need to wrap dd1 presents
⛄️ take dd2 to her Christmas party 🥳

Depending on time , I also need to wrap other peoples presents - very disorganised this year and making a mental note to start preparing for Christmas earlier next year in case of December illnesses 🤦‍♀️

Afternoon all,

I’m sorry for your loss @HouseorHome

Hope the sore throat clears up quickly @SingSongVerilyTheSky - I do like that name BTW.

@Searchingforsanta I nearly fell asleep on the sofa earlier but I am not a very good napper and got up and started pottering again.

Tada!

🎄Cleaned bathroom thoroughly including getting rid of empty shampoo bottles etc
🎄General tidying of downstairs.
🎄Stashing some clutter in the garden shed
🎄Took DS to hockey
🎄Coffee in town with DH
🎄Bit of last minute supermarket shopping (Sainsburys busy but no queues and well stocked).
🎄Picked DS up again
🎄Took DS out to different shops to finish his Christmas shopping
🎄Iced Christmas cake.

DH has hoovered and done 2 x LOL.

I haven’t been on this thread, just reading it because at the moment, all I can do is the basics but what I’d like to do is wish you all a Merry Christmas

Thank you Santa ❤

PO3.2 take dog for a walk ✅; wrap last few presents ✅, get decoration (I've used less than half this year) boxes back in store room

I haven't done the last job as I've decided to attempt to get DH off the sofa to help. Two flights of stairs up to store room and he's just been sat there whilst I've been up and down with presents and laundry, and out with rubbish. Can feel some Christmas irritation coming on...maybe I should just have a wine.

Thank you Decorations ❤

Merry Christmas to you too Cat 🎄.

I'm working up to the basics at the moment, motivation is still low but hoping there is at least enough tomorrow to do some vacuuming and swish and swiping...now I've forced some action. We'll see.

I missed your previous post house so sorry for your loss 💐

I still haven’t finished my power of three although at least the first LOL is hung up and second one in so I’m ahead in that respect. Helped Cagletini wrap some presents, DS wrote lots of labels, and I had a quick tidy in the bathroom as DD1’s friend popped round. Really need to sort out remaining presents to wrap/put in stockings etc

@HouseorHome sorry to hear of the bereavement. How awful to deal with that on top of Christmas.

I have a very Christmassy list
🎄 went Carol singing in town
🎄 making cranberry sauce
🎄 mad dash to find marzipan that's been sold out for weeks here
🎄 reading a Child's Christamses in awakes by Dylan Thomas to the kids.
🎄had friend round for lunch

🎄that should read
A child's christmases in Wales

Kids parties done ✔️
a small bit of wrapping done ✔️

I've just poured a g&t because I thought I could wrap dd1s tonight when she went to bed (she's got work tomorrow so usually goes up about 930 / 10ish ) but she's had a disagreement with her boyfriend who has now come round to talk through it 🤦‍♀️ I swear that this year is piling against me 😂😂 so my new plan is if she's not in bed by 1030 I'm going to bed and getting up at 5 to get them wrapped 😫 I am refusing to get stressed over it though, it is what it is . As long as I find an hour somewhere in the day tomorrow to have a tidy & hoover, I'll be happy !

@cosypompoms that is a very Christmassy list !

@SingSongVerilyTheSky you have made me feel normal mentioning that you still have some wrapping to do ! Have you managed to finish your po3 ?

@HouseorHome it can be frustrating when other aren't joining in with the house prep . Please be kind to yourself 💐

Merry Christmas to you to @JewelleryCat 🥂 the basics keep the home ticking over so well done for carrying on with them!

@ExpensiveDecorations looks like youve had a productive day ! I'm not usually a napper but I think with all of the broken sleep lately, the extra early mornings and pmt has kicked in , I got in from the hairdressers and I needed to close my eyes 🤪 it was only 30 mins or so but I feel much better for it 😊

Pretty much everything is wrapped. I sort of finished the power of three in that I sorted some drawers until H found the present I was looking for (not in the drawers!)

I have also realised I’ve lost a different present 🤣 but it’s only a tiny stocking filler so never mind.

Thanks Santa. This one I try to ignore, it's totally ridiculous the shite it comes out with, a real split-personality type. I took a day away from the nonsense and all is right again today

As for the others, today was... 😵 not fun. I'm thinking of "leaving them be" rather more permanently. I am so over it

Sorry for your loss House 💐

@DitzyDaffodils I feel for you , it's a tough time of year when you feel forced to keep up some relationships ❤️ you can only control your feelings towards it all though so it might be a case of a smile on face whilst mentally telling them to 'shut the fuck up' ! 😂

Well done for being all sorted @SingSongVerilyTheSky !!

Good morning to everyone else !!

I'm up at 530 to get some wrapping done before anyone gets up , just having a caffeine fix to wake me up !!

Po3.1
🎄dd1 wrapping
🎄Xmas eve gifts sorted (we have ours at night)
🎄other peoples wrapping

I'm hoping I'll have finished it all by 7.30ish - please send me speedy wrapping vibes !!

Dd1 wrapping ✅
Xmas eve gifts wrapped ✅
Other peoples wrapping ❌ started to edge my way through the pile but haven't finished yet . A coffee and breakfast break then back to wrapping presents. I'm hoping to be finished by 830 🙈

Ditzy 💐

Happy Christmas Eve everyone

I still have a sore throat. 😒

Sorry to hear that Sing - hope it gets better soon 💐

Pretty sure my DS has glandular fever, which of course is horrible for him. Typically though we're only doing the full traditional Christmas including hosting for him and now he won't even be able to enjoy it...motivation to pull it all together even lower now!

Still I know that it is usually action that comes before motivation so...

PO3.1 Tidy and clean desk; Clean diffuser and set it off; have shower & get dressed

Po3.1 completed ✔️

Po3.2
🎄 kids lunch
🎄 kids dressed & ready
🎄 trampoline park with friends

Tada!

🎄Cats tabletted, fed etc
🎄Various errands, picked up something bought on FB, dropped a card round to a friend, got petrol
🎄Prepped veg and got pigs in blankets out of the freezer
🎄Took DD to Sainsburys for a last minute gift
🎄Spoke to dparents to confirm timings for tomorrow
🎄Wrapped presents
🎄Tidying
🎄Flopped on sofa with cat to watch Carols from Kings
🎄Nibbly tea
🎄About to make one more tray of mince pies so there is something to put out for Santa

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas, I know it isn’t always easy, families can be trying, lots of poorly people etc, but sending peace and goodwill.

Didn't think I'd make it happen this year but I have ! A few tweaks to traditions but the kids have had a great day ! All presents wrapped , table set , living room and dining room has had a quick blitz over . Just waiting for the kids to settle before I start popping the presents out and get off to bed !! What a tiring few days !

Hope everyone is doing ok , wishing you peace and happiness over the next few days and into 2024 💐

Thank you @Searchingforsanta I needed that and I hope you have a nice day tomorrow

Ta-da's:

👼Hoovered
👼Aired the whole place out
👼Put all the presents under the tree
👼Wiped everything
👼Cleaned the hard floors
👼Changed bedding
👼Emptied bins and took all the recycling out too
👼Ensured we had enough Christmas nibbles supplies stashed away for tomorrow
👼Holed up in the bathroom for a head to toe pamper session
👼Did some yoga
👼Watched a Christmas film by candlelight while painting my nails
👼Read a few chapters of my novel

A very merry Christmas to you all 😘✨🌟✨🎅🤶❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️🎁

@DitzyDaffodils that's a huge list , I hope you've managed some rest after all that ❤️

I am up before anyone - I'm absolutely shattered and haven't slept much because I'm too excited 😂😂 I though it was 630 when I looked at the clock so forced myself awake so I could start the breakfast and prep the dinner before kids wake but it was only 530 🤦‍♀️😂 so I'm up enjoying 10 mins with a coffee before tidying the kitchen and prepping breakfast and dinner - i would usually do this on Christmas Eve but something had to go this year !

I wanted to pop on here and wish you all a merry Christmas ❤️ thanks for all the support you offer and allowing me to either list my small achievements or allowing me to vent somewhere that feels safe to do so without judgement ❤️ I hope you all have a wonderful day ! (I also hope there isn't lots of typos in this message because I've left my glasses upstairs and I can't see my screen properly!!! )