Fledglings Flying into November

[ExquisiteIyDesigned]

November is the month where we move from autumn into winter all are welcome as the Fledglings cosy up in their nests on this Flylady thread.

This is a long running thread, but we are a friendly bunch and all are welcome to join in.

Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - it's an excessive amount sent every day. Check in here instead or download the app, see below.

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. 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 (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
BRC - box/basket of random clutter/crap

There are more, 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. You can also modify the tick lists to suit your home & lifestyle.

November’s monthly focus is menu planning.

Links are below 👇 if I happen to not add links in time, they do update at midnight for you.

Baby Steps http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/
Monthly habit http://www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/november/
Launch pad http://www.flylady.net/c/lp.php
Flight Plan (all the day’s tasks in one place) http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0
Sneak peek for the week - summary of the current week so you can plan ahead http://www.flylady.net/c/sp.php

A very satisfying day today, set up well for a relaxing evening. Today's done list:

Cleaned ensuite toilet and sink
Vacuumed lounge
Plump and flipped sofa cushions
Vacuumed sofa
Lounge lüften
Vacuumed car
Updated car sat nav maps
Brought in wheelie bin
Vacuumed hall and bottom of stairs
Vacuumed kitchen
Emptied out dehumidifying containers
Cleared draining board
Emptied kitchen bins
Bashed dried mud off hiking boots
Started dinner in slow cooker
Baked cake loaves
Washing up x1
Cleared coffee table
Chased both RM parcel returns!

And now back to my book in the wonderfully tidy and clean lounge, while the cakes cool down enough to be decorated eaten and dinner simmers in the slow cooker! Bliss.

What are you reading @BeetrootBootreet ? I'm currently reading behind closed doors . I have got this year it will be different ready for December 🙂 your list is huge ! You have definitely earned time with your book !

@HazelNuttyElf happy thanksgiving to you and your family ! I'm 42 so could be perimenopause, I know it's hormonal but I have been all over the place since having my ds 13 years ago but I think the doctors think I'm making it up. They have referred me to the vague symptoms clinic but I haven't had an appointment yet . For refillable calendars , I just pop in celebrations or roses in ours , occasional £1 coin.

@ExquisiteIyDesigned happy that this morning went better for you than yesterday morning.

Tada
🎉 usual things , school work etc
🎉 wrapped a couple of Xmas presents - Xmas pjs ready for Sunday . I also double checked I know where the advent calendars and the elf was!
🎉 dd1 parents evening
🎉 took items back to m&s after work
🎉 bought more wrapping paper and some Christmas sacks

I am finished now , I have things to do but getting my pjs on and hoping the cleaning fairy will visit ? ?

Re refillable advent calendars, I buy a mixture of haribo, those chocolates in foil that look like Christmas puddings, and chocolate coins, and alternate through December. Costs less than £5 and I have two mouths to fill so less than two decent "bought" calendars overall. Not sure how many of those are accessible overseas.

I'm in Peri too Searching, a magnesium citrate supplement has really helped my sleep. It's quite pricey though and the tablets are huge!

Not much flying today, Thurs is my "day off" so have been rushing all over the place with my preschooler. Bins done and car and bag are tidy. Tip trip and baby bank trip done. Several Christmas presents bought. Several parcels collected. Much more of all of this to go.

I will dust the living room throughly . . . tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving @HazelNuttyElf and anyone else who might be celebrating. I’ve been on a bit of a Black Friday binge and ordered a robovac. We talked about them on here a few months ago I think.

For the refillable advent calender we just use sweets, DCs choice, the only “rule” is that they’ve got to be wrapped. So over the years its been chocolate coins, Werther’s Originals, Lemon Sherbets, this year DD has bought her own box of heroes and fills it herself (DS isn’t bothered). @HazelNuttyElf I used to work for an American company and sometimes colleagues would bring over Hershey’s, it was not good. The quality of chocolate here is not what it was though.

@Searchingforbaileys thank you, today definitely was better, I only work a half day on Thursdays so don’t tend to go in as early. It was a beautiful drive today, it’s cross country, low sun, hard frost, mist in some of the fields. I even managed to dust the living room before I set off. I did go to Costco in the afternoon, just pondering where to stash my loo rolls as we haven’t finished the last lot yet.

@BeetrootBootreet that is an impressive list!

Right, off to bed, I didn’t post the parcel so that’s going on tomorrow’s list.

Thank you for your replies re advent calendars. At this point I'm not even sure it'll be worth doing anything like that since my 2 are older (& DD isn't even living at home anymore). Although she might appreciate something like that especially if money is involved 😆

Thanksgiving dinner was a success! Everyone is full and sleepy!
I have already rotated DW, will need to do it again here in a few minutes. I have handwashed the dishes about 3 times today as well!
After everyone left I had to clean the main bathroom. One of our older guests decided not to lift the toilet seat so peed all over it 🤬 oh well, it's clean now!

I'm not working tomorrow, so my plan is to put some fairy lights up in the house, do my nails and make some truffle centres. There is a lighting ceremony in the town I work in tomorrow night so we're going to that to kick off Christmas!

@Searchingforbaileys Just finished The Fervor (Alma Katsu) and am currently reading The Gifts (Liz Hyder). Would recommend The Fervor, not far enough into The Gifts to know yet but I'm enjoying it so far! I have a subscription to A Box of Stories and these are my two "December" books!

@HazelNuttyElf Nope, still pregnant. Enjoying what I'm assuming is my last few days to get everything in order and relax! Happy Thanksgiving for yesterday ☺️

Today's plan:
Clear draining board
Washing up
Dust and wipe down telly and media boxes
Wipe down coffee table
Clean hallway mirror
Sweep porch
Find missing Kindle
Vacuum conservatory

Morning, last day in the living room today and I am going to clear out my car.

The Flight Plan is here http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0
and the mission is to place something pretty in the room just for you. So that could be fairy lights, Christmas tree, pot plant, whatever makes you happy.

@HazelNuttyElf are you going seasonal with your nails yet? I have dug out the glitter, I’m not going full on yet but have done French with clear iridescent glitter topcoat for a subtle frosty sparkle and to disguise the wonkiness of the white tips

My to do list for today is:
❄️ take recycling out
❄️take food waste out
❄️put swimming stuff away (been drying overnight)
❄️declutter car (not too bad)
❄️yoga class
❄️friend’s house for coffee
❄️pop to town and post parcel
❄️go to garden centre
❄️pick DS up for the weekend (he’s a 90 min drive away so that will take all afternoon)
❄️maybe go to zumba class this evening

Oh and does anyone else fancy running the thread next month? If not I’m happy to do another month.

Another lovely "slowly busy" day today - housework interspersed with sudoku, yoga and telly breaks. No luck on hunting down the kindle 🤔 I only have one rucksack and one handbag satchel and it's not in either of those. Not on or in either bedside table. Not in the lounge that I can see : checked in coffee table, book stacks, bookshelves... so I've put it down somewhere idiotic and I'll come across it next time I do ironing or something 🤣 Either that or it's been mixed up with DW's kindle and she might know where it is... fingers crossed. Elsewise, my done list for today:

Household finances admin
Collected prescription
Swept porch
Cleared draining board
Washing up x2
Prepared slow cooker dinner (same recipe as yesterday 😁)
Wrote down curry recipe into recipe notebook
Ordered winter vitamins stash
Dusted and wiped down telly and media boxes
Wiped down coffee table
Cleaned hallway mirror
Rubber brushed hair out of B1 carpets (where does it hide?!)
"Quick vacuumed" (main bits only, no details, edges or moving furniture) conservatory, util, study, B1, B2, B4, landings x2 and top of main stairs
Searched for kindle
Houseplant watering

DW just finished work so we're going to head out for a neighborhood walk in the remaining light (lots of curb walking for me!) and a quiet book evening.

What's everyone up to this weekend?

ED I kind of do seasonal nails year round (whatever the season/holiday is going on). Although when I redo them this weekend I'll pretty much be copying you. Other than I do my white tips ombre so it doesn't have to be perfect! I have a wintery glitter that I'll put over them all.

I'm sorry, I won't be able to volunteer for December. It'll be even busier than November so I'm afraid I'll be AWOL for a lot of the month.

Beetroot I'm putting my Christmas decorations up this weekend. I'm actually about to start on my lights (I put them all around the rooms on the main floor, and will add some to the basement too). I plan on putting up some outside this afternoon as it's looking nice out there (and not too cold!).
DD & her BF are supposed to be coming over tomorrow night, but she just called DH and said her car won't start! She's supposed to help me decorate the tree on Sunday, as well as have a late Thanksgiving dinner with them that day also.
So who knows if they will make it here at this point 🤷‍♀️

Are you planning on having that baby this weekend?!

Ta das so far (almost noon here):
🚲 spin bike workout
🚲 showered & dressed & makeup on
🚲 LOLs x2 & put away clean clothes
🚲 pulled out Christmas decorations (the tote with hopefully all the lights)

I just stopped for some pie (keto): pumpkin pie & creamy pecan pie, with another cup of coffee. Now my belly is full I can work on the lights! And more laundry..

The decluttering has continued here, and today DH sorted through his wardrobe and drawers too. He’s left a pile of discards to sort for donation/sale/ragbag. He also took some children’s things for DD to sell.

TeenGirl had a slight wobble when ee reached the final hurdle of actually sorting her school mess into subjects. But she got back on track and has done some revision. TeenBoy is more reluctant to discard anything but happy to tidy. Neither likes to keep stuff in their bedrooms in case they’re forced to play up there alone. (ACEs, trauma). I find the clutter rather soothing at times, tbh.

Unearthed an ancient Dyson that had been taken apart then left in the garage. DH took it to the same workshop as the dyson from earlier this week, and the mechanic said he can get it fully working again.

Also found a click-and-collect bag of pyjama trousers for the Teens. No idea when I bought them. They were thrilled with them. Their ancient will go for cleaning rags and dusters.

And I know I have to stay aware of my irrational spending habits.

Tada!

❄️ take recycling out ✅
❄️take food waste out✅
❄️put swimming stuff away (been drying overnight)✅
❄️declutter car (not too bad)✅
❄️yoga class✅
❄️friend’s house for coffee✅
❄️pop to town and post parcel✅
❄️go to garden centre❌
❄️pick DS up for the weekend (he’s a 90 min drive away so that will take all afternoon)✅
❄️maybe go to zumba class this evening❌ was cancelled but I wouldn’t have gone

Also took two bags of stuff and a ride-on toy to the charity shop, stripped our bed, washed sheets, line dried and back on the bed.

Also played with the new robovac. Cats haven’t spotted it yet.

I’m going to be out all day and into the evening tomorrow, I’ll start a new thread on Sunday. I am going to be extremely busy at times especially for the next week or so, so I can’t promise to post every single morning but will do my best, it has really helped me get back on track this month.

I slept a little better last night yay!! From around midnight until just before 6 so a lot better than what sleep has been like all week! I'm hoping I feel the benefit of it today and skip around the house getting the chores done, just like Cinderella or the character from the enchanted film 😂

Thank you @DillyDeclutter, I'll try the magnesium, it was really low when I had the blood test so it won't hurt to try it .

@HazelNuttyElf 😱 regarding the toilet seat pee incident! At least it was only pee though , there are worse bodily fluids that could've happened I suppose!

Thanks @BeetrootBootreet I will put it on my goodreads list ! You are doing so well whilst you're heavily pregnant! With ds I didn't move much for the last week of pregnancy - he was laid on a nerve and when I stood up it sent a shooting pain down my leg , it was at random times , I would be ok, casually walking through a room then all of a sudden swinging on the doorframe because I couldn't put my leg down 😂 very funny but also painful !

@Scourgify yay for the click and collect discovery!

@ExquisiteIyDesigned thanks for this months thread and offering to do Decembers . I wouldn't worry about posting the links every day , if anyone new joins the thread , one of us will point them in the right direction 🙂

This weekend we'll be putting up the Xmas decorations. Before that though I need to complete the living room deep clean and change the furniture around so I can fit the Xmas tree in. Dd2 wants to go and buy her Xmas jumper so I'm planning on 30 mins in the living room , washed and ready , shopping then home to finish the living room whilst dd2 is at gymnastics. Sunday we're off to watch the panto 🙂

Tada
🎉 started dd1 uni / leaving home blanket whist she was still sleeping
🎉 morning coffee
🎉 10 mins on the living room

Everyone is awake now so I'm going to get going with the 30 minute living room declutter / tidy !

Beds and bins done, yay. Handbag sorted and got my car done earlier in the week.

beetroot both of my dc were pretty early so I'm sort of envious of your planning and preparation time! I hadn't even finished at work either time. Sure you are fed up with being pregnant though.

Need to do monthly batch cooking for the freezer today.

Also need to start some present wrapping so it remains fun and not a thrash at the end!

ED really appreciate you running the thread. I've kept losing focus this month, you keep pulling me back!

Tada
🎉 3 x 30 min slots in the living room means we're able to put the tree up this evening . I still have under both sofas and the windows and blinds to clean tomorrow to finish the decorations off but happy with the progress so far !
🎉 dd2 and I went shopping and she is now ready for Xmas jumper day 🙂
🎉 dropped dd2 at gymnastics
🎉 30 mins on dd1's blanket

We're having a takeaway tonight so no tea making !

To do :
🌼Put Halloween decs back in the loft (they have been boxed up but the loft is such a pain to get in and out of , I've left it out until now
🌼 get Xmas decorations out
🌼 put the tree up
🌼 get the Xmas pjs out and the elves

I started my wrapping the other day @DillyDeclutter and it feels good knowing I've started ! I'll be doing more tomorrow hopefully as well as starting to write the Xmas cards with dd2 🙂 it takes the fun out of it if it's a last minute rush doesn't it !

Just to say I haven’t forgotten about the new thread but ended up out till 11 last night (was up at 5.30, long story, long day) then had a lie-in this morning, have been helping DS with stuff before he goes back to uni this afternoon, playing with the robovac and generally pottering but I am going out again in half an hour and am not dressed yet don’t tell Flylady whatever you do. So I’ll start it this afternoon when I’m back.

🎄🎄🎄🎄
New thread here
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/housekeeping/5221711-fledglings-feeling-festive-come-fly-with-us

I’ve spent any spare time this weekend ploughing through more boxes of kids’ art and craft supplies, old school workbooks, activity books, etc. Found several Christmas-themed items which I added to the decs boxes. Will look at those this coming week.

The rest of the time was devoted to laundry, tidying, hoovering. Several naps too.

TeenBoy back to full mornings at school this week. Fingers crossed things go well for him. And I will have a better routine again. TeenGirl in thick of prelims now, and trying hard with the revision.