Fledging flyers - December's messaholics anonymous meeting place

[droitwitchmum]

Everyone welcome, newcomers and old(ish) flappers alike!

Here you can do any of the following:

• repeat or start baby steps

• repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone

• reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering

As Christmas is approaching I will also be posting Christmas missions.

I'll post links early in the morning on the relevant day while I'm making the coffee and brewing tea. There might even be toast...

Good luck!

Oh forgot to say MrsDingDong

guinea pigs basically tolerate/feel comfortable at the same temps as ourselves .. so you can keep them outside if not an extremely cold winter as long as you put a big warm cover over their cage

(there are padded, thermal canvases available in pet shops for this purpose)

and of course they need plenty of warm hay to keep them cosy

However, they don't respond well to damp or cold drafts so you have to make sure the cage is well up off the ground and there are no cracks in it ...

I personally don't choose to do this though because you then have to clean them out (every four days or so) in the freezing cold!!! So I keep ours in our (marginally) warmer basement .... We also live in a town house and I don't want to attract vermin by keeping them outside (some of the feed inevitably gets pushed out of the cage or falls on the ground).

If you have a garden shed that would be good though as long as it isn't too dark ...

We always bring them upstairs for a bit of a stroke and a play and a run around most days too ..ours usually squeak when they need to pee so we don't have too many accidents to deal with ...

We are totally in love with ours ....and they have very distinct personalities ...can definitely recommend them as a good, easy, but responsive, all-round family pet ...

I would always buy two though so they don't get lonely, preferably sows rather than boars, as elderly boars have a tendency to get impacted "nethers" which means the owner then has to get involved in, er, un-decompacting them manually .... not pleasant before breakfast!!

Any other q's, don't hesitate ...g'night

Good morning all

Didn't get round to making fudge yesterday - think I will have a go in a minute (before cleaning kitchen)

Babystep is to have a go at a mission. If you haven't done them before, most of them are quite short (15 mins max) as long as you have decluttered the area where the mission is happening - choose with care or wait for tomorrow's mission

Bathroom is the zone for next week!

Hopefully pop by later with fudge

Save me a piece please MummyC

Thanks for baby-step...

Hi to SBS and everyone else

Still wrapping here ....

Afternoon everyone,

well a very productive day so far in the mellie household.

list so far:-
xmas clean (you know what i mean ladies) of dining room and living room
wm on
dw on
general tidy in kitchen
massive decluttering in hallway
buy xmas tree and decorations
food shop
DS bedroom tidied and cleaned
old decorations down from attic to sort
backyard tidied (dh did this one)

I feel tired just looking at that

i am determined that by the time i sit down for the x-factor final tonight it will be in a clean (apart from out bedroom, that will take more than a day) tidy christmassy house.

still to do:-

xmas tree decorate (have bought a real one this year so ds is having old one in his room to his delight and is currently putting it up as we speak)
unpack food shop
lunch
dinner
washing in tumble drier
dS to write his cards
uniform ironed
wash work clothes
clean bathroom

the following two are not going on my list today but i will need constant nagging to get them done. have never asked for a nag before but feel the need because i know how good we are at it . please nag me daily to sort out my pantry and my master bedroom. i do not expect either to be done until the end of the week but i must do a little in each every night.
i must also this week finish xmas shopping(am planning on a bit after work every day ) and buy wrapping paper/gift tags etc. in my dream world, by next weekend i will be all done bar the wrapping and the food shop.

am going now to mop the living room floor and unpack shopping. hope everyone is having a more relaxing sunday than i am. Will check in later.

Mellie you are on Flytastic fire!! Go girl!

I should be doing all the things that you are doing (cleaning & decluttering-wise)
but I'm still wrapping ....

second half to today's list looked like this:-

xmas tree decorate done
unpack food shop done
lunch done
dinner donedc'stakeawayforus
tumble dry done
ds cards cba
uniform ironed done
bathroom s+sdone
wash work clothes done

have also bathed dc's, put some more washing on and tidied up after putting up decorations nad ordered some more pressies online.

Now i just have to keep it like this till christmas..what are the chances?

only thing left to do is play with dc's, put them to bed, have a bath and order takeaway. have to admit dh been a great help today. when he can be bothered to do it he is better at this cleaning business than me, probably because it still has novelty value to him .

sc at least you have presents to wrap

I am impressed with all the wrappping and festivities going on. Mellie, you sound far more on my level!!! I was feeling all quite festive today, tree has been chosen and put up - without an arguement this year which has to be some sort of record! I was singing Christmas carols on my way to see my dad for his birthday, too. Came home and thought I would sort through what I have bought already and write a list of bits to still get. Unfortunately my second list seems endlessly longer than the first! I thought i had done so much! Where has it all gone? Must get myself organised!

I have finally sorted my hoover - I found a rather blocked filter which I didn't even know was there! So after months of frustration the stupid thing is now sucking like a goodun! I suppose if I had read the manual in August I would not have wasted 4 months, but it was a good excuse not to hoover too much....I'll have to think of another one now!

Ironing pile has been attacked and has deminished somewhat! Still not quite see the bottom of the basket, but miracles may happen before Christmas. One washbin empty wahhwaaaa and another just got one load in that may be going on tonight. Hallelujah!!!

Dh has just announced that we are going out. Nowhere exciting, but I had mentally put my feet up for the evening and the x-factor finals are on, while writing a few cards.

He needs to go NOW apparently, so I'm off! Have a good evening and I will catch up tomorrow.

StillCounting Guinea pig advice needed here too please! We have two which we adopted from Pets at Home at the end of the summer - not very well socialised and one especially still very timid neurotic. Feeling very sorry for them outside (not getting much attention). Would you bring them in? We have a small cottage so no cellar etc. so would live in DS's bedroom. He loves the idea but I'm worried they might be smelly...

Sorry for thread hijack everyone
Mellie that is fearsome flying!!
I don't even have a list for today apart from morning and afternoon routines - but they seem to be quite compulsive so I'm chuffed about that. Tommorrow I catch up on everything I have missed and DH goes away for four days

Evening all,

SC Thank you for all the guinea pig advice, a friend has some and they are gorgeous. Although we have a shed, it is full of crap next in line for decluttering, also pretty gloomy. No cellar, garage, utility room or spare corners anywhere in the house so they would have to be outdoors all winter. This is one reason why we had been considering cats, as no hutch/run etc required. Although we don't have anywhere for a litter tray really either. I think what bothers me is that I am not in the least bit interested in having animals myself, it would be only "for the children", but it would be yet another thing for me to do in terms of feeding, cleaning, vets etc. If anything I'd like a dog, but that limits going back to work options even further. Enough of this detour from Flying.

PF I'm at the other end of Hampshire (Alton), have lived in Portsmouth/Havant/Fareham too at various stages. We could see the Isle of Wight yesterday, it was Butser Hill we went up. Went to the Christmas market in Winchester today, lovely.

MM - welcome back. I know what you mean about missing DCs, I get a big ache in my chest if I miss their bedtimes. Oddly, it's OK if they are at my parents, or if I have come home, seen them and gone out again before they are asleep. It's not so bad now they are a bit older, but the first couple of years, ouch.

Mellie - good flying, keep it up. I wish I had a pantry!

I will just wave at everyone else, I am determined to finish Christmas cards tonight, plus DD's birthday invitations. also the house looks a mess. No one has lifted a finger except me this weekend and I'm a bit and (picks up glass of wine and shuffles off determined to dislodge DH from in front of the telly so she can watch come dine with me). Also so he can do the washing up.

Evening everyone

Managed most of my home blessing plus 2 missions from this week so that will do for today. Also done some menu planning & shopping so this week should be fairly easy to manage.
Over the next 2/3 weeks I really need to get computer area and spare room sorted ready for my home working. No start date yet but it could all happen quite quickly & I don;t want to get caught out before I start.

I did promise some tips for flying while working FT out of the house. I don't necessarily do all these regularly (or at all) but they might be useful

1. Don't do too much in the morning. It is as much as I can do to get me and DS out of the door on time with the right stuff
2. Accept that you cannot have a spotless home if you are not in it for large parts of every day
3. Keep on top of the laundry. 1 load a day and the ironing from the previous day really does help
4. I know I am new to this but menu planning is the way to go! If possible make sure DCs get cooked meal at school/nursery/CM so its not such a problem if they end up with beans on toast
5. If you can afford it, get a cleaner or someone to do your ironing
6. Multitask where you can. My DS is 6 so doesn't need supervision in the bath although he does want me around so I do things like s&s, putting laundry away, couple of hotspots which he is in there
7. If you are too tired - stop. The missions will keep until the weekend or next month and no one will know
8. Get DH/P DCs to help. Even small DCs can take stuff upstairs, tidy after themselvesm load WM/DW and they think its fun (unless they are teenagers of course)

Good luck - see you tomorrow

Evening

I've been really rubbish over last few days, utter chaos and exhuostion has descended on thsi house, and it shows ... I'm going to sign up now for a january repeat of the baby steps, am so far behind with somuch xmas stuff to do I won't get it done, so I'm planning to just keep jogging along with what I've done and incorporate what I can of the babysteps, missions, whatevers.

So I'm off to shine clean my sink, and get an early night ready for battle tomorrow ... sleep well

Hi all,

Hope you are all ok. I have not been able to log over the last week or so.

A little update - I had an interview and managed to secure a second job with social services as part of the out of hours team which will fit with my part time casual school hours.

School has been very full on combined with getting to see ds (8 with severe ASD) in his first school play - oh how I sobbed!

dd is 11 tomorrow so we have a constant stream of vistors and have had my siser and her dh staying this weekend.

House is not the best but I have more time this week so intend to get more done. Next weekend we have dd birthday party for her friends at home - so more fun.

I will try and catch up with you all over this week.

I haven't (and won't forget you)!

My parents have been very understanding. Dd1 is still sick and ds2 is still coughing. I just hope that my dps avoid it...

We have had a busy few days and my mum had stayed home with dd1 on two occasions so that I could run the other lot around to various events and both time I came home to find her cleaning things that I thought were already clean.

I am very, very grateful for her help especially around meal time when I find that things really far apart with dh here.

I will try and stay in touch and I do intend to keep up with the babysteps.

tibni welcome back! Well done on getting the job and well done to DS for the play

Cadmum just do what you can. Christmas is v busy anyway and it looks like we will be carrying on in January - SSC are you first in the queue?

ok, so i am sat here surrounded by chaos and disaster. I hadnt done the school/work washing, havent made lunch for tomo, havent done the lesson plans, havent sorted out the stuff that needs to go in the post.
A week away and i am in a worse state then before i took time off to sort out life

So the plan crisis cleaning until midnight so hopefully got the stuff needed for tomo washed and dried (and if a miracle happens ironed).

Hopefully i shall get some sleep....

will catch up asap but need to post to try to keep on top of things. Looking forward to the end of term on friday. And ashamably as ds goes to his dad's for a few days so i can focus on one thing rather then tear myself in 2 directions. Love him to bits but its tough at the mo trying to do everything and achieving nothing....

right off to be productively busy.

Happy flying next week.

Sympathy Santasmum - sounds really awful - bet you get the important stuff done though. Jumpers instead of ironing?
Glad the end is in sight on Friday.

I think we are all struggling to keep basic routines going over Xmas, just when we need them most.

I've actually adapted my meal planning pre-Xmas (if you can call it that). I am going to give the family really boring simple food pasta with pesto, tomato sauce, toast with baked beans, baked potatoes and ham/tuna salad and save all the fancy work for Xmas hols.

I am concentrating on getting a few things which I know will drive me mad over Xmas done now, ie: shopping for Xmas food that keeps ie: cheese, pastry, condiments, cooked meats, things that freeze. Cooking a few veg (ie: leeks, mushrooms) that I can use in dishes later and freezing them in portions. Making soups for freezer etc or buy convenience food for emergency meals - still cheaper than a takeaway imo.
The teachers' presents and cards. Trying to get those written before the last day of term.
Getting partywear drycleaned before I need it. Or accept that there is only one outfit available.
Having some ironed clothes in wardrobe for emergency use
Cleaning out car in dribs and drabs, so it is not so difficult to face.
Just being glad floor is swept and not attempting to mop it.
Putting dcs clothes back in drawers straightaway and not ironing them if there doesn't seem to be any slack.
Relentlessly culling mail in the hall and dealing with it, and throwing away used envelopes.
Hanging up the bathmat straightaway and all wet towels.
Keep taking things back to right places whenever you leave or come into a room, even if it just a pencil or a loo roll or an odd sock.

Bbtomorrow - hope I can keep up too - usually Xmas is so stressful - don't want it to be this year

And hi to Stainless Steel - feel similar
MC very reassuring words
Mellie - do you need to fly at all you sound absolutely tiptop organised?
Cadmum - I'm sure your mum is loving helping even if it is painful to see her recleaning. My mum always used to move all the crockery round to make it "more efficient to use" [mild but not really]
everyone else SLEEP WELL

Good morning everyone & welcome back DSM hope you got some sleep.

Bathroom week this week. Looks like the fat fairy has run out of Christmas missions so maybe she thinks we are ready

Today's babystep is a 'sit down and read' one so you can do that while you are having a break or skip it completely

The mission is throwing out stuff from the bathroom. Thankfully I have already done this so will deal with my ironing mountain (no idea where it came from it wasn't there on Friday...

Have a good day. See you all later

Morning everyone ...

Gd luck with this wk Don't worry - you'll get through it - "courage" DSM!!

Will be back later to post because dh (who is never unwell) has got full-blown flu symptoms and was up in the night physically shaking, with high temp, nausea etc. He's looking really grim poor luv and he HATES being ill so is not a good patient ....

So off to take dd to dentist, then school and to cancel all of dh's appts

See you later but have a good start to the wk everyone ...

Good Morning all (and it's not raining yay! 3 days with no rain now so we are being spoiled )

Well what a weekend, I rather underestimated just how 'big' the craft fair was going to be, it was huge and soooo busy, lovely weather bought everyone out. Had a fab time and got some really great feedback about my stuff, It's a really great feeling when someone who is not related to you or your friend tells you they like what you do.

Only downside is that I was a clumsy clot while packing up yesterday and even though I knew the electric cable was there and even though I had been walking round it all weekend I suddenly forgot about it and tripped over it and have sprained my ankle and hurt my back so I'm sitting here with my ankle balanced on several argos catalogues (knew the clutter would come in useful one day ) and wondering how much clutter will fit in the cupboard under the stairs

MC Todays babystep is ideal for me and I'm going to have a good read of the website today so when I'm back on my feet I'll be ready for some serious sorting.

Todays list of things to do while sitting down;
Wrap Ds1's birthday present (he's 9 tomorrow)
Make Christmas dinner shopping list
Write Christmas cards
Print out photos for calendars kids are making for gp's for christmas
Read up on babysteps etc
Read through 'Sat & Sun' posts on this thread

See you all later

Morning all, more toast and marnite here if anyone wants it,

MrsGG - ouch, but glad the clutter justified its existence

SC Hope DH starts feeling better quickly, that sounds nasty

MC - ironing mountains just appear don't they? I cleared mine what seemes like only a few days ago and it's back

DSM - hang on in there, not long till the end of term now

SR - good idea about the food, I was just thinking last night that I will probably stock up on a bit more "easy" food than usual this week to get us through.

Today's list

School run - done
Hand out DD's birthday invitations - done
Washing x 2 - first lot on
DW, breakfsat dishes etc
Shopping list, Sainsburys etc
Hoovering
Bathroom clearout - not to bad at the mo, it is tiny, so clutter is reasonably self limiting (actually I keep most of it in the bedroom).
General tidying
Visit DD's nursery for meeting with keyworker (she is leaving this week as it is full daycare from when I was working, local pre-school after Christmas). Sad, have been going there for 5 years now, but it is expensive and have to drive there.
Finish Christmas cards, also help DS finish his.

See you later

Today my "routines" and Monday tidyup were interrupted by a series of visitors grownup and child, so that was nice,

but have only DONE
vague further bedroom tidy
keep attacking laundry piles and putting away
kitchen routines in part ie: bin and washing up from breakfast table
sink is still shiny
lunch for four v. basic
scrubbed part of a loo
hoovered centre of playroom
sent off two cheques which were hangign over and not getting done

now goals
teachers' presents and cards
keep ds2 at bay long enough to be efficient (he's at home snotty but frisky)
unload dw and reload
possibly put away in a locked cupboard some of dd's clothes - she is in danger of suffocating in her own fashion decisions

Scounting - at least he is ill now, not Xmas
hope he can lie low properly
MrsGG - glad craft fair was inspiring - what kind of craft do you specialise in?
DSM - hope you are surviving today
MrsDingDong - Happy 9th to your ds (I have a 9yr old ds- well now 9 and 6months)

M

M? not sure what it was part of of, but I've forgotten
possibly some philosphical reflection on not doing ironing..
bb tomorrow

Hello ladies, hope you're all well. Well I've crash landed spectacularly am really struggling with doing the two jobs at the moment and keeping on top of the house. Don't even talk about Christmas I can't see it happening at this rate. We had the bank cards cloned last week, have managed to get all the money back from the bank but our cards were stopped and we're waiting for new ones, so no way of getting cash, no way of buying presents online,I am seriously thinking of cancelling Christmas.

Feeling a bit glum because DS1 who has suspected Asperger's although not yet formally diagnosed got a very negative report from school, so all those meetings I've had explaining his problems etc, what a waste of time. I'm gutted for him because he has been trying so hard and working really hard to improve his reading and writing skills. I'm so disappointed with his teacher because I think she's letting him down.

Right DC's are tucked up in bed so I'm going to try and do some housework and feel better about myself, have got back to the stage where people aren't allowed through the door again.

Hi wtd I think you deserve my first of the season.
Just take one (baby)step at a time, maybe a couple of hotspots to get you going? That tend to work for me even if the house looks like one enormous hotspot tackle 1 table/chair/space on the floor at a time.

Off to serve tea - back later