January Fledgling Flyers - The 15 minute mess removal squad

[droitwichmum]

Happy New Year!

This is the place for you if you have made a New Year's Resolution to get on top of the chaos in your home

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

Here you can find out what it is all about. Try to ignore the cutesy stuff - cute the regulars on here are not! We also take some of the suggestions with a HUGE dose of salt (look out for wearing tie up shoes in the house)

If you decide to register for the e-mail updates from flylady be warned: unless you choose the daily digest only option you will be innundated with e-mails throughout the day. I will post the links you need each day so you don't need to register on the site to join in.

Dive in and mark your place - we start on January 1st!

Hello everyone!

Doing NOTHING tonight - too excited at my first day working from home tomorrow . I will probably get up around the same time as usual though or it will play havoc with my sleep pattern and I can spend my bonus hour posting pottering planning my day before getting DS up for school (he's really excited too!)

Welcome tallulahbelle - I've found a link just for you: Flylady's tips for moving here. You may be further forward in your move than some of her ideas but worth a look.

And while I was looking for that I found this. Might help all of us

chaos - way to go getting your pillows washed yesterday! (Did they dry before bedtime?)
SC are you in bed yet? I'll be back in 5 minutes to check!
PA you wander/lurk as much as you need to. Hope rl settles down soon for you
MrsD that's what I call a result - another piece of clutter (coffee machine) on its way out of the house (and the ff is adamant about shoes - lace up only please!)
in1981 you may need to get ruthless about the stuff under the bed. This link might help although you really don't have to sing 'please release me, let me go' as recommended by the ff...
MrsGok I am so impressed by the amount you are getting done given your current state. (You are getting plenty of rest, aren't you?)
ellie hope you had a good day
hwc you are doing just fine - especially with a 17mo round your feet.
hatty how is the highchair? Any sign of the wood yet?
tibni hang on in there and hope the meds will help you all get some sleep tonight (((hugs))) might help
feetheart I keep looking at DH's 3 t shirt drawers and thinking about blitzing them as he only seems to wear the same half dozen of them and they are so full I can hardly get them shut, but then a part of me thinks why should I do his stuff as well as mine and DSs AND the rest of the house.
OM you have managed something (and more than me tonight) as well as getting to work every day so that is an achievement in itself

Off to bed with my book - coffee and toast around 7!

x posts with missb. Glad you got home ok and that the day was not too bad under the circumstances.

lol at you shining your DM's sink!

Good morning - anti-procrastination day today(sort of appropriate for me really)

Very important babystep today. I try to do this so I don't get a laundry pile the size of Mount Etna. If you don't do it already, give it a go

The mission is a really quick and easy one although you might need a chair. 5 mins should get this one done.

Back once DS is at school

Oooooooh, Mummy, I do love it when you are stern with us !!!

In answer to your question "yes" and "no"!! [Desperately trying not to prevaricate emoticon] I fell asleep on the sofa between approx 9pm and 10.30pm and then felt full of beans and stayed up doing some ironing for an hour or so ....feeling pretty chipper this morning anyway ... ho, hum [SC clears throat and avoids looking anyone in the eye]

Thank you for steps.

That's terrific about working from home! Enjoy the first day of your new regime. As is evident every day on here, you have more than the requisite organisational skills and efficiency to really make working from home work for you. Hope it all goes well.

And thank you so much for that fantastic Flying summary/reminder link. It's brilliant. So brilliant in fact that it is getting printed out and stuck in the cj.

A warm welcome to Tallulahbelle. Have faith - it can be done!!!

What a lovely post MissBennett glad the service was comforting

Yes Feetheart what is 'sage' pls?

Hello to Optimistic MrsGok PA (thread wasn't the same without you!) HelpwithCleaning MrsDinky and WhereChaos (go girl - you are on a roll!!)

Right today is the day when I catch up with all those chores still undone on previous lists:

Before work:
Morning routine, including dw on, wm on and s&s done

After work:
sock drawer
master bedroom 2 or 3 x 15 mins MUST DO THIS
clear coatstand in hall (did once and now full again)
today's mission

Off to Pontefract ...

Have a good day everyone and remember the rabbit food washed down with copious amounts of water.

Morning all!

Yes, the summary of it all is fantastic. Am thinking about pinning it up.......certainly need to read...reread...reread....

Done my morning routine. Is getting easier!
Packed DD2 off to bed with cup of tea - full of cold
DD1 off to school...
Me off to work - got inspectors in and I missed the excitement yesterday

Can do the mission tonight and is a good one for me as we've a ledge round the top of the bed which is a real dust-catcher, so I'll include that as well - polishes halo vigorously!

And determined to tackle a hot spot - DH out so I can get away with chucking stuff out! Thank you all for comments re difference between hot spot and room rescue etc - think that's what I was thinking so good to know about right. Though still feel all my hot spots merge.....

See you later

Morning all. Today is my day for getting cracking!1
So I need to:

meet friend for coffee (well it's a good start)
Go to the dentist ( have horrendous toothache)
Recycle bottles
washingdryingwashingdrying.....
Ironing
Room rescue upstairs
Morning routine
Clean through (Home blessing!)
Buy new L plates ( one blew off whilst driving down the local dual carriageway)
Menu plan
Pay bills

There's loads more to do but that'll do fo now!!

Have a good day all....

re question on Flylady products: I caved in (have been 'trying to fly' for about a year) and got the rubba scrubba and the feather duster thingy. Love the dusta but don't find the rubba scrubba lived up to the hype - no good on the dogs as the bristles are very soft so won't get through coat (Bernese Mountain dog = bear!) but might be good for car. I mainly use it for getting 'presents' off my slippers - sorry, read shoes - when I have been de-pooping the lawn and not paying attention! Postage wasn't too bad but I have a US mailing address which then forwards - but remember you will pay customs if your order is more than a certain amout (£30 from memory - but don't quote me).

Am getting a bit better at hotspots but still haven't fully got my act in gear. Am doing the shiny sink this month and trying to do my bedtime routine which really does make a difference.

List for today:
Swish and swipe bathroom: done
Clean kitchen tops and cupboard doors; done
Emergency swipe of kitchen floor : done
Stuff various piles under bed: done

Apologies for last but DH is home today after 4 months at sea - and he is going to be early and I'm at work!! Will promise faithfully to pull out and sort out tomorrow.

Sorry - typo - car = cat!! in above message

Morning,
I fell off the flywagon quite spectacularly yesterday. Managed to get dressed and that's about it - BabyMango is better, but I think the lack of sleep caught up with me.
Anyway, back on with it today.

Morning routine - have decided to drop yoga from mornings. It sounds great in theory, but more days than not I skip it and feel guilty, so better just to get rid. I'll try and fit it in again later when the rest of the routine is going a bit smoother (still have to consult the book every day!). I also want to focus on going to bed and getting up earlier...

Have been out most of teh day today, but managed to get the new, pared-down morning routine and 15 minutes decluttering done first. I've started on the Shelf of Doom, and tbh, you wouldn't know the difference. Will try for 15 mins more this evening, plus mission.

Took ancient laptop to visit school techie today after it 'hibernated' last night while I was trying to post and refused to wake up. Techie took its brains out, dusted them and put them back in again and it seems to be feeling a bit better now

Wish someone could do that to me sometimes

Have been keeping up pretty well on my own, although it has been lonely without you all!!

Will catch up with thread later (if laptop is feeling cooperative) but have to go now as only 6 hours till PIL invasion

Quick list as have to pick DS up from pre-school in 20 mins!

Have done:
Morning routine
Long chat with surrogate Granny up the road!
15 mins decluttering/clearing top of our wardrobe - still needs more!
Emails re school association meeting and Pamper night (anyone ever done/been to one of these? We have decided to do one but have v little experience of what is involved so all ideas welcome)

Need to do:
Lunch for DS - picnic as on move!)
Buy birthday present for party on Sat
Another 15 mins on top of wardrobe
Mission - v easy as window is inset so no ledge
Room Rescue
DS swimming lesson - lets hope he takes less than 25 mins to get in the pool this week, bets anyone?

For those who asked Sage is an accounts/book-keeping programme that is supposed to be all singing/all dancing. I am new to it and it makes my brain hurt A LOT

Morning fellow fat fairy followers,

Bit late on today as I have been trying to sort my hall and the area of the kitchen that the new fridge freezer is going, so the delivery men didn't think I was to much of a slattern. Just had a call and the lorry has broken down so it will now come tomorrow .Still at least it has been done.

My list for today is

Morning routine done
Washing up
Washing done just needs hanjing up
Washing away
Hoover hall done
Wash walls down (DC2&3 have started to use them as a gallery) done
Skirting, doors any other woodwork done
Clear the hotspot that is the book shelves
Babysteps done
Mission done

Slowed to a stop at the moment as I am hurting. But will have rest and give the co-codamol a chance to kick in then will do lunch and hopefully I will be ok to finish the list today.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Morning (just),
Snowing here again

feetheart we used to do pampering evenings for my local NCT, hired a hall and got about 8 local beauticians, massage therapists, nail people etc to do it free "for charity". Made cubicles for each in a hall, then each attendee paid £20 (I think) and got 4 x 15 min treatments. Think someone had a list of the therapists and the timeslots, so when you arrived you just put your name down for what you wanted. Wine and nibbles in between / after.

SC Just being nosy, why are you off to Pontefract?

DWM - I so agree about DH and drawers, last month I emptied DH's huge sock drawer with a view to pairing and discarding, gave up after 10 mins thinking why should I, I do mine and DCs.

List

Swish etc
Washing
DW
Hoover our bedroom and stairs
Tidy front room (Hama beads everywhere)
Stack logs
Hotspot the coffee table and kitchen table

See you later.

Morning all.

Frustratingly typed out a long post which then disappeared at 7.30 this morning!

Thank you for all your lovely messages. Glad to be back and trying to get back to some sort of normality in RL as well as in the flying department.

Deck - Hello! Hope you have a wonderful time with DH. I am sure there will be more important things to catch up with than flying over the next few days. How long is he home for? Do you have mega-excited DCs?

OM Hope the toothache gets sorted. Absolutely miserable. I always think that toothache is worse than labour!!! Well, I suppose it sort of matters what sort of labour you had, but mine were easy, so it works for me! (Dh announced last one to MIL as "She has shelled another pea this morning" )Anyway, I digress, hope the tooth doesn't cause too much trouble, ior expense!
LOL at the "L" plate blowing off. Does he need to be told about speed limits?

Feetheart - I am a bit of a SAGE geek ! - Computer accounts programme, for all you out there who were asking. I did a course 6 years ago and used it in my job. I have to say I learnt more through actually doing it than in the course, like a lot of things in life! When I left that job I set up being self employed doing it. I could have worked 7 days a week 24 hours a day! And the pay was good! Unfortunately DD3 then became ill, so I have had to just keep up 3 small jobs, 2 are doing sage and one just admin. I am a bit of a saddo as I get really excited when I get it all to work out and get huge satisfation out of accounts! The boss at one of my jobs always laughs at me when I "whoop" when it goes right!

MrsDinky - Loving the crochet idea!
Orchards is where my sister comes every year. It is fairly quiet and lovely surroundings. Another good one is the Adgestone one, which is also quiet. There are more lively, family orientated ones, but if you are not wanting the evening enertainment and busyness best to avoid the larger ones.

PMPY - How was the fat Duck? Heston is DSs absolute idol! How long have you been waiting for a place? hope it was worth it!

SC + Ellie- thanks for all your encouragement for me to get back on here. Now I bet you wish you hadn't bothered!

Right, so down to business....... house is a tip! I have been making a concerted effort to keep kitchen clean and clear a la fat fairy. According to her, if the kitchen is clean and clear so is the rest of the house! Well, to walk through the doorway from the kitchen into the hallway you have to step over a load of boots/shoes/slippers/coats/bags and heaven knows what else. To go from the kitchen to the back lounge you navigate through the mount everest of washing (clean) that needs sorting. So her theory has not worked! It has just turned me into a sreaming banshee when a DC "clutters" my kitchen because there is no room to put anything anywhere else. It had all gone so well for 5 months! Well, I know I can do it, I know it works, so back to it again. Hopefully the RL situation which caused a lot of the clutter and stress and lack of time has resolved enough to allow my home to be mine again. (Won't go into details, but best friend landed on doorstep about 10 days ago with 3 DCs having walked out on her DH!- lots of tears, lots of late nights, lots of wine chocolate comfort. Now returned to her home with DCs and trying to sort things out. ) So me now trying to catch up from 3am talks and get home in order again. - She is far messier than me, so place has hit crisi point.

So today I already have:

Sandwiches x7 (last week it was x 11, I thought you would all love to know that, 7 now seems manageable!)
Kitchen tidied!
Shepherds Pie in slow cooker, potatoes peeled.
Got to work, done very little,

After work today:

Quick dash to supermarket to replace very depleted stores from feeding extra mouths.
Take DD3 to education unit
Meet friend for lunch and see how she has been since yesterday.
Pick DD up from Education unit
Get home and collapse for power nap 10 minute break!
Finish off shepherds pie.
sort washing, if I get time.
Take DS to "options" torture evening at school
OPEN THE WINE AND ENJOY

Right, so an easy day to just ease myself out of hell hole today, then use day off tomorrow to really go like a madwoman and get back to manageable level.

Enough waffle from me - well, I am making up for a week of disappearing!

Have a good day, one and all

Took me so long to type out that post that i x-posted with loads of you
I am supposed to be working, though, so have to hide the screen when anyopne comes into my office! - Not a lot of work to do, actually, I get paid for doing the work, not the time I take, so I don't feel guilty!

Hi Everyone

I'm having a bit of a repeat of October's swimming costume clear out debacle...please tell me what I have to do!!!

So, I did the mission last night and cleared out my underwear drawer. The thing is, since having DS I have gone from a 30E to a 34B ...I now have a carrier bag full of bras, some of the barely worn, that I guess are NEVER going to fit me again. I know I have to thrown them out and I'm sure no charity shop will want second hand bras however new they are.

OK, just had to get that out of my system, going to catch up on all your activities now...

Hello!

Doing well here this morning - not MNd at all until now [v smug and somewhat amazed emoticon]

So far today I have
got dressed
breakfasts
put DW on
got DS to school on time
made doctors appointment, been to it (repeat prescription only, not falling apart or anything) & collected prescriptions
got laptop to work without contacting IT bods
dealt with all work e-mails
completed on-line training stuff so they will let me use the softwear
started first piece of work
made lunch

Can't hang around here - tummy rumbling!

Carry on...

Hi Again!

PA hope things are getting back to normal, glad you were able to support your friend. Thanks for the clarification about SAGE (you too Feetheart), I was confused!

How was TFD PMPY? DH took me for my birthday a few years ago and it was fab. We live quite near so we go to his pub across the road from time to time (doesn't break the bank in quite the same way thankfully)! Triple cooked chips and mussels my absolute favourite!

Lovely NCT idea MRsD, I must remember that one for future reference!

MrsGok glad it is not just me that tidies up before delivery people arrive. DH finds it quite amusing!

Thanks Mummy, I was just about off to bed when you checked the other night (don't think I have posted since then) so thank you for keeping us all on the straight and narrow!

OM hope toothache gets better, how awful for you.

Cannot scroll up and down anymore! Hello to MissB, SC, Ellie, WCTR (sorry have forgotten new name) and everyone else that I haven't listed here x

Morning routine done
Washing up done
Washing done just needs hanjing up done x3 plus a couple of things into soak colour rescue
Put some white thing into bleach (accident with ink cartridge) done
Washing away done
Hoover hall done
Wash walls down (DC2&3 have started to use them as a gallery) done
Skirting, doors any other woodwork done
Clear the hotspot that is the book shelves in the hall
Babysteps done
Mission done
Put stuff on Freecycle

DC3 (2.7) is driving me up the wall. He is so bouncy today and it's as if someone has given him a dose of cafeine. He wants to 'help' me with everything and is constantly where I am, even when I give him a job to do
he wants to do what I am doing in the exact same spot am and if I leave him to do that and go to where he was he comes back and it goes on. If I sit down he wants to sit where I am but won't sit still. He is starting to get on my nerves but he is so sweet, he is singing and chatting all the time about what we are doing.

MiniMarmite Freecycle them. There will be someone who will want them. Which reminds me, I have some stuff to put up. Well I don't want the delivery people to think to badly of me and the hall is looking rather snazzy, I keep going to look at it

Hello.....goodbye! DM PA I am sure it won't take you long to catch up with it all and I think eing able to support someone who needs it is more important.

OM Hope you are feeling better soon.

Don't know if it is any use to anyone but I had a brainstorm just now. I have 2 windows open with the thread on. 1 with the message box and one with the thread soI can just quickly flick between the two, much easier

Right off to look at threads I'm on and then do a bit more. Hopefully the paracetamol will have eased in by then.

Mrs Gok - that's brilliant!!

So today:

meet friend for coffee (well it's a good start)done
Go to the dentist ( have horrendous toothache)done
Recycle bottles
washingdryingwashingdrying.....doing
Ironing done
Room rescue upstairsdone
Morning routinedone
Clean through (Home blessing!)done
Buy new L plates ( one blew off whilst driving down the local dual carriageway)
Menu plan
Pay bills

Thanks for all your good wishes. Unfortunately/fortunately nothing showed up on the x ray so I am on antibiotics for now!
PA - glad you cleared up your RL issues - I thought DD3 was really bad again. Sorry for your friend but what a star you are!!
Apparently losing one's L plates is par for the course. My coffee friend says her DD has got through 5 sets already. Shame you can't tie 'em on with string as you could in the old days!!
DMummy - thanks for keeping us all on track. As I am not so much a fledging I am going against the fat fairy in as much as i've promised myself a catch up on all the missions this week!

Got to go and get on . see you all later...

OMG, MrsGok's a genius! Why didn't I think of that?

Droitwich - glad the work from home is going well, you're clearly iron-willed to not be here till 1pm Thanks for links etc, as ever.

Optimistic, you can't tie L-plates on with strnig any more? how do they stick, then? I've clearly been away too long.

Did 15 more minutes decluttering, Shelf of Doom showing signs of having been attacked, it'll do for now. Evening routine also finished including hotspots and sink, although it's now 54 minutes after designated 'bedtime'. Still doing okay with water, but a bit pitiful with fruit and veg - 4 portions today and one was orange juice.

MMango - they've magnetic!!

evening. My progress has hit a brick wall. It will be all i can do to get through to ds' current bed time 11pm I have made flying progress, i did not spend the whole day cleaning and catching up on jobs yesterday and i made time to do something fun. Still need to work on building little steps in. It is the little steps i struggle with. Sleep is not happening with the combination of out of sync evening/bedtime routine and being ill. So hopefully will crack an early night tonight ready for a more productive day.

Minimarmite dont worry have gone back to WCTR
OM hope the antibiotics help
mrsgok have you got any low level windows/mirror/patio doors. I used to give ds a cloth and get him to polish the bottom little chunk whilst i did the rest, plus found him pushing the hoover around worked. I also had the emergency box of toys and tricks for these days Emergancy toys- a few toys that arent his most favourite and often get overlooked at the mo. Brought out and the normal ones put away. the novalty kept himbusy. Emergency box of tricks consists of a rubber plug, a large metal washer, a wooden drawer handle and an assortment of odds and sods from an old fashioned diy store and haberdashery type place. Its amazing how much fun he had to sort it all out and test it in a bowl of water/with a magnet. PLus i found i could get the kitchen clean whilst he played.
PA glad to have you back and that RL has calmed down a little for you.
Neenook -lol at your computer description. i wish they could do that to me too sometimes.

Waves to mrsdinky, ellie and everyone else forgotten in hurry to discover what that crash was.....

MrsGok genius on both the scrolling and freecycling front, thanks!

Evening All, I'm going to try to stay of MN this evening because I think it is what leads to my late bedtime on the whole!

I've found a glimmer of motivation in the last couple days, probably because we have friends coming to stay in a couple of weeks time so I'm thinking of all the clutter that I want out of the way before then!

Goodnight all x

OM, Mango I have my moments :P

Chaos I tried giving him own kobs to do but he wanted to do exactly what I was doing, in the space I was doing it [roll eyes] So I sprayed a bit of wall and gave him a cloth and he started but as soon as I started on the bit of wall next to him and he pushed his way in front of me to do the bit was doing, if I moved to where he was, he would then move i front of me. If I tried him with the hoover he wouldn't touch it but if I used it he had to come and help me push it. I like the idea of an emergancy box of of stuff, fantastic idea, thanks.

OM hope that tooth gets better quickly.

Have managed to hot spot 3 shelves of the bookcases, only another 21 to do