June's Fledgling Flyers:"two flyers are "blooming marvellously" : here come the rest doing their flaming best"

[elliepac]

Welcome to the June edition of the Fledgling Flyers where we are going to attempt to restore order in our houses, chatting as we go.

Here you can do any of the following:

• repeat or start baby steps (again!)

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

or

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

For those who are curious, these are the Babysteps, which we all hope will restore order in our homes and make our lives a little bit easier with lots of support (and chat, and wine, and a little more chat )

So please come and join us, old and new, from June 1st.

Toffeefudge Welcome to the madhouse party; gatecrashers always welcome. I actually discovered Flylady when we were living in the USA and read about her you-can-do-anything-in-15-minutes principle in a magazine there. I'd like to say I bought the book, signed up for the e-mails and never looked back, but this is my third attempt (first with this thread) and my house is still far from being shiny, sparkling and decluttered. I do feel a lot more positive about things though and haven't given up hope that I'll be able to get on top of things at some point (although possibly not until the DC have left home...). If only pesky work didn't keep getting in the way of flying (I'm doing some proofreading at the moment too btw).

Welcome to desiretochange too. It's always good to start with small steps (says Linzer, still on baby steps after three months) so that you don't burn out, as FlyLady keeps reminding us.

swan I haven't actually done it yet - I would struggle to cope with my own three at the pool, let alone an extra 2 and 4 year old. An afternoon in the garden instead is starting to seem very tempting.

Aargh, have just remembered I've had washing sitting in the machine for the last couple of hours - need to get it out in the sun to dry! See you all later.

Hello Ladies

Happy Birthday MissB I hope you are having a lovely day and that DD1 is feeling better about exams.

Hello and welcome to toffeefudge and DTC

Do let us know how legoland goes SR - I live quite nearby but haven't ventured there so far.

Glad you have sunshine Linzertorte, ours seems to have run out (which might be a good thing as our lawn had turned yellow).

I'm having a good day with DS so far. He's napping at the moment and then we will meet some friends at the park.

The council have a garage nearby that we can rent so we're going to use that for storage while we decide what to do about where we live we just about have enough room for two kids but not really and DH thought he was about to get an offer of a job back home but it has been put on hold for the moment so we're in limbo in the meantime. I'm sure it will all work out in the end though.

Oops, meant to say, sorry for lack of personal messages recently and big hugs to everyone

Hello Desiretochange. It's nice to know I'm not the only new girl here now.

Linzer - how extraordinary that you are doing proofreading too. This is my first book since DS2 (4), so I'm feeling a bit rusty. It feels odd to be getting into work mode again - but I'm looking forward to getting paid. It's been a long time since I held a pay cheque. And god, we need it.

It's interesting to hear how you heard about Flylady. She seems to have quite a following in America - radio shows, conventions and all. I stumbled across her on the internet.

Had to go out this morning, which has eaten into my work time. I'm panicking about meeting my work deadline, so thought there was no way I could keep up with the house tasks as well, let alone cook and look after the boys. But whilst I was making a sandwich, instead of putting the fridge cleaning off because it was too big a task, I did a quick fridge clearout and wipe down. It probably took all of five minutes and I feel all pleased with myself now.

Borrowed 'Happy Feet' from the library whilst I was out in the hope that it will keep the boys occupied whilst I get on with some work this afternoon. DS2 will be back at 2. Fingers crossed.

Welcome to Toffeefudgecake and desiretochange. I've been here since Jan though it is my 4th attempt at Flying. The thread has helped at lot and I am getting somewhere though its been a bit 2 steps forward, 1 step back recently

MissB - Happy birthday, I hope there will be cake

Linzer - will DEFINITELY need support group in September, with cake of course!

ellie - don't be too impressed by length of list, not all of it got done! Firemen however were impressive
at 'published author', well done him.

PA - I am in awe of your busy life. Glad you got out for a meal and back reasonably unscathed!
Was it you who asked about ice-cream machine? I'm on my 3rd as it gets used so much. Makes you VERY snobbish about shop-bought ice-cream though Have a good selection of recipes now if anyone fancies a swap.

Done so far today:

• Work - catch-up from holiday/half-term (another one who understands the joy of a reconciled bank statement )
• Morning routine
• Clear up with DH's help - stuff into loft, stuff sorted in living room

To do:

• Watch tennis with DS (rain delay so only yesterday's matches, I really should be doing other stuff!!)
• Various phonecalls, emails etc
• Hoover hall, stairs and landing
• Mission - finish cupboard doors
• Make biscuits
• Defrost pie for dinner
• Afternoon/Evening routine
• Round to friend's with biscuits and sympathy. She has had an awful year and it definitely isn't over yet. Hope to offer

shoulder to cry on, ideas to take her forward and plenty of sugar-laden goodies

• Bed at decent time - doubt it tonight!

Hope everyone having a nice day - are you holding a little bundle yet Chairmum?

Ooh, totally agree about ice cream machine . I need to get a new one though as my current one is broken (after about 7 years of use).

I meant to ask about Chairmum too x

Hello everyone. Welcome desire

I love it here, first attempt at Flying its so so. I am swamped in Flylady emails and keep meaning to put it on my list of things to do. Deregister. (but i secretly enjoy some of them)

DH and I have lovely time last night lotsa wine (cant function well today) but at work and leaving the reconcilliation till tomorrow.

I would like to join linzer and feetheart as we have just decided that DS is having a change of nursery school. We are going montessori and i'm very nervous about telling him. Done very good job of preparing him for the fact that some of his friends are leaving preschool and he is being left behind and now we are gonna dump this on him!! Aaarrraaagghhh.

I havent really got a list as i am in nervous mode and everything goes to pot. I probably beed one but i feeling very flighty today!!

missb hope you have a great birthday and yes lotsa cake!
ellie what a fab DS you have, he will be the new JK before you know it!
toffee well done on fridge cleaning
MM have fun at the park
linzer i use the excuse that our local swimming pool insists on one adult per child so get away with it. Our pool is green so im excused there too
swan well done on dentist trip. Hate dentists. I send DH with DC.
mrsD at smoke detectors. Must put on my list too.
pa gosh honey you deserve your wine. Hope you get some chill out time some point.

So now on my list that i'm going to keep following on daily until i do it. (maybe someone will get fed up and nag me)

De register Fly lady
Check smoke alarms
pick up dc after work (missed them this morning)
bathe dc
evening routine
unpack cases
start to pack cases for holiday
Tax credits review
File paperwork
wipe out fridge/kitchen units.

Right better finish my lunch and get some work done. Been more out than in today.

Focus Focus Focus

morning all!

dw - done
wm - done
swimming bags packed - done
sparks/ guides stuff ready - done

remember docs appt for yesterday - failed miserably dd2 has squint surgery sced for the summer - it was a second opinion. the phone call this morning saying 'why did you miss your appointment' sent her into a spiral of panic and hysteria. oh joy.

today:
work
swim/sparks/guides/
collect police check
tax meeting (resched from last week - not that i have been in a major state of panic at all, oh no.)
dinner out (if i make it that far!)
camp blankets sewing - the horror continues

apols for not being on much - (waves to other newbies - i've only been here 5 minutes!) - this week is sheer lunacy

Afternoon all,

What a day! First history exam today, 2 years worth of blood sweat and tears all depends on 4 hours, 2 of which are now gone. Paper was good and my question spotting was genius, predicted every single one so as long as they were listening when i told them how to asnwer then they should have been fine, we shall see.....

Swimming night tonight so not sure what I will get done but am going to list post as it is Wednesday and this is my danger zone .

WM on
DW on
Dinner prepped before swimming, cooked after
General tidy
Evening routine

Back later for catch up but did want to say welcoe to desire . Hope you enjoy the thread and the flying!

Well done ellie - it's interesting hearing it from the teacher's point of view! I can tell you that the 'mummies' of your lot will also be relieved when their little darlings come home and say the questions went their way! I have DS1 busy revising the tudor part of his AS - he's less confident of this one but last week had a 'great' Russia paper
PA - you do make me smile - DS1 is v of his GF who is going to IOW without him! How very dare she!. Unfortunately he has 3 more exams next week...Sorry to hear DD wasn't so good - she's come a long way though, hasn't she?
MissB - sorry your DD had an exam crisis. You sound such a lovely mum - I'm sure I'd have been saying all the wrong things in that situation...
Welcome to toffee and desire - I'm an old hand at this but it does make a difference - honest!
nick you made me spit out my tea all over my newly cleansed kitchen units when I read of your testicular antics!!

Well flying has well and truly gone out the window as I am still recovering from some tough old oesteo treatment to realign my pelvis .My DH, helpful as ever,said 'I've got a cure for that!' That's him winking not me btw! He still thinks it's funny after 25 years of wedded bliss .
So today what have I done....
wm - on using foot!
ironing - done sitting on a chair - not easy
tea - doing
town - black biros and bits and bobs bought
banking - done
mumsnetting - done

Not great is it?

Off to do tea before taxi duties. Sorry not to post to everyone, but hi anyway!

Hip hip hooray it's morning time

yesterdays list

De register Fly lady-nope
Check smoke alarms-nope
pick up dc after work (missed them this morning)-done
bathe dc-done
evening routine-no
unpack cases-partially
start to pack cases for holiday-no
Tax credits review-done
File paperwork-done but found some more in hotspots
wipe out fridge/kitchen units-units done

not too bad so today

morning routine
deregister fly lady
check smoke alarms
unpack overnight case
start packing for holiday
hang up ironed clothes
dc breakfast and nurseried
me work
gym
mission or fridge cleaning

when is fly lady going to tell me to clean my sofas and wash down my upvc conservatory cos both really filthly?

om ouch oestio treatment hope it feels better soon
ellie well done on spotting genius questions
nick loved your ranch stories oops about daughters missing doc appt.

hope you all have a lovely day x

MOrning everyone,

Sorry for going awol yesterday, crazy busy with work. Hence no round-up today but here are the steps. Today's babystep is the power of 15.

And the mission for today is here.

Have a good day everyone!

"Hello" everyone

Lol at "testicular activities"!!

Hope everyone is OK - certainly looks like it from all the lists below

Nettie your lists are particularly long and impressive - thank you to you and MrsD for fire detector reminder ....I disconnected ours because they kept going off on Sunday mornings when dh shows off gets carried away sealing the joint over a high flame! Must get them re-installed on staircase in partic.

Everything seems to have got very busy here all of a sudden. DD also going through very 'trying' phase (sigh) plus computer intermittently reverting to cronkiness ....like its owner... hence my recent absence. (Thanks for your good wishes re: dd btw. It's not a milk intolerance apparently - it's a much more prosaic diagnosis, ie "wind" !!!) - Oranges and kiwi fruit being administered by the dozen ...

Many happy returns to MissBennett for yesterday. Hope you had a lovely day.

A warm welcome to ToffeeFudgeCake and Desire - don't let our nattering on here put you off - we do actually do some housework as well (occasionally!)

Flying DOES work. My house is far from perfect but generally much better overall than it was when we started this thread last August. (I'm still decluttering though!! ) Most of the baby-steps make a lot of sense and I like them because they stop me having that sense of "rabbit in headlights- what the heck shall I do next?" panicky kind of feeling ....you know, when everything seems to need doing. It stops me feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. You save time because you know what you are doing next, if any of that makes sense....

Good luck to all of those of you with teenagers going through exam stress and to all of you teachers who are having to adjudicate, mark and soothe brows etc ...

MrsDinky the ice cream was lemon flavoured (from one of Nigella's books I think - can easily post recipe if you are interested - goes well after Moroccan-inspired food because it's very zingy - not too creamy).

Yes, to those of you who have asked. Do use ice cream maker quite a lot - find it very useful pud for entertaining large number - already done and dusted and you just have to remember to take it out 15 mins in advance. Only problem is, like Feetheart this is my third machine. We've had two of the inner blue gel freezing bits decomposing and leaking ....not very impressive. Third time lucky I hope!

Crikey PA hope your brood are OK now. You really should keep a diary/write a novel for posterity....glad you did get out to the restaurant at least though ....

Hi Ellie Thanks for steps. I'd be happy to post next Wed too ...wishing you mucho power to your elbow for next couple of weeks. Congrats to your ds for his poem [SC rushes to dictionary to look up "acrostic"]

Optimistic I like the sound of your dh!!

Hello to Linzer, Swan, Mini and Mummy - any news of Chairmum?

Today I have:
done morning routine including s&s, master-swipe, dw and wm
prepared laundry for fortnightly ironing lady
just about recovered from shouty/stressful morning with dd by reading all your lovely posts

To do:
a mountain of paperwork
lots of admin. phone calls
start on making 20 rats' tails out of old tights and 20 pairs of rats' ears
school meeting
supermarket shop

Waves microfibre cloth at anyone I have missed.

Morning all

SC - sealing a joint?? What are you talking about? I'm guessing it's the school show soon!!

Today is the day I am going to try to fly albeit at granny pace! I am bored with taking it easy...

So..

Take DS1 to school for History AS paper-eek!
put yesterday's ironing away
Room rescue kitchen and declutter
SandS
Food for supper
WM on
Meeting at DDs school
Quiz night at my school (teacher hat on - yikes I'd better do some revision!!)

That'll do for now. Good luck with your liat nettie - looks impressive!

BBL

Morning. Cleaned out fridge last night and tackled hot spot corner in kitchen where lurks alll sort of wild and wonderful (in other words useless) things. Am enjoying baby steps, especially as stillcounting says it means I know what I am going to do next and stop myself from panicking about everything else that needs doing. I work full time and have let the house go to pieces over the years through pure laziness!

Morning everyone,

I'm still only just about keeping on top of work and flying is falling by the wayside somewhat. I did manage a quick blitz of the house last night, however, so it was looking presentable (ish) by the time DH got back from London.

Toffee Your proofreading work sounds far more interesting than mine; I've only ever done two books (both v. technical). I tend to do more translating than proofreading, so PR makes a nice change - although it can be a bit of a nightmare at times as I check a lot of texts written by non-native speakers.

feetheart and Nettie Our support group should definitely have cake. And lots of tea and coffee. And perhaps even the odd glass of wine.

SC Can definitely empathise wrt trying DD. Hope the oranges and kiwi fruit have an effect soon. (And if they work on the tryingness too, do let me know...)

OM You have a very good reason for taking it easy, but I do know what you mean - I always feel like I need to be doing something (whether that something is the most productive use of my time is another matter).

Wondering whether there's much point in doing a list today... I suspect not, but I'll see how much time I have between finishing work and DD1 getting home and then reassess the situation. Have a good day everyone!

Morning all. Managed to wipe down my counters this morning and kitchen is actually looking pretty good, which is just as well as my very house-proud MIL is coming to stay today and she always notices the state of our house (she once said our house was the untidiest house she knew, but at least it felt like a home, which made me feel just terrific....). Just as well we are in the kitchen zone this week. Usually I am in a panic trying to get the house presentable, but these routines must be working a bit already because the house just isn't looking so bad. Loads of clutter in corners, of course, and our bedroom door has to stay firmly shut at all times, but better than usual.

Linzer - to be honest, anything I proofread is interesting at the moment after years of childcare. However, I'm struggling with using the 'tracking online' facility on Word, as I've never had to use it before. I feel so out of date. Not that I'm letting my client know that of course. Am sending calm, professional-sounding emails (I hope) whilst at home I'm tearing my hair out. It's great that you do translating as well.

Stillcounting - Thanks for your warm welcome. I know just what you mean about the 'rabbit in the headlights' feeling - that sums it up. I must say, I already feel less stressed about the house. Instead of panicking about everything I haven't done, I am feeling smug that I have done my one 'mission' today. PS I like the nattering!

Desire - Well done! I did the fridge too, so now it looks all clean for the MIL. Am finding it quite fun at the moment, but I suppose that will wear off in time.

Optimistic - I am feeling the difference already!

Am having an MRI scan this afternoon (have a suspected torn cartilage in my knee - torn whilst struggling to drag my DS2 uphill to school one morning and push the buggy at the same time, but that's another story) and am taking a valium to cope with it (am claustrophobic), so don't know how much work or housework I'll be doing this evening. At least I won't be worrying about anything!

Bye for now.

Afternoon all!

Late night last night as predicted - scoffing biscuits and listening to friend offload. I wouldn't want her life at the moment for anything

Haven't really caught up but I will post today's list and see how I get on.

• Work - done, seem to have mastered invoicing
• Morning routine - need to finish
• Check if Tumble Tots is on
• Take DS to Tumble Tots or watch tennis depending on above
• Various phonecalls, emails etc
• Mission - finish cupboard doors
• Defrost pie for dinner
• Buy carrots for dinner
• Afternoon/Evening routine
• More ironing
• Bed at decent time

Back later

Hi Linzer. Toffee and Feetheart.Hope your afternoons are going well and the MRI is bearable Toffee - I do sympathise (got stuck in a lift in a hotel in Florence this year without the valium!!!!!!)

Today has not been too bad and I feel quite good about the amount I have done even though I'm having to lie down right now to undo my back iyswim!!

Take DS to school - done
WM - 2 loads done
Drying done
Tesco for bits done
Changed bedding on our bed done
Half changed bedding on DS1s bed done
SandS - nope
15 mins declutter in kitchen done
Put away yesterday's ironing done

Going to attempt some ironing whilst watching telly this pm and also deal with all the receipts cluttering up my handbag!!

See you all laterxx

Is it too late to join??

I was about to start the May flyers last month but got burgaled , finally the claim has gone through and have pc again and back online )

Welcome Frubear - it's never too late. Just scroll back to Ellie's links for today and jump right in. Whatever you do don't sign up for flylady's emails - you'll be inundated! All you need is on hear and the first step is shine your sink!
Hope that helps...

Welcome Frubear - it's never too late. Just scroll back to Ellie's links for today and jump right in. Whatever you do don't sign up for flylady's emails - you'll be inundated! All you need is on hear and the first step is shine your sink!
Hope that helps...

Welcome Frubear - it's never too late. Just scroll back to Ellie's links for today and jump right in. Whatever you do don't sign up for flylady's emails - you'll be inundated! All you need is on hear and the first step is shine your sink!
Hope that helps...

oo-er don't know what happened there!!

tax - done (one item outstanding, have e-mailed - apparently not going to jail )
police check - done
camp blankets - not done
dinner out - done (lovely thai - funny how an hour and a half trip for a thai seems eminently reasonable )

wm
dw
cub camp packing
cubs/ beavers
work

lol at om being so very welcoming!
no time for niceties, but reading all of you - was nearly late for work checking what the baby step was yesterday