Weekly Flylady Thread 3rd February 2025

ionafan

Well done round for getting through the week x

(((Hugs))) to MMM.  Sorry you're going through so much stress.  I failed one of my uni exams three times and just scraped by on the 4th, thanks to a helpful tutor - I hope your tutors are understanding of the difficulties you face, trying to be a hands-on Mum and general All-Round Wonderwoman whilst also pursuing your uni dream x

Sorry I haven't been posting much.  There just doesn't seem to be a lot to say - one day is very much like another atm, and I ache.  This morning I have S&S'd the kitchen, thrown out the dead daffs that have been giving me much joy for the past week, FU DH's clean, dry washing and given it all to DH to PA, cleaned round Rosie's bowls and refilled them, and done my finance check.  The floors are clean enough not to need hoovering, but I might will put a duster round the downstairs rooms while the kettle is boiling for my coffee later. [Looks at clock and discovers that it's already 10.55  ]

On Tuesday afternoon, J the gardener and I spent an hour clearing a whole lot more of the rampant chocolate vine choking the front garden border, so that looks a lot better now (though it's a never-ending job).  I have found a safe recipe for killing ivy - 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water, doused over the remaining stems once you've cleared as much as possible by hand - so I need to get some more white vinegar and then test it on the drive border where the men who replaced the neighbour's fence just hacked off the ivy, leaving lots of roots.

Best get moving again xxx

Valli

Morning all

Sis managed to liberate some stuff from Mum's kitchen yesterday, including the food processor which I'm really pleased about because it was on a worktop and, even though I closed it every time I went , the cutting disc box was forever being opened and we were concerned mum was going to have an accident 'fiddling' with it - this is the reason I am now the 'proud' owner of a vintage glass medical syringe as I was worried she'd open the box and stick her fingers in.  Neither of them are using this stuff and it was all left 'to hand' as mum reckons she is going to bake...

So I'm now sorting through this stuff and it will either go to the Vallikids or the CS.

Honey_Bear

Sorry to hear about your exams, MMM.  I echo everyone else's comments - tutors are there for a reason and may be able to point you in the right direction.  Their reputation relies on people getting through the course so there is always masses more help available than most students realise.  I went through my whole school education thinking the teachers were trying to catch me out, and it wasn't until further and higher education that I realised they wanted me to enjoy studying and do well.  Good luck with the revision plan, and I'm sorry homelife isn't quite as supportive as one would hope after a disappointment.  Hang on in there - you are not the only student who is struggling.  Uni is supposed to be tough so don't be down-hearted by this temporary setback.

Strands was a bit of a nightmare but did it without hints, all four lines on Connections and Wordle in five.

Been to the library to return three books, one of which I couldn't renew so I skim read the other two about decluttering and apart from one paragraph about what repels moths I realised I didn't need to read them in detail.  The hard part about decluttering is like the hard part of studying - making the decision to start.

Poked around the high corners of about half the house with a brush-on-a-stick thing and discovered cobweb festoons I just don't see.  *sigh* 

Weightloss is going really well, rather more rapidly than I ever thought possible, but I now realise that quite a lot of things I like to eat don't really suit me - bread, for starters.  I'm eating a lot less but onlly food I really love, feel full nearly all the time and wish I'd done this years ago.  I heart big breakfasts. 

Narc0lepsy

MMM sorry your exams didn't go as well as you'd hoped. Hope you and your tutors can pinpoint why things went wrong and what you can do differently at re-sits.  I found a lot of my students focussed too much on input of information i.e. reading and copying what they needed to know, but very little time on output; if an exam is in essay format, you need to be practising writing essays. Sorry if you already do that.

Woke up to a very cold day, threat of snow which didn't materialise.  Determined to get a lot of stuff done so cancelled step class.
- wudupa.    Wiped a few surfaces. New splashback arrived yesterday and we are pleased with it.
- swept and mopped kitchen floor.
- filled bird feeder.
- made a warming beef stew in slow cooker, using a few remaining dregs of my gf flour with some cornflour and ground almonds for dumplings; worked ok. 
- retrieved 3-tier storage boxes which came from Mum's and sorted out my swimming stuff so it is easier to find rather than have swimsuits, floats, gloves, hats and socks in a big basket.   Did a bit of vacuuming in bedroom as I was moving boxes around.
- Next pressing job is to combine Mum's sewing box with mine. I think I'm going to keep hers which is wooden with a shelf and a lid over a few compartments. Mine (which actually Mum upholstered and did a tapestry top for) is more like a small chest so you have to dive in to find things. Am giving mine to a friend.  Mr N took the wooden one into the garage and has made a lovely job of sanding and varnishing it.
- sorted more stuff in my study/hobby room. Making slow but steady progress.  
- checked through the items I took to the auction house, up in next week's sale. emailed them about a silver spoon which they hadn't itemised; they replied promptly thanking me and will make it more prominent.
- DB went in to see estate agent yesterday and gave them firm questions and expectations as it seems the delay in Mum's house is due to a difference of opinion between the two solicitors.  Hopefully that will produce results.    I had the welcome news that Mum's attendance allowance has been approved and will be backdated to December, so all my frantic paperwork was worth it.
- did some drumming practice.
- wrote a lesson plan for a new student I'm meeting next week with a view to giving him some support. 
- Rang car insurance provider to let them know I'm now retired so made a few changes to policy which should bring the price down.      I'm gradually accepting that I'm retired and beginning to think about reorganising life and house accordingly (not to mention mindset).

I suspect it will be a cold swim tomorrow.  Have a good weekend everyone. 

Jazee

Morning.  Up early of course even though it's the weekend.  Wordle in three.

Yesterday I dusted dusty bits in LR and s&sd toilet and bathroom so if I don't do much flying this weekend I won't be bothered.  So plan for today: admin, exercises, dailies, lovely soak in bath, walk Poppet, have a pedicure, mooch around some shops while out and anything else that crops up.  I've a book to read and stuff to put online for sale.

Have a great day everyone.

roundtuit

Halloooo. Halloooo. 👋

Thank you iona. I survived the week and when I arrived home yesterday evening I locked the door behind me and savoured every second of being home with a whole three days off in front of me. 😍

My carefully streamlined Saturday morning routine has been kyboshed by a hairdresser's appointment- due there at 8.45 am. But heyho.

I'm up, made my bed, dressed, completed Wordle in three,  completed Strands with no hints (although I'm baffled as to the relevance of the clue??), completed Connections with no lives lost, taken my meds, turned over the calendars, eaten my breakfast and supped a brew.

Plan To Do Today List 

Hairdresser's 8.45am

Feed the birds 
Put out the rubbish and recycling 
Put new bin bags in bins 
Bring down laundry hamper 
Sort washing into loads 
Set first load swishing 
WUDUPA 

PO - buy sympathy cards

QH Admin 

That will get me moreorless back on track.

Live to all.
Rxx

Jazee

First of two wash loads in machine.

Strands with three hints, letter boxed in five but the target was four.

ionafan

Morning all.  I woke up at a reasonable time this morning - almost 2 hours ago - so had already drunk my second cuppa by the time DH called me down to breakfast. 

Got Wordle in four, Strands with two hints, and Connections with no mistakes (but what should have been the easiest line - ie the yellow - was the one that I found only because it consisted of all the leftovers).  After I'd completed the Strands puzzle, I - like round - was still puzzled by the clue, but I found out what it meant here.  Scroll down to the text just below where it says "Sign up to become an insider."   I did not accept their kind offer of a free newsletter: it wouldn't go down well with the mixed-heritage member of this household!!!

Awww, round, I remember well how good the weekends used to feel after a hard week.  Enjoy yours!   I could picture you, sat under one of those lovely beehive hair dryers, with magazine in hand, cuppa to the side...

Narc0, as usual you put me to shame with your daily achievements.  I'm so glad you got the attendance allowance without any hiccups.  Things seem to be coming together for you all, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the sale of your mum's house is completed very soon.

redofromstart, I thought about you and Mr Redo's shed when I was watching this earlier this week - maybe it will be of some help to you.  Don't feel pressured to rush the decluttering.

Well done HB on shifting the chubbage.  I think I've MAD this week too, but I'll stick to weighing myself on Mondays.

Here's my rather unexciting list for today.  I wrote it before breakfast, and have already done a few things:
- shower and dress
- 5-minute PUPA downstairs, no great need to hoover
- remind DH to put his wargaming stuff away off the DR table
- load DW, S&S kitchen, get meat from the freezer for this evening's meal
- order meds
- sort the papers that are on my desk and desk extension piano stool: I spent yesterday evening reading (online) the log book for 1907-1914 of an infants' school near Surbiton and printing out all the pages with references to my Great-Aunt Eggs who started her teaching career there with a class of between 20 and 35 infants, attendance depending on the weather / infectious diseases currently doing the rounds in the village / cleanliness of the children (one particular little boy was sent home nearly every day ) / who'd been excluded by the school nurse for having nits or ringworm.  Oh, the joys.
- check that I've recorded all the other bits of info in my family tree program before filing them under the relevant name.  I need to start a new file for a new surname, having gone back 2 more generations on one line this week
- order some more birth and death certificates
- walk Rosie - we'll probably take her up on the heath near the rock houses

Have a good one, Flyfriends xxx

MinnieMousesMummy

Morning, 

Thank you to everyone who sent me positive vibes yesterday. I'm feeling a bit more positive today as yesterday I managed to arrange an appointment with my tutor and finished writing my report that is due on Monday.

My list for today
Format uni report due on Monday
Proofread and submit uni report (a couple of days early  )
Take some rubbish along to the recycling centre
Deal with Mr T order delivery
Do paid stuff (got minutes to type up from a meeting yesterday)
Dust the living room
Revise for mock exam on Tuesday Some revision done and will do more tomorrow
Take the dog for a long walk
Check over the diary for rest of the month and make sure everything is scheduled
Check banking/payments and update spreadsheet
Laundry x 4 loads
Print uni work for next week

I think that is everything that I need to get done today. Hope everyone has a lovely Saturday.

Fayolle

Morning all,
Iona, that family tree is really going great guns - impressed face.  Mine is still in the boxes that I brought back here when we cleared my mum’s house…
So far this morning I have done unexpected jobs as I haven’t got a list. Well, I have many lists as you know, but not the one that says Jobs for Saturday. I have run wm x 1, folded clean washing (and created a small ironing pile - HHI to go on the list), dusted downstairs, partially vacuumed until the battery ran down as I had forgotten to put it on to recharge, wrapped a birthday present. We are having an impromptu dinner here with friends this evening so I need to put my thinking cap on for that, sooner rather than later.
ETA - found my Today list! It says make 3 birthday cards. That may have to get bumped until tomorrow now…