Weekly Flylady Thread 2nd May 2011

pigpen

Do not lose heart if you cannot keep up with everyone else or reading the thread, don't try to reply to everyone and please remember to include something about flying in all your posts, chat is for the weekend when your home is looking beautiful!!! Things will settle again in a couple of weeks so don't worry it will return to normal and we will hopefully have some new fledglings.

Welcome to the weekly Flylady thread. If you need help organising your week when it comes to housework, or just the motivation to do the dreaded housework tasks you have to do, come and join us, hopefully make it a little easier. You never know, you might start to enjoy it!

Following requests to start things steadier for new members who did not realise the tasks list wasn't a must do, just an encouragement. There will now be level 1, 2 and 3. Level 1 being very basic it has been requested that this is just vital tasks for basic cleanliness, level 2 usually has some decluttering and clearing, up to 3 which is more advanced and time consuming. If you want to do level 2 you add the tasks on level 1 with the level 2 tasks, if you want to do level 3 you add the tasks on, easy peasy. Choose a level to aim for but be realistic, if you've got a busy day on or are just starting etc aim for level one, if you get higher then great, if not then not to worry its only suggestions. Every room comes back around next week. Trust me some days I'll only be doing level one myself.

THESE LISTS ARE ONLY SUGGESTIONS AND NOT A MUST DO LIST, ALWAYS WELCOME TO POST AND FOLLOW YOUR OWN.

Also adding a declutter mission each day. Another one where it's up to you if you want to do it or if you need to. This follows requests from members who are looking to declutter. Binbag dances, hotspot clearing, cupboard sorts, drawer sorts etc will all be on this list. Any problems with this or any suggestions do please let me know.

A few of the basics before we start the week

Hotspots are any areas which if one thing gets put there, loads of other things follow!

Daily routines/todailies are anything you need to do today and every day stuff like laundry, swish and swipe kitchen and bathroom, ironing, making beds, vacuuming high traffic areas, making meals etc

Night-time routines are all things which make getting ready in the morning easier, preparing clothes for the next day, making lunches, swish & swipes of the kitchen and tidying the living room before you go to bed plus personals like shower/brush teeth etc.

Fling Boogie/binbag dance - stick on some loud music, grab a binbag or carrier bag and whizz around the house finding items that can go out with the rubbish, recycling, for charity shop, basically anything that will stop it cluttering your home.

Swish and swipe/S&S means have a quick wipe over an area such as a sink or toilet to prevent the build up of dirt. This is usually done on a daily basis

HHE/HHC/HHI Half Hour exercise/challenge/ironing ... run around for 30 minutes to the Benny Hill music frantically cleaning, exercising or ironing.. other music may be used if you prefer!

5GC five minutes gardening.. make it lovely for your family and enjoy it!

Other abbreviations you may find useful

WM ~ Washing machine
TD ~ Tumble dryer
SC ~ Slowcooker
BM ~ Breadmaker
DW ~ Dishwasher
SOAADFA ~ Sit on 'bottom' and do 'nothing'
KH/XH/FW ~ Ex-husband and other not so polite versions
DH/DD/DS/DW/DP ~ Dear husband/daughter/son/wife/partner/whatever
OH/SO ~ Other half/significant other
NN ~ nice neighbour
Toxic (friend/mother/sister/whoever) ~ person in your life that seems to exist to make your life miserable
AF ~ Aunt Flo 'time of the month'.. nothing to do with flying but it comes up often.
ETA ~ Editted to add
gibble ~ miscellaneous crap that appears forever homeless
Dot-to-dot ~ this is a AnW'sMum's way of tidying - pick a small area (not a whole room) like a chair/coffee/table/shelf/worktop or wherever- thats your first 'dot' - totally clear it - clean it - and only put back what should be there - deal with what you have removed (not just move it somewhere else) then if you have time move on and do the same to another 'dot' -the idea is just like a dot to dot puzzle, you aim to join up all the dots and have a tidy room. The trick is to keep each dot tidy until you get them all joined up!
RoD ~ Room of Doom, the one room that feels like it is a permanent pit and cannot be used to its potential!

The Spoon Theory
http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/ar...e-miserandino

Ok here goes this week

Monday - Sitting Room and Hallway
Level One
Open the windows and turn on some music!
Dust/polish grubby glass and mirrors and pictures.
Declutter the chairs, floor and fireplace
Level Two
Vacuum the floor now it is visible
Pile all hotspots into one heap and sort through it all.. File/shred as appropriate
Clean and defluff the fire.. arrange for chimneys to be swept if necessary and services!
Level Three
Vacuum under any furniture you can.. please don't injure yourselves!
Wipe sofas and dusty places
HHC in the hallway.. sort those coats and shoes and mess!! Clear out handbags and schoolbags!

Extras

1. Freshen up any soft furnishings
2. Binbag dance... grab a bag fill it and fling it!
3. Check insurance policies/tax/mot etc to see when the renewals are up!
4. Wipe the woodwork in these areas

Tuesday ~ Kitchen and Dining room
Level One
Declutter and mop/vacuum floor
Clear and wipe work surfaces
Level Two
Wipe units and large appliances
Give one small appliance a good clean!
Wipe out the fridge and get rid of anything gross and slide the stuff that needs using now into your meal plan
Level Three
Wipe the table, replace the cloth if needed and dust and deweb!
Clean through the cupboard full of food.. what needs using soon?
clean oven and hob!


Extras

1. Clean a hotspot.. even if that is the inside of the breadbin!
2. Wipe down all the paintwork
3. Wash the windows
4. Clean any pet bedding/poo trays/stinky tanks etc

Wednesday ~ Master Bedroom & Landing
Level 1
Check smoke alarms are working
Remove and wash bed linen and duvet covers.
Fling open the window and let in the rain/sunnyness
Level 2
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum & turn mattress before replacing with fresh linen..
Air the duvet
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level 3
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort through a cupboard and find 10 things to get rid of!
Freshen up any curtains or bedding that needs doing!

Extras

1. binbag dance
2. Clean all the upstairs door frames
3. Clean windows in these rooms
   
4. Do half hour clearing of the place you hate doing the most..

Thursday - Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One
Clear floors of guff and stuff
Clean baths, toilets, don't forget the outside! and sinks
GET YOURSELF OFF TO VOTE.. PEOPLE DIED FOR YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!..you can't moan about the council if you don't get it done!
Level Two
Clear any clutter from desk
Dust PC and desk and wipe off those cup rings!!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three
Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains, shower curtains etc
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment your pc while doing this.
Empty and clean out all the upstairs bins!
sweep and mop and deslop the floors in these rooms.
Collect all the dirty laundry
Extras

1. Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
2. Empty the cupboard and clean it out.. colour ordered bottles inside!
3. Fling all those empty bottles and tubes
4. If you have a shelf.. empty and clean it
5. Grab yourself a toothbrush and scrub the manky bits between the tiles

Friday - those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Spend at least half an hour doing something for yourself!!!!! paint your nails, make an appointment to have your hair done, a lovely soak in the bath.. whatever you feel like!! I'm having my nails done this morning as usual
Level Two
Vacuum the floor
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Strip beds, turn and vacuum mattresses!! and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too!! Wash the curtains!
Level Three
Clean 2 windows
Sort through a cupboard/chest of drawers and get the clothes out which are no longer wearable, too small or out of season!
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Extras

1. Find 5 things to ebay/freecycle
2. Wipe the radiators, skirtings and window & door frames!
3. HHI
4. End of week fling!! grab a binbag and fill it with stuff to leave the house.. rubbish or charity shop or to donate to a friend!

tootifruities

Hello and you are very welcome to join us on the flylady thread -we are delighted you want to try it.
I hope you will find the following helpful but please dont be afraid to ask anything -no matter how silly it might seem.We all have the t-shirt!
If you want to get your house ship-shape then you have definitely come to the right place!
Dont worry if you dont have time to post or read all the thread.

Hope we see more of you!





WELCOME TO THE WEEKLY FLYLADY(& GENTS) THREAD

1. A new thread starts on a Sunday evening via a link from the current thread so keep a watch out and dive in! (Click on the big writing)
2. Make sure you read the first post carefully as it contains all the info and abbreviations that we use!
3. A new list is added to the 1st post every evening by pigpen-the order changes every week
4. Dont get stressed with the mess just try to do the list to whatever level you can manage depending on your home circumstances - work, children, OH's!
5. Even if you only manage level 1 everyday when you come back to that room next week you will find it is easier and as time goes on it becomes more manageable and you will see huge differences. I know it sounds impossible but I can vouch for the fact it works!
6. Remember your home didnt get in a mess overnight so dont expect it to get tidy in a day!! Dont try to do the whole house at once - you will tire yourself out and sicken yourself -we have all tried it! BABYSTEPS -little and often and you will be amazed at the improvement.
7. Post what you have done and forget about what you missed. There is no such thing as failure here!
8. If you want to post a list and strike out what you have done -choose the 'go advanced' (its down at the bottom of the messages) and then highlight the line you want to strike out -press the S with the line through it (its near the end of the list of symbols above your page) and it will say'strike' at each end -when you post your message it will show with a line through it!
9. If you want to answer a particular post then press 'quote' and you will then be able to type a reply. To help keep the thread tidy & short if there is only a small bit of the post that you want to reply to then just delete the bits you dont want but be sure to leave the 'quote' at each end.
10. Dont worry if you cant keep up with the thread it moves very fast -just pop in and post so everybody know hows you are doing!
11. To defrag your pc (it appears on the list!) go to Start>>All progs>> Accessories >>System tools >>Disk defragmenter. You should do both C &D discs but 'C' is the important one - the more often you do it the less time it will take.
12. All posts should include some mention of the flying you have been doing - except at the weekend when we can chat more!

The support, encouragement and friendship on here is simply THE BEST! ask any questions and we will give you our tuppence worth - sometimes sensible sometimes totally insane!


We dont bite -well most of us dont -have fun!!
WELCOME to the totally bonkers mad house!!
toots:D

Money Saving Diva R.I.P.

toottifrootti

Thanks pigpen - I am in this week xx

Monday
boiler repair at flat
clean bathroom while waiting
washing while waiting
Mr A's for bits needed
Try phoning council
try phoning solicitor
ebay ebay ebay
filing
bike
try phoning OT
Is Boots open - get prescription
see LL
email research to C
Tuesday
bike
ebay ebay ebay
filing
phone connection 8-1
yesterday's phone calls
Vestry 7pm/ return books to A
chase up bed raiser fitting
sort out clothes for Jenny tomorrow
check freezer/cupboards
meal plan for shopping thursday
Wednesday
eBay ebay ebay
filing
bike
sort something
Jenny
bank transfers
discussion group 5.45
Thursday
ebay
filing
bike
assisted shopping -primark returns, post packages, collect brochures
Friday
eBay
filing
bike
Dietician - am
DN - am
Saturday
ebay
filing
bike
community lunch
eye test
Sunday
eBay
filing
bike
church


Monday - Sitting Room and Hallway
Level One
Open the windows and turn on some music!
Dust/polish grubby glass and mirrors and pictures.
Level Two
Pile all hotspots into one heap and sort through it all.. File/shred as appropriate
Level Three
HHC in the hallway.. electric meter cupboard

Extras

1. Check insurance policies/tax/mot etc to see when the renewals are up!
2. Wipe the woodwork in these areas

Toots' list.............

1. filing= job for May!!!!
2. purge files - some done
3. Gather insurance documents
4. Gather important papers for solicitor/DB/flat & put in new file
5. Gather papers for selling flat
6. Passport - fill in form, take to PO and submit - (need £85)
7. declutter and eBay the stuff to get the money for heater for (new)LR/ tumble dryer/ trip switch repair/ debts /passport £85/outside plumbing repairs(flat)/
8. Wash the vacuum cleaner innards and filters.. do not reassemble until completely dry!!
9. sell and payout F's eBay stuff WIP
10. charge ewbank - cant find charger still cant find it
11. find and label all chargers
12. do contacts list for DB- 1 list doneWIP
13. get emergency contact numbers for emergency box on top shelf
14. clean screen
15. clean printer and see if fixable
16. clean tower on outside
17. do a Valli on the inside!
18. Clean keyboard -yeuch!
19. empty white box
20. water and re-pot plants
21. dispose of books from 1st bookcase
22. dispose of books from 2nd bookcase
23. repair burn hole on settee cushion
24. polish leather chair
25. get remote for leather chair repaired
26. wash voiles in LR
27. Fix blind cords in bathroom or replace
28. remove broken shower curtain hooks from rail
29. take off shower drain cover and clean underneath
30. repaint scuffs/chips radiator in bathroom
31. wash wall from ceiling downwards
32. clean ceiling light
33. find home for velvet curtain from BR
34. get rid of blanket box WIP
35. sort through boxes of photos
36. polish up briefcase and use for papers for DB/solicitor
37. shred stuff in briefcase
38. register exercise bike for guarantee
39. fill and polish C o D
40. lift hall runner and clean floor
41. clean small steps
    
42. get bulb changed on outside light not sure about this - intermittently working!
43. open window and clean track
44. get rid of old broken bin
45. clean and cover garden table
46. get drainpipe repaired WIP
47. sort horrible smell WIP
48. clean any jewelery needed
49. put all jewelery in new jewelery box
50. get garden parasol repaired or replaced
51. get rid of washing machine
52. move rest of stuff from shed and plants to new place
53. change bedroom curtains at flat
    

will need to add a few more now but this is the original updated - more will come off as it gets tarted up for selling.



(started with 205)

head down and batter on:rotfl:
toots xx

pigpen

I think the sad face after Divas tribute needs to be changed to a singing one.. she wouldn't want us to be sad she would want us to smile and remember her love and joy.

fedupandskint

Evening ladies!

I'm in but the LR might have to wait until Tuesday when the assignment is in safely

Dorastar

Thanks for the new listy - I think! Am going to try to get a head strt on it as dh won't be arriving home till the early hours. Managed not to do too much this afternoon apart from blow up a paddling pool and squirt water at the kids.


If it's not on the list it's done or I don't have it eg fire
Monday - Sitting Room and Hallway
Level One
Open the windows and turn on some music!
Dust/polish grubby glass and pictures.
Declutter the chairs, floor
Level Two
Vacuum the floor
Pile all hotspots into one heap and sort through it all.. File/shred as appropriate
Level Three
Vacuum under furniture
Wipe sofas and dusty places
Extras

1. Freshen up any soft furnishings
2. Binbag dance... grab a bag fill it and fling it!
3. Check insurance policies/tax/mot etc to see when the renewals are up! - this one might take a while!
4. Wipe the woodwork

hex2

Count me in please

Thanks everyone for the thread and support.

DW and WM are on. The house is a building site - with the bathroom and snug being especially bad (radiator and shower replaced this weekend), our bedroom was a dumping ground for everything and we have had a re-shuffle on the other bedrooms. Huge amounts to do.

kazwookie

I'm in again thanks to all at FLCC

tootifruities

I have changed it for now until I get a chance to look for something more appropriate xx

dorajar

Now the sun is shining I realise I am the queen of smear when it comes to windows. I have tried water with a hint of vinegar, windolene, widow wipes. I would love to make a better job of them when I start Mondays list. Any suggestions really welcome. Thanks

JayJay14

I'm in again, thanks pigpen and toots.

I can't remember when the fire was last dusted - never use it