Weekly Flylady Thread 26th June 2017

Valli

What is FLYLADY? Well, it's our version of the US flylady idea - but we work on the principle that housework is not fun, it's boring, can be time-consuming, is often thankless but, unfortunately, necessary. It's here on Old Style to provide the support we all need and to make the whole task easier and quicker. We also accept that, sometimes, life just gets on top of us and we can't keep up, maybe because we're time-poor, not in the best of health and/or we have littlies who need us. We are definitely NOT control freaks aiming for perfection and utterly spotless show-homes.

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread. You're more than welcome to join us in the everlasting battle against dust, grime and gibble. The aim of our thread is to make those onerous tasks less daunting, and to support each other - and to make time for the finer things in life!

Right now the thread is looking very quiet...but please do remember we have to abide by MSE rules; each post should, ideally, include some mention of flying.

Thank you Natty for last week's thread
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It is your responsibility to read the forum rules, please follow them on this thread as Flylady has been here a LONG time and is a fabulous support and resource for lots of us. All posts should have some Flylady-related (ooh a compound adjective) content!

The idea is that even if you are really busy you don't need to fall off the wagon!

Every room comes back around next week so please don’t stress about catching up

These lists are only suggestions and not a must do list; you are more than welcome to post and follow your own lists.

Also adding a declutter mission each day will help to gradually clear the clutter and make flying easier.

A few of the basics before we start the week

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

Daily routines are anything you need to do on a daily basis like washing, 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 - stick on some loud music, grab a bin bag and whiz 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!
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 ~ Edited to add
Gibble ~ miscellaneous crap that appears forever homeless
Dot-to-dot ~ 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! All credit to AnW's Mum for this one
RoD ~ Room of Doom, the one room that feels like it is a permanent pit and cannot be used to its potential!
MAD half hour
- Mad is the abbreviation for Make A Difference.
The idea is that you have a Forth bridge (ie never-ending - or just huge) task but that you work on it in half-hour bursts. This way you know you ARE stooping, and that you won't get it finished but you will make a difference - so it might be clearing out - the garage or shed, or clothes sorting, or weeding - you get the picture - but rather than keep going until you've lost the will to live you do half an hour...but, eventually those half hours will get the job done!

Mr S/A/T/M/L/Al - supermarkets Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi. You get the picture!!

Click here to read Toots wonderful welcome guide

ok Here goes this Week...

Marvellous Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room

Level 1

Clear sills and wipe
Clean Windows
Wipe tables and chairs - don't forget underneath where sticky fingers linger
Wipe switches and sockets

Level 2

Empty bin
Clear sides and wipe down
Wipe kettle and other small appliances
Empty toaster and wipe crumb tray

Level 3

Wipe down cupboard fronts
Sweep and mop floor

Extras

MAD half hour - post yours!
HHI
Month end approaches - write list of cards needed for July
Sort through scarves and gloves - wash any you're keeping ready for winter
make a me-time appointment for sometime this week - manicure, hair, coffee with a friend...
Household accounts - are they up-to-date? Budget on track?


Tuesday Twinkles - lounge/reception rooms

Level 1

Open the windows
Empty the bins
Clear out old newspapers and magazines
Rehome any gibble
Wipe plants/water flowers
Wipe sills and clean windows

Level 2

Dust everywhere - don't forget skirting boards, light fittings, curtain tracks
Dust/vacuum drapes and blinds
Wipe switches, sockets and handles

Level 3

Vacuum chairs/sofas inc under cushions and rotate so they wear out evenly
Sweep and mop floors/vacuum as appropriate

Extras

Have a MAD half hour on an onerous task
HHI
Check your smoke alarms
End of the month looms - read meters and inform your supplier

Wonderful Wednesday

Kids Rooms/Spare Oom/Study...

Pick the worst one if you've time:)

Level 1[/B]

Clear sills
Clean windows
Dust/vacuum drapes/blinds
Strip any beds
Fill a binbag

Level 2

Dust everywhere
remake beds
wips sockets, switches and door handles

Level 3

Dust and wipe skirtings (vacuum them is they are very dusty)
Sweep/mop/vacuum floors

Extras
HHI - keep on top of it
Make two and freeze one - double up on a recipe today and freeze half for a lazy day
Make sure there are no old £1 coins lurking - get them spent/swapped
MAD half hour

Thursday Thrills - Bathrooms, cloakrooms and en suites

Level 1
Open the window
Take toothmugs etc down to be washed
Scrub the loo insides and out
Wipe handles and pull switches - don't forget the loo roll holder

Level 2
Scrub out bath and shower
Shine splashbacks
Polish taps
Polish shower screens

Level 3
Scrub basin and taps
Wipe cabinets and cupboard
Mop floor
Empty bin
Extras

S&S kitchen
HHI
MAD half hour

[COLOR="Magenta[B]"]Friday Fling - the Boudoir[/B]

Level 1

Open the windows wide
Strip the bed
Take out any rubbish
Clear the Floordrobe/chairdrobe
Make the bed with fresh linen

Level 2

Dust everywhere- including curtain tracks, light fittings. lamp shades, skirting
With a just damp cloth wipe where sticky fingers linger inc. light switches

Level 3

Thorough vacuum/floor sweep
Move any furniture you can and vacuum under and behind
Polish windows and mirrors

Extras

Peg out some washing
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom
MAD half hour - put an alarm on your phone and spend half-an-hour on a bigger project eg paperwork clearance, gardening (weeding), kitchen drawer-and-cupboard sorting, sorting out your linen/airing cupboard BUT ONLY FOR HALF AN HOUR. [/COLOR]

atypicalblonde

I'm in, thank you Valli and Natty.

Thinking of all the fly ladies that are MIA at the mo.

I am in this week, the house really needs it. Watching Bridget jones baby on Tv now with a glass of wine, bliss :beer:

Cheeky_Girrrl

I've been a long time follower but not posted - I'm in ����

Going to attempt at least Level 1 each day

ionafan

Thanks Valli. I'm in this week. The whole house needs cleaning now, so I will try to do at least levels 1 and 2 each day.

We didn't go out for a meal, mainly because I was too hungry to drive somewhere, wait for a table and then wait even longer for food. Thanks to a big batch of stew that I cooked a fortnight ago and the foresight to put 2 portions in the freezer, we had that with pasta and veg within 15 minutes, without a great deal of effort DH did make me a cup of tea before we ate, and now he's doing the washing up and will make coffee.

I am going to put my feet up and enjoy a lazy evening.

Meant to say earlier - well done atb for surviving your fun-filled weekend :T:T:T:T You deserve that glass of wine!

Froddy, how are things with you?

pigpen

Lurking but in truth probably that will be all I do!

Uniforms ready for tomorrow, OH's lunches for the week sorted.. he is peeing me right off snoring on the sofa.. cue rant.. 'if yo're just going to lay there snoring on the sofa just go to bed because it pees me off'

Squeak feeling very loved.. we got her 2 bunches of 30p tulips.. she is sometimes so very sweet and very easily pleased.

Twinkle had a 'birthday' photoshoot today.. she is so very lovely.

I have a kitchen full of dirty pots but all the laundry is done so thats a bonus I guess.

I emptied the bin in the loo because it was hnking and sprinkled de-stinkifying stuff on the corner the old man cat used to piddle in.. it is smelling worse as it is drying.

My life is a total drama as always.. and I need a new mattress.

bossymoo

Thanks Valli I will try be in around decorators and whatnot. I can do the kitchen!

Thanks for last week natty. Xx

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

I am in. Tiny bit hungover. Went to a very good party last night and DS1 picked me up, I had had a little too much to drink and was very giddy. I decided that relying on your son to get you home was lovely but made me feel soooo old!

So gentle flying, lots of snoozing, bit of reading and a dog walk about sums it up today. Will try hard this week to fly. Off to put the rest of the clean washing away and get in my Jim jams!

Fayolle

Hello,
Thank you Natty for last week and Valli for this week. I'm in, after one of "those" weekends. Sorry for not posting, but the time disappeared. I WILL do better this week.

Hang on in there, FBO. You're getting it all thrown at you, aren't you? X
Well done, Valli, on your new hours and your sign off.
Good on you, YL, for having a night out.

So I now have no plaster on the landing walls, to accompany no bathroom....and dust everywhere to prove it. Everything that was clean by last Friday is now covered in a layer of dust, so I have to stick to the lists this week to get back to where I was. DD is back from a weekend camping away and did she and her stuff smell!! Everything washed (including her) and normal service due to resume tomorrow. Lunches done, washing up done, ironing caught up with.
DH getting ready to snore...I feel your pain Piggers.....

froddington

I'm here - thanks Valli :A Will try and do some flying this week

ionafan wrote: »

Froddy, how are things with you?

Thanks for thinking of me :A Well, I'm back at work but still no word on if / when my resignation will be accepted. I'm fine in the classroom with the children but, as soon as they've gone, all I want to do is come home. Seems others are feeling a bit like this too - lots of stress and low moral. Thankfully it's only just over 4 weeks til the end of term. GP being very supportive but I don't it can't be right that I need medication to cope with life!! I just want the chance to have some time out so I can work out what the problem is. Fingers crossed I get an answer soon .............

Marvellous Monday - Kitchen

Level 1
Clear sills and wipe
Clean Windows
Wipe switches and sockets

Level 2
Clear sides and wipe down
Wipe kettle and other small appliances
Empty toaster and wipe crumb tray

Level 3
Wipe down cupboard fronts
Vacuum floor

Extras
MAD half hour - post yours!

SpikyHedgehog

Thank you Natty for last week's thread and Valli for this one.

Managed most of the Level 1s for last week, though mostly yesterday as it was too hot last week to do anything.

Not my bedroom, of course as my needs come last in this household... Well, I did some work in there this afternoon, sorting winter duvets and blankets into vacuum bags for storing away till needed. Suspect we have too many blankets and that I impulse buy things - for instance, I got 2 sets of matching duvet cover & pillow cases from Ald1 the other year as I needed new duvet covers - but I didn't need the bedspread to match. I did use it as an extra layer the winter before last, but didn't use it at all last winter. Shops have good deals to encourage us to spend money there, not as a nice favour to us, and I must remember this!

DS2 said earlier "We should get someone to do all the housework, like a simbot like they have on Sims 3," I managed not to snap as I thought "We do have someone to do all the housework, it's me!"

I asked him to watch his hamster while I cleaned the hamster cage out this afternoon, such hard work to prise him away from technology.

Valli, it wouldn't help at all with reports this year, but at work we use Tapestry for our learning journeys, which we put all the photos on all through the year. They're now doing up to Year 6 https://tapestry.info/primary/ and having photos on there ready for parents could save time next year? We don't put photos in out reports though I'm sure we could, but my rationale is that parents should be signed up to look and add their own photos and if they're not then they call look at the hard copies of the LJ at preschool.

Got the sewing machine out this evening and fixed DS1's chef white trousers where the seams were coming undone. So he now has 6 pairs of trousers good to use. Need to rethread the machine with white thread and cannibalise the worst of his old tops to patch up the other 2 old ones so he'll have 5 usable tops. Or use wonderweb... but I don't think that would stand up the hot washes they go on.

Valli

Thanks for that, Spiky. It wouldn't have been such an onerous task had we known beforehand - we do have photos, they were unsorted and the file names didn't help IYSWIM. For next year I will start with a photo folder for each child and drop pictures in through the year. But I will look at that link too. Chances are, though, if there's a cost attached, the answer will be no.
3rd washload in... DW run.