Weekly Flylady Thread 24th July 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.
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 - Blitz those bathrooms

Level 1

Throw the windows open wide in your bathrooms, en-suites and cloakrooms
Remove any rubbish from these rooms
Flush loos and fling down some cream cleaner or loo cleaner
Clear all the gibble from round the bath and out of showers
Scrub bath and/or shower tray
Wipe down edge of bath, panels and shower screens
Wipe switched and sockets
Check lighting is all working and not acting as fly cemetry - clean out if so

Level 2

Now the loo has had a soak scrub it out - don't forget under the rim
Wipe all cistern, handles/buttons, outside of loo, seat and lid
Flush loo and pour bleach round bowl
Close lid
Wipe toilet toll holder
Check spare toilet roll stock has not mysteriously vanished

Level 3

Wipe sills and shelves
Wipe soap bottles
Polish towel rails
clean out sink and polish taps
Bleach down all drains and in all overflows
Check for cobwebs in corners
Sweep, wipe or vacuum floor as appropriate
Put out fresh towels
Dirty towels into the WM for a HOT wash

Extras

S&S kitchen
HHI
Mad half hour - what are you doing?
month end approaches - write list of birthday cards etc for August

Terrific Tuesday - Kitchen
Level 1

Clear sills and wipe
Clean windows - this includes glass panels in doors
Wipe/polish tables and chairs - don't forget underneath where sticky fingers linger
Wipe mats and/or change cloth
Wipe switches and sockets

Level 2

Empty bin, wash it and stick it outside to dry in the sun - thus de-germifying it, too
Clear sides and wipe down
Wipe kettle and other small appliances
Empty toaster and wipe crumb tray
Check fridge and fruit bowl for anything that needs using or flinging.
Check oven mitts - and wash them (I peeped - they're filthy)

Level 3

Wipe down cupboard fronts - and tops and bottoms of doors - to removed dried-on drips and dust
Wipe handles of cupboards and drawers
Sweep and mop floor

Extras

MAD half hour - post yours!
HHI
Make a me-time appointment for sometime this week - manicure, hair, coffee with a friend...and a break from the [STRIKE]brats[/STRIKE] darling kiddies
Household accounts - are they up-to-date? Budget on track?
New uniform needs labelling PLEASE!
Check your meal plan for the week - can you double up on one meal to make a freezer filler ready for a lazy day? (Or a busy day when you have no time to cook)
Freezer inventory
S&S bathroom

Wonderful Wednesday - because you're worth it! Your BOUDOIR


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
Vacuum/wipe bedhead/frame

Level 3

Thorough vacuum/floor sweep - don't forget the edges!
Move any furniture you can and vacuum under and behind
Polish windows and mirrors

Extras

Peg out some washing IF it isn't raining. If it is, iron!
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom
MAD half hour - put an alarm on your phone and spend half-an-hour on a big project eg paperwork clearance, gardening (weeding), kitchen drawer-and-cupboard sorting, sorting out your linen/airing cupboard BUT ONLY FOR HALF AN HOUR. Post what you're working on as inspiration! You could even spend your MAD half hour, with a notebook and pen planning what needs doing eg (for example) tiling splashbacks, gutter clearing, MOT booking...and writing or adding it to your Toots list


Thursday Thrills Living room

Level1
Take out any rubbish
Clear, wipe and polish coffee table
Rehome aything which is out of place
Wipe coasters
Deal with any flowers/water & wipe plants
Clear out fire/woodburner

Level 2

Dust and polish any wooden furniture or just dust
Check corners for cobwebs/spiders and remove
Dust skirting boards
Wipe handles/sockets/switches
Check your lightbulbs all work; wipe the dust from them and dust shades
Dust electricals

Level 3

Lift chair/sofa cushions and vacuum under them
Wipe leather furniture/vacuum sofas
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor

extras
clean windows in lounge
MAD half hour - only half an hour - this is a nibble not a mouthful! Please post yours
HHI
Check your lightbulb stock - do you have all the spares you need?
Ovenpride is on offer at @ldi from today...do you need any?

Can you assign any Summer Holiday chores for littlies?

...taking out the rubbish
...cleaning out pets - or helping
...daily bedmaking

I'm sure there must be more



Freaky Friday kids room/spare room

Level 1

Open windows
strip beds
take out any rubbish
Make sure everything is in its rightful place

level 2
wipe sills
dust flat surfaces
remake beds
Dust the skirting

Level 3
wipe sockets and switches and door handles
sweep/mop/vacuum floor

Extras
HHI
make a me-time plan for the weekend I'M LUNCHING ON SATURDAY
MAD half hour - I need to do some gardening and some mending so that's my mad sorted whatever the weather!

atypicalblonde

I'm first :j:j

Definitely in this week, thanks for the lists ladies. We had an early dinner so currently watching TV with a cuppa and a bowl of HM crumble, bliss.

See you all in the morning xx

FurryBeastOz

I'm flying on my own list (while interviewing cleaners:D)

Food prep done today so the kitchen gets blitzed as a result. My fridge is full of neatly stacked Tupperware, prepped veg, and my sink is clean.

First candidate is a possible if references come through. 2 more to give some comparison.

My priorities once I get someone in place are going to shift towards personal development. To that end I have done 3 topics of my first ever Visual Basic course. I can now write the macros to do some of things in the Excel ribbon. Not much use at the moment, but I have to start somewhere:rotfl:

So my dailies on top of work (5hrs) and cleaning (:rotfl:) are:

1 weights/cardio session (45mins-1hr)
1 days course of Duolingo (only takes about 15mins)
1 Visual Basic module (15mins)
1 task from 'The Artists Way' (anything up to an hour)

OK. I'm tired and Monday hasn't started yet.:D

Have a great week everyone.

mrs-moneypenny

Thanks for the list and new thread, I'll be in this week.

pigpen

jojo... I have an idiot cat too.. I opened the girls pj drawer... turned around pick up pjs to put in said drawer... space is full of cat... put down pj's, remove cat, pick up pjs.. cat sat back there as if she's been there for hours!!

Valli.. spitty raspbrries at bil.. he sounds like a bit of a drama llama.. he knows where you are if he wants you.. his loss!

girls stuff packed.. then Twinkle wanted her bed so she has put a stop to packing my stuff. 1
DW x3
WM x7
TD x4 (its raining)
9 loads of washing folded
1 whole wash basket of socks paired and put away

My hands itch (I developed an allergy to gel nail polish!!) my groin in sore so I have been commando for a few days in the hopes it will heal. Woman in chemist almost had 3 fits when I wanted to buy 2 boxes of travel sick pills.. DD3 is going away for a week long residential and we are going away too.. silly woman!.. as if I would want to pay for 2 boxes if only one was required!

Anyway.. ice cream with my name on is languishing in the freezer!

Dizzy_Imp

I'm in too please. Have had a busy weekend and not a huge amount of flying was achieved, so this week I must try harder

Narc0lepsy

thanks for lists. Main priorities this week are finish conservatory, do tax return, send off last term's student plans and get organised as we go to stay with BIL on Wed night after dancing, in the New Forest.
Tomorrow - clubbercise and a student
Tues - zumba
Wed - run, dance, pack.

Fayolle

I'm in please. Thank you so much for the lists. Errr just where did that weekend go?! I just had to read 3 pages to catch up with you all. Hugs, sticks and spoons where needed.

House looks like I have never flown in my life - just how do they manage to make it look a tip in one weekend?? Next week is a new week. Just 2 days work, so plenty of flying time. Right??:o

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Definitely in for the week. Once he'd woken me up coming back from tour and promptly fallen asleep, I got up and spent the next six hours on and off doing things at my own pace.

Was impressed with how well Oven Pride worked - it's definitely worth the money to get a neglected oven back into shape, and as it was largely the carbonised deposits of the Manky ex Lodger's pizzas and chips, plus a few occasions where Himself forgot to put the lid on dishes, it shouldn't need doing so often from now on. It's the first cleaner I've ever used where everything just wiped off as the packaging claimed.

Did tons more washing up of random items, glowering at the borked dishwasher all the while, and rearranged things so that I had somewhere to put chopping boards that made them easy to reach, then tested out the little knife sharpening gadget I bought online to try and get something done about my poor kitchen knives, which have been abused and neglected for ages. Still have absolutely no idea what happened to my original sharpener, but it completely disappeared.

In the end, I was still feeling the urge to massacre things, so took my ire out upon the last of the raspberries, as we've left so many for the birds and the blackberries are starting to ripen - I hacked down every cane to about a foot high, leaving a bare bed for autumn planting - and a three foot high pile of stuff on the patio to dry off and burn.

Finished off by planting out some neglected supermarket herbs into a window box out the front, as they won't be used before they die inside - it's so warm and sunny out the front, they should love it, just like the lavender and rosemary already out there does. And sweeping up all the sweet wrappers and crud the local primary brats deposit as they walk along (and fall off) the front wall, now I won't have to endure their brattishness for six weeks.



Himself must have caught wind of my murderous thoughts, as he came bounding down the stairs at 4pm, gave me a hug and, after making me a cuppa, handed me the remote control and announced he was off to scrub the cupboard doors and anything else I couldn't reach. And he cleaned up immediately he'd done dinner.

Mind you, I have found out that the new electrostatic duster looks exactly like an overweight rodent without a tail. The Idiot Cat launching himself across the kitchen to snatch it from my hand and take it under the kitchen table to slaughter at his leisure was the clue. Himself said he wasn't surprised because when he's dusted the blinds a TV with a feather duster, he's spent more time dusting the Idiot Cat as he's scrambled behind the blinds to attack what presumably looks like a chicken's bum to him

We have a feather duster?.

And Himself has dusted? When?



This week's jobs will be getting some of my clothes mountain ironed and into the spare room wardrobe, attacking the rambling roses in the back garden and coming up with a list of jobs for him to do when he's back from Germany. Oh, and fitting in some conservation work on a couple of days, as my main aim of the summer is to get myself experience for a job in conservation, rather than the poxy school.


But tonight is going to finish with a bath and a camomile tea. I've earned it.

ETA: Good to see you back, Piggers. But the drawer thing is what the relatively intelligent (ie, pedigree, thick as a barn door) Madam Fluffyknickers does, so that seems normal for here.

YORKSHIRELASS

Morning everyone

Well done Jojo, amazing what you can get done when you are in murderous thought mode.

I did a little MAD task yesterday, filing, sorting and shredding household paperwork. Very satisfying once I made myself get on with it.

So today looks like - paid stuff 1 then gym, should be home by 3pm. Will make fish pie and cottage pie for tea. Need to try and get 3 hrs done on job no. 2. Also need to sort out car insurance for DS1.

Bath was scrubbed last night, will do the rest when I have had a shower.

Goal for this week is also to try and enlist the boys in helping out and not doing everything myself.

Right best get moving, didnt have a great nights sleep last night so not feeling very lively.

greent

I'm in - thanks for the list, Valli! Have almost finished the charity paperwork, which means I have more time to fly - MADs should see it sorted once-and-for-all by the weekend (my goal) - although I think that will be 5 x 1hr MADs, as opposed to 5 x 1/2hr MADS BUT.... then it is gone for good, so it will be worth it

Today I will do my bathroom. DS1 did the boys' bathroom yesterday, and DD did her's on Thurs before disappearing to bf's house in Wales for a week. Will also do downstairs loo.

Marvellous Monday - Blitz those bathrooms

Level 1

Throw the windows open wide in your bathrooms, en-suites and cloakrooms
Remove any rubbish from these rooms
Flush loos and fling down some cream cleaner or loo cleaner
Clear all the gibble from round the bath and out of showers
Scrub bath and/or shower tray
Wipe down edge of bath, panels and shower screens
Wipe switched and sockets


Level 2

Now the loo has had a soak scrub it out - don't forget under the rim
Wipe all cistern, handles/buttons, outside of loo, seat and lid
Flush loo and pour bleach round bowl
Close lid
Wipe toilet toll holder
Check spare toilet roll stock has not mysteriously vanished - DONE - topped up yesterday from Mr T

Level 3

Wipe sills and shelves
Wipe soap bottles
Polish towel rails
clean out sink and polish taps
Bleach down all drains and in all overflows
Check for cobwebs in corners
Sweep, wipe or vacuum floor as appropriate
Put out fresh towels
Dirty towels into the WM for a HOT wash

Extras

S&S kitchen
HHI
Mad half hour - what are you doing? - charity paperwork (still....)
month end approaches - write list of birthday cards etc for August


Have made dough for soft and fluffy rolls - currently proving in kitchen Weather is on-and-off rain this week, I believe, so will attempt to get washing dry around it (have used TD waaay too much recently)

DS1 is off with army cadets for annual camp on Weds, which just leaves me and DS2 & DS3 for Weds and Thurs - as usual OH is away with work until late Thurs night. Pants weather means not much chance of getting out and about with them (I'm loathe to spend on too much stuff week 1 of the hols - and DS2 went to cinema with OH yesterday to see Spider-Man whilst DS3 was at a party for classmates so they've done *something* outside of the house and fun already ) I was thinking a baking session at the end of the week and a PJ day (they are never allowed to stay in PJs unless ill-to-the-extent-they-can't get-out-of-bed) will films/ dvds and popcorn (although I may have to change that to a dossing around in comfy clothes day - not sure I can cope with actual PJs being worn in daytime!)

Right - DS3 is hassling me to get g-pigs out into garden. Then shower time (so the neighbours will now get to see me in pjs!
xx