Weekly Flylady Thread 16th December 2019

Natty68

:xmastree: Christmas week starts here :xmastree:

Last full week before the big day - lots of flying to be done!

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!

Do remember we have to abide by MSE rules; each post should, ideally, include some mention of flying.

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!

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

Because it is the last week it's a long one for the next few days I thought we would do it differently this week, and for those who were here last year will remember my lovely Christmas lists... Well guess what they are back so I want no excuse on Christmas Eve when you have stuff still to do at midnight...:rotfl:


Please don't feel you have to do EVERYTHING on the lists, they are purely a guide for you..just do what you want whether it be all of the list or just a bit of it.

Monday Mayhem..

• Make sure you have all the shopping you need next week.. milk and bread especially! It is Christmas Day on Wednesday so shops are not open!!!!
• Have we located stockings?
• S&S the kitchen
• S&S the bathroom/s and loo's
• Clean the oven and hob ready for your feast!
• Clean the fridge to accommodate your bounty of food
• Change any bedding you need to get washed before the fat guy arrives.. and I do not mean the OH/parent/ etc
• Make sure your timetable for Christmas Day is sorted and everyone knows their tasks.. who is spud peeling? Who is stuffing the bird etc..? And for those who aren't spending the day at home could you do some of the help where you are?
• Catch up on the laundry .. ironing is tomorrows job!
• Phone someone you 'forgot' to post a card/present to in time.. just so they know you've not forgotten them...
• Spend at least half an hour doing something for yourself.. reading.. relaxing.. goggling... remember you are important too.
• Change pet bedding and wash their blankies etc.. we don't want them putting you off your christmas sprouts!
• Dust round the whole downstairs
• do a crazy HHC decluttering downstairs
• Have a crazy HHC decluttering downstairs

Tuesday - Not long now!!!!

• Children... quick.. tidy your rooms you don't want Santa thinking you don't look after your stuff.. he might not leave any presents!
• Vacuum through downstairs.. and the stairs!
• Mop the kitchen floor!
• Get rid of the washing up.. delegation is good!
• Iron yesterdays wash mountain
• Get out any special christmas crockery and make sure it is all clean and nice to use.. placemats etc too!
• Prepare a list for that last second shopping
• Declutter your desk..
• Have a skim through the TV guide and decide what you want to watch.. it saves missing bits of stuff if you know what is on and when!! Don't forget to make time for Queenie!
• Toy boxes can be banished upstairs!
• Wash any soft furnishings in need of freshening up
• Tidy up coats and shoes and suchlike..
• WRAP WRAP WRAP!
• Make a note of when the binmen are coming!!!
• Spend half an hour doing NOTHING!!.. absolutely nothing!!!! Just sit.. and relax with a drink and a treat!

Wednesday ~Nearly here!!

• Make sure you have all the shopping you need to take you through to next week.. milk and bread especially!
• Make sure the remaining presents are nearly wrapped I will not have people sitting up until 5am on Christmas morning wrapping!
• Have we located sacks for presents?
• Mop the kitchen
• Mop the bathroom/s and loo's
• Clean the bath and shower and loo!
• Bake some mince pies and tarts etc.. yummies!!!
• Change any bedding you need to get washed before the fat guy arrives.. and I do not mean the OH/parent/ etc
• Sort out the plan for christmas eve.. shop runs, present drop offs etc
• Catch up on the laundry again.. ironing is tomorrows job!
• Phone someone you 'forgot' to post a card to in time.. just so they know you've not forgotten them...
• Spend at least half an hour doing something for yourself.. reading.. relaxing.. goggling... remember you are important too.
• Vacuum the whole of the upstairs!
• Wash windows through the whole downstairs if needed
• Do a crazy HHC decluttering downstairs
• Prepare a list for that last second shopping
• Toy boxes can be banished upstairs!
• Wash any soft furnishings in need of freshening up
• Tidy up coats and shoes and suchlike
• WRAP WRAP WRAP!

Thursday ~ Almost done?

• Change any bedding that needs doing
• Spend at least half an hour doing nothing at all!
• Check when payments need to be made, if possible set them up to go on the right date through the bank.
• HHI
• Get out and wash any special crockery you might need to use
• Is your cake iced?
• Dust and deweb everywhere
• Binbag dance
• Wipe down all the worksurfaces in the kitchen
• Wipe all the units and appliances
• Sweep and mop the kitchen and dining area
• Play laundry catch up.. see if you can get it all done!
• Bring in the logs and coal you might be needing the next couple of days
• Wrap, wrap, wrap

Friday Mayhem..

• Make sure you have all the shopping you need to take you through to next week.. milk and bread especially!
• Make sure the remaining presents are wrapped I will not have people sitting up while 5am on Christmas morning wrapping!
• Have we located sacks for presents?
• Mop the kitchen
• Mop the bathroom/s and loo's
• Clean the bath and shower and loo!
• Bake some mince pies and tarts etc.. yummies!!!
• Change any bedding you need to get washed before the fat guy arrives.. and I do not mean the OH/parent/ etc
• Sort out the plan for christmas eve.. shop runs, present drop offs etc
• Catch up on the laundry again.. !
• Phone someone you 'forgot' to post a card to in time.. just so they know you've not forgotten them...
• Spend at least half an hour doing something for yourself.. reading.. relaxing.. goggling... remember you are important too.
• Vacuum the whole of the upstairs!
• Wash windows through the whole downstairs if needed
• Do a crazy HHC decluttering downstairs
• Straighten the tree

pigpen

TY for Fred xxx

I will concoct a list presently

Monday Mayhem..

• S&S the kitchen
• S&S the bathroom/s and loo's
• Make sure your timetable for Christmas Day is sorted and everyone knows their tasks.. get up.. eat chocolate until you vom.. go to bed.. done
• Change pet bedding and wash their blankies etc..

Tuesday -

• Declutter your desk..
• WRAP WRAP WRAP!

Wednesday

• Prepare a list for that last second shopping
• WRAP WRAP WRAP!

Thursday ~ Almost done?

• Change any bedding that needs doing
• Binbag dance
• Wipe down all the worksurfaces in the kitchen
• Wipe all the units and appliances
• Wrap, wrap, wrap

Friday Mayhem..

• Make sure you have all the shopping you need to take you through to next week.. milk and bread especially! My kitchen isn't big enough to hold what I use in one weekend! lol
  
• Make sure the remaining presents are wrapped.
• Sort out the plan for christmas eve.. shop runs, present drop offs etc .. Dunno about anyone else.. I'm doing NOTHING!
  

Valli

very pleased that the dead WM we dragged out this morning has already been picked up by the scrapmen. Its replacement is being delivered on Tuesday.

Went to L1dl and picked up half a salmon at 30% off. After much consideration I decided to freeze it as is.

I'm on this week.

Natty68

Sorry it's a long one this week but as it's only one week till Christmas my big list comes out... lol :A

pigpen

Natty68 wrote: »

Sorry it's a long one this week but as it's only one week till Christmas my big list comes out... lol :A

it's 10 days.. not a week!!! thats another whole half a week. Haha!!

I am way too busy to fit anything in this week.

2 christmas parties, 2 drs appointments, a hospital appointment, Nativity, carol concert, Tesco delivery, Veg/fruit box delivery. 16 school runs and a mountain of wrapping.

ionafan

Thank you for the big list, Natty. I might actually get some flying done this week! Tomorrow is fairly full (and in the evening we're off to see Steeleye Span ), Tuesday is a crazy working day, Wednesday is clear, Thursday is another crazy working day, Friday is clear and Saturday is mainly clear - the calm before next week's storm!

In order of priority, jobs to do in the gaps include
- replace clock battery in study bedroom
- make several phonecalls
- write and post/email remaining cards
- deliver christingles to housebound church members
- clear piles of paperwork
- sweep up leaves in the front and back gardens, and dump them in the copse opposite
- paint over the brown water marks on the study ceiling
- clean all through the house as per Natty's instructions before I can ...
- ... put up decorations (but my knee and DH's hip are still painful - no going up stepladders for either of us - so I will ask the young man who helped DS1 put up my rose arches in the spring for an hour of his time to do the outside lights)
- finish shopping
- wrap presents
- walk Rosie each day
- keep my voice well oiled for about 10 services in church and care homes over the coming week

Off to concoct a list on paper, so that I can enjoy ticking things off :rotfl:

I hope all who are feeling under the weather will get their guag back this week. (((Hugs))) spoons and sticks all round xx

Muddy_Walker

Hello!
Can I join please? I am used to the forums as I’ve been here before but loads has happened in real life so shiny new name and positivity
I have full on busyness today at the paid stuff but so far have SS the kitchen, made food for work and done a tiny bit of ironing...
I’ll be adding dog walks as I have 3 dogs and although they get regular walks it gets sporadic round about this time of year...
Thank you for the thread x

Jazee

Morning all. Welcome muddy walker.

Lovely list, I'm in. Brought the last box of presents to be wrapped downstairs with me this morning and am making it my first job.

Have a great day everyone.

kazwookie

Thank you for the lists, I'm going to watch from the side lines else where in the world for a few weeks.


If it is like last year for some reason I won't be able to log in.


However today is volunteering, then packing.

Fayolle

Morning all

Thank you for the lists especially the Special Natty Christmas List. I need to follow it but am working all week so will be in as much as I can.
Welcome back Muddy Walker.
Pre work dailies done. My new name for the boring stuff so that I don’t bore you to tears first thing in the morning.
Have a good day all.

BadCat18

Morning all

Thanks for the thread, I’m in again. I’m working all week but DH is off for most of it so I think quite a lot of delegating is going to be done!

Painter arrives tomorrow to do the master bedroom, we won’t be moving back into it until after the en suite is done but at least there will be progress there... today’s list

Dailies
Errands to run, doing that next!
Washing shuffle (machine is on now)
Full day of paid stuff
Presents to wrap if time
Off out for ‘eats’ with my group this evening, have to make my contribution to the meal after work

Right then, better locate my guag and get on with it. Hugs, sticks, spoons available to those in need x