Weekly Flylady Thread 12th October 2020

Valli

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.

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.

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!
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.

Please follow the forum rules 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 content! (i.e. it should be on-topic)
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- that’s 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 former Flylady 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 stopping, 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!
Frog (or other amphibian) ~ google 'eat that frog'
Spoons ~ google 'but you don't look sick' and/or 'The Spoon Theory'.

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
Marvellous Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room

Level 1
Open some windows for some fresh air 
Wash up, dry up and put away (or remove all pots to DW) 
Clear sides and wipe down - wipe small appliances and caddies etc.  Don't forget the splashbacks or tiles!
Replace what lives there, wiping as you go
Empty bin and clean it out too - put it outside to dry in the sunshine, if you can.
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks - and shine those taps - or clean them!
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth
Check fruit and wash bowl
Throw away your manky dish cloth or sponge and replace with a new one!  Put out a new hand towel and a new tea towel too
Good slug of bleach down plugholes and in overflows
Clean cruet, salt and pepper, wipe any sauce bottles that are used on the table

Level 2

Wipe down all cupboard and drawer fronts inside and out, not forgetting handles and tops and bottom as well as fronts!
Clean hob
Clean microwave
Sort fridge and wipe seals; weave stuff that needs using up into your meal plan; update shopping list as appropriate
Wash and wipe fridge shelves and baskets.
Dust dining area/room
Descale kettle if needed
Clean WM , TD and DW filters; remove WM detergent drawer and wash it out.
Wipe inside of washer drawer and DW door paying particular attention to manky crevices

Level 3

Sort out the plastic storage - does everything have a lid?
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.
Go round the whole house wiping door handles, light switches and banisters - we WILL be germ-free!  Remember external handles and letterbox flaps.

EXTRAS

HHI

S&S bathroomTwinkly Tuesday Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
Remove towels and fling in WM
Scrub Loo inside and out, slug some bleach or descaler down afterwards


Level 3
Clean out baths and/or showers
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
polish mirrors
dust and polish where necessary

Extras
check stocks - soap, loo rolls etc
HHI
S&S kitchen


Wednesday Hump day
The Lounge, Hallway, stairs and landing

level 1

deal with flowers and pot plants
empty bins/ashtrays
clear gibble
plump cushions
wipe sofas with leather wipes or vacuum - look for all those dust-catching crevices

level 2
clean windows 
vacuum floors - and use an edging tool to get into all the nooks and crannies

level 3
dust all round - don't forget sills and skirtings
Wipe door handles, banisters, light switches and sockets - and the bits of the door where people hold to close it
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should
stand in the doorway and look back into the room - is it clean?

extras
S&s kitchen
s&s bathroom

Thursday Thrills - Kids room, spare room or wherever need your attention

level 1

open window
strip bed
remove bins etc

level 2 remake bed
clean window and sill
mop/sweep andor vacuum floor as appropriate

level 3
dust and wipe.  
Exteas
door hadles switches and sockets all round
S&s kitchen
S&S bathroom
HHI

Friday Flourish The Boudoir

level 1

open window
strip bed
flip mattress
remove rubbish
clear floordrobe and/or chairdrobe

level 2 
make bed
sweep, mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows and any other glass

level 3
dust everywhere
wipe lotions and potions

extras
S&s kitchen and bathrooms
hhi
log into PayPal a/c

pigpen

ty for Fred.. I will sort my list when my head is back on straight.

Marvellous Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room
Level 1
Clear sides and wipe down - wipe small appliances and caddies etc. 
Replace what lives there, wiping as you go

Level 2
Wipe down all cupboard and drawer fronts inside and out
Clean microwave
Descale kettle if needed

Twinkly Tuesday Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites
Level 1
Scrub Loo inside and out, slug some bleach or descaler down afterwards
Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins
Level 3
sweep and mop floor as appropriate
polish mirrors

Wednesday Hump day ~ The Lounge, Hallway, stairs and landing

Goodintentions

Thanks Valli for the lists, and thanks Natty for last week. Natty I hope you are feeling better now. 
I have had a quick peruse of the list, and I am pleased to say I can already cross something off! I sorted the plastic tub storage cupboard yesterday on a whim 😁 
Today I spent a few hours at the allotment, and I am happy that it is starting to look better. Its a good feeling when you feel you have actually made a difference! Still a long way to go, and I have run out of compost 🤦‍♀️ 
All washing is done, dry & folded. The kitchen is a mess, but hopefully DH will make a start on that because he always gets up before me 😁 Need to do a food shop tomorrow,  and I am hoping to get a bit more done at the allotment, if my hand is not too painful. I have a really painful thumb, but not sure why. It hasbeen made worse by crocheting I think, and weeding. I need to rest it, but its not that easy 😭 

Hugs, sticks and spoons to those that need them. 

BadCat18

Morning

WAC checking in. Didn’t post yesterday, DH and I decided to head out for a few hours to a Natty trust place, we had a nice drive across country and then a good long walk. I did run wm x 1 and put it on the line plus did a few errands on the way. Planned roast dinner was put on hold as I was too tired to cook when we got back, a simple pasta dish for supper meant less faff and less washing up!!

Paid stuff today and a zoom meeting this evening, would really like some more sleep first but not sure that’s going to be happening.

Hope I’m alone in the WAC and you’re all sleeping peacefully x

kazwookie

Morning

Thank you for all the lists.

Day atm seems dark and grey

List to get on with

Cat is fed

Fayolle

Good morning all
Thank you for the lists. I hope you’re feeling better, Natty.
Very dark here too. It was even darker when I joined Badcat in the WAC.
Full day at work today. DH already on a work call. 

Forgot to meal plan last night, so it will be catch up from the word go.
Have a lovely day all. Hugs, sticks and spoons available as needed x

Mademoiselle

Morning all,  back to reality after a lovely weekend at the other house with really good friends and most of our kids (5 of 6, aged 19 - 26).  Lots of chatting, walks on the beach, book reading, cooking all together, studying etc, we didn't go out except for a bit of shopping and all enjoyed a safe relaxing and mse weekend.  Today is going to be hard. But kitchen and dining room is a great place for me to start

WM  x 1
Bed made, clothes picked up
Bags unpacked from the weekend and put away

roundtuit

Morning xx
Thank you for the lists xx

Badcat - you were definitely not alone in WAC. I laid there so long that I thought it must be nearly a getting up time and looked at the clock - 3.05 am. Groan. Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. And I'm now sat here sweating and freezing at the same time. Definitely something amiss. It may just be that I'm tired of coping with 2020. I'm trying to reduce my need to 'cope' by taking one day at a time and concentrating on 'now' but ....

Anyway I am up and dressed. My bed is made, first brew drunk and second load of the day is swishing in WM. DS has gone to work by way of his Dad's, dropping off his car for its MOT ( and to get the flat tyre seen to). His Dad is taxi-ing him to and from work so that's sorted. I've told DS and GF that I will buy them a fridge freezer up to the value of £300 (ish) for the house, when they get one. Dry, clean clothes have been taken upstairs. GF has asked if I will taxi her to a house viewing if they ring and offer one today. 

Round 1 =
check weather forecast
peg washing out / begin laundry shuffle (depending on forecast)
feed the birds
put out rubbish / recycling
breakfast

Here's hoping that we all have a good week.

Rxx

pigpen

OH at work for 7am for stock check.
Girls walked to school.. and we got there in plenty of time.. though I did have to remind them to walk like humans as it was like walking to school with Skippy the kangaroo and 3 balloons!
Went to Lidl with DD1.. bought some thermals for Squeak.. her classroom is freezing she said so an extra thermal layer might help. some jelly tarantulas which are amazing and bread and milk and apples and cheese which we NEVER have enough of. Going to B&M later so will stock up on loo rolls (down to my last 10!)  and the tip.

Boog tasked with litter trays clearing .. cue lots of whining and 'why do I have to do it?'... because I said so! .. 21, not 7!!! DS1 cam e in last night and offered Boog an evenings work and was greeted with huffing and 'I'll think about it' ... I said the answer is 'yes, thank you. It is very nice of you to offer me the opportunity, I am very grateful'... lazy piglet!
OH has a loo seat to attach in the bathroom and the back door to replace.

I need to ring the mortgage peoples, sort a quote for DPM and see about external insulation.. IF I can even find a company locally that does it! Tomorrow I can change utility provider without paying exit fees.

Mademoiselle

WM on again
Pellet stoves, cleaned, reloaded and they were on for a bit but off again now as sun is out.  
Finances updated
Monthly savings update done
Bill paid

roundtuit

Round 1 completed with ongoing laundry shuffle to do through the day + WUDUPA a bowl of pots, reloaded the bowl, and unboxed 12 x 1L milk and put it in the cupboard. Boxes will be recycled.

Playing Softly Whispering I Love You by The Congregation on repeat. 

Rxx