Weekly Flylady Thread 10th May 2021

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 (not just in the kitchen!) for some fresh air 
Check fruit bowl - add to washing up if necessary!
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!  Is it time the tea/coffee/sugar caddies were washed out?
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!
Glug some bleach down the plugholes.
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth - don't forget the legs and places where sticky fingers can reach.
Clean chairs/stools/high chairs - and don't forget legs and rails!
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
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 shelves etc and check running temperature  Honey Bear - you are excused this! 
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

Choose a drawer, shelf or cupboard for special attention.  Empty, clean out, replace what is needed or useful and fling what is unused and/or out of date
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.  You could also wipe frames & sills inside and out!

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom 
Wipe all the handles/sockets/switches/banisters/grab rails especially if people are leaving the house

Tuesday sweep through day - Living room, hall, stairs and porch

Level One
With warm (hot if you can bear it)soapy water on a clean cloth - rinsed frequently - wipe EVERY door handle, light switch in the house - including entrance doors.  Don't forget the letterbox
Declutter ALL the floors!!
Clear the mantle of junk
Fling any rubbish
Straighten cushions, curtains and throws
Tidy coffee/side tables
Empty bin
Empty ashtrays
Attend to plants and flowers

Level Two

Vacuum/sweep all the floors.. stairs too!
Vacuum/sweep under furniture you can safely move!
Vacuum sofas
Clean mirrors

Level Three

Clean the window and door frames 
Dust and polish furniture and ornaments
Clean doormats

Extras

Dust all the electricals.. carefully.. don't want any frazzled flybodies
Binbag dance around the house
HHI
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom
Allocate children a task - collecting laundry, emptying DW, taking out rubbish.
Wipy Wednesday
Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
Remove towels and fling in WM
Scrub Loo inside and out, slug wome 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
Clean out cabinets 
make sure you have soap
HHI
S&S kithchen

Thursday Thrills  - The Boudoir

level 1

open windows
strip bed
clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
empty bin

level 2
make bed with fresh bedding
clean bedside tables
vacuum/sweep/mop floor

level 3
clean windows
dust all round
Use a damp cloth to wipe lotions and potions 

extras
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen
Bin bag dance...fling that gibble

Thank goodness it's Friday
kids room/spare room/guest room or wherever needs that special Flylady touch

level 1
open window
strip bed
remove rubbish

level 2
remake bed
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor

Level 3
dust everywhere
Clean window(s)

extras
hhi
s&s kitchen
s&s bathroom

pigpen

I'm here mostly.. I am trying to be here.. it would be so much easier if I was alone in the house EVER.. I miss those days

TY for Fred xx

[Deleted User]

I’m in, hellooo WAC... hope I’m alone here. I’ll just make a pot of tea and leave some hot buttered crumpets for anyone else who may be here... xx

Valli

Wipes lips daintily using beautifully-ironed napkin.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Hope those in the WAC got a bit more sleep.  DS1 wants me to go to his hospital check up.  They are supposed to go in alone so I am going to have to ring and explain that DS wont go without me, but he doesn't want to ring and speak to them about it.  I really do not want to go back to that place, so my anxiety levels are through the roof.

I have DS2 to take to the station, then paid stuff, then hospital 25 miles away, then back to the paid stuff hoping I manage to get to my meeting on time.  Not going to be an easy day.

Exercise class next, DW is emptied, will put some work stuff in the wash.  House is fairly presentable but the dog seems to be shedding a lot of hair at the moment so the carpets seem to constantly need hoovering..

Jazee

Hugs YSL.  Morning all.  Thanks for the list.  I'm planning minimal flying today as I want to do sewing.
Have a great day everyone.

roundtuit

Morning xx 

Thank you for the lists. 
I'm up,  made my bed,  had a shower,  washed my hair,  got dressed, changed towels in the bathroom,  brought another binder of magazines down to be unbound and recycled. I've packed my lunch, eaten breakfast and I am sipping my brew. 


I will feed the birds and put out the recycling before I head off to the paid stuff. My anxiety levels are with yours YL. Hugs ❤

No idea how my eye will react to the paid stuff.  Boris has shrunk overnight again. Today will be the tester. Then consultant tomorrow morning. 

Wishing you all a peaceful week 
Rxx

Honey_Bear

Thank you for the lists, Natty and Valli.  I will be in but working from my own rather lengthy off-piste list. Today - clothes.

(((Hugs))) YSL and Round.  You've both got this. 

kazwookie

Morning

Thank you for all the lists x

WM is on

Bed is stripped and remade

Walked round the garden and check on seedlings all seem ok

Kitchen sorted

Mince out of freezer for spag bol tonight

Shopping food list made

Bleach down the toilets

Bins emptied

Toast eaten

For the rest of the day

Clean shower / tray /plug hole thing

Clean laptop

Get food

Hang out washing

maybe cut the lawn.

Have a good day

pigpen

YL.. if you ring while he is there he will just have to confirm they can speak to you and you can sort it. I still go with Boog who is 22 because there would never be an appointment if I didn't. We just about got to the level of going for blood tests at the GP surgery alone which is massive.

These have gone to school. Twinkle has the most awful cough.

OH is going to the gym but coming back for breakfast so I may have to 'be encouraging' to get him to leave again.
I have washing to trawl through, ebeast items to package (OH can post later) and I'm thinking I might fill up the car with CS items and send OH to deposit those too. He will then be encouraged strongly to get in touch with Bap about borrowing the van to get this big shhhhhhhhtuff to the tip.. I am so done with it all in the house.. I NEED ROOOOOOOOOM .

I have a box of shoes I want out so I can wash, deodourise (shoes in a box.. honky!) and get rid of.

The 'free' plates we were given.. the matching bowls are £16.25 EACH!!!! The plates themselves are £12.36 each!! I am grateful.. I have decided to ake the old ones out of commission now so I can identify where there is a void.

So, once I have decontaminated myself I have to..

Ebeast parcels.
Laundry shuffle
Wash hallway carpet (AGAIN!)
Put away 10 items in my bedroom
Sort ONE of the kallax boxes in the hallway.. One a day will not kill me and it will all be done by Friday. Only 5 of the 8 need sorting.

OH has to..
SHOWER!
Litter trays

PO
CS
Check his work clothes.. if they need freshening up I need to get that done.

Valli

Piggers - are they Denby by any chance?
Washing on the line.  Showered but not yet in work clothes - I need to iron first.  Have a mild headache so have taken tablets as small children and headaches aren't a good combination.  Cat appears to be on mouse watch, it's obviously taxing as she's now curled up in her cat bed. *faints*