Weekly Flylady Thread 27th September 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 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!
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 - and don't forget legs and rails!
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
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 
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.

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom

A new month begins this week -

Are your financial spreadsheets/notes up-to-date?
If you need to log accounts make sure they're up-to-date with receipts logged and filed etc
Do you need any cards for October? - might be an idea to get those for Nov and Dec, too
Check smoke alarms, CO monitors and outside lighting

Terrific 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.  Pay special attention to under the rim.
Dust anywhere that needs dusting - wipe any 'on display' bottles down 

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins including taps - don't forget the out of sight bits!

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
polish mirrors
dust and polish where necessary
Chuck any lurking potions that are not being used/are old
Clean light pull

Extras
Wash showercurtains (if any) and put outside to blow dry - possibly!
HHI
S&S 

CARDS - I'm only suggesting you buy them because the range gets reduced due to xmas cards being out!

Wednesday - hump day
Living room, hall, stairs and landing

Level 1
Open lots of windows and let that fresh air in while beds are airing
Deal with cut flowers and pot plants - top up water/wipe leaves/remove drooping or dead blooms
Wash out vases
Empty bins/ashtrays
Clear gibble
Plump and straighten cushions
Wipe sofas with leather wipes or vacuum - look for all those dust-catching crevices.  Lift seat cushions if you can and vacuum underneath
Wipe/dust coffee tables and leave tidy
Sort newspapers/magazines

Level 2
Clean windows and mirrors 
Vacuum floors - and use an edging tool to get into all the nooks and crannies - and stairs!
Clean doormats

Level 3
Dust all round - don't forget sills, skirting boards, tops of curtain rails and/or battens and top and frame of door. 
Dust radiators - use a towel or a radiator brush
Wipe door handles, banisters, light switches and sockets - and the bits of the door where people hold to open/close it.
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should - vacuum fabric shades; wash glass shades 
Wipe lightbulbs (if cold)
Dust pictures/paintings on walls - and dust behind them too!
Stand in the doorway and look back into the room - is it clean?

Extras
S&s kitchen
s&s bathroom
HHI

Thursday Thrills - Master bedroom

Level 1 

Strip bed - and leave to air for as long as you can
Open windows
Clear floordrobe/chairdrobe
Empty Bin

Level 2

Dust/vacuum headboard and/or bedframe
Flip mattress if you are able to and if necessary
Remake bed

Level 3

Dust and wipe - all flat surfaces and sticky pots (lotions and potions)
Polish mirrors - while you're at it you may as well clean the windows
Vacuum/sweep/mop floor

Extras
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom

Thank goodness it's Friday
kids room/spare room whatever

level 1
open window - if not to windy/rainy
strip bed
remove rubbish

level 2
remake bed
clean window and sill
Level 3

dust everywhere
clean floor as appropriate
extras
hhi
s&s kitchen
s&s bathroom

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the lists as ever. I am in, and HAVE to follow my lists that I have written for the week. The only October birthday in our family is mine 😊 so no cards to buy. 

I have unloaded the DW so the kitchen is lovely for morning, made pack ups and generally got Monday-ready. Shoes polished for school.

Roast dinner was lovely. After school run tomorrow I will be delivering eggs, visiting the PO and attempting to make a doctors appointment. Away to bed with my book now. 

Sleep well lovelies xxx

pigpen

TY for Fred.

I'm so glad I don't have to buy cards.. I've not bought any for years, I feel sorry for the trees! I think we only have my sisters on the 12th. October is a slack birthday month in my family too. It all ramps up Mid-november when we have 4 all together.

Pack ups done

food done

girls bathed

girls in bed.. Dot was asleep pretty quickly again.. but, she was up at 5am...

uniforms to find but I am knitting sleeves!

ionafan

Good to hear that you had a lovely relaxing birthday and a great gift, Valli.  Many Happy Returns of the Day!  I thought of you at various times today, but I hadn't switched on my PC until now: finally I am sitting in front of a proper keyboard - I find it really difficult to type on my phone or k!nd1e (podgy fingers ).
Thank you also for the new thread.  I'm in this week as much as I can be, but I must admit to being a bit bothered by one of the Extras.  I sincerely hope that birthday cards don't go the same way as toilet rolls and petrol!

Thanks too to Fayolle for your concern about me.  I have just had another crazy week, spending hours on admin and having very little listed Flying to report except that the piles of papers strewn all over my study are slowly shrinking.  (The ancestors are still glowering at me, though )  DH is still not being particularly sensible about curtailing his social life and/or avoiding crowded areas in view of his recent stay in the horse piddle, but he will doubtless carry on as usual, regardless of what I think.

Anyway, tomorrow is the start of a new week, which we will celebrate with flu jabs.

I am falling asleep sitting here, so I will pack up again and get to bed.  G'night all xxx 

roundtuit

Tiptoeing into the WAC to see if there are any custard creams in the biscuit tin. 😋.  
Hope everyone else is sleeping soundly.
Rxx

[Deleted User]

Morning all, 

Terrible night's sleep so I gave up and came downstairs. I have already filled in a contact form for the doctor to request an appointment, kettle is calling me now.

Will pop back in later xx

ionafan

Hope you got back to sleep, round.

Morning asb - I'm here too.  As I was rearranging my pillows, I knocked my specs off the bedside cabinet, and had to tiptoe (autocorrect suggested 'Google'!) downstairs to get one of DH's long-handled grabbers, in order to fish them out from under the headboard.

It is raining steadily, so I am very glad that I managed to mow the lawn yesterday afternoon but it doesn't bode well for hanging out washing today

Going to do my daily reading now.  See you later x

kazwookie

Morning

Thank you for the lists xx

Very bright sun rise here this morning, up early couldn't sleep, but OH is snoring his head off, so I am wandering around internet.

Hope the new phone is going ok, Valli and you had a good day yesterday.

Adopted grand son else where in the world was 18 yesterday, where have the years gone, I remember sitting doing English home work with him when he was about 6 or 7, and it only seems yesterday!!

Lots of general stuff going on here today.

Have a good day

Mademoiselle

Morning. Up early and ready to get going. 

Bed made, clothes picked up 
DW unloaded by OH
Cat pee cleaned up 

At home all day so hope to get on with stuff, something, anything will do. 

Off to put kettle on for coffee if anyone is ready and empty WM whilst it boils 

BadCat18

Morning all

Back after a lovely weekend away, many miles walked and the weather was mostly kind to us other than a bit of drizzle on Saturday. I’ve already logged on to the paid stuff and done a quick check through emails, nothing mega urgent yet so I’m going to fly for a bit before starting properly…

thank you as always for the lists, I will be following after a fashion… so here goes

wm x 1 swishing with next load lined up, it will be a TD day as it’s throwing it down here!

Windows open a touch for some fresh air
dw emptied
breakfast eaten
freezer emptied, going to let it defrost today as it’s very iced up, that can be doing it’s thing while I work!

Next step is to strip the bedding and put away bags and a few items from the weekend, I mostly did it yesterday so won’t take long, then will see what else I can accomplish

hugs to all, back later x

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

The sky is grey, it's blowing a hoolie and there's a 100% chance of rain at 9am. But I don't have to be anywhere so I'm not bothered.

Feeling sleep deprived - a combination of too much sugar, no exercise,  and being terrified by Endeavour Immediately before I went to bed led to WAC. My NNs all piled into their car and drove off at 3.30 am. They've put the bins out ready for Thursday so I guess they've gone on holiday.  They didn't wake me - but the one floorboard creak that I did hear put me on high alert. Drat Endeavour!!!!

Round 1
Brew 2 and breakfast 
Get dressed
Decant bird seed into container
Feed the birds 
Put out the recycling 
DUPA yesterday's pots
Wash and recycle bowl of plastics 
LFT 

Is it warm or is it me? 🤔

Love to all
Rxx