Weekly Flylady Thread 1st November 2021

Natty68

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread. - BACK TO BASICS WEEK

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 Valli 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

This week is another back to basics week - we are just posting a simple 'maintainance' list for every room plus some self-care ideas because, just like last week, YOU are more important than housework

Monday – 15 minutes going back to basics in the Kitchen..
Clear those kitchen surfaces, don’t fret if not everything is removed.
Wipe the worktops, knobs and handle.

Quick sweep/mop of the floor
Empty bins – make them smell nice
Put away anything that is out of place.

Extra – have you done your meal plan for this week - easy 'cook themselves' meals are in order - utilise the SC (I can thoroughly recommend using the slow cooker); plan a jacket spud day, can you use up anything from the freezer?  Integrate this with your self care aims.  THIS WILL BE THE ONLY EXTRA ALL WEEK AND I'M PUTTING IT IN HERE SO THAT YOU CAN PLAN YOUR -

Self care
Give some thought to what you would like to do at some point this week to take care of you.  Ideally something every day.  You might like to do this while having a long, bubbly bath then slipping into your pjs.
Try not to stay up too late every night
Can you book a hairdressers appointment, or treat yourself to a spa treatment?

Crafting, gardening, reading - have you got what you need to hand?
How about a nice long walk in a place you haven’t been before?

Tuesday – going back to basics in the living room

Clear sofas and seating area, plump up cushions, drape any throws across.
Straighten and tidy side and coffee tables. Give a quick polish.

Get rid of any rubbish lingering.
Give a sweep/mop/vacuum of only the traffic areas.
Water plants and remove dead flowers.

This is so that you can spend the evening in here, watching TV/reading/whatever and it is tidy enough not to distract and/or distress you and you can relax.

Self Care – do a manicure, read a book, listen to music, or just phone a friend for a natter. 

Wipe Wednesday - Back to basics in the bathroom

Get the bleach and slosh it in the toilet bowel and under the rim. Leave this as long as possible before wiping down.

Quick tidy up and wipe round the bath and sink.

Put out nice clean towels making it look nice.

Self care

Pick something nice to do for yourself or have someone else spoil you. You deserve it!!

Throw it away Thursday

Nominate a household member to go round with a binbag, emptying all bins and gathering up rubbish. Offer incentives for full/heavy bags. Eg homemade cake...

All bed occupants make their own beds..

Pick up all gibble on the floor and put away.

Vacuum floor

Finally FRIDAY pick 1 - any 1 - ONLY 1 

Cursory S&S of bathroom - make sure there's loo roll, soap, wipe loo seat.  THAT'S IT

Empty handbag. Throw away all old sweets, anything that shouldn't be in there - sticky sweets etc..

Empty purse and get rid of anything that shouldn't be there..

Sraighten kitchen - wipe worktop

Make your bed up so that it looks nice. Fluff up pillows and straighten duvet/sheets. Now doesn't that look nice :-)

Plump up cushions and straighten throws in the lounge.

And pick at least one of these...

Read a book

Knit

Crochet

Sew

Nap

Watch TV

Listen to some music (whilst not doing anything else at the same time)

Go for a walk

Have a long, lazy bath

Slap on a facepack

And most of all have a lovely weekend and be safe if you are going to/having a fireworks display :-)

For any still interested and haven't emailed me yet

FLYLADY CHRISTMAS CARD SWAP 2021!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT POST ANY PERSONAL DETAILS HERE!!!!!!!!!
I will be sending out the card list on 30th November 2021 so if you wish to be involved you need to email your name (if you wish to disclose that), MSE user Id.. This is vital or you won't be included.. (just so I know you are really a flylady!!) and address to which you want the cards sending.
Can you please put Flylady Christmas Card in the subject of your email.
Please email to kiwismum001@gmail.com
Thanks everyone xxx

Valli

I'll be around but unlikely to fly much this week.  Thanks for the list, Natty

ionafan

Thank you for the new thread, Natty, and especially the self-care reminder.

I am starting the new month with an almost-clear desk, no ironing pile, and a fully stocked fridge
There is a financial report to write, but that should - hopefully - be fairly straightforward.  There are flowers to plant out when the rain stops.  And I need to go into town, to the Welsh bank, to sort out my login problems with the Scouts' account (yes, different bank but sadly more of the same - they appear to have entered my DOB wrongly into their system).

DS1 came round this afternoon and put up my new security light outside the back door.  DGDs came too.  They brought HM pumpkin gingerbread (excellent!) and I had made scones, Twinks and bare cupboard cake (eggless) , so we had proper afternoon tea using the Portmeirion plates   We had time to look at some of my "little things" - one shelf in the china cabinet which is full of little ornaments, pictures, stones, and medals, each with a story to tell - and also some of my old family photos. I'm very pleased that they're taking an interest in both genealogy and cooking!! 

Hope everyone has a good week, especially Dizzy x

ionafan

Does anyone want to do a  Flylady Secret Santa this year?  I'm happy to organise it. If you would like to join in, please PM me this week or next.

However, I am aware that the number of participants has dropped over the past couple of years.  The price of everything - including postage -  has gone up, everyone is under pressure of some sort or another, families come first, and I shall fully understand if there are too few of us interested this year to make it viable and keep it anonymous.   I think we would probably need 6 people as the absolute minimum.  What do you think?

pigpen

TY for Fred Natty xx

Iona.. yes, I would love to be in SS

Valli

Morning
INSET today - first aid training.  So I've had a lie in.
GI - I posted a message on the end of the las5 thread...

kazwookie

Thank you for the lists.

WM x 1 on the go.

Bed changed and remade, all washing gathered up and dumped in front of machine

Birds have been fed

OH has gone for his early MRI scan.

Going to dash round house and get things done, then off to do my poppy duties in the local town, I'm looking forward to it, and meeting people again, but mask and face screen will be with me.

Honey_Bear

Lovely list, Natty.  I'll be sure to follow it today.

I'd be up for Secret Santa, Ionafan. 

GI, reading your comment about washing bricks made me realise how mad I sounded, but I need them to put under a freezer to increase ventilation. 

dancemum

I’m in, thank you for the lists.

It is interview week and fending off the black dog who is outside the front door is crucial.

Sofa throws tidied

Goodintentions

Good morning 😁 
I am in this week. I had a productive day yesterday, so I am happy with that 🙂 DS is off on annual leave this week, so operation big bedroom is in full swing. 3 of his work colleagues have tested +ve over the weekend, so we are keeping an eye on that. He wasn't planning on going anywhere, so it doesn't affect him. However, if he tests +ve, I will have to close as we won't be able to have anyone else in the house. It is what it is....😕 
The sun is shining, but I doubt I will get to the allotment as I have said that I will go with my mum to the chiropractor as she has had a painful neck for a long while. SW later 🤞 any loss would be a result! We also need to do a food shop - I am hoping DH goes while I am out 😁 

Valli - thank you for the message 😊 However, I got a bit excited and ordered some wool & a pattern before I saw it! 😂 It should arrive in about a week. I can't really start it until the rest of the family have been told otherwise they may ask questions!! 🤦‍♀️😂
DM I am chucking plentiful sticks in your direction to distract the BD, and also good luck vibes 🤞

I guess I ought to get up & get ready to go out! Have a good day everyone 😁

Jazee

Hello all.  Glad it's an easy list week again as that's all I can fit in.
Today I have walked the dogs, dropped off prescription requests, changed bedding, dusted living room, hoovered through, done dailies, taken Littleydog for her laser therapy, had  a phone catch up with a relative and popped into see DD.  Second wash load has just finished but there's no room on the airer again.