Weekly Flylady Thread 24th January 2022

Natty68

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.

We often see new flyers (gents welcome!) around this time of year so please don't worry if you feel you cannot keep up.  Similarly if your house has been neglected it won't be turned around in a day - but if you stay you will get into some good habits which do help!  Happy flying.

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- 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!
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 stooping, 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!

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

Here Goes This week...

I'm doing the normal days but they won't be so intensive as they normally are. This should help those of us that are still trying to get ourselves going again...

Monday Madness- Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms
Level Two...
Clean baths, toilets, don't forget under the rim! and sinks
Clear any clutter from desk
Dust PC and desk and wipe off those cup rings!!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches
Level Three...
Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc
Empty and clean out all the upstairs bins! (the proper bins not the rooms that look like bins!)
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Clear a mega hotspot!.. shred it.. and fling it..or just burn it!

Extras..

• Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
• Wipe down the doors and frames in these rooms.
• Clean the radiators in these rooms
• Fling all those empty bottles and tubes
• Replace sponges/flannels/toothbrushes that are in need

Terrible Tuesday - Kitchen and Dining Room
Level One...
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Level Two...
Sweep and mop floors
Sort fridge bringing what needs using soon to the front, clean out any spills or grots in there!
Wipe dining table.. (clean table cloth if necessary)
Level Three...
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round
Wipe and replace all those small appliances.. kettle, toaster etc
Clean fridge and see what needs using first
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances ..
Check those washing machine filters and drawers for ickiness!! Tumble dryer and dishwasher filters need to be done too!!

Extras...

• Wipe window sills and clean windows in these rooms.
• Clean oven if it really needs it.. or just do the hob..
• HHI .. bit of a catch up!!
• Write an inventory of your cupboards contents and what needs using first
• Empty the cutlery drawer.. clean it out, wash the cutlery tray, chuck those baby spoons you don't use any more.. how many medicine spoons do you actually need? get rid of everything you don't use and make the drawer look nice again!

Wednesday - Beast Pits and Spare Ooms!
Level One...
Strip bedding.. and wash
Vacuum off the dustmites and turn the mattress!
Level Two...
Clear the floors of gibble!! and vacuum them
Wash windows
Wash curtains/beanbags/bears .. whatever needs doing
Level Three..
Tidy up all the books and games on the shelves
Find 5 things EACH to go live elsewhere.. they have to be your own!!
Take ALL the dirty laundry downstairs and put it is the laundry mountain!

Extras

• Binbag dance!
• Sort through the school uniform pile.. what is outgrown? What is unwearable?
• Wipe the paintwork.. doors, desks, skirting,
• If you can.. move the bed and vacuum underneath!

Thursday - Master Mess-room.. & landing
Level One...
Strip bedding and wash it
Turn and vacuum mattress and redress!
Level Two...
Wash the window
Floor clearance!! Find the carpet.. or at least some!
Find the floor on the landing!
Level Three...
Vacuum floors
Wipe the bed frame of dust and deweb the room
Fill a binbag of rubbish

Extras

• S&S kitchen
• HHI
• Tidy a chest of drawers.. tuck in all those bits hanging out.
• Straighten up the airing cupboard

Friday -fun and frolics..
Level One...
Clear the bathroom and cruddy study floor!!
Empty bins and wash them out
Level Two...
Wash shower curtains, bath mats rugs etc that are smelly
Recycle all the empties!
Defrag the PC/virus scan/spyware scan while you wash down the tiles!
Level Three...
Polish mirrors and other glass
Wipe out any cupboards and check what needs restocking
Clean the loos (inc outside), bath, basins (inc pedestal), shower trays etc

Extras

• HHI
• Wipe the radiators
• Wipe the paintwork, esp. round the loo!
• Clean out any smelly pets!
• Those with children, when they get in wash any coats that are in need..

roundtuit

Ooo am I first 🙂

Thank you for the lists xx 

I've finally swallowed the frog and have an uncluttered and dusted bottom shelf on the side table. 😇

Rxx

pigpen

TY for Fred.

Still not done pack ups.. I really need a rocket..

elbree

Thanks! Have been working tonight on photos - this is a never-ending 🐸 I have piles and piles of them and WILL put them nicely in albums/scrapbooks etc. Thanks for inspiration Round

The plan is to do a little at a time and eventually I'll get there. 

pigpen

Aaaand now we have no bread.. I made a really nice chicken casserole and they have eaten 2 loaves of bread and none of the casserole!

ionafan

Thank you Natty for firing the starting gun for the coming week - though I'm not usually very quick out of the blocks.

Sorry I haven't posted much this week.  Work-wise, it has been crazy.  Flying-wise, it has been bitty.  However, the washing is up to date, the kitchen is tidy, nobody pays attention to the dust in the LR because of the gi-normous bunch of tulips that DH bought me, and I have tidied quite a few hotspots (though not as many as I wanted to). 

Yesterday afternoon I took Rosie for her walk a bit later than I had intended, and something (cold air?) affected my chest badly. I still felt grotty this morning with a stuffy nose and aching arms. My LFT was negative, but - as fortuitously I wasn't on the rota for anything - I decided to give myself the day off church  and take things very slowly.  It seems to have done the trick.  DH made a big fuss about not going out and leaving me while I wasn't feeling well (but then disappearing for an hour and a half), yet has hardly lifted a finger all day.  

Tomorrow I must whizz round with the duster-onna-stick (thinking of Lame Wolf) and then read my Safeguarding Leadership Pathway Participant Workbook and write 250-300 word answers to four questions, in preparation for the first training session (of two) on 3rd Feb.. Not looking forward to any of it.

Fayolle, please wish your DD "Happy Birthday" from me tomorrow.  Well done to all three of you! xxx
You've cracked the frog-eating, round 
Your wildflower area sounds delightful, Kaz 
Pigpen, I wish I could have seen Dot enjoying the freedom of the beach.  What a brilliant idea!
Enormous (((hugs))) to everyone who is finding life tough atm, including YL, asb, Natty and Dizzy.

Bed is calling...  G'night all x

Valli

I'm in but doubt I'll get much flying done this week.

thanks for the new thread

pigpen

Pigpen, I wish I could have seen Dot enjoying the freedom of the beach.  What a brilliant idea!

I Hope you feel better tomorrow.

I have pics.. Dot in green coat, Squeak in black, Pixie in red and Twinkle is small! 

Goodintentions

Thanks for the thread Natty 🙂 I will try to be in this week.
Last week I kept up to date with the washing, and the LR & DR are fairly tidy. I have painted one of the small side tables with chalk paint (as an experiment), but I think the colour is too light. I have ordered a colour chart & will try another colour! The cream will get used elsewhere (the dolls house needs brightening up!)
DH & DS both have new (to them) cars. DH managed to take my car keys to work with him on Thursday so I couldn't drive the children to play group. We ended up walking to Mr L's and I spent ££ on some some new wooden toys. They have gone down well with the children as they spent hours playing with them on Friday 😁
Yesterday we found out that the grand child will be of the blue variety 🥰 and today we viewed a wedding venue with DD2 & fiancé (and his M & D), and a date has been set for next summer! Exciting times ahead 😊

WM timer has been set for early tomorrow to give me a head start! Food shop needs to be done.
SW tomorrow evening 😬 I am another one struggling with motivation! 

Hugs, sticks & spoons to those that need them. Night night all! x

Narc0lepsy

Thanks for the thread Natty.
Looks like great fun at the beach Pigpen and piglets.
This morning I wimped out of the lake swim but went for a run instead.
Mr N and I spent a lot of time in the garden, still sorting new patio. The trellis is made, painted and in place. Plants being gradually moved back onto patio, round the pond which is in/on the patio. Weeded/pruned the bed which is next to the patio. Mr N has 2 more paving slabs to set in; one to join new patio to old one and the other between patio and washing line so I can hang stuff out without standing in mud.

Did a new flower arrangement yesterday from 2 bunches of yellow stickered flowers; perking up nicely now. 

Did some drumming practice. 

Did a load of wudupa. 

Finished a report.

ionafan

Great pics, Pigpen -  thank you for posting.  Who says you need sunshine to enjoy a bit of wave jumping?  I want wellies like Dot's and Twinkle's.
Patio sounds good, Narc0!

I'm feeling a lot better this morning after almost 7 hours of sleep

No sign of DH emerging from his cocoon yet, so breakfast is obviously going to be late again.  I will get myself another cuppa and then try to sort out a few more bits of paperwork.  I will fly later.

Hope everyone has a good day xxx