Weekly Flylady Thread 7th March 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...

Magnificent Monday - Kitchen and dining room
Level One...
Clear and wipe worksurfaces
Scrub down the front of units and large appliances
Level Two...
Sweep and mop the floor
Wipe and replace small appliances
Clean oven and hob
Wash windows and sills
Level Three...
Wipe the table and chairs... clean cloth if necessary
Degunk the fridge!
Menu plan for the week if you haven't already done so 
Extras

• Thoroughly clean the cupboard full of tins!
• Run the WM's and DW's through a clean cycle
• Clean all the filters and door seals etc...
• Wipe a shelf or 3 and straighten all the stuff on them.

Twinkly Tuesday ~ master bedroom and landing
Level One...
Clear the floordrobe
Clear the landing of gibble
Level Two...
Dust and deweb
Wash the windows
Vacuum the floors.. and the mattress before remaking the bed
Level Three...
Strip and wash the bedding
Wipe any grotty paintwork and furniture
Check those smoke alarms!
Extras

• Binbag dance
• HHI
• 15 minutes filing
• Fill a binbag of old winter stuff for charity shop!!
• 15 minutes in the garden dead heading or pruning...

Wednesday Wonders ~ Cruddy Study & Bathrooms
Level One...
Declutter floors!
Mop/vacuum/sweep floors
Level Two...
Scrub tiles while running a defrag
Clean the bath, basins, shower trays and loo's
Collect all the laundry from upstairs
Level Three...
Wash windows
Wash bath mats/shower curtains etc
Degrot the desk and dust and polish the monitor and pc case etc
Extras

• Empty and wash out bins
• Wipe all the sofas/chairs in these rooms
• Wipe paintwork in these rooms
• Clear and wipe a shelf or two

Thursdays are Trilling!! - Living pit, hallway, stairs!!
Level One...
Declutter the floors!
Vacuum/mop floors & stairs!
Level Two...
Wash the windows and the front door.. inside and out!
Vacuum under the furniture you can safely move!
Level Three...
Clean the sofas
Declutter the inside of a cupboard or drawer!
Wipe all the paintwork!
Dust mantle and polish all the trinkets upon it.. and get all the junk off it!
Extras

• Wipe and water the plants
• Clean out the pets, get rid of that smelly bedding and replace with lovely smelling bits 😜
• Wash any smelly soft furnishings
• Get a pile of filing done!! (Or in my case a couple more boxes of packing 😂)

Friday - those frightening Friday kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One...
Vacuum the floor, even if it's just where you can see..
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Level Two...
Binbag dance
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade!!
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Time for the Friday Flylady Fling, in the toy box!!!! Aim for 27.. if no toy box you’ll have to choose another area!
Level Three...
Strip beds and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too!!
Sort through a cupboard/chest of drawers and get the clothes out which are no longer wearable, too small or out of season!
Extras

• Wash a set of curtains, nets or throw
• Make all those necessary phonecalls!
• HHI
• Make a half hour time out for yourself!!
• Tidy up the garden! Trim hedges and grass etc...
• Bake a cake
• Spend an hour or so with the family having some lovely special family time.. just talking or watching a film with popcorn etc..

Fayolle

Thank you for the thread. Early in, but it won’t last. Am considering promoting DH to SH, if that’s ok…I have 2 unwanted holes drilled in the kitchen walls, and another in the DR, so that he could “see what was behind”…

[Deleted User]

Oh gosh Fayolle there are no words....

Thank you for the threads as ever. I will be following my own list tomorrow which as usual involves sorting the flock, getting the fire cleaned out and roaring, some baking and some cooking. 

Trying to stay positive but really worried about basically everything. 

See you all in the morning xx

elbree

Thanks Natty 
BW and hugs to all who are overwhelmed. I hate that Sunday feeling and I know I shouldn't read the news at this time of night but am incapable of not checking, even though it upsets me. 

Have batch cooked today and mucked out 8yo room, finished work for tomorrow, pack ups done and some chocolate decluttered into my face. Night all and I hope you have good weeks. 

pigpen

Thank for Fred Natty.. I hope you are both doing ok. Are you feeling any better???

Currently knitting.. as usual.. but I just want to go to bed .. if I go now I will be up at silly o'clock.

Appointment tomorrow.. I really don't want to go..

Valli

I feel much better though I haven't eaten much...
work tomorrow.  I have flown, my bunnies have a nice clean hutch and I have has washing out and HHI. Am in bed, between fresh sheets and a fresh duvet cover, too.  I use a top sheet so I don't have to change the duvet cover so often.  After feeling icky it is extra nice to ve in a fresh bed.  

RebekahR

pigpen said:

Thank for Fred Natty.. I hope you are both doing ok. Are you feeling any better???

Currently knitting.. as usual.. but I just want to go to bed .. if I go now I will be up at silly o'clock.

Appointment tomorrow.. I really don't want to go..

I got an appointment I don't want to go too! Root canal at 1030 argh!

Gonna move this thread in my tabjs so that I might actually see it tomorrow and remember to contribute this week?!

ionafan

Morning all.  Having gone to bed early last night, I've been in the WAC since 4.00, so decided it was time to get up.  I've let Rosie out,  made myself a cuppa, grabbed an overripe banana and the last of a pack of 4 croissants (only there were 5!) that were yellow-stickered to 44p [very MSE!], and I'm going to get on with some more work on the dreaded you-know-whats.

I shall follow the German custom of a second breakfast at about 8.00, by which time DH* needs to be up to ring the Dr.  He is definitely still not very well.  *However, he has managed to be reasonably civil all weekend.

First job of the day has to be online banking - before anybody else in our fibre broadbandless outpost of the great conurbation wakes up and ruins my internet connection.

Hope everyone's week starts well (especially Dot's and pigpen's - and don't forget your appointment!)
Luv'n'hugs all round xx

Jazee

Morning all.
It is very cold here this morning. The car will need de-icing before I can take Littleydog to the vet and I had to use the window vac this morning, can't even remember the last time I used it.  However, it's daylight already so that's good.
I'm going to try to at least get dailies done today but I'm also visiting DD and going to see friends in afternoon.
First, I'm off to get dressed then walk the dogs.
Wrap up warm everyone and have a great day.

Mademoiselle

Morning everyone, it's cold here too but going to be a beautiful day.  And it's nice to see the sun so early and not have to get up in pitch black.  

WM on
Windows have been opened and reclosed
DW done
Bed pulled back a bit but not sorted as cat was sleeping on it, will do that once she comes down.
House still tidy so am hoping to progress on the cleaning front and get on with sorting cupboards etc.


Exciting afternoon for me as I'm out to drive tractors in one of the local farms (my OH has worked for a major tractor manufacturer for years and I've never driven one), and then the hairdressers.

Better get breakfast eaten and then get on with something

Jazee

Enjoy the tractor driving Mme.
 I have changed bedding so wm is whirring, dusted bedroom, and taken the dogs for a short walk.  Just warming back up with a cuppa while DH defrosts my car.