Weekly Flylady Thread 15th August 2022

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!
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth
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
Good slug of bleach down plugholes and in overflows
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 (see extras); update shopping list as appropriate
Wash and wipe fridge shelves and baskets.
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

Level 3

Pick a cupboard or a drawer; empty it, clean it out and put back its contents tidily
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor - and wipe any fascia boards!
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows and sills in both rooms.

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom
Meal plan for the week. - and plan to cook a double sized meal and freeze one for a CBA day- or a day when it's too hot to cook - fish pie, cottage pie...something complete!
Read an instruction manual for a barely-used appliance - are you missing a trick?  (Vallitip - staple receipts to instruction manuals then if you have an issue you know exactly how long you've had the appliance - and where the receipt is when it's needed!)

Twinkly Tuesday Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
Remove towels and facecloths and fling in WM
Scrub Loo inside and out, slop  bleach or descaler down afterwards
if you've a shower curtain stick it in the WM too

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
De-fuzz plugholes - you'll need a fine brush and possibly a strong stomach
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins
Wipe plugs - especially underneath!
put out fresh towels etc

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
polish mirrors
dust and polish where necessary

Extras
check stocks - soap, loo rolls etc - 
HHI - it's cooler - you have no excuse!
S&S kitchen


Wonderful Wednesday  - 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

Thursday -  The Lounge, Hallway, stairs and landing

Level 1
Deal with cut flowers and pot plants - top up water/wipe leaves/remove drooping or dead blooms.  Why not treat your pot plants to a shower?
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
Wipe sticky coasters

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
Dust/wipe electricals - use a just-damp cloth.  Don't forget the remote controllers!

Level 3
Dust all round - don't forget sills, skirting boards, tops of curtain rails and/or battens and top and frame of door.
Wipe door handles, banisters, light switches and sockets - and the bits of the door where people hold to close it.
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should 
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

Thank goodness it's Friday
kids room/spare room/guest room or wherever needs that special Flylady touch
Please feel free to involve children in cleaning their own rooms!

level 1
open window
strip bed
remove rubbish 

level 2
remake bed
clear floor
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor

Level 3
dust everywhere
Clean window(s)
Tidy toyboxes

extras
hhi
s&s kitchen
s&s bathroom

Jazee

Thanks for the new thread Valli. 

kazwookie

Thankyou

Have a lovely day out.

I'll be car booting, then sleeping!!

ionafan

Thank you for the new list. Valli.  I'll do what I can this coming week  Fortunately most of the house (the bits that visitors see) are tidy enough for my peace of mind, and the rest is wip.  I stripped the beds yesterday, did WMx3, and K came and helped me turn DH's mattress and put the fresh bedding on both beds - she is taller than me and has the full use of both arms, so shaking out the duvets is a doddle for her!

Other than bedmaking, the 3 of us had a lovely relaxing day yesterday.  K's two super-lively daughters (8 and 7) are staying with their cousins this weekend, so we decided to take advantage of their absence and be grown-ups, coping with the heat at a slower pace.  We drove about 20 miles cross-country for coffee and lunch here, and then wandered round the nearby "Treasures."   Lots of shade for us and grass for Rosie to walk on; delicious ood and no washing up; beautiful things to see, both natural and man-made; and plenty of time to enjoy each other's company uninterrupted by screaming kids - lovely though they are!  DH did a lot of walking, K and I did a lot of talking, Rosie had an ice cream (of the doggy variety) all to herself and found lots of exciting rabbit smells.   It was a real treat and did us all good   Finally, in the cool of the evening I demolished my ironing pile (only pillowcases)

Today promises to be just as good, as DD&Co are coming to take us out for lunch.  I must buy some fresh salad bits for tea, ice the coffee cake and defrost the scones that I made on Friday, and do a very quick hoover round.

Must get on!  Hope everyone has a good day xx

roundtuit

Good morning ladies xx

Yesterday's plan, meagre though it was,  was scrapped. I had a shower,  washed my hair, got dressed, and decided that was enough for one day. I read my book and watched European Championships.  Cor, those mountain bikers!!! As in, cor! How do they do that? Not  cor!  Anything else. Just to clarify! Only reviving myself in the evening to water up.

So, this morning, I've made a start before the heat overpowers me again. I'm up, straightened my bed, sorted the laundry into loads, set first load swishing, knotted both bin bags and stood them by the back door to go out, put new bin bags in bins, and I'm on brew 2.

Have a good day everyone.  Look after yourselves ❤
Rxx

roundtuit

I'm dressed, first load swished and pegged out, second load swishing. Birds fed, and knotted bin bags binned.

Had a chat with NN. The sewerage drain is blocked. Again. But not actually overflowing thank goodness. 

Rxx

BadCat18

 Morning 

early start made here to beat the heat again… so far I have

• en suite cleaned
• Bins emptied
• Litter trays emptied, washed and refreshed
• Wm x 1 run and put out
• Wm running again
• New to us salad recipe made for tonight, chicken and quinoa, hoping it tastes as nice as it looks!
• Pile of dishes wultd
• Had words with DH when he mentioned doing ‘his’ ironing ( feeling slightly fractious in the heat I think!)
• DW run, it’s just popped open but that will be a job for DH 
• Need to pop out soon for a couple of things, that may be my lot for today… new book ready for me to dive into…

Have a good one all xx

Jazee

Morning all, just.  Also rather fractious in the heat, both me and DH so lots of apologising going on.
Having got up before six we have walked Poppet, done dailies, hoovered through.
 I also spent two hours in the garden before it got twot and am quite pleased with what I've achieved.
Have just got myself clean, going to tidy my nails then read.  DH is making lunch.

Honey_Bear

Belovéd got up early to walk Layla and we then tackled the rest of the housework that needed doing - floors needed washing and others needed vacuuming, a caddy needed holes drilling in it, the bins and recycling needed to be done, two loads through the WM and pegged out, back door washed, two fridge shelves cleared for today's arrivals, some dusting done and breakfast scoffed.  I've also showered and clipped my hooves and talons.  That'll be it for the day, I think, other than the 'Meet and Greet' when they arrive.  Very relieved the house looks presentable in time.

My office is quite something, however.  The tsunamis around the edge are spreading dangerously towards the middle.

kazwookie

Car booting done, as expected very dry, and very dusty, dusty and yet more dust.

Car unpacked stuff put on shleves in garage.

Car hoovered out

I've scrubbed my sandles, they are drying like yesterday outside.

Kitchen is done

Cats have been fed again.

Fayolle

Thank you for the thread. I have attempted flying inside and out, but it is too hot to do anything else now. Allotment bits picked and watered at 7.30am, cleaned bathroom and ensuite, dusted the LR (too hot to do anywhere else, or to contemplate the vacuum cleaner), pulled together some bits for the NDNs who are coming round for a drink shortly. It’s all in the presentation 😉 (so I tell myself). Prepped a spinach lasagne for later whilst I was at it, and cooked some rhubarb. Drew the line at making either a cake or a crumble, but at least I filled both oven shelves for the minimum amount of time.
Wm now running with DD’s riding gear plus anything else I could find.