Weekly Flylady Thread 24th October 2022

Valli

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 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

This week is back to basics week - we are just posting a simple 'maintainance' list for every room plus some self-care ideas because YOU are more important than housework.  I've copied it from last year but given where I am it seems appropriate

Monday - Basically clean kitchen and dining room - 15 minutes should do it

Clear kitchen surfaces as much as possible
Wipe down worktops, hob, handles
Sweep/mop the floor
Empty bins - get the rubbish out of the way.
Rehome anything that should be elsewhere

Extra - meal plan for the week - easy 'cook themselves' meals are in order - utilise the SC; plan a jacket spud day, what can you thaw from the freezer?  can you double use the oven - a casserole and a pudding? Integrate it 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 and have an early night or two
Some thoughts - hairdresser?  Manicure? Pedicure? (these might need booking)
Crafting, gardening, reading - have you got what you need to hand?
If the kids are off school - this is a life lesson for them - people are more important than clean houses - this is a lesson they too need to learn.  So plan a no devices day...board games?  a long walk in the fresh air? 

Wipy Wednesday - bathroom


Slug a generous slosh of bleach round the loo bowl and under the rim and leave as long as possible

Quick wipe round and straighten up - don’t forget the sink.  Bleach is your friend - slug some down the plugholes

Change the towels - then everyone will think its been cleaned

and do something for yourself in the time you have saved 

this week's mantra - A tidy room looks clean.  

Throw it Thursday

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

Ensure all all beds are made by their occupants.

clear chairdrobe in your room - and encourage everyone else to clear theirs

vacuum floor(s)

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, shake it outside to remove dust/fluff/crumbs - put stuff back in tidily

Sraighten kitchen - wipe worktop

Make your bed 

Plump cushions in 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

pigpen

ty for fred.. I will update but mad busy..

Raph.. Bungalow is gorgeous.. she may make up for the 8 legged sibling

Monday - Basically clean kitchen and dining room - 15 minutes should do it ~ Did most of this Sunday but I have another 2 lots of work surface I need to clear.

Clear kitchen surfaces as much as possible 1 of 3 done.. and I binned a lunchbag with a broken zip!
mop the floor.. swept yesterday.. not sure I can mop and OH is working.
Rehome anything that should be elsewhere ... oh look.. Boog walked in *rehome the Boog*

Extras/Self care
no time for any of that, though I am hoping to find time for a shower at least, it feels like it has been 1000 years since I last got in there... and I don't meal plan.. I don't know what I want to eat for my next meal never mind tomorrow or next week!

x_raphael_xx

Sounds like a good week to ease me back into flying
I'm in!

Honey_Bear

Thank you for last week's list Natty.

Excellent list, thank you Valli.  I will bum shuffle my way downstairs and do as much as I can reach while sitting on the floor.  The meal planning project is a wip.

ionafan

Thank you Valli. 

Tomorrow we are taking my friend K and her two daughters out to a big English Heritage castle. I have already cooked the mince for tomorrow evening's cottage pie, and made my best ever rice pudding in the SC, so that I can have the meal on the table within half and hour of coming home.  Being ahead of myself is a good feeling

Hope everyone has a good week xxx

roundtuit

Morning xx 
Thank you Valli, and Natty for last week xx

I need to learn how to fly whilst continuing to declutter. Rather than this either/or situation. 

So I'm in 😊

Hope everyone has a good week 
Rxx

Jazee

Morning all.  Thanks for the list.
 I'm looking after DGD2 today so will just be doing essentials.
Have a great day everyone.

kazwookie

Thank you for all the lists.

I am currently having a debate with myself over do I / do I not do the washing, it may rain this morning, but windy later on, so ideal drying weather, but if it does rain I don't want wet washing hanging around.

General cleaning to do

Food shop to do

One hell of a storm over here last night, so off out in a bit to check the trees for damage etc.

pigpen

i managed the shower.

I found the stuff I need to post.. 3 parcels ready to fling. I will sort those after lunch

Many £'s shuffled so neither I nor OH were OD

Best go feed the minibeasts.. the furry beasts are already fed.

pigpen

Apparently grand beast number 7 is due in April!!

Honey_Bear

Congratulations Pigpen.

I slept very badly last night, so the kitchen is going to have to wait.