Weekly Flylady Thread 21st November 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 - even if it's just a crack
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 - 
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; 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 paying particular attention to manky crevices

Level 3

Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.
Go round the whole house wiping door handles, light switches and banisters - we WILL be germ-free!  

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom
Paperwork/admin up to date - month end looms
Meal plan for the week - and plan to cook a double sized meal and freeze one for a CBA/busy day - fish pie, cottage pie or a nice wintry, warming casserole or stew...something complete!  Do you need to update your freezer inventory? 
Check your meds - will you need any over Christmas and the New Year?  If so get your prescription request in!
Check your lightbulb and/or battery stock is ok - no one wants a dark house or redundant remote! 
Get smoke alarms tested.  Get advice from Fire and Rescue - they will even come out to check 

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

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
De-fuzz plugholes
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins
Wipe plugs - especially underneath!

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 - fling anything that's been lingering a while (and make some space for Christmas smellies)
HHI
S&S kitchen
Get out an appliance instruction book and make sure you are using your washer, drier, processor or whatever as efficiently and effectively as possible 

Wednesday Hump Day

Master Bedroom

Level 1

Open windows w-i-d-e unless it's persisting it down/freezing
Strip bed
Allow to air
Remake bed

Level 2

Clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
Clean windows
Vacuum, sweep or mop floor
Empty bin
Put as much stuff as you can away - clear the clutter

Level 3

Dust all sides and shelves
With a just damp cloth wipe all your lotion and potion bottles, hairdryers (especially if you use product while blow drying) etc. and put all perfumes away in a drawer. The sun/heat will damage the contents.
Rinse the cloth and wipe sockets and switches
Polish mirrors

Extras

wipe light bulbs (if they are glass ones and not LEDs or GL types and dust, wash or vacuum shades
HHI - I did it…so can you
Binbag dance
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom
Post Flylady cards 


Thursday … make an entrance…Living Room, hall stars & landing

level 1

clear away rubbish - empty bins etc
deal with flowers and plants
bash doormats against a wall
remove any clutter

level 2

cle@n windows, mirrors, door gkass
 sweep mop or vacuum floors
plump cusions
wip the telephone, sockets and switches
straighten coffee table

level 3
total dusting including light fittings and skirtings
look up - if that’s a cobweb eradicate it

extras
HHI
s&s kitchen
S&S bathroom

Friday Finish - Kids Room(s)/Spare Room/Guest room

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

extras
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen

pigpen

TY for Fred.. I have no idea what I'm doing this week.. My head is up by derriere and I have no idea..

I am hoping we can get Hazel in for her one way trip tomorrow, I may have to try a different vet if I can't get her in.. she is hurting and she is sad and her back end isn't playing ball. She has barely eaten today and is just unhappy..

Tuesday Squeak is at neurology.. ooh.. I need to speak to the bigs about picking up the smalls.. best do that tonight.

I need to wallpaper at DD1's assuming her beasties are back at school.

Tip run.. we heavily pruned (council style pruning) the cherry tree today so there are a lot of logs to go. There are some bits at DD1's such as carpet and a cot mattress.

I still haven't tidied the corner of doom

I am struggling to catch up on washing. I can't get it dried!!

Jazee

Thanks for the list.
Both DGDs are here tomorrow so only basics will get done.  Fortunately most of the extras on the list are up to date.

jimali

Joining in this week (used to be here as JillD) - thanks for the thread.
My Monday list:
- dust coffee and side tables
- clean edge of kitchen floor
- clean base of barstools
- clean base of dining chairs
- clean kitchen windows (dreading this one!)
- 2 loads laundry away
- load laundry on
- load laundry out to dry
- walk into town
- do some filing
- meal plan for week
- pop to Tescos with meal plan
- order new meds
- clean out fridge

Have a good week everyone!

x_raphael_xx

I'm in again to the best of my ability.

Need to get up and hit the gym early before work tomorrow. Got to get back into my run program asap, this marathon will be here before I know it.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

I am in, going to be a tough week, lots going on at the paid stuff.  I need to be organised with meals, flying and all the rest as ultimately it makes life easier.

Forecast is for fog tomorrow, no chance of getting any washing out then.

Narc0lepsy

thanks for thread.
Hope you get Hazel to a happier place Pigpen if you know what I mean.
The weekend guests left this morning in time for me to go to church.
Haven't done a great deal else since really as spent a bit of time in WAC last night although there was still some cake left for today.
Wrote flyladies Christmas cards so can post them tomorrow.  Updated and printed off other card list.
Did a small bit of a report.
Caught up with a couple of emails.
At least the house is clean and tidy-ish so flying won't be too arduous this week.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the thread. I absolutely have to be in, my house is a midden. I’ve been outside all day making the most of the good weather cleaning animals out. 

I have put the kitchen to bed and banked the fire up with coal so the laundry should dry.

** I am caving in and buying a TD - I just cannot keep up with it all even with drying by the fire and we’re not even in winter proper here yet. ANY TD SUGGESTIONS WELCOME XXX **

Tomorrow I have 8 hours paid stuff and need to leave at 7am. Hair washed, clothes laid out, school bags ready….

G’night all xx

ionafan

Thank you Valli for starting the new thread and lists.  I will be doing whatever I can - except for cooking for the freezers, as they're already nearly full to the brim with HM meals and I have almost no food containers left in the kitchen cupboard!  However, this evening we ate the last of last year's red cabbage (definitely one of my favourite warming winter comfort foods) so I will need to cook and freeze some more as soon as I can find room for it.

This evening I've been getting ahead with meal planning and trying to pull together a Christmas wish list for each of us.  Typically, mine is almost all to do with cooking, and DH's is all about railways.

Jazee, I was wondering earlier whether your DGDs get together to play (and torment Grandma!).  Now I know.

Hope everyone gets a good night's sleep and a good week.  (((Hugs))) spoons and sticks, as needed xxx

Goodintentions

Thanks for lists Valli 
I really need to get my head in the game! The 2 yr olds were driving me nuts last week (there are 3 of them!). I was at one point contemplating chucking it all in and becoming a dog walker instead! (the hourly rate is better!) Roll on retirement!! Hopefully they will be better this week 🙏 
The crazy kitten had her post-spay check up. I was told that I really need to make sure she wears the medivest. Easier said than done. I have been putting it on at night, and sometimes it lasts until morning. They are known as her pyjamas 🤣 DS said she looks ridiculous!
Tomorrow we need to do a food shop. DH's car is being mot'd & serviced, so we are hoping that isn't too expensive!!
I will write a list in the morning, and hopefully my guag will reappear by then!
Night night all x

Goodintentions

Moana in pyjamas 🥰