Weekly Flylady Thread 28th November 2022

Natty68

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.

Welcome to the weekly Flylady thread. If you need help organising your week or getting motivated when it comes to housework then come and join us.

Thank you to Valli for last week’s thread.

There are 3 levels per day with depending on how much time you have. Feel free to mix and match to suit your own personal circumstances.

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!

Some of our abbreviations: DH- dear husband, OH- other half, KH/CF- affectionate term for ex husband or partner  DS/DD- dear son/daughter, DGC- dear grandchild, WM- washing machine, DW- dishwasher, LR/DR- living/dining room, RoD- room of doom, 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

Ok here goes this week!

I have also added Christmas extras this week so that we can hopefully be on top of the Christmas stuff before the big day 🎄 

Please note these are the dates that Royal Mail are going on strike leading up to.Christmas.

Royal Mail workers are striking on seven days throughout December, including Christmas Eve, which will heavily disrupt Christmas deliveries.

The strike dates are as follows:

Thursday, December 1

Friday, December 9

Sunday, December 11

Wednesday, December 14

Thursday, December 15

Friday, December 23

Saturday, December 24

 

Monday ~ Grotty Kitchen and Gloomy Dining Room

Level One...
Declutter and mop/vacuum the floors
Find and wipe the worksurfaces
Level Two...
Wipe the big appliances and units.. don't forget kickboards!
Wipe small appliances and replace.. do one thoroughly.. descale or decrumb or degunge!Clear and wipe a shelf or window sill

Level Three...
Wipe the table and replace the cloth if necessary.
Sort through and clean out one cupboard
Clean the oven and hob..
Wrap any presents you need before the 25th, gifts for teachers or friends. Do you need to give Christmas Boxes to milkmen, window cleaners etc?

Extras

• Don't forget any cards and presents that need posting. The post office are still delivering Special Delivery parcels on the strike days.
• Check through Christmas ornaments, do any need throwing away or replacing. Last thing you want when you decorate your tree is to find broken ornaments!!!
• Clean out the fridge.. make use of anything almost past its best
• Wash the windows
• Clean the top of the kitchen wall units.. if you can reach.. no accidents please!!
• Dust and Deweb

Christmas Extras

• Wrap all the presents for family/friends as you buy them. It makes it so much easier 😉
• Finalise shopping orders/lists for your christmas food shop.. remember shops are only closed for one day!!!!

Tuesday ~ Luscious Living Room, hallway, stairs

Level One...

Clear the floor of clutter

Tidy the baubles and lights on the tree.. OR PUT UP YOUR TREE if you want to do it early 🙂

Level Two...

Vacuum the stairs and hallway and living room

Wipe and water plants

Wash the windows

Level Three...

Wipe the sofas and wash any skanky soft furnishings

Sort coats, shoes and bags

Wipe the paintwork in the hallway and up the stairs.

Extras

• Check the smoke alarms
• Fill a binbag for charity shop
• Finalise your christmas menu and shopping list
• Defluff and deweb these rooms

Christmas Extras

• Stick all your cards up as they arrive.
• Christmas wrapping, try and get at least a few done when you've bought the presents.
• Replace the batteries in your annoying singing things
• Make a receipts envelope for all the receipts from Christmas presents, just incase anything needs to go back.

Wednesday ~ Brilliant Bathroom, Sociable Study and other grotty places!
Level One...
Clean the loo and the bath and the shower and the basins!
Defragment PC and run spyware scans while scrubbing
Level Two..
Wash windows and any chairs/sofas
Clean curtains/blinds etc
Declutter floors
Level Three...
Wash bathmats/shower curtain and furry bog hats
Replace any sponges/flannels/toothbrushes etc that need it, throw out any empty bottles.. decant dribbles into fuller bottles

Extras -

• Clear a hotspot, if it's bad spend at least 10 minutes on it.
• Clean windows in these rooms
• HHI
• Spend 30 minutes just having time for yourself, whatever it is doing.
• Fling boogies are here again, aim for 27 items to leave the house!

Christmas Extras

• Bake pies and buns!
• Make a note of when the binmen are coming over the Christmas period!!!

Thursday ~ Master messroom! and landing - 🎄It's December!! 🎄
Level One...
Strip the bedding and get it washed!
Level Two...
30 minutes floordrobe/junk clearing!
Vacuum and turn the mattress, vacuum the landing and floor
Remake the bed
Clean the windows
Level Three...
Wash any curtains/etc that are in need
Wipe down all the furry paintwork
Fill a binbag for charity shop or the bin!

Extras

• HHI
• Update remaining present lists
• Collect all the dirty laundry from upstairs
• Clean out any pets/wash pet bedding
• Wash some light shades

Christmas Extras

• Make a timetable for christmas prepartions.. turkey in.. turkey out.. etc
• Spend 30 minutes just having time for yourself, whatever it is doing.
• Chase up any deliveries you are waiting for that have not arrived

Friday - Let's play catchy-up
Level One...
S&S the kitchen and bathroom
Spend 30 minute pampering yourself!!
Level Two...
Catch up the the window washing
Catch up on the floor mopping/vacuuming
Catch up on the dewebbing and dusting!
Level Three...
Collect ALL the dirty laundry from about the house inc and bedding that needs changing..
Spend 15 minutes on your filing
Clean ALL the filters and drawers etc on the kitchen appliances

Extras

• Wipe down ALL the paintwork you keep putting off
• Choose a manky kitchen cupboard and make it shine.. the inside.. NOT the outside!
• Clean out any pets/wash pet bedding. Let's get these smelling nice for Christmas 🙂
• Clean the pantry or airing cupboard or understairs cupboard or shed..

Christmas Extras

• Post cards you need to post. The strikes are going to make if difficult to get cards/presents to their destinations so post early if you can.
• Wrap presents for family/friends/teachers etc as you buy them
• Wipe out the freezer.. defrost if needed!!
• Straighten the baubles and lights on the christmas tree.. and if you haven't done it.. get it up stop being such a humbug, it's now 2nd December so the tree can go up.
• Write and send christmas cards!!
• Stick all your cards, that you've received, up!!
• Update remaining present lists!!!
• Make a timetable for christmas prepartions.. turkey in.. turkey out.. etc!!! You get the gist of it....

x_raphael_xx

I'm in this week

roundtuit

I'm in too 😊

kazwookie

I'm in thank you for the lists.

Fayre done, pleased with how it went both ££ and flingage

ionafan

Thank you Natty.  Count me in.

Thank you Honey_Bear - it's been a good day.
Pleased to hear that your grandma is going to get the care she needs, Raphael.
Belated congratulations to Valli's DD.

(((Hugs))) spoons and sticks all round, as needed xxx

Jazee

I'm in too, although if dry then gardening will be a priority tomorrow. Thanks for the list.

roundtuit

Happy Birthday iona 💐 🎂🥂 xx

[Deleted User]

I’m in too. Ooooh Happy Birthday Iona! I hope your day has been wonderful xxx


I still have three things hanging over from last week, so I’ve moved those to this week.

My absolutely must do by 4pm Friday is:

- Loads of paid stuff (time of year means it’s busier than normal). I think I’m doing 32 hours this week…
- Post the four Christmas cards we are sending this year!
- Ring APHA
- Take delivery of sheep - this was delayed by a week
- sort a gap in fencing 
- send some money to my newly set up ISA 🤗🤗
- submit end of month electric meter read
- keep food spends below £10
- list two items on eBay 
- order myself a diary for next year 
- buy a plumbing part from local DIY shop
- keep everyone fed and alive 
- bake - we have no sweet treats in at all 

WM is on so I can peg out before I leave in the morning. I half heartedly mopped the kitchen floor and swished the bathroom sink before I came to bed.

Sweet dreams all xx

Valli

Happy Birthday Iona

Happy Lancashire day all 

dancemum

Happy Birthday Iona 🎂 

I’m in, trying to do better.

Dyson dehaired on put on charge
uniform ironed

DS2 visited and his place cleaned 🧽 

Bath mats washed

lunch bag prepared

off to bed now

Narc0lepsy

Thanks for the lists. Somewhat alarmed by the prospect of "last minute" Christmas presents.......it isn't even the right month yet!
Having said that, I've gone through The Big Give and chosen "presents" ready when it opens on Tuesday.
Lots of bits today: have written more cards, crossed a few more things off the list, done a bit more of a report, gone to church and was asked to read - not that I mind, it was Isaiah which I love. 

Went through various web sites with Mr N to sort out what else we are going to do when we go to London for the ballet next week, i.e. best places to see Christmas lights without paying a fortune (Kew Gardens £21.50 for example - not a chance!).  I think walking up Regent Street and round Covent Garden will do us absolutely fine. 

Also went online to see the Bournemouth light trail map as they have a fantastic Christmas tree display which is free. Need to plan it carefully as Mum gets tired quickly; however, we are down with her in 2 weeks time as well as over Christmas so she can see it in several stages if she needs to. 

Have a good week everyone, don't stress.   Happy mating Raphael......