Weekly Flylady Thread 26th December 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. 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 (ooh a compound adjective) content!

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 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

Please don't feel you have to do EVERYTHING on the lists, they are purely a guide for you..just do what you want whether it be all of the list or just a bit of it.

ok Here goes this Week...

Boxing Day

Do your dailies

S&S toilets and sinks

Get somebody to hoover high traffic areas

Write a list of presents that need thank you notes

Enjoy your gifts

Phone somebody you forgot to send to or to thank them for their gift

Keep track of the food in fridge so nothing goes to waste, meal plan if required

Relax and enjoy the day whatever you are doing 

Holiday Tuesday

Mop any floors which need it

Empty all bins and check when your ‘revised’ collections are

Clean your kitchen sink

Check the kids uniform, shoes, coats are clean

Check which dates the kids are back

Put receipts with anything which needs returning

HHI 

Make some time for you, you’ve worked hard recently

Wednesday

Put away all wrapping paper, tags and cards until next year (noting where!)

Delete some emails, old links

Recycle any Christmas catalogues etc

Change a bed or 2

Hoover upstairs/bedrooms

S&S bathroom

HHI, come on you can clear that pile by the New Year

Try to get at least 10 minutes fresh air

Thursday

Clean out your fridge, and use up or get rid of all the leftovers

Wash, dry and iron any tablecloths, napkins etc

Water any plants, including real Christmas trees

Clean the bathroom

If any of you have had new sock, pjs etc do you have old ones to get rid of?

HHI

What are your flying aims for 2023, share with us now

Do you still need to find a home for some presents?

Friday – last list of the Year

Tidy, tidy, tidy – it will make cleaning much easier

Clean WM/DW filters and put through on a clean cycle

HHI – some of you must be near the bottom of your pile now

HHPaperwork – I know it’s boring but it needs to be done

Wipe handles and switches, door, cupboards anything aim for 10

S&S sinks and loos

Sort out your glasses, do you have enough for any get togethers or do you have too many that you never use? Adjust as necessary – lovely ones can be picked up at the Charity shop often at a good price.

Count some blessings from the year gone by.

 

Pigpen’s message from previous years is still as lovely this year.

 

Enjoy your day with your loved ones, spare a few minutes thought for those who cannot be with us this year and who have lost loved ones, and also for those who may not be here next christmas. May theirs be an especially wonderful and special time, making memories for their loved ones to keep forever.. and of course those who may be new in your life next year.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

See you all next year ❤️❤️

Jazee

Thanks for the list.
We have had a lovely relaxing day after a fun filled one yesterday.  Tomorrow is our main Christmas Day with all the family so I'll catch up with you all properly on Tuesday.

pigpen

TY for Fred.

OH has destroyed the kitchen.. I am wearing the most uncomfortable underwear ever.. whoever suggested wearing a sportsbra was insane.. I am throwing them right in the bin.. give me underwired bliss any day!! They are worse than wet socks!!

OH has really annoyed me.. harping on at me about food.. to the point I cannot eat and he ruined 2 days worth of food.

Girls are putting away their new things so they can go upstairs so I can spend all night cleaning everyone elses mess on last nights 2 hours sleep and a 20 minute chair nap..

I need to clear the junk covered work curface so I can put all the egg containing food out of Lionels reach.

I have presents to bring downstairs for the bigger ones and I need a shower.

I hope everyone has had a lovely day.. the children all seem to have been happy enough.

[Deleted User]

Evening ladies

Thank you for the lists. It’s been a restful day here - gifts, food, usual animal chores and wine.  We are all in bed now with books. 

I have totally re-set the kitchen which I am thrilled with, and also managed to get two small loads of washing done and away. I absolutely ❤️ My new tumble drier it makes my life immensely easier.

Tomorrow we will be going for a long dog walk in the morning then doing sweet FA all afternoon.

DS has already built his Lego sets, one was a £70 one that only took him an hour! 

Sleep well lovelies xx

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Happy Christmas all, I know I am a bit late but it's been full on here.  Everyone seemed to have a good time and the family were all happy with their presents.  Feels like it has been a lot of work though.

Will catch up properly when I get chance.  Much love to you all xx

Narc0lepsy

Thank you Secret Santa, my lovely scarf, seeds and treats are much appreciated.  We've had a good day, a mix of church, food, TV, food, quiz/crossword/word games  food..... and presents. Flying? Well I was head chef.

ionafan

Thank you to my Secret Santa for the blooming lovely gift  I

DS1 cooked an excellent dinner for us all, and the pudding which we ate after the end of a quiet afternoon was one that I had made.  It's been a good day.

Valli

I did thank my secret Santa on the old thread, for my beautiful gift.  Where I also shared some good news actually.

anyway DW was loaded and switched on last night.  There is much more to do in the kitchen.  DS did the chair carrying…and as both the Vallikids have been waiters their skills were put to use.

we are going to DS’s later. 

[Deleted User]

Morning ladies

Valli I have just seen your news - how wonderful! Thrilled for you xxx

We have snow ⛄️ 🥶. Thankfully the fire is still glowing so I will get that banked up with wood and roaring again. Today I would like to tidy the freezer up a bit, ahead of my no spend January, it would be good to know what’s in there. It may or may not happen, I am reading a very good book 😁😁😁

Take care ladies and enjoy your day xxx

BadCat18

Morning all

A lovely chilled day yesterday. DH and I cooked and cleared up together, had a couple of walks, played games and read, perfect!

Today I need to prep for family, so some tidying of the lounge etc to be done along with my dailies.

have a good day xx

Honey_Bear

Fab win, Valli, congratulations.  As it's recommended by both you and Martin I've used your referral link and signed up, so I hope that brings both of us some good luck.  To be honest, if you hadn't recommended it I wouldn't have bothered but as you've also won I'm doubly motivated!

We had an absolutely lovely day yesterday but I forgot to ding the spiced cabbage which would have added another colour and slightly pickled flavour to the plates but no-one missed it.  We had a guest who's stayinghere, and two waifs and strays, 29 and a 30 year old lads who have very difficult relationships with their own families but who used to live in the Gardens and now share a house around the corner.  They're very gentle people who don't get a lot of TLC so it's lovely to include them so the day doesn't feel bleak.  One of them is a photographer and he spends the morning photographing what Plymouth does on Christmas day, and has been doing it for years.  He got talking to a group of homeless people who shelter in a nearby church porch, so we made up a bag of turkey sandwiches, bars of chocolates and tangerines for him to take round to them towards the evening before he had his Christmas pudding.  That felt good.

Today and tomorrow I plan to do very, very little.