Weekly Flylady Thread 2nd January 2023

Valli

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.
Welcome to the first thread of 2023.  We often see new flyers (gents welcome!) around this time of year so please don't worry if you feel you cannot keep up.  Similarly if your house has been neglected it won't be turned around in a day - but if you stay you will get into some good habits which do help!  Happy flying.

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 

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
OOD - out of date
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

Monday 2nd January -  Bank Holiday

As it's officially a Bank Holiday today I'm keeping it light ...

S&S Kitchen
S&S bathroom
Binbag dance

Make sure your banking/month end spreadsheets/budgets are up to date

Make sure you have birthday cards (etc) to hand for January - or a list of cards you'll need.  Remember YOU CAN STILL USE 'OLD' (non-barcoded) stamps

Dig out your TOOTS list - update and prioritise - and if you've a HUGE project or task then break it down into do-able chunks.

Make sure your calendar and/or diary is up-to-date - don't forget to include reminders about BOOKING your MOT and getting insurance quotes in advance.

I’ve included a couple of links there to information on this site to clarify/verify what I’ve said.


First full flying day of 2023 - 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!
Glug some bleach down the plugholes.
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth - don't forget the legs and places where sticky fingers can reach.
Clean chairs/stools - and don't forget legs and rails!
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
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 shelves etc and check running temperature 
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

Wipe tiles/splashbacks
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
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

Wipy Wednesday Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
Remove towels and facecloths and fling in WM for a HOT wash
Scrub Loo inside and out and clean handles and seat
if you keep a loo cloth in the bathroom replace that too (I use torn up towels)

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
De-fuzz plugholes - I have a narrow brush which I push in and twirl
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins
Wipe plugs - especially underneath! (And especially if your DD uses charcoal face mask)

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
polish mirrors
dust and polish where necessary
finish off with a good slug of bleach down plugholes, overflows and around the toilet pan and under the rim

Extras

HHI
S&S kitchen

Thursday  - Master bedroom
You cannot pour from an empty cup - so ensuring you have a calm, restful sleeping space means, I hope, that you will get some quality sleep and thus be able to be an effective mum/wife/partner/daughter/sister/friend - whatever

Level 1 

Strip bed - and leave to air for as long as you can
Open windows - this is definitely happening in Valliland
Clear floordrobe/chairdrobe
Declutter surfaces, put stuff out of sight if possible
Empty Bin

Level 2

Dust/vacuum headboard and/or bedframe
Flip mattress if you are able to and if necessary
Remake bed

Level 3

Dust and wipe - all flat surfaces and sticky pots (lotions and potions)
Polish mirrors - while you're at it you may as well clean the windows
Vacuum/sweep/mop floor

Extras
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom

Friday- Living room, hall, stairs and landing 
and traditionally, the day the decs come down

Level 1
Open lots of windows and let that fresh air in while beds are airing
Remove tree and decs
Deal with cut flowers and pot plants - top up water/wipe leaves/remove drooping or dead blooms
Wash out vases
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
Sort newspapers/magazines

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

Level 3
Dust all round - don't forget sills, skirting boards, tops of curtain rails and/or battens and top and frame of door. 
Dust radiators - use a towel or a radiator brush
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should - vacuum fabric shades; wash glass shades 
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

pigpen

tut-tut... getting in early.. I'm not doing 2 lots of domestic menials

TY for Fred.. back .. next week.. xx

funfairprincess

I’ll be in but goodness only knows if I’ll keep up with the fred. 

Thanks to Valli and Natty xxxx

kazwookie

Fireworks watched

Pub drink had, eaten in local small resturant

Thank you for the thread

[Deleted User]

Evening ladies

I am squarely in for this week. Tomorrow‘s list, for accountability:

- be at the tip for 9am when it opens
- 6 hours paid stuff
- don’t spend anything 
- package up 2 eBay parcels and one letter to send 

Anything else is a bonus! 

ionafan

Thanks to Valli for the new thread and to kazwookie for pointing us to it xx

Today I have
- tidied my bedroom
- done end-of-month finance check, so am one step ahead with tomorrow's list
- written some thank-you emails and texted a fellow-patient
- cooked lunch (took me 5 min) and evening meal (took me 10 min)
- walked with Rosie 50 yards further than I managed the last time I went along the lane
- decluttered a few zzz
- given Rosie her anti-flea treatment
- phoned DD and then DS2 (the only member of my family who we haven't seen over Christmas).

That's more then I achieved in the 3 previous days

Narc0lepsy

Thanks for list.
Managed a rather chilly lake swim this morning, came home and had coffee/bath with a book (without dropping it in).
Final preparations for BIL's arrival - made gf/veggie sausages rolls for afternoon snack as we are all fed up with cake and mince pies.     Made stuffed cornbread for main course this eve. 

Checked train times for tomorrow's trip to London. 

Definitely still Christmas here with tree/decs/candles/cards/flower arrangements/festive tablecloth and napkins.

Hope everyone's 2023 starts well, sorry for those feeling unwell. 

pigpen

It's still christmas here too Narco.. OH is still eating the food I got for the 26th and I'm still troughing my way through the spare chocolate oranges. Lights stayed up all year, tree will be up at least another week because I love it.

ooh I just noticed my birthday lilies from EC have opened.. I best snip out those stamens.

My landing is MUCH clearer, I don't feel like I would die if there was an urgent need to be out of the house now.

I am hoping to get some of my bedroom cleared tomorrow.. OH is at work from Tuesday and dance class/swimming starts up at the weekend and we are supposed to be going to the inlaws at the weekend.. (I'm not sure I can fit it in tbh, I wish he would just go himself just this once).. so I have tomorrow to get as much done as possible.

Valli

Anybody around?  Suffering from a chemo side effect…the last on the list (I could have put money on this one) joint pain…and the advice is to ring a doctor for painkillers…parrots aren’t even taking the edge off.

other than that Happy New Year alll.

ionafan

I'm here, Valli - I woke up in a crumpled heap at the bottom of a pile of pillows.  Sorry to hear you've completed the full house of side effects.  Hope your pain eases soon. And breathe... And again...  I find the radio a good distraction, or YouTube videos.  Other than that, a hot water bottle or microwaveable wheat pillow might help.  PM me if you want my phone number.

Having a tea tray in my bedroom has been a godsend these past weeks!

roundtuit

I sincerely hope that the pain has eased Valli xx 
I'm awake now. And here if you want a listening ear.
Much love heading your way ❤ xx