Weekly Flylady Thread 1st January 2024

Valli

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.

Welcome to the first thread of 2024.  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!  Please note we are NOT control freaks with perfect homes but people with busy lives and better things to do who mutually encourageand support each other.  Housework, while easier because we have machines, is harder because homes are busy places.  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 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
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 1st January -  Bank Holiday

(and the little OCD elf who lives inside me is absokutely thrilled that it's a Monday to start the year...so neat!)

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 - and stamps - we do NOT want to get caught out by bad weather!
Dig out your TOOTS list - update and prioritise
If/when you take your Christmas cards down make a note of cards received and update the list ready for December,
Check smoke alarms and CO monitors

If you are desperate to fly today empty a drawer or a cupboard or a wardrobe, vacuum any dust bunnies and put back what you want to keep - tidily.  If you have a charity bag/box add something to it...clothes that haven't been worn for a year are dead weight - lets get rid of the baggage that holds us back!
Don't go mad - do one drawer at a time and then you can stop without leaving chaos.  If you're not quite up to such an ambitious task list all drawers and cupboards by room as part of your Toots list - let's make this the year where every nook and cranny gets dealt with!

Finally do feel free to share your NY resolutions - but make them achievable. 
Mine is to 'read more'  - and my measure of success will be to have read 4x a week...this will be part of flying as read books can leave Villa Valli!

Terrific Tuesday

First full flying day of 2024 - 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 
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 windows and sills in both rooms.

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom
Check when your bin will be collected

Spring cleaning time is looming - check that your cleaning materials of choice, and cloths etc are ready to go.  Supermarkets often have spring cleaning stuff on offer...keep your eye out for your favourites!

Wipy Wednesday 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

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 parent/partner/sibling/carer/friend - whatever

Level 1 

Strip bed - and leave to air for as long as you can
Open windows
Clear floordrobe/chairdrobe
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
Plan some self care … a long bubbly bath, face pack, nap, time with a book or hobby…and breathe

Thank goodness it’s FridayLiving room, hall, stairs and landing 


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
Wipe door handles, banisters, light switches and sockets - and the bits of the door where people hold to open/close it.
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

Asparklierblonde

Whoop first in for 2024!!! I’m in, as ever. Thank you for the list xx

Kitchen put to bed, laundry drying by fire. Watching Reacher then it’s bedtime. See you next year. Thanks for being my friends and having my back. Love you all xx

ionafan

Thank you for setting us off on the right foot into the coming week, Valli x   I'm pleased to report that my ironing basket is empty!

I have had a great deal to be thankful for in 2023: earlier today I was looking back over some posts from exactly a year ago, and so many good things have happened to me since then  

My NY resolution is to stop overthinking things and simply get on with doing them to the best of my ability.

Wishing everyone peace and good health, along with moments of great happiness that will stay with you far beyond 2024 xxx

roundtuit

Is that what it is? A little OCD elf? Mine is hyperventilating at the thought that not only a month but an entire year is starting on a Monday. Hopping up and down clapping - a very happy little elf 😊

I'm in. Thank you for you company and friendship in 2023. And here's to a happy, healthy, 2024. Cheers 🥂

Rxx

flamingo747

Happy new year all

Vacuumed and mopped throughout, and ironed the pile. Would love an early night but I have to stay up with dog who hates fireworks!

MinnieMousesMummy

All the best to everyone for 2024! I am aiming to keep posting every day this year as it does help to keep me focused. 2023 was a busy year when things didn't always go to plan but on a positive note, a lot of things went well. 

My list for Monday
Get dressed
Feed the animals
Paid stuff (8am-8pm)
Sort more of the diary for this year
Spend some time with the family

I think that is all that I need to tackle. Hope everyone has a lovely Monday/start to 2024. 

pigpen

TY for Fred..

Usual whining posts about fireworks on the FB pages.. DD1's delightful neighbours friends smashing up a car outside DD1's house. She is safe inside ignoring them.

DD2 and GF have gone out.. everyone else is ensconced in their rooms hating the world.

Pennies shuffled to cover tomorrows payments.. as I already said..

OH rang his dad to say we are not going Wednesday.. apparently he is going away Thursday.. I am trying to persuade OH he is in mno rush to go.. what can he hpe to achieve other than upsetting himself? I don't need this !!!!!! and neither does he..

Love and hugs and a year filled with peace and joy and happiness. I love you all very much my bestest friends in the world.

December bill.. I knew I should have waited to put my meter reads in!

Electricity £446.28

Gas £110.79

flamingo747

@pigpen I think I missed the backstory of the situation with OH and his dad?

I am definitely in the firework grinch camp as it makes my dog go spare. I love the look of them, just not all the noise! 

Narc0lepsy

Happy New Year to all.  Another  one here who finds it depressing; I think the world seems to be divided into people who love Christmas and those who love NY.
Not a huge amount of flying by me today really so I'll add in Mr N who is always more diligent than I.
- went to church. Happened to mention to a lady I know quite well that as I'm set to retire in July, I may investigate the mention on the local Christian College that they need voluntary helpers with the students for learning support.....as that is what I do/have done.   She was encouraging, then I could see her lightbulb go on as she mentioned J, a teen who comes to church with his mum and sister and who I know has been experiencing difficulties at school since moving to our area a year ago.  She asked whether I'd consider reading with him. Our small congregation has been heavily involved in supporting this rather troubled family. I don't usually get involved with under-16s but he's always seemed a nice polite young man to me, so I passed on the message that if J would like some help with English, I'll happily offer it. Exciting and a bit nerve-wracking. 
- while I was at church, Mr N made (from bits of wood), varnished and put up 2 neat little shelves in the conservatory, with trellis behind, for our climbing plants.
- I went to a lunch buffet NYE 'gathering' run by a lady I see at the gym. It was very enjoyable, with a choice of low-key non-embarrassing games and quizzes that you could just join in small groups.
- dropped in to C00p on the way home to get some bananas and to my joy the gf mince pies were half price....er...I have to admit buying 3 boxes. Plus a Christmas cake slab 2/3 off for Mr N.
- sent a load of e-new year cards off.
- chatted to my mum on the phone 
- made us a roast dinner with apricot crumble for a NY 'feast' then slobbed out watching a less than brilliant film eating too many chocolates.

You will notice too many references to food.   In my defence, I'm lake swimming tomorrow, gym swimming on Tuesday and have booked Body Pump on Wed, Pilates on Thurs and Body Step on Friday.
Can hear fireworks starting unless there is a war here, so I'm off to bed.

pigpen

flamingo747 said:

@pigpen I think I missed the backstory of the situation with OH and his dad?

He is being a kn0b and trying to force the sale of MIL's house which is nothing at all to do with him and he is bullying OH into going to remove crap from the house to bring here when we have no room and no money for fuel and MIL's husband is living in the house.. how horrible is it to sell the house from under him? he has lost his wife and is 86.. it's disgusting to effectively make him homeless!
FIL has also said OH should 'support his sister' over their mothers death like she isn't OH's mother too.. he has said 'I hope she gets better soon' when we told him about Squeaks autism diagnosis.. at MILs memorial he said Pixie 'looked lovely and *Squeak* looks like a tomboy' .. He has rang every 2 weeks or so telling OH how much money he would get from his mother dying and asking what he intends to do with it.. like that is what OH is thinking about right now... There were other hideous things he has said and done and I am spitting feathers and OH is too nice and just kind of floats along with it all instead of saying 'no' and telling him to back off and we don't care if the house is sold or not right now.
I have no filter and my mouth says exactly what my brain thinks unless I am filling it with food or pain.. I'm not sure I can keep quiet.

I will sabotage the car so he can't go if I have to.

flamingo747

Oh he sounds bloody awful! Sounds like he's trying to get some money for himself