Weekly Flylady Thread 19th February 2024

Natty68

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.

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 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 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- thats 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

Here Goes This week...

Magnificent Monday ~ Master Bedroom & Landing
Level One...
Check fire alarms are working
Fling open that window and blow those cobwebs out!! Air the room!!! Nothing worse than a bedroom smelling of parps!
Remove and wash bed linen
Level Two...
Vacuum mattress before replacing with fresh linen..
30 minutes floor clearance.. that includes floordrobe and junk!
Level Three...
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort 10 things from a wardrobe/chest of drawers that you can get rid of... and a pair of shoes only counts as one thing! Likewise socks!.. and it is time those knickers you have had for 37 years were binned.. let hem go liberate yourself!!
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs...
Extra Mission

• 39 fling boogie time, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
• Wipe or dust over the upstairs light fittings.. don't go injuring yourself please you have the rest of the week to work through!
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Wipe down the skirting in the bedroom and on the landing

Twinkling Tuesday - Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms
Air the room.. fling open the windows and let in the springy air!! I don't care if it is 13' below!! lol
Level Two…

Clean baths/shower, toilets, don't forget under the rim! and sinks
Clear any clutter from desk
Dust PC and desk and wipe off those cup rings!!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three...
Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc whatever needs cleaning.
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment your pc while doing this.
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Collect any stray laundry from upstairs.
Extra mission:
Pick whichever you want to attempt:

• Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
• Wipe down the doors and frames in these rooms.
• Clean the radiators in these rooms
• Wash the windows in these rooms.. and shine the mirrors
• HHI... a bit more gone!
• Spend half an hour with your little ones, for those that have them, doing anything they fancy.

Whitening Wednesday - Kitchen and Dining Room
Level One...
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Level Two...
Sweep and mop floors
Sort & clean fridge bringing what needs using soon to the front, clean out any spills or grots in there! Is there anything that needs to be made into a yummy soup!!
Wipe dining table.. (clean table cloth if necessary)
Level Three...
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round
Wipe and replace all those small appliances.. kettle, toaster etc
Clean out the cupboard full of pasta and packets and pickles..
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Check those filters and drawers for ickiness, gackiness and fluff!!
Extra Mission
Choose one or more of:

• Wipe window sills and clean windows in these rooms
• Wipe down any tiles and shine those taps.. a toothbrush is great for cleaning away the gunk!
• Clean oven if it really needs it.. or just do the hob or a knob!!..
• 29 fling boogie.. GO!
• Empty the bin.. wash it out.. and make it smell SWEET

Thundering Thursday- Living Room, Hall and Stairs
Level One...
Vacuum floors and sofas
Level Two...
Dusting, even if around everything & water & wipe the poor neglected plants!
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean TV, other electricals and cabinets
Vacuum under furniture you can manage to move without hurting yourself
Level Three...
Wipe light switches, sockets (make sure they are not switched on!!) and banister
Clean windows & any other glass like mirrors, pictures etc
Tidy shoes, coats and bags .. Are there any that need rehoming?
Wipe skirtings, doorframes and other paintwork
Extra Mission:
Pick one or more of the following tasks –

• Paperwork clearance.. spend 15 minutes minimum sorting through those piles of paper.. 
• Change any dead lightbulbs in the house!
• Clean a radiator or two.
• Binbag dance.. Get a binbag.. fill it and bin it!!!
• HHI.. get that mountain gone

Finally Friday- those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One...
Vacuum the floor, even if it's just where you can see
Level Two...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Spend at least half an hour doing something for yourself!!!!! paint your nails, make an appointment to have your hair done, a lovely soak in the bath.. whatever you feel like!! I'm having my nails done this morning as usual
Strip beds, turn and vacuum mattresses!! and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets & pillows need freshening up too!!
Level Three...
Rummage ALL the junk from one shelf and sort through it..
Sort through a toybox chuck out all the things they don't need any more.. charity or freecycle or whatever.
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Extra Task List

• Wash a set of curtains, nets, duvet or throw
• Wipe the radiators, skirtings and window & door frames!
• End of week fling!! grab a binbag and fill it with stuff to leave the house.. rubbish or charity shop or to donate to a friend!
• Half an hour in the garden clearing the mess and making it nice for spring to arrive.. the sooner your garden is nice the sooner it arrives! Honest!

Asparklierblonde

Morning all

To say I’m on AL I have a very busy couple of days ahead 😳😊.

Flying will take place but not here, I’m cleaning for a friend this morning for some extra cash. Then I need to make the 3 hour round trip to collect DS, I can’t wait to see him, then home. Tomorrow we need to do basically the same three hour round trip to the same place but for a different reason. I would have stayed at a super cheap hotel if it weren’t for the dogs! 

My journey today does involve going past a Waitrose so I am going to pick up some of their ‘Essentials’ range which is actually cheaper than my only local supermarket, a v small Morrisons which carries hardly any ‘basics’ range. 

I have already lit the fire and fed the animals. Shower time now, have fab days all xx

Valli

morning all

DW x 1, WM x 2.  hoping to peg out, though it might mean popping back from work to do so.

Did master bedroom on Saturday so that’s a win, landing need doing though.  

Thanks for the thread, Natty x

ETA just checked the forecast…massive improvement, so pegging out earlier than expected!

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

I'm wondering if Natty has a spycam as I looked up at the landing light fitting last week and 😱. Hung in cobwebs. Main problem is my little steps are in the brick shed and I can't unlock the blasted door. I had P on the job (just before he was ill) and he liberally applied WD40 to no avail. I really need my steps as everything above head height is unreachable without them. Any ideas on how to unstick a stuck lock?

Monday morning weigh in and I've lost another 2 lbs. Just one more to go for my first stone off 😊. I'll never be Stickthintuit so I'll stick to Roundtuit however much chubbage I lose.

I'm up, made my bed, got weighed,  and supped a brew. 

Round 1
Breakfast 
Laundry shuffle 
Get dressed 
Feed the birds 
Put out the recycling 
Write shopping list 
Visit Mr Al

Have a good day
Rxx

pigpen

TY for Fred..

I need to frog the 6 rows of knitting I did last night.. I did the last 6 rows of pattern instead of the first 6.. oops.

I have made the girls take away their laundry this morning and have a pile to go upstairs... I need to vacuum bu it can wait until I have at least had a cuppa.

Squeak was leaking.. she lost her tie and hates this week at school

Dot has got the wrong shirt and couldn't find a jumper.. OH was manlooking and it took me about 2 seconds to locate one

Twinkle had lost her tights so got socks and moaned she was cold.. couldn't find her bag.. OH was fixating on making more mess throwing folded laundry about.. the bag was in the first place I would have looked.. behind the door..

I am already sick of everyone else using my brain this week instead of thinking for themselves.

I need to get both WM's on and order cat litter.. or send OH for some tonight which is a ain as the only main road into and out of the town is closed.. traffic is mental.

Cuppa and frogging

Goodintentions

Good morning 😁 
Thanks Natty for the list. DH did some of that list yesterday 👍😂 
I am not working this week. My plan is to tidy my garden & spend a few hours at the allotment. I am hoping the weather gods are kind to me!! 🤞 
I am currently faffing on my phone whilst laying on the bed 🙄 I am up, dressed & breakfasted. I have 2 men in my dining room (through lounge diner), sitting in a damp hole!! They are removing the hearth that wasn't removed when the chimney stack was removed (before I moved in, so 30+ years ago) as it is causing damp problems. Hence why I am not working & sitting upstairs! It is very wet 😕 but he says he can feel a good draught so I am optimistic. 
So far this morning I have washed DS's bedding & put on the WM again. DH has emptied the food bin, WULTD & put on the DW. I am normally still in bed this time on a Monday! 😂

I think I will make a cuppa & update my list. Bedroom window is open, so I can tick that off 😁
Have a good day everyone 

MinnieMousesMummy

Morning all, 

My list for today
Get dressed
Open the windows and let some air in. 
Feed the animals
Do paid stuff
Attend uni classes
Pay cash into the bank
Revise for my upcoming uni exam
Laundry x 2 loads
HHI
30 minutes decluttering the master bedroom
Speak to DH regarding painting the ceiling
Dust the master bedroom
Hoover the master bedroom
Speak to DH regarding getting an air fryer, I can't decide if it would be a good investment or just another gadget
Sort bags/clothes/lunches for tomorrow

Think that is everything that I need to tackle today, Hope everyone has a good Monday/week. 

ionafan

Thank you Natty for the new thread x

Having cleaned the house thoroughly on Saturday, I didn't have a lot to do today.  I found a beautiful big Tegenaria spider in the LR yesterday but she is welcome to stay.

Honey_Bear, I hope you get good treatment and helpful answers today xx

Positive thoughts and/or prayers would be much appreciated for my friend LC who is having major surgery around midday today.  It has come as a big shock to her, especially as her husband is also on the waiting list for a major op.

I am planning to spend the rest of this morning sorting photos (at last!) and have my pre-op appointment with the eye consultant this afternoon.  DH is driving me there and back, as I expect to have drops in my eyes, but it's not far and I can grit my teeth for 5 minutes

Hope everyone's week is productive and sunny xxx

Valli

pigpen said:

TY for Fred..

I need to frog the 6 rows of knitting I did last night.. I did the last 6 rows of pattern instead of the first 6.. oops.

Cuppa and frogging

What does frogging mean - taking back?  - in which case I frog, often.

Washing out on line, next load bundled ready.  DW mostly emptied - remaining pots angled to drain.

I shall be vacuuming the landing and hallway too, when I get home.  been to co-op en route in to work  - please with self as I rmembered to take my soft platic and my (extensive) collection of dead batteries. *fling*

ETA HoneyBear - hope all is well and you get some answers x

kazwookie

Morning

Thank you for the lists.

Bed stripped and remade with thinner duvet, as I'm getting hot again!!

Wm is on

Sun has just come out.

Going to hoovers, bleach, scrub, dust, move OH's 'heap of stuff', and move OH to sort it out as well, I am sure most of it is recycling.

1 lbs off, well done Round you are doing so well, keep going

Goodintentions

I have FU DS's dry bedding & left it on his bed. While I was in there I opened his (very dusty) blinds & opened the window.
In our room I have cleared the chairdrobe & chucked at least 10 pairs of old Knickers! I am now sitting on the chair drinking tea 👍
1 load of washing in the TD (it's raining 🙄) and another load in the WM. I will do my bedding tomorrow I think. Our bedroom looks okay, so I may move on to the bathroom (although I have just spied the windows/window frames 😳). 

Well done ladies on your slinky successes! I am failing miserably!!
Sending positive vibes to Iona's friend LC.