Weekly Flylady Thread 18th March 2024

Natty68

Welcome to the weekly Flylady thread. If you need help organising your week when it comes to housework, or just the motivation to do the dreaded housework tasks you have to do, come and join us, hopefully make it a little easier. You never know, you might start to enjoy it!

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.THESE LISTS ARE ONLY SUGGESTIONS AND NOT A MUST DO LIST, ALWAYS WELCOME TO POST AND FOLLOW YOUR OWN.

Also adding a declutter mission each day. Another one where it's up to you if you want to do it or if you need to. This follows requests from members who are looking to declutter. Binbag dances, hotspot clearing, cupboard sorts, drawer sorts etc will all be on this list. Any problems with this or any suggestions do please let me know.

A few of the basics before we start the week

Hotspots are any areas which if one thing gets put there, loads of other things follow!

Daily routines/todailies are anything you need to do today and every day stuff like laundry, 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/binbag dance - stick on some loud music, grab a binbag or carrier bag and whizz 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!

5GC five minutes gardening.. make it lovely for your family and enjoy it!

Other abbreviations you may find useful

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 ~ Editted to add
gibble ~ miscellaneous crap that appears forever homeless
Dot-to-dot ~ this is a AnW'sMum's way of tidying - 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!
RoD ~ Room of Doom, the one room that feels like it is a permanent pit and cannot be used to its potential!

The Spoon Theory
https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

Click here to read Toots wonderful welcome guide

 Ok here goes this week

Monday ~ Kitchen and Dining room
Level One
Sweep and mop floor
Clear and wipe worksurfaces
Level Two
Wipe units and appliances..
Clean blinds/curtains
Clear and wipe table.. clean cloth!
Level Three
Scrub out the fridge
Clean oven and hob!
Clear window sills of gibble!

Extras

• Binbag dance
• HHI
• Wipe small appliances
• Clean out the vacuum cleaner.. wash filters etc!
  
  

Tuesday ~ Living room, Hallway, Stairs
Level One
remove clutter from floors, chairs and fireplace
Open the windows and let in some fresh air
Level Two
Vacuum floors and sofas
Wipe and water neglected plants
Dust those flat fluffy surfaces
Level Three
Vacuum under the furniture you can move
Clean windows, pictures, mirrors etc.
Change any lightbulbs that need doing!
Vacuum hall and stairs.. all the way up to the top!!!!!

Extras

• Wipe woodwork in the hall and stairs & wipe front door.. inside and out!
• Wash any nets/curtains that need cleaning.. put up fresh ones!
• Clean out your handbag.. how many receipts??
• 15 minutes filing

Wednesday ~ Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One
Clean floors in these rooms
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment your pc while doing this.
Level Two
Clean baths, toilets, don't forget the outside! and sinks.. shine the taps with a toothbrush
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
Empty and clean out all the upstairs bins!
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Collect all the dirty laundry

Extras

• Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
• Fling all those empty bottles and tubes
• Replace any sponges, flannels, toiletries that need it
• Clear a clutter spot in the bathroom and make it clean and decluttered!

Master bedroom & landing - Thursday
Level 1
Check fire alarms are working
Remove and wash bed linen and duvet covers.
Fling open the window and let in the spring! It isn't snow.. it is dust! lol
Level 2
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum & turn mattress before replacing with fresh linen..
Air the duvet
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level 3
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort 10 things from your wardrobe (or someone elses) that you can get rid of..
Clear a hotspot.. or spend 15 minutes clearing one.
Extras

• Binbag dance
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Clear a box of clutter from the landing
• Sort through that airing cupboard!!

Friday ~ those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Make an appointment for some ME-time.. hairdressers? manicure? night out with friends? .. whatever just do it!
Level Two
Vacuum the floor
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Strip beds, turn and vacuum mattresses!! and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too!!
Level Three
Clean 2 windows
Make a start on sorting out the summer stuff to out away/get rid of
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Extras

• 15 minutes in the garden.. preparation for summer, planting, weeding or just enjoying!
• Wipe the radiators, skirtings and window & door frames!
• HHI
• Friday fling!! Grab a binbag and fill it with stuff to leave the house.. rubbish or charity shop or to donate to a friend!

Cloth_of_Gold

Thank you Natty.

We've had supper and I've washed up everything from that and the strays from our lunch/tea and I've largely tidied up. I took off the white linen tablecloth and put the day-to-day one back on and set-up A's breakfast things. I've started the night time eye routine and once that's finished that's it for me for another day.

Valli

Had a lazyish day, partly because i felt ‘off’, very achy joints which often makes me feel unwell, fell asleep watch Alice Through the Looking Glass, looked in on Peter Pan (mainly for the delectable Mr Isaacs❤️).  Painkillers scoffed…the ones i am not supposed to take but the joints really needed something strong, and parrots won’t cut it. Feel better now, so feel vindicated.  So far the lower dose meds aren’t giving me side effects, which is excellent…
WM locked and loaded as is Dw.  DD cooked.  Cardi back finished.  

Thanks for the thread Natty

ionafan

Thank you Natty x

I flew through the house yesterday morning (with a bit of help from DH on the hoovering) so shouldn't need to do much more than a quick PUPA and S&S tomorrow.

I need to ring the horse piddle at 8.00 or soon after, as my eye has been troubling me all day today.  Of course they're not in on Sundays.

My car insurance renewal quote has come in at £330 compared to last year's £210, so I need to get on with finding a new provider.  A 50% increase is not nice!

Hope everyone has a good week.  (((Hugs))) spoons and sticks to all in need xxx

pigpen

Last week of school before easter holibobs.. thank fffffffffffffflocks of sheep! I am exhausted.

I have been given a huge vintage Mason Cash mixing bowl and a beautiful vintage dinner service and a bag of peanuts for the birdies and squizzels.. I am keeping some bits and the rest is going to the cat shop (CS)

I have 2 parcels being collected in the morning and 2 more to package. I have grandbeasts tomorrow too and it is bill paying day.. after school Pixie has dance class.

Off to my nest..

Valli

morning all

just popped another wash on, want to take advantage of the forecast for today which is for a dry, sunny day.  The sun is shining now so that’s good.  
Have let the bunnies out too.  My neighbour, who picks up stuff from the market bins for them (I assume) brought three fancy pears for them, which i cut up and put out yesterday and which they have gone to munch straight away.  Very money saving for me!

roundtuit

Good morning my lovelies xx 

Thank you to Valli and Natty for the lists. And thank you to everyone for being my flylady friends. Looking for the positives in my life this morning and there you are: shining like the stars you are 🌟 🤩 

A bit too introspective as I lay in bed this morning. Aimless. Definitely aimless. And pointless? What is the point of life? What's it all about? Aaarrrgggghhhh. Get up quick. Throw a stick. Play nice BD. 

Getting weighed cheered me up. (Now that's not a sentence you'll find in my posts in previous years! 🤣 ) I've lost 3 pounds this week woot woot. 1 more and that's a stone and a half off, which is my target for the first quarter. I hardly dare look in Fayolle's  direction though - as she usually claims my lost chubbage. Not sorry, sorry. 😙

I'm up, made my bed, got weighed,  and supped my first brew. Brew 2 and breakfast next. Then I'll get dressed before I decide on my first Round of the day.

Love to all
Rxx

roundtuit

Breakfast eaten, brew 2 supped and I'm dressed. 

I've done a laundry shuffle and put away the airer, fed the birds, put out the recycling, and paid / had a chat with the window cleaner. We covered a lot in a short time: Pops, DB, Ramadan, Gambia, racism, religion, Comic Relief and death. Just a light chat then!!!! The sun is shining, but it's nippy out there. 

I'm going to write my shopping list. Then set the timer for 10 minutes and MAD in the kitchen...could be table, could be worktop, could be both. 

Rxx

pigpen

I had quids go in my bank last night (CB and UC) .. when I looked the balance was £666.66 ... loved it... it is now £51.60 becase I paid the bills. it was nice while it lasted!

Girls at school.. hayfever horrific.. I need something else to combat this.. the eye drops hurt my eye balls but they are so dry and itchy and sticky and scratchy.

OH bossed to ut away the things he got out and I have laundry to shuffle 2 parcels to sort and some more to list.

I have 4 large boxes of shes I want to sort too so some can go to the shoes drop off.. ones which are ok can go to the uniform place if they ever put the collection points back in convenient places.

Squeak has dentist in the morning.

kazwookie

Morning

Thank you for the lists.

Been busy:-

Cats fed

Bed stripped and remade

2 x WM done all out on whirly

Shower plug hole trap thing cleaned yuk

All floors done, either mopped or hoovered

Bagless hoover thingy cleaned

DW done

Shower gel topped up

Toast eaten

Large council rubbish power washed out and now drying on its side, it stank.

Loads of other small stuff done.

Off to garden to plant out new to me herbs and bulbs.

Did you know it is t shirt weather here atm!! Happy days.

roundtuit

Shopping list written.

In my 10 minutes MAD I:

Recycled last year's Mother's Day card
Recycled another card
Sorted through a pile of CDs - kept 3 and put them in the CD holder, the rest (8 of them) are now in the cs box.
Sorted through a pile of cassette tapes (remember them?). 3 are now in the cs box, and 3 have been binned and their cases recycled. None kept- nothing to play them on.
Candle holder - cs box.
17 items out - not a bad 10 minutes work 😊

Then P & S called for a coffee. When they left I went to Mr Al, bought groceries, and they've all been put away.

Lunch next

Rxx