Weekly Flylady Thread 8th April 2024

Valli

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.

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
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

Marvellous Monday - 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.  Scrub doorseal.
Wipe DW door paying particular attention to manky crevices

Level 3

Choose a drawer, shelf or cupboard for special attention.  Empty, clean out, replace what is needed or useful and fling what is unused and/or out of date
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom
And, if the offspring are back at school (not here; they're off for another week) take some time to just 'be' and relax.

Twinkly Tuesday - Bathroom (s)

Level 1

The washbasin
open window
remove all gubbins around it
scrub out
ckean and polish taps
clean plug, chain etc
wipe mirrors
clean pedestal/cupboard

level 2 
The loo
scrub inside and out
wipe cistern
wipe loo roll holder
dust sill and clean window

level 3
clean Bath/shower
wash curtain or wipe and shine screen
clean taps or showerhead
clean and clear drain
wipe towel rail
replace towels
clean floor

extras 

HHI
S&S kitchen
If your children are back at school next week start collating uniform/kit/homework
CHECK SMOKE ALARMS - just been a double fatality here 😞

wednesday Hump day

master bedroom

level 1

open window
strip bed
clear chair and floor drobes
empty bin

level 2 
Dust/vacuum bed frame
Rename bed

level 3
dust all round
clean wondows
vacuum/seep/mop floor

extreas
press small people into service if yours are still on Easter hols
s&s kitchen
s&s bathroom
hhi

Thursday - Living Room

level 1

open a window
empty bin
deal with flowers
deal with fire - rake out and relay
empty any ash trays

level 2
dust everywhere - lift what you can
vacuum sofa etc.  Lift seat pads/cushions

level 3
clean windowx
vacuum/sweep/mop floor

extras
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom
hhi

FRIDAY FLOURISH - Kids room/spare room/guest room 
Level 1
Open window
strip bed
clear detritus from floor
occupant of room to assist if available
Empty bin

level 2
anything that needs to be homed -put away occupants of room to help
vacuum floor
If spare/guest room check all lighting fully functional

level 3
clean window
wipe sockets and switches
dust all around

extras
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen
HHI
read through a recipe book or Google a rarely-used ingredient and find something new to cook this weekend or read an instruction book and make sure you’re getting the best out of an appliance or work out how to use the voice activated control in the car you have had for 5 years (probably very specific to me, that last one).

pigpen

TY for Fred.. and I have grandboys tomorrow so I need to send the morning moving MILs stuff out of the front room...

ionafan

Thank you for a lovely day, Jazee, Valli, Piggers and the clan.   Flyladies are the best!!! It was great to see you all, and I’m so glad I didn’t have to carry the contents of the shopping bag home again 😃😃😃. 

I retired to my overnight accommodation just after 5.00, made myself a cuppa and have since made up for some of the sleep that the storm deprived me of last night!.  Missing Rosie’s snoring, though!  No flying to be done here - it’s free of clutter and all spotless.

Hope everyone has a good week.  If you’ve got kids going back to school, please put your feet up for a while and savour the peace -  you deserve it! Xxx

Cloth_of_Gold

Great that you had such a great flymeet. I'm always available for a London flymeet (subject to health issues/hospital appointments).

Re lambing, I've seen All Creatures Great and Small and it looks a messy businesses. I'd be happy to bottle feed one once they're washed and dried and look like this though.

No flying done today apart from food prep and washing up. I couldn't get to sleep last night as for some reason I kept thinking about a visit we're having from some friends next Sunday. When I finally did get to sleep I had a weird dream that I was in France and was doing something for President Macron and had to go to a meeting but had forgotten to bring a suit and was panicking about how I was going to get one at short notice. Goodness knows where that came from! After all that I couldn't manage the 8.30 service so went to the 6pm instead.  

It's been windy here too, but mild and we've had some sun. My brother and his wife are having a week's holiday in Scotland - very brave in early April.

Asparklierblonde

Thank you for the thread girlies xxx

WAC club here, annoyingly. I have a very long list to do tomorrow, plus two extra children and
am back to the paid stuff - hmmmm. 

CoG - pulling a lamb out is the absolute best feeling. Wiping their little eyes to get rid of the gunk, sticking some straw on their nose to get them to sneeze and properly ‘come round’ then watching mum clean them up - just love it. Ours used to lamb themselves outside so I didn’t get that involved, but the farmers round us lamb them all indoors now so are more hands on. My friend has 12,000 ewes to lamb this time…. 

Off to read my book and see if Piggers has topped up the cocoa urn… xx

pigpen

oh... just topping up that cocoa ASB.. I hope you're all snuggled in your nest and fast asleep. I have 2 extra children tomorrow too.. but I have to clear my front room before 11am when DD1 gets here to drop them off..

What do I do with £2500 worth of handmade curtains which need dry cleaning?? They are currently sat on my living room floor, in a heap..

as someone who can kill dandelions.. how long will it take me to kill this leafy beast?? It’s monstrous!! (The crapola behind is from MILs.. it’s a long haul flingage.. my house is normally tidier than this!) 

Valli

oh Iona…we go it right I think!

Piggers, that IS an aspidistra!  I think you’ll find it’s a tough plant with a strong survival instinct.  Massively popular during Victorian times. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHN-ZQzkJJU

Asparklierblonde

Thank you for the cocoa Piggers xx

Lots to do today, not raining for now so I will pop some washing on and chance it outside. I bought a nice Lupin yesterday, apparently wild rabbits won’t touch them, we’ll see! 

Back later have fab days all xx

roundtuit

Morning my lovelies xx 

I'm up, got weighed (STS - which is a miracle after the calories I've inhaled on some days over the past week. Must have been balanced out by the not eating on other days), made my bed, got dressed, and supped my first brew.

P & S are calling some time this morning for coffee. I must do a Mr Al shop or I'll be struggling to find healthy food choices all week. And it looks like those pots aren't going to wash themselves so I'd better do it. But first I need to ring Pops....

Have a good day
Rxx

pigpen

Valli said:

oh Iona…we go it right I think!

Piggers, that IS an aspidistra!  I think you’ll find it’s a tough plant with a strong survival instinct.  Massively popular during Victorian times. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHN-ZQzkJJU

meh... I can kill that!!

Apparently it is an offspring of one from that era which has been handed a cutting to descendants on their marriage.. I inherited this beast .. it is a good 80cm tall at least. I am thinking a tall table/barstool behind the TV and it can sit on there.. in the sunshine and not too cold. I might read up on it later in the week.

I have me 55 pages of some stupid book to read through today.. 2 boys from 11:30ish until 3:30.. dance class 4-7 and I need to find my headphones for the school run.

Everyone went into school without too much fuss.. Dot was NOT happy.. had a right mardy on..

Iona.. DD2 (also gluten and dairy free) loved the muffins..she said thank you for the recipe too she will nag me to make some apparently!

I need a cuppa before I attempt anything too strenuous.. we have a sofa to move to the back room.. I need to find my muscles *squeaks mini bicep*

DW emptied but there were 7 cats in there having breakfast so I left them to it. Thomas didn't want to eat but drank a gallon of water. I filled up the biscuits so I am sure he will try some of those. I have some bits of beef for him too.

WM's to fill,
DW to go on
Sides to find
Table to dig out
Back room to shuffle
2 tables/2TV's, several boxes and a trifid to move out of the front room so it is safe for little boys to play.
Hallway to clear..

and 1.5 hours to get it all done.. easy stuff..

kazwookie

Thank you for the lists.

Been busy, so far

WM x 3 done all out on whirly

Hoovered whole houses

Clean shower and plug hole drain thing.

Fed cats

Cleaned dead mouse out of hallway

Builders arrived at 8.15am as expected, they are outside making a mess, but it is all in the groundwork prep, so I have been told, removed 20 toads, frogs, 2 newts into the field. They will be here for about 7 days.

Wash all the floors

Bins done

Dusted all the shelves in the lounge.

About to take my car to get its tyre fixed.