Weekly Flylady Thread 1 July 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 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- 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 IF YOU'RE NOT TOO HOT

Level 1
Open some windows (not just in the kitchen!) for some fresh air 
Check fruit bowl - add to washing up if necessary!
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!  
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.
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
Pop a jug of water in the fridge to chill for refreshing drinks if you have room.  I keep my work water bottle (one of those metal flasks) in there once it's clean so I can take a chilled drink with me.
Make sure people and pets have water to hand 

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
Clean the oven *shudder*
Dust dining area/room


Level 3

Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Sort through your jars of herbs and spices - check best before dates - list what you've got - and if it's grey when it should be green - fling it

EXTRAS

HHI if you're keen
S&S bathroom 
Do any of your dusters and cleaning cloths need a wash?
New month begins,  Do you need any cards?  
Get financial/budget/meal plans and/or spreadsheet up to date

Wonderful Wednesday 

Living room

Level 1

open window
deal with flowers and plants
empty bins and ashtrays
clear coffee table, dust, polish and put back tidily
remove gibble

level 2
vacuum, dust or wipe sofas - lift cushion pads and remove crumbs if you can (mine don't lift)
clean floor

level 3
dust all round
clean windows

extras 
s&s kitchen
s&s bathroom

Thursday - The Boudoir do level 1 at least - everyone deserves a clean, clear space in which to sleep and recharge

level 1

open windows
strip bed
clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
empty bin

level 2
make bed with fresh bedding
clean bedside tables
vacuum/sweep/mop floor

level 3
clean windows
dust all round
Use a damp cloth to wipe lotions and potions - and fling anything OOD/past it's best.  Remember some things, such as perfume, go off in daylight so pop them in a drawer

extras
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen
Bin bag dance...fling that gibble
Empty one drawer, wipe it or vacuum it and put its contents back tidily

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks for the thread @Valli 😁 

I'm in this week - the weather looks like it will be a lot cooler so I can get on with stuff that I neglected last week! As it's the first of the month tomorrow I'll be doing my monthly routine too so mat have to play catch up with the lists for the first few days but I'm determined to have a very clean house by the end of the week! 😁

ionafan

Thank you for the new thread, Valli.  I shall be doing whatever I can from the lists.  So that K could help me re-make the beds, I did WMx2 this morning and mostly dried it outside (with just a 5-minute final run through the TD to get out the chilly feeling and most of the creases, so I didn't have to iron the pillowcases ).  I also dusted and hoovered through downstairs and mopped the kitchen floor before K and the girls arrived - but even that little bit of flying was enough to wear me out, so we had to sit down and have a cuppa before going out for lunch and a visit to a NT property.  Afterwards they came back here for an easy tea.

Many congratulations Narc0 on your swim and wonderful sponsorship total x
Very well done on your slinkiness, round  - I wish I had your willpower! x
(((Hugs))) to Valli's mum on the loss of her old friend x
(((Hugs))) to CoG - you've sure got a lot on your plate atm x 
Lots of sympathy to GI's mum re her knee problems x - I think I'm stuck with mine too, and I've definitely slowed down a lot recently  
(((Hugs))) to anyone else who's struggling that I've missed during the past week, which was yet another busy one and frankly too hot for me to think straight.

The coming week is due to be a lot quieter (or at least that's what my diary is telling me this evening) and I am hoping to get round to sorting some more of the old family photos.

Hope everyone has a calm and productive week xxx

roundtuit

Good morning my lovelies xx 

White rabbits 🐇 🐇🐇🐇 xx

Oh luvly jubbly. A new day. A new week. A new month. A new quarter. And all on a Monday. My cup runneth over. Turn over page. And start afresh. 😊

I'm up (5 past 6, having resisted getting up at 5.15 as it was twirly. Twirly for what? Does it matter? 🤔 Hmmm.), made my bed, drunk a glass of water, and supped my first brew. 

Brew 2 and breakfast next. Then I'll be back with a Round.

Love to all
Rxx

Jazee

Morning all.  Thanks for the list Valli.

 I'm up early but DGD2 is still in bed so I'll see what flying I can get done.  

Have a great day everyone.

roundtuit

@crazybunnylady4 - so sorry that I didn't acknowledge your post last week. Thank you for delurking. I'm very much a work in progress when setting boundaries. I think mine are made of electrified fencing! I set them, but if anyone pushes against them I zzzzap them. Verbally. Not using actual voltage of course. Oooo. That's an idea 🤣

Please do delurk and join us more often. 
Rxx

Asparklierblonde

Morning All,

Just popping in to say hi. Busy as ever here, I have been reading along where I can though. Spent a large chunk of my child free weekend asleep! My body definitely needed it.

Look after yourselves lovelies xx

Jazee

Glad you got some rest ASB.

 I have washed up some pots left soaking from last night, sorted out new washing up sponges etc and got all admin up to date.

Going to wake DGD2 now.  Both girls will be here later today.  Let the chaos begin.....

leftatthetrafficlights

Bed stripped and in wm
Bicarb & vinegar down kitchen sink
Kettle descaled
Walk done

Now going to change into housework clothes, put laundry away, fill & start dw then begin the grout cleaning in the hallway 😁

roundtuit

Breakfast eaten and brew 2 supped. I'm dressed and I've sploshed bleach down the loo and the basin plughole. 

Round 1
Feed the birds 
Fill the birdbath 
Water the hanging basket 
Put out the rubbish and recycling 
Read the meters 
FUPA clothes on the airer 
DUPA pots that were LTD 
Update calendar 
Send meter reading to BG 

P & S are calling for coffee this morning as usual. Then I'll visit Mr Al.

Rxx

Goodintentions

Good morning 😁 
Thank you for the lists

I did manage an hour or 2 at the allotment yesterday - so many weeds! I planted out the cabbages but have run out of room for the cauliflowers. Filled a bucket with weeds & headed home. There is a very nasty smell down there - I suspect my neighbour is putting food waste in his compost 🤢 It stinks! 
Back home, I emptied the DW & did my dinner. I may clean the DW today, while there is not much to put in it. Did some knitting, but I may run out of wool so will need to order another ball 😭 That meant too much time spent browsing as it would be silly to pay postage for one ball.........
This morning I woke up at 7:30, fed the cats, weighed in (another 1/2 on 😭), sloshed stuff down both toilets & took a cuppa back to bed. I have juggled some money about and added to my regular savings (1st of the month job ✔️)
DH & DS are currently in Wales, listening to the rain in their tent. Blue skies here! They will be heading home shortly, so I need to make the most of the peace while I can.

Isn't it funny how the big cat hasn't bothered me to feed him at 5am like he does DH? If he doesn't get up, he bites him! Sometimes this can be at 3 or 4am!! And DH gets up!! 🤦‍♀️ He (the cat) has him well trained!! 😂 I don't put up with that behaviour, so he doesn't do it to me 😂 Funnily enough, he hasn't starved to death either 😂

Okay, long list today....
Round 1
Get up & dressed
Breakfast
Clean toilets & basins
Empty litter tray

No washing to do....yet! I will wait until the smelly boys come home!!

Have a good day everyone!