Weekly Flylady Thread 26 August 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

Bank Holiday Monday (England and Wales)

S&S Kitchen
S&S bathroom(s)
make a list of cards you need for September - get them written ready to send
Make sure all meds and first aid kits are stocked and in date
Many Flykids will be going back to school this week (or next - INSET anyone?)
Check the school website for up-to-date information
Make sure you/they have uniform and PE  kit ready the night before
Waterbottles?
Packed lunches?
Dinner money paid up?
Bus passes/bus fare sorted?
'
End of the month jobs need scheduling - 
financial spreadsheets/budget
Smoke and CO alarms
Nights are drawing in - check outside lighting is working
Check drains aren't blocked

Catch up Tuesday - 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!
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth
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
Good slug of bleach down pluholes and in overflows

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 (see extras); update shopping list as appropriate
Wash and wipe fridge shelves and baskets.
Dust dining area/room

Level 3

Pick a cupboard or a drawer; empty it, clean it out and put back its contents tidily
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor 
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.A

Wishy Washy Wednesday
Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
Remove towels and fling in WM 
Scrub Loo inside and out, slug some bleach or descaler down afterwards.  Pay special attention to under the rim.

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins including taps - don't forget the out of sight bits!

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
polish mirrors
dust and polish where necessary
Chuck any lurking potions that are not being used/are old
Clean light pull

Extras
Get a bucket of hot, soapy water and wipe down window frames - open them and clean all the grime that gets on the frames, sills and in the gutters too.
HHI
S&S kitchen
Do you need to book a chimney sweep?  Order logs?  Heating oil?q


Thursday’s Listis full of woe…save your shower until later

Tackle a Toots list task 

Whether it’s clearing out a shed, dealing with a section of the garage, porch or other grim area…

Clear the space out
Be ruthless… throw away the ‘just in case’ stuff you’ve been hanging on to
Sweep up
Put back tidily.

You do not need ancient pots of paint, dubious chemicals in rusting tins, 4000 plastic plant pots, anything rusty, withered wellies, old skateboards, pogo sticks etc Put metals out for scrappies to take.

If you haven’t got a grim area (raises eyebrows in disbelief) sweep paths, unblock drains, rinse out dustbins and pop upside down to dry. wash outside furniture, or treat ready for winter storage.  Clean bbq.

Mow lawns,wash outside of doors, tidy garden…do something outside before the weather turns


Friday FlourishLiving Room
Level 1
Deal with cut flowers and pot plants - top up water/wipe leaves/remove drooping or dead blooms
Open windows
Empty bins/ashtrays - wipe out or wash
If you have a woodburner/real fire attend to that first - and lay fire for lighting
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
Wipe coasters

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
Dust/wipe electricals - use a just-damp cloth.  Don't forget the remote controllers!  Include lightswitches

Level 3
Dust all round - don't forget sills, skirting boards, tops of curtain rails and/or battens and top and frame of door.
Wipe door handles, banisters, light switches and sockets - and the bits of the door where people hold to close it.
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should 
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?
Open front door and vacuum then wipe doorframe

Extras
Don't forget the dailies - beds need making, pots need washing
S&s kitchen
s&s bathroom
HHI

pigpen

TY for Fred.. I may be about a bit more... not difficult.. but I am still mad busy.. I have no idea where these summer hols have gone but they are back at school a week on wednesday/thursday... I'm not ready!

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

Thank you for the lists Natty and Valli xx

I'm in. No paid stuff this week. Woot woot. No birthdays in September except for mine. 😊. No return to school as no childers in this house. 

And a robin just flew into my garden and sat on my cotoneaster. Easily distracted? Me? 

I woke up at 7. I'm up, made my bed, got weighed (gained a pound - was expected after my pizza delivery on Friday. But I'm still down 3 stones overall this year so not going to beat myself up. Much. I have three meals out this coming week - so it's going to be a balancing act between damage limitation and enjoying myself. Not that I can taste a great deal still!)

Brew 1 is supped. Brew 2 is required. Then Wordle,  Connections,  get dressed. Sounds like a plan.

Did Lionel have his surgery piggers? 

Wishing you all a good day.
Rxx

Goodintentions

Good morning 😁
Thank you ladies for the lists.

We had a fairly productive day yesterday. The shelves are finally up in the LR (yay!) I need to decide what is going on them. I have some plants which used to live there, so I will sort them out. I also made a start on the summerhouse. I need to get rid of some stuff...I may take some photos & see if I have any takers. Also, the CS will be visited tomorrow, hopefully. 
Unfortunately, I didn't get to the allotment 🤦‍♀️ I must do that today! 
But at the moment, I am in bed with a cuppa. I have weighed in (1/2 on again 😕), done wordle in 3 & 2 lines of connections. DH is doing a run thing with his club, so he is faffing about. Soon, I will get up & put a wash on. But not yet.....

Have a good BH everyone 

Jazee

Morning all.  Thanks for the list.

It's a lovely day , I've already walked Poppet and am now having breakfast.  Once dailies are completed I'm going to potter in the garden.

Have a great day everyone.

roundtuit

Brew 2 supped and toast eaten. Wordle and Connections completed. And I'm dressed.

Fed the birds. Put out the recycling. Pulled a handful of weeds from the drive. Put fresh towels in the bathroom. Set towels and tea towels swishing. FUPA dry clothes from the airer. Just one or two items finishing off on the airer now.

Is it coffee time?

Rxx

Valli

Morning all

Emptied DW apart from mugs which have been turned to dry.  Washing on lines.  Ironed what was waiting to be ironed.  WUALTD.  Emptied kitchen bin and straightened side.  Took out composting and some recycling.  Swapped rabbits over.

kazwookie

Thank you for the thread.

Break now being taken

3 x wm done all out on whirly

Bed stripepd and remade

All bins emptied

All sinks / basins ciffed / cleaned limescale removed

Toilet cleaned

Shower screen cleaned, oh I hate those things.

Cats fed

Whole house hoovered, bagless thing emptied

Skirting boards in bedrooms cleaned

2 large council bins dragged to top of drive for collection tomorrow

Hard floors mopped

All kitchen sides wipped down.

After all that the step count was 654!! for all that work!! will have to go and step on the prom with the crowds!!

Just over 662,000 steps now so on target for the 1m, go me.

pigpen

roundtuit said:

Did Lionel have his surgery piggers? 

Rxx

He did.. He was discharged at 9pm. I had the other 4 in bed by then. He hates the world and just wants to be left alone and angry.

Trying to sort through the school uniforms.. I need to empty a wardrobe so I can ut the school stuff in it.. there is so much which doesn't fit!

Cat trays scooped, floor scooped... ggrrr...

DW needs loading but I need to fish though the rest of the uniform and get it sorted and hung up.

Best feed the geeks and make a cuppa..

Dot won't try on her shoes because shes not going to school.. I shall have that battle later.

Fayolle

Back from a lovely weekend with SiL and BiL. Wm x 2 done and hanging outside. Some veg that DH picked before we went away has been dealt with - 2 jars of pickled courgettes, beans blanched and frozen, kitchen tidied. DD has just re-appeared from her last working festival. More washing there, for sure. 

Now to meal plan for the week, if only I knew who was where and when. 
Hope everyone is ok, hope Lionel feels better xx

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

I'm up, made my bed, completed Wordle in three,  completed Connections (lost one life), and supped my first brew.

I'm meeting L for brunch at the posh farm shop cafe this morning. And Sh for tea at her local pub this evening. I'm sure I can fly in between 😊

First things first: get dressed. 

Have a good day.
Rxx