Weekly Flylady Thread 16th September 2024

Natty68

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.

Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.  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!

Right now the thread is looking very quiet...but 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 (ooh a compound adjective) content!

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

Monday Mayhem - Living Room, Hall and Stairs

Level One...
Vacuum through the living room, hall and stairs
Level Two..
Dusting, even if around everything
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean windows and all glass.. including the tv screen
Clear the mantel and only put back the items which are supposed to be there.. and that doesn't include letters, keys or other treasure!
Level Three..
Wipe and water plants
Put all your hotspots in one pile and work your way through it..
Vacuum under furniture you can manage to move without hurting yourself
Extra Mission: Pick one or more of the following tasks –

• Have a bit of a tidy in the cupboard under the stairs.
• Wipe down any paintwork that needs it.
• Binbag dance.. Get a binbag.. fill it and bin it!!!
• Wash any cushions, throws or curtains that need it.. Do you need your winter curtains up yet?

Tuesday Trauma - Kitchen and Dining Room
15 minutes...
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
30 minutes to spare..
Sweep and mop floors
Clean the fridge.. get rid of all those furry things growing in corners!
Wipe dining table.. (clean table cloth if necessary)
Got an hour to spare...
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round
Wipe and replace all those small appliances.. kettle, microwave etc
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Clean out your mankiest kitchen cupboard..
Extra Mission : help yourself

• Run the WM through 'clean cycle'.. hottish wash with a splosh of vinegar, soda crystals bleach.. whatever you fancy just clear those pipes of gunge!
• Wipe down any tiles and shine those taps.. a toothbrush is great for cleaning away the gunk!
• 31 fling boogie..
• Wipe over the oven and hob - you know you want to ...
• Empty the bin.. wash it out.. and make it smell SWEET

Wednesday wobbles- Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
15 minutes..
Clean floors in these rooms
30 minutes to spare...
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
Got an hour..
Clean those extractor fans
Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc
Scrub down tiles in bathroom.. defragment your pc while doing this.
Empty and clean out all the upstairs bins!
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Collect all the dirty laundry
Extra mission: Take your pick!

• 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
• Make a long list of those bodies you need to purchase Christmas gifts for!!.. 99 days lol

Thursday Throw!- Master Bedroom & Landing
15 minutes...
Check fire alarms are working
Remove and wash bed linen and duvet covers.
Fling open the window and let in the rainy sunnyness
30 minutes to spare...
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum & turn mattress before replacing with fresh linen..
Air the duvet
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Got an hour...
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort through a cupboard and fling everything that is dead (organic or non organic!)
Clear a hotspot.. or spend 15 minutes clearing one.
Extra tasks list, as usual choose one or more

• 32 fling boogie time, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
• Clean all paintwork on the landing
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Clear out your trousers/skirts

Friday Flyday- those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms
15 minutes...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
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!! 
30 minutes to spare...
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!! Wash the curtains!
Got an hour...
Clean 2 windows
Sort through a toybox and make space for santa coming!!
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Extra Task List

• Find 5 things to ebay/freecycle
• Wipe the radiators, skirtings and window & door frames!
• HHI
• 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!
• Work yourself to level 3 in your messiest room!!
• Spend at least an hour with your family... playing, reading or just watching a dvd and having a hug

ionafan

Thank you Natty x

I'm having an early night tonight, so will make an attempt to fly  early tomorrow.

Welcome home, Fayolle x

xxx

Narc0lepsy

Thanks for lists.
Fayolle yes I thought of Ballet Shoes too.
Tell the GF whinger she should count herself lucky everything is labelled - I'm intolerant to wheat (which is not the same as gluten although most people don't seem to understand that) and potato.  Virtually all GF/wheat free bread etc has potato flour as the alternative to wheat flour.   And restaurants don't have to list it like they do gluten or wheat.   Still, at least I can eat barley and oats.

The busy weekend went pretty well and the house is in reasonable order having tidied for DB to visit. Still decluttering apples to all and sundry.

Honey_Bear

I knew you had some food restrictions Narco but I didn't realise it was that broad.  Wheat and potatoes, pretty much every meal we have has at least one of those two things. 

Thanks for Freds Natty and Valli.  I will be in but my own listies will be longer than long this week and I don't have a hope in hell of achieving everything I've already written on them and there are bound to be other things that crop up. 

The kitchen, shower room and letting rooms take precedence this week and after they're passable I can move on to the other pressing areas like sorting out the fridge, which at the moment looks as though a bombs gone off in there.  It needs organising so that I can fill it to the gunnels.

Goodintentions

Thank you for the lists Natty I hope you are feeling better now
HB Congratulations! You kept that quiet 😂 Try and make time for yourself this week too 😊
Thank you for your congrats, etc. I'm not too sure where their inspiration for the name came from 🤷‍♀️ DD2 looked less tired today. She said the feeding is still painful, but at least she isn't crying today. Every day she will feel better than the day before, and she will soon be back on her feet 😊 Baby Posy is adorable 🥰
Today we have done a food shop, plus a few bits for DD2. DH & I went over and prepared a lasagne for them to have this evening, and froze the left over bolognese to have another night. His mum is doing them a chicken casserole for tomorrow 👍 They keep forgetting to eat! 
At home I have cleaned out some old bits from the fridge & emptied the food bin. DH has done some weeding in the front garden. 

I have now completed 6 out of 11 felt flowers 👍 I think I will visit the big hobby shop tomorrow for some more embroidery thread to finish off - I am hoping to get it done this week 🤞
I hope everyone has a good week x

Jazee

Morning all.  Thanks for the list.

 I have no advice on the jam Piggers!

Completed wordle in five and connections with two lives lost.  Had a lie in so only just supping first cuppa.  Next I need to prep for the three DGDs arriving later this morning.  

Have a great day everyone.

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

I'm in. Thank you to Natty and Valli for the lists xx

I'm up, made my bed, got weighed*, completed Wordle and Connections (lost a couple of lives), taken meds, turned over calendars,  opened curtains,  and made a brew.

* lost another 2 lbs. It's heading your way Fayolle 😉 xx

Still living on my nerves. Yesterday I watched Goodbye Mr Chips (1969 Peter O' Toole / Petula Clark). It was very calming (mostly) and left me wishing I had a Mr Chips in my life. Most unusual for me. No, I didn't bang my head 🤣

I'm hoping my nerves will settle down when I know whether Vin is repairable....or not. 🤞 that he comes back to me. 

Anyhoo. One day at a time. Baby Steps. And all that jazz. 

Round 1
Brew 2 and breakfast 
Get dressed 
Feed the birds 
Put out the rubbish and recycling 
Laundry shuffle 


P & S are calling for coffee as usual on a Monday morning. P's health is a worry again - after a few settled months. And breathe...

When they leave I'll WUDUPA.

I need fuel. I'll practice taking the fuel cap off before I set off this time!!!! I'll call at Mr C00p on my way home to pick up a few bits for my pack ups. 

Two weeks rent can be paid on my way home from work tomorrow. 

Sorry. Thinking aloud. 

Have a good day. 
Rxx

Valli

Morning all

Piggers check with the foodbank maybe? ours takes ood food (don’t know if there are limits) and offers to clients as extras.

Might skip the paid stuff today, i’m having my hair cut later.  And it’s swimming day.  

Goodintentions

Good morning 😊
(Removed by Forum Team)
I weighed in this morning......Round, I think I have claimed your poundage this week! 😭 Too many takeaways last week - I am hoping we will be more organised now🤞
Jazee you are busier than me with the children! And I get paid for it!! How old are the DGD's now? I hope you are appreciated for being the star that you are x

Okay - I am up, dressed, bed made, WM on. I need to have some (healthy) breakfast, and then I may empty the DW. I will check in with DD2 & then take a walk to the big hobby shop & pet store - we are getting dangerously low on treats! I can book little cat in for her jabs while I'm there 👍
Have a good day everyone x

sexymouse

Hello all,

Thank you Natty for the thread. I'm dipping in again after years off the wagon, as I'm back to my supply teaching, and have an unexpected day off due to the start of term etc. 2 boys off to school (1 started secondary school this year, and the other Junior school, so 2 transition years for me).

Looking at my living room curtains the other day, and I'm ashamed to say that I don't think I've ever washed them, so I've just taken them down and I'm in the process of removing all of the curtain hooks. My Mum made them for us when we moved here, as we have a rather large bay window and curtains are exepensive, so they're washable materials too. I just have to hope that I don't ruin them, and I may even have to retrieve our ironing board from the garage (I don't iron usually and just use the TD for clothes). Fingers crossed they come out well. I've also seen the horrendous amount of cobwebs we have everywhere, so need to get on those too. Trying to do a top-down dot-to-dot, so this means dealing with the lego everywhere too.

Lovely to be back and see some familiar faces.

sexymouse x

pigpen

GI.. I'm glad things are improving. The hospitals don't usually check for lip ties and tongue tie can be at the back which they also don't check. They can also grow as baby does so if things aren't better in a week I would definitely recommend finding a lactation consultant The cream is so good! Sleep for Mummy really helps I found.. everything is 1000 times worse when you're tired as we all know!

I am trying to find a plumber to fix the sink in the lo.. I've decided 1 little job every few weeks will be managable.. if I was certain we could afford Thomas's £100 a month drug habit I can afford that on house repairs! I may as well not be trying however because everyone wants big easy jobs not icky little ones.

Laundry hung up.. I need to gather some more.. make laundry while the sun shines is how the saying goes in here!!