Weekly Flylady Thread 18 November 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

Level 1
Open some windows for some fresh air - even if it's just a crack
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 - 
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 plugholes and in overflows
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 and wipe fridge shelves and baskets.
Dust dining area/room
Descale kettle if needed
Clean WM , TD and DW filters; remove WM detergent drawer and wash it out.
Wipe inside of washer drawer and DW door paying particular attention to manky crevices

Level 3

Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.
Go round the whole house wiping door handles, light switches and banisters - we WILL be germ-free - there is still covid about but it will also minmise rhinoviruses (colds) etc.

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom
Meal plan for the week - and plan to cook a double sized meal and freeze one for a CBA/busy day - fish pie, cottage pie or a nice wintry, warming casserole or stew...something complete!  Do you need to update your freezer inventory? 
Check your meds - will you need any over Christmas and the New Year?  If so get your prescription request in!
Check your lightbulb and/or battery stock is ok - no one wants a dark house or redundant remote!  I had a bulb blow today and it triggered the fuse, too.
Get smoke alarms tested.  Get advice from Fire and Rescue - they will even come out to check 

Hunkering down on a snowy Tuesday … make an entrance…Living Room, hall stars & landing

level 1

clear away rubbish - empty bins etc
deal with flowers and plants
bash doormats against a wall
remove any clutter

level 2

cle@n windows, mirrors, door gkass
 sweep mop or vacuum floors
plump cusions
wip the telephone, sockets and switches
straighten coffee table

level 3
total dusting including light fittings and skirtings
look up - if that’s a cobweb eradicate it

extras
HHI
s&s kitchen
S&S bathroom
write Fly cards
personalextra…replace blown bulb

Wipy Wednesday Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
Remove towels and facecloths and fling in WM
Scrub Loo inside and out, slop  bleach or descaler down afterwards

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
De-fuzz plugholes
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins
Wipe plugs - especially underneath!

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
polish mirrors
dust and polish where necessary

Extras
check stocks - soap, loo rolls etc - fling anything that's been lingering a while (and make some space for Christmas smellies)
HHI
S&S kitchen
Get out an appliance instruction book and make sure you are using your washer, drier, processor or whatever as efficiently and effectively as possible 

Thursday Master Bedroom

Level 1

Open windows w-i-d-e unless it's persisting it down/freezing
Strip bed
Allow to air
Remake bed

Level 2

Clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
Clean windows
Vacuum, sweep or mop floor
Empty bin
Put as much stuff as you can away - clear the clutter

Level 3

Dust all sides and shelves
With a just damp cloth wipe all your lotion and potion bottles, hairdryers (especially if you use product while blow drying) etc. and put all perfumes away in a drawer. The sun/heat will damage the contents.
Rinse the cloth and wipe sockets and switches
Polish mirrors

Extras

wipe light bulbs (if they are glass ones and not LEDs or GL types and dust, wash or vacuum shades
HHI - I did it…so can you
Binbag dance
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom

Friday Finish - Kids Room(s)/Spare Room/Guest room

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

extras

S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen

Narc0lepsy

Today: went to church, was on refreshment duty.
Painted woodwork around kitchen/garage door, the door itself and the skirting board either side.
Swept and washed behind the fridge/freezer (ick) and on top of the freezer (more ick).
Moved a few plants into the greenhouse, weeded and pruned as needed. Piled up spent growbags in greenhouse to make more space for incoming over-wintering plants.
Did very small amount of drum practice, will watch lesson on YT to get it in my head although that won't help my hand and foot coordination.

Before I go to bed I must email SIL as we're meeting her and my stepbrother in a couple of weeks for a meal and theatre; must sort out birthday card for friend (22nd), decide what record-keeping I'm going to do for my new students on Tues/Wed.

Glad you've got an 'outcome' HB. 

ionafan

Thank you, Valli.  I will do what I can, one-handed.  K is coming to help on Thursday.

I managed to make some cakes this afternoon - though I had to leave all the WU that couldn't go in the DW to DH.  No crossover of non-vegan to vegan, TG.

The new sofa is being delivered tomorrow between the unearthly hour of 7 and 11am, so I'm planning to have a relatively early night, but I need to do a quick Spanish lesson before bed in order not to break my 73-day streak.

Hope everyone has a productive and happy week xxx

Cloth_of_Gold

Thanks for the thread Valli.

Thanks also to YL and Fayolle for welcome backs.

Sorry about all that car-realted anxiety round. Hopefully you will soon be sorted.

@Narc0lepsy I agree it is often very difficult, end frequently expensive, to be an ethical shopper. It's not often a straightforward choice is it, becasue, as yoiu have pointed out, there are trade offs and it's not always clear what the best (or least worst) option is. I've told myself that all I can do is try my best. I recently bought a plastic-free washing up pad but it fell apart in no time so that's no good so I've had to go back to the e-cloth ones.

@Honey_Bear what a relief to (a) be believed and (b) have some sort of answer. Is there any treatment?

Not much flying this weekend, just washing up, a bit of vaccing and the odd S&S. Tomorrow or Tuesday I must give the kitchen and bathroom a proper clean though. Tomorrow afternoon I have my second shingles vaccination, which I've been putting off as the first one made me so ill. I've read that your reaction (or lack of it) to the first doesn't predict how you will respond to the second one, so hopefully it will be ok. Tomorrow I must also pack up the frying pan I'm returning as I printed off the returns label on Thursday I think but have got no further with it.

A company I bought a really nice alpaca scarf from a few months ago is closing down and have a sale on, with huge reductions, so I bought 3 things which will make good Christmas presents for A's 3 nieces I think. Speaking of Christmas, a couple of weeks ago I noticed the first Christmas wreath on a neighbour's door and today I saw someone around the corner has a fully decorated Christmas tree in their bay window. These things get earlier each year. We had Halloween from late September and now christmas in mid November!

I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself and grumpy today and then a health worry appeared out of nowhere and put the things I was feeling grumpy about into perspecitve and banished those feelings. I wish I wasn't such a mess.

SandyShores

I'd like to follow along again please.  I think it might be my 3rd or even 4th try - always try with good intentions.  This is probably my 3rd or 4th home since I first came across flyladying.  Homes two and three were older homes in need of work doing - always makes it harder.  We've been in our lovely new home a few years, and since we became empty nesters I've had a massive declutter and re-organise of some areas.  But I'm having a motivation slump - been SOAADFA too much lately - so it would be nice to follow along   

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

👋 to SandyShores - welcome back. 

👋 to iona - I too am up and dressed as the hire car is being collected between 7am and 2pm. They gave the same timeframe when they dropped the car off...and arrived at 1.45 pm! They're coming from Sheffield- about an hour away - very unlikely they'll arrive at 7 am, but I have to be ready just in case. 

So here I am. I'm up, dressed, made my bed, set washing machine swishing with towels and tea towels, cleared radiators of dry washing, completed Wordle in four,  completed Strands with one hint, not managed to get onto Connections yet (phone plays up, took three tries to access the thread), and I'm supping a brew.

My anxiety is back through the roof this morning. I wish I wasn't such a mess too, CoG. On a positive note the anxiety is the sort that cuts my appetite (as opposed to the anxiety that makes me want to eat for England), so I've lost 2.5 lbs this week. That's  3 stones and 7.5 lbs off. Yayyy. 

My NN and another friend put up their Christmas trees yesterday. I checked the calendar...nope definitely still mid November. Earlier and earlier. Shrugs. No skin off my nose I spose. Mine will go up mid December and come down on 5th January. 

Right. Brew 2 and ill see if can get onto Connections. Back soon

Rxx

roundtuit

Connections is easy today. Flew through it with no lives lost.

Then my phone rang. The man is 9 miles away. Can he come and collect the car? Sooooo glad I got up and dressed!

Brew 2 will have to wait. And breathe....

Rxx

roundtuit

Hire car has been collected. 

Breakfast eaten and brew 2 being supped.

I fed the birds and put out the recycling. 

It's a very frosty morning here.

Laundry shuffle next - wedding outfit to be taken off airer and towels etc put on airer, when they've had an extra spin. 

Then I'm going to note what Christmas cards and presents I need to buy. 

And breathe 

Rxx

ionafan

Glad you can now relax about the hire car, round.  I had a text message at 7.02 saying "We're nearly there" so I grabbed my day clothes and got dressed *very* quickly, but nothing has arrived yet.  The van appears to be taking the scenic route!  I've got to get Rosie out of the delivery man's way, but don't want to lock her up for too long.

Meanwhile I have written a list, done a finances update, FUPA clean washing, and texted DS1.  Next I must persuade DH to move himself.

Welcome back SandyShores x

Sorry to hear of your health scare, CoG - there are too many of those doing the rounds atm.

The delivery is now only one stop away from here, so I'll go and nudge kick DH out of bed and sort Rosie out.  See you later.

roundtuit

ionafan said:

Glad you can now relax about the hire car, round.  

You'd think so wouldn't you? But no. I'm sat here feeling as though the hounds of Hell are coming after me. 

However,  I have sorted the laundry, and written 'Christmas/ Birthday cards and gifts to buy' lists....which has given me a touch of overwhelm. But I can break it down in to bite size pieces. 

Rxx

MinnieMousesMummy

It's a lovely sunny but very cold start to the day here. It's going to be another rather busy week, so I'm trying to stay upbeat. I'm currently working through some uni notes while watching Strictly from Saturday night. 

My list for the rest of the day
Go to uni lecture
Proofread and submit the assignment 
Make a start on the next assignment. 
Wash up dishes, dry and put away
Empty the kitchen bin and wash out. 
Contact the person to collect the scrap that is lying outside
Clean microwave
Clean the windows in the kitchen
Clean the windowsills in the kitchen
Update the festive present list.

I think that's everything I need to achieve this week. I hope everyone has a lovely Monday and week.