Weekly Flylady Thread 24 March 2025

Valli

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

This week i’m putting up a whole weeks worth of lists for a Pick’n’mix…choose your grimmest room first if you have time, or just dot-to-dot (see above).  This way you can weave flying in as-and-when, but please do post your achievements.

KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM

Level 1

Clear sides and wipe down - wipe small appliances
Replace what lives there, wiping as you go
Empty bin and clean it out too
Wipe sill, sockets, door handles and switches
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks
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!
Empty utensil holders and wash out

Level 2

Wipe down all cupboard and drawer fronts, 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
Wash out 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.
Clean tea caddy, sugar bowl etc

Level 3

Pick a cupboard or a drawer; empty it, clean it out and put back its contents tidily
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor

Extras

Month end looms.  This week plan to:
List all cards needed for April on shopping list…Easter looms
Get financials up to date
Check bills…do we need to change suppliers…are you prepared for the increase in DDs? Can you pay council tax over 12 months not 10?

Meal plan and use up stuff languishing in the freezer. 
Meter reads

Personal reminder tax the Vallimobile

Tuesday - mixing it up

MASTER BEDROOM

level 1

open windows - in all bedrooms
strip bed
clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
empty bin

level 2
Dust/vacuum bedframe & headboard
make bed with fresh bedding
clean bedside tables
vacuum floor

level 3
clean Windows
dust all round - remember vertical surfaces hold dust 
Empty a drawer, dust it, put back contents tidily

Extras 

refer to Monday, please

HHI
binbag danced


Wishy washy Wednesday 
BATHROOM, CLOAKROOM, EN SUITE

Level 1
open window
scrub loo inside and out
top up loo roll, soap dispenser
towels replaced
Rinse loo brush (bleach if grim) and put outside in the sunshine to dry.  Brush holder and bathroom bin can also be washed and benefit from the bleaching action of the sun

level 2 
clean shower and or bath
clean showerhead
clean plug holes and plugs removing and rat tails (ugh)
bleach drains and overflows
If you’ve a shower curtain wash it and peg it out

level 3
clean handbasin
scrub and polish taps
dust sills and shelves
clean switches and pull handles
Polish windows and mrrors
clean floor
Clean pull cord

Extras
Is Monday’s list any shorter?

Thursday - get set for the weekend

LOUNGE, HALLWAY, STAIRS & LANDING

level 1

deal with flowers and pot plants - do they need a wipe?
empty bins/ashtrays
clear gibble
plump cushions
wipe sofas with leather wipes or vacuum - look for all those dust-catching crevices

level 2
clean windows and frames
vacuum floors - and use an edging tool to get into all the nooks and crannies

level 3
dust all round - don't forget sills and skirtings
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; wipe dusty bulbs
stand in the doorway and look back into the room - is it clean?

Friday




KIDS ROOM, GUEST ROOM, STUDY

level 1
open window
strip bed
remove rubbish

level 2
remake bed
clean window and sill

Level 3
dust everywhere
clean floor as appropriate 

ionafan

Valli, I am so sorry to hear that your mum's care has been less than satisfactory and that what was already a difficult situation is now causing even more stress to your mum, your sister and yourself.  I hope you can find a more suitable care home for her very soon.  Big (((hugs))) to you all xxx

Thank you for giving us our flying orders for the coming week - you've included lots of things which are also on my personal to-do list, the car insurance being one of them, so I really have no excuse not to concentrate on them.  Last week turned out fairly crazy, so I need to buck up my ideas and not allow myself to drift to doing other things that are less urgent.

(((Hugs))) spoons and sticks all round, as needed xxx

Narc0lepsy

More hugs to Valli, it is a horrible situation and you can only take it day by day while trying to plan for the future for all of you.       Care is hugely expensive; Mum's is over 1700pw although thankfully she is now showing signs of some improvement physically and mentally, while having gained not just acceptance of where she is but told me on Friday that it had been the right move for her - something I never envisaged her saying in the first few months of unhappiness.  However everyone's condition is different and in Mum's case it was 2 strokes rather than dementia.

Back home now after 2 visits to Mum, 1 reasonable journey (down) and 1 longer one (home), 2 cheap nights in travel0dj, 1 night/2 half days with BIL and 2 swims in sea.       Met DB and SIL for coffee on our way home.  Unpacking still in progress.
- emailed Mum's friend who'd emailed me telling of a good visit she had with Mum today.
 - wrote birthday card to Mum's friend as we didn't find her birthday book till today and we'd missed the date.
- emailed Mum's chiropodist for recent bill so I can claim back on insurance.
- messaged lady I usually give a lift to DanceFit tomorrow to see if she is coming
- started adding a 'birthday' column to my spreadsheet of Mum's friends' addresses

Honey_Bear

(((Hugs))) Valli.

Belovéd starts rehearsals for his new play today so I'll have the house to myself M-F for three weeks, which means stuff will get done without someone prodding my piles of gibble asking questions, and generally holding me up 'helping'.  I have a listy of things I want to do but I usually find myself digging into something else that has needed to be done forever without realising I'm embarking on a whole new project. 

Now that the oven is clean today's list for the kitchen might get a work-through so thanks for today's suggestions, but the most urgent job in there for me is the floor.  I even brought the broom up yesterday to make a start on that today. 

And I'll need to do a tax return thingy in a couple of weeks time so if I gather all that info together now that would be helpfu.

Jazee

Morning all.  Hugs for Valli.

Wordle in five although I had four letters in line two.  DGD2 is here today so I don't expect to get much flying done.  She is still in bed at the moment.

Have a great day everyone.

Valli

I have done strands with 0 hints, connections by the skin of my teeth and wordle in 2 because I made a typo with the last 2 letters. Work today then to visit Mum and join the meeting with the crisis team, at the home, later. 

Fayolle

Morning all,
Hugs, Valli, to you and your family x Thank you for posting a list when you are really up to your eyes in everything.
I think I forgot to post yesterday. The day was a bit of a repeat, involving the wm, the allotment and the gh. As far as I can remember that is. I cooked the huge pork joint that I had bought from Mr M at Christmas when it was on offer, and freed up some freezer space. I paid for the perfect crackling by a) being awake a lot of the night as my body is no longer used to eating meat and b) gaining yet another lb🤬. I will be having words with Round later….
This morning, the builders have arrived to turn our tiny utility into….a nicer tiny utility room. There is much banging and the water will be going off shortly, followed by the electricity. I am meeting a friend for a walk, so that is my escape. I have filled the gas hob and electric kettles just in case I can’t get a coffee…

eltee2

Morning all

More hugs coming your way Valli - please remember to take care of yourself even though it's probably the last thing on your mind

Usuals & kitchen for me today
✔️Exercises 1
✔️Open windows
✔️Air & remake bed
✔️Kitchen stuff
✔️WM & TD
✔️DW & WUDUPA excess
✔️S&S bathroom
❌️HHI
✔️FUPA
✔️Exercises 2

El

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

More hugs heading to Valliland.

I'm up, made my bed, completed Strands with two hints, completed Wordle in four,  completed Connections with no lives lost, supped two brews, eaten breakfast,  put fresh towels in the bathroom, driven to town, dropped a bag of books off at cs, picked up my prescription, visited Mr T and bought Easter eggs, paid my rent, bought Easter cards, and set WM swishing with a load of towels and tea towels. 

Not bad for someone who woke up with overwhelm and was 'frozen'. Told myself I didn't have to do any of it today, took the pressure off myself, and voilà. Done.

I'd duck if I were you Fayolle - I've lost three pounds this week, so there are two more hiding somewhere in the ether between here and darn sarf. 😊

Rxx

Honey_Bear

The front steps have been scrubbed, a job that's needed doing for weeks, I've swept and washed the kitchen floor and changed our bed.  WMx2 so far and working on a third.  I am getting there.

ETA:  I also dusted most of my desk, not a small task, and completed Wordle in 4, Connections after coming back to it several times and Strands with a lot of hints.

roundtuit

Towels and tea towels dried outside. Now in and on the airer to warm up. The sun is nice but it's nippy in the shade.

Packaging from an iPhone recycled / binned as appropriate.  Must have belonged to DS as I'm an Android gal. Wallet added to DS's box. 

Read a few chapters. Completed a couple of Sudoku. Having a coffee now. Join me?

Rxx