Anybody interested in joining me for a flylady thread, starting with the babysteps?

[Carrotsandcelery]

I joined a thread which started in January and it made an enormous difference to the condition and calm of the household.

I have lapsed and thought I would go back to basics and start again.

Anyone want to join me?

My dcs go back to school on Tuesday so I thought I would start on Tuesday morning.

Feeling really today. House is a tip and I am over weight and just don't feel in control. It's amazing how much a tidy house can sort your head out!

As usual I signed into this thread on day 1 and then didn't do anything more.

So I'm back and ready to catch up

Have done:
Get dressed
Bath dd
That's it so far.
Still need to:
Do lunch
wash up/dry up
Go food etc shopping
Declutter
Do cat litter tray.
Right I should try to make a start although feel like I'm struggling a bit.
Someone please give me a (cyber) kick up the

Cani feel my cyber foot connecting... You can do it, you know you can, one job at a time.

Carrie you don't need to catch up. Just start today, as I said, step at a time. Don't feel Tidying up the house gradually really does help you reorganise the rest of your life too.

bessie you have inspired me. I have hoovered out the tumble dryer, emptied the utilitly room as much as I can, cleaned all the work tops and the boiler, hoovered the floor, cleaned out the fiddly drawers in the machines etc. Now if the washing machine and tumble dryer repair man comes tomorrow I won't be too ashamed as long as I lead him there with his eyes closed.

I still haven't tidied up the kitchen though, but as I said, I will be happy with what I have achieved so far even if I do no more.

Hi all, I have been rubbish the last couple of days, DD has been terrible at nights and that combined with me having a night out and then a giant hangover from hell the next day!

However, I am still trying to keep on top of it all, have mostly been shining my sink everyday, and today after a slow start have done the babysteps, really pleased with myself!
Have
Tided kitchen and dining room table hotspot
sorted all DD's toys into a manageable toybox rather than a mountain
washed up and shined sink
put more washing on
sorted out hooks by front door - another hotspot
finished a couple of projects
sorted some post for tomorrow

Just have to:
get washing in and put away
continue to sort my studio out
buy new toybox for kitchen and new laundry basket (our old one is massive, so just gets filled to the brim, then takes me forever to sort and wash, I'm hoping one that has sections and is smaller will make it more manageable.)

That will do for today!

Oh dear! I have had a bit of a meltdown because no one was getting anything done and the kitchen was vile.

I suspect I am "overtired" after the crazy week I have had. I hate the room we are living in being a midden too - it feels really stressful and no one can do anything for the mess.

Soooo, stupidly, I stormed around and tidied it all up by myself. As compensation I am going to insist that they clean it now it is relatively tidy. What do you reckon my chances are??

carrots it sounds like you need a bag of maltesers, glass of wine and an early night young lady!

It sounds like you've all done well with your lists... I'm just about to look at mine to see what I should have done!

Oh, and carrots we know that once somewhere is clean it is much more likely to stay clean for slightly longer so you never know!

Thanks for the cyber kick Carrots It worked a little. Did you get help from anyone in your house? I am the only one in my house who tidy's too. Dh is not tidy, ds will only tidy if he knows he will get a reward for it and dd is too young.
Have done:
Lunch
Food shopping
Some washing up/drying up
a tiny amount of decluttering(can hardly Notice what I've done)
Still TO DO:
washing up/drying up(it never ends and I never finish it all)
Get dc ready for bed and in bed
cat litter tray, poor cat(I keep forgetting today. must make it my next job!)
try to write out my control journal list again as dd scribbled all over the last one.

I really am tired as I managed to post this
"I have made tea and am now mnetting while dh and dcs are cleaning. I am at my meltdown but have to admit it seems to have been effective. Surely there is a better way though?" on the wrong thread.

Much has been achieved though (dusting, decluttering, all furries hutches cleaned out, toys put away, ironing put away, dishwasher loaded) and dh has produced a MAHOOSIVE bar of Dairy Milk (who wants a bit?) and is doing his ironing.

bessie early bed is definitely in order and hopefully happy Mummy will be restored in the morning if ds will only sleep

cani it sounds like you got going. This weekend has been busy but I usually slow down on the housework over the weekend. It was too bad for me to tackle alone though. Once it is tidied I will make them keep on top of it!

DC are in bed now so I might give myself one final push to do a little more, but if it's not done by 10.00pm it can wait till tomorrow.
Have done:
Dc to bed
cat litter tray
Hope to post later with a little more.

I am done for the evening, apart from a bit of bead sorting out and internetting in front of the TV, maybe a glass of wine too!

Have had a really busy day, but have done the list and a load of other stuff besides, including garden, front and back, thanks to DH. have had to have a moan at him though, my studio is in the corner of our basement room where washing gets hung/done, it's also out of sight which means that everything gets dumped there, drives me mad! I am trying to get motivated to make things and finish projects, and constantly am having to clear crap out of the way every time.

Seems I am not the only one! Carrots, well done for getting onto your lot - DH is a nightmare with tidiness - he just does not get it, and makes me feel like a nag as I have to constantly ask him to do even the smallest thing - at least 5 times, just to do washing up, or empty bins, I swear if he steps over anything else I have left on the stairs to be taken up I am just going to lump him one from pure frustration! I feel myself turning into my mum, and his, even worse! really do not want my DD growing up thinking that this is the way things are, I need to do something!

My plan is to get everything organised (have 5 days free now till I start back at school) and then to sit down with him to make a plan for what needs doing, when.

I do feel this is working though, just will remain to be seen how I get on once back at work, it goes to pot then.

Right, list for now:

Sort some beads into pots
watch TV
eat cake
Drink wine
shine sink
Bed!

I am slacking, i still haven't emptied my sink let alone shine it, I am also terribly hungover from the beautiful wedding that I spent the majority of the day getting ready for, I also have a blister the size of a five pence on my bunion, and I ache from the dancing. I am definitely going to start on day one tomorrow, I promise.

Ok so I have started!

I have cleaned my kitchen tonight. For once I go to bed with no washing up to greet me in the morning. That's a start right?

I have done 3 loads of washing today and if I do a couple tomorrow that will be me able to cope on a load a day I think. I just need to put it all away.

I am going to finish my day with a bath!

Ooh Carrie the bath sounds lovely.

We are all posting very impressive lists but I just want to remind everyone that they are doing everything they need to do if they:

Shine their sink
Get dressed (to lace up shoes if it works for you)
Do a 2 minute hot spot

Everything else is an extra.

I don't want anyone to feel daunted or to burn out too quick like I did this afternoon

And even on the days we don't manage to do that it doesn't matter, we just try to do it the next day.

Flylady is very much about getting there gradually and building a routine we can cope with on a day in day out basis.

Well donecarrieOakey for the washing up and the washing.3 loads is good.
Missmakesstuff I just ate some cake too as my treat for working till 10.00pm.
Have done a bit more:
Tidied ds bookcase in his bedroom
done a bit more washing up.
That's it now, chill out time then bed.

carrots good reminder about not trying to do too much too soon! I always tell myself that doing something is better than doing nothing!

cheap how is your washer/duvet? I once took my duvet (just a cheapy supermarket one) to the laundrette to get it cleaned & they wanted me to pay them more than it cost to do it! Even if I'd done it myself (I was at work ft then) it would have cost nearly as much so I'm afraid I sent it to landfill

Today I

• dried kids clothes (haven't put away though)
• took DD1 swimming
• washed & dried kids towels
• washed our bedding (due to DD2 bringing up her milk over it & me)
• emptied the water & fluff in the tumble-drier
• emptied all the bins
• cleared the upstairs recycling pile (hotspot)

Didn't do as much as i would have liked due to unexpected laundry & being up & down with DD2 this evening (teeth?) so quite a bit on the list for tomorrow

• pay for kids activities next term
• change & wash kids bedsheets
• tidy bedroom some more
• shine sink
• finish updating diaries & calendars
• water the houseplants

Plus my usual Monday stuff

• wash kids clothes
• pack DD1s bags ready to goto GP on tues

Yesterday i did:

• washing up
• put two loads of washing out on line
• washed summer duvet in washing machine and line dried (it smells really nice and was a big hit with everyone )
• made cookies
• took rubbish to tip

Then got really tired and give up and went to bed

To day i will:

• get dressed
• do washing up
• shin sink
• put dry clothes away
• 2 min hotspoting of bedroom
• made beds/ change beding
• put a load of washing in and hang out to dry
• hoover downstairs

I have all day so i'm going to do it a bit at a time to day, starting with putting washing in and getting dressed. I have a friend round at 10 am and a conference call at 2.20pm so i'm not doing to do too much today.

I had a very productive day yesterday despite it supposedly being my day off. I think I've got the cleaning / tidying bug, so I'm trying to do things before the enthusiasm stops.

Done:

• Packed away shopping from Saturday
• Shone my sink and cleaned kitchen surfaces
• Put away a few baby clothes
• Put away dry washing
• Hung out wet washing
• Stuffed some nappies
• Decluttered/tidied shelves in wardrobe & threw away lots of stuff
• Decluttered shoe rack
• Stewed some plums
• Dishwasher & washing up
• Made dinner
• Tidied up toys
• Went to bed early (10.30pm instead of 1am! :) Good job too as DS had a rough night)

Today

• Put baby clothes into storage bags
• Write thank you card
• Make butternut squash & quinoa cakes for dinner
• Find where to buy Really Useful Boxes for Duplo

Feeling more positive today!

To Do

More washing to get on top of it - should happen today!!
Pick up birthday cake for friends husband.
Write and post important cheque.
Do at least one hotspot.
Sort tea for children as we're out for surprise 40th birthday meal tonight.

Meeting a friend and her DD this afternoon so not able to do loads. Day at home tomorrow think I will attack DS's bedroom!!

Morning all, you all sound like you are doing well.
this morning I have to:
Get dressed
Shine sink
Put out hot spots
wash up/dry up
I think I was loosing sight of the baby steps and getting carried away with other jobs it's easily done though.
Will try to stick with it today then anything extra is a bonus!

Morning everyone. Today's babystep is a good one imo here it is

I don't actually lay out my clothes but I do make sure I have a t shirt and jeans ironed (very style and beauty me!) so I don't have that panic in the morning. I do lay out the dcs clothes though and find it makes them quicker at getting into them.

I am stuck at home waiting for the washing machine engineer so I plan to scale the ironing pile. If he can fix it today there will be a lot more laundry going on but I don't want to get my hopes up.

I reckon doing the ironing gets me well along the way to managing today's babystep for the rest of the week.

I am already dressed and in my trainers and I have loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the worktops. I have also hoovered so I am doing fine so far.

Pah! Half way through the ironing. I am SOOOOOOOO bored, even though I am watching "The Wright Stuff" while I iron. It's too early for How do I get through it?

Oh no! I thought that was me finished and realised dh had moved half the pile onto one of the kitchen chairs. I had already rewarded myself with a digestive biscuit too. Now I will have to have another when I have done the other pile

I have decided on a tea break for now though.

I'll join! I am not naturally tidy and the other day I worked out that it's because I think too much. One day of thinking equals an untidy house! But with 3 kids who all have to be in different places by 8.30 am, it's about time I changed my ways...!

One tip I have to offer - use fabric conditioner and if you shake the clothes out and hang them as soon as the washing machine finishes they will dry without creases and you won't need to iron, then hang them all up right away. My friend gave me this tip and it works! But she said you need to use Lenor or Comfort. I have so much more time now that I don't have to spend 3 hours plus at the ironing board.

Hi Electra welcome to the thread.

I have a pulley and hang the clothes on hangers on the pulley when they come out of the machine. I find some things are fine to wear straight from the pulley and some still need ironed.

When I am properly flying I don't end up with a pile like this to do. Unfortunately, having to do my washing in the next village and cart it back here doesn't help to reduce creases. However the main problem is that I have only been doing the basics, rather than getting to the bottom of the pile, and it has grown rather alarmingly.

Bring on flylady and I won't get in this mess again!

Electra flylady should work well for you as a lot of the time you just have to do what you are told, rather than thinking about what to do when etc.