If tidying your home is your New Year's resolution, Flying with us could be the solution

[ToffeeWhirl]

Welcome to the January Fledgling Flyers' thread. A very big thank you to BlueEyeshadow and IceColdBitch for guiding us through the busy Christmas month.

Are you living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)? We know the feeling. We follow Flylady's routines, which aim to help you take control of your home, tidying and decluttering and setting up daily and weekly routines that keep your home looking presentable. We also chat quite a lot and swap tips on coping with housework and mess.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's tips on restoring order to our homes. There are three methods, depending on whether you are new to the system or have been following it for a while:

1. Babysteps
2. Babysteps + 15 mins daily decluttering in current zone
3. Babysteps + daily missions

Following the babysteps helps to establish daily routines and build a weekly plan.

If you are overwhelmed by the mess in your home, start with just one thing: shine your sink.

Oh, and don't - really, really ^don't^ - sign up to Flylady's emails.

The first babystep will be posted on 1st January 2012.

Happy New Year.

Hi all,
lugholes, you sound so disciplined, I wish I was more like you!

and Icy, I like your rule of three. I know what you mean - if I stop and look around me it's overwhelming. Really need to declutter.

So far today I have:

tidied away breakfast things
put on washing
swished and swiped (first time so took quite long)
shined utility sink :)
collected rubbish around the house and put it out
ironing 35 mins

I started off with 10 things on my list this morning, I think I'll go and plan in threes now...

OK, well not very on top of things today due to stinking cold.

• Put the cleaning cloths in the washing machine. This does mean that I can't do any actual cleaning though until its done.
• Decluttered a left over box of chocolates
• Tidied out one kitchen cupboard, threw out 3 ramekins, kept 6.
• Emptied dishwasher, refilled dishwasher

Still to shine sink (no cloth)

Did all of previous 3 including all of ironing. Even done tesco trip and sorted out posting thankyou notes.

I have an hour and half before ds gets out of school and all mannor of craziness hits. Another list of 6 perhaps:
Load of washing on
Fold load out of dryer
bake brownies
Tackle box of stuff unknown and random
Write birthday card
Empty car out a bit.

Right totally managable i think Must move.

lindor I'm not consistent unfortunately. When I'm 'in the zone' there's no stopping me and I go overboard on everything, but usually it fizzles out and I end up doing nothing.

Trying to make sure I stick to things this year, and don't become obsessed.

change hope you are feeling better soon. We've all had the cold over the last few weeks - is miserable.

Back from run (obviously). Feel great - full of energy. Will finish off some stuff in the office then off to the docs later this afternoon as need to reapply for my driving licence and the doc has to sign some medical forms. Is such a pain - have to do it every 3 years because of temporaral lobe epilepsy. Gah. It's not even as if I have seizures, or am ever likely to as it's not that type of epilepsy.

I am struggling to maintain the motivation a bit here, but still plodding on! Finally cleaned the fridge, and am feeling much better for it. Have put away the Christmas decorations, bar the tree going back into its box as I'm waiting for DH to get it from the garage. Thank you cards are posted, and am nipping to the post office later with a present for a friend's new baby - probably something I wouldn't have got round to previously! Bed is made, sink is shiny. And am going to spend two minutes on my bedside table (hotspot) before going out. Oh, and stick on a load of laundry. So I'm not doing too badly, but can feel my enthusiasm starting to wane and am worried at how I'll cope when back at work next week.

House looks so much better already, I really want to keep this going. Please can someone reassure me that I will carry on when back in the normal hectic routine?!!

Honey I have posted on this thread today simply to show that if you make the target small enough you can achieve stuff you wouldn't have. I looked about the house and thought about what i had to achieve today and panicked (sp) but by completely breaking it down I have almost achieved everything that i needed to do. You can get stuff done if you don't panic and are realistic. Simple things even if it is just shining your sink and one load of washing will make a big different to the build up and will help you feel like you can cope. Plus things like getting up straight away will be part of the getting ready for work routine so not much different. It is possible. One step at a time 15mins at a time.

honey have you got an iPad or iPhone? You could put your tasks in there in HomeRoutines as mentioned up thread

I'm still so envious of those of you with apps ( Bubbles, Recursive). But I have had a bright idea: as my DH has a Smartphone, maybe I could get him to download the app, then he might be inspired to follow the tasks himself - leaving me free to browse MN all day .

slowburner - sorry MN gremlin ate your post . I set my MN setting to not log out until I tell it to, plus I cut and paste my posts before trying to send them, if that helps.

dizzyday - great to see you tackling your dining room and coffee-table hotspot (I don't have a table in our sitting room for that very reason. Surfaces attract clutter in our house!).

Moobee - Flylady says you can do anything for 15 minutes. I'm very excited to hear that we might be going to have a thread (Fly) baby soon!

Thefoxsbrush - it's amazing what you can achieve in two minutes, isn't it? Before Flylady, I wouldn't even try to tackle piles of clutter because I'd be so discouraged by them and would imagine it would take me an hour or more to sort everything out. Now that I've dropped my standards, everything looks better!

Perishstorm - lovely to hear that your routines are making such a difference already.

Chestnut - chore checklist sounds great.

WannabeMegMarch - yes, the shiny sink is heart-lifting in the morning, isn't it? I have become a bit obsessive about mine since starting this thread. With regard to decluttering toys: I use one of these toy-storage units from Argos. Anything that doesn't fit in it either goes in a basket or in a storage box under the bed. Anything that doesn't fit into these goes upstairs into a cupboard in DS1's bedroom. I try to put the larger toys away until DS2 asks for them. For example, he has a Playmobil pyramid which takes up loads of floor space in his tiny bedroom, so I store that in the cupboard upstairs and then it's like a new toy to play with when he remembers it and wants to play with it. Also, if I'm decluttering toys, I never, ever let him see them first as he always wants them all back again (I do make sure there's nothing he really likes in there though

Checking in from Flylady's home country, only 9.45 here so trying not to feel inadequate by all you lot have achieved today.

Downloaded the home routine app last night. Now obsessing over it. Not much may get done today as busy setting up systems.

But, have unloaded dishwasher, got kids to school without anyone killing anyone and walked & fed dogs who are now happily outside on squirrel watch.

There's a bad smell in my garage which may need investigating later

not doing well today!

I started well and had washed dining room floor and hall floor before 8 o'clock . Then emptied and reloaded dishwasher and have put on 2 loads of washing. But nothing else.

My dining room is tidy due to routines earlier in the week. All I have left to do in there is polish the table and de-clutter one drawer. But I can't be arsed
Instead I am on here and drinking tea.

Don't worry, Membership. We are all entitled to a day off.

cq - another one with the HomeRoutines app . It's not fair! Re: bad smells. I have one in my washing machine. I spent most of Wednesday trying to get rid of it, but it's still smelly. Maybe we need to tackle the filters/hoses or something

Oops, said I was going back to RL. In my defence, am feeling a bit grotty and have just made myself a Lemsip and put myself on sitting-down duties. Will tackle our money matters whilst feeling grotty, that way I'll still be achieving something.

Toffee thanks for letting me off on the swishing I'll consider an every day swish if I really have to. I kind of just feel like I'm wiping nothing Is that the idea or is it more about routines?

I've done it!
Polished the table and de-cluttered TWO drawers.

Well, maybe your family are just cleaner than mine, Dalrymps , but there always seems to be something to wipe in my sink - bits of toothpaste, sprinkles of powder and so on. I think I felt a bit like you too when I started swishing and swiping. I used to quite like the contrast between an unclean sink and a clean one and feel disappointed that I was wiping something that hardly needed it. I think you're right in that it is about maintaining a routine and also about making sure your bathroom is always 'company ready', as Flylady puts it. Nowadays, I do like knowing that my bathroom is spotless every morning. And it's one of those babysteps that is really easy and quick to do. It only takes me a couple of minutes to sort my bathroom out every morning.

Well done, Membership. Have a - you deserve it.

It does help to have to report back to us, doesn't it?

membershipcard if that isn't you doing well then you must be amazing when you are achieving things, I would be more than happy with what you have done.

I'm being a bit rubbish. DD2 again had a poor night, think I need a different thread to get her sleeping sorted. I went back to bed whilst DH did breakfast which was wonderful, but the mess they made!!!!

Went into town to bank birthday and Christmas cheques and DD2 threw an enormous tantrum in a shop just as someone we knew came past. So embarrassed.

I've made a chicken and pepper stew and tidied up the playroom 100000 as DD2 runs rampage through the house. I'm exhausted and she's had far too many visits to the time out step. I'm dreading bedtime already.

Anyways onwards and upwards

sorry you're having a bad day FleeBee, I'm always rubbish if I don't get enough sleep so sympathies to you. Totally in awe of all the work going on today everyone. wishing you all a great date night and

today I have spent 5 mins on kitchen hotspot. Getting to grips with morning routine again swishing and swiping.
finally got round to sorting out DS banking (overdue to be sorted since last July!)
paid in cheques (overdue since before christmas)
supermarket shop done (didn't quite get there on Wednesday!)
fed and watered family.

Christmas is in the loft--v proud as we don`t have a proper loft ladder which makes it more of a pain.
still lots to do but hey ho!

Popped to the shop on the way home from work to buy kitchen roll and glass cleaner to use in my bathroom so I can swish and swipe fly lady style now

Not much flying done except:

laundry
dishwasher
paint toe nails

.

I use a mop with a micro fibre pad to do kitchen and bathroom floors (can't remember who was asking about cleaning BR floor).

Evening.
Morning routine conplete with a good airing today, how i miss summer.
We were out most of the day so no lunch time jobs.
I did manage to clean the car a bit on the way to afternoon appointment, dh driving. I fear the car has at least an hours work. It looked better for a goid wipe down though, in true fly lady style cleaning to 80% is better than not at all. I will put some towels in for the dog though, it was mainly her mud!
Evening routine complete no floors but hot spot done.

Feeling quite good about the zones now, glad that i did the hardest bits early in the week, might be the best way for me to do it.

I forgot to tell you all that Friday night is date night in Flylady's world. Obviously, this won't work for everyone, but for those who can and are in the mood, you are meant to either go out for the evening with your loved one, or snuggle up on the sofa watching a favourite DVD if you are saving money. Flylady is a bit yucky at times, but this is quite a useful reminder and remembering it did get me to suggest watching a film with DH tonight, so we are going to attempt (!) to get the DC in bed by a decent hour and watch a film that a friend lent us.

BBL with steps for tomorrow.

toffee done ok today, making cake tonight. Sadly DH has bad depression and slumped today and has gone to bed so am on my own.

Once dd1 in bed, A date with myself! Chocolate and tea! (got my favourite tea in, lapsing souchong, yuminsky!)

Haven't done hotspots yet but will do. How many are we meant to do?

Dalrymps I do my make up over the sink and inevitably drop the mascara wand/get powder in there so there is ALWAYS something to swish in my house haha!

Finding it hard to comment on all the messages that I want to on this thread as there are so many of us here but I do read as many of the messages as I can and I am so proud of us all!

here is to a successful week and may we continue as well as we have started

Agree, Perish, it would be good if there was a 'like' button or thumbs-up so you could just agree with someone- or give them a virtual pat on the back for getting a list finished.

Have nearly achieved all the minor tasks on my list this week, this thread is really inspiring me. Even DH has commented on the transformation in the house

An hour before the kids get home - time to tackle the car and maybe even the handbag.