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.

Morning everyone. Last spell of illness was yesterday evening but tummy still like a washing machine so staying home according to guidelines. Can't stop myself feeling guilty which is so silly, I would feel much worse if I went in and my pg colleague got the virus.

How are you all this morning?

DH shined the sink before he went to bed last night! Very pleased when I came in to make tea this morning.

Good luck with flying today

Dizzy day, you need to build the routine slowly, that way you just do it instinctively. My morning and evening routines are not on my list anymore. They are written in my diary but i know then like brushing my teeth, they just get done. It is only then that you won't resent doing them. Also the more you do them the easier they get. I find a shorter list easier to achieve.

As for the 15 min jobs etc cherry pick for a while, do what gives you the biggest win, makes you happy.
It took me a whole year to get almost clutter free. I say almost its ongoing, stuff creeps in!
I can clean And declutter fast now though.

I've joined here to learn the zone cleaning and how to use a diary. I might look at control journal but first need to master a diary to at least remember what i need to take to school!
The fat fairy is right chill your beans and do it slowly.

Morning all .

dizzy as molly says, build up a little at a time. Flylady is big on avoiding perfectionism and not spending all day cleaning. I honestly spend very little time cleaning but do all the routines so generally have a tidy/organised house (but not in massively clean).

To do:
charity bags out
swish + swipe
laundry
DW
Rainbows / cubs
buy food

BBL

Morning all

Changebags I am studying human biology though the OU. You are very brave doing physics!

I laughed at your nappy story as we do similar, well, we chuck them in to the front entry then take them to the bin. Awful really but lately we've been making sure theres no more than 3 or 4 before we take them out to the bin and any pooey ones go straight to the outside bin. Nappies are a bit of a difficult one cause we found when we had a nappy bin it just got full of stinky nappies and made the house smell so we find it better to chuck them out a couple of times a day without the build up. I'd love a nappy shoot from the house to te outside bin!

Not done my morning routine yet but I will, feeling a little tired this morning and taking a while to come round. Spent 3 hours last night reading about the nervous system and the brain

Dalrymps - I have to say that I have the Spiderex stuff, but haven't needed to use it yet, so I can't promise results. I bought it last autumn, when we had a spider invasion in the house , but it was over by the time I'd discovered Spiderex. It looks promising stuff though and I'm hanging onto it till the next invasion. It is used in the security industry to stop spiders messing up CCTV cameras.

Dizzy - I agree with Molly and Scatty: start slowly and practise the babysteps until the routines are secondnature. Flylady is meant to free you from the tyranny of housework, not chain you to your shiny sink.

Cristiane - I'm glad you're being sensible and staying at home again today. It doesn't sound as if you are properly better yet. It's good that you are on the mend though. A gold star to your DH for shining the sink!

Liveinazoo - thanks for the tips re dry hands. We could probably all use some advice on that.

JustGettingOnWithIt - congratulations on getting everything done. Sorry you had a difficult day. I hope today is better.

Thefoxsbrush - well done on your productive day! What was the house inspection for? Glad you passed it anyway.

Changebags - well done on your clutter-free stairs and in tray

I hope to get lots done today as I have all day at home. I do, however, have my DS1 here at home with me, but he is 12, so fairly good at amusing himself these days.

Today's list:

Get ready for school routine done
School run done
Check Flylady's daily reminders
Morning routine
Emails and phone calls
Ring friend to wish her a 'Happy Birthday'
Chemist
Mission for Tues and today
Bedroom - declutter 15 mins
Laundry - put away
Ironing
Make muffins
Lunch
School run
What's for dinner? Lamb curry
Washing up
Bedtime routine
Before-bed routine
Bed at decent hour

That'll do for now.

second nature. Tsk tsk.

Morning!

Been out for my run, had my shower and am ready to whizz round (lots to do) before shooting off to the office this afternoon.

Ta da

Morning run
Showered, dressed to shoes
Shined sink
Tidied and cleaned kitchen
Emptied and refilled dw
Made bed
Swished u/s bathroom

To do

Hoover
Swish d/s bathroom
Wipe floor
Fold and put away dry washing
Hang up wet washing
Put on new load
Hang up new load
Ironing
Online shop
Clear in tray
Collect prescription

Won't get it all done but will try my best!

Thanks toffee. you reminded me I need to go to the pharmacist and collect some meds they needed to order in.

Hi all DD back at school now so can FLY again.

Have been to the gym (took it slow as been a few weeks since last went due to long hols)
Cleaned out fridge
Cleaned bathrooms
Hoovered all downstairs
Washed the floors
Washing done
Ironing put away

Need to:

Hoover upstairs
Dust bedrooms
Dust office
Clean kitchen properly

Haven't cleaned properly since before Xmas so this week i'm getting it all done so can just do the normal FLYing week to week. Have changed the beds too so getting there.

Happy New Year to you all.

Wish there was a flylady for gardening, spent the morning planting my fruit bushes. Tomorrows job dig up the lawn to plant the raspberry canes. Think I will do it in 15minute spurts as there is an awful lot of lawn to dig up.

Done most of my morning and evening routines religiously but decluttering is getting squeezed out.

Hey chestnut I was just thinking about gardening

I have never had to garden before (lived abroad where I had a gardener, then in a flat with no garden) and I have no clue what to do. But I know that things need to be done! At least you do seem to know what needs doing...

Gardening is my treat time. I'm still trying to work out when it was that I turned into my mother

I'm baffled by my garden too. It's just like another messy room. I did suggest we get someone in to tidy it up, but DH insisted we would do it ourselves.... We still haven't. Frankly, I feel like I have enough to do running the house and coping with the DC and can't deal with a garden as well (even though it's tiny).

I don't feel like I'm getting much done today. List so far:

Get ready for school routine done
School run done done
Check Flylady's daily reminders done
Morning routine done
Emails and phone calls some done
Ring friend to wish her a 'Happy Birthday' done
Chemist
Mission for Tues and today
Bedroom - declutter 15 mins
Laundry - put away
Ironing
Make muffins no, but made pea and lettuce soup for lunch
Lunch done
School run
What's for dinner? Lamb curry
Washing up
Bedtime routine
Before-bed routine
Bed at decent hour

Weirdly, I feel more tired today than I usually do, but I went to bed early last night . Nearly school run time now, so I'll have to do some of the above with DS2 here. I'm sure he won't mind a bit of time on Club Penguin though .

BBL.

Hey, still moping around the house a bit but better. Return to work tomorrow.

Was wondering about ecloths. Do you guys buy a certain brand? Lakeland look quite expensive, others cheaper, but the Lakeland reviews say how much better the cloths are than cheaper ones

God i love the garden and gardening. And because i can't sit still in the garden in the warmer months ds has grown up gardening so we grow stuff. He weeds the mini veg patch really well. And sweeps up leaves (big pile and Jump!) Chopping up etc. fabulous fun and something i look forward to so makes up family fun time.

Busy day, suffering from lack of sleep and the knowledge that we have swimming today. I fecking hate swimming lessons, Sitting pool side and getting cooked alive But life skill and all that. thank goodness we get it over with early in the day this batch of lessons!

I might look as tho' I have fallen off again but it isn't true.

This week I am back to work (i work FT), DH is away all week so i have all the drop-offs/pick-ups to do BUT I am concentrating on my routines and zones instead of being drawn into this thread
I am making good progress

Oh I loathe gardening. My garden is an absolute disgrace atm and I keep putting off going out to tackle it. I have no idea what I am doing, I just pull stuff out with abandon and stick in new stuff each year, which usually doesn't grow. I wish someone could give me a few gardening lessons.

Have got on really well today despite being in the office all afternoon.

Ta da

Morning run
Showered, dressed to shoes
Shined sink
Tidied and cleaned kitchen
Emptied and refilled dw
Made bed
Swished u/s bathroom
Hoover
Swish d/s bathroom
Wipe floor
Fold and put away dry washing
Hang up wet washing
Put on new load
Hang up new load
Ironing
Online shop
Clear in tray

To do

Collect prescription - did try to do this but pharmacy was closing as I arrived grrrr. Will go again tomorrow.

So a good day. Am chilling in front of the telly now. Night all!

Good evening,
Busy day today.
Morning routine as usual.

Hoover all downstairs thourougly
mop all downstairs rooms
Detailed clean kitchen lights and clock
Deatailed clean of shower and a good clean round, all bath toys sat in bleach
Declutter of office.

Evening routines all done.
I'm now sat with g&t to watch edwin drood!

Evening all.

Also hate gardening openyerlugs we go for the 'natural' look .

Done:
charity bags out
laundry
DW
Rainbows / cubs
buy food

I think there might be a Flylady section on gardening (or yard work ). I'll see if I can find it.

Am only on babysteps but keeping half an eye on what follows (If I wait till we're decluttered I'll still be here doing it in 3 years time) and going of what someone said about 8 zones giving each a turn every two months, had theoretically made the garden a zone. Any reason why not?

Justgettingon - It has been more than three years for me, and there have been lots of improvements, but there is always more decluttering to do!

Sorry I've been AWOL - just a bit busy the last few days. Between DP and I we have kept on top of the basic routines, but I need to try and catch up tomorrow afternoon, so will be back then, possibly with a list.

Toddler poorly and I had meetings so for the first time ever DH took the day off so DD didn't go into childcare. I got lots done at work but did have the odd text asking what he should feed her and how to get her to nap and asking where more Nappies were etc etc, was sort of worried about the state the house would be in by the time I got home.

Imagine my when I got home to find DH had ironed all his shirts, vacuumed upstairs, dusted the living room, played with DD, put all the dry washing away, made the beds, and......this is the best bit......cooked duck fat roast potatoes to go with the beef and ale stew I did yesterday. He had also got tomorrows dinner out of the freezer.

Stunned silence from me. When quizzed on how he knew what housework to do he simply said that he checked the home routines app on the iPad. Cor. Money well spent!!!

Right

I applied for the job today. Took much longer than I thought. Fingers etc crossed.

Other things: Washed and replaced sofa covers (hate that job). Changed DC's bedding (ours is going an extra day). Made two dinners. Lots in the freezer now.

Clothes are out for tomorrow.

Booked DS in for his various appointments.

Finally got around to buying this year's calendar.

Had a look at my new course materials (placed them back in the box neatly and hope they go away).

Hardly been at home last two days so not a lot done but equally not a lot of mess. :) Yesterday was the first day I haven't shined my sink, but only because it was still shiny from Monday so I'm ok with that.

Ta da list for last 2 days:
Swish & swipe - v cursory tho
Shined sink
One load of washing done
Dishwasher emptied
Clothes laid out

All in all not bad - focussing on what I have done rather than what I haven't done which as I was on an early flight this morning is an achievement to just be awake at the moment! Off to bed soon - just need to pack for next journey tomorrow. What fun

Oh nearly forgot my windows were cleaned today - actually quite excited to see them in the daylight. Hope it doesn't rain before Saturday!