Cruising towards Christmas and the New Year - it's the December Flylady thread.

[CotswoldStrife]

Ho, ho, ho - welcome to the December Flylady thread. We'll be following the Flylady method and enforcing order on our houses. Feel free to join in. The monthly focus for December is pampering

I'll be posting links to the daily missions, daily focus and the zone cleaning - don't worry about the detailed zone cleaning if you haven't already decluttered, Flylady recommends decluttering first.

You can probably already tell my personal level of dedication to the internet, not the house as I've looked up the Christmas smileys specially. No washing up was done in the making of this post.

I'll post the first December links tonight!

Afternoon all! We've been at a Christmas party this morning so have just got in and had a quick whizz round (I never actually seem to get further than a quick whizz round!!)

Ta das
Dishwasher emptied
Wiped kitchen sides
Took rubbish out
Put washing away / hung washing up
Put washing on
Room rescue bedrooms and living room

Too many to dos to list and I don't know where to start!

I only do a quick whizz round if people are coming (unless I'm close enough to them that I know they won't judge the mess 😂)

Although since doing more decluttering the old panic tidying is certainly getting quicker.

Back to it in a moment, I feel much more motivated today.

I'm considering doing a list of things I need to get done before Christmas or new year but it scares me

Today is going okay but I'm dreading moving onto the bedrooms. It's like hoarders up there.

I made the burger patties for tea
Wiped counters
Washed dishes
15 minute declutter in DS room
Polished DS room

To do
Get the laundry out of the dryer and put away (I'm really procrastinating on this one because the dryer is in an outhouse)
Wrap the presents
Bathe the DC this evening and trim their nails.

Keep going keep going! I get what you mean re: the bedrooms.

I have spent all day in the Caglets' room sorting through lots of BRCs. I think I might finally cash in that takeaway I've been promising myself for several days but kept resisting. :o

Why is there so much stuff in my house that I have no idea where to put 😱

cag I have no idea!! Wish I knew the answer to that in my own house . I bet we all do.

Hi all, have given up on stressing about stuff to do before Xmas and just trying to enjoy the Christmassy things as they happen now.

Ta da:-

Exercise
DD1 wrote 1 Xmas card
Bathtime
Picked up parcel
DH off today so he did some Xmas shopping
5 mins decluttering

To do:-
Bedtime
Before bed routine
Dishwasher
Laundry
Calendar check
Study
Order some vouchers for Xmas

Ah well I have condensed about 5 or 6 big bags of random stuff into one! Massive bag of rubbish and another of recycling and lots of stuff put in its proper place. It's just the stuff that doesn't have a proper place that's bugging me

cag I feel your pain.I spend my life try find homes for things. My parents house at least had cupboards built in,(sighs)
purple excellent.does Ghia mean b+q will be losing a daily visitor soon?!
muppets we have so many toys in crates after a while if mixing up it starts not get put away hunting specifics...I think you can see where we then end up!!
I went in fir the kill will pirates. They were sticky!!a caprusun carton at bottom box and sum white fur indicate the problem!!
Cue soaking everything very hit soapy water and wash with toothbrush. I gave certain ocd issues(sadly not excess cleaning)so tom it will all need antibacterial wiping(sighs)
Ta das
Fed cats
Washing in
Fed zoolets
Went empty kitchen binfound black bin still full
Ranted excessively
Made pack ups
Wipe bath n sink
Bleach lav
Wash in dryer,more in
School run
2hours at cafe
Ring council re bin emptying.vehicle had to be towed back depot n be pick up at some point today!!
Quick pop co op fir milk and cheese.
THEY HAD NO CHEESEI asked twas midnight rodent raid!!apparently a cage of deliveries hadn't turned up.(palpitations at thought no cheese in fridge sets in)

Fold dry laundry,more in.more in wash
Attack pirates regret it
Hotspot front room(ignore table)
Pop other shops for cheese,fruit and dairy free butter fir lil zoo
Pick up Zoolets
Shop away
Pick up dd2as bit musty/get dark very early due to rain and 2light out on field has to cross home
Fed Zoolets snack
Clean kitchen surfaces
Wash into dryer
Fed zoolets

A busy day!!
Tom I have man coming (hopefully)to fix back gate from council...

Today's big achievement was sorting out three kitchen cupboards of plastic containers, baking tins and serving dishes. I keep going back to look at their perfectly serried ranks - am so proud 😁

NO CHEESE?!

Sympathies re: the sticky toys. Been there. More than once.

I actually feel like today went fairly well. Still do have some stuff without a home but LOADS has been sorted, the Caglets vacuumed again and their room looks much nicer as we also did their bookcase.

I have pizza coming. Didn't realise how late it was!

Hurrah Newchick well done!

Hi all,

Everyone has been busy on here

my ta das today

made beds
washed dishes
cleaned oven (twice/3x ish annual clean ready for xmas)
cleaned fridge
cleaned microwave
domestos'd kitchen sink
zoflora'd kitchen tops
mopped kitchen floor
made tea
washed dishes
bathed ds
domestos'd the loo in the bathroom
tidied living room

Wow great lists everyone! Am really annoyed with myself as not done much tonight at all. Was meant to get some study done, do some Xmas cards, quick bit of shopping and a calendar check. Clearly completely unrealistic. Did some half hearted studying and have now given up. I can offer minstrels for the naughty corner.

Hope to be more motivated tomorrow so am off to bed.

I feel a bit frustrated tonight. I haven't stopped today but it feels like I'm just keeping the house at a reasonable state yet not making progress.

Sometimes just getting the DC dressed, changed and fed can take an age. I'm hoping tomorrow will be more productive.

To do
Breakfast and clean up
Laundry in
Everyone dressed and to baby group
Lunch and clean up
Nap time
Laundry in dryer
Sweep and mop the kitchen floor
Wipe door knobs and light switches
15 minute declutter kitchen
Clean kitchen table
Laundry away
Bins out
Vacuum living room
Tea and clean up
Wrap those presents
Bedtime routine
My bedtime routine

Don't be so hard on yourselves Fledglings. Totally understand the treading water feeling of every day stuff. TBH the only reason I've got anything done in the last couple of days is because we haven't had to do anything else - no activities on, Caglets have stayed in their jammies so I've really had very little to do other than decluttering. And I have let the laundry lapse. Oops.

Ugh, I also recognise that feeling that things are not moving forward.

Should be in the house most of tomorrow which will help with the tidying, etc. I bought an advent candle late in the sale this year - but on 1st December - it is a cone shape so I realised that by Christmas Eve it would take a while to burn but boy, it takes hours and we're only halfway through! May have to use Saturday and Sunday to catch up at this rate!

Links next

The daily summary for Wednesday (also available on the Flylady website at flight plan which should update automatically each day.

**
Baby-step no 14 - read the essay about using a calendar

We are in Zone 3 this week: the bathroom and one other room

Spend 15 mins decluttering in Zone 3.

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 3 is here

Mission for Wednesday antibac the door handles, light switches and phones (I do the bits of the door round the handles as well when we have colds)

The daily focus for Wednesday is: anti-procrastination

The monthly habit for December is pampering!

Super Cruise Christmas mission

Well predictably I gave up at the last hurdle and some stuff was shoved back into a bag! A much much smaller bag. But still. I forgot to take my pills so I'm not that sleepy yet and I am putting a wash on instead of going to bed.

Morning all! Ta for links Cotswold - much appreciated.

A very warm welcome to Jemimapuddingduck (love the name!!) and to any other newcomers I have missed.

I am hugely impressed by everyone's lists! Well done everyone!

Things have not been going in any direction here, never mind forward, but at least I have got up for the first time today and thought "I feel a bit better"! So that's something!

The strain of flu that we have had was particularly nasty, to the extent that dh ended up in hospital briefly because of it and none of us are completely better. It leaves you feeling totally without energy, with legs of cotton wool etc. Poor dd is gallantly struggling in to school every day this week to sit her exams, still feeling awful and without having done the proper prep.

I'm so behind with Christmas prep though that it's beyond a joke! And by Christmas prep, I mean, everything has to be done by 21st which is when everything kicks off with guests etc.

I am with the person who said down thread that they were too scared to write a list. Just going to try and crack on today!

Cag have been really impressed by all the progress you have made and the fact that you are not slowing up on the decluttering, despite the inspection being passed successfully Bravo! Bravo!

Don't be so hard on yourself Muppet that list is amazing!

Ditto Toostressy no negative thoughts allowed remember says me the mistress of the whinge fest !!

Wow to your lists too Celeste and Still and Foxes and and more

Well done re: all the decorating Purple!

And many congrats on your serried ranks Newchick!

Mahoosive wing flaps to everyone else!

Can't sleep for worrying bout not get Xmas sorted
Got up extra early.(warning big tadah already alert-remember I was up 4.30)
Fed cats
Wash on
Wipe surfaces
Wipe hob
Clean cupboard fronts
Clean n clear top tumble dryer
Quick tidy frontvroom
Made wrap paper fir dd2 secret Santa gift n wrap it (just lining paper with xmassy things drawn on it as can't find any paper n gift had to he in today)
Fed Zoolets
Made pack ups
Clean bath
Clean sink
Bleach lav
Start build lil zoo chest drawers-git the 7drawers made before school run
School run
I've just sat to tadah n cats taken residence on my lap.shall have evict him n crack on...I don't know his long this turbo flying will last,but hoping ut lasts the day as I stuck in anyway wait man fix back gate to come.
Hopefully tonight Zoolets want us attend carols on green at end our road at 6pm assuming I not asleep by then

Aw thanks SC I must say I have really surprised myself by carrying on with it! I think it's a combination of the fact that Christmas is so soon, and that having done proper cleaning the place looks much brighter which is quite inspiring. It's also helped that we've had nothing out of the house for the last few days - partly because DD has been ill TBH but it's given us a reason to stay home. I am glad you are starting to recover BTW, and sorry about DH requiring a hospital visit!

Because normally we would just heave a big sigh of relief that whatever visit is done and not actually bother with carrying on. And so it gets worse again and the cycle continues. This happens much more frequently now as I have pupils round so to make things permanently better (e.g. Less clutter to stash and dash!) is making a huge huge difference. I think we probably only have like 5 BRCs left?! Which is amazing for us. There is loads of other stuff to sort out - for example the learning drawers and the craft drawers have just had the relevant items shoved in any old how (I knew if I rearranged it now it'd be a wasted effort) - but it's so much better in here now. I've been promising the Caglets that we could get Minecraft once the house is sorted and I think we may be able to do that in January. It's been a great incentive for them.

Should really get up now, so much to do today after a few days of hibernation! Friend coming for tuition, then geography club (a trek thanks to rail strikes) then back for Brownies Christmas dinner and then possibly another piano lesson. Aaargh.

Snoozed my alarm far too much this morning but I'm feeling better for it.
Ta da
Breakfast and cleaned up after
DC washed and dressed
Currently making lunch in advance (everyone is always exhausted after baby group and the quicker I can get them fed and in bed the better)
Counters wiped
Beds made
Laundry in washer

I woke up to see DD switching my alarm off

...and I still haven't got out of bed!