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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

This New Year, The Fledglings are Flying a new approach

824 replies

HillsBesideTheSea · 31/12/2021 16:54

Hello and welcome to new and old.

If you are new around here. Hi, introduce yourself around the fire pit in the naughty corner where we are all sitting comfortably. The naughty corner is decked out with comfy, and snacks, and a place just to have a chat when things haven't gone to plan. We are a very long running thread but do love new blood stopping by to join us.

Welcome to those who are returning.

We had a chat on the previous thread about possibly trying a new twist on the fly lady system. We all know that the fly lady system is good for establishing routines when we follow it. But we also know that sometimes we need a quick hit of a big declutter. And that life has a habit of throwing curve balls making it very difficult to stay on track.

So this is the plan. Each evening I will post the babystep, a thought point and the flylady daily focuses. We are not giving up on the fly lady system but just bringing it into line with the individuality of our lives, and trying to resolve some of the issues that comes from being the family brain, trying to do all the things and generally having modern busy lives. The thought point is to try to get you to think differently. And may require a click on a link (video), a discussion on the thread, or just you considering things. I do not promise it will make you feel better, or magically change your house straight away. But hopefully it will help with the overall flow and approach. And may just tweak the twee out of the fly lady system to the point where it is now your system.

But before you entirely regret your choices in letting my try this craziness we are going to start with some key basics that I really do think has been incorporated well into the Flylady system.

  1. the mess, disorder and chaos did not happen over night. Give yourself the grace and time to fix it. (also known as roman weren't built in a day so don't kill yourself trying to get your house immaculate in a day)
  1. Goals vs system.
We will go into this a little more shortly but to start, the fly lady system has an end goal - a house which is tidy and clean that comes second nature. It achieves it by building habits and routines that make the steps needed to achieve that goal second nature. There is a lot of research that says goals don't work, systems do. And systems are built on the formation of habits.
  1. You are never behind.
You might not be making the progress you would like, you may have taken a break. But you are not behind. So again, give yourself a break and drop the guilt. There is probably a reason why you have taken a break - illness, other demands on time, mental health etc etc. And yes some days it is an effort to make sure that everyone is fed and ok. But that is ok, so give yourself grace that on that day that was exactly what was needed and thus you succeeded in the essential goal of the day. guilt is just going to make things harder than it needs to be. It is ok not to feel guilty if you did not do all the things.

I will be back later with links for tomo. I am posting them in the evening the night before because some of us are morning people, and some of us are night people. And this way everyone will be able to see prior to when they need to consider it.

Come park your broom in the new thread for a little while and have a natter whilst we wait to bring in the New year.

OP posts:
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frankiefirstyear · 03/01/2022 07:32

@Mc3209

*I mean the recycling gets full fast. I don't play leaning towers with kitchen bin, that would be over the line gross 🤣
Same here 😁 I will be sitting watching tv when I hear the creak and plops of the tower falling 😑😂
Zireael · 03/01/2022 07:33

to Frankie Another Corsica Ready and any other newbies. This is a lovely place to hang out.

Bean - during the first lockdown I got really into houseplants and my DH has put a ban on me buying any more (as if that will make any difference). My favourites are my Monsteras and Chinese Money Plants, I also have a huge Kentia Palm, a Schflerra, a Birds Nest Fern, several Spider Plants, a Coffee Plant, an ornamental Pineapple, a Sanseveria, an Aloe, a Jade, an Alocasia and an Orchid.
I have several other plants on my wishlist which will slip past DH undetected at some point...

Interesting thoughts re habits Hills. We have a pot where all of our keys live - I always put my house/car keys into said pot when getting home which makes leaving the house in the morning so much easier as there is no flapping about searching for them.
A new habit I am going to try to establish is getting a better grip on school admin - returning permission slips, noting dates for endless cake sales, assemblies, SEN meetings, church services etc.

ED I just bought some barkeepers friend powder as I heard it is good for getting rust spots off of stainless steel.

THATlittleCRACKER · 03/01/2022 09:07

I am here

I am catching up

I need a name change as i am still in festive mode

THATlittleCRACKER · 03/01/2022 09:11

Thanks for the Brew zoo! I have uni work due in this week so have been attempting to get through that!

Zireael · 03/01/2022 09:13

Ta Da
Animals and DS fed
Folded dried laundry
Defluffed TD filter (sooooo satisfying!)
Put dog bedding in to wash
Disinfected dog crate
Shined sink

DH and I are back to work tomorrow so today will be another family fun day - we are all going further afield to a big country park with a resident deer herd and lots of natrual climbing obstacles i.e. made out of felled trees

YesIReallyHave · 03/01/2022 09:41

To do

Get out of bed.

HillsBesideTheSea · 03/01/2022 10:21

Apparently my how to beat a crash was to sleep 9hrs, nap, and then sleep nearly 11hrs. Feeling human this morning, trying to catch up with the chatter, but my brain is flying around with all the to do's i need to get done before I head out to pick up Ds later.

ta da
up
put away drying stuff - couldn't get to pots as it was in way
Coffee
bath and dressed
start the process of heading to inbox zero.
surface catch up with SM
Log in to Online course resources and construct plan
Remind people to finish the job by doing all the components.

About to go wash some pots, unload and load the DW before getting it running. And then make a hot water bottle before i head deep into the world of studying. I need to set a timer to remind me to surface for lunch and pop tea in the slow cooker. And another timer to remind me to surface to actually head out to pick up the teen.

Loving the fact that the lighter days are already starting to be more noticeable!

OP posts:
anotherneutralname · 03/01/2022 10:38

Sink clean, laundry loads running through, kitchen sides clear, clean laundry folded and away (well, my stuff - DD yet to leap into action to sort her pile Grin).

Floors in desperate need of attention but no time or inclination for those today, just going to be satisfied with what IS done for a bit.

SingToTheSky · 03/01/2022 10:51

Morning! Loving the idea of SOP. I definitely tend towards all or nothing thinking and that can be a real barrier for habit forming.

I realised that even putting things like getting my meds on my first power of three list was in effect outsourcing responsibility for it. So now as part of my routine I’m trying to just do it. I know we are only three days in but I’ve done better with getting straight in the shower and then reading before getting stuck on my phone - I definitely want all that to become SOP! But I know there will be days I can’t do it and I have to remember, that’s ok. I’m not doing a habit tracker for the same reason - I do love them but it just took it out of my head too much, it doesn’t work for me.

Speaking of responsibility though. I meant to say yesterday that I had a random thought late at night, about a “word of the year”. I think I may have had one before although clearly if I did it made no impact. However, for 2022 my word is AGENCY - the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices.

God knows there’s enough in this world I can’t control, including my health, but it’s become really important to me that I do take charge of - and appreciate - what I CAN do for myself. I have choices. Maybe those choices are limited by circumstance, but I. Have. Choices. So from the big things like choosing to prioritise my studying, right down to choosing to prioritise a shower and a little reading time in the mornings for self care, I am going to spend the year exercising this agency that I have.

po3.1
❗️Volunteer phone call and then email supervisor a summary (determined to do the latter immediately so it doesn’t become another procrastinatable task!)
❗️Write the week up on the board
❗️Move laundry into dryer

CorsicaDreaming · 03/01/2022 11:34

@ExtremelyDetermined - thanks for the workshop info - it looks great 👍

YesIReallyHave · 03/01/2022 11:36

Ta da
Out of bed
2 loads put away
Load in wm
Help DS revise.

Vitamin D

BeanAnTae · 03/01/2022 11:46

You have to fill your cup up Hills - no way around that. If you need the sleep of the dead, accept it.

Understairs is done - it's in my kitchen so is a cleaning cupboard effectively.

I am soaking lunch boxes and bottles in Milton fluid.

Shannaratiger · 03/01/2022 12:12

Morning all

Recycling towers here as well.

Ta Da
Recycling taken out - 3 trips!
Threw out empty boxes of stuff still using! Shock - fitbit's, mobiles and new stereo.
Washing up and sink shined.
First lot of bedding washed

Sudden thought = trying to be mindful so writing down things that randomly pops into my head.
I never have nor never will be able to 'catch up' with big jobs in the school holidays. As soon as the school routines stops my brain shuts down. I therefore spend the whole holiday with brain fog and feeling guilty because I can't get lots of stuff done. Therefore am now going to schedule nothing for the holidays so can relax and feel happy. This obviously relies on me keeping to the term time routine and getting things done when needed not procrastinating.

Previewed this message so now can't look back at everyone's posts!

Off to have lunch, back later with what I managed to do this afternoon.

Mc3209 · 03/01/2022 12:13

Ta das:
Big kitchen clean done
Recycling out - needed shovel therapy to the outside bin as DH hasn't been flattening boxes before putting them in...

Now forced to take a break as McToddler needed a nap (he still only contact naps with boob in his mouth when I'm around)

Next on the agenda is:

  • clean the floors including rubber brush etc
  • tidy living room
  • more laundry
  • get out for a walk. Weather is glorious and this is my last day of AL/ holidays, back to work tomorrow (I don't wanna!)
frankiefirstyear · 03/01/2022 12:16

Washing load done for today and I forgot to ask - who puts their rubber bath mat in the washer? Do you just bung it in or put in in one of those mesh laundry bags? I usually bleach it but trying for a less bleach year.

BeanAnTae · 03/01/2022 12:34

DH hasn't been flattening boxes before putting them in 😱

BeanAnTae · 03/01/2022 12:37

Frankie I have to admit I'd never put it in the washer. I'd probably wash it by hand in a basin. If it was particularly bad, I'd hand wash and bung it in an empty dishwasher to sterilise it, if I thought it wouldn't disintegrate. This is probably MN heresy and millions would disagree with me. 😁

Mc3209 · 03/01/2022 12:45

Bean I know. I was so not impressed.
Frankie I don't have a rubber bathroom mat, but if I did I would probably just wipe/soak in a disinfectant of some description. I wouldn't bother sticking it in a WM.

MrsTidyHouse · 03/01/2022 13:47

Been working hard to live up to my name over the holidays, and still have a bit more to do today before the LOs reappear this evening. This tidy-and-sort effort of mine has been going on sporadically for five years now, and that was after a massive declutter in 2006. I think I spent the menopausal decade that followed simply throwing everything into cupboards and boxes, then forgetting what I had, then rebuying it. And then throwing it into cupboards again. Then we piled everything up in order to renovate the house, then I fell down the stairs and mangled my leg and ankle, had surgery, LOs came permanently, and we are where we are.

Anyway, I'm definitely ready to embrace routines (and decluttering). Right now, I need to wrestle duvets into covers, hoover the stairs, stack the dirty dishes, drink coffee, and snooze in front of "Your Home Made Perfect".

MrsTidyHouse · 03/01/2022 13:48

And read all this winderful thread, of course!

Mc3209 · 03/01/2022 17:24

All items on today's agenda complete!
I am starting first working week this year with a clean house, batch cooked baby food, and all work stuff organised. Long may it last.

BeanAnTae · 03/01/2022 17:40

Well done MC 😁⭐🍒👋.

MrsTidyHouse - I fantasize that someone will completely renovate and fix my house so that I can concentrate on fixing myself 😁.

Have bought new cushions and another floor lamp for dining area ⭐

MrsTidyHouse · 03/01/2022 18:48

Hoovering done
Duvet covers on
Tree still up - cba today.

Tea drunk
Tv watched
Recycling trolley and food caddy out on pavement.

Ladyrattles · 03/01/2022 18:48

Ta Da

StarSet up the flylady app & changed/added loads of to dos (and got so excited to check things off)
StarFinished all the tasks in the en-suite zone 2 as well as my morning/afternoon ones.
StarWrote out a chalk board meal planner for the week & made a lasagna from scratch
Starand thanks to the new routine to do's, charged my kindle for tonight.

Didn't manage to get out but we are going out tomorrow :-)

BeanAnTae · 03/01/2022 19:50

Well done Ladyrattles and welcome. I did not start the home blessing/bleurgh today but have got everything ready to ping out of bed tomorrow and do it then.

There are no plants in Asda so will have to wait til DH does Tesco run.