Clearing the cobwebs to make everything sparkle - Flylady style

[HungryHazelEyes]

Welcome to this long running thread, we may seem clicky, but all are welcome to join in!

Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - it's an excessive amount sent every day.
There is an app that you can customise to suit your schedule and home that I highly recommend.

There are Baby Steps for starting out, add one thing at a time to start good habits and routines.
There are 5 zones that we will rotate through, don't worry about finishing it all this month, it'll come around again next month! Flylady is NOT about perfectionism!

Daily missions: each day of the week has a different mission.

• Monday: Home Blessing (or as we call it, home bleugh)
• Tuesday: plan & play
• Wednesday: anti-procrastination
• Thursday: errand day
• Friday: clean car & purse out a week. It's also date night (with your significant other, or friends, or yourself!)
• Saturday: family fun day
• Sunday: renew your spirit

Common acronyms we use:

• LOL: load of laundry (washing is certainly NOT funny!)
• DW: dishwasher, we are not rotating wives by any means, although an extra pair of hands could come in handy sometimes 😆
• LMS: lose/lost my shit
• DNLMS: did not lose my shit

I'm sure there's more, feel free to ask us to explain something. I'll try to update links every day, although if you can, it's worth downloading the app, you can even have it send you notification.

Links are below 👇 if I happen to not add links in time, they do update at midnight for you.

Launch Pad: https://www.flylady.net/d/new-links/
Zones: https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/
Baby Steps: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

Thank you ED for running the October thread, you did a brilliant job of keeping us going

For the rest of this week we are in zone 1: front porch, entryway & dining room.
The app hasn't updated for me yet, but I would take down whatever Halloween decorations you have up in your entryway and on your door and sweep your step. I'll check back in the morning for the actual daily mission (I'm 7 hours behind the UK, usually).

Hi can I please join you? I used to post on this thread a long time ago (possibly 8 years ago) when I was a predominantly SAHM and found it really useful. My life has changed since then and I'm now a single parent to 3 children who has just moved from PT to FT work as a teacher. My house is generally in CHAOS and I could really use some structure to regain control of the house.

Morning all, thanks for the new thread @HungryHazelEyes .

Welcome back @MercuryRising your name rings a bell (I have been here for many years under different guises).

Hello Mercury
Thanks for the new thread Hazel and many thanks for your leadership last thread ED

I have a stack of BRC that needs dealing with. But Ds needed retreiving in the middle of last night so i got little sleep and have already had to deal with peopley people.

Thank you to ed and hazel.

I've continued working my way along the shelves of comics and random paper. I've emptied two laundry powder boxes. Sadly, not by decluttering the contents, but by putting like-with-like and generally tidying years of stashes-and-dashes. It's a kind of progress.

It's blowing a hoolie from the east today, and I got a bit chilled from filling the tank. A massive McD breakfast and coffee have helped with that,and I don't need to go out again till half-two. It's a good day for gutting the understairs cupboard, which has once again become a dumping ground, grrr! No-one to blame apart from myself, as I have the only key.

Mercury of course you can join us, welcome 👋

I was correct on the daily mission 😱😇
Sweep your porch, remove cobwebs and throw away your jack o lanterns!

Scourgify that is progress!
ED thank you again for running the October thread! I believe I told you that on that last thread, but I was half asleep so now don't remember & I haven't checked 🤦‍♀️
hills just take it easy today, set a timer for 15 minutes and get what you can done!

I have a Thursday teatime deadline unfortunately which means the room of crap needs to be a functional bedroom. Will it be perfect - nope. Will it be sleepable in - it has to be.

I have had a rather cathartic decluttering of my youtube subscriptions. And found a nice 4hr long podcast i can plug into. I also have a packet of jaffa cakes.

ta da
finish boiling the chicken stock, strain and set to cool
clean the toys for going out of the house
2 BRC dealt with
pull out and assess 4 other BRC that can't be dealt with until the house is less chaotic and i can find all the relevant files for filing paperwork.
start creating a pile of stuff to burn on bonfire night. There will be marshmallows, and it will be controlled burn
Life admin phone calls
youtube subscription declutter
pull out a load of stuff that is going to be donated to the cause of puppy (i have more tennis balls than is necessary for someone who does not play tennis and no longer has a little child)
made emotional decisions about books etc
drink more coffee than is needed
take the strong pain killers
Switch some stuff that is staying from the boxes it is in, into the stackable can go in cupboard boxes that are now empty

Well there was me thinking i had done fuck all this morning that will teach me to look at the to do list rather than the ta da list!

Hi 👋 everyone and thanks to @HungryHazelEyes for the new thread, and thanks again ED for October.
My goal for November is to keep in step with the routines, but the kitchen needed sorting and all I've done in the zone was put shoes and boots on the rack.
Must do better tomorrow 😄

Following

@Alohapotato welcome to the thread. If you want to follow a thread without posting you can just add the thread to the watch list. Else come and join the chatter.

ta da
4 more BRCs dealt with
a complete re-rig of everything in room so that stuff that can't be dealt with can stay
dragged out everything that needs to be sorted
dragged out the bedding to get properly deep cleaned before it goes back into usage
DNLMS at the peopley people who are being "helpful" in the most unhelpful and undoing way.

Hi all, thank you ED for steering us to Halloween and thank you hazel for the shiny new thread!

You’ve reminded me that clearing down the Halloween decorations is something I can delegate to DD1 before she goes out. 😁 The skip has finally been collected today too and all the charity donations are being collected tomorrow! 🥳

I fell off the October thread a bit at the end and managed to lose my ta da lists so I’m starting afresh today. Work has been hectic and frustrating so I’ll be back later!

Thanks for the new thread 😀

Oh I so need this - can I join you please?!

Sure @meandtheboy If you have any questions do ask.

Also please note that i am panic cleaning and clearing NOT flylady cleaning atm.

Ta da
sorted through 3 more brcs
created 2 boxes of stuff that needs to be put away when i can get to the things to put away
Delightedly found the instructions to a card game which was incredibly popular with DS when he was little but it has been so long since we last played memories are fuggy

Currently grateful that tea for the 2 who are out tonight is leftovers so pingable, and that tea for me and ds is stuff that i have on my list to prep for the freezer anyway.

Welcome @Alohapotato & @meandtheboy 👋

Sing delegating jobs is always a smart thing to do - as long as they follow through and do it for you!
hills finding the instructions is something worth celebration, hopefully when you play it again you still have fun!

I have no ta das yet - I'm only half way through my work day 😞

Thank you for the new thread @HungryHazelEyes !

I've been hiding in the naughty corner for quite some time ! I have got a few tadas to share today :

Tada :
🎆 30 minutes decluttering dining room
🎆 I took the items that were lurking in the dining room to the charity shop and some to a friends
🎆 Threw out anything that was unworthy of charity shop or passing onto friends
🎆General daily stuff
🎆 Had 20 minutes tidying the playroom with Dd2 , this room needs a massive declutter before December hits !
🎆 Picked up dd2 an Xmas bargain that she has been making noise about - the Our generation school set and an extra desk was £30 on our local selling site - saved over £100 by buying second hand rather than new !!
🎆 Been to the hairdressers- on my own !! 🥂
🎆 cooked spag Bol
🎆 Took Dd2 to gymnastics

All in all there were 10 of the small bin liners (the ones that are more like carrier bags ) that left the house today ! I feel a lot better for getting back on it again! I'm currently snuggled up with dd2 watching home alone (yes we are starting the Christmas films already 🙈) and I keep glancing over seeing the lovely clear space that was all cluttered this morning - I may have a G&T to celebrate 😂

Routines done. Kids entertained, fed, and now asleep.
Tomorrow planning to straighten up the hallway and go through all the shoes that are there. I am pretty sure I saw a pair of summer sandals lurking 🤔

Thanks for the new thread Hazel

I'm going to try and stay focused this month as the minute I slip that's it it all goes to shit. Annoyingly when I slip dh does too, he rarely takes the reigns and keeps going it's like ah well let's let the house descend into chaos.

For three days I've been moving the same pile of clean washing on and off my bed rather than put it away - well tonight I put it away 🙌 Tomorrow I need to tackle all the BRC that are the story of my life and stop buying things until I've used up the surplus of practically everything that I have. As my mother says when she opens any cupboard in my house - I have far too much stuff!!

Today's ta das

💥 Usual morning routine
💥 Finished the rota for work that has taken me hours to do
💥 Dropped off rota at work
💥 LOL
💥 Collected a parcel from post office
💥 Returned 2 parcels to a different shop
💥 Dropped off a birthday present at a friends
💥 Popped into my dm's house to reset her tv

Today has been a productive day as sending back parcels is my least favourite thing to the point that I sometimes don't do it and end up with even more clutter 🙈

Hills well done on the room clearing. I do my best work when I'm up against the clock.

ta da
10 packs of prepped veg prepped, made up and put into the freezer. They contain about 10 different veg in each
play hunt the correct screw driver
make a crap ton of flash cards that will probably accidentally get lost in the next shuffle <sigh>
replace a load of pens in the drawer where the pen for the shopping list lives
discover that one of the springs in my matress has "pinged" and added go play find a new matress to next weeks list
try to figure out how to get the deader than dead matress out of the room of doom
unload, reload and run DW

currently waiting for pain killers to kick in with a hot water bottle before i go wheld that screw driver and check the battery compartments of some toys that are leaving tomo

Hope you all have a good evening.

P.s. 2 more days of panick cleaning/clearing and thus stupid long lists.

Wow you are all amazingly productive! I hope you can inspire me. I had a meeting after school so by the time I got home it was a quick dinner, bath for the DC and bedtime and some more work ready for a mock Ofsted tomorrow.

However, I am proud that I tidied the kitchen, wiped the sides, stuck the DW on and shined my sink... It isn't much but it is baby steps and that's what I need at the moment, previously I would have left the mess in the kitchen until the morning 🫢

Thursdays mission: clean smudges & fingerprints off your walls and windows in the dining room. You can do the same on the front door and door frame to freshen it up.
Thursday is also errand day.

Launch Pad: https://www.flylady.net/d/new-links/
Baby Steps: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

Mercury baby steps is where it's at! A little at a time to build routines and it'll soon become 2nd nature.

Ta Das:
🌻 worked all day
🌻 quick top up shop
🌻 tore down old closet shelves in our bedroom, DH ordered a nicer set
🌻 cleared countertops (kitchen was painted today so things were moved)
🌻 wiped countertops
🌻 put things back where they belong
🌻 started to gather some Halloween decorations

I'm in bed early for me, I'm so tired! (It's 10pm here).
Tomorrow is our 21st anniversary, we both work tomorrow, then it's parent teacher conference, then dinner out. No flying will be done, I can already tell.
🍒👋 to everyone

Bornlazy are you me? Or a secret twin?! Highly relate to your post from Wednesday night.

Welcome to new posters, lovely to have you on board 😁

I am currently trying to summon the motivation to get lots of work done - I have the house to myself tomorrow and really don’t want to spend it working!

Wednesday
🦆work
🦆rotated DW
🦆ensured access for skip collector (so glad it’s gone now!)
🦆got Caglets to take down Halloween decs
🦆tried a choir for the first time with a friend
🦆rotated DW again
🦆cleaned kitchen a bit
🦆made enquiries about local groups for ND adults

Glad I don’t have to go anywhere, I am a bit disappointed that a talk I was attending tonight has moved online (I was meeting a friend too) but at least I can curl up in bed to watch it on zoom instead I suppose!

So far I have only moved some charity donations nearer the door (not sure if they’re actually collecting today still because weather), not going to attempt a power of three I just need to get on with work.

Hope everyone has a nice, safe, dry day!