Marching on, FLYlady thread

[TheMainCharacter]

Are you looking to finally getting into a new routine with housework? Something simple to start that can be easy to add to over time? Flylady may be the answer for you!

This is a long running thread, but we are a friendly bunch and all are welcome to join in.

Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - it's an excessive amount sent every day.

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. 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

There are 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 notifications (although I only have it for when the zones change). You can also modify the tick lists to suit your home & lifestyle.

Links are below 👇 if I happen to not add links in time, they do update at midnight in the UK

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/
New/Most Popular Links | FlyLady.net
https://www.flylady.net/d/new-links
31 Beginner BabySteps | FlyLady.net
https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps

Thanks for the new thread. I am trying but finding everything hard at the moment

Thank you @TheMainCharacter you did a great job in Feb. I will try to post more often in March. I have had a lot going on the last few weeks but am determined to get some more decluttering done now.

Thank you for running Feb thread and now March character I couldn't volunteer for March as it's far too busy with birthdays in our family. You've done a great job!

This month’s habit is getting dressed to shoes
(or just getting up and ready to start your day for those of us who don’t wear shoes inside)

We start the month back in Zone One, porch, entrance and dining room.

Today’s mission is to quickly put out fires in those areas. Tackle the hot spots; the pile of shoes by the front door, the pile of papers, anything else that builds up where it doesn’t belong. Set a timer for 15 minutes and see how much you can get done.

Today’s baby step is to shine your sink
https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

@JewelleryCat sorry you’re finding things hard. We’re here to celebrate the small wins with you or just if you want a moan.

@EndlesslyDistracted I decluttered lots in early January and then not at all in February (despite it being the habit of the month). Also had two birthdays since the start of the year so had a new wave of kids stuff come in 😭

Once things are a bit more settled with my dad I might be able to focus a bit more, at the moment I’m doing the minimum really.

@TheMainCharacter unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be small wins right now. I’d like there to be but I’m just doing the basics still. Vacuuming, sweeping the floor, empty the rubbish and I do try and dust but it comes back and then it just makes you feel disheartened, especially with all the decluttering I need to do myself

@JewelleryCat I’d count all of those as wins 😁

Really? Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough. I do have a physical disability which does hinder me as well but thank you. Maybe I need to be not so hard on myself

Jewellery I agree with character those definitely count as wins!

I'm working again today but hope to start either decorating or baking a cake for the birthday dinner happening at our house tomorrow night for SIL. I guess it really depends on how much energy I have left when I get home!

following with keen interest

I remember you Red, glad to see you're doing ok

Welcome Spring

Those are definitely wins Cat especially of you're keeping up with them regularly. Decluttering is soooo hard. I'm taking forever to make a decision on each item

Enjoy the birthday dinner Hazel

Thanks for the threads Character you're doing amazing considering all you've got going on

Wishing you success with your decluttering ED

Ta-da's:

💘 Morning routine
💘 Extra LOL
💘 Exercise
💘 Pharmacy
💘 Decluttered
💘 Evening routine

I take it you had another name then but hi and thank you.
I posted on the other thread then noticed. I am tired.

I agree definitely 'wins' JewelleryCat. I have decide on days when I can't face it then I will aim for a small box or basket or half a bigger one. It might not be much but every bit of decluttering is a step forward. The box is now holding less and i have decluttered other bags boxes and it is now all in this one box. I aim to read the magazines in there then recycle them I took two to the charity shop the other day. I only bought one thing. It is a recipe box and they are quite expensive and it was marked at £3 so it is a win as saving money and I will used some of the magazine recipes to stick on the cards.
I do 5 mins in my sitting room before I go to bed so when I come down it looks reasonable. it has been staying tidier for ages now. It isn't perfect but I wouldn't want that anyway.
Right I am off to bed.
Later today. I aim to do the front door
.Wipe glass, vacuum door bottom carpet.
Dust table. then vacuum stairs and tidy small table.

It shouldn't take more than an hour then try and declutter chest of drawers top and dust it. I did the other one today so I will admire that when I go to bed.😁

Thanks for both the old and new threads Character, it’s appreciated when you’ve got so much going on.

I’ve just caught up on the last thread. It lovely to have you back Red, I was wondering how you were getting on.

I’d absolutely count those as wins too JewelleryCat

Hi Spring 👋

I’ve had quite a stressful week at work so not much has been achieved although I’ve just about kept up with the basics. I’m feeling quite motivated with it being the start of a new month with spring in the air. DH is working today so not sure how much I’ll get done, but he’s going to take the girls out tomorrow morning to give me a chance to catch up and have a cuppa in peace. The weather looks pretty miserable so far and DD1 has declared today a chill day. Who am I to argue with that?

Morning tadas:
⭐️ everyone fed
⭐️ clean clothes put away in DD2s room while she was still asleep in mine
⭐️ LOL on
⭐️ DW emptied and breakfast stuff in

Saturday is Family Fun Day

Today’s baby step is the same as the March habit, getting dressed to shoes.

Today’s vague plan
lol
dc tennis
supervise dd writing thank you letters
room rescue in dc room x 2
visit dad
clean glass door in hall
cook dinner

Morning all, I'd take those as wins too @JewelleryCat , I often fail to even keep on top of the basics such as dusting.

No decluttering this weekend as we are away but I have got next weekend pencilled in for another session of getting rid of things, I also want to take some books to the charity shop warehouse near work this week (it's great because you can drive up to the door with heavier stuff).

@Redsquirrel5 sounds as though you are doing really well with the decluttering. How's the EH? We love ours so much, I would never have known about them if you hadn't posted about yours.

@Upsadiddles sorry about the stressful work week, chill day sounds fab.

@TheMainCharacter we have had three birthdays in our house so far this year but thankfully now the DCs are older the presents tend to consist of giftcards and tickets to events rather than clutter.

Checking in for month three! Thanks @TheMainCharacter!

Yesterday's wins:
🎉 Cleared the car bottle holders of parking/receipts/wrappers
🎉 Tidied the glovebox! So much random stuff
🎉🎉🎉 Kept the coffee table 80% clear through the working week

Today's plan is to do some garden things and sort the IKEA delivery due this afternoon. I've added the front garden to Zone 1 as all it needs is a sweep really. There's a small flower bed but it's mostly shrubs for now, and there don't seem to be anything there I'd consider a weed. Now we've been here in the "new place" a year, I'm hoping we can start putting in new things where I'd noticed some emptier patches, that sort of thing. I'm very excited.

Sorry for disappearing on the Feb thread! Back now! Lovely to see you red!

Currently trying to cuddle angry toddler to sleep then will crack on!

@CabbageBearGoat yesterdays wins sound like the kinds of things that make a big difference.

Similarly, @JewelleryCat it is easy to dismiss the basics as not having done anything but actually those things are usually the things that make the biggest difference. I know that in an ideal world I would properly clean every room regularly and keep on top of clutter but in the real world a tidy and quick hoover makes a world of difference!

@EndlesslyDistracted @Redsquirrel5 what’s an EH?

It's an Everhot range cooker, heat storage like an Aga. It is the most expensive thing I have ever ended up buying after reading about it on MN but I love it to bits.

Sunday is renew your spirit

Today’s baby step is to revisit what we have already done, shining our sinks and getting dressed to shoes.

https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-3/

Thank you @EndlesslyDistracted, sounds like something I need not to google 😆

I have home bleurged people. <eagerly awaits medal>

I have also:
⭐️cleared a load of shite from my dressing table
⭐️decluttered and reorganised a shelf in my wardrobe
⭐️put away more clean clothes (why is that never ever done? The washing doesn’t feel as constant as the putting away)
⭐️wiped the kitchen cupboards down
⭐️cleaned the hob
⭐️went out for a coffee with my DM

Yesterday I convinced DD1 to have a toy sort out and she was far more ruthless than I expected. A couple of bags to head off to charity and some donated to DD2. This also led to a reorganisation of DD2’s room so that was a productive afternoon.

I’m off to the park for an hour with the DC while DH cooks us a roast. Then it’s the usual Sunday ironing/reading/homework/bags packed.

Hope you’ve all had a restful Sunday.

You have all been pretty productive!
Yesterday I was busy and didn't even have a chance to come on mumsnet!

YesTaDas:
🎂 grocery shopping (for birthday dinner)
🎂 put away all groceries
🎂 put on new screen protector on FILs phone (ILs stopped by to bring the salmon over for dinner)
🎂 decorated with MIL for birthday dinner
🎂 baked the cake (including making the berry compote filling and Marscapone frosting)
🎂 bleached bathrooms
🎂 rotated DW x3
🎂 decorated the cake (pic attached)
🎂 set the table before everyone arrived (I'm usually scrambling when they're here!)
🎂 prepped potatoes & veggies
🎂 cooked the salmon, while DH cooked the steaks and potatoes on the pellet grill
🎂 enjoyed the evening with some wine. Bailey's was my dessert!

Today's to Dos:
☕️ meal plan for the week
☕️ grocery shopping (or pickup order)
☕️ handwash dishes from last night (all the DW stuff was washed 😇)
☕️ vacuum
☕️ take things back down to the pantry that belong in there
☕️ try out my teeth whitening strips
☕️ LOLs - lots of them!

Hopefully I'll be back with some ta das

@HazelNotHungryLC

Just came in to say that’s such a beautiful cake! Well done on all your ta das.