Springing into April - Flylady style

[BloomingHazel]

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. you have been warned! 😁
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: do/did not lose my shit

There are more, but I can't think of them all. 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 for you.

Zones: https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/

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

Ta das:
☀️ LOLs x3
☀️ rotated DW
☀️ bleached bathrooms
☀️ vacuumed main floor
☀️ cleaned mirrors
☀️ cleaned French doors
☀️ showered, scrubbed and shaved
☀️ applied self tanner
☀️ meal planning for the week
☀️ grocery list written

I'm currently sitting in the sun on my patio, about to add e-coupons for my groceries. I still need to get ready to leave for grocery shopping.
I hope everyone's Saturday is going well.

We've had a really nice Saturday. A good mix of getting things done and chilling out.

👣 I'm keeping up with my routines. Dishwasher emptied first thing in the morning, one load of laundry a day, taking my vitamins.

👣 Bathrooms cleaned. DH tackled the ensuite and DDs "helped" me clean the main bathroom and downstairs loo (i.e I let them stand in the bath and wash the tiles 🤣). But as DH and I both pitched in it only took us 30 mins.

👣 We had an afternoon in the garden. I did another few jobs out there watering some plants, cutting the grass and potting up a few of the hydrangea cuttings I took last year but I also dragged the slide out for DDs and sat and had a beer in the sun. DH did a BBQ for lunch.

👣 I had a bath and gave myself a pedicure this evening.

Overall a good day.

Productive day full of ta-da's

🧚Mornings routine
🧚Repotted house plants into bigger pots
🧚Decorated the plain one with craft stuff
🧚Planted seeds in one of the too small pots
🧚Rearranged two windowsills
🧚Put together new furniture
🧚Reorganised living room
🧚Decluttered
🧚Did some reading
🧚Evening routine

Jones that sounds like a perfect day!

Ditzy that was a productive day!

I did end up doing grocery shopping and got everything we need for the week, other than a couple things I realised I needed when I got home.
We had family night dinner tonight, which ended very early when FIL & SIL had a disagreement. So they all left early (in the same vehicle, which I'm sure had a lot of tension in it!). DH and I ended up watching a movie.

Sunday is renew your spirit day. This can be going to church, going out for a walk, reading a book or soaking in the bath. This is a very individual thing, what resets one person may not work for the next.
I'm going to aim to do yoga. I always put it off, I don't know why, as I love how I feel during and afterwards!

Baby Step: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-14/
It's to read the essay about how to read a calendar 🙄

🍒👋 to everyone!

I'm going to a new yoga class at my gym this morning @BloomingHazel . I subscribe to an online channel but am not very good at carving out the time and space to do it at home.

ED I love going to classes, but there are none that work with my schedule. I gave up my gym membership years ago because of that.
I've done a couple of Adrienne videos on YouTube, but I know there's others on there too. I think I'll do some digging around today and find one to do.
I also need to use my spin bike, yet another thing I put off, but never regret doing once I've done it! 🤦‍♀️

Another yoga lover here. Brings me peace and tranquility.

Definitely renewed my spirit today by starting anti-nausea medication. It's working for the morning sickness and I'm thrilled! Today's bucket of mixed-zone wins include:

🥳 Stripped x2 beds
🎉 x3 LOL (x2 put away, one just finishing in washer)
🎉 Folded clothes abandoned on airer
🥳 Put away airer
🎉 Folded clothes abandoned on top of drier
🎉 Put away clean clothes stacked in B1
🥳 x3 rounds of washing up
🎉 Emptied ensuite bin
🎉 Emptied study bin
🎉 Cleared bedside table
🥳 Tidied coffee table
🥳 Took out bins to wheelie outside
🎉🥳 Sorted some final holiday admin all ready for June

And I even had a bath. Incredible how much we can get done when we're both feeling good.

Hello everyone, hope you’re all doing well.

I had a little break for the Easter holidays but am back and raring to go tomorrow, starting with the dreaded home bleurgh.

I think my motivation has been boosted by going to stay in a holiday cottage for a week which although smaller than our house was a much better layout with loads of (empty) storage. It’s renewed my urge to declutter anyway!

Tomorrow
Morning routine
School run
lol x 2
put charity bags in car
vacuum top to bottom
clean bathroom
dust bedrooms
tidy kids’ rooms

cabbage I'm glad to see the medicine is working well for you. It's amazing how much more can be done.
main it really is motivating to stay somewhere minimal but homely. I really need to get back to decluttering again.

Ta das:
🌷 LOLs x3
🌷 handwashed dishes
🌷 rotated DW
🌷 wiped countertops and sink
🌷 bought some edging for along the fence
🌷 helped DH install the edging, to stop the dogs from digging to get to the other side
🌷 cleared hotspots
🌷 put away things that were pulled out for the BBQ

Tada!

Yoga class
Breakfast
Stripped DS's bed (he has gone back to uni) and removed various bottles and cans from his room to recycling
Got DD to strip her bed and wash both sets of bedding.
Cleaned bathroom
Supermarket shopping (not a full shop)
An hour of gardening (at home)
Lunch
Two hours at the allotment
Out for a drink with friends
Paperwork
Washing up
Put away hats, scarves etc for summer
Reorganised hall storage
Decluttered an old purse and found a £20 note in it but its an old one so I'll have to take it to the bank which is tricky as they've closed all the local branches, might try the PO.

Phew, that's quite a ta da list ED!

I didn't do much more since posting last, we watched a couple of movies, got my clothes out for the morning and got my lunch ready.
I will do a couple of yoga stretches before bed, but I ended up not doing yoga like I planned 🤦‍♀️

This week we are moving into the bathroom & one other room.

Monday is also the day for the home bleugh as we like to call it, quickly run the vacuum through, empty bins, change the sheets, you know, everything that actually takes longer than an hour to do! I usually end up doing that on Tuesdays, but that's because I don't work that day, so it works best for me. If you need to change up the days, so be it! This can also be spread across the week.

Monday's mission is to do the 27 boogie fling. Try to gather 27 things that need to be decluttered from the bathroom, then do the same thing in the spare bedroom (or another room if you have one that needs more attention). Only spend 15 minutes in each room, so set your timer and boogie!

Baby Step: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-15/
This one can be controversial; making your bed. Whether you like to air your bed or make it up, make it neat. Don't leave your blankets, sheets or duvet bundled up in a heap. The goal is to make your bed inviting for when it's bedtime, so it's calming and welcoming, not stress inducing.

🍒👋 to everyone!

Hello! Looks like productive weekends have happened !

Going to give a run down of the weekends tadas as it’s been a fairly productive one. We had a family day on Friday so the little ones had no chance to make a mess as we were out all day.

weekend tadas:
⭐️morning routine x2
⭐️
Tidied and dusted a shelf in my room
⭐️Tidied and decluttered my present stash as everything had just been thrown in the wardrobe - things that I reevaluated on and on there way out now.
⭐️ All clothes put away ( dp did 4/5 loads of washing over the weekend - he washes I put it all away )
⭐️ House hoovered
⭐️ Kitchen tidied and decluttered
⭐️ All cupboard doors wiped down in the kitchen
⭐️ Another drawer tidied and cleaned
⭐️Dining table decluttered and cleaned ( including mats )
⭐️ Roast dinner made ( dp cleans up afterwards )
⭐️ Charity bags put in the car for drop off today
⭐️ Bag of outgrown socks put in car to drop off at nursery
⭐️ Outgrown bedding washed and listed on fb - picked up
⭐️Packed lunch made for ds to take today

Bathroom is in a fairly decent state so hopefully won’t take too long - might make the attic my other room as requires a lot of decluttering - lots of old clothes to sort out and get rid of in various ways.

Monday is a busy day so home bluergh generally gets spread through the rest of the week.

Thanks, I forgot to list half an hour of ironing too 😇

Name change as I'm ashamed. I'm so happy I found this thread as I need help and accountability. My house is truly disgusting at the moment, haven't really cleaned since February beyond loo and kitchen counters, and my gardens a jungle, I'm so overwhelmed by the state of it all that I get frozen and can't even start. I think this thread will be very helpful in directing me to a little something every day to chip away at it, and then maintain it. I'll do a bit every morning and evening.

This morning before work I have:
Topped up salt and rinse aid in dishwasher as they've been empty for a couple of weeks and collected up many random mugs from around the house and put them in to wash
Bins emptied and I've gone round the house collecting all the rubbish that hadn't even made it to the bin.
Changed my bed (last done about a month ago, I know that is gross, and I really hate it dirty so i don't know why I'm not on top of it)
Picked up pile of junk mail on the hall floor and put in recycling bin.
Picked up dirty clothes from bathroom floor (told you it's disgusting) and put in to wash.

I've got to admit my house smells better already.

Will do the Monday hoovering after work.

Yesterday I spent an hour in the garden and nearly filled up my garden bin and got that out for collection this morning.

I really want to change as living like this is unhealthy physically and mentally.

Well done @Hatecleaninglovecleanhouse , I'm new to this too! I'm finding what helps is doing a little bit every day means I don't get really overwhelmed with it all as it narrows my focus, and I know I'm slowly chipping away at it.

Yesterday I didn't get round to as much as I'd hoped as we were out for most of the day (but having a lovely time!)

TaDas from yesterday

👣 Morning routine of airing beds, emptying dishwasher, putting laundry out to dry, taking vitamins

👣 Two hours spent in the garden sorting out a very overgrown rose and installing wires for it to climb on

👣 Decluttered one of my hotspots (the sideboard).

👣 Evening routine of dishwasher on and one load of laundry washed after dinner.

I didn't get round to putting the dry washing away, or finishing up a clean of the kitchen which I will do today.

Today's plan

📝 Morning routines
📝 Attack the main bits in a home bleugh that need doing.....wipe down kitchen sides, run round with the vacuum cleaner
📝 Put away that washing from yesterday
📝 School runs as DDs are back to school after the Easter holidays
📝 Food shop
📝 Declutter the main bathroom
📝 Return some clothes from my online order that don't fit

I’ll be back later to chat to you all but right now I’m just updating my list to keep me going, sorry to be rude!

⭐️Morning routine
⭐️School run
⭐️lol x 2
⭐️put charity bags in car
⭐️put bag of outgrown pants/vests/socks etc into rag bin
⭐️took charity bags to shop (the one you can drive to is annoying as they’re so fussy over what they’ll take and go through the bags accepting and rejecting stuff while you have to wait and today they’d only do two bags per person but I got rid of those two bags at least and will take the other two somewhere else)
⭐️clean bathroom
⭐️hang up first lol
⭐️restock loo rolls in all bathrooms
⭐️refill bathroom cleaners
⭐️put suitcase away in cellar
⭐️got distracted putting suitcase away and tidied cellar a little bit. Still looks like something off hoarders but it’s mostly dps tools and renovation materials so will hopefully get there once all work is done
⭐️tidied under stairs cupboard
⭐️rehung all the coats neatly

Still to do
hang second lol
fold and put away lol
vacuum top to bottom
dust bedrooms
tidy kids’ rooms

I also popped into the supermarket and bought some new towels. This may seem to go against wanting to declutter but we have so many towels all in a similar state of crapness and I couldn’t decide which to get rid of so now I’m just getting rid of them all and having only the new ones.

Right, onto the bedrooms…

Evening all
Pretty successful today, did everything on my list. Didn’t manage the 27 fling but I did get rid of a few bits while sorting other areas.

Welcome to the new posters, I hope you’re finding the thread helpful so far. It definitely helps me, not only to focus on a specific area instead of getting completely overwhelmed by the whole house but also posting my lists is very motivating for me.
@Hatecleaninglovecleanhouse don’t feel ashamed, it’s so easy to get in a muddle and it sounds like you’re making great headway already. Very impressed with what you managed to achieve before work!

@GameOfJones I try to stick to the zones as it helps me to focus, however I usually spread my home blessing out over a week so everywhere gets an hour or so attention rather than trying to do the whole house in an hour. So this means that some of the missions are done as a matter of course (I just take those as an easy win!) and that I’m not solely focusing on the zone we’re in each week. And then there are certain tasks that I just don’t want to do so conveniently ignore each time they come up 🤣😳 I get overwhelmed easily and find the hotspot clearing really useful as it’s surprising how much you can get cleared in a couple of minutes and makes a big difference to the feel of the room.

@CabbageBearGoat so pleased the medication seems to be helping you. Don’t overdo things though!

Hope everyone else is ok, I need to go to bed now!

Welcome @Hatecleaninglovecleanhouse 👋 it sounds like you've made a good start and have a plan, that's half the battle won already!

Hemax there was some good zone cleaning there, and it's nice when you have help to do it.

Jones that's quite a list you have there! I know how much work it can be to tame rose bushes, hopefully you didn't get attacked in the process!

character you've been busy decluttering! I don't blame you for buying new towels and starting fresh. I'm thinking we're going to need to do the same soon too.

No flying today for me. DS rotated the DW, dinner was leftovers and I worked all day.
I took DS to urgent care tonight though, he was complaining that his ear was hurting and hard to hear out of it. He has an infection. Of course the pharmacy is closed so he can't start his antibiotics until tomorrow 🙄

Tuesday is plan & play day.
Tuesday's mission is to shine our bath or shower. Just clean it however you wish and shine it like you do your sink (just don't make it slippery!).
In the guest bedroom, get it guest ready. Rewash the sheets if they need a refresh.
If you don't have a guest bedroom or it's guest ready already, work on whatever area or room of your house that needs it. This can be your office, laundry room, or kids bedroom. Just spend 15 minutes in there.

Baby Step: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-16/
Check out her website for articles, whether it's her daily musing or testimonials. The link has the list of all of the routines we are building up.

Thanks @BloomingHazel , I did indeed get attacked by the rose! It's my own fault as I never wear my gardening gloves and I really should 🤣. I hope your DS is feeling better soon!

Today's TaDas so far:

👣 Morning routine of airing the beds, emptied dishwasher and put clean laundry in the tumble dryer.

👣 Put away dry laundry

👣 Vacuumed and mopped floors as I didn't get round to it yesterday

👣 Returned library books

👣 Sorted out home insurance

For the rest of the day I'm planning:

📝 15 mins sorting one of the bathrooms
📝 Eyebrow appointment
📝 Wash the bedding from the spare bed
📝 Usual evening routine of washing machine and dishwasher on after dinner (this new routine of doing a load of laundry every day really does seem to be helping it stay manageable.)

I ran out of oomph so didn't hoover last night. I think it's more realistic to stick to mornings for now (luckily I work from home, although part of my problem is that I can always put things off till later)

This morning I
Put the recycling out for collection
Made my bed (I'll be honest this is a new thing for me as I never saw the point, but I can see it helping with establishing a start to the day routine that isn't just doom-scrolling).
Cleaned the bath and shower screen.
Sorted out my clothes for a work trip tomorrow

And I've just done a lunchtime 15 minute blitz putting washed laundry away off the spare bed.