August FlyLady Thread: No rain Au-Gust of wind will stop us from getting our shit together!

[CabbageBearGoat]

Welcome to the August FlyLady thread! What the heck is FlyLady, I hear you ask. Well, FlyLady is a reliable and flexible system for keeping on top of housework, one thing at a time. It splits the house into zones which we work through week by week, and there are daily tasks designed to tackle everything in sequence. This is a long running thread, but we are a friendly bunch and all are welcome to join in at any time.

We’re trying something new this month as August is a busy one. So, instead of daily updates from thread leader we’re going to stick with just this front post with all your links and information in, and general chatter and updates from here on out.

For people completely new to the system, there are Baby Steps, which add one thing at a time to start off good habits and routines. If you are not ready to start these at the beginning of the month you can set your own Day 1 as today and keep track by following the Baby Steps linked below. After Baby Steps you can graduate to Zones. There are 5 Zones that we rotate through in the same order every month, week by week. Don't worry about finishing it all this month, it'll come around again next month. Time is inevitable. There's no escape. Flylady is NOT about perfectionism! The system is designed to compensate for those days which don't go to plan, as it all repeats. As FlyLady says herself, "You are never behind. Jump in where you are".

This month in particular I would really recommend you download the app and get to using that as you can modify the app's tick lists to suit your home and lifestyle. FlyLady is flexible.

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

Common thread acronyms/phrases:
LOL: load of laundry (washing is certainly NOT funny!)
DW: dishwasher (we are not rotating wives!)
LMS: lose/lost my shit
DNLMS: did not lose my shit
BRC: box/basket of random crap
Mount Washmore: self explanatory

So here we go. Here are your links, which update when needed:

Flight Plan (Today at a glance): http://flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=-60
Weekly Zones (With this month's dates): https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/
Baby Steps: www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/
Launch Pad (Quick links): http://flylady.net/c/lp.php
Weekly Sneak Peek (This week's tasks at a glance): http://flylady.net/c/sp.php

Daily missions: (each week is the same - hyperlink for more info).
Monday: Home Blessing (or as we call it, home bleugh - a quick whizz over basic cleaning)
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 (something to recharge your batteries)

I've attached a couple of pages of my Bullet journal @mikado1 and @MissMarplesNiece . I do try to complete it all but I don't beat myself up if I don't - sometimes life gets in the way ! But seeing it written helps me to prioritise what absolutely needs to get done .

Tada
🎉Showered and dressed

I'm taking that as a win today because I feel shocking . I might try a couple of 5 minute blasts if I can.

Ooh I see now, great accountability there. Thank you.

Oooh, I like those @Searchingforsunnydays and I have a bullet journal. I’m not very good at visual stuff, I just tend to write in it but that is very effective.

We have just got back from a northern European city break with the DCs which was just lovely and included a visit to a friend made on these threads many years ago. Got the house in fairly good order before we went, but have had to spend most of today washing, tidying, shopping, re-organising the fridge etc. The weather was good so three lots of laundry line dried, but have battened down the hatches for tonight. DS has a summer job at a tourist attraction, he works on his own and has been told he can close for the day tomorrow if he wants but if he does he won’t get paid so he is opening up but taking tablet, charger, lots of food and drink to keep himself occupied.

I have got that back to school feeling, even though my youngest is 18, she will be going back to college for another year, we need to sort out her tech a bit before that, I’m a school governor and after a quiet few weeks the emails are starting to trickle in again but I am very glad we no longer have uniform, school shoes etc to sort. The nights are definitely drawing in.

Oh my goodness it’s so cold when the wind blows then the rain starts! Despite this I managed to get quite a lot done in the garage yesterday and today.

Binned rubbish, put things with things, laid stuff out on workbenches for repair or disposal. Cleared out more rubbish from the back of my car. Found carpark tickets from 2015 and other bits of decades-old stuff. Put two old fruit trays across the back of the boot to contain the things that are actually useful.

Piled up the work gloves that were scattered all over, put them in pairs, DH tried them for size then found a sensible corner for the ones he’s keeping. That took about ten minutes in total, and I think he got the idea that doing a little every time he goes in or out the garage can get results.

I brought two old dining-chairs into the house in the hope of cleaning them up for the kitchen table.

The afternoon unexpectedly got very complicated very fast, and I had to postpone any hope of continuing with yesterday’s paperwork in order to avoid making daft mistakes. Fortunately everyone eventually ended up in the right place at the right time and I’m off to bed to do it all again tomorrow and probably Sunday too.

I need to do some serious decluttering. Unfortunately a lot of it belongs to DH and he won't get rid of anything, even old worn out clothes. I don't want to end up like my DM. When my step dad died we had to clear out 50 pairs of trousers and 100 shirts.

Tada
🎉 washed and dressed
🎉 dd2 ready for gymnastics (oh is taking and fetching today)
🎉 5min decluttering bathroom cupboard
🎉 5min gathering any rubbish from upstairs
🎉 5min gathering any washing and sorting into relevant laundry tubs

Doesn't seem like much but it's more than yesterday 👍 my legs are so shaky today , short blasts is the way to go. We're out for the day tomorrow so hopefully if i have a slower day today , tomorrow will be good 😊

Sounds like a productive day @Scourgify !!

@EasilyDisturbed happy you have had a lovely time ! It's nice to hear the people we get to know on these groups sometimes become friends in RL . I know a few that I chat to from the due in groups , we have stayed in touch as the kids have grown up have they helped me get through some tricky times and I hope that I have helped them through some of theirs too . What is your youngest currently studying ? My eldest is heading into year 13 , I'm already planning nice things to do throughout the year to break up the exam stress !

@MissMarplesNiece good luck with the decluttering !

There's some great productivity going on, mixed with relaxing. I love it!

Today is DHs birthday. We are camping this weekend (it's what he wanted to do). Of course DS is developing a cold (the joys of going back to school this week!). I also had a bit of a runny nose yesterday, but seem to feel better today so far.
It's cooler today, weather is changing, and all of a sudden of course 🙄
We are camping by a lake, brought our blow up boat, wishing the weather to warm up!

@Searchingforsunnydays at the end of y12 she dropped one of her A levels (it turned out to be a disastrous choice) and started a new one, so she's taken two this summer and will take the third next year, she's going to do a couple of AS levels this year too.

It may have been disastrous in some ways @EasilyDisturbed but I suppose everything works out in the end, it's good that dd recognised that she wasn't getting on with the subject and was able to make the decision even though it's taken a year longer . Must of been a worrying time for you all ! How is she feeling about her friends moving in to uni ?

@HazelNotHungryLC belated happy birthday to dh - I hope the weather warms up for your camping trip!

Yesterday tadas
🎉 tidied living room and hoovered downstairs using 5 minute bursts
🎉 popped some gel nails on a friends daughter ready for their holidays
🎉 introduced the dc to 'the mask' film which they found hilarious!

Today we were meant to be going to the coast for the day as a last family trip for the summer , but the weather looks horrible. Dd1 is working so ds and dd2 have asked to go to the cinema then bowling instead - it'll cost more than the seaside 😂 at least we can wait until dd1 finishes work to go bowling so we can all go together . It'll be kinder to my energy levels too .

She wasn't planning to go to uni this year so it would have been the same really, at least she has a structure for a gap year now. She was getting really down in y12 about that subject, it was like a huge weight off her shoulders once she'd dropped it, the new one is much better suited and she sorted it all out herself with college which we are proud of. She just needs to find a part time job now, she did a few weeks ago but then the business closed down 🤦‍♀️.

@EasilyDisturbed it's a really good life skill to have, recognising something isn't right and putting things in place to change it, it was a very brave decision! I do think that most would of either dropped out all together or only carried on with 2 subjects, well done to your dd ⭐️ my dd is starting to think about gap years and also whether she wants uni or apprenticeship. Uni seems to be what she wants at the moment so we're fitting in the open days when and where we can ! It's a minefield ! She's got it down to a couple that she is definitely going to apply for but needs to put a few more on there . Neither myself or oh went to uni so it's all very new and confusing- luckily dd seems to know how to go about things !

DH and I both went but it was a long time ago and things change, however we've done it all with DS who is now going into third year. DD has been to quite a few open days and likes some of the unis and cities but doesn't feel strongly pulled towards any particular subject so I'm not sure if she will apply this year or not either. What subject is your DD applying for?

Spent yesterday morning trying to clear the hard-standing behind the garage. I had ideas of planting along the verge, but it’s not realistic. Did some digging up of tough stuff, and weedkilling the rest. Then heavy rain washed it off, lol!

Walked round B&Q looking at all the power tools which are probably too heavy for me to lift! Made some mental to-do notes for DH. Turning into my mum by wandering round a garden centre for an hour reading the labels on the plants and taking photos of wasps and bees. It was very relaxing.

Curry’s to window-shop washing machines. Saw a beautiful motorbike in the carpark and reminisced for a while.

Laces on one of my my workboots broke so the big achievement in the evening was to sort the spare bootlaces into pairs. And put the broken pair in the bin. Score!

< looks around for familar faces >

I am back (again)

THAT great to see you!! 👋
How has everything been for you since you were last on here?

Scourgify that reminds me - DH put grass seed down in the front garden, then it poured and hailed and washed it all away! It did the same thing a year or two ago too 🤦‍♀️

ED hopefully DD will find another job soon, that's awful the last company closed!

We had a great time camping. It didn't get nice enough to get the blow up boat out, but it was nice to get away. I even got a nap yesterday!
We are headed home now, we need to go to the next big town today too and so some shopping. DD is heading this way now so we'll be able to spend a few hours with her 😍
It's been a couple of months since we've seen her!

That! Welcome back, how are things?

@HazelNotHungryLC it re-opened again suspiciously quickly, I suspect all was not quite as it seemed behind the scenes but she enjoyed it, got paid and has something else to put on her CV so all is not lost.

@EasilyDisturbed I think she's swaying towards history but also enjoys English, University of Nottingham do a joint degree, she did a summer school there so I think that university is high on her list of choices. Has your dd got a point of contact for a reference from her job ? Hopefully she will get another opportunity soon .

Welcome back @THATchickennchipsbasicbitch !!

@HazelNotHungryLC enjoy your time with your dd !! Sorry the weather wasn't great on holiday but sounds like you had a good time !

Peoductive window shopping day @Scourgify !

Tada
🎉 everyone washed and ready
🎉 cinema to watch inside out 2 with dd2 and ds
🎉 tea
🎉 bowling

A great day although I slept on the way to and from both the cinema and bowling 😴 these folic acid supplements don't seem to be doing too much for my energy levels 😂

@Searchingforsunnydays if DD does anything its likely to be history but she is hesitating as she doesn't have any career plans that really appeal and would prefer to have something to aim for IYSWIM. She probably won't get a reference, no paperwork happened, it was all by messages, but she has got references from a previous job and work experience.

That's shocking @EasilyDisturbed , I'm so sorry for you dd ! At least she has other references to fall back on ! When dd1 looked into history it is looked highly upon for all sorts of jobs that involves data analysis, so law, hr, and very strangely accountancy ?! Theres other avenues , I think dd1 wants to go into publishing or editing ideally or will convert it to law , she isn't too sure .

Tada
🎉 morning coffee and a bit of a diamond art that work bought me for my birthday present
🎉 kids breakfasts

I think the weather is looking a bit better today so I'm going to force myself to go out for a walk, hopefully the sunshine and fresh air will help my energy levels. Monthly shown up yesterday so I should start feeling better soon ! We are out for the day tomorrow so I'll be prepping food and clothes tonight so we can get up and go .

Back to the garage/shed yesterday, and gathered together a few more excess household items to consider.

Teens brought home immunisation forms and we dealt with those immediately and back in their bags for school today. All I need to do is file the accompanying leaflet in the diary, instead of putting the forms aside and then forgetting about them.

@Searchingforsunnydays yes, we've looked into all the career possibilities for a history degree (twice in fact, DS was interested in it too but did something else in the end). She doesn't want to incur the huge amount of debt unless she has a career plan to work towards and as yet nothing has really captured her imagination so we'll see. She can always go a few years down the line.

Well it's Tuesday, so my day off!

I just took DS to school - it was pure hell!
I've got to either figure out which way to go so I'm not waiting for traffic for forever, leave earlier, or he's going to have to take the bus. The high school had so much more traffic at that time than the junior high had. Besides the fact they had the road closed off for part of it, so more traffic was down other streets than normal.
I'm already dreading picking him up later..

I have a few things I need to get done today.

To dos:
☕️ laundry, lots of laundry
☕️ vacuum
☕️ mop
☕️ bleach bathrooms
☕️ more laundry
☕️ pick up my new coffee maker that DH got me through the local online auction
☕️ go to the bank
☕️ get my hair done
☕️ stain some brick
☕️ pick DS up from school 🙄
☕️ did I say laundry??

I woke up this morning with a sore throat. It seems to be letting up a bit, but I do also have a headache. I have got to get the house sorted today though. I'm going to take lots of cold and pain meds throughout the day to get me through it. And drink tea. Lots of tea with honey.

Hopefully I'll be back with a ta da list soon..

Wow, lots of of progress since I last checked in! We hit "end of summer fear" over the weekend, i.e. all the projects we "would finish over the summer" are now being finished before we hit September. Had a huge clearout of the lounge, had a plumber over to fix our screaming toilet, and DW is currently spending every spare moment sanding the hallway walls in preparation for painting. Hoping it'll be totally finished before baby comes in November.

Weekend wins:
Installed new doorbell
Put up two shelves in lounge
Put away all remaining books
Cleared coffee table
Cleared lounge floor
Big sofa vacuum and plump
Sorted hallway floor books

In other news, our neighbour has been slowly dismantling our shed (reusing the wood for another project) but it's taking forever. Three months and counting. Maybe next month I can share some garden progress but for now it's another month with half a shed mocking me. I'm glad to not be dismantling it myself... but I rather thought it might be gone sooner than this. Less learned - give a deadline! 🤣