Fledglings Flying into November

[ExquisiteIyDesigned]

November is the month where we move from autumn into winter all are welcome as the Fledglings cosy up in their nests on this Flylady thread.

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. Check in here instead or download the app, see below.

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
BRC - box/basket of random clutter/crap

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. You can also modify the tick lists to suit your home & lifestyle.

November’s monthly focus is menu planning.

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

Baby Steps http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/
Monthly habit http://www.flylady.net/d/habits-of-the-month/november/
Launch pad http://www.flylady.net/c/lp.php
Flight Plan (all the day’s tasks in one place) http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0
Sneak peek for the week - summary of the current week so you can plan ahead http://www.flylady.net/c/sp.php

I don't but I can get some (I have corn flour if that would work?) they ar wind marks but just can't shift them

I do skirting boards each week but mine have a groove so I think my task extra thing this week will be to groove! All the skirting boards and cupboard doors and internal door groves

Any tips for cleaning radiators as in inside dust etc?

Also any tips for washing machine cleaning ? I love doing stuff like that but get lost

My issues are I work full time
Monday- Thursday 10 hrs and sometimes extra on Fridays and train a sport every day

So time is limited and the sport as everyone in the family trains creates a lot of washing

Would be worth a try with the cornstarch @cunoyerjudowel you sound as though you have a lot on your plate. We all go out in the evenings a lot too for various hobbies, it does make it harder keeping on top of things at home. I’ve got a long flat felt brush thing for the insides and behind radiators, I can’t remember where I got it from though. I also use the disposable (I know) pledge dusters on a handle that you can get in supermarkets for dusting hard to reach of awkward places such as the tops of books.

Thursday - errand day. I need to go to the PO with a parcel (that woolly blanket I was making last week is finished now and needs to be sent off.

http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0 - flightplan is here, our mission is to declutter our countertops for 15 mins.

It's funny, my routine is so often different from the one FL suggests but I still find it really helpful having a list so I can pick up on anything I've missed.
For me, today will be upstairs house bleugh day (tomorrow will be downstairs). I cleared my worktops - and cleaned appliances - earlier this week.
However, anti-procrastination day yesterday ensured I finally rang someone about my hob. It mostly works fine but every now and then just...stops! Rare enough that, by the next day, all seems well for a while, so I just carry on with fingers crossed but now it's going to be checked over next week ✅️
Errand day reminds me to pick up a couple of bits from Lakeland today which will mean a trip to a garden centre, so no great hardship
I've done the first part of my version of the morning routine: swish & swipe downstairs loo; open up curtains; feed & water cat; check mousetraps (due to cat); tidy sitting room; take out recycling/rubbish; put DH's coffee ready; make own coffee; shine sink...
Then, in flagrant disobedience to the rules, return to bed with my coffee and catch up on my phone.
I also find writing my plans here helps ensure I complete them hence the rambling above!

Well I’m feeling like I’m finally finding my groove - having a bit of time away over half term helped. October was mostly about finishing unpacking, and time spent unpacking was time spent not cleaning, so the bathrooms etc got a bit yucky - the water around here is incredibly hard which doesn’t help.

Anyway, a bit of time not in the house has given me the headspace to start again, and I’ve completed my kitchen missions this week, as well as having my self-styled “hour of power” where I go around the house choosing six rooms to have a ten minute room rescue in.

Deep cleaning a washing machine: Soda crystals generous in the powder section / or drum will also work. Vinegar in the fabric softner drawer. Run on a HOT like 60C cycle. And do not add washign powder because you machine might vomit bubbles and you will also be washing the floor.
Remove drawer (there's a button) scrub with old tooth brush both sides and then scrub the inside of where you have pulled it out of. Use now designated old tooth brush to clean the seal.
If you are clever you will clean the drawer and seal before running the cleaning cycle, but i never remember and regular having old towels to wash so just shove them throw in the first load after.

If you get really stuck there are cleaning instructions on youtube and you can use them as a duet/body double to help you get it done.

ta da
flu shot
fill green bin
food shop
put washing line away for the winter

Oof. A tired day today. Naps and reading mostly! False labour signs continue and I'm knackered from the mid-night contractions that wake me but don't go anywhere.

However, I completed my Thursday Errand Mission by finally deciding on and ordering a house number plaque thing - the existing one is impossible to read especially at night as it's an old bronze font on black, so it's faded and also just too small for the distance from the road. I didn't even realise there was a house number here until DW pointed it out to me after we'd moved in! So I've bought a big (7" diameter) black font on white ceramic sign. I feel like once baby is here the various deliveries etc will likely increase so it's good timing!

Sticky door progress continues. I feel like the nail varnish remover made a small improvement but DW not convinced yet.

Done loads today but can I remember it now? No. I did scrub all of the little seams and corners of the cooker which were dusty .

Washing machine clean, I used to use washable nappies and would buy the Washing machine cleaner from the supermarket and run it through on a hot wash, plus all the scrubbing as sleeping described. LO has been out of nappies for 9 months and can't remember when I last cleaned it . . .

I did my Anti procrastination task yesterday, which was ringing the garage, they can't deal with it so I now need to ring someone else!

Today's errand was to buy Christmas cards, succeeded.

Friday is Clean Out Your Purse and Car day. My car definitely needs a little tidy and vacuum, I didn’t get round to it last week (last Friday’s plans went a bit to pot and I ended up being out for the entire day).

Our mission today is to sweep and mop the kitchen floor thoroughly not just a once-over. http://www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0

I did our washing machine last week. We have a white fabric shower curtain which gets grubby so I put it in the WM with either bleach or soda crystals and no detergent and run it at 90°. Try to do it once every few weeks. The drawer on ours doesn’t seem to get particularly gunky, we have softened water, use powder and never use fabric conditioner.

I didn’t get round to the counters yesterday, was at work most of the day then out exercising in the evening, I suffered an injury a while ago which really restricted me but it is much improved now and I am getting back to all the things I couldn’t do, the physio has been great but it took me a long time to get to see one. It’s my day off today, will drop DD at the station and then I am meeting a friend for lunch and going out this evening so I need to get cracking with some jobs now, I have got the WM on, need to empty the dryer from yesterday, empty the DW and tackle those counters. Will vacuum the car later promise…..

Thanks, ED.
Today's mission fits in well with the downstairs house bleugh I've got planned as I always do the kitchen floor then.
I think my bag is okay and I leave the car to DH (which is why it's filthy, but classing it as officially Not My Problem). Perhaps I'll refill the mousetraps - wretched animal definitely brought one in the other night and no sign of it being eaten or in the traps 🙄
Might also have a last swipe at the kitchen door handles - there's old grease on them and they're resisting everything I've tried so far (hot, soapy water, Elbow Grease and my steamer) - have got some Pink Stuff so will give that a whirl.
Have good Fridays, fellow Fliers 😊

Eta Glad your injury is improving, ED.

Thanks @LaMarschallin it was a leg injury and I could hardly walk at first, nor do any of my usual classes, so my fitness slipped away, I was able to swim and do upper body weights but not much else. I am back to careful running and most of the classes now, it has been a very gradual process of healing.

Poor you - so frustrating to see the fitness you've worked for ebbing away and knowing you'll have to eventually catch up.
Really glad to hear things are getting better now.
It's good you're starting from a decent level of fitness. A bit like Flying, perhaps - even though I've had times when I've slipped off the wagon, the house has never been as hard to get back into shape as it was the first time, so the residual cleanliness/fitness really does help 😊

@ExquisiteIyDesigned sending solidarity on the injury recovery. I've had a similar journey - for me it was a knee injury in 2021 that ended up in surgery last summer, but the wait time and diagnosis was so long I lost all my fitness progress and it's been a complete restart - I was using a walking stick and rattling about with painkillers while waiting for surgery. But it does come back, eventually. Gradual is definitely best.

Re: washing machine cleaning, ours has a "drum clean" setting that it prompts you to run after 50 washes or similar. I've added drum clean to my FlyLady app when I'm in the utility, so it's a monthly thing generally. We use an EcoEgg so I also buy the machine cleaning tablets so if I have time/the inclination I do one wash with a cleansing tablet and then an empty "drum clean" cycle.

Ouch @BeetrootBootreet mine hasn’t been that bad, when I say could hardly walk I wasn’t totally immobilised, I could potter around the house OK (in sturdy shoes for stability, Flylady would be pleased) and stroll very slowly but I could only stroll, couldn’t get anywhere near my usual speed which isn’t all that fast, was using an altered gait (tiny steps, flat feet, sturdy shoes only, which wasn’t much fun through summer) and it started hurting a lot after about 200m. I was wearing sandals yesterday (it was mild) because I was deprived of fresh air on my feet all summer.

My car is going to be used as a temporary storage place for stuff so we can have seats tomo. So i will ignore the clean car task for this week. My bag is pretty clean as i use a rucksack for less pressure on shoulders and as such it periodically gets dumped upside down so i can find stuffs. I am pondering a better solution (i have material and wax for a better solution but this last couple rounds of building work have been inhibitory on the creating front.

Currently working on cleaning the kitchen (aka evicting stuff temporarily dumped in there for allowing building space as I need a usable kitchen tomorrow for cooking a roast dinner. I have brought in a sibbling and their partner to assit with building work on the promise of somewhere to sit and a meal. Ergo shuffling stuff around is today's task. Shoulders are mad at me - one because it doesn't like to shoulder and requires physio, the other cos it got a flu shot. But the house is slowing beginning to look like it is going to be tidy for christmas. Once this weekends stuff has been done I am hoping that there will be some quick work and achievements. That would be much needed in the whole process.

ta da
boil half of the handwarmers that were waiting to be reset
emptied, loaded and run dw
found all the bits so the roasted pumpkin can be purried and shoved in the freezer for pie later.
Provide moral support for someone completing a DIY task of no joy.
consider the where everything is going , and the what order. To hopefully make the rest of the prep work for tomo move fast
take meat out of freezer to defrost ready for cooking.

Currently sorting some laundry. And considering a nap.

Its pants being injured- doing my sport (wrestling / Brazilian juijitsu) you can get injured easily. When I am rebuilding or recovering after an injury ir weight cut I swear by a good quality collegian supplement- also makes your skin and nails good as a by product and ensure you get enough sleep to recover also.

Today I have boxed off a bit of overtime, began my weekly clean, done all cupboard handles / doors and grooves along with upstairs internal doors.

Its the big shop tonight and I am going to buy some more plants and cleaning crystals to do the washing machine

Will get the car cleaned tomorrow too.

I've been through all my wardrobes and got rid of excess crap along with my make up and skincare

Need dds to clean their rooms as I can not go in at the moment or I will be tempted to evict them lol

Woah, a lot has gone on since the last time I caught up properly! Welcome @cunoyerjudowel 👋
I'm sorry, I'm just going to have to jump right in. Sorry for lack of personals! I'm afraid I'll miss someone 🤦‍♀️

We had parent teacher conference last night, of course the one teacher we wanted to see wasn't there/ available. Not because DS has a bad grade, but because he's the music teacher and it's DSs passion!

I plan on cleaning/ vacuuming/ detailing the Jeep tomorrow/ this weekend at some point. It really needs it. I haven't made the time to do it properly in a while and I know there's things that need to be decluttered in there!
The truck also needs it too, it's so dusty inside, it's hard to see in the dark 😳

DS has his chores today, basically home bleugh, so will vacuum and mop the kitchen floor as part of that.

I'll try to keep up better from now on, I promise!

Nice to see you, HazelNuttyElf. Sounds like life has been busy.
Am having a bit of a lie in this morning since I've had a few early starts and will have another tomorrow for church. I usually attend but particularly so on Remembrance Sunday.
So I've done the first part of my morning routine which culminates in returning to bed with a coffee.
No particular family fun planned but we'll have our usual walk into town for a paper and will probably have elevenses while out - we're very well served locally for cafés. And it's Strictly tonight 😊

Morning all, I’ve had a bit of a lie-in too, I went out last night for a meal and a few drinks (I rarely drink) and woke up in the night feeling bloated a couple of times. All OK now, but a bit tired. I did clear out my car yesterday but didn’t get as far as vacuuming it so that goes onto today’s list. Family Fun day - well, DD has gone to work, DS is home from uni and not sure of plans yet (he’s asleep after also being out with friends last night). Not sure what anyone’s plans are TBH but Strictly is definitely on my list too.

So far so good today, have done the bedding, walked the dogs, been the gym and cleaned the sofas. At wrestling until the afternoon so will do the normal cleaning then plus going to attack the shiny fingerprints on the furniture and clean the washing machine.

Also my goal of the weekend is organising the under sink cupboards (cleaning crap)

Tada!

Fed cats
Hot-spotted the kitchen breakfast bar
Had a proper declutter of the main food prep counter (DH)
Done 1 x LOL and into dryer
Emptied cat litter trays
Dealt with several piles of paper
Put away some clean laundry
Failed to find a notebook I need this week, so the search goes on.
Spend far too long sitting in the kitchen with cups of tea watching birds (we put up some new feeders recently)
About to vacuum the car. Honest. Then I’m going to sweep leaves off the drive and chop them up for leaf mould for next year.

We have had odd weather in the SE (it has been in the news), permanently grey and very dark for the last two weeks, very high humidity (been emptying the dehumidifier twice a day) but no rain. This has resulted in masses of leaf drop but none of them have turned to mush, so roadsides and paths everywhere are a riot of glorious colours. There are still a lot on the trees too. It has turned much dryer and colder in the last 24 hours though, I haven’t emptied the dehumidifier since yesterday morning and it’s only half full.

Goal for the weekend has mostly been achieved. This means other than a few tidying up bits, tomo will be a rest day.
I am rather looking forwards to that

Hello all. I've been on this thread before, rather a while ago, then fell off and name changed due to tedious family drama that I won't bore you with. I've been flying on and off for over 20 years, with varying degrees of success, and have 4 DC (3 adults living away from home), 1 husband, 1 small business, 1 elderly parent and 1 idiot WillowHound. We are all ND, which makes some aspects of housekeeping damned complicated, and Flylady (mostly) keeps me on track. I recognise some names here (hello @ExquisiteIyDesigned and @HazelNuttyElf ) and some writing styles (hello @Scourgify and @SleepingIceDragons ) and send 🍒👋🏼 to everyone else.

I got back to proper daily / weekly / zone routines at the start of October, so the house is feeling quite nice as I go through it a second time, but since we are now six weeks to Christmas 😬 I need to raise my game.

Things on today's To Do list (I will not get them all done)
🪴 Morning routine (I still have to tick it off 🤦)
🪴 Get DS to change his bed and tidy his room (he's 14 and pretty good at this)
🪴 Spread Christmas craft projects on the kitchen table and make a genuine assessment of where each one has got to and whether I might finish it by Christmas
🪴 Batch cook oat-and-pumpkin muffins and oat protein bread for quick breakfasts that keep me off the toast
🪴 Final blitz of kitchen zone - clean light fittings, sort out baking cupboard and icing shelf, ask DH to sort out jars at top of fridge again (he uses them most, he has Opinions on how they're filed, he can deal with them!)
🪴Roast pork with cauliflower cheese etc for dinner
🪴 Get outside and walk WillowHound and plabt some crocus bulbs.

Must gird loins and get cracking!