Fresh February for Flybabies - Feb 25 Flylady thread

[DillyDeclutter]

February is a nice short month to try something new with housework! If you're looking for 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! Especially not in the shortest month of the year!

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

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.
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/

Morning all,

Today we will come home from holiday and see the house with fresh eyes (and noses), then plan some cleaning and tidying. I can do my friday car and purse day...maybe. Hopefully not too bad but not the clean house my mum always made sure to have before leaving on holiday. She wasn't a clean freak but going on holiday was deep clean time. But, sickness put a stop to that. We are all feeling much better.

My baby step will be post it notes, but I'm not sure about that. I also read about taking breaks to not get sick! We've definitely been too much on the go.

A busy half term week with university offer holder days with dd1 and play dates with dd2 . Today is ds's choice and we're heading to ninja warrior. I have got up earlier than everyone to get some chores completed , however, I have been watching call the midwife for the past 2 hours ! I feel as tired out as a work week - I was in bed for 8pm last night !

Aim for today is to fold all the clean washing and 15 minutes on the playroom , not too many expectations will hopefully give me the motivation to get up off the settee 😂 I'm going to have a power hour starting at 930 ! Hopefully I'll be back on here with some tadas 🤞

Thursday is errand day. Today's mission is to spend 15 minutes decluttering in the master bedroom.

Baby step 20: http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-20/ - include laundry in your daily routine.

2in2022 I grew up in a very untidy house which was cleaned twice a year: before the neighbours came in to draw the curtains during our holiday, and on Christmas Eve before the grandparents came round. It took me a long time to stop having a cleaning meltdown over those two events. Little and often is definitely the way forward for me!

Hope the power hour has gone well Searching!

It's my NWD and I have a whole page of to dos today. There are 19 things- I'll report progress later! * *

Today is clean out your car and handbag day.

Mission for today is to clean the windows in your master bedroom and bathroom. Mine definitely need this - Cobwebs inside the sash etc - but I don't really want to open the windows in February! It was very humid and weird yesterday and our windows steamed up from the outside.

Baby step 21 is to stick to your routine www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-21/

I did 12 of my 19 to dos yesterday and some other useful stuff.

Okay, our back (master and bathroom) windows could do with cleaning.
I also want to tidy my pile of papers on the dining room table.
And clean kitchen floor/mould patch that has appeared since coming home (or I just noticed it)

My baby step is being kind to myself, writing down my negative thoughts about housework and rewriting them positive.

Baby step 5, got sidetracked...
My negative thoughts when I read about using postit notes
'postit notes are pointless fluff. I have more important things to do and may use them for study. Everything I need to learn is impossibly big .'

Changed to
'postit notes could help break down impossibly big projects and help free up my cluttered mind by getting it down on paper. I could use them for study as well as housekeeping.'

Now to find my post it notes. I know I have some in the mess.

Today I have tidied half the pile of paper, done one and a half loads of washing and ds unexpectedly skipped his nap, so no floor or window cleaning.

The power hour went well thanks @DillyDeclutter ! All clean washing folded and taken to rooms and a few things decluttered from the playroom and taken to the charity shop! An empty cupboard in the playroom means some of the stuff that has been stored on the floor since Christmas can have a home!

Not much housework completed today because we've been in and out all day. I have been to bed and I'm already up , even though I've been up since 430am. No sleep is like a never ending cycle! Hopefully tomorrow will be a reset day , uniforms ironed , calendar updates etc ready for the start of the half term .

You're making progress @2in2022twoyearson . I remember when mine were little and spontaneously started cutting out naps , it was a bit of a shock to the system! I enjoyed having that little pocket of time during the day to myself !

Today is hotspots for me.... but I have a few, and don't know which one to tackle first....more of a forest fire than hotspots....just like flylady I have a pile of papers on the dining room. I also have my DD art's and crafts/odd Christmas present on a chair, more delicate things/ things I don't want da to get on top of any tall furniture, out of my normal eyeline. Then there's the mess of the clothes cupboard. Then there is unsorted laundry pile in ds bedroom with other random items thrown in. And, let's not start with my clothes.
I think I need 5 minutes not 2. It was a new year resolution to declutter a surface for 5 minutes but I've not done that for a while so time to get back to it

2in2022 starting is the hardest. Which hot spot annoys you most? Which appeared most recently? Could you start there?

Searching we are tidy clear and organised* *(ish!) ready for half term to start. So funny being the opposite week to everyone else!

Today is family fun day, no missions. We have free entry to a local National Trust place (voucher from a paper!) so will be heading there later.

Baby step 22 is building on your routines and confidence again www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-22/

Thanks, the dining room table pile, because a week ago it was functional, now it's a mess. Clothes definitely bother me the most but it's a big project the problem is partly the wardrobe itself, I tried boxes and they're awful, I need shelves.

Morning, Sunday is renew your spirit day. No missions at the weekend.

This week we are in zone 5, the living room/family room/den and we are invited to declutter for 15 minutes a day.

Baby step 23: http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-23/ - start an afternoon routine.

My baby step is an create a bedtime routine. This year I've got into overnight oats for breakfast which is allredy part of my bedtime routine. I'm doing intermittent fasting, where I try and not eat 12 hours overnight so when I think about snacking before bed, I make overnight oats and thinking about my breakfast helps suppress my urge to eat. So my routine will be:

Make breakfast
Put dishwasher on
Get clothes out for tomorrow
Write in my planner/journal
Brush teeth

Will try and add and improve later. I also have been doing a 10-3-2-1 for sleep which is hours before bed no caffeine-no food or alcohol-no work-..... could add bedtime routine in the last hour.

Today I've done some study while DH took children out. Well go to church. Afternoon he'll have some time while I take children out to a kids craft group.

2in2022 you are doing so well with your baby steps! Your bedtime routine looks good! Did you manage to put out your hotspot?

Dilly did you enjoy your day out yesterday?

Searching it sounds like you're making great progress in the play room. You achieved an empty cupboard!

Not a huge amount of flying here, DS did his usual home bleugh on Friday. I washed 2 LOLs yesterday.
I need to meal plan and go grocery shopping. I also need to check to see what I have for cake decorations as it's SILs 40th birthday this week, so we'll do her birthday dinner next Saturday! I already have her gift ready 😇
I do need to do more laundry today and I need to at least do a wipe down of the bathrooms.
Hopefully I'll be back with some ta das later.

@HazelNotHungryLC I did, allthough it took 15 minutes not 3, still not much out of my life. It was my pile of papers I sorted and pegged up a couple of kids artwork, thew out rubbish and found some postit notes! So used them for reminding me of my bedtime routine on my wardrobe. They are old and not very sticky though.

Morning! Monday is home bleugh day - sheets, bins, hoover, dust etc. I do mine on a Saturday so never sure whether I'm 2 days ahead or 5 behind.

This week we are in the living/family room and today's mission is:

Check the floors in your living room. Look at that two inches all they way around the walls and baseboards that seems to get missed with the vacuum and the broom. Your mission today is to use the vacuum and really concentrate on that area, you can also use a vegetable or toilet bowl brush (not the ones that you are currently using on veggies or the toilet, lol)to loosen the hair and dirt that gets caught up against the wall.

Baby step 24 is to add a Swish and Swipe of the bathroom to your morning routine http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-24/

Hazel We had a nice day out thank you. It was just a small place but little children don't need a lot to keep themselves entertained. Hope you got through some tadas!

22in2022 sounds like good progress!

Morning all. Monday is a busy work day for me so I don't think I'll be doing bleugh. I lay in bed and realised I didn't lay out my clothes so I will try and do that tonight. Ds had a bad night sleep. Forgot DD changed of clothes and snack for club....so I'm taking them in on lunch break and will probably loose my parking space. I should probably add pack her bag to bedtime routine. Todays baby step is about getting a folder for routines. I'll use a notebook, I have loads.

All laid low one after the other with a fluey bug throughout the week, and as I lay on the settee staring at the shelves I decided that it’s time to accept that the Teens are never going to read my childhood books, and it’s time to re-read and/or let go. I started moving a few at a time off the shelves and into another room for boxing up. It wasn’t at all painful, just slightly saddening. But I need to move forward now. I like writing about it here, where I don’t get eyerolls, or at least I can’t see them lol!

Bedtime reminder is great. Next step is to limit time on ipad before putting out light. Have a rubber brush that will take care of edges and corners. Looking forward to seeing the Zone improving!

Scourgify, I have my childhood books lined up for my DC. The oldest is 6. As they age into them I am rereading myself and heavily censoring the selection that I actually pass on! Not many have survived so far.

2in2022 I am on a notebook buying ban. I love them, I have a whole drawer filled, I do not need any more. Love a new notebook project!

Today I did two LOLs and bleached all the school polo shirts.

Tuesday is plan and play day! It's an extra office day for me so sorry I'm so late posting.

Today's mission is:

For today you are to take 5 minutes and dust the decorative items in your living room. The picture frames, lamps and knick knacks, this is a detailed dusting. Turn on the music and move quickly, you will be amazed at how fast you can to this!

Baby step 25: http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-25/

I have Mt Washmore to tackle when I get home - three loads of washing to fold and put away.

Dilly I did 4 LOLs over the weekend, meal planning and grocery shopping. But that's it.

Yesterday would have been perfect spring cleaning weather here, but if course I was at work all day 😞 I did vacuum at ILs house when I was there for lunch, and aired out the house a little bit.

To dos:
☕️ take DS to school (he'll drive to get some practise time in)
☕️ dentist appt for me 😫
☕️ take Jeep through carwash
☕️ LOLs, including sheets, blankets off the couch, towels etc.
☕️ bathe the dogs
☕️ vacuum
☕️ mop
☕️ deep clean both bathrooms
☕️ help DS cook dinner

I really need to get all of that done today, I really hope I can achieve all of that and not lose my mojo today.

Ta das so far:
🦷 dropped DS off at school
🦷 dentist appt
🦷 bank
🦷 bathed dogs
🦷 1st lol in dryer (sheets)
🦷 2nd lol in washer (towels)

Still lots to do, just sat down for a quick break before getting back at it again.

Ta das:
🧚‍♀️ vacuumed whole house, including stairs
🧚‍♀️ wiped down some walls that looked a little grubby
🧚‍♀️ cleaned the dogs kennels
🧚‍♀️ mopped thoroughly
🧚‍♀️ bleach grout on bathroom floors to make it white again. I don't think it's supposed to be white, but it looks better that way!
🧚‍♀️ bleached both bathrooms
🧚‍♀️ cleaned mirrors and some glass on doors
🧚‍♀️ 4 more LOLs
🧚‍♀️ emptied all bins in the house
🧚‍♀️ aired the house for most of the day

I'm just sitting with my feet up, waiting for DS to text me that his club tournament is over, munching on some mini eggs!

When he's home I'll help him cook dinner tonight.

Wednesday is anti procrastination day! I'm in the office again so not much time for housework- it's up, work, bed on Wednesdays.

Today's mission is to spend 15 minutes to rehome anything that doesn't belong in your living room.

Today's baby step is to remember that you are not behind - just start from where you are
http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-26/