Grab your broomstick and fly with us into the October Flylady thread! 🎃🦇👻

[HauntingHazel]

Cobwebs, witches and ghouls await us as we head into October. The weather is changing (here anyway) so what better time to start, or restart, new routines!

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!

Zones:

1. Entryway, porch and dining room
2. Kitchen
3. Bathroom and one other room
4. Master bedroom
5. Living room

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 (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. Well, they should but there is some technical difficulties on their end while they update the website. You can also check out the Facebook page, she updates that daily multiple times

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

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

That would be very much appreciated @Alwayslearning25

Just about keeping on top of things at home, finally got my autumn decorations up a couple of days ago, brought the Hallowe’en ones out of the loft too. Travelling today, early start and will be back late so the house is in the hands of DH and DS.

That would be very much appreciated @Alwayslearning25

Just about keeping on top of things at home, finally got my autumn decorations up a couple of days ago, brought the Hallowe’en ones out of the loft too. Travelling today, early start and will be back late so the house is in the hands of DH and DS.

Full disclosure. I'm playing with chatgbt and they've given me some great titles to choose from. I might even use it to write some threads. After all, flylady is all about saving those minutes and 2nd commandment is don't get sidetracked by the computer (or phone in my case). This is where you tell be you all use chatgbt for Mumsnet

I wrote my last message when I had a few minutes before the school run and DD was trying to talk to me so I kept it short and felt bad.

After my post yesterday I napped a further half an hour until my alarm went off for the school run. I felt groggy until about 7pm, during that window found all my half finished housework, then went for c25k which made me feel much better, put away piles of laundry on beds, still got more to put away, but at work now. I slept well last night so needed that nap, but could have done without the school run! However, I didn't even clean my sink last night so, back to basics babysteps for me.

Alwayslearning25 thank you for volunteering for November thread.

I realise I did not post links last night! I'm so sorry! I'm not doing a good job this month 🤦‍♀️

Day 16 baby Step: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-16/
Read testimonials on the Flylady website.

Day 17: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-17/
Set a bedtime for yourself, just like we do for our DC!
This is one I'm trying to do, and failing!
I wake up at 5:30am for work, I need to fall asleep by 10:30pm to get 7 hours of sleep. I struggle to get into bed before 11pm most nights! I'm tired enough, but haven't changed my routine to start earlier. I have the odd night I can get to bed before 10:30pm, sometimes 10pm, then I'm not tired enough the next night 🤦‍♀️

Friday is clean out your car and purse (handbag) day. It's also date night.
Friday's mission in the bathroom is to clean and sink your bathroom sink.
She doesn't say anything about what to do in the guest bedroom, other than it's the last day, you've done well, put your feet up for 15 minutes!

For anybody who wants to catch up (very un-flylady-like) Thursday's missions:
Bathroom:
spend 10 minutes checking the dates on your cosmetics. Toss anything out of date, or if it's been a while since you've used it.
Guest bedroom:
Do another 27 boogie fling. Or if you don't need to do that, just vacuum or sweep the floor.

For a work day I surprisingly have some ta das (not much though):
💀 vacuumed my Jeep (it had a lot of dog hairs in it and I'll be driving a car full tomorrow night)
💀 cleared a hotspot in our family room (main room in the house)
💀 handwashed dishes
💀 wiped countertops

DS has a couple of friends over right now, so my house is starting to smell like teenage boys 🤮
I lit a candle, but it's not doing much..

Haunting hazel. I prioritise sleep but mostly don't do a bedtime routine because I sleep instead! But my life would be better if I did one. I had insomnia a bit 8-10 years ago, but mostly in life I can sleep very well, head hits the pillow and I fall asleep, esspecaly now I have small children. I did about 3 nights in a row of getting around 5 hours sleep and I did not function well on that and everyone knew it.

I get around 7.5 hours but this time of year it doesn't feel enough. I had high sleep requirements as a teenager, could have been post viral fatigue as I had a bad virus age 13, but also ties in with hormones. I needed almost 12 hours sleep for the good part of a year, but even after that I feel like I need more sleep than average.

I'm so behind with my sort out, shattered on Wednesday, went to IKEA on Thursday to buy some extra shelves for my bookcases, ended up buying a desk too, busy with other stuff yesterday.
I'm tired, no motivation, and sick of everything being messy.
Hope to be back with a positive update later!

Cherry 💐 I hope you have a better day today and end up feeling things are achieved. If it helps I am currently surrounded by mess, my dc have been ill this week, we have had a birthday so excess packaging etc and things are definitely not visitor ready here (are they ever?)

I've made a huge dent in it 💪.
Currently at the bitty stage, I'd put all the little things in a box and I'm trying to put stuff away as I pull it out. Going a bit Kon Marie, putting like with like.
I've tidied up my pen collection, whilst trying to forget my sideboard downstairs that's got boxes galore full of arts and craft supplies.
I must have walked a few hundred steps just in my bedroom!
As for being visitor ready @THISbitchingwitch , someone is coming tonight for the wardrobe I've been trying to rehome for ages (if they don't change their mind like the last lot), and I'm thinking of putting it outside on my drive so they don't have to come in 😄

Well done cherry! 👏

Ta da
🕷 LOL on
🕸 recycling including bday package gathered together
🕷 dw empty and reloaded
🕸 kitchen worktops clear and wiped
🕷 breakfast bar clear and wiped
🕸 hand wash pots - washed

TaDa!
Upstairs 99% done.
In my bedroom I've still got a small pile of linen and bits and pieces for my son to collect.
A clothes rail of coats that I don't currently have a storage solution for.
Huge heavy desk that I've just put on FB marketplace.
A box of paperwork that needs filing.
Hallway is half full of recycling and a small box of stuff that needs putting away downstairs.
I can actually sit on my chair now!

I've been AWOL again! But this time, for a good reason. Friday night I took a friend, DS and 3 of his friends up to a haunted attraction, where they do jump scares etc. I've been lots of times, it's a lot of fun! It was a very late night, I was getting out of the shower at 1:30am! Then fell into bed, of course, falling asleep at 2am!

So today (Saturday, so yesterday for all of you!), we had a marching band competition. I was up at 6am. I ended up with 4 hours of sleep. So needless to say, I'm exhausted! It'll be an early night 😴.
The band did good, they won 3 awards, including 1st place!

Sunday is renew your spirit day.

No missions on Sundays.

Baby Step 19: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-19/
Read the testimonials.

And, since I missed it:
Baby Step 18: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-18/
Learn about the 11 commandments of Flylady - here is the link:
https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/flyladys-11-commandments/

We might be going out later, but if not I will be starting the downstairs purge.
I'm going away on Thursday morning and hoping to get most of it done before I go.
Although I'm always happy to get back home, it's a bit depressing to walk in to a mess.

My DH did an excellent blitz of the house last night. He's feeling better, I'm feeling worse. I'm working today, I guess I can renew my spirit away from DS who is a real handful at the moment. I was with him constantly from nursery pick up until this morning as DH went out with friends yesterday daytime. At bedtime though he told me I was 'fablious' so that was lovely but I'm glad to have a break as it's a day with him tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will do the house blugh and maybe tidy some clutter if ds naps well.

Morning all

Today i will be my future friend ..... I am determined

Always I wish you a peaceful day without the little one - how old is he?

cherry you did amazing yesterday 👏

hazel 4 hours of sleep is not good! Hope you get some rest

This has been a challenging weekend so far. Dcs birthdays mean more communication with THATtwat which is not fun at all. Trying not to let him wind me up.

Ta da so far
🦔 LOL on
🍁 laundry from my room and bathroom brought down

Power of three maybe?
💛 recycling out
🧡 strip my bed
❤️ clear off kitchen sides

My son is nearly 3. Disappointed my least favourite college is with me so I've felt stress levels rise a number of times. He is a sneaky bastand making sure I'm taking all the risk. At least he makes sure I get a break because he always takes a long one! So from now on I am not working with him. We will do everything independently, taking turns. But now I'm sat with earplugs and he's looking at a video.

That sounds annoying always!

I have achieved two of my power of three, so now off to clear the kitchen sides. Im also trying to motivate the teenagers out of their beds which is proving difficult

@Alwayslearning25 I'm slightly jealous that you've got a "blitzing" DH!
Sorry your colleague is annoying.
@THISbitchingwitch the future friend thing is a great concept. I'm my future friend at the stables, always have things ready for evening shift, and always fill haynets on the day before band practice so I'm not coughing from seeds and dust. Even using a mask some always gets in my throat.
I'm not so good at home though.
Someone picked up the wardrobe that's been in my dining room for ages, and also took the filing cabinets that I was giving away.
I've got room to see what needs doing now.
I'm sticking things on Facebook, free to take just to get the space.
Other than paperwork and a stack of old photos there's very little to sort out downstairs.
I might be postponing my trip, I've woken up feeling awful, and think I'm coming down with DP's cold. If it's just a cold I'll be able to carry on decluttering, so fingers x'd it's nothing worse.

@CherryogDog, yes but he did it in a very angry way. 😂 Rage cleaning, occasionally swearing and I kept out of his way. I am very glad he cleared ds bedroom/ the laundry room which had just become too overwhelming for me. He sees mess and clutter and angrily blitzes, whereas I need to close the door on that room and lie down.

And yes,I should be my future friend. As I often pile things up, when I'm actively parenting to do when the children are asleep or with someone else and those windows are too small.

Cherry I'm like you, I don't want to walk in the door to a mess when I've gone away. It doesn't bother DH like it does me though, so he doesn't understand!
Well done on clearing some space in your dining room! I hope you're not coming down with something, take it easy, get lots of rest and drink plenty to flush it out!

Alwayslearning25 your colleague sounds awful! Having a break from your DS is also a good thing too. Did you manage to fit in some time for just you?

THIS sorry to hear about having to talk to THATtwat I can tell from your posts though that you are getting stronger and stronger without him in your life.. and much happier!
Well done on your PO3! And good luck with the teens!

I had a great night's sleep last night! I would have slept longer if Coco didn't wake me up a little bit before 8am. On that note, I've been awake for about an hour now, fed the dogs, gave Coco her morning meds and I've drank my 2 cups of coffee.

To dos:
👻 make caramels & cashew clusters
👻 meal plan for the week
👻 grocery shopping
👻 harvest our veggies etc from our garden
👻 laundry
👻 try to fit in a spin bike workout
👻 redo my nails

We'll see what I can accomplish today!

I got home and DS hadn't napped yet so I got him immediately down for a nap then napped myself.
I changed jobs partly because of the college. Loads of people have issues with him but management don't deal with it. I went back because there are lots of lovely colleagues and they are very flexible and understanding about childcare issues as well as offering career development. So I just avoid him when I can

Ta das:
🎃 cashew clusters & some caramels made and packaged
🎃 rotated DW
🎃 LOLs x4
🎃 painted my nails (fingers & toes)

I did nothing else! But felt like I rested, which is important.

A new week means a new zone.
This week we are in zone 4, the master bedroom.

Monday is home bleugh day.
Vacuum, empty bins, change sheets etc.

Monday's mission is to spend 15 minutes under your bed. If you store things under there, do you need to keep everything or time to declutter? Do you need to reorganise it all? Are you missing something? Maybe it's under your bed! If you don't have anything under your bed, it's time to evict any dust bunnies living there. Vacuum or sweep while you have your under-bed space empty.

Baby Step 20: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-20/
Include laundry in your morning and evening routines.