💕Longer days, shorter month: February Flylady thread 💕

[HazelNotHungryLC]

Love is in the air! But do you love your housework/cleaning routine?

Whether you're starting to build a new routine, stuck in a rut, or been around for years, join us on the Flylady thread. I'll try to keep us on track for the month, with baby steps, daily missions and weekly zones.

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:
🩷Entryway, porch and dining room
🩷Bathroom & one other room
🩷Kitchen
🩷Master bedroom & master bathroom
🩷Living room

Don't worry about finishing it all this month, it'll come around again next month! Flylady is NOT about perfectionism!

Daily focus: each day of the week has a different focus.

• 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 😆
• S&S: Swish & Swipe (wipe the bathroom sink & toilet)
• 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, if I can get them to work, she's updated the website! Although if you can, it's worth downloading the newly updated 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 👇

Daily missions (for the zone we are in): https://beta.flylady.net/daily-mission

Baby steps (on a different website, since the link isn't working on the new site yet): https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/

Feel free to ask any questions you may have, some of us have been doing Flylady for a very long time, as well as others just starting out. We may have other things to add that we have found works for us that could help you too!

ED I'm also finding that things are a little easier to keep on top of in my house too. It feels good!

Ta das:
🩷 caramels made (just need to be wrapped)
🩷 truffles dipped
🩷 LOLs x4
🩷 mopped floors
🩷 bathed the dogs
🩷 rotated DW
🩷 handwashed dishes x2

I ended up not needing to take DS to urgent care, he said his ears didn't hurt anymore. I'm still going to keep checking on him, we might need to go anyway.

I'll still need to finish the truffles and wrap the caramels, then I can put my orders together, in time for Valentine's day. I should be able to finish all that tomorrow (Sunday).

Sunday is renew your spirit day. You could take a walk in nature, go to church, read a book, watch a movie, whatever works for you to unwind and get ready for the week ahead.

There are no missions on the weekend.

Baby Step 8: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/8/
Start your control journal (although in the link she says home management binder, but I'm guessing that's to do with copyright limitations).
You'll want a 3 ring binder & lined paper or even a notebook would work. On the 1st page you'll write morning routine, 2nd page (I would actually recommend writing on the 3rd page, in the notebook, as there's an afternoon routine too) you'll write before bed routine. In the link she has it all broken down as to which baby steps are what.
Remember, no need to make it perfect!

Checking in very late for February!

Couple of birthdays & a bout of illness in late Jan finished me off!

Catching up with everyone now!

THAT so good to see you! How's your new job going? I'm sorry to hear you were sick, are you feeling better now?

Ooh, you're cleverer than me. I thought it meant 'rotate the Darling Wife'. (Disabled wife that needed turning/moving to prevent bed sores.). Got confused with 'pupa' too.

Sorry, what's pupa?

I definitely rested today. My fatigue has continued but it's got to the point where I know I just need to move more and do more. I worked yesterday, woke feeling awful, took ibuprofen at 4:30 am. May have slept slightly after that. Felt much better at work than at home. Slept well last night, felt better today. Will be cleaning the kitchen sink in a moment then tomorrow is a home day off work no kids so will do house blessing.

I watched Winter Olympics, put on four loads of laundry, and a few things are soaking in stain removers ready for tomorrow's wash.

Kitchen is a bit better. Several large bags of declutter earmarked for DH to take to recycling tomorrow in his car. Also some items from the garage.

Afaik, pupa = Pick Up (and) Put Away

also known as Room to Room Fedex

Sorry for the confusion @CrystalSingerFan!

Always I'm glad you're on the mend!

Scourgify you've had a productive day!

Ta das:
❤️ meal planning for the week
🩷 grocery shopping done
❤️ wrapped caramels
🩷 finished peanut butter truffles
❤️ put my orders together
🩷 helped DH with dinner
❤️ got my lunch ready for tomorrow

I still need to get my clothes out for tomorrow and shower etc. And post links for tomorrow!

My treats I've made:

Monday is home blessing (home bleugh). 10 minutes in each room, vacuum, empty bins, change bedsheets.

We are moving to zone 2: the kitchen.
Mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission (it hasn't updated for me yet, I'm sorry!)

Baby Step 9: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/9/
5 minute room rescue. Set your timer for 5 minutes and see what you can do to tidy it. You may be amazed at what you can accomplish.

They look very good hazel. Are you a professional sweets maker?...not sure of the title

A regular lurker here, I really should start decluttering the house but having an incredibly untidy husband makes it very dispiriting and hard work.
The house isn’t dirty, just too much stuff, mostly mine!
I really don’t know how to start……

Those sweets look delicious @HazelNotHungryLC are you a professional confectioner?

Nope, not a professional! I do sell them, but to friends and family as well as some of them get given as gifts. I take that as a compliment!

@Zippedydodah welcome 👋
Can you just do 15 minutes of decluttering? Something easy to start with? Can you start in the zone we're in? Or your closet? What do you find you have the most of?

No flying here today, not yet anyway. I've been at work all day, but I did take the Jeep through the carwash on the way home as it got muddy this morning on the way to work. It had rained overnight. I did a quick vacuum on it too, until my fingers were numb from the cold!

I've made myself a hot toddy and now drinking chamomile tea with honey. I'm feeling like I might be starting to get sick, so trying to ward it off.

Tuesday is plan & play day.
Plan your week/ a party etc. And do something fun for yourself.

Monday's mission was to scrub your stovetop/hob.
Tuesday's mission will hopefully update soon! https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission

Baby Step 10: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/10/
Learn the power of 15 minutes. Set your timer and do whatever you feel needs to be done. After 15 minutes, set your timer for another 15 minutes and put your feet up, you deserve a rest!

I did scrub my stovetop yesterday, but I'm going to give it another going over today.

Staying in - had my very first shingles vaccination and was warned that I might feel midl flu symptoms. Unfortunately, I have to go out tomorrow - car is getting the wheel alignment checked, so I'll have to dive out and empty the car. (Aye, I know. I have a big bag of books in there, for the charity shop in St Andrews. They'll not be going there today, I'm afraid, so I'll have to bring 'em back in.)

Tuesday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260210-zone-2-mission-2-tuesday-your-kitchen
Clean your cutlery drawer/ tray.

Weary I hope you don't actually develop any flu like symptoms at all! I understand about bringing donations stuff back in, just make sure to take them back out once the car is done!

To dos:
☕️ coffee!
☕️ get dressed etc
☕️ take Coco to the vet for her monthly jab
☕️ paint my nails
☕️ vacuum
☕️ mop
☕️ clean bathrooms
☕️ cook chili for dinner tonight (new recipe)

Not sure what else I'll get done today. MIL will be spending the morning with me, while her dog is at the groomer getting his bath. She'll stop by with him afterwards to say hi. He gets really disappointed if they go straight home!

@HazelNotHungryLC i have too many clothes but struggle to know what to get rid of. I’ve already filled 2 black bags for charity.
i have thinned out my yarn stash but there’s still far too much as as for my dresser……..
I really need to stop procrastinating and just do it! It would be easier if a total stranger did it I think! Less attachment that way?

@WearyAuldWumman I was ok with my first shingles jab but the second one knocked me for six for several days. Flu like symptoms, headache, nausea, not pleasant.

@Zippedydodah here are some questions to think about, that might help:
Do you have clothes that are too big/ too small?
Have you worn everything in the past 12 months?
Is there anything that needs repairing but you know deep down it won't happen?
What clothes do you always bypass?
Is everything you own easy to put into an outfit?
Probably the most important question: do you love it?
How does it make you feel when you put it on?

I'm sure there are other things to think about as well, but if one or two of those questions stands out to you, think about them when sorting out your clothes.
Anything you're not sure about, set on one side and revisit it.
You could even do it Marie Kondo style and take everything out of your wardrobe, only putting back on what you actually wear and love.

You could do the tip of putting your clothes on hangers backwards and as you wear them turn the hangers the right way, however, keep in mind that if you have a house fire, firefighters will only grab what's easy. If they can't grab all your clothes and remove them in one go, they'll leave all of them. (I only say that because we did have a house fire and they did grab all of my clothes out of the room that was affected: my closet room).

You could also have one side of your wardrobe (say the left side), that you put things back on that side when you have worn them. At the end of the season or after a length of time (say 6 months), if you haven't worn items on the right side, they need to go.

Sorry that was long!

I have emptied the car and hoovered the floor mats. Not perfect, but it'll do.

Now sitting with a Lemsip.

At least I managed to pass on the clothes etc for the charity shop, so it's only the books that have had to come back in. (The books won't move round my way - the shops here just look for crime novels and romances.)

Hello again! Thank you for the thread @HazelNotHungryLC I need to start posting to stay accountable.
I have just downloaded the new and improved app. I've amused myself today ticking off tasks again. And I just cleaned my cutlery drawer 💪
I'm forever just 'jumping back in' with flylady. Been doing it for years, and I find I get off track quite quickly but it never takes too long to get straight again.
Thanks for posting the babysteps. Every time I feel like my life needs a reset, I begin them all over again.
I would like to start making a good old fashioned Control Journal too.

I'm enjoying the new look app too, although I downloaded it years ago I never used it on the basis that once I picked my phone up that would be it but I have discovered that tracking other things does help me so I am using it now. Also using the Finch app to tick off self care things and Noom for food. Plus a rolling to do list in my notes app.

Today I decluttered the entire pen and pencil stash of the house. We have a pen pot in every room except the bathroom and a couple of extras with old felt tips and coloured pencils from when the DCs were young. And yet you could never find a pen that worked when you needed one despite them all overflowing. So the whole lot was sorted, dried up pens chucked, loads of felt tips, coloured and plain pencils bagged up to donate and a few pens and pencils put in each pot and back to each room.