💕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!

Oh and DS3 sleep has been bad recently, hopefully improving as it's been ok for a few days, but naps now intermittent....I do think he may have had a developmental leap, he has a longer attention span now, for toys etc and in interested in letters, and what things say.

Ta das:
🥞 dogs to groomer
🥞 hair done
🥞 bank
🥞 shopping, didn't find shoes though
🥞 vacuumed
🥞 mopped x2
🥞 LOLs x4 (both lots of sheets & 2 lots of towels)
🥞 rotated DW
🥞 handwashed dishes
🥞 put all clean dishes away
🥞 wiped countertops
🥞 wiped stove
🥞 cleaned bathrooms
🥞 clothes out for tomorrow
🥞 cleaned bin when I emptied it

I didn't feel like I did much today, so when DH commented on how the house looked I said I didn't do much. Now looking at my ta das, maybe I did more than I thought!

Wednesday is anti-procrastination day.

Wednesday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260218-zone-3-mission-3-wednesday-your-main-bathroom
Toss old OOD cosmetics. If you don't use it ever, get rid. If it has a smell, chuck it! It could have bacteria growing in there, and you don't want to put that on your face or near your eyes!
In the laundry room, pair up old shoes and chuck the extras.

Baby Step 18: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/18/
Introducing the Flylady 11 commandments.
Don't forget your other routines, listed on the link also.

Thursday is errand day.

Thursday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260219-zone-3-mission-4-thursday-your-main-bathroom
Check your supplies in both your bathroom and laundry room.

Baby Step 19: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/19/
Share your progress so far. Email flylady, post on her Facebook page, post them on this thread. See how far you have come this month.

Sorry I'm a little late today, last night I was so tired I actually got to bed at a reasonable time!
After working all day I got dinner served (leftovers) and cleaned up the kitchen. Then it was time to get ready for bed! I did sit on the couch with some tea for a few minutes though, to wind down.

Friday is clean your car & purse day.
Friday night is date night.

Friday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260220-zone-3-mission-5-friday-your-main-bathroom
Bathroom: shine your sink and bath
Laundry room: wipe down your washer & dryer

Baby Step 20: do one load of laundry. For some reason today's link isn't working!

Saturday is family fun day.
No missions.

Baby Step 21: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/21/
Get your flylady questions answered. Go to the Facebook page, email flylady, visit the website (Q&A section), or simply ask us on here!

So I've read on here that for many this was half term week. How's everybody's week been? Have you been up to anything exciting?

It's just a normal week here, for the most part. It was a holiday on Monday (President's Day), so I didn't work. I didn't get extra done around the house though, I was power lounging instead (that's what my FIL calls it - sounds better than being lazy!).

DH & I stayed up late and watched a couple of movies on Netflix. Really late. 1am late 😴. The dogs didn't get the memo though, so woke me up around 7am. I'm tired, but I didn't want to be getting out of bed at 9 or 10am!.

Anyway, laundry needs to be done, along with the weekly meal plan and grocery shopping. DH wants DS more involved, cooking and planning a meal each week. So I'll have to wait until he wakes up. It's almost 8am here.

Hi, my kids and husband are on half-term. He works in a school. I was at work Saturday, Thursday and Friday. On the days off, we mostly chilled at home, but did see some family and friends. I'm applying for a promotion from work at the hospital. On Friday, 4 people were off, on top of all the people for half term. Lots of parents at my work, which is the main reason I work that as they're flexible and supportive. Otherwise it's not great, old equipment, lots of pressures, but honestly it's such a positive. So yesterday I was in charge of a scanner and it broke so I had to sort all that but the manager that day actually messaged me in the evening how well I did, so that's really motivating for finishing my application. But it was an exhausting two days at work.

Someone was giving away today's shift and I actually considered it before remembering I need to rest.

That's so encouraging to get positive feedback, especially when you need to find solutions for problems under pressure.

I have got a great time. Sometimes I think people have a low opinion of my abilities, so maybe I surprised them today. But that's my negative thoughts and probably just some paranoia. Just submitted that application for promotion, so tomorrow will definitely be a rest and renew... allthough the housework has been neglected and in working Monday...

Half term doesn't affect is any more, seems weird after all the years of working around school holidays. Just get the benefit of less traffic going to work.

I'm not doing very well at going to bed at a decent hour....

Always fingers crossed for the promotion!

We have survived half term, wasn't an exciting one due to money and work. Hopefully Easter will be better

Sunday is renew your spirit day.
No missions.

Baby Step 22: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/22/
Is there anything you need for your control journal? Different pens? Dividers? (If using a binder, not a notepad).

Don't forget your routines!

Good luck with your promotion Always!

ED I've found there's an adjustment as they grow up. DS is now driving and has a job, so more independent. I feel like I have so much more free time! When he's home from school for holidays, there's no entertaining him anymore either!
I didn't feel that change the same way with DD, but she's 5 years older, so we still had those commitments with DS. Although with her, the biggest worry for me now is financial worries and she gets sick a lot. Being 2 1/2 hours away from us now, I'm not able to just pop in whenever and take her soup or check on her. It's a whole day event that takes planning and money!

THAT it really is so much harder when we're time and money poor. However, just being able to hang out with the DC in the evenings, them being home or at least out of normal routine can do wonders and lift the mood in the house, I've found.

Our half term is this coming week, we are later than the local authorities around us. So we have two weeks of moderate traffic rather than one week of empty roads!

I am on a mission to clear out the freezer, I used up four half empty packs of filo pastry today. Trying to buy less and use up excessive cupboard stores over Lent.

I actually got two loads of washing dried outside today. It was only 11 degrees but quite breezy so it did the trick!

What did you make with the pastry Dilly?

I only got some laundry done today. It did end up being 3 loads. And I put all the clean laundry away!
We did also meal plan and go grocery shopping.
DS cooked dinner, with a little help from me and DH.
We all cleaned up the kitchen.

Most of the day though, I was lazy and did nothing!

I have got my clothes out ready for the morning, as well as my lunch.
I did a little bit of yoga as well.

It was a relaxing day!

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

We're in the next zone: master bedroom, bathroom and closet.

Monday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/zone-4-mission-1-monday-your-master-bedroom
Clean off the top of your dresser. Don't forget to dust when it's clear. If it's a big job, set your timer for 15 minutes and get done what you can. It'll be an improvement.

Baby Step 23: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/23/
Start your afternoon routine. Think about what you'd like to get done after work/ school. Make a plan for dinners. Add this to your control journal.

Good morning! I am still chugging along loosely following the system. I treated myself to a new bed sheet yesterday and got super king size for my king size bed in the hope that this one continues to fit after I've washed (and tumble dried 😳) it. We always end up with sheets that are just a bit too small.

Thanks as always for posting the links @HazelNotHungryLC 💐

The only thing I don't always tick off is the decluttering task. Clutter really does creep if not dealt with religiously so I will start making sure I do it from today!

Hazel I made an apple and raspberry strudel from some fruit we had hanging around in the freezer- spot the theme!

Winterfrogs we had the same issue with sheets. Our mattress is also a non-standard size which doesnt help either. I have bought deep fitting ones this time and they've been a bit better.

It's sunny today and the sunshine is showing up my dirty windows and cobwebs.

🤞 for you WinterFrogs that the sheets won't shrink! I really should do more decluttering as well. I'm good at throwing things out when used up or broken, it's the "useful" things that are harder.

Dilly nothing like sunshine coming through the windows to highlight everything that needs doing in the house!

I've seen a few things that need doing in the house, I was too tired to get to them this evening, I'll plan on tackling the list tomorrow though.

Tuesday is plan & play day.

Tuesday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260224-zone-4-mission-2-tuesday-your-master-bedroom
Spend 15 minutes decluttering your top shelf of your closet. Set your timer and go!

Baby Step 24: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/24/
Swish & Swipe. Have your bathrooms guest ready always by doing a quick once over every morning. I've been better at this since getting the disposable wipes. They're just not great for the environment (but very handy).

Oh man, I'm sorry, I completely skipped a day!
I'm currently dealing with some digestive issues, so I'm not exactly feeling myself atm.

Anyway, I still got some things done Tuesday:
🩷 LOLs x6, including mattress protectors, sheets and our big comforter/blanket
🩷 dusted
🩷 vacuumed
🩷 mopped
🩷 cleaned bathrooms
🩷 rotated DW

I ended up taking a short nap, and didn't get everything done that I wanted.

Wednesday I worked all day, so other than rotated DW, I've not done any flying.

Baby Step 25: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/25/
Progress, not perfection. We can run ourselves ragged by aiming for perfection. If we settle on making things better than what they were, it's less stress on us, especially if we're aiming for something unachievable.

Wednesday's mission is split into 2 rooms: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/2026-zone-4-and-5-mission-3-wednesday
Master bathroom: clear out expired products. Lotions, makeup, creams, they all expire and the last thing you want is an eye infection!
Living room: spend 15 minutes putting things away that don't belong. If you're blind to it, take a picture, it can really open your eyes! Set your timer and stop at 15 minutes.

Thursday is errand day.

Thursday's mission: isn't up yet 🙄 I'll check back later (I'll try to do that before I go to sleep).

Baby Step 26: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/26/
Remember you're never behind with Flylady! Just jump right back in where we're at. We revisit each area of the house every month.

Hello! Thanks as always @HazelNotHungryLC

I did get rid of some eyeliner yesterday. Barely wear make up anyway so probably won't replace it. Living room is pretty clear, so I pulled the sofa out and vacuumed thoroughly.
I began my regular decluttering. It mostly took the form of shredding old papers, including notebooks.
I probably have clothes to declutter too. And I need to do the cupboard under the sink.

Does anyone remember the 'Decorating on the fly' page? I think it was weekly ( Tuesdays maybe?) when she'd suggest something to make the house more homely. I found it very handy once I'd got the place decluttered. Either she's stopped doing it or I can't find it. One I clearly remember was buying chrysanthemums to put in a pot the front door. I used to look forward to those little missions.

New sheet has been washed so I'll use it when I change the bed tomorrow or Saturday.