May flowers & spring cleaning - flylady style

[BloomingHazel]

With spring in the air and nicer weather here/on its way, there's no better time to start a new housekeeping routine!
I will give you a heads up, I've not been on mn daily just lately, so hopefully I'll remember to post the links!

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. you have been warned! 😂

There are Baby Steps for starting out, add one thing at a time to start good habits and routines. Try not to do too much at once, you don't want to get overwhelmed.
There are 5 zones that we will rotate through each month, 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. I will explain these further as we come across them.

• Monday: Home Blessing (or as we call it, home bleugh)
• Tuesday: plan & play
• Wednesday: anti-procrastination
• Thursday: errand day
• Friday: clean car & purse (handbag) out. It's also date night (with your significant other, or friends, or yourself!)
• Saturday: family fun day - no missions
• Sunday: renew your spirit - no missions

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.

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

Baby steps: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/ it's not technically flylady, but they're still working on the new site.

Oh boy, I'm not keeping up with the thread like I should, I'm sorry!

I'll just jump right in, flylady style!

Thursday is errand day.
Thursday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260521-zone-4-mission-4-thursday-your-master-bedroom
Clear the clutter from your bedside table. Throw away the used tissues, take water glasses to the kitchen etc.

Baby Step 20: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/20/
Do one load of laundry a day. From start to finish.
Baby Step 21: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/21/
Ask any questions you may have so far. You can email flylady, or ask questions on her Facebook page.

I'm late again, I know 🫣. DS had a band concert last night so it was late. I will try to be better!

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

Friday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260522-zone-4-mission-5-friday-your-master-bedroom
It's window washing day! At least clean the inside of your window, the frame and windowsill.

Baby Step 22: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/22/
Get your supplies for your control journal (or just use an old notebook)

Hello! Thank you again @BloomingHazel 💓
I'm still trucking. I really value the routines. Started work on my loft space ( or lack of!) this week. Every time I think I have decluttered I find another layer!

There's a thread elsewhere about 'rules' but i prefer to think of them as habits. I used ti think of myself as spontaneous and carefree but in fact it was chaos!

I hope you all havs a lovely day 🦋

👋 WinterFrogs I agree with you, I much prefer the term habits.
One day the routines all become 2nd nature, even if it's not all of them, and before you know it your house is under control, everyone is more relaxed and less stressed and you don't worry if your MIL, DM or BFF stops by with no notice as your house isn't in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) anymore!

In fact, last night my neighbour stopped by to have a drink by the firepit, and when she walked into my house she told me my house smelled good, that hers just smells like dog all the time! It did make me feel good, like I'm doing something right. My biggest worry is always the smell in my house! I do have 2 dogs.

Saturday is family fun day. Anyone doing anything fun and exciting?

There are no missions on the weekend.

Baby Step 23: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/23/
Start an afternoon routine. This is for after school or work. Getting dinner ready etc. You will add this to your control journal as another page. (I still haven't set one up so I feel like a bit of a traitor!)

Last night we took the dogs for a walk around the neighbourhood. We spoke to a couple of our neighbours close by. We got permission from our next door neighbour to cut down a tree (it's touching our new fence and is an off shoot of the poplar tree we had cut down after the fire). We don't want another one of those trees, and it's a matter of time before it ruins the new fence!
DH & I will tackle that today, and we're excited to do so 🥳

I'll be pulling weeds as well and planting more flowers. We have to get the garden ready for our BBQ tomorrow!

Hello! Our Saturday fun day was a long walk followed by coffee on the way home. We stopped and chatted to a few people. Then I tried to read in the afternoon but nodded off instead. It was a lovely relaxing day.

Today i have washed some curtains and they are out on the line as it's hot by English standards at 25c. I am wilting already.

All the morning tasks are ticked off on the app so I'm feeling on top of things.

I agree that the house always feels more or less 'company ready' thanks to the routines @BloomingHazel. I do need to run the hoover round at some point as the cat is still moulting. Dinner is going to be something-with-salad as i cba to cook in this weather.

I hope you enjoy your bbq 😊

WinterFrogs that sounds like a lovely Saturday!
That is hot! Especially for England. A salad in hot weather is always a good idea too!

Yesterday we did cut down that tree! We also had to spend like an hour to get to the tree in the neighbours yard as it's so overgrown. There are vines and brambles all throughout and it took us a while to create a path. Hopefully that'll help him get started on it.
I got so sunburnt while we were out there. I decided to not put sunblock on for some strange reason, and was wearing a tank top, so my shoulders hurt really bad. They will be covered today!

Our BBQ is this evening and I still have to pull weeds, plant my flowers and do a quick home bleugh. I also have to make a banana cream pie, blondies and jalapeño poppers. I should really figure something else out for drinks too.
But for now I'm enjoying my coffee in the quiet, as no one else is awake yet (it's almost 8am here).

Sunday is renew your spirit day.

Baby Step 24: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/24/
Swish & Swipe.
A quick wipe down of the sink & toilet on a daily basis. Add to your morning routine (or whenever it works best for you).
Don't forget your other routines!

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

This week we are moving to the living room.
Monday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260525-zone-5-mission-1-monday-your-living-room
Go on a dust bunny hunt. Look under furniture, the walls, ceiling fans, curtains/ rods etc.

Baby Step 25: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/25/
Progress, not perfection. We are working on building up our routines to keep on top of every day life. It doesn't matter if you didn't do a deep clean of something, if you wipe something down today, then wipe it again tomorrow, it's not as bad the next time.

The BBQ was a success!
There were a couple of kids there who weren't supervised as much as they should be, but other than that, everything went well. Oh, until a couple there started taking little jabs at each other, some issues they have as a couple. The alcohol may have been going down a bit much by then!
I'm not sure they're going to make it together.

DD made an appearance, a short one, but she showed up, an old friend who has started to come back into our lives, as well as other friends and family.

DH did most of the cleanup tonight, but we'll finish it tomorrow.

Situation at bbq sounds awkward @BloomingHazel 😬 Lovely that other bits went well though 😊
It's a bank holiday here. I was up bright and early after sleeping surprisingly well in the heat. I got all of the home bleugh done and I intend to do very little for the rest of the day.

The washing is on the line, I've cleaned the bathroom, and it's leftovers for tea. DH is out for a bit so it's peaceful. I saw or spoke to all the family yesterday which makes me happy. Today will be a quiet one - sort of...I am sitting outside and I can hear the neighbours all starting their day and the birds are in full song.

I might find the energy to go on a dust bunny hunt. I actually found several the other day behind the radiator in my bedroom when I gave it a blast down the back with the hair dryer. Not sure what possessed me to do it but the result was quite satisfying. So I went off and did all the radiators 😆

Wishing you all a lovely day ❤️

WinterFrogs very awkward at one point. It just seems they may just be happier single! My DH told me that at one point she was starting to cosy up to a single, male friend of ours, while her DH was right there! There's other things going on in their relationship as well, and some of it came out last night. I just think they've both checked out. It's sad.
Anyway, well done on getting things done already! I don't think I would have ever pointed a hairdryer at the back of a radiator, but that's ingenious! I don't have radiators here.
The less dust we breathe in, the better!

Tuesday is plan & play day.

Tuesday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260526-zone-5-mission-2-tuesday-your-living-room
Set your timer for 15 minutes and get things out of your living room that doesn't belong. Only spend 15 minutes on it. Sometimes things end up in our rooms and we get used to seeing them there, even though they haven't been put away where they belong.
My tip: If you can't see these things (it happens!), take some pictures of your living room. Does it look good in the pictures? Can you see something that doesn't belong? It's crazy, but it works! It's like opening your eyes to look at something in a different perspective.

Baby Step 26: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/26/
You're never behind with Flylady. Do what you can today, if you missed something, oh well, there's always tomorrow. Do the routines you can, don't beat yourself up. Remember, flylady isn't about perfection, at all!

Sorry I was late with the links again 🫣

YesTaDas:
🌷 vacuumed
🌷 mopped
🌷 LOLs x4
🌷 handwashed dishes from the BBQ
🌷 rotated DW
🌷 planted some more flowers (with help from MIL). I still have some more to plant..

To dos:
🐶 take dogs to groomer
🐶 LOLs - sheets & towels etc.
🐶 bank
🐶 pharmacy
🐶 meal plan/ grocery shop
🐶 plant more flowers
🐶 meal prep
🐶 paint my nails!

Hi there, I’d like to join this thread please!
I haven’t used Flylady for years, but I’ve realised I definitely need to follow a system to keep the house under control.

I did quite a bit over the bank holiday, so I’m keen to keep going and get into a comfortable flow with it all.

I do the basics like swish and swipe, dress to shoes, make bed and shine my sink, and a load of laundry every day.

I’ve just not managed to keep the rest of the house clean and organised. Also my bag and car.

I’m on my own now after living with an extremely organised partner for a few years. So without his input and structure things have gotten out of control.

Good morning! Well done for keeping on trudging with running the thread @BloomingHazel! Thank you 💐

I am just about keeping up with routines. Not much extra as work and family life have got in the way a bit but it's definitely keeping the chaos at bay. There is no doubt in my mind that everything runs more smoothly, including my brain, when i am flying.

Hello @Joyful26 and lovely to 'meet' you. These threads sometimes fly by and are sometimes quieter like this month. I think the very fact that we need flylady shows that many of us get overwhelmed with life and are a bit hit and miss with our achievements!
I love being able to jump back in with this system. It's sounds like you also have stuck to many of the habits. I love your username!

I need to sign back in, your earlier post has prompted me @Joyful26 - that was me that replied with a different variation of my name. Will read through and catch up tonight. I have got a "new" car this week so at least that is clean and tidy for now.

Oh man, I don't think I deserve any praise for failing to run the thread properly this month WinterFrogs! Again, I completely skipped a day 🤦‍♀️

Wednesday was anti-procrastination day, for those of you, like myself, who procrastinate about everything! So if you put it off, do it today!

Thursday is errand day.

Thursday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission
It should update, but you may need to refresh the screen and click on Thursday's mission.

Wednesday's mission was to do a detailed vacuum. Vacuum the edges of the room, using the attachments on your vacuum. Also vacuum under furniture. Move what you can, reach under what you can't move (use attachments for ease), but don't hurt yourself.

Baby Step 27: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/27/
What's for dinner? Plan ahead, know what you're having for dinner before it's dinnertime!
I usually plan my meals for the week, based on activities etc.
Baby Step 28: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/28/
Spend some time on yourself! Set your timer for 15 minutes and do something for you!

Welcome @Joyful26! 👋
It's good that you have some routines established, hopefully it won't take too long to get on top of everything else.

WinterFrogs just keeping up with routines is good, and less likely to become overwhelming.

ED good to see you back on here again!

I think I have a UTI 😫 I'm going to need to see if I can get an appt tomorrow to get it checked out. I don't usually have them (it's been forever since having one).

We are coming up to the end of the month, is there anyone who would be able to run the June thread?

Thank you for the nice welcome everyone 😊

im feeling good I got the house mostly cleaned up over the bank holiday weekend. The children are now having friends over, I’m out at work, so I feel a bit calmer that I’ve left them a clean house to entertain in.

the only issue now is an infestation of ants in the kitchen. But at least they’re crawling over a clean floor 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Bloody hell

I fell off

Help me

Jump babk in! The water's lovely!

Hey THAT just jump back in - you know the drill!

Joyful26 ants are never good. We now have bug spray people, so if we had an infestation, I can just text our guy to take care of them! I'm sorry I'm no help to you, but I know you can put a barrier down outside your house (I used to try everything). I just don't remember what it was!

Friday is clean your car and purse day.
It's also date night.

Friday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260529-zone-5-mission-5-friday-your-living-room
Place something pretty in your living room, like flowers or a new picture frame, or just something decorative moved from a different room to change it up.

Baby Step 29: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/29/
Add a page for pampering/ self-care. Start a list of things you enjoy and think of things you'd like to try. Just spend 15 minutes writing a list. Then you need to plan on fitting a couple in each week.