Flying through summer with Flylady ☀️

[HazelNotHungryLC]

Summer is here! Or is it?? 🤔
It's time to get our homes in order for the chaos that is the summer holidays!

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 day. 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, it's a new website! 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. There is a paid version and a free version. I use the free version. The missions haven't been updating on the app (although I should admit I haven't looked at it in a couple of months.. 🫣)

Links are below 👇

Daily missions (for the zone we are in):
https://www.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!

Wednesday is anti-procrastination day. Do something you have been putting off - it's usually easier & quicker than we think it will be!

Wednesday's mission:
https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260701-zone-1-mission-1-your-entrance-front-porch-dining-room
Sweep your front porch/ step. Shake out mats and wipe down your front door/ door frames. This makes a big difference and makes your home more welcoming to yourself and your guests.

Baby Step 1: shine your sink!
https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/
This is another thing that is so helpful and encouraging. Just keeping your sink empty and making sure it's wiped down at night. It's so relaxing to walk into your kitchen 1st thing in the morning and have a clean and shiny sink (and no dirty dishes on the countertops).

Our summer has been hectic here!
DS got out of school the end of May (we're in the US). He's working a bunch, sleeping a bunch and only doing one lol each day (if we're lucky) 🙄.

My house is currently in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) is that right? It looks wrong!
I have hotspots I need to tackle and home bleugh is overdue.
I have got extra LOLs done though, all the blankets & towels from camping. I have one big one left to wash & dry.
I have also kept up on dishes (I washed all the handwash dishes yesterday - there was a lot!)

We have a BBQ on Saturday for the 4th of July, so I have to get it all done by then. Thankfully I'm not working on Friday.

How has everyone been?

Thanks @HazelNotHungryLC we're ok here, the house is in a lot better state than it was at the beginning of June, so it definitely helped me doing the links last month.

Thank you so much for running the June thread ED. I'm sorry i was AWOL for the last part of it.

Thursday is errand day.

Thursday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260702-zone-1-mission-2-thursday-your-entrance-porch-and-dining-room
Spend 15 minutes decluttering your dining room. Set your timer and toss what is rubbish, set aside what doesn't belong, then go put them away.

Baby Step 2: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/2/
Get dressed to shoes.
We don't wear shoes in our house, so to me this means get dressed, hair decent, ready to leave the house if needed.
To you this could mean setting aside a clean/new pair of shoes to wear in the house only, or your actual outside shoes.
This is where you can modify flylady to suit you and your lifestyle.

Before bed, don't forget to shine your sink!

Ta das (Wednesday):
🐝 worked all day
🐝 got dinner warmed up (leftovers)
🐝 rotated DW
🐝 wiped countertops
🐝 got my clothes out for the morning
🐝 showered etc, ready for bed

I don't seem to have the energy to get much done after work (I'm out of the house 12 hours each day I work).
Since I have Friday off I'll get more done then.

Morning, I'm back to join you for July.

It's been a busy few months with a heavy workload at work, the garden has gone crazy, and we've been away quite a lot. But July is looking quiet and should give me the chance for a little reset.

Today's my day off work so I'll be back with a tada list later, hopefully!

Good to see you back Dilly 👋
I know what you mean by the garden going crazy. I spent a couple hours outside on Tuesday, pulling weeds & pruning. It looks a lot better, but there's still more to do.
With being outside, the inside got neglected as I was also out of the house with appts.

So I had a little extra time this morning, so I spent 2 minutes on a hotspot. It's not completely done, but it's a start.

Checking in. I fell off the last one a week or two ago, so just need to get back on it. I was just about to tackle Under The Bed when things went a bit pear shaped here and I have spent a big chunk of the last couple of weeks back and forward to hospital.

Anyway onwards and upwards!

Oh no Rainbow I hope all is well now 💐
Just jump in where we're at!

Friday is clean out your car & bag day. It's also date night.

Friday's mission: https://www.flylady.net/daily-mission/20260703-zone-1-mission-3
Set your timer for 15 minutes and do whatever needs to be done in zone 1. Do you need to dust? Vacuum? Mop? Declutter? Remember this is for the entryway, porch and dining room. Do whatever needs to be done in that 15 minutes. You're done when the time goes off!

Baby Step 3: https://mymerrymessylife.com/flylady-31-baby-steps/3/
Check out flylady online. This can be tricky as she recently updated the website, but not everything is on there that used to be! She does also have a Facebook page though and updates that every day. Multiple times a day. There's also the app you could look through, if you haven't already.

Don't forget to get dressed to shoes in the morning & shine your sink at night.

Ta das:
🌺 worked all day
🌺 took down spring decor (I'm so late doing that!)
🌺 put up some 4th of July decor
🌺 sorted out a hotspot, cleared what I could. The rest needs to go out to the camper
🌺 deadheaded flowers outside
🌺 watered flowers
🌺 planted a few more plants (yes, there's still more that need to go in the ground 😳)
🌺 swept patio and in front of the side door under the carport
🌺 found a recipe for dark chocolate cheesecake with raspberries for BILs birthday tomorrow
🌺 showered, scrubbed, shaved & applied self tanner

I have not got my clothes out for tomorrow yet, nor am I close to going to bed at a decent hour (almost midnight and I'm not ready yet).
I don't work tomorrow 🥳

Hazel, I’m seeing you having a massive BBQ tomorrow. Enjoy!!

And hope alls okay with the hospital stuff Rainbow

Dilley! What’s your Tada list? can’t wait to hear

Right. I’m new and I have a messy house. Going round tidying now. Going to ask my teen to help 🤞

Tada!
Two lots of laundry
Garden watered (hosepipe ban imminent)
Lots of errands

Decluttering is paying this week, I have made £84 on Vinted and £6 worth of Boots points from recycling.

Morning, found this thread. Yesterday I cleaned the bathroom and hoovered. Hoovered the stairs, which were very overdue. We tend to focus on downstairs living area that gets dirty quickly with a dog and 2 kids. I have a load of washing on, DW rotated, swish and swipe. Going to head out with the kids now.

Tadas were:
Swept the step and conservatory
Tidied the dining room table
Washing put away and ironing done
Car hoovered
Handbag tidied
Shopping done

Doesn't look like a very long list but it felt productive!

Today we are doing family fun - ballet and swimming then a picnic. It looks a bit like it might rain so fingers crossed!

Later I need to tidy the living room. It's our main toy and craft space so it gets chaotic very quickly.

Anyone else got family fun lined up? (Except Hazel - enjoy your BBQ, hope its not too hot!)

What do you mean boots points for recycling? I have recycled in both Boots and Superdrug but saw nothing about a points reward.

There's a special app you can use to get Boots points when you recycle blister packs or empty beauty products. It's a bit complicated but if you recycle 5 blister packs you can then get 100 extra Boots points on a £5 spend, or for 5 beauty products it's 500 points for a £10 spend. The app is called Recycle At Boots.

Good morning everyone ☕️

I haven’t been on for a while , I hope everyone is well ?

I have been in a dark place and have made the decision to leave my main job at the end of term . I have been so upset over it because I absolutely adore the kids and enabling them to thrive and flourish, however, the amount of extra unpaid hours, lack of career progression unless I want to move full time, pure disrespect and lack of accountability of some staff has pushed me out of education. On the bright side, I will have some time to get on top of the house whilst I decide my next step 🙂

Tada
morning coffee ☕️

Oh @Searchingforsparkle that’s a big decision, well done for having the guts to make it. Onwards and upwards

Thanks @ExquisitelyDressing, I feel better now I’ve made the decision with my family, I’ve got to get the next few weeks out of the way which will be emotionally draining. DD1 and DH have said to take a little time out to heal and recharge before looking for something else ❤️ Next task is to write resignation letter and update CV which will feel like moving forward 🙂

I'm sorry I've been missing for a couple of days!

Welcome @MrsLaundryMountain 👋 how did it go with getting teen to help tidy up?
Yes, we had our BBQ yesterday, a lot smaller than normal due to people going out of town/camping. It was nice! We had water balloons for water balloon volleyball, which was fun! I got in the pool and was dunking the 2 kids that were here, they had a blast and I got a workout!

ED I definitely agree that decluttering is paying off, literally! We're super dry here, hardly any snow, even in the mountains, means everyone's a little worried about the water situation.

Always I'm glad you found us! It sounds like you've had a couple of productive days. Did you go somewhere nice with the DC?

Dilly nice ta da list! I love your family fun day plans, did you end up getting rained on or did it stay dry for you?

Searching that is a very big decision, I'm so glad you have your family support as it really sounds like you do need a change (more cons than pros). Having the break before needing to decide/find something is very much needed.
Do something you love, just for you. I fully believe that the right opportunity will present itself at the perfect time.

So just to catch up on links (so sorry!)

There are no missions on the weekend.

Saturday is family fun day.
Sunday is renew your spirit day.
Do something that you enjoy: go to church, go for a walk, read a book, take a relaxing bath, go white water rafting, whatever works for you to get you ready for the week ahead.

Baby Step 4: hmmm, it seems the website I've been using for baby steps is having issues. And flylady wants me to buy the book of baby steps if I go to her Facebook page. I don't remember what it is so I'm going to look at previous threads to figure it out!

I'll be back..

Baby Step 4: write the baby steps on sticky notes and put them where you'll see them.

Baby Step 5: think of the negative thoughts you have and turn them into positive thoughts. Write them down so you can look back at the positive thoughts if you're feeling discouraged.

I am feeling a little sorry for myself today. I fell down the stairs yesterday (just the last 3 steps) and I'm hurting a little today.

I will need to get moving shortly though and finish cleaning up after the BBQ.
Hopefully I'll be back with some ta das soon.