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Post by midtnmama on Mar 29, 2015 13:34:37 GMT
Welcome all! This is the thread where we post what we are doing and how we are doing it. Let's inspire one another and teach one another. Although Flylady.com has changed my life, I know that some of you use other systems or your own. No matter. Post what YOU do.
Here are the Flylady zones for this week:
March 29, 2015 - April 4, 2015
Zone 5: The Living Room
Zone 1: The Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room
March Habit: Getting Dressed to Shoes
April Habit: Making Your Bed
Zone 5: Mission #1 Monday
Spend 15 minutes getting rid of anything that does not belong in your living room.
Zone 5: Mission #2 Tuesday
Dear Friends:
Today we are back to the Living Room!
Let's have a detailed vacuuming session. This means to vacuum the room, making sure to get up against the baseboards and to get under the furniture. (*I like to go along the baseboards with a damp rag when we do this cleaning.)
Zone 1: Member Mission #1 Wednesday
Take a 15 minutes to rid all traces of winter from your front entrance. Pack away the gloves, scarves, winter shoes and boots, heavy coats, bags of driveway salt, winter shovels and any lingering decorations from Easter, Valentine's Day or even Christmas! Then welcome summer by organizing your sandals, sunglasses, sunscreen and other summer essentials near the door. If you haven't already, set out some pretty summer blooms in a pot.
Zone 1: Member Mission #2 Thursday
For the Dining Room:
Today, set your timer for 15 minutes and clear off the hotspots on your dining room table. You will be amazed at how much you can get rid of in 15 minutes.
Zone 1: Member Mission #5 Friday
For the porch or back deck area:
Clean out the front porch light cover.Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to pull it off, empty the bugs, spritz with window cleaner, rinse, dry and replace.
While the light is uncovered and cool, wipe the bulb with a damp (not wet!) cloth. DO NOT DO THIS if they are hot, only if they've been cool for a long time. The glass could shatter and hurt you or you could get burned. It's amazing how much sparkle a clean bulb and fixture can give the front porch, the entryway, or the entire living room. And it saves energy as a clean bulb burns more efficiently, or so I've been told. I try to do this when I'm washing windows for the complete effect.
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Post by KyMama on Mar 29, 2015 15:28:05 GMT
I use a variation of Fly Lady that I organized into a one page per month checklist. I'm constantly updating the list as I find things outdated or needed. Each month I print the checklist and add it to a binder that I have for cleaning. Any "recipes" or tips that I find for cleaning are in the same binder so that I can find them when I need to remake a cleaner. Also, if someone makes the mistake of asking if I need help I just direct them to binder and say, "Pick something". lol Here's a copy of March's checklist in case anyone wants to see it. March Cleaning.pdf (45.11 KB) |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Mar 30, 2015 0:24:53 GMT
I'm so happy to see my familiar threads popping up here, with familiar people posting them. I wish I could say I've been busy organizing, but I've been kind of a slug the last few days. I hope to get back to normal soon. It's a good thing the front door, porch, etc are on the list this week - mine sure needs a good scrubbing. Free range chickens can be hard on a porch! Could be worse, though - could be IN my house, lol.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2015 1:57:39 GMT
KyMama, THANK YOU! I work so much better when I have some sort of org chart to go by. It's one thing to 'fugue', as I used to call it, and pick things up wherever I am, but then I get a very little bit of a whole lot of stuff done, versus getting a few things ALL THE WAY done. I've given some thought to making a chart like yours, but... well, you know how it is.
Thanks for sharing!
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Post by farmchix on Mar 31, 2015 22:42:27 GMT
I think I posted this "somewhere else", but I will post here. I have a Daily "to do" list. The house is divided into five days/week. Each day is a different zone. Kitchen is understandably every day. Then, I have a Yearly Calender. Each Saturday of the month has one of my "big" projects...i.e. powerwash sidewalks, clean curtains, vacuum registers, scrub screen doors, and so on. (some of the smaller chores get combined together in one Saturday).
I know it sounds really bad, but I am a spreadsheet, analytical, OCD kinda gal. It keeps me on track. If I make plans and cannot get one of the Saturdays done, I know that I need to work it in some other time during the month, but it cannot go undone.
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Post by oma2three on Apr 1, 2015 2:33:15 GMT
I don't have a daily to do list ,it's more a how much energy I have,what else needs to be done (errands),and what do I feel like doing besides my regular chores  But my goal this week is to clean out, sort out our sun room while the grand are on a trip with their parents since tons of toys that are ignored ,games nobody looks at are out there.Got a good start and a big pile for Goodwill already.Tomorrow I hope to to tackle all those big windows.Then we can rearrange the furniture. |
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Post by KyMama on Apr 1, 2015 4:17:09 GMT
I got most of the Halloween and Christmas decorations put back in the garage attic today. For the record they weren't still out in the yard, they had just been piled into the garage. Our weather really sucked this year with the cold and snow and there was no way you could convince me to spend a whole day in the unheated garage putting everything neatly in their totes. lol Since my oldest son is on spring break this week and it was in the 70's we worked together to get as much as we could put up. I need to buy some more totes to store the new stuff in, but that is about an hour of work. It will be nice to be able to park my car in the garage again. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 4:31:34 GMT
Never checked in here, over there. I have it figured out pretty good, I think....
I do the pots and pans right after the sacred Dinner hour, 2:00 pm. Entry, kitchen and bathroom floors get a scrub twice a week. Great room and bedroom floor and cobwebs once a week. Windows once a month.
Everything has a place and it is kept there so very little clutter, mail seems to be the one thing, it goes in the tub near the stove for fire starter.
This place is small, no carpet, one small rug in front of our rocker/recliners. It gets a good flogging on Monday, on the clothes line....if it isn't raining.
Refrigerator gets a good rearrange and wipe down, on Wednesday.
Laundry is Friday morning.
The outside bistro table and grill area get a good scrub on Saturday mornings and I go through the spring house. Cellar gets a good going over, check produce and food storage for damaged and/or spoiling food as needed. Greenhouse, hoops and garden get checked daily and any chores done.
Next month we will move the stove out to the summer kitchen, we cook on it when we bake, otherwise we just use the fire pit/grill. We will be moving the refrigerator out too, since I put in a 24v outlet out there, won't need to track through the house. When we are home we spend the days outside, sleeping in the tepee when it is warm enough....James
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 4:40:13 GMT
Rats! I found a board issue.  I can't download KyMamas list. Probably because Im on an iPad... I can usually access .pdf files just fine. It must be something between the board and my browser. To the original purpose, I'm going to do this this month! And my habit is going to be shoes, since making my bed is one of the few organization/cleaning things that I actually manage to do daily. |
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Post by KyMama on Apr 1, 2015 21:11:30 GMT
@erinp - Is this one large enough for you to see?  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 21:57:34 GMT
Perfect. Thanks! |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2015 4:13:21 GMT
What does "getting dressed to shoes" mean? Don't mean to be dense ;-) but what does it have to do with cleaning?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2015 4:14:44 GMT
Its nothing to do with cleaning and everything to do with motivation. If you dress like you're going to work, that'll be you attitude. Or at least, that' s the theory. |
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Post by KyMama on Apr 2, 2015 4:25:47 GMT
That's the theory. If I get dressed to my shoes then they walk me right out of the house and I get nothing done. lol
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2015 17:06:18 GMT
I am trying to get back on the Flylady wagon. Today I washed my bed linens and dusted the headboard of the bed and put away all the junk that had accumulated there (mostly books that belong elsewhere).
I need the drill sergeant too, but I suspect I need more than 10 days of house cleaning/get organized boot camp to get me back on track!
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Post by midtnmama on Apr 3, 2015 15:07:20 GMT
Ky Mama: That is a great list. I have been working on the clutter, then I'll attack what I didn't do in this week's zone and get it all done in one day. Here is a great organizing link for you: How to Be the Most Organized Person in the World, Starting Now greatist.com/grow/how-to-be-organized |
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Post by midtnmama on Apr 3, 2015 15:09:13 GMT
I am trying to get back on the Flylady wagon. Today I washed my bed linens and dusted the headboard of the bed and put away all the junk that had accumulated there (mostly books that belong elsewhere). I need the drill sergeant too, but I suspect I need more than 10 days of house cleaning/get organized boot camp to get me back on track! Hillfarm: Heard a twist on an old saying: Rome wasn't built in a day, but a PIECE of it was. Start small and be consistent and you will get there and be telling us what a change it has made in your life in a few months!! |
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Post by ohiodreamer on Apr 3, 2015 20:43:45 GMT
I forgot about Flylady. I tried it for a short time years ago, now that the kids are more mature I wonder if it would work better... I am currently strip cleaning my house to put it on the market, so Flylady can't fly fast enough to keep up right now, LOL. Might be a good plan to keep it clean once I get through, though!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2015 20:59:45 GMT
I need a plan- LOL or a maid- I am not sure- the maid thing would be in my budget - which is 0$ hahaha-
I am in the process of decluttering- and I have been getting rid of more and more clutter- feels good- but throw that in with a job/cooking from scratch all our meals and general day to day cleaning up the kitchen and laundry- I am about spent- cause I need time for me- like being here- LOL and crocheting and reading too-
I figure the more I declutter the more I will have time wise-
I literally cut my wardrobe in half- so that is less clothes- I need to declutter the basement and crafting area I have I feel like they are a utter mess and don't want to be in the space - so that needs to be next on the list.. and then the laundry room/bathroom we have in the basement- we all shower there- and It is a hogs pen- that needs to be after the downstairs-
I will continue to keep a close eye on this thread as stuff like this motivates me
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Post by oldmania on Apr 4, 2015 1:24:25 GMT
Becka03. A maid sounds good to me! I usually watch an episode of Hoarders which either gets me into a cleaning/organizing frenzy or makes me feel pretty good about my house as it is.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 1:54:57 GMT
Becka03. A maid sounds good to me! I usually watch an episode of Hoarders which either gets me into a cleaning/organizing frenzy or makes me feel pretty good about my house as it is. OMGosh- I thought I was the only one- I will totally watch like 2 or 3 episodes of Hoarders and I get in the mood LOL- so glad I am not alone in that!!! plus it makes me feel that I haven't crossed into that- I don't use a non-working toilet- area! |
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Post by oldmania on Apr 4, 2015 2:02:48 GMT
Becka03, my husband often goes upstairs to bed before me. If the house is really neat when he gets up the next morning, He'll say, "I see you watched Hoarders last night." I agree, no non-working toilets or dead cats...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 2:11:24 GMT
LOL- too bad we didn't live closer we could marathon watch hoarders together then go home and clean LOL- like toddlers - instead of parallel play- we could parallel clean!
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Post by bearcreekfarm on Apr 4, 2015 2:12:45 GMT
I've never participated in this thread before. My house is a disaster Apparently my ADHD and anxiety are stomping all over my OCD, and they are winning, lol. Okay, new board, new habits, Spring time and all that..... I'm in. I have to do something, quick, because I just scheduled a carpet cleaning for Monday afternoon and right now it is nearly impossible to even get INTO the one carpeted room in the house. Figures. I'll start tomorrow. Really. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 2:28:32 GMT
bearcreekfarm- you are in the right place!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Apr 5, 2015 5:11:52 GMT
I certainly understand the ADD getting in the way...fellow sufferer here. I only loosely follow flylady...mostly her 15 minute cleaning sessions. They either get an area neat and tidy, or they get me in the mood to do more than 15 minutes.
Today I tackled Abby and her bedroom. She is 23, but is on the Autism Spectrum, very high functioning (what they used to call an Aspie before the terms changed). She also has ADD and ODD, plus raging PMD, so life with her can be a real treat at times. I insisted she clean out her bedroom. A sinkful of dirty dishes, 3 loads of laundry and a full waste basket later, it's reasonable again. Not perfect, but not a health hazard!
I've been doing laundry all day, sorting out all her clothes, and (don't tell her) throwing out some of the ratty clothes she came home with from Tennessee. With all the new clothes we just bought for her at GW Outlets, she'll never miss them. Actually, I already told her I was going to do it, so it shouldn't be any big deal. She has an entire new wardrobe for pennies, and doesn't need the stuff I'm getting rid of.
I'm also continuing the general process of getting my house back under control...that's a forever process, I'm afraid.
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Post by whisperwindkat on Apr 5, 2015 11:11:42 GMT
I started decluttering the house and the farm 2 years ago. I go in spurts, LOL! I love to get rid of stuff and I have found that it is so freeing to be rid of excess things. It helps to keep the house clean also with the minimal amount of effort. So, now it is spring and I am back to decluttering some more things that I have finally decided we no longer need or have too many of. There is a community yard sale coming up and I am getting stuff ready to go in it. I have already gone through my clothes and the children's clothes. The stained and worn out is getting made into t-shirt yarn and some old stained t-shirts were made into bags for the farmer's market. My goal is to have enough grocery and farmer's market bags made to make my once a month grocery trip and not bring home any plastic bags. Books are my biggest issue though. We have tons of books. My mom and his Dad both read a lot and give us the books. We also have a friend who reads a lot and gives us books. We read a lot, but not as much as we would like. Homeschooling and taking care of the farm means that we read slower and while I just got rid of a box of books that we had both read, we still have more. I would like to get rid of a couple of bookshelves, but they are stacked full with books to be read. I guess we will be all set though when the children are grown, but dadgum I get tired of looking at all these books! But I love to read and so does hubby. Oh, well we will just keep plugging along. Blessings, Kat
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Post by snoozy on Apr 6, 2015 16:56:50 GMT
kymama, just looking at that list makes me exhausted! Sigh.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2015 20:03:04 GMT
One of the things that I struggle with is the typical decluttering direction to get rid of whatever you haven't used within X time or any duplicates of the same thing. We live on a limited income, so if I have something that I am likely to need again, or leftovers from a project that I might need again, I usually try to keep them to save the money of having to buy them again. Also, we live about 35 miles or so from the nearest town of any size, so I keep duplicates of lots of things on hand because we can't run out and grab a replacement if something breaks. There are many times that it would be not only costly to make the extra trip, but dangerous on our unpaved, often poorly maintained roads. I try to keep things at least well organized so I can find what I need, when I need it. I am not very sentimental, so anything outgrown goes out as soon as I can sort it out. I don't keep broken stuff very long. If it is not worth keeping in good, ready-to-use condition, then it probably isn't worth keeping. Rarely, I will keep things for parts, but usually not. My MIL is a hoarder and my DM is a collector, so I don't have to go far to see what can happen if clutter goes unchecked for too long. Now, however, I am coming off a hard winter and I really want to get everything cleaned and reorganized, fill in any gaps, etc. What I need is more free time in which to do that, and the discipline to make it happen. |
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Post by KyMama on Apr 6, 2015 21:12:59 GMT
snoozy It's not as bad as it looks once you get working on it. The hardest thing I had to learn was not to try and kill myself getting it all done. If I don't get something done this month, then it's the first thing I do next month. Does that make sense?
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I can't download KyMamas list. 
