simplified list

I've read, in various places, that people find the Flylady site hard to navigate. Somehow, I found this link for a PDF that initially lists the baby steps in a simplified manner, then goes into detail. Its not MY list, but its here for reference, should anyone else like an easier format.

tidy, mess, tidy

Its true. Sometime things have to get worse, before they get better. I'd been on the hunt for cotton yarn. I know I have specific colors, and thus I went looking for it. I found TONS of cotton...just not the colors I was looking for. :s The first picture is the yarn out of its spot in all its tangled glory. It should be noted that THIS is just the used parts. The shelf under where this came from has the full balls.

The second picture has most of the yarn in color groups. I don't have much yellow.

I want to find a nice, pretty, neat way to store the cotton I found.

Because the baby I was looking after is a) no longer a baby baby, and b) looked after by his dad now days, I decided I didn't need the baby toys in the lounge room.

I determined that the baby stuff would fit in the laundry hamper.

But to do that the hamper needed to be emptied and the stuff in THERE dealt with. It was mostly left over odd socks, a few clean doona covers and the pile of yarn I got out of the shed...for..some reason.

This is the lounge room floor currently. I used the old stand by of using a RAKE to gather it in one spot to sort through.

This is what the spare room looks like. :| Look...more yarn!

As a point of interest...how does the STUFF get on the floor after you have vacuumed? you know, those little bits you KNOW you just vacuumed? I can vacuum in here (and its not shaggy carpet) and but the time I have done the rest of the house, there are bits on the floor again!

lounge room tidy up

Before, and after. I'm not sure there much of an improvement. The cords are frustrating..but I hope to shift the whole modem/router mess to the spare room soon enough.

another Sunday

And as I sit here I can see a few things that should have been dealt with quite a few 'nows' ago. Like the bag I took to work...on Thursday. :s

I think my 'bleh-ness' has been mainly not eating right, and bugs. I took a multi vitamin on Friday night and woke up perkier than I have been, and even got going on lunch at 10am. This morning I've been sneezing more than I normally would, and I am not prone to allergies.

So even though its a day of rest here, I will be doing things, simply because I have been 'resting' at least the last two days. I don't have the motivation to do it though :(

There is one curtain left in the spare room to bin, and I will try to get in the dead zone of the kitchen. Also, as we are now in Zone 5, I plan to sort out my 'coffee table' and the craft clutter under it. I know I am having visitors this week, so its a good time to get it done.

The polar fleece out of the car has been washed, and again there are many little piles of lint. Horrid stuff. Maybe when I tidy the 'coffee table' I will find the fabric brush.

On Thursday I took the coffee mugs I'd offered on Freecycle (with no response) to work with me and left them at the bus stop, with a note saying they were 'free to a good home, or for mosaics' - four hours later I went past and they weren't there, OR in the bin (though my note was). I loved it. I might do the same thing with the spare bowls another day.

Right, time to post this and get offline. Dealing with the 'coffee table' will entail moving the modem and power board and is likely to disconnect it.

Bathroom screen

A mission a while back (last time it was zone 3?) has us wash the base boards, which showed me, quite clearly, that the baseboards in the corner of the bathroom, under the bath, were rotting from the water that escapes during a shower. As a result of that mission, I called Maintenance and asked if they could do something about it. The maintenance boss man duly showed up and said they would replace them, AND he would see about getting a half shower screen put in, to stop the water.

Half an hour or so ago the guy who is to put in the new screen called. He will be here today.

But the best thing?

We just had a Zone 3, so the bathroom is NOT a complete write off. The ceiling is washed, the bath scrubbed. Nothing at all to be ashamed about.

The man is here now, so when he is done I will take a picture, but this is what it looks like now, with the shower curtain down.

Todays mission was to wipe down the tops of the window and door frame (I regularly vacuum my hinges, so thats ok, not that I have a door on the bedroom, but the cobwebs DO collect in the top corners still.), then a bonus mission of a 27 fling boogie. I did the wiping down, but the 27 fling boogie ended up being a 27 fly spot wipe. I didn't actually count them, but I did wipe away what I could reach. I will do it properly today (I hope)

Sunday - a day of rest

well, sort of anyway.

The rubbish has been collected, so I can start on the spare room again. Although, the recycling hasn't, and a lot of whats in there is papers.

Yesterday, with 15 mins notice, I went out for much of the day. In the 15 mins, I got dressed, hung two loads of washing and started another. It was a good day out, and I only bought two books. Had I realised it was a 2nd hand book fair we were going to I may well have taken the books in my room that I *know* I am never going to read. Handy that this weeks zone is the master bedroom, huh?

Before getting the 'lets go out' phone call, I stripped the bed, turned the mattress and vacuumed the house AND under the bed along the foot board. When I got back (to a tidy house) I hung the started laundry, remade the bed and washed the bedroom window. I have no idea what was on it, but it had spots of something...higher up than the cats can reach too! Wasp poo maybe?

Friday I washed the bathroom ceiling. During Zone 4 I plan to wash the bedroom one as well. That might be a bit tricky with the suds dropping onto the bed..but it still needs doing.

I also plan to get under the head of the bed and vacuum the dust from there. And sort out the boxes of stuff that are there. With access to the spare room and the wall unit again, I can relocate a pile of things. Feng Shui likes you to keep under your bed free of stuff. Another link.

Well, best get on with the day.

End of the week

I had work yesterday from 9-12, then shopping afterwards. While I managed to get out of the house without panicing, I didn't do much in the way of Flyladying. I would have liked to have washed up the coffee cup and cereal bowl, but the whats it of me wouldn't allow me to waste some 4 litres of water to do that. So I left them in the sink.

By the end of the day I was in a blue funk. Not sure why, I just *was.* So no mission got done, and nothing on the to-do list. I didn't even get into the spare room for a bit of de-cluttering (although that is mostly due to having FULL bins, rubbish AND recycling.) Best I could manage before bed was putting the shoes away, doing the dishes and wiping down the sink.

And that was ok. there was no one here bitching at me coz I didn't do anything more than that.


Yesterdays mission (which are now being included on the Flight Plan pages in Facebook) was to shine the bath. I can do that today. The time difference is a right pain, coz the Flight Plans don't get to me until halfway through the day, and I am a morning person.

A few days ago I asked on the Flyladys Facebook what to do with the 'dead' zones, rather than the 'hot spots,' those places that don't gather anything new, but that also don't get tided as a matter of course. One of my dead zones is the top of the hot water cylinder in the kitchen. I store the drill case and blender up there, but over the back are ..things, (egg cartons and boxes that I know of) that have been there for years. To get into the corner is dangerous, (no ladder, so I'd need to use a kitchen chair on a slippery floor to get high enough, with no one to call 000 if I fall and hurt myself) so I have left it. I didn't get much in the way of a response. But maybe, after the recycling picked up next week, I can get the recyclables down.

I went looking for more of the flea powder ingredients yesterday, it took a bit, and I still didn't find the naphthalene flakes. The supermarket has a new company supplying them. Or I got the originals at another store.

My morning routine, as its being written about on Maike's blog, consists of waking up (without an alarm), opening the blinds and pulling back one curtain from the comfort of my nice, warm bed, reading in bed for a while. Getting out of bed about 7:30ish. Make the bed. Visit the bathroom, then drag out the clothes I wore yesterday (I know, I'm working on getting dressed properly). Finish opening the curtains. Get dressed, head to the kitchen, turning the computer on as I walk past. Feed the cats (poor starving dears that they are), open the curtains, blinds [put in my password on the puter] and front door. Then back to the kitchen, dodging cats, make coffee, take it to the computer and deal with emails. This takes me all of...15 mins? 30 tops. I don't show as online in chat until I have done everything that needs doing either. No, there is no breakfast in that routine. I have that at least 2 hours after I get up, or when Boof (one of the cats) reminds me he hasn't has his milk.

The morning routine on a work day is much the same, but instead of turning the computer on, I have breakfast. IF, and its a big if, I have everything done, (including bag ready, shoes and bra on), with more than half an hour to go before I leave the house, then I might allow myself to get on the puter. But, as its a huge time suck, I try not to.

Wednesday

Todays mission was to do the bathroom vanity. I don't have one, but even though the bathroom counter 'looked alright' I decided to do a proper job of it.

Next I will be wiping the computer screens over, and include the tv in that. I guess normally I wouldn't, but the light happens to be shining on it just so and I can see streaks.

brb..its annoying me :)

Och, much better. Who would have thought that something that simple would make just a difference?

Yesterday I had work from 1-4pm. I thought I would be *fine* with getting the Flyladying done between wake up and leaving the house.

Wrong.

I started running out of time. At 10:24 I thought I had HEAPS of time left and probably should have gotten onto things then, but it was too early for lunch, and I didn't want to do the dishes before lunch. By 11:30 I was starting to peak out. It was late enough for lunch, but I also needed a shower :s Its a 10 min drive, or less, and I planned to walk in from the supermarket (they have free parking). So I had lunch, and a shower, gathered the things I needed (but had forgotten about) and was out the door at 12:15. I left the dishes.

I got home knackered. A 4 month break is rough. So I was well pleased to have the left over pork and beans in the fridge. Picture of it in this post. The original recipe can be found here at a Year of Slow Cooking. Another bean recipe to try.

Today, knowing that I have work tomorrow (9am-12pm), I will be making up another crock pot meal to have after work.

I need to check the Zone 3 list to see what else needs doing before tomorrows work.

The spare room

I don't want to post these pictures, but well..Lets be brave shall we?

These are the spare room after about an hour or so in there over the last week. I didn't actually time myself.

The picture with the cat is the 'clean area' and where I will move all the stuff in the 'Bedding; picture.

Today I found this ebook - Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller. Today (14th March) its free. I don't have a kindle sadly, so I have to read it on the laptop. :(

a day off and fleas

yesterday, being Sunday, I didn't do anything except the dishes, and the sink wipe over. I had been invited out to an art exhibition and then to the Mind, Body and Soul expo, so I went along. I successfully didn't buy anything I didn't have a use for, or plain wouldn't FIT (in the drawer) - like that gorgeous skirt - at the market, but I did pick up a few things at the expo.

Saturday I did end up getting in the spare room and spent a couple of 15 min blocks doing stuff. Unbolting the bed was one of them. I plan to get in there again today and take the rest of the boards off the bed base and pack the parts away as best I can. Might only be along the wall, but it will take up a lot less space than a queen size bed.

Because I have personally picked up 2 live fleas while walking around the house, and its reportedly a 'good' flea season, I have partially made up my flea powder. To make this, I use equal parts borax, naphthalene flakes, cooking salt and bicarbonate of soda. Put it all in a jar and shake together, then sprinkle on the carpet. Vacuum it up a few hours later. I usually do it before I leave the house, coz the naphthalene can get a bit intense. Last night I had to just use the borax and bi carb, being out of the other two. I'll vacuum that up directly. You can find the borax and naphthalene in the 'washing' aisle of the supermarket.

I have seven cats here (without flea collars or the spot on stuff), and using this flea powder a couple of times a year seems to have stopped any major infestation.

After breakfast I'll check out the Zone 3 'to do list' and see whats on the books for that. Or I'll check now, while I am looking for the link :)

Ok, it looks like the bathroom doesn't need doing. The spare room is being worked on. There is no kids bathroom OR bedroom...but the laundry can have some attention. Excellent.

quiet day

I didn't do too much at all. I did wipe over the heater front. I think I'll include that with the 'big appliances' seeing as it is white and a full metre away from the freezer. I think cats squirt it.

Didn't get to the rubbish bin either. I know that was down as a Monday Mission, but I changed it to Friday (you can save your tasks to another day, which saves copying the text, moving forward 4 weeks or whatever and pasting) simply because rubbish collection day is Friday and I can soak the bin after its collected.

The house is much neater over all though. Ramona noticed the difference when she was here today. Tomorrow I want to do some things in the spare room, even thought its still 'officially' a Zone 2 day. Maybe dismantle the bed? With the bed out of the way I can easily put things in the wall unit. To dismantle the bed though, I have to get everything OFF it..put THAT somewhere and fiddle around with the nuts and bolts. :s Its a chore that would be much nicer to do with someone else. Oh well...cant have everything I guess.

My housework progress started at:-
-making my bed when I got up (Jan)
then
- following the missions (Feb)
and then
- working on the to-do lists (March)

I hope to incorporate the to do lists into the every day 'housework' - I didn't PLAN on doing it this way, I just *am.* And hey, its working...for ME.

Life is good.

Todays Mission

...was to wipe over big appliances. *Looking* at the freezer last night made me see how grotty it was, and without kids around. How does it do that? So this morning I got on the floor with the toothbrush and window cleaner (out of 'general purpose' spray) and scrubbed the drain hole plug. Then the whole front had a wipe over. I should do the other available side.

I loved wiping down the fridge. It was the first BIG appliance I bought with work money. I'm proud of myself for a) having work enough to get one, and b) living frugally for many many years. The first years of having very little [income] meant that bills and the like were pared RIGHT down. I have no bills, no debts, and I own my car. Any work money NOW is luxury money. :D

I cleaned the kitchen window, and got Flyladied enough to take the grotty venetian blind down for a wash. Thats is in a bath full of hot water at the moment. I've scrubbed it a bit, but I think it needs a hands on approach - with rubber gloves, coz that water needs to be hot. I'm not sure if I will put it back up, I quite like the light coming in. Who would have thought that blinds being up would block so much light? However, if I don't rehang it, where do I store the blind?

Next on todays list is to take down the dining room sheer curtains, and maybe the kitchen one, then wash them. Might also do the loungeroom one if I need to make up 'enough' for a load. PLUS I am going to get the vacuum hose down the back of the freezer. That has to wait til teh sheers are down, coz they will get in the way.

Man this is satisfying.

Zone 2 chores

I did bugger all in Zone 2 yesterday, but the place didn't automatically become festy.

Today I had to go search out light globes. I detest anything less than 100w in the kitchen and bathroom, and the 28w Halogen I had in there is only the equivalent of a old 40W, while the 23W spiral fluorescent ones are 115W.

Incandescent Bulbs	Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)*	Mains Voltage Halogen (MVH)**	Light output in lumens (lm)
25W	5-7W	18W	220 lm
40W	7-8W	28W	420 lm
60W	11-12W	42W	720 lm
75W	13-18W	52W	930 lm
100W	18-23W	70W	1300 lm

So with a new light in the kitchen, there is no excuse not to get in there at night. :)

Today I washed a cat bowl, the floor, the taps, the sink cupboard fronts - and the knobs. This is good.

I just had a call from a work (I have 4 different places I work at), so it will be interesting to see how that impacts on the Flyladying. I expect it will be brilliant to come home to a tidy house.

a...not hot spot

This spot for...well..years I guess, has been a ..shall we say...problem area. Its not a Hot Spot by definition, but it just ..*is* - you know? It's too dark there for a plant to live in the bottom of the planter, and where else can I put the foot stool? Stuff gathers in the bottom of the planter, coz its an empty void.

This is the area I concentrated on this morning when I got up. BEFORE it used to have an old cupboard door, AND a supermarket shelf, freezer bags, plus assorted other bits of flotsam and jetsam.

This area isn't big enough for an arm chair or anything, and I can't really move the planter. I refuse to get rid of it too. It was made by one of my cousins who was murdered, for my Nan, who also died.

I'll give the footstool Winter, and if I haven't used it then, I'll bin it.

redemption in the kitchen

Years and years and YEARS ago I got a free sample of some stainless steel cleaner. Its been running around the house since I opened the mail that day. During de-cluttering yesterday I found it again, and almost tossed it, but decided to see how it worked on my sink.

Take a squiz.

Isn't it GLORIOUS?

:D

Ok, the sun is in the right place and all, but it still looks great. See the reflection on the taps?

I used this Hillmark Stainless Steel stuff. And look, you can buy it at Bunnings. Coles has other variations made by these people.

I cant stop looking!

Grossed out

Man, I tell you. The things you see when you start looking.

I've just 'scrubbed down the fronts of the cabinets' - the bench ones. I had thought they 'weren't too bad.' Things look very different with your Flylady glasses on, let me tell you. There were flecks of things and drips of others down the front, and the knobs were filthy. Then I opened the doors to take the knobs off...inside was worse. How I don't know, I have an aversion to having things left open/ajar.

Yeah..gross huh? Tomorrow I'll do the sink cupboard doors and hope they aren't quite as festy.

Scrubbing the front of the oven door leads me to think that I will need to actually get a screwdriver, unscrew the screws and wash INSIDE the glass on the door to get the [what looks like] fat drips that are in there.

perfection

After that sage piece of advice I found yesterday, and it bears repeating - "It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be done." - and after my cousin 'shared' the page it came from, with a comment from me, saying how I didn't think SHE needed 'help' with housework "or were you the cousin that had Aunty Jill come in to 'clean up,' " (she was) - I got to thinking just *what* having a relative (could be any one of them) coming in to clean out your stuff would *teach* you. I was threatened with the same thing a time or four while still at home.

See, we were a 'clean your room on Saturday' family. I know/recall/remember many a time when I had 'done' my room, only to have Mum com in and say it 'wasn't done, get on with it.' [paraphrased of course, I don't recall the EXACT words] Even NOW, in my own home, 21 years later, I still hear Mums voice telling me its 'not done, finish it.' I know I used the same words with MY kids. I even tell some bored people that 'I can find something for you to do' - something Mum would always say, when us kids were bored.

Thinking about it now, all I ever learnt from this was that NOTHING I did was *good enough* [to satisfy her]

Being a 'perfectionist' is also why I gave up on the housework, and never made my bed.

With the housework, I could never see why I should 'bother' with cleaning up something that would 'just get messed up again.' This attitude was left over from when I had six kids at home and the father of them was never satisfied with the housework. *I* knew I'd cleaned up during the day, at least twice, but he'd come home when it was a write off again, and thus I would be scolded for 'sitting on my arse all day drinking coffee.'

Making my bed in this house (no kids any more) I would want it perfect, not a single wrinkle in the doona. Yes, I would twitch and tweak the doona until it was perfectly straight. Then, of course, the cats would walk over the bed on their way in or out of the window, and their foot impressions would ruin the perfectly neat bed, and this would annoy me. They are cats, they don't know NOT to walk across the bed when its made properly.

Even now, I get twinges of Mums voice, or my 'negatives' (which would be the perfectionist parrot of the Flylady post), but you know, I'm slowly learning to tell her/them/it to shut the hell up, I'm DOING IT. It might not be perfect, but its done.

This link about perfection is worth a read. "They claim to be perfectionists, but that just means they are wasting time fixating on inconsequential details instead of moving on to the next task."

Sound familiar anyone?

Completed Zone 2 things

I have NOT emptied the fridge, or cleaned it thoroughly - but I did get out the things that are going to be science experiments in a week or so, and bagged up the last of the bacon and put that in the freezer. (060311)

The microwave isn't done - though I did wash the plate yesterday. (05/060311) Microwave done now.

The oven/stove isn't done. (Partly done 070311)

There are no canisters or nick knacks in my kitchen :)

Pet dishes are already done - though I am thinking of using some of those micro-suede samples as place mats to stop them going all over the place and make picking up spilled dry food easier. However, I think that the resulting cluttered look (there are 4 bowls for 7 cats) would be more negative than positive. (I have done one - they had stinky fish from a can - o9o311)

The drawers are ok. Crockery cupboard will be done directly. (o6o311) The other top ones were done the other day.

No walls for finger prints, though I did wipe down the stove ones PROPERLY. (060311)

Window is not done. (100311)

The fan and vent are done on the outside only. Taking them off scares me. I have a great imagination. (060311)

The top cupboard fronts were wiped down with the mop. (060311) The sink ones (o9o311) and bench ones can wait (070311), there is another few days of Zone 2 after all.

I'm not getting under the sink. Not this cycle anyway.

If I get it all done today, there wont be anything for tomorrow :D

I have however, washed the ceiling. (060311)


When I have completed Zone 2 things over the next few days, I'll edit this post with the dates I did them on.

Back in Zone 2 - the Kitchen

This is provident, because last night a light globe exploded, and this morning, while opening the cupboard, two bowls fell out and smashed.

This means that when I was getting the silver part out, and *looking* (go on, when was the last time *you* actually looked at your light fittings?) I saw what would amount to many years worth of fly specks. So, before I put the new light globe in, I wiped down the immediate area. Working above my head is a killer, so there HAS to be an easier way. let us Google how to wash ceilings.

While they and the Cozi calendar are loading (that is dead slow) I'll waffle on about the kitchen cupboards. They aren't wonderfully organised. I have all my dinner plates, bread and butter plates, saucers, and bowls all in one area, say 40 by 25 cm square. I don't wish to change where they 'live' but I am sure that the bowls I don't use (we all have favorites, don't we?) can be moved UP a couple of shelves. There is a whole shelf there that can be utlised. I don't usually because to get to it, requires getting a chair. And getting the chair - from all of 6 metres away - would be just too hard O.o

Ok, Google says this on how to wash a ceiling. About how I was going to do it, although they say to RINSE the mop between passes. I might actually load up the spare mop with a fresh sponge and use that for ceiling work, seeing as I plan on getting the entire ceiling done sooner or later.

Well, even though it is Sunday, I think I will get on with the ceiling and moving the bowls up.

Oh, I just got side tracked and read this on the Facebook page - "It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be done." I cant tell you how many times I have needed to hear this over the last...31 years or so!

A marked improvement

A 'success' story!

This morning I had 15 minutes notice of an impending visitor...and guess what? The house was OK! There was no rushing around like a headless chook to try and make it presentable, no second guessing where they would sit, no stress, no anxiety (beyond 'ack', have to brush my hair') it was GREAT.

It was excellent to know, on a deeper level, that the entrance, lounge, kitchen and bathroom were up for having visitors!!

woot! bring on the visitors!!!

~*~

In other news, I plan on spending 15mins in the spare room. Daughter was here the other day to get stuff and of course messed up the finely ordered prior mess. So I'll be working on that over the next week or so. That is all I am willing to allocate to that room until she gets more stuff, but I want to at least be able to walk around the bed.