Adulting pvp (flylady/cleaning/decluttering) start july 27

[tundralily]

I just got back from a long weekend camping and am happy to say that my house was clean when I got back! I'm bad for not cleaning my house before I leave and then getting overwhelmed with unpacking from the trip. My hubby and I did some teamwork and put everything away, and having a cleaner house to come back to was awesome!

 

I'm so proud of myself! My first mission for this week was to set up my yoga spot in the spare room (pictures incoming), which has motivated me to get back to lifting. I swung my kettlebell for the first time in weeks today because I had a happy place to do it, and loved every minute of it. I also put away a box of stuff that's been hiding in my closet for over a year!

 

I also changed my missions this week to not include pick up 5 (picking up 5 things and putting them away) because I'm doing it daily anyway. So I added it to my daily schedule and plan doing more UFYH mini challenges as missions.

 

Mini: What’s in the Box? - We have moved a bunch in the last couple years and have lots of stuff left in hidden spots (i.e - my trunk!). This week's mini - tackle the hidden spaces in my living room, finding a home for anything that we want to keep, and donating/trashing/recycling the rest

Main: Bills, Bills, Bills! I have a bunch of stuff I've been avoiding on the finances front that I want to tackle. My running list (below) will take at least 2 hours if I'm organized.

- Pay ambulance bill 

- Pay northern health bill

- Track down 2 old pensions 

- Choose an investment plan for my hubby's RRSP

- Create an OSAP repayment plan

- Pay our tax bill

[tundralily]

Pictures of the new yoga space! Also doubles as our box room.

[Polaris]

That sounds like too much for one go though.  I think these are best as weekly goals so they can be graded each week..  ?   Maybe break that down into smaller component chores?

But the main boss is a one-time thing, not weekly. And it's not that huge a task, really, though I won't be doing it all in one go. The game plan is to 1) Get a friend drive me to Ikea to buy a new matress 2) Get rid of the old bed (I'll sell it or donate it to a recycling center that'll come pick it up) 3) Get another friend drive the pallets from the hardware store to my apartment, help me sand the visible edges, haul them to my room and fasten them a bit 4) Throw the new matress on top 5) Profit. So I'll consider the main boss beaten when I have a new bed to sleep on.

 

 

Pictures of the new yoga space! Also doubles as our box room.

Looks great! Although I would be afraid of training with kettlebells with that window right there

[Terah]

But the main boss is a one-time thing, not weekly. And it's not that huge a task, really, though I won't be doing it all in one go. The game plan is to 1) Get a friend drive me to Ikea to buy a new matress 2) Get rid of the old bed (I'll sell it or donate it to a recycling center that'll come pick it up) 3) Get another friend drive the pallets from the hardware store to my apartment, help me sand the visible edges, haul them to my room and fasten them a bit 4) Throw the new matress on top 5) Profit. So I'll consider the main boss beaten when I have a new bed to sleep on.

 

Sounds like a plan  

We do want pics of your new bed off course!

[Nymeria]

Here are my entries into the Hall of Shame:

 

 

 

 

Okay.  Here we go.

 

Icky shower.  The picture doesn't show the nasty mildew all over the back end, and all over the shower curtain.  I also already cleaned up a portion that had a mostly dissolved washcloth and a bunch of huge hairballs   sitting on the ground before snapping the picture.  

 

And here's the basement.  I could only fit about half of the room in the picture, but you get the idea.  Also, the kids tend to make weird treasure hoards of junk anywhere they can, so the area under the table with the blanket on it (on the far left of the picture) is filled with stuff, too.  It's been like this for over a month, and I'm sick of not having my workout space.  Plus, whenever there's too much clutter in the basement, I'll end up finding large spiders nesting in the mess.      

 

[Shello]

I'm totally jealous of your kids though.  I always wanted a big play room when I was a kid...  Ok, I still want one.  

[KB Girl]

Sorry i've been a bit awol! And of course I didn't want you to wait for me, I just made the thread to get this thing going, but collaborative project as far as i'm concerned.

 

Love hearing about your boss battles.. it's rather nice to look at those pictures and know i'm not the only one struggling with certain stuff or putting things off. 

 

My main boss is going to be getting new curtains. Our current ones were made by my grandma when we moved in here and were completely penniless. Still not swimming in cash, but i'm pretty sure I can afford new curtains. Just have to put in a little work to get them. 

I am not girly and I do not enjoy decorating or picking out stuff or anything that's involved with getting the curtains. I wish I could get them to magically appear them and have someone else pick a color etc. So it's definitely a boss battle for me.

 

I'll post a picture of my current curtains horribleness in a bit.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Oooh I like the idea for the mini boss and main boss. I need to think on these but I think my main boss will be shampooing the second floor and the stairs, probably twice over to try and really do some stain removing. (Excited to test out how Oxiclean fares vs. my problem cats staining from his past litterbox issues. I have used SO MANY THINGS to try to get this out!)

 

I need to think on the mini to try and come up with something that I'm not already working on in the other sections, because my mini could easily be more decluttering work but I already have that for my missions section. Hmm!

 

As for adulting stuff this week I have been so failing on getting to all of my daily list. Today is my first day where I don't have an evening class on top of working the day job, so I have faith I will get to this today at least. (I have been remembering to put away my shoes every day though. So at least I did 1 out of the 3 things. yay!)

[Elastigirl]

Main boss will be to wash the inside of all our windows. Have a guy right now doing the outside. So if I do the inside, it will be all shiny and pretty.

 

Mini boss is to stain the new section of our fence. That's not something I've put off, but I'd like to get it down now and not put it off.

[Elastigirl]

Sorry i've been a bit awol! And of course I didn't want you to wait for me, I just made the thread to get this thing going, but collaborative project as far as i'm concerned.

 

Love hearing about your boss battles.. it's rather nice to look at those pictures and know i'm not the only one struggling with certain stuff or putting things off. 

 

My main boss is going to be getting new curtains. Our current ones were made by my grandma when we moved in here and were completely penniless. Still not swimming in cash, but i'm pretty sure I can afford new curtains. Just have to put in a little work to get them. 

I am not girly and I do not enjoy decorating or picking out stuff or anything that's involved with getting the curtains. I wish I could get them to magically appear them and have someone else pick a color etc. So it's definitely a boss battle for me.

 

I'll post a picture of my current curtains horribleness in a bit.

Not sure if you were around them, but I had a life quest goal for 2 challenges to buy cushions for our dining room chairs. I have so many other things I'd rather do then shop for decorating stuff, and I'm horrid at making those type of decisions. I did finally did it though, and it is very rewarding to have your home look up to date and nice.

[Polaris]

Got the mission about sorting out my fall semester courses done, for the most part. I even wrestled my anxiety so I managed to e-mail a study adviser about stuff I wasn't sure about. (E-mail fear is a real thing. Social anxiety is funny like that.) Now I just need to enroll on them when it becomes doable, but I made a sheet with all the dates like a boss so I won't forget   Though I'm thinking I need one or two more courses, maybe I'll take up another language.

 

My main boss is going to be getting new curtains. Our current ones were made by my grandma when we moved in here and were completely penniless. Still not swimming in cash, but i'm pretty sure I can afford new curtains. Just have to put in a little work to get them. 

I am not girly and I do not enjoy decorating or picking out stuff or anything that's involved with getting the curtains. I wish I could get them to magically appear them and have someone else pick a color etc. So it's definitely a boss battle for me.

I'm not especially girly, but I love decorating! I dream of my own house constantly so I could decorate and DIY it to my liking. I volunteer to pick out curtains for you, if you pay for my trans-Baltic flight

[Bast]

Hey, Ya'll!!

 

I hope I'm not too late to join the party!!  

 

Tundralily sent me...

 

I've been adding a decluttering aspect to my Life Quest to all my 6WCs so far...We're a US Navy family, so we move every three years...and our last two put us in houses 1/2 the size of the one we moved out of...so the Navy is forcing us to downsize!!  Not to mention, military movers often pack things you tell them not to...I even had one where I locked everything that was NOT to be pack in our spare room.  Do you know what they did?!?  They PICKED THE LOCK and packed everything in the room!!!  I didn't notice until after they were gone...

 

Anyhoo, I really think this is a great PvP...it would be my first.  I follow a personally modified Flylady...I think my two mini bosses would be organizing my apothecary (pretty cluttered) and organizing my office (my desk is a paper magnet) and my main boss would be organizing my project room (it's become the catch-all / storage room).

[Elastigirl]

Did part of my main boss yesterday. Staining our new section of fence. Of course, one of my big struggles with cleaning/home improvement is my total inability to judge the amount of time required. I wanted to stain the entire front side, but I only got a little over half done. I had forgotten to factor in clean up time, and we were set to go to our inlaws, so I had to quit so I could clean up. Aw well, got some done, I can finish next week.

[tundralily]

I finished my mini boss battle and cleaned out all the hidden spaces in my living room! Got a large bag of stuff to bring to the thrift store, and am feeling motivated to keep decluttering today. Awesome!

 

I have to track down some of my other stuff in boxes today, but I can't seem to find the box with the kitchen stuff. Maybe it got taken by a boxtroll? 

 

[KB Girl]

Blah i'm not doing so well on this! Real life is being scary and cleaning stuff gives me time to think which I really don't want to do. 

But i'm trying to hang in there and hoping I can finish strong.

 

Not sure if you were around them, but I had a life quest goal for 2 challenges to buy cushions for our dining room chairs. I have so many other things I'd rather do then shop for decorating stuff, and I'm horrid at making those type of decisions. I did finally did it though, and it is very rewarding to have your home look up to date and nice.

Yes I do remember that! (i've been here for a looong time now) 

It would be nice to have the house looking nicer... right now we spend almost all our time in the garden because that's looking very good right now. (remember I was working on it last year? )

 

Got the mission about sorting out my fall semester courses done, for the most part. I even wrestled my anxiety so I managed to e-mail a study adviser about stuff I wasn't sure about. (E-mail fear is a real thing. Social anxiety is funny like that.) Now I just need to enroll on them when it becomes doable, but I made a sheet with all the dates like a boss so I won't forget   Though I'm thinking I need one or two more courses, maybe I'll take up another language.

 

I'm not especially girly, but I love decorating! I dream of my own house constantly so I could decorate and DIY it to my liking. I volunteer to pick out curtains for you, if you pay for my trans-Baltic flight

If only I could! Would love to have you do that.

And yes, email fear is a very real thing. You're not alone in this! And i'm not even normally socially anxious. Just emails. Phones are fine too.. but emails.. scare the shit out of me.

[Nymeria]

I'm still getting everything done!  I need a bit of a point cushion, since I'm going to miss a week and a half of the challenge when I'm on vacation.  12 more days!

 

If we're doing 2 mini bosses, my second one is to make the curtain for the alcove under my daughter's bed (half loft).  I've been putting it off for the last 2 months, but I finally have some fabric and should get to work.  I really have to focus on those bosses this week, since I don't want to get back from vacation and then have to cram everything into 4 days.  

[Bast]

Mornin', Ya'll!!

 

OK, I didn't get a response to my request and introduction to join...so since no one said no, I'm taking it as a yes!  

 

I added myself to the spreadsheet, but I have a few questions...

 

First of all, what does the "Weekly Cleaning" Parts 1 through 3 mean?

 

Where does the Weekly Home Blessing go?

 

I work to get all my cleaning routines done Monday through Friday, so I don't waste family time on weekends cleaning, other than just picking up after ourselves (working on the habit of putting things away when we're done vs leaving stuff out) and dishes.  Should I just count that basic cleaning under the "Daily Routine"?  And perhaps include my primary cleaning routines (that I do M-F) under Missions?  Or would that fall under the heading of "Weekly Cleaning"?

 

Sorry to be all confusing on ya...

[Nymeria]

Welcome aboard, Bast!

 

The point system is really flexible. The daily tasks are just whatever routine you feel like you need to run through on a daily basis.  For a lot of us, it basically is just dishes, wiping the table, and cleaning up after ourselves.

 

The weekly parts 1, 2, and 3 are where the weekly home blessing goes.  It was just broken down into 3 parts, since it's worth 3 points.  You could do the whole thing in one big cleaning spree, and count all 3 parts, or you could break it down into 3 blocks of tasks.

 

The missions are Flylady daily missions or any other comparable task that you would normally spend 10-15 minutes doing.  It should be something beyond your normal daily and weekly cleaning routines.

 

A lot of us are declaring our weekly missions at the beginning of the week, just to help us stay on task.  Otherwise, some of us would get sidetracked by other tasks and avoid doing things that we ought to be handling.  For example, I'm using flylady for week 3, except that I'm subbing cleaning my pantry for the floor mopping (which is already covered in my weekly tasks).

[Bast]

Thanks, Nymeria!!  I'll adjust my scores accordingly...

 

Anyhoo...Here's my major update from last week...

 

A "flash flood" in my dining room last week sparked an early attack on my Mini Boss in my Apothecary...

 

I didn't get any before photos (discovered the "flood" before I could take them), but needless to say, the entire corner was stacked with boxes, bags and other random clutter about waist high, and I could not get to anything...

 

In order to "rescue" everything, I had to attack the boss with a vengeance!!  I cleared the corner, unpacked (and dried out) and put away the contents of the boxes, threw out trash, put storage items into storage, put things away where they belonged and donated what we don't need/use/want...not to mention drying, and washing the floors, moving furniture (to wash and dry underneath) and wiping the baseboards (where they were starting to get moldy).

 

Now, I can get to all my herbs, spices, and reference materials!  There is room to open all the drawers on the cabinet.  This will make my life easier as I study and practice my Herbology!

 

Here are the after pics...

 

BTW, how many points for the Mini and Main Bosses?  And where are they put?

 

Should I post the before pics for my other Mini Boss (Desk/Office) and the Main Boss (Project Room) now or with the after pics as they are defeated?

[Elastigirl]

Blah i'm not doing so well on this! Real life is being scary and cleaning stuff gives me time to think which I really don't want to do. 

But i'm trying to hang in there and hoping I can finish strong.

 

Yes I do remember that! (i've been here for a looong time now) 

It would be nice to have the house looking nicer... right now we spend almost all our time in the garden because that's looking very good right now. (remember I was working on it last year? )

 

If only I could! Would love to have you do that.

And yes, email fear is a very real thing. You're not alone in this! And i'm not even normally socially anxious. Just emails. Phones are fine too.. but emails.. scare the shit out of me.

yay for gardens. Me too, I am spending more time in mine. And I'm fine if my house isn't quite as clean because of it, but then it gets to a certain level and I decide it needs a bit of attention. I like the flylady things, because it reminds me that I really can get a bunch done in a little amount of time. Not up to the white glove test, but clean enough to make me happy.

[Terah]

Added week 3.

The alternate missions don't seem to be happening for me, but the daily and weekly routines are going great.

 

Blah i'm not doing so well on this! Real life is being scary and cleaning stuff gives me time to think which I really don't want to do. 

But i'm trying to hang in there and hoping I can finish strong.

 

Sorry to hear that

Maybe cleaning will help you process the scare stuff? Or you could play really, really loud music so you won't hear your thoughts

 

 

Mornin', Ya'll!!

 

OK, I didn't get a response to my request and introduction to join...so since no one said no, I'm taking it as a yes!  

 

Welcome

[KB Girl]

Good idea terah, perhaps I should start listening to some podcasts.

Also, welcome aboard Bast!

Anyone feel free to add in a space for the boss battles? I don't have access to a computer for the next couple of days.

[Terah]

Added a boss battle tab.

 

Just couldn't find how much point you get for completing your battles. Can anyone shed a light on that?

[Nymeria]

Mini boss #1 vanquished.  Yeah, it's still an ugly shower, and the grout still has stains, but there's no longer any soap scum and mildew buildup.  Woot!  The whole thing took closer to an hour, and it was every bit as gross as I expected, but now I can use this shower again.

 

[dancezwithkittehz]

Argh. I did almost no adulting PVP things last week. Determined to do better this week!  Also, I need to not let the fact that my vacuum is broken keep me from doing all the OTHER cleaning because there is a ton I can still do until I have the cash to get a new one. (We have a few small vacuums that still work, but the big one isn't, so my big room that needs to be vacuumed is just a hassle right now!)