We're Back from Nationals!

We returned yesterday evening from a weekend in Myrtle Beach for our younger son's national basketball championship. We came in ninth, and what made us feel better was that the two teams that beat us were the two teams that competed for the national championship! If you have to get beat, you might as well get beat by the champs! :)

Flylady is really getting into my brain. We stayed in a beautiful condo while we were away, and I found myself "shining the sink" and swiping the bathroom sink each day. I also threw in a load of laundry each morning so we didn't have so much to do when we returned, and I tried to keep things picked up in the living room. It really wasn't that big of a deal, and we kept it neat. Usually when we vacation, the hotel becomes a big mess with everyone's things on all of the surfaces.

I'm loving the timer too. I read a testimonial from a lady who cut down her "getting ready" time by abandoning the idea that her hair had to be perfect, so I thought I'd put Flylady to the test. By setting my timer, I've learned that I can dry my hair in five minutes, apply makeup in less than 10 minutes, and style my hair (with curling iron -- I have unmanageable wavy hair) in 10 minutes. So by using the timer I have cut down my morning "prep time" to 25 minutes or less. Woohoo!

Before Flylady, I hated to travel because I hated the mess we made in the house before we left and again when we returned. We would leave things out where they didn't belong, and when we returned the suitcases would remain on the floor for several days until we felt we had enough time to unpack and put things away.

This trip was different. I had the house nice and neat before we left, so walking into the house we were met with a peaceful feeling. Bags and suitcases were brought into the house and immediately unpacked and everything was put in its proper place. This morning we weren't tripping over suitcases -- Yay! I started the laundry immediately, and there wasn't much to do since I had kept it under control while we were away. What a difference! My hubby had to go into work when we returned, and when he finally got home around 9:30 last night, the house was calm and peaceful, and you couldn't tell we had been gone. Very nice!

Oh, and I even found time yesterday evening to completely clean out the refrigerator. I took out every container of leftovers and dumped them, cleaned out the crisper and meat drawer, wiped down all shelves, and threw away everything that needed to go. Now when I go to the grocery store, I'll know exactly what we need and will have room to put them away. The pantry and spice cabinet are still needing attention, but I'll get there.

I just love Flylady, and I highly recommend giving her suggestions a try for anyone who needs a little more organization in her home. My older son really enjoys the changes, because he's a bit of a neat freak and (unfortunately) a perfectionist himself, so he likes what we're doing. He also LOVES the meals we're preparing now (from the Body Clutter menu mailer). The younger son claims to hate the Flylady and wants his "old mom" back, but I see him coming around. He puts his dishes in the dishwasher most of the time without being reminded, and he's doing things in his room the first time we ask (such as picking up, putting clothes away, etc). We're getting there!

Time to go fly! Have a great day!