Trying it again . . . .

Okay, here I go again. This time last year was when I found Flylady, and I just loved the changes I saw so quickly in my home. The routines were so comforting, and the weekly house blessing felt like a blessing rather than drudgery. My bathrooms were always clean (all four of them), my bedroom was a comfy retreat, my sink was shiny, and my laundry was under control.

Then I went back into the working world, and little by little my routines went by the wayside. I was the only one buying into the Flylady thing, so soon I began feeling resentful. "Why am I the only one who can see what needs to be done?" "Why should I have to do it all myself?"

Now I look around and see the same bad habits that were weighing me down last year (before Flylady).

I've settled in to the work routine (almost), and I'm finding that I avoid being at home because I don't like the way I feel when I'm here. It's not that it's all that bad. I think it's because I know what it CAN look like, and I just want that back.

So now it's time to stop whining and invite Flylady and her routines back into my home. I know it won't happen overnight, and I know I'm likely to be the only one doing it for a while. I have to get myself back on track, and then I can sit down with the guys and ask for their help.

What are my biggest annoyances right now?

1. LAUNDRY! Oh, how much easier life would be if we weren't required to wear clothes every day! LOL I'll get back to putting in one load in the morning and finishing it in the evening. The boys will choose a day to do their sheets/whites. And no more doing five loads, folding it all and letting it sit in the clothes basket in the middle of the living room.

2. CLUTTER! Not major, trashy, stuff everywhere clutter. We're just back to "put it there because I don't know where else to put it." The kitchen counter has a stack of mail on it again, the kitchen table collects stuff, shoes collect in the foyer, things are placed on the stairs. Let's start returning things to their homes.

3. SWISH AND SWIPE! How simple it is to spend that five minutes in the morning tidying up the bathroom; so why have we been skipping it? I think I went on strike when Gerard and the boys started "forgetting" their parts. Hmm, that really showed them, didn't it? Just do it, Lisa. They'll eventually follow.

4. THE KITCHEN SINK. I used to love coming in to my kitchen and finding no dirty dishes in the sink. Now the boys are back into the habit of placing their popcorn bowls and glasses next to the sink instead of washing them and putting them away.

Okay, that's enough to convince me I need Flylady again. It's just a matter of getting back into those routines and habits that made my house a much nicer place. It's up to me to get it started -- without complaining about it, without dreading it. Just do it. I have a beautiful home, and my family and I deserve to have a clean, peaceful refuge. I can do this!

Another change I'm going to make -- I'm going back to Weight Watchers. I started in August 2001, and by December I had lost almost 30 pounds and was at my goal weight. I kept it off and became a lifetime member. But I made the same mistake then that I've made with my Flying -- I started missing meetings, I stopped writing down what I was eating, I became less disciplined, and the pounds found their way back to me (and brought friends!).

It's time to take control of the two things that are driving me crazy and robbing me of peace (and energy) -- my weight and my house. I can do it! My family deserves a calm, healthy wife and mom! :)