Confessions of a FlyBaby

Trying it again . . . .

2007-05-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

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! :)

Blessing the House

2006-10-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today is the day for the "Home Blessing Hour." It always takes me longer than an hour because I hit all three levels, and I probably go a little deeper with my cleaning than FlyLady recommends. I just like my house to have that clean smell, so I take my time with it. It's usually okay, but I'm trying to start doing the weekly grocery shopping on Monday too, so I'm going to have to find a way to speed it up.

My work schedule is gradually getting more regular. My husband is the general manager of a hotel here in town, and I do his bookkeeping, some office stuff, and eventually I'll start helping him with sales calls. So many people say they couldn't work with their spouse, but so far we're doing a pretty good job of it. We try hard to keep it professional at work, but we do manage to flirt! ;)

Right now I don't work Mondays because that is his day to get into the office and set things up for the week and catch up on things that happened over the weekend. We share his office (his desk and his computer), so there's not room for both of us in there on Mondays. I work all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Since I have my knitting ministry on Thursday mornings, I don't work that morning but sometimes go in in the afternoon. On the days I don't go in, I sometimes work from home. It's a good schedule. He takes Kyle to school in the morning and I get off work in the afternoon in time to pick him up. It works great.

Anyway, I'm just taking a break right now from my "home blessing" to type up a schedule for the boys. Flylady has a control journal for kids that we're going to try out. Instead of having them clean their entire room in one shot, she breaks it up into zones and they clean one zone each day. With their busy schedules I think that will work fine, because it just requires them to do a few minutes each day.

The younger son (age 12) follows a list very well. I stuck a note on the bathroom door the other morning reminding them to please make their beds and swish/swipe the bathroom before school. The younger son did his with no problems. The older one didn't even register the note. Aaarrrrggghhhh. But he did do it when he got home (after being reminded). They're both great kids, so I can't complain much about that. They never argue or backtalk, and they always do what we ask -- just not always at the time we ask it!

Okay, that's it for now. I'm going to get this list finished and get back to cleaning. The lower level family room is all done. I just have to do the middle level (kitchen, dining room, living room, family room, hallway, foyer and stairs) and our bedroom and bathroom. The boys are responsible for their bedrooms and bathroom. We'll see how it goes! :)

Still flying . . .

2006-09-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post, but as I explained on my other blog, my best friend's mom passed away at the end of August and I started a new job, so I'm running a bit behind on posting (and other things).

We're still flying, though at times it feels like the wings have been clipped.

It's a bit harder now that I'm working. It's supposed to be part time, but it's quickly turning into every day. That's okay though, because I enjoy it, and I adore my boss. He's so good looking, he's sweet and thoughtful, and we have lunch together just about every day. Oh, by the way, my great boss is my HUBBY! Weird, huh? But it's working out great.

Gerard (hubby) is the general manager of a hotel in town, and he hired me to be his bookkeeper and help with anything that needs to be done on the computer as well as helping with some sales things. He keeps me busy for sure! But he says the things I'm doing for him are freeing him up to do other things that need his attention more, and it seems to be helping him keep reasonable hours.

I've fallen behind on some of Kelly's missions. This week I didn't have time to do them daily as she posted them, so I printed them all out today and did them in one afternoon. It really didn't take long. The longest task was sorting through all the socks and pant hose. My blankets are in the dryer, fresh sheets are on the bed, the bedroom has been dusted and swept.

I'm still using the menu mailers from Saving Dinner. Last night I made a meatloaf; Gerard loved it, but the kids weren't crazy about it. Oh well; most of them are wonderful.

I have discovered that my younger son really benefits from a list. We printed out Flylady's control journal for kids, and he went through it and made out his list of routines and zone tasks. As long as he has that list to go by, he does a great job of getting everything done. Left to his own devices, he has no clue where to begin. I can relate! The older son and hubby have no use whatsoever for a list. While it would do them a lot of good to use one, they just don't want to use one. They would rather be reminded of what to do.

I've also printed out Flylady's super fling boogie tasks and hubby and I are going to start working on it shortly.

I know. . . snore. . . sorry I don't have anything more exciting to post for now. I'll work on finding more exciting things to talk about. Meanwhile, here's to shiny sinks and no more hot spots!

2006-08-07T04:34:00.000-07:00

I am learning more each day that FlyLady is about much more than just cleaning and organizing your home.

She’s all about “Finally Loving Yourself” from the inside out.

Lately I’ve been paying attention to my self-talk, and I’m surprised at how much I beat myself up. My two favorite phrases seem to be, “I’m so disorganized” and “I’m such a failure.”

Now let’s back up for just a minute. I’m not that kind of mom at all. I consciously try to give my boys positive messages about themselves every day. At 17 and almost-12, they are such great boys – they never give us a minute of trouble, they are respectful to everyone (including their dad and me), they make good choices, and they’re just all around good kids. I tell them that all the time because I want their self-talk to be better than mine. Of course they do make mistakes, but I don’t beat them up about it.

So why do I do it to myself?

“I’m a failure.” I say this to myself whenever I think about the business I had (I was a direct sales consultant with a company that made baskets and pottery). Why? We were going through some bad circumstances around the time my business started slacking off, but those circumstances weren’t the real reason I stopped. I had decided that I was spending too much time in the evenings and on weekends doing in-home shows and meetings and I was missing out on the boys’ activities. I made a decision to back off on the number of shows I was doing so I could be there more for them.

Backing up again, I used to be a teacher when the kids were younger. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom while my kids were at home because I just didn’t want anyone else raising them and I didn’t to miss any of their milestones. But I bought into the whole “both people have to work so we can give the kids everything” idea, and I hated every minute of it. Finally when the younger son was four years old I decided to leave teaching to pursue the earlier-mentioned business so I could be at home. It worked great until both boys got into sports and other activities; then I was missing out again.

So the end of my business was a decision that I made because it was what was right for my family at that time. So why do I keep telling myself I’m a failure? I’m not a failure. I’m a good mom! Light bulb moment!

“I’m disorganized.” I know where this one started. I was a cheerleader from seventh grade through my first year in college. When I was in eighth grade (my second year as a cheerleader) I was captain of the squad. Our basketball team was in some sort of tournament (probably for county champs). I remember our coach bringing me in and telling me how “scatter brained” I was because I hadn’t planned any special activities for the team. I was 13 years old; I didn’t know what I was supposed to do!

So “scatter brained” became the way I thought of myself. I can remember all through high school, whenever I would forget something or make a mistake, I would tell myself how “scatter brained” I was. What a horrible message for an adult to give a CHILD! But that is the message that has followed me into adulthood.

So when I walk into my office that is cluttered with memories from my “failed” business, my thought is always how disorganized I am. But of course I can’t help it because I’m scatter brained.

Well, no more! I’m not a failure, and I’m not scatter brained. I’m not disorganized.

I feel like that goofy guy on Saturday Night Live from several years ago. I can’t remember his name, but he’d sit in front of the mirror and say his “daily affirmations.” I’m smart enough, I’m a good person, and darn it, people like me!

Who knew that signing up with FlyLady would mean digging through the clutter in my brain, discarding those messages that keep me from having true peace in my life, and learning to love the person I am?

If you’re not flying, I strongly suggest checking her out (www.flylady.net). She will change your life!

God bless!

Old Habits Die Hard

2006-07-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

I think I'm on a plateau right now. You know how when you're on a diet you lose some of the weight pretty quickly and you're so excited, but then you reach a point where it's going to take some extra work to get over the hump? I think I'm there with my flylady experience.

I'm still flying -- don't get me wrong. My sink is still shiny, my bathrooms are always clean, our home is still being "blessed" every Monday morning, and all the areas I've worked on are still in great shape.

It's those areas that haven't been worked on that are just sitting there staring me in the face.

And those old voices are creeping back in. "You're such a failure." "If you can't do it right, don't do it at all." Uuugghh!

I know I just need to set the timer and tackle it a little bit at a time. I KNOW that, so why don't I just DO it?

Last week I had an upper endoscopy and had to have a stricture in my esophagus dilated. It wasn't a huge deal, but it was just enough to make me feel not-so-great for a couple of days. Well, in those couple of days my routines sort of slipped. I learned that I have to stay on top of things or I'll slip right back into the old habits. Those routines are so important!

Okay, so I'm making a deal with Toni (my inner brat). We have to go to the grocery store today or we'll be facing hungry stares from the boys. Afterward we'll spend 15 minutes downstairs decluttering a tiny space in the office. If we get that done, then we'll do something fun . . . maybe we'll go outside and play in the dirt (weed the flower beds) for 15 minutes. But there's one condition -- no whining!

Wish me luck!

Naming the little brat

2006-07-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to settle on a name for my inner brat. Oh she's in there, and she's fighting me every step of the way as I try to reclaim control of my house and my life.

I've been trying to figure out why on earth I keep putting off digging into this office and getting it straightened up. I had started clearing out the remnants of my direct sales business a few months ago (before I even knew about Flylady), but progress has screeched to a halt. WHY?

I've come to two conclusions:

1. Every time I start going through the things from my old business, I start feeling down and a little disappointed with myself. I guess I feel like a failure. I was a direct sales consultant for seven years, and I was good at it. But I had started feeling like my time with the company was coming to an end because my kids were getting older and my shows were keeping me from being with them in the evenings and on the weekends. But then we ran into some rocky roads and I mentally shut down for a while, and that included neglecting what was left of my fledgling business. If I had made the decision to leave and had walked away on my own in a healthy way, I would have felt better about it. But I ended up watching it die a slow, painful death. So going through my old things brings back a lot of feelings I don't want to deal with.

2. My office is my inner child's playground. She wants to come in here and play and act like she's helping me work (I have an online store that I operate from my office), but she doesn't want to accept any of the responsibility. She's terrible about leaving things out where they don't belong, and she whines, complains and just about throws a tantrum if I even think about doing any kind of paperwork. If she doesn't know where something goes, she just leaves it out. And she loves piles!

So do I need some therapy before I can tackle my office? Nah. Now that I've started to identify what's keeping me from doing what needs to be done, I think I can start to chip away at it 15 minutes at a time.

I definitely need to name this little brat that is trying so hard to get my attention and keep me from regaining control. I'm thinking her name might be Toni, after a girl I went to elementary school with. Toni got everything she wanted, and if she didn't, LOOK OUT! Yeah, I think my inner brat just might be a Toni. Whew.

On a more positive note, the upper two levels of my house are coming under control very nicely. The bathrooms are getting swished and swiped daily, and we're at the point where a weekly deep cleaning isn't even necessary. They're always company-ready. My control journal is all set up and helping me to stay on track with morning and evening routines. The only one I'm struggling with is doing 15 minutes of decluttering every day. I've decluttered all the major areas that needed it except for the dreaded office. I guess I should find some smaller projects to warm up with and then start baby stepping through the office.

We're enjoying dinner as a family around our dinner table every evening. We've pretty much eliminated eating out; no one wants to skip the yummy meals I'm preparing from my weekly menu mailers. I'm discovering that I do enjoy cooking; it was the planning I dreaded. I don't mind grocery shopping now that my fridge and pantry are neat and organized. Cooking is actually pretty fun now because I know the guys will like what I'm preparing. My older son has a friend who has been spending a lot of time at our house this summer. The other day he confided to me that his family doesn't eat many meals at home because of busy work schedules. I'm pretty strict about having dinner together as a family unless it is totally unavoidable, and I think that is why he enjoys being here with us so much. Our family sits around the table at dinner and we talk about our day, we laugh, we joke, and that's just our time to connect. I think it's the most important time of the day.

Enough of that. Tonight is supposed to be "date night," but my poor exhausted hubby is upstairs asleep on the couch. He's the general manager of a hotel, and right now he's working seven days a week. I know it will become smoother; this is just one of those busy times. But I'll be so glad when he can have some time off to rest, relax and carry on a conversation after 8:00 PM. :)

Have a great day!

How Can I Bless this House with Bodies Everywhere??

2006-07-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's my dilemma today. Both sons had friends over this weekend. Four boys between the ages of 11 and 17 . . . you know what that does to a house. I stayed on top of things and had them throw away their trash and put their dirty glasses and dishes in the dishwasher. But here's what I found this morning.

1. The upper level -- two bodies in the younger son's room. I'm sure there's a popcorn bowl in there somewhere along with glasses -- you have to have snacks when watching a movie, right? I didn't want to wake them just yet, so I took the sheets off of my bed to go into the washer. I can start my "home blessing hour" downstairs and work my way up.

2. The middle level -- two MORE bodies, one on each couch in the living room. Popcorn bowls and glasses on the kitchen counter. Didn't want to wake them either, so we'll have to get the middle level a little later. So with sheets in hand I headed to . . . .

3. The basement -- guitars and amps all over the floor, a blanket on the couch, cords for the game systems in the floor. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Can't clean there either because I refuse to pick up after them. So what can I do? Throw the sheets in the washer (they're ready to go into the dryer now), check email and pout. Drink another cup of coffee and plot. Get my fanny upstairs and take a shower (even though I'll have to take another one after the cleaning is finished -- so why bother now??).

I've given them ample time to get their beauty rest, so now it's time to make my way back up the stairs and start making some noise.

By the way, when my kids have sleepovers, we're not talking about one nighters. Our house is the roach motel for kids -- kids come in but they don't come out. We keep them for 3 or 4 days or more at a time. We don't mind it at all; in fact I love it because I know where my kids are and what they're doing. But unconscious bodies at 9:30 Monday morning . . . nope, time to breathe some life into them and get them out of my way.

The FLY in Flylady means "finally loving yourself." If those little moochers don't get out of my way and let me bless this house, it's going to mean "fat lady yelling." HA!

Okay, time to get down to business. I hear movement upstairs. Time to lace up the shoes and whip this house back into shape. Later!

Tackle the Pantry - CHECK CHECK!

2006-06-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

Aaaaaaahhhhhh . . . . . . the dreaded pantry is DONE!

I didn't bother to use the timer for this one. I cleaned out five drawers in the kitchen that didn't take much time as a warm up. Then I just dove in.

I should have taken before and after pictures, but I was too ashamed of the way it looked before! I gutted that bad boy -- took everything out, one shelf at a time, vacuumed each shelf and wiped it down. Did a major fling boogie (probably more than 27 things).

Now the bottom shelf has nothing but canned foods, all grouped by "category" - fruits on the right, then veggies, etc. The next shelf is jars and bottles on lazy Susans. The third shelf is boxed stuff - cereals, pasta, crackers, etc. The very top shelf, which isn't as deep as the others, has three plastic containers with "duplicates." I found three boxes of "Nilla wafers (for banana pudding) - one went on the box shelf, two are in a container on the top shelf. Extra boxes of pasta, confectioners sugar, corn muffin mix, etc. are all up on the top shelf.

OH MY GOODNESS, how GOOD it feels to have that job done! And guess what -- it didn't take as long as I thought it would. I can't wait until the hubster gets home and sees the new and improved pantry. I've been harping about that one hole in our house forEVER.

This flybaby LOVES Flylady! No more procrastinating!!

Now go shine that sink! :)

Clean the Spice Cabinet - CHECK!

2006-06-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

We're making progress!

Here's what I've done so far today (besides my normal morning routine stuff):

1. Flylady's Spot Alert -- cleaned out our upstairs linen closet.

2. Feather dusted & vacuumed the middle level - entrance, hallway, living room, family room, kitchen, & dining room

3. Tackled the dreaded spice cabinet!! I set the timer, ran a sink of sudsy water, and pulled the lazy susan from each of the three shelves. Went through those spice jars and was amazed at how many duplicates there were! Combined jars when I could. Scrubbed those lazy susans, wiped down the cabinets, placed the lazy susans back in, and replaced the jars in alphabetical order. I used to think only people with OCD did things like that, but now I realize that if I want to find things when I need them, I need to know exactly where they are.

It took me about 45 minutes to finish with that cabinet, and it was time well spent. I was so happy with the spice cabinet that I . . .

4. Cleaned the cabinet above the coffee maker. Found some things to fling, cleaned the shelves, made it all nice and neat.

5. Couldn't stop there, so I continued to the cabinet above the stove. Found more things to fling. Placed baking pieces on one side, cooking ingredients such as cooking wine, olive oil, etc. on the other. Now everything is within reach and easy to find.

All of my kitchen organizing took me about an hour to complete. Much less time than I had thought, which was probably my reason for procrastinating.

The pantry is staring me down, but I really think I can win that one too. I did some flinging before we left for the beach (as I was packing some snacks), so it shouldn't be too bad.

I love this feeling of accomplishment, but even more I love the feeling of being in control of my home instead of being a slave to it. Little by little I'm finding the peace and joy I've been looking for between these walls!

We're Back from Nationals!

2006-06-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

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!

My Husband said the Nicest Thing!

2006-06-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

For so many years I've been griping about being our house being disorganized. I bought books on how to declutter, how to organize, and even one on how to stop procrastinating. I would crisis clean the house and then be so disappointed and frustrated that we couldn't seem to keep it that way for long. I would whine to my husband to please help me get organized.

Well, a few days ago my hubby gave me a hug and told me he appreciated what I've been doing. I asked him to explain, and he said he loves what I'm doing in the house and that when he comes home from work our home feels PEACEFUL. That's exactly what I have been wanting for our home for years. Hearing him say that meant so much!

I know it sounds corny, but Flylady is about more than just cleaning and organizing. She is about loving yourself and taking control of your life. My house is becoming neater and more organized, but I am also drinking more water and preparing healthier, more balanced meals. She even sent a reminder to do a monthly breast exam!

FlyLady, I Need your Help!

2006-06-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Uuugggghhhh . . . the ugly P words are trying to creep back in. You know the ones. Say them with me. Procrastinate and Perfectionist.

I've been doing so well with my decluttering -- setting my timer and going to town. I've done a lot of the "easy" spots, and now the tough jobs are looming before me. Maybe if I write it down here, I'll feel obligated to start tackling them.

1. My kitchen pantry. YUCK! We don't have a lot of room for food storage, so all of our non-perishables are in there. And they multiply. It's to the point now that opening the door is hazardous to your toes. I have a lot of throwing away to do. That part I can handle. The part I dread is putting everything back in. There's just no good way to organize the pantry. The shelves are really deep, so you end up with boxes in front of boxes and having to move the front items to get to the back ones. Any suggestions for me?

2. My spice cabinet. Doesn't it seem silly to put off this one cabinet? I think I'm procrastinating because it's in an awkward spot. I'll have to stand on the countertop to get to the top two shelves, and there's not a lot of room to move around. I'm afraid of heights, so feeling like I'm going to fall won't be a pleasant part of the task. I know I have duplicate spices in there, so I'll have to do a lot of combining. Not a big deal. I just have to get started.

3. My OFFICE. UUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! What a mess, what a mess, what a mess! I had started decluttering a little more than a month ago, but I got sidetracked and haven't gone back to it. In here I have my computer, my inventory for my ebay store and my website, lots of paperwork for my business, my looming supplies, and some leftovers from my days as a Henn consultant. I need to start with some five-minute room rescue sessions, but even that seems overwhelming. Where to start? I think what I'll do is break the office into zones and just start in one of them. Baby steps. Fifteen minutes at a time.

As far as hot spots, we're doing really well keeping them cleared off (at least the ones in our visible living area). My kitchen counters are neat, my sink shines, the bathrooms are always company-ready, our bedroom looks better than it has in a long time, my floors are clean. The boys are getting the hang of it too. They put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher after meals and snacks (most of the time, anyway), and they've gotten much better about taking their shoes and other things upstairs instead of plopping them in the foyer.

I have to make myself face those areas that I'm avoiding. I know once I get started it won't be as bad as I'm making it out to be. Sometimes that first step is the toughest, isn't it?

Okay, so I've shared my secret and I've committed to doing something about it. Hold me to it. Don't let me find a way around doing what has to be done. I'll get started right away. Well, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

I Finally Broke Down . . .

2006-06-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down and listened to FlyLady's advice about wearing shoes in the house. Now keep in mind that I was taught that the shoes come off as soon as you step through the door, and I've always taught my kids the same thing. But I have been reading the benefits of wearing shoes, especially the part about doing away with rough heels, and I thought I might give it a try.

So I went to the Shoe Department at the mall and bought a pair of white canvas Keds. They're lightweight and comfy, and they will never be worn outside. I'm letting my family know that when they see the shoes, mom is flying! :)

I also bought a digital kitchen timer at WalMart for $9.97. What a neat tool! When I taught students with learning disabilities, I used a timer in the classroom to help them break down tasks into smaller steps. I never thought about using one in my home to help me with baby steps!

I did my weekly "home blessing" this morning, and I was amazed at how much I got accomplished in small spaces of time. I cleaned the master bath and bedroom (dust / mop / vacuum / mirrors), vacuumed the stairs (two sets), cleaned the entire middle level (dust / mop / vacuum / mirrors - living room, family room, dining room, foyer, hallway and kitchen), and cleaned the basement family room, including reorganizing the kids' game systems into stackable crates. All of that took me less than two hours!

Cleaning goes so much faster when there is no clutter to put away and when things have been kept neat and tidy.

The really cool thing is that when my older son came home from school today, he came downstairs and commented about the game systems. They're noticing what I'm doing and they appreciate it. AND they are starting to buy into the whole thing and help me out.

Dinner time is a breeze thanks to the menu mailers I get. The planning is done on Sunday evenings -- I look over the menu and make the grocery list. Each day I know when I wake up what I'll be making for dinner, so that major headache is taken care of. The recipes are yummy, and we all love the variety.

The best benefit of the menu mailers is that they're Weight Watchers friendly. I don't have to do any modifying. The weight is still coming off, and I'm within a fraction of a pound of changing my middle number. Huh? My weight is 1## -- that number in the middle is about to go down by one. Get it?

Okay, I'm making it sound like everything is perfect. No way! I still have a way to go. I still have closets, drawers, pantries, and a whole office that need work. I still have a child who is way too picky with his eating. We have lots of old habits to break and new habits to establish. But FlyLady is teaching me that it's okay if it's not all done right now. Baby steps. How liberating those two little words are!

Here's to shiny sinks, comfy shoes and jeans that fit!

I have time for a DATE!

2006-06-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Hubby is coming home right now to pick me up and we're going to see a matinee movie while the kids are in school! The best part is that my house is neat!

I look around and realize that I really have been a "procrastinating perfectionist" for a long time. I never let things go because I was lazy or a slob. I was in the habit of waiting until I had enough time to do EVERYTHING that needed to be done. For example, if I thought about cleaning out the pantry in the kitchen, I would put it off because the other cabinets needed to be cleaned too and I knew it would take me days to do it all.

But now I'm learning that I can do anything in Baby Steps. Fifteen minutes at a time, my house is taking shape -- and staying that way!

Kelly's mission yesterday was to tackle the Tupperware / Rubbermaid / leftover containers. I took it a step further and decluttered the whole cabinet where they are stored. I had been putting off doing that one dreaded chore because I thought it would take forever. I started at 4:00 and finished in plenty of time to pick up my younger son from his fifth grade social at 5:00. All the stray lids, oversized cups and other things we don't use anymore have been thrown out, and the cabinet looks great.

I have my eyes on the next cabinet to be decluttered, but not today. Today I have a DATE! And tonight we're going to the country club for an awards dinner for my older son.

My kids are a little too old for FlyLady's Camp GonnaWannaFly, but we've got to get them on a schedule for the summer to get their chores done. I'm thinking about doing their own evening and morning routines, a basic weekly chore schedule for them, and a daily "Mom's challenge" based on things that need to be done in their rooms. I really want to send them out into the world organized and neat. I'm going to be the "mother in law" one day, so I want to prepare them to be good husband material, or at least teach them to pick up after themselves. :)

Okay, I'm off to slip on my jeans and get out the door!

This House has been Blessed! ;)

2006-06-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Whew! I just can't seem to grasp the concept of the weekly home blessing *hour.* It takes me at least two hours to do the top two levels of my house (dust, vacuum, mop floors, clean mirrors, empty trash, change sheets), and I haven't gone any farther with the basement than dusting the family room and cleaning the bathroom down there. There is some clutter left over from the weekend's sleepover that needs to be dealt with first. I'm sure Kyle will be reaching for the flyswatter when I tell him what he needs to do this evening! :)

Well, it's been a week and a half since I met the FlyLady. My kitchen always looks great now because we shine the sink every evening and don't leave clutter on the counters. I found an expandable file in my office -- one of the travel ones with a handle -- and placed it in a basket next to the counter. In it we place all bills as they come in (to be paid every other Friday - payday), and then we file the paid bills in the pockets. Everything else that comes in gets dumped if it's junk or put into the current catalog basket. No more counter clutter!

The boys are catching on to the routines. They "swish and swipe" every morning, and my younger son has been laying out his clothes the night before. Last night he threw in a load of his laundry without being reminded (even though tonight is his laundry night).

The older son LOVES the dinners we've been having. I've been getting the Body Clutter menus from savingdinner.com, and we haven't found anything so far that we didn't enjoy. Tonight might be the exception. It's a Tex Mex Crock Stew done in the slow cooker. I think it smells wonderful, but I don't know how they'll like it.

So what have we been getting done so far? Hmmm . . .

My evening routine:
* Shine the sink
* Shower
* Check tomorrow's calendar and menu
* Lay out clothes for tomorrow
* Spend a few minutes on the "hot spots"
* Run the dishwasher

My morning routine:
* Shower, do hair & makeup, dress to socks (I'm still working on wearing shoes in the house; I'm thinking about buying an inexpensive pair of lace-ups just for wearing inside)
* Swish & swipe the bathroom
* Grab a load of laundry
* Unload the dishwasher
* Check today's calendar & menu

I've been completing Kelly's mission each day, and I've been trying to do some decluttering in 15-minute increments. The master bath is clutter free and stays neat. We have 3 1/2 bathrooms, and they all get "swished and swiped" each day so they're staying neat. Laundry stays caught up (except the ironing -- I need to catch up on that -- yuck!).

I have a friend who just might BE FlyLady. She has a huge house, two kids, a husband, two cats and a dog. Any time you walk into her house it is NEAT. I've always left there feeling so inadequate.

But guess what? My house is like my friend's house now! At least the top two levels are. I'd still stop you from going to the basement, and please don't open any closets, cabinets or drawers just yet. But you're welcome to stop by now; I won't be embarrassed by the things that need to be put away. That feels great!

FlyLady is Kicking my Behind

2006-05-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

I'm pooped, but boy does my house look good!

This morning after finishing my morning routine I started the vacuuming. I spent two hours doing the middle and lower level floors and couches. Kelly's mission today was to find the trash in the living room, so I concentrated on the couches, really giving them some extra attention. The first hour was spent just on the couches in the living and family room on the middle level. Then I vacuumed the carpets and mopped the floors. All done by noon.

Then after lunch I dashed to the grocery store and picked up everything we needed for the next week's menu. I'm getting the Body Clutter menu mailers and I'm loving them! Tonight's dinner was a marinated chicken (substituted for turkey cutlets) stir fry with peppers and onions, rice and steamed broccoli. Yummy!

I didn't get any decluttering done today, but that's okay. Baby steps.

So far some of the changes we've seen in our house:

1. No one asks, "Are the dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty?" I run it at night and empty it first thing in the morning so we can load dirties in it throughout the day.

2. Mom and Dad don't stare at each other and say, "What should we have for dinner?" We just look at the menu. Love it!

3. There is NO clutter on my kitchen counters! That's a first in our house. Anything made of paper has always found its way to our counter and nested there. No more!

4. There is NO clutter on the dining room table. I'm thinking about buying fresh flowers each week and putting them in the middle of the table. Since there's no junk sitting on the table, we'd be able to enjoy them!

5. There is NO clutter on the stairs or in the foyer. Every now and then I have to remind the boys to put their shoes away, but they're not leaving things lying around anymore.

The guys are really pitching in. The boys are "swishing and swiping" in the mornings, and the hubby is pitching in as well. He even commented the other day that he likes the new routine I have us doing.

Oh, the younger son has declared that he doesn't care for FlyLady much. I think he misses his procrastinating mom, but she doesn't live here anymore! :) He's coming around, and he'll get better with practice.

The older son carried out a huge garbage bag of things he cleared out from under his bed the other day. He was looking for a place to store his guitar case and couldn't fit it under the bed because of all the junk. So he spent a few minutes decluttering. Makes a mama proud!

Okay, I'm heading upstairs to take a nice cool bath and then I'm spending some "me-time" with my knitting looms. I can do it without guilt because I have several shiny sinks in my house now! LOL

What a Day!

2006-05-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

I got quite a bit accomplished today. I love the morning and bedtime routines. I'm a schedule person and a rule follower, so having a list of things to do is perfect for me.

After my morning routine was done, I decided to spend my "home blessing" hour dusting every surface in my house. I started on the middle level and dusted every piece of furniture and everything on the walls. Then downstairs I went, dusting pictures, shelves and furniture in the basement. Then up to our bedroom to dust our furniture and the bathroom shelves.

While I was in the bathroom I decided to declutter. I took a few pictures along the way.

The cabinet - before:

And after:

This part took about 30 minutes or so. I threw away several empty bottles and some that were just plain old. Why on earth do we hang on to things?

Under the sink - before:
And after:
Guess what I found while I was under there? Bubble Bath! So guess what I'm going to do this evening to wind down before bed? Aaaaahhhhhhh . . .

The dreaded medicine cabinet - before:

And after:
I had a mess on the bathroom floor when I finished so I vacuumed and mopped it and vacuumed the bedroom floor.

Kelly's mission today was to find the "hidden clutter" in the living room. I went through all the baskets in my living room, purging all old magazines and catalogs and moving books to the bookshelf downstairs. I have two baskets with knitting supplies, so I took a few minutes to wind the yarn into balls and put it into ziploc bags.

Tomorrow I'll do the floors on the middle and lower levels and it'll look pretty good. Then the decluttering can really start. Whew!

My husband told me yesterday that he likes the routines I'm establishing. The boys aren't leaving their shoes in the foyer, and papers aren't collecting on the dining room table or kitchen counters. We're all getting into the habit of cleaning the toilet and sink after we shower, so the bathrooms are staying clean.

I'm loving the FlyLady's way of doing things. I just hope I can stick to it. As long as I do a little each day I'll be okay. But I'm worried about the day something happens to throw the routine out of whack.

I think my favorite thing so far is the "home blessing hour." Not because I like doing those chores! But because she refers to doing them as blessing your home. I've always considered my home a blessing, but I haven't looked at keeping it up as a way of blessing it. I've always approached housework with dread, something that has to be done and endured. But today while I was dusting, I kept telling myself that I was blessing my family by making our home cleaner and more peaceful. Sounds cheesy I know, but it's the change of perspective I need to stay on track.

Anyway, it's time to make dinner. I think I'll head up and enjoy a cup of coffee in my clean kitchen before getting started. :)

Fly high!

Loving the Routines!

2006-05-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to a baseball game today.

Here's how it would have happened "BFL" (Before FlyLady):

1. Get out of bed
2. Shower, dress, have coffee
3. Leave beds unmade, leave dishes in sink, head out to the game
4. Return home tired - fuss about the mess

Here's how we did it today:

1. Get out of bed & make coffee
2. Shower, dress, swish & swipe, remind boys to do the same
3. Make bed
4. Unload the dishwasher
5. Enjoy a cup of coffee
6. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, shine the sink
7. Return home tired, find a clean foyer and kitchen, SMILE!

What a difference those little changes are making! We're trying hard to just do things as we come to them instead of waiting for the "perfect" time or waiting until "cleaning day" arrives.

Yesterday afternoon I spent a few minutes in my closet, pulling out clothes I no longer wear. I mean, if I get myself back down to a size 8, I'll celebrate by buying new clothes! I put them in a pile in the bedroom. In the BFL days, they would have sat there waiting for me to decide what to do with them, and some would have ended up back in the closet. But the new Lisa immediately went to the computer and posted them on Freecycle, and they are due to be picked up tomorrow. Woohoo!

Okay, I admit we have a LONG way to go to declutter and organize, but I feel like we're on the right track.

Time to go upstairs and do my bedtime routine, review tomorrow's Sunday School lesson and then spend some "Lisa time" KNITTING!!

Fly high!

Day 2 and still shining

2006-05-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to be seeing a difference already? There really is something about shining that kitchen sink that just gets you jumpstarted.

I went to bed last night not only with my sink shining, but with my office looking a little neater (my office is the spot of my WORST offenses), my kitchen counters completely cleared off and wiped down, and my control journal started.

Here I sit now, completely dressed with shoes laced up (a big step for me as I NEVER wear shoes in the house), hair and makeup done, bathroom swished and swiped, purse cleaned out, car cleaned out, and bed sheets washed, dried, and put back on. AND I organized under the sink in the middle level bathroom, showed my younger son how to shine the sink in his bathroom before going to school, organized the shelves in the laundry room, and am almost finished with the laundry. Whew!

Okay, I'm pooped and it's still early afternoon. I'm having a hard time remembering the "baby step" thing. I want the whole house to look like my kitchen -- NOW.

A few things I've figured out about myself over the years:

1. I'm a terrible procrastinator, and that has led to my clutter. "I'll put this away when I find the perfect spot for it," or "I'll clean that xxx as soon as I have time." I'm finding that few things take as much time as I think they will. Cleaning the bathroom while I'm in there anyway just makes so much sense, and it doesn't take that much time at all. Working in 15 minute increments shows you just how much you really can get done.

2. Much of my clutter is hidden. I can clean my house and it looks great, but please don't open any of my drawers, cabinets, or especially the closets. I have a lot of decluttering to do, and I really am going to try to take it slow and do it right. I'm trying to keep in mind that the FlyLady is teaching me lifestyle changes, not just quick fixes.

3. I have let myself get really out of shape. I work in front of the computer much of the time, and I have seriously neglected my poor body. My weight has crept up, and my energy level has gone downhill. Maybe it's time to crank up the treadmill that has been collecting dust in the corner.

Oh, and I signed up with Saving Dinner today. I'm getting the Body Clutter menus. I'm loving the grocery list -- all the planning is done, all I need to do is implement it! I can cook, but like many people, I hate the planning part of it.

Hubby just came home for lunch, so I have to "fly" upstairs and make sure he doesn't mess up the counters! I mean . . . I have to go make sure he has a nutritious lunch. :>

My Sink is Shining!

2006-05-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've finished step one -- I shined my sink! Here's what it looked like this morning:

The bowls on the right were washed last night and left in the drainer to dry. The dishes in the left were from last night's snacks and this morning's breakfast. I have some re-training to do with the boys, because what they're doing now is placing dirty dishes beside or in the sink. They don't check the dishwasher to see if it's full, and they're not washing what they mess up.

Side one of the sink getting its bleach bath.

Side one has been scrubbed and side two is being bleached. Notice the dish drainer gets two turns with the bleach. Yucky!

All finished! All scrubbed and shiny.

This one little change will make a big difference. It's become a habit to leave dishes drying in the drainer, and sometimes they're there until the next time we do dishes. I've made a spot for the dish drainer under the sink and we'll only take it out when we do the dishes. No more leaving them to dry in the sink.

Day One with the FlyLady

2006-05-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I was browsing through some loom knitting blogs before starting on the dreaded housework. On Brenda's blog was a link to her cleaning blog, where she says she is "clearing out the mess in her life with the FlyLady." Hmmm. I have a mess. Who is this FlyLady?

So I hopped on over to FlyLady to find out more. Oooh, lots of great information, and a plan for changing my cluttered existence! So I'm starting today with day one and am on my way upstairs to shine my sink. I figure this blog will give me some accountability as I get my house in order.

Wish me luck!