Homemaking takes up a good portion of our duties as help meets to our husbands. Creating a haven that he can come home to and relax in takes time and effort. Many times we feel ourselves going around in circles trying to keep the house in decent order.
Take a minute and look at your home with another person's eyes. Is the table top full of papers that need to be moved aside for you to eat or write? Do you have plastic bowls in your cupboard that are discolored, broken or unusable? Are you collecting plastic bags for you to reuse but have too much of them? Look in your closet - clothes that don't fit anymore or are outdated and you know you will never wear them again? What about your children's toys - quite a few broken ones that they don't play with anymore? I could go on and on but you get the picture. Your home has clutter. Maybe that's the reason why you feel like you're going in circles and can't seem to keep the house in decent order.
Well, we are here to help you. We've mentioned the FlyLady before and for the month of February she is going to help us with our clutter. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to start. Take babysteps. Our homes did not get cluttered in a day and we can't expect to declutter it in a day with our lives already as busy as they are.
For those of you following the FlyLady system and are receiving her emails, you know that this month's habit is decluttering. FlyLady recommends that we declutter everyday. She suggests 15 minutes daily which can be done all at once or broken down in 5 min increments. Fly through the clutter this month and do it. You can do it! Even though you only end up decluttering every other day it still puts you way ahead of where you were. Just do something.
Here is a link to a little encouragement in your decluttering from the Fly Lady: DECLUTTER Listen and then click on the links below the audio to read some more. Let us bless our husbands by giving him a less cluttered home. It will free up much mental and physical energy for both you and him.
HAPPY DECLUTTERING! You're well on your way to being the help meet that God wants you to be. For more decluttering help CLICK HERE
Showing posts with label FlyLady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FlyLady. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Pamper Me! Friday
This week's Pamper Mission brought to you from FlyLady.net.
The weather can wreak havoc on our hands. Be sure to protect your hands by using moisturizer and cuticle oil.
Continue pampering your hands by using nail treatments and nail color if you like. Schedule time to paint your nails when you will have plenty of time for them to dry between coats. Have your nail supplies gathered in a basket so that you can paint your nails during your favorite tv show or when on a long phone call.
Soft, well manicured nails are such a treat. You feel wonderful every time you look down at your pretty hands, instead of the embarrassment caused by the sight of your chapped hands with broken nails.
Take time for you! You are so worth it!
Love,
Dana
FlyCrew@FlyLady.net
The weather can wreak havoc on our hands. Be sure to protect your hands by using moisturizer and cuticle oil.
Continue pampering your hands by using nail treatments and nail color if you like. Schedule time to paint your nails when you will have plenty of time for them to dry between coats. Have your nail supplies gathered in a basket so that you can paint your nails during your favorite tv show or when on a long phone call.
Soft, well manicured nails are such a treat. You feel wonderful every time you look down at your pretty hands, instead of the embarrassment caused by the sight of your chapped hands with broken nails.
Take time for you! You are so worth it!
Love,
Dana
FlyCrew@FlyLady.net
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Testimony
Dear Friends,
Every year we have a clean slate on New Year's day! In our book Body
Clutter, Leanne and I told you that you can make any day, your New
Year's day! We just need change on our heart and we can do it!
Eventually the CHAOS takes us down to a point to where we are just
DONE! We don't know what else to do! It is when we are at our bottom
that we reach out for help. This is when we realize that what we have
been doing is not working.
With our perfectionism we think that we have to do everything at once
to gain the peace that we are so desperate for. We don't realize that
each babystep we take will get us to the big picture that we see in
our heads. In our perfectionism we don't see how taking one babystep
of shining our sink could make a difference. This is exactly where I
started!
On January 1st of 1999, a decade ago, I was so tired of living in
CHAOS. I wanted more to life than just feeling guilty about a messy
house! I wanted to live and be surrounded by peace! I wanted a home
that would bless me and my family! I wanted peace! I had no idea that
what I discovered that day would change my life and yours.
I know that you are wondering what my discovery was! It was that
because of my perfectionism I expected change to be immediate and when
it was not, I beat myself up because I was not changing fast enough.
That day I realized that I was mean to myself and that it was not nice
of me to expect too much too fast. I also realized that I had never
established a habit. The process was simple now that I look back at
it! I decluttered two bad habits and added one good habit.
Decluttered --Perfectionism and Being Mean to myself
Added – Shining my Sink!
As I caught myself allowing perfectionism to be the excuse to be mean
to me; I recognized it and turned it around to love me and build
myself up! I don't have to be perfect; I just have to be kind to me!
Then I would go shine my sink. I didn't pile on by trying to do too
many habits at one time. All I had to do was keep my sink clean and
shiny. As one habit was established after a month; I picked another
one. The decluttering process for perfectionism and beating myself up
will never stop for me. That is because I am not perfect! Every day I
recognize my perfectionism and every day I am kind to myself. My
consistency is the key the peace in my life!
Peace can be your too!
FlyLady
Every year we have a clean slate on New Year's day! In our book Body
Clutter, Leanne and I told you that you can make any day, your New
Year's day! We just need change on our heart and we can do it!
Eventually the CHAOS takes us down to a point to where we are just
DONE! We don't know what else to do! It is when we are at our bottom
that we reach out for help. This is when we realize that what we have
been doing is not working.
With our perfectionism we think that we have to do everything at once
to gain the peace that we are so desperate for. We don't realize that
each babystep we take will get us to the big picture that we see in
our heads. In our perfectionism we don't see how taking one babystep
of shining our sink could make a difference. This is exactly where I
started!
On January 1st of 1999, a decade ago, I was so tired of living in
CHAOS. I wanted more to life than just feeling guilty about a messy
house! I wanted to live and be surrounded by peace! I wanted a home
that would bless me and my family! I wanted peace! I had no idea that
what I discovered that day would change my life and yours.
I know that you are wondering what my discovery was! It was that
because of my perfectionism I expected change to be immediate and when
it was not, I beat myself up because I was not changing fast enough.
That day I realized that I was mean to myself and that it was not nice
of me to expect too much too fast. I also realized that I had never
established a habit. The process was simple now that I look back at
it! I decluttered two bad habits and added one good habit.
Decluttered --Perfectionism and Being Mean to myself
Added – Shining my Sink!
As I caught myself allowing perfectionism to be the excuse to be mean
to me; I recognized it and turned it around to love me and build
myself up! I don't have to be perfect; I just have to be kind to me!
Then I would go shine my sink. I didn't pile on by trying to do too
many habits at one time. All I had to do was keep my sink clean and
shiny. As one habit was established after a month; I picked another
one. The decluttering process for perfectionism and beating myself up
will never stop for me. That is because I am not perfect! Every day I
recognize my perfectionism and every day I am kind to myself. My
consistency is the key the peace in my life!
Peace can be your too!
FlyLady
Monday, January 5, 2009
Essay from FlyLady about this month's habit
When you first come to FlyLady.net you are shocked to hear what your initial habit is! "Go shine my sink??? How is that going to help me get my whole house in order?"
Right now you are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed and I promise this is going to help you get out of the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) that you have been living in for such a long time. It all starts with that shining sink.
When I set out to get my act together in 1999, I didn't know where to start either. This is why I just picked my sink. I was tired of beating myself up over the way I kept our home looking.
Right then and there I decided I would be nice to me by only requiring that I do one small thing each day. I needed to establish a habit. I had plenty of habits but they were not effective ones for taking care of me or our home. I picked keeping my sink clean and shiny for a whole month. It was just that simple!
What is in that shiny sink anyway? When you walk into you kitchen in morning and you are confronted with yesterday's dirty dishes; you just want to go crawl back into bed and pull the covers over your head. Along with these dishes are hurtful feelings because no one is helping you. Not only do you have to get these out of way to start another meal but you are beating yourself up because you let them go. That nasty water is just a reflection of how you feel when you face a sink full of yesterday's dirty dishes.
The goal is to keep that sink clean and shiny for a month. If we miss a day; we just jump back in and don't beat ourselves up over it.
This is you first step! Don't skip it!
FlyLady
Go look at my Shiny Sink Video.
http://www.flylady.net/pages/jumpcut_video1.asp
Right now you are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed and I promise this is going to help you get out of the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) that you have been living in for such a long time. It all starts with that shining sink.
When I set out to get my act together in 1999, I didn't know where to start either. This is why I just picked my sink. I was tired of beating myself up over the way I kept our home looking.
Right then and there I decided I would be nice to me by only requiring that I do one small thing each day. I needed to establish a habit. I had plenty of habits but they were not effective ones for taking care of me or our home. I picked keeping my sink clean and shiny for a whole month. It was just that simple!
What is in that shiny sink anyway? When you walk into you kitchen in morning and you are confronted with yesterday's dirty dishes; you just want to go crawl back into bed and pull the covers over your head. Along with these dishes are hurtful feelings because no one is helping you. Not only do you have to get these out of way to start another meal but you are beating yourself up because you let them go. That nasty water is just a reflection of how you feel when you face a sink full of yesterday's dirty dishes.
The goal is to keep that sink clean and shiny for a month. If we miss a day; we just jump back in and don't beat ourselves up over it.
This is you first step! Don't skip it!
FlyLady
Go look at my Shiny Sink Video.
http://www.flylady.net/pages/jumpcut_video1.asp
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Flying with FlyLady
Each month FlyLady helps us focus on a new habit to help us manage our homes well. As the new year begins it is only fitting that she start with this habit which is where she started her journey.
The Habit for January is SHINE YOUR SINK. Yes, you read it right you need to shine your sink. Here is an essay from her website at www.flylady.net:
That Shiny Sink is the Beginning of FLYing!
Dear Friends,
My bathtub is my place of meditation in the mornings. I surround myself with warm water and open my mind and heart to listen. Robert calls them God Breezes. When they come in the middle of the night, we refer to them as the Midnight Editor and when I get them in the tub; they are bathtub epiphanies. This morning the subject was love!
Robert and I have spent the last hour and a half talking about love! Not our love but the love that is in us all. As SHEs all we have ever wanted is to be loved. I can remember a time when all I wanted was to just feel loved. It didn't matter if I was really loved or not just as long as I felt like I was loved. I guess that is just affection. Any way love is not something we can make happen.
I don't care how much you try to make someone love you it is never going to happen. You cannot earn love. Respect maybe, but not love. It is either there or it isn't. This is why I have told you for years that you have to get the house in order for you. You are never going to get your home clean enough to make someone love you more or at all. Even as the house gets cleaner this person is never going to love you if they don't love you with a dirty house. Do you understand this? The house is not the problem with the lack of love. If the love is there all things are possible even a small spark of love is enough. You cannot buy love with gifts either. If you are not loved for you then no gift is ever going to satisfy the need you have to be loved by this person or family member.
Do you remember the first time you walked into your kitchen after you shined your sink? If you have not shined that sink yet then go do it now. You feasted your eyes upon a reflection that made you smile. You didn't know why it made you smile but that feeling emanated from the very core of your being. That feeling was love! I know you don't believe me. When that sink greeted you and you smiled, you felt something that changed you forever. I know it seems so simple and maybe a bit corny but that sink is a reflection of you.
When you take care of the sink; just look what that care does for the way you feel each and every day! This is the beginning of you accepting the love that has been hidden inside of you forever. For years we have pushed that love down deep and had forgotten about it because we were too busy trying to work hard enough to earn that love from others. It is time we uncovered that eternal love and cultivated it so that love can be shared with the world.
Now I am in great big purple puddles. Think about all the songs that have been sung over the years. As a little child in Sunday school we sang the song about hiding our little light under a bushel. Then we would yell NO! I am going to let it shine! That little light is your love and your connection to God and the world. That love has always been there, we have just kept it hidden; especially from ourselves. Some of us have even been told it was wrong to love ourselves. Well to this I say you cannot love anyone else till you love yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself means you have to love yourself to be able to reflect that love to others.
Did you know that when you are loving yourself that you attack love back to you. You become a love magnet. Not only are you reflecting that love to others but that love is coming back to you and the best part is that it is multiplied! And it all starts with you! Have you shined that sink yet? This is your first uncovering of that love that has been hiding underneath all the self-loathing and pain you have suffered your whole life.
All we have ever wanted was to feel loved! We can do this for ourselves without having to depend on anyone else for what we need. We deserve to be happy! This little ray of hope, happiness, peace and love has always been inside of you! We all remember the Wizard of Oz and the good witch telling Dorothy that she had the power to go home; that it was always inside of her. This is how I feel about FLYing! Your love is just waiting for you to open up the doors and windows then let the sun shine from within you to light up the world!
Love makes the world go round, it is the energy that keeps us moving when all is lost. Love is always with us, we just have to start with babysteps to rekindle the love that we have locked away. Start now. Go shine that sink of yours, get dressed to shoes and do something sweet for you. If you don't take care of you; who will?
Are you ready to FLY?
FlyLady
The Habit for January is SHINE YOUR SINK. Yes, you read it right you need to shine your sink. Here is an essay from her website at www.flylady.net:
That Shiny Sink is the Beginning of FLYing!
Dear Friends,
My bathtub is my place of meditation in the mornings. I surround myself with warm water and open my mind and heart to listen. Robert calls them God Breezes. When they come in the middle of the night, we refer to them as the Midnight Editor and when I get them in the tub; they are bathtub epiphanies. This morning the subject was love!
Robert and I have spent the last hour and a half talking about love! Not our love but the love that is in us all. As SHEs all we have ever wanted is to be loved. I can remember a time when all I wanted was to just feel loved. It didn't matter if I was really loved or not just as long as I felt like I was loved. I guess that is just affection. Any way love is not something we can make happen.
I don't care how much you try to make someone love you it is never going to happen. You cannot earn love. Respect maybe, but not love. It is either there or it isn't. This is why I have told you for years that you have to get the house in order for you. You are never going to get your home clean enough to make someone love you more or at all. Even as the house gets cleaner this person is never going to love you if they don't love you with a dirty house. Do you understand this? The house is not the problem with the lack of love. If the love is there all things are possible even a small spark of love is enough. You cannot buy love with gifts either. If you are not loved for you then no gift is ever going to satisfy the need you have to be loved by this person or family member.
Do you remember the first time you walked into your kitchen after you shined your sink? If you have not shined that sink yet then go do it now. You feasted your eyes upon a reflection that made you smile. You didn't know why it made you smile but that feeling emanated from the very core of your being. That feeling was love! I know you don't believe me. When that sink greeted you and you smiled, you felt something that changed you forever. I know it seems so simple and maybe a bit corny but that sink is a reflection of you.
When you take care of the sink; just look what that care does for the way you feel each and every day! This is the beginning of you accepting the love that has been hidden inside of you forever. For years we have pushed that love down deep and had forgotten about it because we were too busy trying to work hard enough to earn that love from others. It is time we uncovered that eternal love and cultivated it so that love can be shared with the world.
Now I am in great big purple puddles. Think about all the songs that have been sung over the years. As a little child in Sunday school we sang the song about hiding our little light under a bushel. Then we would yell NO! I am going to let it shine! That little light is your love and your connection to God and the world. That love has always been there, we have just kept it hidden; especially from ourselves. Some of us have even been told it was wrong to love ourselves. Well to this I say you cannot love anyone else till you love yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself means you have to love yourself to be able to reflect that love to others.
Did you know that when you are loving yourself that you attack love back to you. You become a love magnet. Not only are you reflecting that love to others but that love is coming back to you and the best part is that it is multiplied! And it all starts with you! Have you shined that sink yet? This is your first uncovering of that love that has been hiding underneath all the self-loathing and pain you have suffered your whole life.
All we have ever wanted was to feel loved! We can do this for ourselves without having to depend on anyone else for what we need. We deserve to be happy! This little ray of hope, happiness, peace and love has always been inside of you! We all remember the Wizard of Oz and the good witch telling Dorothy that she had the power to go home; that it was always inside of her. This is how I feel about FLYing! Your love is just waiting for you to open up the doors and windows then let the sun shine from within you to light up the world!
Love makes the world go round, it is the energy that keeps us moving when all is lost. Love is always with us, we just have to start with babysteps to rekindle the love that we have locked away. Start now. Go shine that sink of yours, get dressed to shoes and do something sweet for you. If you don't take care of you; who will?
Are you ready to FLY?
FlyLady
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #31
Day 31
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
Don’t get bogged down by wanting to know everything about our system. As your clutter goes away you will find that you will have time to do the zone detailed cleaning, weekly home blessing hour and some of the fun things we do in our email and on the website. You don’t have to see the top of the staircase to take the first step or the 30th step; you just need to keep FLYing!
I am so proud of you!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #30
Day 30
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
Look at your calendar for next month. Does anyone have a birthday? We forget to send cards and purchase gifts. Put this on your errand list so you can to buy cards and gifts on your errand day. To learn more about a Basic Weekly Plan; You don’t have to start doing it yet. Just think about it.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #29
Day 29
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
We have worked very hard this past month. I hope that you have become familiar with our email FLY Washing system and you are seeing some progress in your home. It took me nine months of building my routines one habit at a time to get our home running on automatic pilot. Please do not beat yourself up over this. Anything you do today is better than it used to be! Celebrate each accomplishment and enjoy the process. Before you know it you will be having more time for the things that you love to do.
Right now I want you to look at the bottom of our homepage and find the weekly Pamper Mission and read it. Then think about when you are going to do it. You may have to put it on your calendar to really make it happen.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #28
Day 28
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
Many times when we can’t seem to get going it is because we are not taking care of ourselves by eating right, drinking our water or getting enough sleep. As part of your routines I want you to remind yourself to eat good food, drink your water and get your rest.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #27
Day 27
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
Today I want you to think about what you are fixing for dinner before 6:00 pm rolls around. You can do it as part of your before bed routine for tomorrow or as part of your morning routine for today. Write this in your Control Journal.
WHATS FOR DINNER?
Friday, December 26, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #26
Day 26
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
It takes us a month to establish a habit. I set it up this way because I knew that I would miss a day here and there and I didn’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. That was how I had always done it with my perfectionism. If I missed a day I gave up; well I factored in this part of our personalities into our FlyLady system. This is why we take a whole month to establish one habit.
Today I want you to go look at the bottom of any email that I have sent out. The first sentence is what I want you to look at and incorporate into you FLYing!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #25
Day 25
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
You have only been doing your routines for 25 days now. I am so proud of you. Keep in mind that you are not ever going to be perfect and we don’t expect you to be. In fact we don’t even like that P word. Right now you have your routines written down in your Control Journal. It will help you to practice them each day. These habits are not automatic yet; so you are still going to have to use your Control Journal, sticky notes and our reminders to help you establish your habits. Another tool you have is your calendar and stickers. We love giving ourselves a sticker when we are establishing a habit. I know that I have thrown a lot at you in the last 25 days but don’t give up now. Every time you do your routine you are one step closer to developing your habit and running on automatic pilot. Today I want you to read how I started developing my routines one habit at a time. It took me several months to do this and here I am expecting you to get it in four weeks. Well here is the deal; I don’t expect you to do this in one month. Be nice to yourself and don’t beat yourself up. Your consistent BabySteps will get you there.
http://flylady.net/pages/WhyFly_PersonalTest.asp
Now go give yourself a gold star for doing your Morning Routine.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #24
Day 24
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening
One of the things that make our home always ready for company is the fact that our main bathroom is clean. Each morning as part of my Morning Routine I do something I call a Swish and a Swipe. This means I swish the toilet with a toilet bowl brush and I wipe down the counter tops and sink with a rag and put away all the things I have gotten out. This takes all of two minutes to keep our bathroom ready for anyone.
Add Swish and Swipe to your Morning Routine
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #23
Day 23
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning and Evening
Today we are going to add another routine to our day. I like to call this our get home from work routine or get home from school. Whatever you name it; it is your afternoon routine.
Make a new page in your Control Journal for your Afternoon Routine. As with any of your routines; you will have to adapt to fit your family. Your Control Journal is your guide for BabyStepping your way through you day.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #22
Day 22
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning and Evening
Have you been procrastinating about building your Control Journal? I know that perfectionism can rear its ugly head and keep us stuck. If you just can’t seem to get yours together; I have made one for you. It is in our FLY Shop
http://flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_CJ.asp
All the BabyStep directions are on the website too. Just click on the link underneath FlyLadys feet.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #21
Day 21
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning and Evening
Today I am going to show you something else on our website. Each day(Monday-Friday) our WebDude Lee puts up an Ask FlyLady Question and I answer it.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #20
Day 20
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning and Evening
One of the many reminders that we send out has to do with our laundry; when you include laundry in your morning and evening routine this makes getting up and getting dressed much easier. Laundry doesn’t take long to do when we don’t procrastinate about one of the five steps: Sort, wash, dry, fold and put away. It only takes a few short minutes. When you include laundry in your routines everyone is blessed. Nothing says I love you more than clean underwear!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #19
Day 19
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning and Evening
Here is another inspirational testimonial that is the first page of my book, Sink Reflections. Your home can be this too. You are taking the BabySteps to get you there.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #18
Day 18
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning and Evening
Did you know that we have Eleven Commandments? You may want to print these out or write them in your Control Journal.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Beginner Babysteps #17
Day 17
Check Your Control Journal Every Morning and Evening
Today I want you to think about what time you are going to bed each night. Set a specific bed time and stick to it. You need your rest. Put this on your Before Bed Routine.
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