Sunday, February 28, 2010

Vacation....Here I Come!

It's finally here. We've planned and packed and picked up last minute items from the store. But now the countdown is in hours instead of months, weeks, or even days.

I was a little stressed yesterday. Okay, I was a lot stressed yesterday. I don't know why I didn't think of checking Flylady's site for a vacation planning and packing list. My "lightbulb" moment didn't come until this morning AFTER all the bags had been packed and I spent a sleepless night wondering what I had forgotten.

So...next time you are getting ready for a trip, here is what you need: FLYLADY'S VACATION PACKING LIST. You will find all you need to remember about planning and packing for your trip.

Royal Caribbean cruise ship...here I come! Mexican Riviera...I'll be there soon! Flylady...thanks for taking such good care of us and making even our relaxation something to FLY about!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

This Is Me!



Quite frequently I feel like this!

Progressing...slowly...


My darling 12 year old son came into my room this afternoon. "Aren't you supposed to be CLEANING your room?" I had to laugh, because, as you see in the picture, that's not really clean. In fact, it WAS clean about 10 minutes prior to this picture.

All of those things had been piled in the brown cart and on the desk in nice little piles to "deal with later." Well, later has arrived. So, step one was to pull everything out and assess what I had in front of me.

I am committed to go through all of those items and find homes for each thing until it is complete!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Freezer Cooking Saves Time and Money

I tried freezer cooking once before. My family didn't love the recipes that I used out of the cookbook that taught you how to do once a month cooking. The sample menu repeated the same recipes too often for my liking. And, it was a big investment. You are basically buying all the groceries for a whole month in one trip. But I did enjoy the time it freed up for me.

I decided to try the same idea, but a different format. So I took recipes that I already make (and my family already enjoys) and converted them into freezer meals. I decided not to do a whole month's worth of recipes, but just to double or triple up what I was making already for dinner that week.

So, today, I made 2 meatloaves, and 4 portions of chili! We are having chili tonight and tomorrow for dinner. I am freezing two other portions. I immediately froze the meatloaves. Now I have 4 meals already done for me! On Friday, we are having chicken enchiladas. Guess what I will be doing Friday afternoon? Yep! Making 3 trays of enchiladas, one for that night, the other two will be waiting in my freezer. In one week, I will have added a whole other week's worth of food.

If you haven't tried freezer cooking, there are many great websites out there explaining how the process works and some sample recipes that freeze well. Happy cooking!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

FLYing with Tools Especially for You

I realized this morning that my template pages for my control journal were just that...MY pages. Although many of them a generic enough for any flybaby to use, some of them need to be adapted for your home. For example, your morning routine page has to include YOUR routine. And since the forms are all currently in pdf format, most of us do not have the software to edit them.

I am going to do 2 things: 1) I am going to upload Word and Exel versions. If you have a few computer skills and those programs, you will be able to update the forms to suit your needs. 2) I am going to offer to give you a present!

A PRESENT you say? That should have gotten some attention. LOL.

If you email me at personalizedpages@gmail.com, I will create a form for you and email it back to you. You need to provide me with two bits of information: the form you want to personalize, and what you want it to say. I may not be able to get to it right away, but good things come to those who wait (or so they say.)

Also, in the near future, I am going to work on some templates that are more basic. I realize that my "cutesy" style may not make everyone smile. That's okay! If you want boring old forms...well, who am I to judge? =0)

Friday, February 19, 2010

FLYing with the Right Tools

Flylady recommends that we keep a control journal. When I was a new flybaby, I wanted a control journal that made me feel good when I opened it. A place where I could go to feel organized, and where my family could find important information.

Over time, I created something that made me smile. I took the time to compile what I felt was important for my family. Now I want to share that with you.

I realize that my routines and schedules will not work for everyone. My graphics and style will not please everyone. And I'm okay with that! LOL! But I wanted to be able to share my hard work with those of you who may not have the time or the skills to create one of your own.

Go to this link:
http://cid-9a8e8bbb6dcf5a2b.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Flylady

You will see 14 section folders. Feel free to use anything you find there.

I will warn you in advance, I love color! You will use a good portion of ink printing these documents. But, as I said, I created this to make me feel good when I looked at it. What's a little ink in the overall scheme of things, right?

In the following days, I will be blogging more about how I have my Control Journal organized. I am in the process of redoing many of my section. Maybe we can work on it together?




Decluttering Pounds...

... of ME, that is!

Around the start of the year, I decided to recommit to healthier eating and diligent exercise. I set a reasonable weight loss goal and gave myself a time period to complete it.

I am proud to say, that I have decluttered 12 lbs. of ME. The first 10 came off pretty easily. The next 2 where soooo difficult. I relapsed a few days into my old snackin' self. That's what happens when you buy potato chips and Chex mix...you eat it!

So this week, I evaluated my water intake and my eating pattern. I reconnected with that desire to feel better (and the looking better part is an extra bonus!). Within a few days, my weight loss had been restarted and I am back on track.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

To My Decluttered Shoes: R.I.P.



After my initial balking and whining, I have really gotten into this closet decluttering! Our assignment today: shoes!

It's hard to imagine how I have collected so many of these. But they are all nicely organized, boxed, and labeled. And I will admit that the $35 it took to buy all those boxes was worth every penny!

If you are wondering how many shoes I have, it's simple...most of the boxes on the top shelf hold 2 pairs. They are all my dress shoes. My "Sunday-go-to-Meeting" footwear. It's up high because I don't need to access them as frequently. My guess is about 30 pair up there.

The boxes on the bottom are casual shoes. Smaller stack is boots. Taller stack in tennis shoes, flats, and sandals. 5 pairs of boots. A couple of tennis shoes. Maybe 8 pairs of sandals. Grand total in the neighborhood of 50.

Okay, that's a lot of shoes. But if you have been following my blog, I appear to have a lot of MANY things. Why stop at shoes? =0)

Drumroll please.....I decluttered 9 pairs today! Yippee!! Some went to the pile of clothing exchange items. One pair was rescued by my mom. The others had been worn to the point of no return, and they are now resting in peace in our dumpster. So thank you, dear shoes, for protecting my feel. I loved you 'til the end.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A Present for Myself

I have been diligent about decluttering my closet, taking one type of clothing at a time. I have done the shirts (see the pictures!) and today I was looking at the pants and sweaters.

My sweaters numbered 51. I took out 9 of them! I know that someone else needs a sweater...and I can only wear one at a time. I can certainly do without a few.

I had 6 pairs of pants hanging in my closet, 2 of which are at least 2 sizes too big. Although my first thought was to keep them because I need black pants, I decided to bless someone else with them, and keep only one pair that fit me the best. I can fling those when I am able to bless myself with a new pair!

One of the pairs of pants was a nice beige pair of slacks that I could get on, but not...quite...zip...up. Since I am on a weight loss adventure, I decided to keep them. I tied a beautiful green bow around the top of the hanger. That way, I know they aren't in my "wearable" rotation. But the bow will do two things: 1) remind me of my goal; and 2)they will be a present to me when I lose a few more pounds!

I'll be sure to tell you when I can finally take that bow off. =0)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Decluttering Blesses Others

BEFORE


One of flylady's challenges this week was to go through our closet and declutter our hanging tops and blouses. I know this is a difficult assignment for me. I like clothes. I love to look in my closet and see all my tops color coordinated and waiting for me to wear them. I'm not proud of it, but I can admit it! LOL!

I decided that I would eliminate 10% of my hanging blouses. I knew there were some that brought me joy before, and now are just taking up space and an extra hanger. So I began by counting what I had. 111! Wow, that seems like a lot. I would have guessed half that number. So that meant that I needed to purge 11 shirts from my wardrobe.

15...I took out 15 shirts. I exceeded my goal and I am so proud. I have been invited to a clothing exchange party this weekend and now I have something to bring. I am going to bless someone else with those blouses that were once loved. Now they can be loved again and worn again. And every time I see that blouse on a dear friend, I will feel even more blessed.


AFTER

Monday, February 15, 2010

Pssst...I Have a Secret!

I spent the better part of the day decluttering and organizing that pantry. I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. I was able to do that because my routines have helped me keep up with the house. I did my morning routine, looked around, and realized that things were in pretty decent shape and I could spend today focused on that one project. And although it seemed like it took forever while I was in there, I am guessing that total time was around 2 hours. My Dear Husband just walked by and said "Wow, it looks nice in there!" Not too bad for a Monday!

You Can Fly!



(as sung to the tune of Peter Pan's You Can Fly!)

Think of the duster you've bought
Any merry little thought
Think of missions, think of zones
Think of timers: Here we go!
Us babies soaring high

You can fly! You can fly! You can fly!

Soon you'll zoom all around the room
All it takes is faith and trust
But the thing that's a positive must
Is getting rid of dirt and dust
The dust is a positive must

When you are blessing your heart
There's no better time to start
It's a very simple plan
You can do what Marla can
At least it's worth a try

You can fly! You can fly! You can fly!

Never Never Land Update

Progress...I call this progress. All of the items have been moved out. Next step? Organizing the shelves.

Never Never Land


We all have it. A spot where we tend to pile up the unloved, unwanted, undealt-with (is that a word?), and everything else that doesn't have a real home. I like to call it Never Never Land. A place where it goes, and never, I mean NEVER, is dealt with again.

I'm trying to grow out of my Peter Pan ways. I really do WANT to grow up. So, as an act of ultimate growth, I am attacking my personal Never Never Land. My Pantry! As you can tell in the photo, I really have a job on my hands. But I am determined to make it so that every time I go in there, I have a smile on my face. As Tinkerbelle says "You can FLY!"

Sunday, February 14, 2010

FLYing on a Sunday

Sunday is my "day of rest." I focus on spiritual things and my family. We usually have friends over, or are visiting their homes. That's not to say I don't do anything. My bed is made. My sink is shiny. The rest can wait until tomorrow.

For this morning, I am enjoying beautiful blue skies, breakfast with my family, and the wonderful things our creator has provided. This evening we will be playing cards with dear friends. Now, THAT'S the way to start a week. "After all, tomorrow IS another day!" (Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Why Fly?

When I was first introduced to flylady's system, I was drowning in my perfection. Nothing ever seemed "enough." I needed to allow myself to breathe. Her system made perfect sense. Get rid of the clutter first. The rest will follow. And it did.

I needed the routines. I needed the permission to stop after 15 minutes. I needed to realize that "housework done incorrectly still blesses your family." Even more importantly, "you are never behind - jump in where you are." Yesterday's list is just that...yesterday's. Today's list doesn't always have to include what you didn't do yesterday! My list was always cumulative. 3 items left from Monday, just add them to Tuesday. Now 6 items left from Tuesday, add them to Wednesday. No wonder I always felt behind! I started off behind before I ever woke up.

My timer became my best friend. I am allowed to stop after 15 minutes. Some days I do. Honestly, you can do anything for 15 minutes. And it's truly amazing at what you can accomplish in that little bit of time: IF you focus on the task at hand. Don't go to put away the dishes and decide to reorganize all your kitchen cupboards. Do just what you set out to do, and stay focused.

I'm not saying that the inside of my house looks like a spread in Better Homes and Garden. But it's livable. And I am happier. I have time for the more important things. I'm truly FLYing - Finally Loving Yourself!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Baby Steps the Flylady Way

This blog is going to follow my flying journey. If you haven't heard of flylady, check out her system here: www.flylady.net