Celebrating an Accomplishment

DS12's room is the hardest to keep up. It looks good...then whamo - it's a mess. I'm not really sure what happens between those stages. But since our zone this week was the bedroom and mine is in pretty decent shape, I decided to give him a hand and get that room in shape.

We started at the doorway and moved clockwise. Working in just 20 minute increments, we dusted, decluttered, scrubbed, shampooed the carpets...and even cleaned one set of blinds and the window! Bedding was laundered and bed remade. Cleaned under the bed too! I can honestly say there are no monsters in there...not even dust bunnies now!

Here are the "after" pictures.

I'm sooo excited!

After months of not having a dishwasher, I am so excited to hear the hummm of my GE as I blog!

At first I didn't really mind hand washing dishes. I have an amazing view out of my kitchen window. I can enjoy the scenery as I scrub dishes. But after a few months, even the awesome view loses it's appeal.

I figured that hand washing dishes for my family of five takes around an hour a day. Of course, that includes drying and putting away. So my dishwasher won't actually save an hour, because I will still have to load and unload. But it will save at least 30 minutes as day. That's 3 1/2 hours a week. Enough time for something really fun. Maybe instead of enjoying the scenery out my kitchen window, I can use that time to be IN the scenery!

This is the other side of the entry closet. I can't decide if it's organized or not! At first glance I think "wow, what a wreck!" Then on second thought, I'm like "hmm...everything has a place and is neatly arranged." What do you think? What was your first impression of this space?

I'm working on decluttering. It's a process for me. I thought it would be helpful to chart my progress and be able to look back at what I have accomplished with my "hidden clutter." I'm starting in the entry closet.

I can FLY "with a little help from my friends"

I have to talk about a very valuable tool. It's not something you have to run out and buy. It is available all day, every day. It can keep you moving when you don't think you can move any more. What is it?

Flylady Chat!

This is a place to give and receive encouragement. You can ask advice or even brag about your accomplishments. When you feel like you can't do another task, the ladies there are ready to give you a pat on the back and a "You can do it," which makes all the difference in the world.

We generally do 15 tasks at the top and bottom of the hour. After our 15 minutes, we come back and report what we were able to accomplish. It is a great motivator. Most of the ladies say they get twice as much done even with the breaks between tasks.

Don't believe me? Give it a try!

Just go to http://flylady.net/radio/.

Introduce yourself and before you know it, you will be flying with a little help from your newfound friends.

FLYing While Sick

I came home from our trip with a relentless cold. Have you ever seen the commercial for Mucinex...



...well the whole family must have moved in because I can't seem to get over this bug! Needless to say, this has caused a bit of trouble with my post-vacation list of things to do.

I have spent the better part of two days on my couch. I'm glad to say that the living room is one of the most organized rooms in my home. It's nice to sit in there without too much chaos. But the best thing about flying while sick is the motto of doing something for only 15 minutes. I can almost get my entire kitchen cleaned in 15 minutes, even when it starts as a disaster zone! I can swish and swipe AND get the bad made in 15 minutes. These last two days have proven that you can find 15 minutes worth of energy. A clean bathroom. A made bed. A shining sink. The rest can wait until I am feeling better. If I don't vacuum this week, it won't be the end of life as we know it. And dusting...well, it will still be there when I am on the road to recovery.

Flying while sick means maintaining the things we have already put into place and giving ourselves the permission to get better. THAT is what FLYing really is.

The Post Vacation Blues

I always seem to get the post vacation blues. Maybe it's the realization that the good times are over. It might be the unpacking and the mountain of laundry that I am facing. Or even the chores that have to be done to get life back on track. Whatever the cause, those "blues" are here in full force!

Needless to say, we had a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful and the ship was divine. Now, back to reality.

I started last night by unpacking just one suitcase. I thought a little jump on the unpacking ordeal would be helpful. I have a second suitcase almost cleared and piles of things spread all around the floor. Just 15 minutes at a time will be my motto today. I know that before I realize it, all the unpacking will be done, my washer will be happily humming and I'll be on my way!