From Shiny Sinks to Hot Spots and Room Rescues

I have taken a new a challenge that I am absolutely loving.
I am learning to FLY. No, I am not getting into any type of aircraft, and my feet will not be leaving the ground at least not any higher than I can jump! But I am learning the art of "Finally Loving Yourself" - thanks to the guidance of www.FLYlady.net (check it out if you haven't already!).
FLYLady is essentially a "self-help" website for getting rid of CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. The principle behind this is to teach people how to create good habits and routines that lead to successful and manageable housekeeping - and really a way of life.

A few of my friends and I are working our way through the Beginner Baby Steps as we learn how to FLY. I actually ended up combining Days 1 & 2 so I could be on the same page as the other girls, but I don't feel I was cheated any. The first Baby Step I took was to shine my sink! In order to shine my sink, I needed to have my dishes put away. And then we make it part of our "Before Bedtime Routine" to always make sure your sink is shiny! For an entire week now, every night my sink has been shiny and my dishwasher is either running, or not full enough to run yet. It feels so great to walk in and see a clean kitchen and a shiny sink! And because of my goal of keeping it that way, I am more careful about cleaning as a I cook instead of letting things pile up until I am too tired to deal with it!
Day 2 was to get up and dress to lace ups - well, my lace ups lasted 2 days and I switched to flip flops (although I do plan on shopping for comfortable shoes that I don't mind wearing around the house). This was a big deal for me. When I was pregnant and since Kathryn has been born, I've been horrible about getting out of my pjs if I don't have anywhere to go. And taking a shower in the morning was crazy because once the girls were up, there was no chance for me to shower until they were in bed at night. My girls like to sleep in until 8-9am. And I always slept with them. Kathryn has started sleeping from 11-7ish, so she's started sleeping in her crib. Which means I have to get out of bed when she wakes to nurse at 6:30-7. I have started staying up then, and after she goes back to sleep for those extra couple of hours, I take my shower, get dressed, do my hair, and even put on a little bit of make up. Then I have time to unload my dishwasher, take care of pet needs, etc. By the time the girls wake up, I am ready to enjoy breakfast with them and start our day together. This is been amazing for me and really helped me be productive. It definitely makes me feel better about myself.
I think David thought I'd gone crazy when I first told him about my plans, but he has commented to me (and others) that our house has been the cleanest it's been in a while and I'm actually less stressed about it. I think it's even become contagious :)
Through our baby steps, we have moved on to work on Hot Spots! These are those areas that seem to just catch everything we don't have a place for. You know the ones I'm talking about. You walk in the door, and everything in your hands just get placed there. Or as your cleaning other areas, and you come across something you aren't sure where to put it, you put it here! FLYlady calls them Hot Spots because much like a hot spot in a forest could eventually turn into a forest fire, a Hot Spot in your house could eventually over take the whole room, making it all look bad. Our baby step task has been to spend 2 minutes (set the timer!) a couple times a day, and start putting out these Hot Spots. It took me 3 days of doing 2 min Hot Spot Drills 2/3 times a day, but I finally got "that" counter in the kitchen looking fantastic! I am so proud of the counter now! Now on to the other 20million Hot Spots in my house!
Today's task was to add a 5min Room Rescue to our routine. Basically, I was supposed to start with the worst room in the house (you know, the one I make my guests avoid!) and spend 5 min a day clearing it out so it will be presentable. So I thought about which room fits the bill. And then a light bulb went off. Our driveway is on the side of our house, which has the door to our laundry room (the one we frequently use). But the laundry room is usually a mess and has the cats' litter boxes in there ... so we have a sign on the door that says "Please use front door." Hmm .... I guess if we direct all of our company to trek through the grass to get to our front door because we don't want them going through our laundry room, that's probably the room I should start in! So I did! I now have a pretty floor that is all picked up, swept, and swiffered! Tomorrow I will tackle the top of the dryer!

I absolutely love how FLYlady breaks everything up into baby steps and small routines, so as to not overwhelm. My old method of cleaning was to clean as much as I could (and I am perfectionist so it took me FOREVER!). Once I FINALLY finished the cleaning, I was burnt out! So then I wouldn't clean anything for like a week. And by the time, I started doing stuff around the house again, I was so behind that I was just trying to get by.And when I get that behind, I become overwhelmed with how much I need to do, that I simply don't feel like doing anything. And I would physically shut down. Finding FLYlady has been amazing! My days feel longer (not because they "drag on" but because I feel like I am able to accomplish so much and still spend precious time with my family - time that is spent enjoying them and not being stressed about everything that needs done!), I feel more energetic, and I truly feel better about myself as a wife, mother, and person.
I know that this process takes time, but I have faith that one day I will be truly FLYing in such a way that all these principles overflow into every aspect of my life. I think through this process I will become a better person.
And on that note, Kathryn went to bed an hour and a half earlier than normal, so who knows what tonight holds ... and morning comes early! So I am off to bed! I will continue blogging on my FLYing Lessons. I challenge you all to join me! :)