FlyLady

Have you ever heard of FlyLady? Well, I just signed up. My mom was involved years ago when I still lived at home and I am now finding myself in need of her services, motivation, and encouragement.

FlyLady is a website that helps people get their homes and lives organized. I am not an organized person. I married one, though. Since getting married, I have learned a lot about being organized and maintaining cleanliness, not only from my husband but also from my MIL. She is really good about putting stuff away right after she is done using it. It's amazing-- at her house the kids know that when they want to play with a new toy, they have to put away the one they're using. No matter how I try, I cannot get my kids to do that at home. But practice makes better, right?

So every few days I clean my house. Not like scrubbing, but putting clutter away. Once it's straightened, I breathe a sigh of relief and walk through the house gazing at all the clean surfaces. I do snow angels on the living room carpet and bask in the lack of toys on it. I rub my hands and arms and occasionally my cheek all over my counters and ponder on the smoothness thereof. Then I resume normal life. I don't really do anything to keep it clean and suddenly a few days later, it's messy again! I look around and say to myself, "how did this HAPPEN?!" The cycle repeats over and over.

You know those people who always have a clean house? You go over to their house and as you walk in the door they say, "my house is a mess, but come on in." Then you see one toy on the floor and one cup on the counter.  Um, please don't ever come to my house, k? You might just wither away. There must be a secret. What do they know that I don't? Do they clean all day? Do they spend their kid-free time scrubbing toilets? Are their kids perfectly trained little custodians?

So I signed up for FlyLady. She's all about baby steps, taking it a little at a time. So the first two things I have incorporated into my routine are shining my kitchen sink, and the swish n swipe. Every night before you go to bed you're supposed to shine your kitchen sink, no matter the state of the rest of your house. I have done that now for three nights and it's a nice thing to wake up to. I also have maintained a clean kitchen which also makes me feel like I've given myself a present when I wake up.

The swish n swipe is right after you finish getting ready in the morning. You wipe your counters down and give your toilet bowl a quick swish. It takes under a minute and the goal is to always have a clean bathroom. Then you never have to "clean the bathroom." It's always looking sparkly. Oh, and you wipe the mirror too. I did this this morning for the first time and it was nice to have a good looking bathroom all day. I will see if this will stick.

Another FLyLady thing is to get dressed and do your hair and makeup every day. I already do this so I won't worry about it. I simply cannot function if I haven't showered and gotten ready. Ick. Even if I'm super productive for half the day and then take a shower, I  feel like I haven't gotten anything done.

I'll let you know how it goes. So far so good. My goal is to avoid CHAOS ("Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome").  Go me!