Are you a Flylady? Series 21 of 32 (Laundry)

   Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.  

  Today, my nemisis....DUH, DUH, DUUUUUHHHH.......LAUNDRY! I don't not now how for the life of me three people can have so much laundry!  It is a constant battle.  I usually manage to keep everything washed and dried, but then it usually just ends up piled in a basket at the foot of my bed.  Well, I'm absolutely sick of it.  I'm declaring war against that constant pile of laundry!  

  My plan of attack......to start a load of laundry first thing, before I even get in the shower.  Then as soon as the washer stops, I'll put it into the dryer, and start another load in the washer.  I'm going to turn on that annoying dryer buzzer that I had turned off, and stop whatever I'm doing when it goes off, immediately, to fold and put away clothes.  My plan will be one load of darks, and one load of lights/whites a day.  If by some miracle I don't have enough to make a full load, then I'll probably use that opportunity to wash the cover on the dog bed.  

  Finally, I'll set my timer to seven minutes :)  to steam anything that needs it.  You can find my post on that here.  This task is going to be hard for me I know.  It is soooo easy to think, I'll just fold these later, but later never comes.  Oooops!  I hear my buzzer going off now.  Perfect timing! Gotta run! 

  I hope you all have a great day!  I know I will be happy to get caught up with my laundry so that I can start tomorrow fresh without that looming pile of clothes at the foot of my bed. :)  Victory...here I come!

  Happy washing and folding, :)

Jennifer

Are you a Flylady? Series 20 of 32 (Reading on Flylady)

  Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.  

  Well, I slid off the bandwagon just a little yesterday.  I did get all of my morning and afternoon routine done, along with another project of getting some things packed and organized to go back up into the attic.  However, come time for my bedtime routine, I did not lay out clothes, and while I did turn on my dishwasher, I did not take the time to wash a pot that I had soapy water in and left a plate and cup out on the counter.  I have also been trying to get all the coffee things ready after I shine my sink, so everything is ready to pour in the morning, but skipped that too.  

  This morning, I realized how taking those few extra minutes really make such a huge difference.  When I went down to the kitchen for coffee, I had to start from scratch instead of just pressing a button.  As for that pot that I thought, ehh....now it sits with cold, yucky soapy water--EEWW!  Why didn't I just take what would probably have been less than five minutes to open that dishwasher to add that extra plate, wash out the pot, and get the coffee ready?  Maybe another 1 & 1/2 minutes to lay out what I was going to wear?  Ugh! Another day of learning, these little things make a big difference in how my day begins. 

  So, hopping back onto the bandwagon today!  Going to do my best to not skip out on those few extra bedtime routines.  I mentioned before that I knew those were going to be the hardest for me.  :)  I just have to remember that each step gets my home closer to a wonderful haven for me and my family.  Anyone else taking this journey for the first time, or renewing your vigor on keeping your routines?  How's it going?  I'd love to know if you all fall off the bandwagon sometimes, and do you find that it's a wake up call to do better next time?  

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Jennifer

Are you a Flylady? Series 19 of 32 (Reading on Flylady)

  Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.  

  I have to tell you all that yesterday was a rough day.  I just couldn't sleep the night before, so it was a struggle to stay motivated.  It was easy to get dressed, empty dishwasher, make the beds and vacuum the family room, but then it was a crash and burn.  I'm amazed at the fact that those things have just become so automatic.  I don't even think of them as chores anymore.  I love how my house looks by just doing those things, so that's my motivation.  

  Because I have been so faithful with my to do lists, it was no big deal to just get those basic things done and stop.  I didn't have to feel exhausted from lack of sleep with the looming guilt of not cleaning on top of it.  It was just a relief to know that by checking off my lists daily, it frees me up to not worry about having to get things done on those days that you just can't muster the energy for lack of sleep or illness.  It's amazing how after experiencing that yesterday, it just motivates me to fully complete my lists today. 

 If you would have told me before I started this that I would actually enjoy cleaning, I wouldn't have believed it.  However, that is exactly what has happened.  The feeling of accomplishment after completing my list is so satisfying!  Now, I can do the things that I just love, playing a game with my daughter, watching a show with my husband, crocheting, or reading, without thinking I should be doing something else.  

  Today I'll be reading Flylady's 11 commandments.  Yipee!  Another easy day!  I just love how Flylady eases into the daily habits, so that I'm able to get used to doing one thing before I have to tackle another new habit.  So I'll be smiling while I get dressed, do my routines, remember to not get sidetracked, pick up as I go, concentrate on one thing at a time, not pull out more than I can put away, get that all done as quickly as possible, so I can do something to pamper myself, and laugh with my family.  

  Sounds like a great day to me!  Now I'm off to go do it.  I hope you all have a great day as well!

Happy cleaning,

Jennifer

Are you a Flylady? Series 18 of 32 (Going to bed at decent hour)

 Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.    

  Another easy day today.  Making going to bed at a decent hour a priority!  This should be no problem, seeing as I'm pretty tired by 9pm.  I look forward to climbing into that inviting, nicely made bed.  I will also have no trouble actually falling asleep.  My trouble will come a few hours later when I wake up in the middle of the night wide awake!  I don't know what causes this, or why I can't just go back to sleep.  

  It makes no sense to be so tired that you don't feel like doing anything, but awake enough to not fall back to sleep.  So,  going to bed at a decent hour.......check.......staying in bed for a full night's sleep.......we'll see.  

  Anybody else have trouble sleeping?  What do you do to help with that?  I'd love to know your secret.  Sleeping aids (medication) is not an option for me.  I HATE how they make me feel so sluggish the next day.  That feeling is worse to me then the sleep deprivation.  

Hope you all get a great, full night's sleep!

Jennifer

Are you a Flylady? Series 17 of 32 (Establishing the new habits)

  Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.    

  Today I'll continue checking off my to do list I have so far, and read some emails from Flylady.  I'm also going to take some time to organize my inbox even further with folders, and unsubscribing to those emails that I just don't take the time to read.  I still need to work on my calendars, adding birthdays and anniversaries.  

  Here's what I have on my to do list for Thursdays: (Now some of these things I haven't talked about yet, but I will. :)  I have been fluttering for a while, I just needed to go through the babysteps again to set in stone some better habits)  

Morning Routine:                                                                                   Afternoon Routine:

                

             

  

Bedtime Routine:

(when I check my calendar, I also check the weather to help me determine what to set out to wear the next day)

  You may have noticed on the Afternoon Routine list I have HB:Clean doors, knobs, squeaks-left off at front door....well, HB stands for Home Blessing.  You can read about this on Flylady.  I spread my Home Blessing over the whole week.  

  I set my timer, and work on that until the timer goes off. Then, I just make a note of where I left off so I know where to begin the next time.  

  As I have mentioned in past posts, I also homeschool my daughter.  I don't have this on the list, because I have our lesson plans to check off in a different notebook.  We pretty much get our morning routines done, have breakfast, then begin school.  I work on my afternoon routine in between teaching, while my daughter does worksheets/seatwork, or reading assignments.  

  By establishing these routines, it has made what can seem like an impossible list of things to do, into nice, manageable, possible goals.  Whew!  Thank goodness! :)  

  I hope you all come by tomorrow, as I continue this series.  Have any of you established some good habits that you are happy about?  I'd love to know.  

Have a great day!

Jennifer

Are you a Flylady? Series 16 of 32 (Making Bed)

  Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.  

  Today, I'm supposed to make sure I make my bed every morning.  This will be an easy one for me.  I got into the habit of making my bed years ago.  If feels so much better to get into a bed that is not all bunched and wrinkled up.  My bedroom can be clean as a pin, but if the bed is not made, it just looks like a mess.  

  I learned a long time ago, that it's best to make my bed first thing in the morning.  It's an easy task to accomplish, it just takes a few moments, but if I didn't tackle it right away, I would think...eh....it's so late now, I may as well forget it.  So, now I just get it out of the way first thing.  The bedroom looks great, I feel great, and I have a nice inviting reward to crawl into at the end of the day. :)  

Have you made your bed?  I bet you'll feel great tonight if you do, and you'll sleep better too!

Have a great day,

Jennifer

Are you a Flylady? Series 15 of 32 (Calendar)

Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.  

  Now that I have added things to my iphone calendar, I'm going to work on transferring appointments/schedules onto a calendar for the whole family  to be able to check.  I'll keep this calendar in the kitchen on the back of the pantry door, so everyone will know where to find it.  

  This will help us all to keep on track, and know what's going on at all times.  I'm also going to work on making sure I have birthdays and anniversaries logged onto both calendars.  I'm hoping by doing this, I will be better about sending cards or emails with well wishes on their special days, instead of realizing I missed them and sending them belated ones.

  I have to say, all these things I have been doing so far has made my day run so smoothly!  It's so much easier to have a plan, and stick to it.  No more stressing with what to do next, or frustration with trying to prioritize.  As my husband says all the time, "Plan your work, and work your plan."  You can see my New Year's Resolution post about that here.  I have to say that my resolution is coming along wonderfully. Sure does feel good! :)  

Hope you all are still enjoying this series.  Have any of you found that routines have simplified your life?  I'd love to hear about it. :)

Happy Planning,

Jennifer 

Are you a Flylady? Series 14 of 32 (Daily Missions)

Hi all,

  For those of you following this series....Welcome Back!  For those of you new here....Welcome!  If you're new, don't worry, you can read from the beginning of this series here.

If you've never heard of Flylady, you can read all about it here.  

  Today, I'm going to be sure to do one of the daily missions in the email from Flylady.  I'm going to take 15 minutes to go through a pile of things that I pulled out of my closet, with the intentions to sell, and either add the item up for auction, in one of the groups I belong to, toss it, or find a proper place for it.  It was nice that I pulled it out of my closet, but typical of me, I just cleaned one pile, and moved it to another pile.  I have got to stop doing that! :(  

  Hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of pile hopping.  I intend to take care of the pile, and put things in their rightful place from here on.  :)  We'll see how I hold up to that.    

Happy Decluttering,

Jennifer