SICK

So I have been sick for the past week... and something amazing happened! I looked around yesterday thinking "UGH I am not FLYing at all, this place looks horrrible!" What looked so horrible to me, was crayons and puzzle pieces on the floor, a few dishes in the sink and various odds and ends that have not been cleared off of my table or console, and my floors weren't swept. But I didn't even have tissues everywhere. I just threw them away without thinking about it. It took me 8 mins to clean the house up. EIGHT.

Last month I was sick for a week also (what can I say, stress causes colds for me) and the house got SO bad, I had no idea where to begin cleaning it. I let it be that way for another week because it was so overwhelming. There were no clean clothes or dishes and I felt like a slob all day. That is when my friend told me about Flylady. Cut to one month later, and my house is generally clean all the time. Its not prefect. Its not going to me. I don't strive for it to be perfect (except maybe when my mom comes to visit) but it makes me happy to wake up to tidiness.
So... no I didn't do my flychallenges or daily 15 mins for a week, but since my habits had already started to take shape, I was cleaning up without realizing it so the house never got to the point where it usually gets when Im sick. So TADA!

Saturday May 7th 2011

I cleaned my car! okay, now to most people this is no big deal at all. But for me, with a husband who uses my car as a personal storage space for his excess army gear, and a two year old daughter who seems to get hungry as soon as we get in the car... you can imagine what a nightmare it was. Granted, I have actaully been working on getting it clean for months. As soon as my husband deployed I set out to make my car clean again... but I only got as far as getting his stuff out and moving it into the storage shed haphazardly. After joining FLYlady.net and seeing that friday was the designated day to clean out your car and purse, I knew I had to do something about the mess. I didn't want to jump in a do it all at once, because this usually takes 4-5 hours since I am a perfectionist and will not stop until it looks like i paid someone else to detail my car. This time, i simply took one extra trip to my car, every time I went somewhere. Slowly I started to see the trash and toys disappear from my car and I started to feel better about it. Then yesterday, I got my new "purple rags" in the mail and decided to try them out on my car. I wiped the dash and windows down so they were dust and fingerprint free. Then today when my daughter was taking her nap, I took the vacuum to it! FINALLY! you would not believe how many crumbs were in there. It looked almost presentable, all I had to do was use some armor all on the dash and now I smile when I get in my car. It's not prefect. Far from it. But you can tell I cleaned it and will be keeping it up.
Also, yesterday I finally did something I have been procrastinating. Washing the dog! He is a big dog and is afraid of the shower and the hose, but to give him a bath takes a LOOONG time because he is so tall and his hair is so thick, I have to pour so much water on him to wash the soap off. Well I bought a dual shower head, and the second one detaches and the cord goes down to houdini's back. It took me all of 10 mins and he seemed to actually enjoy the water since I had control over the water and could let him slowly get used to it. The last time I washed him was...... 6 months ago? Poor boy. Now that I know it is a relatively painless chore, I plan to do it every-other week. as a part of his "houdini day" when we go to the dog park and take him on a extra long walk through the nature preserve.

So.... ya I feel pretty proud of myself. I can tell everyone is getting bored with my gloating about stupid things. And since my husband isn't here for me to talk at, I figured I would put all this on the internet. because nothing bad ever came out of that ;)

Thursday May 5th, 2011

Today, I had a slow start. I almost let it ruin my whole day, but instead I decided that after Emma's nap, I would take her and my dog, Houdini for a brisk walk to soak up some sun and get my heart going a bit. It worked. After we got back, I was ready to get things done. I swept, vacuumed, mopped, and dusted. I cleaned all windows and mirrors, wiped down the bathrooms, and cleaned the kitchen. I even stared to organize my hubby's closet AND I tidied Emma's room. I also made time for my daughter to play outside with her and the dog. She had a blast, and I was glad that I didn't let my lazy start effect my time with her.
All of this happened after 3 PM, which is usually my quitting time. If I havn't gotten everything done my 3:00, its just not going to happen. I may still play with Houdini, or read to Emma. I always cook dinner and try to clean up afterwards as best I can, but generally, my "chores" are over with.

I guess thats why I like this new FLYing thing. Because all of that stuff doesn't FEEL like a chore anymore. I do it because after it is all done, I can relax. I can really and truly relax and not have to worry about it. Today, I didn't get to a few things, but since I did do so much more than I thought I would today, I just put it on my to-do list for tomorrow.
TADA!

Note: vinegar and water works WAY better than the swiffer to clean my floors and make them shine. :)