FlyLady is spreading.....

I'm happy to report as this month comes to an end, that I have managed to keep the kitchen almost Flylady approved status all month. There was a couple of times, that I didn't do it, or only did my kitchen sinnk, but that is a huge improvement compared to what it has been this winter.

Funny thing has started to happen: FlyLady is getting Jessi,the kids, and my daycare kids on board too, without them realizing it. It's been really easy this last week or so in getting my daycare kids to help clean up after themselves (3-4yr olds I mean). Last weekend Jessie had Dawn & Spencer clean the livingroom, and I mean really clean it. They moved all the furniture, cleaned up the toys, dusted and vaccumed. He then had them pick 2 of the bathrooms to clean, Dawn did the upstairs, and Spencer, did the main floor one. It's been amazing this past week how it's only taken a little bit of prompting to get them to pick up after themselves, and keep those areas clean. Plus I reminded them, and my oldest daycare girl a couple of times "Your maid has left the building, please do...." Even Cyril helped out too. lol. He took about a half a bottle of Windex to clean the windows that he could reach, but he helped.

Now today, we deep cleaned the upstairs bedrooms. Dawn for the most part has been keeping her room clean since this fall. She is trying to prove that she is old enough to stay up later then 8-8:30 on a school night. So she didn't have too much to do, the boys' room on the other hand is a completely different story. We still did to their rooms like we did to the livingroom last weekend. We moved all the furniture...okay I didn't move any furniture, Jessie & the kids did. Then we vaccumed, or swiffered the floor, dusted and etc. It's so nice to go upstairs and see how clean their rooms are. I'm hoping that Spencer, will do a better job at keeping his side of the boys' room clean, but we'll see. That's a work in progress all of it's own.

Now if we can keep the main rooms and upstairs clean, that will be a nice present to ourselves. I'm still thinking of printing off some Riley challenges that the FlyLady has for kids, and see if we can't build some great habits in the kids, especially the older two. Cyril has been doing a great job, he loves to help clean, now if I can just "let" him do it, and be okay with the imperfections. I hope that I will encourage some great habits, and undo the old ones.

God Bless~
Carlena

Back to the FlyLady

I have been a member or in FlyLady world, a flybaby for years...I think when Spencer was a toddler. I love her ideas and concepts, but to be honest, struggle often to stay on the Flywagon due to my ADHD. Plus I think part of me is rebellious to the fact that here I am an adult and I need someone to tell me HOW to keep my house clean. It's embarrassing!

Fast forward to our move this past spring. I was going to hit the ground running with keeping everything clean, not let things backslide to what I've always struggled with: Chaos, clutter, and over all keeping on top of things.

I did GREAT this summer!! I had several people comment at how proud they were, and were amazed at how I was doing it, on top of running my daycare business this summer. I was also very impressed with myself. I didn't know that I could do it, since consistency is a weekly struggle, maybe more like daily.

Then real life entered and changed my life(& my family's) this fall. It threw me a curve ball...make that lots of curve balls. Looking back I think I went into a bit of a depression because of all of it. Then again...maybe I'm not alone where life gets to be just a little to much at times, and you just "walk away" for a little while. These are times that I need to allow myself to trust in the Lord and ask that He carry me (like the Footprints poem).

This Fall: Kids starting school, my uncle having his brain hemorrhage, getting pregnant(having the worse morning sickness ), then the kids and I getting H1N1 and etc. It became way to much for me, and the house started to slip back into it's former existence (like when we were at the apartment). I tried to do several other ways of cleaning, knowing in the back of my mind what really worked for me. But I was still rebelling. I didn't want to acknowledge that I needed FlyLady. But I do.

But I've come to the realization, that our life this summer was smoother because of FlyLady. Granted we didn't have as much activity in our lives then, but she kept us on track. And I was a nicer, happier mommy because of FlyLady.

So a week ago tonight, I started back at the beginning and am back to taking my babysteps. I have kept my sink shined for a week solid. Now today I cleaned the entire kitchen...well that's not true. I didn't get to the floor yet, but I'm taking babysteps. I'm not letting that perfectionist in me get in the way. My house will be clean and organized again like last summer...just need to do it the FlyLady way.

http://www.flylady.net/

There is the link to her website, if you are not familiar with FlyLady or are like me and need a little help getting the Chaos back under control.

Speaking of FlyLady, I need to go work on Mt. Washmore a little bit.

God Bless,