Believe it or not, I did finish the 31 Baby Steps. I just never got around to posting the new and improved pictures.

Since then I also rearranged some furniture, giving me a bigger workspace in my "office" and a bigger dresser in my bedroom.

Unfortunately in the last month I started classes again, work picked up and I came down with bronchitis leaving me with little time or energy at home.

I have piles of laundry over flowing in multiple areas of the house. My floors are filthy and I have dishes in the sink again.

I'm pretty sad about this turn of events. But I'm hoping that now that I am well I can get back to it. I leave for vacation in 3 weeks, my goal is to leave a nice clean house so that I can come home to a nice clean house.

Really? Day 30 already? In three years this is the first time I have made it through the babysteps. Maybe I didn't do it perfectly, there are still thins I need to work on, but I've done it.

Day 30 is Check next month's calendar

This is a step for the end of the month. But I am glad I am thinking about it now. Because in September my work schedule will be looser. I'm going to a conference right after labor day, a vet appointment for the cats, two weddings and a visit from out of town friends. The summer is definitely winding down with a lot of activities and there is more coming up in the fall - a lot more.

I use Google Calendar. I can access it on the computer via email, and it is on my android phone as well. I have that one set to Agenda view so it shows me what I have scheduled for the day which is really nice. Then, I'm just two taps away from looking at the month view. I can also color code my different "calendars." My work schedule is one color, errands like the vet is another, as are social engagement, and school/lesson schedules. It's nice to quickly see what's going on and where I have time blocked or free.

Enjoy a weekly pamper session

This is a step that I will need to pay attention too. I don't know how often I tell myself that I need to give myself a weekly face mask, manicure, pedicure etc. But I don't. I find time some point right before a special event or something and I'm usually rushed so it ends up being kind of "slap dash."

I did take a bath the other day though. My legs were in bad shape - I don't think I had shaved in weeks - and with the BF coming home from a business trip, it was time to take care of them. I did scrub the tub first, but everything else was already clean and clear - so I put out some candles and had a nice luxurious soak with lots of bubbles and book.





At this point in the babysteps (I can't believe I'm almost done!) I know that I need a weekly plan so I am going to have to add this to it (when I finally make one).

Eat good food, drink your water, get plenty of rest.

The food and water part is easy. I have been eating healthy whole foods for quite awhile now. That is not to say that I don't like treats. I love treats. I just try to find the healthiest options for those treats. Dark chocolate, candies with out HFCS, chips or snacks that are made from real ingredients that I can pronounce and aren't a mile long - that kind of thing.




I take a glass bottle with me to work everyday that I know I have to drink and fill up twice to get all my water for the day. It works great and it's totally green.

The get plenty of rest is a struggle for me. I still have not been able to stick to an 11pm bedtime. But I am getting closer. It's a work in progress.

Today, I managed to get my 15 of zone work done. I have added it to my control journal in my after work routine. It's Master bedroom this week. I am doing both my mother's bedroom and my own - even though she is gone, it needs a dusting and general upkeep. Mine now that it's decluttered is a sinch to clean. I was able to do both in 15 minutes. I even dusted the venetian blinds! Go me :)

What's for dinner?

I admit to having a real problem with this one. I always have breakfast and lunches made ahead of time so that I don't have to think too much in the morning. I just heat up breakfast and make coffee, and grab a lunch out of the freezer (usually soup or chili, sometimes pasta - depends on what I made over the weekend).

But dinner? That is always a last minute effort. I used to be great about having frozen veggies and veggie burgers on hand to make quick meals. But I recently gave up processed foods (most things that come in a box or a bag). I still go for the frozen veggies because they are convenient.

Meal planning is not something I've never done. I hear about it everywhere. But I just can't seem to make a decision ahead of time about what I'm going to eat for dinner. The few times I do plan ahead and buy ingredients it's days, sometimes a week, before I get around to making that dish.

Needless to say... this is a babystep I will be working on for awhile.

Day 25 - learn how the routines developed. This is the Fly Lady's own testimonial of how she got her house in order. The gist is that she did one new thing or worked on one goal per month. It also shows how the little things can really snow ball until you have routines on auto pilot and a clean house. It also puts across her message, that it doesn't need to be done overnight, small steps, and small changes will get us there. Not only will it get us there, but it will make a lasting change that a whirlwind afternoon of deep cleaning probably will not accomplish.

Once again my routines didn't go so well this morning or last night. I walked in the door after work and running errands to my boyfriend calling and wanting to take advantage of the nice weather to do something outside. I did what I could of my afternoon routine and then headed out the door. I realized that because I had not taken a list with me afterwork I hadn't done all of my errands and I will need to make a special trip today (the cats are low on litter and it won't last another day).

This morning I took too long in getting ready and didn't have enough time to finish my regular routine. I realize that if I want to keep up my routines, I need to make some hard choices about when my BF and I get together at his place and/or wake up ealier. I think having him stay over more often is definitely on the list (don't tell my mom!).

Swish and Swipe was today's Baby Step. Basically in your routine you swish out the toilet bowl with a brush and wipe down the counters with a rag. In theory I like this step, but I don't know that the toilets will get done every day. For starters there is only one toilet brush for three bathrooms in the house. That and I HATE to clean toilets. It's easy with a brush and all but I'd rather scrub a bathtub, or windows or anything else. So, I will definitely do the swipe part, but the swish is going to be a weekly job where I will swish all the toilets in succession and be done with it.

Well, I've been flying (fluttering) for just over 3 weeks now. It feels great. And I'm starting to expect tidy uncluttered rooms in my house. I feel like it won't be long now, before I can start adding more to my routines so that I can add "clean" to my adjectives.

I will admit my routines fell by the way side a little bit this weekend and again yesterday. On Saturday I was out very late with a friend who is due in the next couple of weeks to leave the country for a whole year.

Sunday, I ended up being kind of lazy. My morning routine is hard to get through when I don't have the deadline of driving to work. Everything does get done, but I take my sweet time about it.

Yesterday I got too caught up with trying to work on my "office." The last 15 minute declutter I did a while ago, unearthed a number items - cds, cd-roms, and mystery discs - that needed action before they could be put away. So I stacked them on desk completely recluttering it. Since the Home Office is in the Zone this week I decided to jump right in to clearing off my desk next to the computer - a.k.a. that pile of discs.

Lesson learned: use the timer! I ended up taking the pile of discs and my laptop to the tv room, and watching some shows I had been saving. 3 hours (!) later I looked up and realized I had to eat, made dinner, and went right back to it. I got through the pile (save for 3 that require special cleaning)- and all of the cds either had a home (in a storage bin, blank ones in a drawer) or were thrown out. So that part is good, the bad part - I ended up wasting my whole afternoon. I didn't get my weekly job done - cleaning out the fridge, taking trash and recycling to the curb - and I didn't start my BBR until 11 which is bed time. So I got to bed late and up late.

Thankfully, I have my morning routine down pat, and I have my clothes picked out for the whole week on Sunday, that I was out the door exactly on time this morning. But if I had set my timer and only done 15 minutes, and alternated with my other jobs, and watching tv for 15 min as a reward I think I would have been in better shape. Sure I probably wouldn't have gotten through every disc, but I think my sleep would have been worth it.

As always though, I am keeping up with my Fly Lady Baby Steps.
Today is Day 23: Set your afternoon routine. I've actually been pretty good with this one for the most part. I get home, change, clean out my lunch bag and put the containers in the dishwasher. I have a snack and read for 15 minutes, then clean the litter box, and start to declutter or do whatever job I've assigned that day of the week, work out, make dinner. Then it's relax or homework and then my BBR. If I'm going out that night, or staying with my boyfriend, I will usually do most of BBR before leaving the house.

Day 18 Read Fly Lady's Eleven Commandments I should have kept #4 in mind yesterday and not gotten sidetracked by the computer or the tv.

Day 19 Read this testimonial. ::: spoiler alter! ::: It's about a woman who compares her home to a wonderful Bed and Breakfast all thanks to the fly lady. Frankly, I don't know that that will ever be the case for me - at least not while I'm working and taking care of my mother's house. Once I have a place of my own, I might feel differently.

Day 20 Include laundry in your daily routine. I did do a couple of loads yesterday I added it to my BBR. Just to sort out one load (when there's enough dirty, it is just me after all) to be done as part of my afternoon routine. I took the sheets off my bed and put them in the hamper ready to washed in the afternoon. Since Laundry is the focus of the month of August, it has been on my mind and a little easier to incorporate. I also love having a hamper in my bathroom - I don't have any more clothes on the floor of the bathroom now, everything I take off in there goes straight into the hamper!

Day 21 Check out Ask Flylady. It's a section of her website where she answers follower's questions.

Day 22 Where's your control journal. Okay, so yeah, I have to admit to being a bit on auto pilot with my routines. Now that I know what needs to be done I haven't been checking my binder or my phone app. But I should make that a routine as well, so I don't miss things. She reminds us not to procrastinate making one out of perfectionism, and sells one if you don't want to make one, and has lessons on putting it together if you do.

CHAOS = Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrom

And up until recently I certainly did have it. But not anymore!

Yesterday a girlfriend who is going through a bit of a rough time came over for a girls night in so we could have a nice chat. I certainly am not over joyed by the circumstances which brought her over, she is dealing with the kind of heartbreak I would not wish on anyone. But it felt so wonderful to say that she could with out a doubt come over, relax and not worry about being a hostess. I took care of everything (food, drink and dessert) and because I had planned the menu and kept up with my routines during the week, I had very little do in the few hours at home before she came over.

I made a couple of stops on the way home from work to pick up last minute items that I needed to be fresh. Then went about my normal afternoon routine.

This Friday in zone 2, the kitchen, was sweeping and mopping floors. Perfect! because that's exactly what I needed to do. I did a quick swish and swipe in the company bathroom, eliminated a hotspot, and then did a quick clean of all the kitchen surfaces.

In less than45 minutes I was done!

I even had time for a 15 minute snooze before she came over and I started cooking. Hot soapy water in the sink, meant that half the clean up was going on while we talked.

I'm so excited about having people over that I invited another girlfriend over for brunch this Friday!

Here's a little video tour:


The next step in decluttering is the "home office." I put that in quotes because it's such a disaster area I haven't used it for that in weeks. It also serves as a sewing room. My cutting table, sewing machine, and other sewing necessities are there. And to top that all off, my practice keyboard is there - on the cutting table - because I don't have a keyboard stand. Once I have it decluttered I hope to be able to organize it into two distinct areas - sewing/crafting and office. One of my goal rewards will be buying a keyboard stand so that it can be rehomed in another room.

The office Before:

The Entrance


The book case


The desk/work area

I didn't even exaggerate here there really is that much crap in boxes and on the floor and just piled haphazardly around. No wonder I can't use it as an office or sewing room.

After 3 days of 15 minute decluttering sessions these areas now look like:

The entrance (the boxes hold holiday stuff that will be rehomed eventually)


The bookcase: In the corner there is a "dream board" that I created (there are pictures of nice clean tidy apartments!) that I haven't found a good place to hang yet. Another of my goal rewards is to decorate with framed pictures, so I am not sure where that is going to get placed in the end. And the cats are loving all the free space to explore!


The desk/work area : look room for my computer! And all those papers neatly filed into a box!

It did take me slightly longer than 45 minutes however. Because I had so much in the "put away" box. I did that in 15 minute increments too. Alot of it had to be sorted and put away into the file folder box. Some electronics and photo cds had to be sorted and put away into to the plastic tubs.

On Friday evening I have a friend coming over for a girls night in. I'm pretty excited. I honestly can't tell remember the last time I had company over that wasn't related to me or my boyfriend.

The wonderful thing about it is that other than the menu I'm not stressing!! I know that the 85% of my house and 95% of what she'll actually see is tidy and clean. I know that in just a few minutes on Friday I'll be able to do some real cleaning in the kitchen and that's it. Keeping up with the routines has helped so much and I'm not even out of the baby steps yet! I'm a little embarrassed about how happy and excited this makes me.

I have been keeping up with my baby steps too. I even have new pictures, but no cord to get them on the computer at the moment. They'll be uploaded soon though.

I have been keeping up with the baby steps still, and here they are:

Day 15 Make your bed. The idea is to make your bed as soon as you get up in the morning. Check! I have been doing this, though not immediately for a little while now. When you have cats, it's pretty much a given that you don't want "litter paws" (as I call them) on the bed sheets. Yuck! So the bed is almost always made. But I did indeed move it to immediately after getting up. Now, if only that would stop me from getting back in it and sleeping another 20 minutes!

Day 16 Read an email from the Fly Lady. Since I don't get the emails, I went over to Big Tent and read up. I have to admit I have not done this every day, so it was nice to have a reminder day in the baby steps.

Day 17 Pick a bed time, and stick to it. Okay, this one is hard. I usually do aim for 10:30 so I get close to 8 hours of sleep. But, admittadly this has been pushed back alot to 11 or later. Especially if I am spending time with my boyfriend. At least though I am aiming for 10:30. It means that I really need to start my BBR around 9:30. If I finish early, great, but at least it'll get done.

Day 14 ask us to read an essay that Kelly wrote (Kelly it seems is FlyLady's right hand woman) about using a calendar. This is right up my alley. You wouldn't think so considering how disorganized I am, but I LOVE calendars. I love planners. I'm pretty much an office supply junkie. I can't tell you how much time I have wasted in the planner section of Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, even Borders and Barnes and Nobel. I have even trolled through DIYPlanner.com in the hopes of finding the "perfect" planner that will magically make me use it. Because that is the problem, just because I love them doesn't mean they get used, at all, ever.

So I really did appreciate the essay. Now that I have a working smart phone (you can find my iPhone rant below somewhere if you really want to) that syncs with my Google calendar. I have two places (online, and on my phone) to look at one calendar. That should make things pretty easy. When I'm done typing this up, I will be adding to my calendar.

The only downside, is that Kelly mentions a Basically Weekly Plan. Which, as a Fly Baby, I don't have yet. Although I have kind of started. I did put in my calendar yesterday a repeating event for Sundays - Water Plants. Beyond that though - an errand day, a desk day etc. I have yet to work out. I know that it will come in time. I guess I just wish I could be 100% organized right now! But I know it will come with time and patience.

Bedroom
I am continuing my 15 minute declutter on my bedroom. Last time (working clockwise around the room) I got about 1/2 of my desk done. It was piled with items that I didn't really know what to do with. I had two boxes full of "keep" stuff that I had sorted out of even bigger boxes (some as old as 10 years!) about 6 to 8 months ago. Of course what does "keep" mean, other than, "I don't want to throw this out, but I don't really know what to do with it." Now, according to FlyLady decluttering instructions there should be a "put away" box, not a keep box. And there really is a big difference between put away and keep. So, with that in mind, I set my timer to 15 minutes and went through 1 box, set my timer for 15 minutes and relaxed with the tv, and then did the same for box number 2.

What I did find, is that there are some mementos that just don't have "home" right now. I'm not into scrapbooking like i know alot of people are, but I have all of these ticket stubs and other bits of memories that I think would be perfect for a scrapbook. A coworker of mine does alot of scrapbooking. So, I did pare down my boxes quite a bit. I did end up getting rid of even more stuff than 8 months ago, and I know have a very small box of "to be scrapbooked" that did in fact get put away with my other crafting/sewing items. I am putting scrapbooking on my list of rewards for meeting certain goals. I think this will also help me when it comes time go through all of my old photographs, which are currently sitting in a box under a chair in my home "office"

So, here it is, 2 more 15 minute sessions on my bedroom and the desk is done!



Room Rescue

A couple of days ago, I found myself wanting to pick up my bathroom a little bit. Since I am using my 15 minutes a day to work on my bedroom, and the bathroom is so small, I decided 5 minutes would be enough. I also realized, that if I was honest with myself. My bathroom really can turn into my worst room. Mostly it's because of clothes. When I change after work, or when I'm taking a shower after a workout, my clothes end up in a heap in the bathroom. Then there's the "why should I put this away now, I'm just going to use it again tonight or tomorrow morning" mentality. That meant my bathroom was always in disarray. I was amazed at what 5 minutes could do. This is after picture is from only three 5 minute rescues! I'm going to have to switch to the home "office" for my "worst" room and 5 minute room rescue. Yep, you heard me. I'm on the bandwagon for the 5 minute room rescue. I will though, be doing it in my afternoon/afterwork routine, instead of the morning, because I can't get up early enough and still be awake for work.




Check out this post to see the bathroom before.
You can still see that there are few bits that need to be taken care of, and my reminder notes are up there on the mirror. The yellow one is an inspirational quote about life, one is a sink reminder, a get dressed to shoes reminder, and the bright pink is reminder to floss. Yeah, I need to be reminded to floss :/ But, still I am already proud of myself. But I'll be even more so if I can keep it this clean most of the time.

So, right about now is when I normally start to fail at the Baby Steps. Right about now, half way through, there is alot of reinforcement for the routines, and not as much in the way of adding to them. That's a little harder for me because I do really well when someone gives me instructions to follow. I just have to keep remembering that my Routines are my instructions. They just happen to also come from me :)

Catching up with my babysteps (I have been doing them!):

Day 10 says you can do anything for 15 minutes! For me this was a repeat of Day 9. Reading back on it, though Day 9 doesn't say as much, I think she intends you to declutter for 5 minutes as a room rescue (it could be worded better). Oh well, it just meant that I was on Day 2 of decluttering my bedroom in 15 minute increments.

Here is the second day of 15 minutes in my bedroom. I got the top half of one desk unit cleared. Now there is room for my family photos!




Day 11 asks that you add inspirational quotes to your Control Journal. I admit to having skipped this one in the past. And I nearly did again, but as I was checking my Color Notes app for my evening routine, I thought, I can add inspiration notes to this. So I did. My inspiring quotes are:

Reduce stress, Do it Now!
Organization is a process not an event.
Don't give up!

"Don't give up," has been on my fridge since Baby Step 5, write what you hear. "Reduce stress" is one that I picked up from a Julie Morgenstern book, I think it was Time Management from the Inside Out. "Organization is a process", I actually heard said about Democracy on BBC news, from the son of the man who led Kenya to Independence in 1963. I don't think he was the one who originally said it, but either way it struck a chord. Things don't happen over night. People are a work in progress. I am a work in progress and so is my journey to clean, tidy, organized home.

Day 12 says to delete FlyLady emails. Here's another example of where the website needs a little spruce up. There are no FlyLady emails anymore, unless you count the Big Tent emails. I usually delete those as they come in, since I am going to Big Tent on a daily basis, as per my Morning Routine. But, whatever. I did get a my weekly Big Tent Blink, and I deleted it as instructed.

Today was Day 13. Pick one of Kelly's missions and do it. Now, I really know, that I have come farther in my Flylady journey this time than my previous attempts, because I really didn't know what a Kelly mission was going to be. I thought it was going to be some monumental task and I was gearing up for some thing big. Only to discover, that it's just Zone work. I was actually really happy about this. I had wanted to jump into Zone work earlier in the week, but I just couldn't fit it in. It was sort of a crazy week trying to help my boyfriend get ready for a 10 day work trip to Europe. So, I dutifully put my timer on for 15 minutes and cleaned my entrance ways. Yep, I have 2. The normal one I use is through the garage door and laundry room. So I spruced that up by picking up the shoes, and clutter that doesn't belong in the entry way. And then I swept the front door foyer area. I was done just as my timer went off and it felt great to be done!

Okay, this was yesterday's Step and I actually did it yesterday!
Day 9 in the Beginner Baby Steps says to Declutter a few minutes at a time.

oday we are going to learn how to declutter our homes a few minutes at a time with some fun tools that I know you have been wondering about from the reminders you have been reading in our emails. Making it fun will get the job done!

She also includes instructions for decluttering.

So, I put my timer on for 15 minutes and tackled my bedroom (finally!). I only managed to get the entrance an the dresser tops done, but it looks so much better.

My 15 minute Declutter
Before:


After:



Day 9 also says

Add a 5 minute room rescue to your Morning Routine.

And yet, she doesn't say what a "5 minute room rescue" is. It can't be the same as putting out a hot spot and clearly it isn't a short declutter or she would have said that. I checked the "Flying Lessons" link, nothing. I tried the site index, nothing.

Thankfully, somebody else found it in the FAQs. A 5 minute room rescue is spending 5 minutes on your worst room. There are two reasons I'm not going to do this part of the step.

1) I don't have 5 minutes to add to my morning routine. If I wake at home, I work out, and have a list of other things to get done before driving 50 minutes to work. If I'm at the boyfriends house, I have to get up 1/2 an hour earlier and drive 20 minutes home before starting anything resembling my morning routine.

2) The worst room in the house isn't mine. Okay, sounds like a cop out. But let's remember I live in my mother's house. And sure, she's not living in it most of the time, but her stuff is. And our worst room, the junk room, is full of her and her husbands stuff. Stuff that she, for whatever mysterious reason lives in her psyche, won't, or can't, or doesn't want to, get rid of. So, I have no reason to clean it up for her. The one time I even considered it and mentioned, it felt like I was asking her to kill a puppy.

So, room rescue (now that I know what it is)is permanently scratched off of my list.

Which brings me to an off topic... the Flylady website. I get it, nobody's perfect, and we're learning to scrap perfectionism in order to really get a handle on mess and clutter. But honestly, her website is the most cluttered, hard to navigate mess I have ever come across online. Surely sales of "rubba scrubbas" are enough to pay for a decent web designer?

But... as Fly Lady would say:



Oh well, off to check out step 10 to see what I have to do when I get home, and then to Big Tent to read more product placement testimonials and uplifting "you can do it" emails.

Yesterday I was talking about the iPhone and Android Apps for the control journal. I did in fact try Astsrid, but it is so complicated - adding tasks, giving them recurring dates, hiding etc. I don't know that I'm going to end up finding it at all useful. For that type of agenda I will just stick to my Google calendar or iCal (yeah, I have a Mac even though I don't have an iPhone).

I did write out my routines in a binder on paper though.



I even found a handy check list of the baby steps on somebody's blog - which I can't find again, if I do I will totally give credit. Since neither myself nor Fly Lady created it.

And then I found Color Notes. An app for Android. Besides your normal text notes - that look like they're written out on legal pad (similar to the iPhone notes) - you can make check lists and tag them different colors. When you're done with an item one tap will cross them off your list. A second tap will put them back on. Perfect for daily routines!

Sadly, taking screen shots of my Android phone is not as easy as I would like,so, you'll have to take my word for it, follow the above link or Google "Color Note Android" and check out those screen shots.

At home last night fully wanting to work on this week's Zone (area of the house that gets special attention). But didn't. Instead I spent a mad 3 1/2 hours cooking. I know that those lean cuisine commercials make fun of the idea of chopping and cooking after a long day at work, but honestly, I do like it. I wish I did it on a more regular basis (another goal for this fly baby!). I now have enough breakfasts for the next 9 days, and lunches for work for about 2 weeks.

This is what my kitchen sink looked like 1/2 way through cooking.



And here is what it looked like before I went to bed:

Day 8 of the Beginner Baby Steps (Get a 3 Ring Binder and Put some paper in it) is the beginning of a Fly Lady Control Journal. This is basically a list of routines (and other things - contacts, menu plans, basic weekly plans) to help keep you and your home in order.

Since the last week was about building routines - hot spot decluttering, shining the sink, picking out clothes - there is already something to put into the control journal.

Since this is probably the 3rd time I've tried the baby steps I have a binder, but I did pull out the old routines and started fresh.

Now, the idea of checking a 3 ring binder every morning to keep me doing routines sounds a little, well, controlling. And to be honest, I think this is where I have often failed at my baby steps.

I have read many good reviews about the iPhone App "Home Routines" that is basically an electronic control journal. It was not created by Fly Lady, but was created to work with her system.

I don't have an iPhone due to my complete and utter abhorrence of AT&T. I did for a few seconds have an iPhone, however, after being billed twice by AT&T because they attempted to port the wrong telephone number, being given the worst customer service in cell phone history, and being told (and I quote) "we don't make deals with iPhone Customers" because I wanted some customer service after being inconvenienced I sucked up the ETF, sold my iPhone, and now have an HTC Hero (also a touch screen smart phone) for $30 less a month than what crappy AT&T is charging.

Long story short, "Home Routines" doesn't have an Android version of their app. And from what I can tell they have no plans on releasing one anytime soon.

So... I have been looking for a workaround and found two possibilities: Astrid and GTDagenda. Both are free apps through the Android Marketplace("home routines" costs $4.99). The reviews for Astrid seemed a little better, though both apps look like they are equally complicated. I only just downloaded Astrid and haven't found all the ins and outs, but will post more when I do.

This habit of picking out the clothes you are going to wear tomorrow before going to bed, is one that I already do about 80% of the time. The other 20% I usually think about what I am going to wear and decide before going to sleep. The problem with this is that once in awhile I find that an item I was thinking about is dirty, has a stain I didn't notice, or is in some other way not wearable. I am hoping that I can remember to do this physically and actually hang them up so they are ready for the morning.

Also, it is August 1st today. On Big Tent (which I have been trying to read most days) Fly Lady picks a new habit to work on each month. I missed July's (swish and swipe) because I started so late and because I haven't gotten to that part in the baby steps. I don't want to do too much at once and burn out : )

But, August is Laundry month. I'm actually pretty excited about this. I am one of those people who doesn't do laundry until every last piece of underwear has been worn and I literally have no other choice. So, on average I do laundry once a month. Yeah, that's kind of ridiculous. And gross. But whatever - who says you have to wash a pair of jeans after you've worn them out for 4 hours? It's a waste of water. However, I do realize that if I would get a handle on it I wouldn't be in the predicament I described above, finding out that what I want to wear is sitting in the hamper.

Today's "morning musing" is about decluttering your "Mt. Washmore." Lets face it, people today have tons of Stuff. Our houses are bigger than 20 years ago for many reasons, and extra closet space is just one of them. I know that I have way more clothes than I actually wear or even like. Much of it are clothes from 2 years ago when I was a little thinner and going out almost every night and had something fun to do every weekend. Of course I needed alot of clothes for that lifestyle. Then I took on 3 part time jobs and by necessity had to stop going out all the time, and by virtue of sitting around working all day I gained a few pounds (approximately 1 dress size, depending on where I shop).

Like many women I hang onto those clothes in the hopes that "someday" is just around the corner and I will fit into them again. Other clothes that still fit, I keep thinking "I could wear that to..." It's hard to accept that fact that my life and life style has changed to the point where the little sparkly tops are really never going to get worn again. : (

I do however get excited by the prospect of work clothes. I love Express and Worthington's at JCPenny (I get a gift card from my father for every occasion). I am also trying to be fairly budget conscious. I've always been frugal - I buy on clearance and with coupons. I don't buy things I'm not going to immediately use and get my money out of. So in that way I am trying to implement an 1 in 1 out strategy. If I buy new clothes or shoes, it must replace something that is old or worn out in my wardrobe. At the same time I really need to de clutter my going out clothes and pare it down to the items I think are appropriate to where I go now. It used to be dance clubs and now it's MBA mixers and dinner parties. Luckily there is a Plato's Closet near my house. So, in getting rid of these clothes, I might even be able to make some cash!

Day 6: Hot Spots!

Here we finally get started with the decluttering work. Up until now, it was morning routine and keeping one thing (the sink) clean and shiny. Part of this is reading Big Tent and recognizing negative voices and changing them to the positive.

But today we actually start decluttering!

Now I want you to set your timer for 2 minutes and lets practice putting out your Hot Spot. You don’t have to work till you have finished; just do what you can in 2 minutes. Put your bills in one place. This will keep you from having to search for them.

I have quite a few hot spots actually. The kitchen island is where I pile papers and mail. As is the kitchen table, the computer counter, my dresser, and multiple spots in my "office." I set my timer for 5 minutes (2 just seems like not enough) and cleared off the kitchen table. It seemed small enough. Small enough that I actually finished it in those 5 minutes. YAY!

Then I went about doing other things and a few hours later decided that I could do another 5 minutes on the kitchen island. Again, it's not done, and I'm okay with it this, it's smaller. And I'll get another 5 minutes tomorrow :)

Kitchen Island Hot Spot about a week ago - imagine it about 5x as big at least!!

This is the hardest step for me.

Are you hearing any of those nagging negative voices popping into your head? I want you to take a piece of paper and write down what you hear then I want you to turn those ugly words around and say something nice to yourself to negate the ugly words that they said.

I have tried doing the baby steps probably three to four times since I found Flylady at the end of 2007. I must admit I don't always do this step. It's hard to admit the negative voices. It's also equally hard to turn them around.

Truthfuly many of my negative voices belong to other people. My mother always made excuses for my mess. Because I was a teenager, or that I "came by it naturally" meaning my father was messy therefore it was natural for me to be messy too. My boyfriend says repeatedly that every woman he knows is cluttered and messy.

There are of course my voice is in there too. Mostly it is guilt. I have tried so often I feel that I am hardwired to fail. I'm sad because, I can't seem to achieve my goals. A year ago I adopted 2 kittens from a Human Shelter. I discovered quickly that my home was not baby proof or kitten proof. I read a number of organizing books. I really liked Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Outside Out and SHED, when organizing isn't enough. I even tried the SHE method of note cards (the modified version, which has a card for all daily activities, weekly etc, rather than 1 card per activity). Here I am a year later.... I am no more organized, clean or decluttered than I was then. Though, yes, I did kitten proof the house!

I think that's why subconsciously I was "too busy" to do this yesterday. I knew it was going to be difficult, but all I can hope is that as I do it over this month maybe it'll be easier and easier. This is part of FLYing Finally Loving Yourself.

Here we go!

Negative thoughts I hear:
I am lazy. I am a slob. I won't ever be able to be neat, tidy, clean or organized. So there's no point in even trying.

Turn it around:
I didn't get this way over night, and I won't fix it over night either. It's okay to take baby steps. We all have to start somewhere. I am smart and ambitious. Being a procrastinator is not the same as being lazy, and it is something that I can learn to over come also. I may be cluttered, but I am not a slob and I am not dirty. I keep myself very well put together looking nice and clean. I
can learn to do this with my home also. It is okay to give things your best shot, even if it's not perfect. Giving up is the only real failure.

Whoo! Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. And, honestly, I do feel a little bit better now : )

I taped my list to my refridgerator so that I can look at it and remind myself everyday that I can do this.

I made sure last night to check what today's step was going to be so I didn't inadvertently miss something :)

Day four is Write these things Down. That is in addition to doing what we've already done. The baby steps compound on each other. So this morning I got up again, dressed to shoes (exercise gear) and went running. Showered and got ready for work (had time for liner, mascara and gloss!). I had a quick breakfast because I was also trying put stuff in the slow cooker for dinner, and say good bye to my mother. Yep, she's leaving with her husband for the next 6 months or so. If she was a skier she'd be a snow bird. She was nice enough to clean the litter boxes for me since I was running behind. Normally, I do the slow cooker on the weekends, so I'm hoping today was a glitch in the routine.

Anyway... Day 4.

"Your next thing is to write these things down on a sticky note and post them on your bathroom mirror and above your kitchen sink. This is the beginning of your Control Journal. The little notes help us to remember the habits we are trying to establish."

I tend to ignore my sticky notes after awhile. I have had the same "pick out your clothes for tomorrow" note on my door since February. I don't even see any more. So I'm going to make some fun signs on MS Publisher today.

But first... I'm off to Big Tent.

Sink is nice and shiny before I head to bed!

Day 3 is reinforcing what we've done the last two days: shining the sink, and getting dressed to shoes.

This morning I woke up, made the bed, got dressed and worked out. I think that qualifies as getting dressed to shoes. Then I showered, dressed for work and ate breakfast (and fed the cats). I had time for a little bit of make up, but not really the extent that I'd like. I made the sacrifice because I KNEW I'd be late if I did a full face and with meetings at 9:30, 10, and 11 I needed all the prep time I could get. So, it was eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. Which goes a long way to making me feel more pulled together.

It was good thing I kept it quick, because as I was cleaning the litter box 5 minutes before it was time to go (I've timed it, it only takes me 4 minutes) I heard a crash from the kitchen. My cat that is obsessed with water had gotten on the table and knocked over my water glass, which then broke. So, I spent the next five minutes cleaning up water and shards of glass. He wasn't hurt luckily (no shards in his paws). Then after finishing the litter box, I had to put the broken glass safely in the recycling bin. Needless to say I was late leaving the house! Traffic was good though and I was only 5 minutes late to work.

I am looking forward to Friday when I don't have to be anywhere until 12:30. I am going to go through my morning routine leisurely to find out how long it really takes.

The second part of day 3 I will do tonight. But the sinks were looking pretty good this morning.

Day three also introduces Big Tent.com which is where the flylady has news, events and testimonials. It's where challenges are posted, the monthly focus, and weekly zone reminders.

I have to admit that in the past I have not utilized the website, emails, big tent the way I should. I get annoyed with the product placement (I'm sure they are wonderful, but do I really need to have an over priced feather duster shipped to my house to get things done around the house when a rag or a swiffer can do it just as well and as fast?). And I am really turned off by the god breezes (or whatever they are called). I'm not religious and hearing house cleaning called "home blessing" activates my gag reflex. I get that having a clean home will give me peace of mind and relieve a lot of stress in my life, but I rankle at the overt christianity in it.

But... the nice thing about Big Tent is that when I click on news I can read just the information I want and it doesn't clog my in box! I get a digest (Big Tent Blink), but I don't read it. I just log in and read what I need.

I will say that the testimonials are encouraging. Maybe someday I'll get to write one too.

Okay, I must admit to already falling down on this one today.

I did a few other things in my morning routine before getting completely dressed. Got sidetracked by things I decided last minute and didn't do my make up. That's not a total shame, although it's definitely something I'd like to start doing. On a regular basis, I just feel more put together and adult when I'm made up, with my hair done.

Part of the problem was the distractions, the other was that I didn't look ahead to see what step 2 was going to be. I figured I'd check online at work and do it when I got home. Little did I realize I need to do it first thing this morning.

I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I did manage to make the bed. And getting dressed to shoes, though maybe not hair and make up, is a habit that I do have now. I don't know when it really clicked, but I've noticed that even on the weekends if I don't plan on going anywhere I still get dressed. By doing my routine differently this morning, I realized that prefer the other.

Okay, I was all set to wait until Thursday to begin my baby steps. I thought if I was going to do it right I needed to clean the kitchen sink and I needed to have the kitchen sink to myself to do that.

Then I started searching for fly lady related blogs using Google Blog Search. I found some good ones and started following. I read one in particular (which I can't follow using blogger) that got me off my butt. She said " If you aren't willing to try something new then you aren't ready to try something new."

But I read it as: If you aren't willing to try something new then you aren't ready for change.

And I got to thinking... do I really want to change? And I thought about all of my frustrations living in CHAOtic mess. My feelings of guilt for having waited so long, for failing over and over. That's when I realized... yes I want to change. I want to live in a peaceful home, a tidy home, a home where I can have people over for a dinner party just because I want to.

I also read a comment on the post that mentioned that you need to find your own "sink." It might be the actual sink for some people (like the Fly Lady) but that motivating area might be different for other people. I suspect that something other than the kitchen sink might be my thing, but I am not sure and until I find it, I like the structure of being told, clean your sink!

Now, since the kitchen sink is pretty much always clean between my mom and her husband, I chose to do my bathroom... let's face it, it needed it. Now I know that Fly Lady has a lesson on how to shine your sink, but it involves using bleach and letting it sit for half an hour. With two very curious cats, one who loves to play in water (I know he's weird!) I didn't want to leave bleach in my sinks for any length of time. I'm also a big proponent of using cleaners that are chemical free and natural, which means I don't have traditional scouring cleanser. Instead, I used vinegar to soak, and baking soda to scrub. It worked great!

No before picture sorry :(

But here are my shiny bathroom sinks after:




There are some nicks in the ceramic that are showing up quite dark in the pictures, but rest assured they are shiny and clean.

A couple of nice side effects. Once the sinks were clean, I went ahead and hand washed some delicate clothes that have sitting on the counter for months and the areas around the counter mysteriously got a little cleaner/tidier too. I noticed that this morning. Who knew that a shiny sink would unconsciously get me to put things away too? A very nice side effect indeed.

So that is Day 1 Go Shine Your Sink! finished and crossed off my calendar. Feels great!

I have been doing very well with a morning routine on work days which consists of getting up, feeding my cats, getting dressed, having breakfast, packing lunch and cleaning the litter box before walking out the door. Right now though, I have a lot of help with the lunch department from my mother (you can't tell her that I'm a 31 year old who can make her own lunch without seriously hurting her feelings) as well as cleaning up the kitchen (her husband's "job"). So I know that I will have to add things to my morning routine as well as keep my morning routine on the weekends. Something I'm finding hard to do right now.

I am hoping that in the next few days I will have free reign over the house and that I can begin the baby steps the same day they leave. I figure any progress I make, or have made and keep, before then is just gravy.

I am hoping that by the time they get back in 4-6 months that I will have the house neat, tidy, and clutter free on a regular basis. Before they get back I want to have dinner party, maybe even a Halloween party and they are going to be my rewards for getting my act together.

In order to really measure my success, I'm adding pictures of my "before". And I'll update pictures on a weekly or monthly basis. Right now it's just my bedroom and bathroom - the two areas that need the most work.

My Bathroom

My Bedroom

My Bedroom Floor

So, why haven't I started the baby steps yet? I mean step 1 is pretty easy: shine your sink. The problem is that I don't have a sink.

Sound crazy? Everybody that lives somewhere has a sink. Okay, yes, I have a kitchen sink. The problem is, I don't consider it mine.

I have alot of reasons for wanting to be successful at the decluttering and cleaning. Mostly they are goals for my life and if I don't get rid of my procrastination I will never achieve them. Here they are in no real particular order. Some are dependent on achieving others first (like travel required money which means another job, or one that is full time).

Goals:

• to travel
• to live in my own place
• to be able to entertain at my home
• to have my BF stop teasing me for my mess
• to defy others' expectations
• to have a better paying job
• to move away
• to lose the last 10lbs
• to have a functioning home office
• to have a career that inspires me
• to learn another language

Since school I have never really had routines. Even living on my own I was always a bit messy. I would love to be organized. In fact I am in love with organizers. Any type of product including planners and furniture, I just love. Never take me to an office supply store I could be there everywhere. I'm also a procrastinator. It's hard for me to say "just do it now" because frankly there is always something else I would rather be doing "now" and I save what I should be doing for "later" (or the last minute as the case may be).

In my other endeavors to follow the FlyLady baby steps I have picked up a few things. Like:

• making the bed - I don't do it everyday, but when I do I instantly feel better about my surroundings. Even if it's the only neat thing in my room, it's a nice sight.
• Dressing to shoes - even if I just put on a sun dress and sandals then sit around the house to watch tv or do homework, getting dressed means I know that my day has started and something will get done.
• Picking out tomorrow's clothes - I try for the most part to really select what I am going to wear, but sometimes it ends up being a mental exercise. Usually even this saves me time in the morning, but the worst part is when I can't find what I mentally noted.

I discovered flylady.net about 3 years ago. Since then I have tried off and on to follow the babysteps. If you're not familiar with the FlyLady click here to check out her website. The info is free, though, she does sell some items on her website and does have a couple of books out - Sink Reflections and Body Clutter. It's has great tools for the disorganized person - which is me. The great part about it - FlyLady has been there. She's not one of those organized people who says "just do it like this" This usually being the way they do things. No, she's been cluttered and messy, and her tools are really flexible to what works for individuals and their situation.

I've never been able to stick to the Baby Steps for more than a couple of weeks (probably more like 10 days or less). But I am determined this time to do it.

First of all a little bit about me:

I'm a "boomerang kid." Yep, I kind of hate to admit it, but I live with my mother and her husband even though I just turned 31. In November of 2007 I lost my job. I moved into a cheaper apartment than what I originally had and even got a roommate. Things were okay for 6 months (even though I had a wicked bought of bronchitis for 2 months) when one balmy April morning I walked out of the shower and had a stare-down with a cockroach. So much for a cheap apartment. After multiple exterminators and calls to the landlord, I called my mom and asked to come home. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I am not used to asking for anything and as a professional woman I never thought I'd have to move back "home" again.

After a few more months of looking I finally landed a few part-time jobs at different universities around me starting September 2008. Since then I have settled on just one part-time job (one other was not for me - teaching; and the third was too far of a commute to justify the time, gas, and parking) in my regular profession, and I am currently also going to school online with the hopes of either changing careers or starting a free-lance business.