Best Time to Start Flying

I've been thinking long and hard about this, and I think I have the answer.  The best time to start Flying? When you are two. Yes that's right, at the ripe old age of two.  This is where my Montessori background is going to shine through!

Around age two, children enter a sensitive period for order.  A sensitive period is a time when a child learns particular things effortlessly.  One example would be language.  For the first six years of life, children (usually) learn to speak with minimal adult intervention.  If a child misses fulfilling a sensitive period, such as language, the child will struggle to fill that need for the rest of her life.  (Also why children pick up second languages so easily while adults tend to struggle.)

Did you ever know a child who would only eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch?  Perhaps there was only 1 pair of shoes acceptable to wear, or maybe the hair had to be done just so before being able to go out to play.  These are all manifestations of the sensitive period for order.  Children aren't just making these demands to drive us crazy.  These routines are what helps the child feel secure in the world.  When they feel secure, life is good.  When they feel insecure...............temper tantrum anyone?

This is where I think Flying begins so strike while the iron is hot!  Start little routines that help your child create order.  Clothes come off and go into a hamper.  Use a duvet instead of a top sheet so the child can make their bed on their own.  Dedicate a space to put shoes (bonus points to you if you use clothespins to keep the shoes together).  Have baskets for toys so that they are easy to put away.  And then regularly put the toys away.  Do things like this when they are ready and eager to do so and it will become second nature by the time they are done with the sensitive period.  I will not promise that they won't regress once hormones enter the picture though!

My theory is that the people who are Born Organized are ones who actually had a successful sensitive period for order.  The rest of us missed the boat and that is why we need the FlyLady to get back on track!

Are you ready for the weekend?

Evidently it didn't take long for my body to readjust to my workday wake-up time.  5:30 am on a Saturday & I couldn't stay asleep any longer!  Guess that means it is a great time for a blog post. 

Spent 10 minutes tidying the house while DH was grilling and everything is still in place!  That's mostly due to DD playing outside with daddy while he grilled -she had no nap yesterday & played hard all day so she fell asleep quite quickly after dinner (meaning she didn't have enough time to toss her toys around.)  At any rate, there was nothing for me to step on in the dark as I stumbled through the LR this morning.  Heck, even the kitchen was clean when I went for my water.  What am I supposed to do with all this free time now that I'm not constantly putting things away?

That's right............pottery!  The fused glass class will have to happen at another time coz it was full by the time I got my registration forms in.  Oh well, better luck next time!

I'll also need to make those cupcakes -wouldn't do to have a birthday party for DD & not have any desserts......

When in Doubt, Eat a Cupcake Masterprint

Still Going Strong

I could get used to this.

I spent a considerable chunk of time on Monday cleaning my house, and it is STILL IN GOOD SHAPE!  Generally by the end of my next work day, the LR has been demolished, DD will have thrown every toy she get get her hands on to the floor, and the kitchen counters mysteriously shrunk or even vanish.  But  not this time.

I spent 10 minutes rescuing rooms the first night I came home from work, and that was all that was needed.
I spent 10 minutes rescuing rooms the second night I came home from work, and that was all that was needed.
Last night, I spent less than 10 minutes rescuing rooms, and that was all that was needed.

It is highly possible that our guest (DH's college buddy) may have influenced the typical behavior in other members of the household.  Maybe I just used the momentum from Monday's clean to keep the ball rolling.  Probably both.  I just hope that it continues AFTER our guest leaves!

Our Aim Tin Sign

On a fun note, I have signed up for a Glass Fusing class with my sister.  It starts next week and for those of you expecting gifts from me this holiday season, be prepared for jewelry!  I'm even more excited about the pottery class that I signed up for.  I have wanted to take a pottery class for years and I am finally doing it.  There is a small child care issue to take care of (DH usually isn't home by the time class starts on that day) but I'm sure I can work things out.  I'll have to wait until later today to see if I got into the class -they may already be full.  If so, I shall just wait (nearly) patiently until the next session starts.  And sign up sooner.

Retired Couple Making Ceramics in Art Class

Photographic Print

My next career perhaps?

We have lift off!

For the first time in AGES I completed the Weekly Home Blessing.  I haven't done one since before my vacation (hands head in shame).  For motivation, I listened to the BTR archive of the FlyLady WHB whilst I worked.  But before I did the WHB, I rescued my home.

I was dreading the whole house rescue, but it had to be done.  What was truly amazing was that I was able to rescue each room (except the basement) in just 15 minutes per room!  Obviously, things weren't quite as bad as I had thought.  Again, I am thankful for a small house :)

As I was indulging in this Day of Housecleaning I had an "aha" moment:  I realized that I had been confusing "WHB" with general "Room Rescue".  Ooops.  No wonder I didn't like the WHB day! (Time to restart the babysteps I think) So I shall try this week to do room rescues everyday.  Yesterday when I came home it only took 15 minutes to rescue all the rooms to their pristine state.  I think I can keep that up.  Next week I'm going to spread out the WHB chores as an experiment.  For example, emptying all the trash makes sense to do on Sundays as our garbage pick up is Monday.  For the others, I think I'll just randomly choose a chore each day I come home -just to keep things interesting!

On a sad note my vacuum cleaner didn't make it through the Blessing.  I think DH's long hair finally defeated the beater brush, so it needs a good clean-out & a new belt before being put back into service.

When Vacuuming Art Print

Enjoying the Holidays - The FlyLady Way!

One of the things I like most about fall is that it means the Holiday season is just around the corner.  In years past I have felt silly trying to prepare for the holidays before Thanksgiving, but this year I am trying something new: starting my plans NOW!  Thanks to Twitter pals @Luvschweetheart and @DianeDenmark I finally feel free to revel in the joy and excitment that the holidays bring.  This will be the first Christmas that DD will truly enjoy, so I want to make sure that it is a special time for her.  And that means not being up in the wee hours of the morning just because I couldn't get around to wrapping my gifts until the last minute or fighting crowds because I have forgotten someone's prezzie.

Christmas Tree, c.1958Art Print

Warhol, Andy
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A couple of years ago, I printed the FlyLady Holiday Control Journal.  I filled out a few of the pages, but that's it.  For me, waiting until the beginning of December to start ramping up for the holidays doesn't work.  DH is in retail which means between Thanksgiving and Christmas he works 6 days a week.  We have to arrange a time for our big family Christmas celebration by the beginning of October just to make sure he has the right night off!

Luvschweetheart introduced me to the Holiday Grand Plan.  It starts the holiday planning this week.  I printed off some pages and I am amalgamating it with the FlyLady Holiday CJ.  By following these two plans, I am hoping that December will be a relaxing, C-Joyous time!

P.S.  I already ordered gifts for my coworkers!!!!

P.P.S.  I'm really looking forward to the transatlantic baking session to make DianeDenmark's Christmas Cake!!!!!!!!!!

Insomnia

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Its 4:30 in the morning and I can't sleep.  I've actually been awake for the past hour. Lucky for me today is Friday which means a short day at work.  Looks like I'll probably be napping with DD this afternoon!  And drinking lots of tea.......

So rather than just stay in bed not sleeping, I got up and started playing on the computer.  Where in the FlyLady universe is insomnia dealt with?  It is certainly far too early in the morning to do any cleaning or decluttering -I am not going to take the chance of accidently waking DD up.  I may be unable to sleep but I'm not up to being momma just yet.

Hmmm, maybe it is time I blow the virtual dust off of my Electronic Control Journal and make some changes :)

What do you do when you can't sleep?

Back to School

This really feels like the first real week of school, which it is.  DH was on vacation last week so that changed what I did and when.  He's back to work though & today is the day that DD goes to Grandma's for the entire day. 

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I was a good girl and got everything ready last night.  I even have my extra lesson plans printed out for the week & in a binder!  As soon as DH is done, I will get cleaned up & ready to go.  So hooray for the BBR!  I too think that the BBR is the most important routine.  Even though I do not generally have a lot to do in the mornings before work, I always feel more relaxed when I've done the BBR.  I just need to remember that just because it is called a Before Bed Routine doesn't mean that I need to do it RIGHT BEFORE bed. 

Right now I am being very naughty -I'm sitting in jammies drinking my tea!  Not dressed to the shoes (yet) because I really don't want DD to wake up just yet.  I know, I know, I should get dressed to my shoes as soon as I wake up.  I'm sure some day when I grow up I'll be able to pull that off!

Now, where did I leave off on Babysteps?  I'm also wondering if anyone else needs a year to make it through the Beginner's Babysteps or if I'm the only one?  I'll ponder that some more while I make another cup of tea!

New Year, New Routines

Fall has always seemed to me a time of new beginnings, more so than January 1. Probably the influence of going back to school! So its a good time to think about starting over. It has been far too long since I used my CJ. I have no excuse -it's right there next to my email! I think it may be time to tweak it a bit. S&S just doesn't happen for me in the morning, so I will try it in the evening.

On Monday, I took a break from all my housework. I was tired of feeling like I wasn't accomplishing much, and what I did do was immediately undone by someone else. You know what? The house fell apart. The dishes somehow never even made it to the kitchen. Those dishes that did make it to the kitchen were unceremoniously dumped into the sink, and or any other available surface rather than the empty dishwasher. Clothes and books lay where ever they hit the floor. Obviously, I had been doing more than I had thought!

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Since yesterday was a short day for me, I tackled the kitchen while DH did the LR. Within an hour I had my shiny sink back. I still need to mop the floor, but that can certainly happen later! But my kitchen is clean, which means I'm much more likely to cook, and my LR is clean so I'm much more likely to relax!

Pamper Time!

I decided that since this was my last week before classes started, I would give myself a pamper mission each day. So far I have:

• Green Tea Sugar Scrub Facial (the green tea stained!)
• Long soak in a heavily scented & oiled bath
• Went to bed BEFORE 11pm
• Satin Hands session
• Dinner out with my mom & sis

I still have a few days to go, but its been fun! What is your favorite way to pamper yourself and when was the last time you did so?

End of the Summer

Today is my last official day of summer vacation. Of course, I've been going in all week to get my classroom ready before tomorrow so that I can devote all my attention to my new assistant. So it is time to reflect on the past 2.5 months.

Did I get everything done that I wanted to? Not even close. The boudoir project is still unfinished, but all that's needed at this point is the fun decorating stuff. I should be able to make inroads on that now that the basement is in shape so that DD can be down here with me while I work on it.

My house isn't nearly as decluttered as I would have hoped. But the good news is I'm usually just 15-20 minutes from my home being Visitor ready.

I'm ready for the final coat of paint on DD's table & chair set. Once that is done she will finally have some furniture that is designed specifically for her.

I wasn't able to write as much as I would have liked. After our vacation, I lost my momentum for both blogs and lenses. Strange how working out of the home meant I was able to get more done!

I've had more hugs & kisses than I thought possible from DD. When she isn't tired, DD is a very sweet & affectionate young lady. Who loves puppies and her baby dolls.

So although not what I had planned or envisioned as a summer, it was still pretty fantastic!

Once school begins it will be back to the BabySteps. Will I ever make it past the 10th step? Stay tuned & find out!

Calendars

Today's BabyStep: Read an essay that Kelly wrote.....about using calendars

OK, so I was a good girl and read the essay. I have a calendar (not the Flylady calendar, but a similar one that I got for 50 cents at the local card factory outlet store). I write down our appointments and events. DH actually looks at it - I have it posted on the side of the fridge, very close to where I use my laptop. Since my laptop is my office hub, it is very easy for me to remember to write down things as they crop up.

Save the Date, Day Planner Art Print

One thing I need to do is to write down birthdays. I know my families birthdays, but not very good at remembering beyond my own family. During this vacation I will make it a point to collect birth dates so that I can add them to my calendar upon my return.

I also like using my google calendar. I have been adding my menus to it, which I can see from my email screen. I have added a school calendar as well (different color tabs) so I can keep track of things I need to do for school. I have tried a planner, but that doesn't work. Since this calendar is web-based I can use it via my laptop.

More Babysteps

Today's Babystep: Find one of Kelly's Missions & do it!

Oh boy, now I'm in for it! Decluttering AND a mission? Do I have it in me to do all of this and get ready to leave for a vacation? Since this week's mission is the MBR, I just may be able to handle it. DH spent some time in there last week organizing his stuff while I was slaving away in the basement. So the MBR actually isn't all that bad. I think I can handle 15 minutes getting rid of things that don't belong there! LOL I wouldn't be surprised if I couldn't declutter for 15 minutes as it is quite neat at the moment. But try I shall. Maybe I'll tackle the Drawer of Unmatched Socks (also known as the League of Unaligned Footware).

I am so close to the point of being able to completely move my clothes into my new "closet space". I shall try my rubba sweepa in the utility room as it is bare concrete. Then I should be able to move my holiday & storage tubs back into their little corner, freeing up a lot of space. So exciting! I think I may even try to find some carpet tiles to put on the floor in front of the washer and dryer - something to make it more a laundry room and less like a basement utility room :)

Emails - Dare I Delete?

Today's BabyStep: Delete all the emails from Flylady

Seriously? Just delete them?!?! I don't know.....what if I miss something important? What if I plan on going back and reading them later? What if my world comes crashing down because I have deleted the most important email ever? What if...what if....what if.......

OK, I psyching myself up for it. I think I can do this. If I'm honest with myself I know that I'm not going to go back and read the emails. I have a place for them, but do I need to keep them? Most likely not. So here I go.........no really -I'm going to do it this time........all I have to do is click on the FlyLady folder then hit select all & delete. Yep, that's it. That's all it takes. Right now. Do it. Now.

OK, that wasn't so bad. 155 conversations sent to my Trash. The Trash I just emptied last night, by the way. Didn't even hurt. If only decluttering my home were as easy!

When's the last time you decluttered your email? Or your computer for that matter? I have discovered a new web tool to help keep my computer clutter under control : tagfoot. Maybe your computer is like mine, burgeoning with bookmarked sites. Tagfoot is an online bookmarking site, but it is social as well. I can't claim to understand how it all works, because I've only just started using it. But so far I'm liking it. I can bookmark websites, pictures, music, videos. If I find something really cool, I can share it with one of my designated friends. If it is superfantastic cool, I can share it with all my friends. Check it out - click on the tagfoot picture in the upper left corner to see my profile page. If you like it, join so I can share all the funny stuff I find!

Control Journal: Inspirational Page

Babystep 11: Add an inspirational page to your control journal

What fun! Spend 15 minutes writing down inspirational phrases. Well, I'm a visual person so I think I'll use pictures as well. I'm not sure how to add this to my electronic control journal system I have going, so I'll do it here!

Morris, William
Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. ~William Morris

I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. ~Charles de Secondat, Baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu, Pensées Diverses

I could keep going, but my 15 minutes are up! I think maybe the next time I'm feeling down I will do this assignment again :D

NEWO

I've had the NEWO Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) & No Excuses Workout DVD set since February. It's only been in the last two weeks that I've actually figured out HOW to use the HRM and begun exercising with a higher intensity. I've been working out with a trainer once a week since January (I had worked with her before pregnancy complications forced me to stop). I love J. dearly & she knows how to get the most out of me, but I need someone on my shoulder more than once a week. Because of my work with the trainer I can do a full 40 minute walking interval workout as well as complete the full NEWO strength training (modifying the push-ups to the walls because of my bad knees).

Hopefully Jonathon will be the one to sit on my shoulder the other 5 days of my workout week to keep me going in the direction I want to go!

Decluttermination

Decluttermination: when one is determined to declutter.

It seems like an accurate theme title for my summer! I am determined to get rid of all the junk that is weighing me down.

I am determined to create a home that I enjoy being in and feel comfortable bringing friends into.

I am determined to finally putting my own stamp on this home that I have lived in for over two years now!

Do you have decluttermination?

Wallowing

As I write this I am feeling blue. It looks as though we won't be going to visit my in-laws after all as we don't have someone to come and stay at our place & care for the bird. I am sad for DD because we only get to see this part of the family once a year because of the distance. I am sad for my family since they miss out on so much by not living nearer to us. I know I just need to let go of my sadness & anger, but I just can't. I know I should just jump right on to Twitter and let my Twisters (Twitter Sisters) humor me into a better mood.




Spring Feeling in Blue
Kirchner, Karsten


I'm very much a "fake it till you make it" type of person when it comes to bad moods. What do you do to get yourself out of a funk?

You Can Do Anything For Just 15 Minutes!

Oh me oh my - I'm finally on Babystep #10 which is: You can do anything for just 15 minutes! It never fails to surprise me when I set my timer and get something done before the timer goes off. In fact, I usually have a few minutes left and then either struggle to find something else to do for the remaining time or just pick up a magazine and read until time is up.

I definitely need to set my timer more often. LR rescuing is a good example - maybe if I set my timer for 5 minutes several times a day I won't be left with such an awful mess to fix after DD goes to sleep :) Writing for this blog is a good example as well - I have set my timer for 15 minutes, had some extra time & went searching for a photo to jazz up the post.

If only my dryer was as loud as Big Ben - then maybe I wouldn't tune it out! Think anyone would mind if I asked them to set BB to chime every 15 minutes? LOL

On the mend

DH is home from the hospital and on the road to recovery! Everything went smoothly so I'm hoping that we will see no complications from here on out.

DD went to spend the night with Grandma for the first time. That too went smoothly and there were no meltdowns on DD's part. I used some of the "Turtle-Free" time to mow the lawn and to finish planting the vegetable/herb garden beds. Now to keep Turtle from digging everything back up!!

Now I think it is time to get back to babysteps. By my calculations, I am still on step 7: Lay out your clothes. During the school year this was not a problem, but I noticed I have been backsliding on this since I rarely have anywhere to be in the mornings now. Which means that this is a perfect babystep to pick back up with!

I'm feeling worn out, the house is recovered and there is nothing else to do but meal prep and BBR. Time to start reading my new Katie Macalister book!

Zombie Clutter

With the help of a Twitter pal, I managed to do a lot of decluttering this past week. As I neared the bottom of the pile on my work table, I came across an electronic toy of DD's that was in pieces. I have to mention this particular toy because I have thrown it away TWO TIMES already. Yet there it was, laying in a pile and mocking me.

I'm not the one who pulled it out of the trash with the hopes of breathing life back into this little plastic piece of junk, but this post is not about blaming anyone. The point is that I felt absolutely NO REMORSE in sending this toy on its way to silicone heaven. This is a toy that DD doesn't use (obviously as it has been in pieces for many months now) nor was it a toy she ever loved. I have no place for it so off it goes! There are a few other items which seem to worm their way out of the garbage bags too..........

My basement has now been relieved of two bags of garbage and three boxes of items that have already been delivered to charity. I also managed to free the buffet in my kitchen which is actually my largest counter space. Cooking is so much nicer when I can use the counters for prep and the stove for cooking, rather than using the stove top for both prep & cooking!

Menu is planned for the week, just not loaded into my Google calendar as it was down when I was ready. It will be my second week of summer vacation, but an odd one as I will be caring for DH who is having minor surgery this week. I think I should get a few bottles of wine to keep on hand for this task!