FLYLADY (or, what I've learned from my shiny sink)

Flylady goes against everything in my nature. For one thing, I don't like being told what to do, so a schedule of any kind (especially one that has me doing housework every day) brings out my inner petulant child. Second, as much as I love having a clean house and thrive when things are organized, my natural inclination is more towards chaos. And finally, I tend to have an all-or-nothing mentality. When I want something done, I want it done all the way and I want it done NOW. Flylady's whole idea of baby steps, of starting with a shiny sink and adding new habits a little at a time, of decluttering in small 15-minute increments (instead of killing myself by trying to do it all in one marathon weekend) has been very, very hard for me.

It's taken time, and patience, but I am learning to let go and let my best be enough, and learning to trust that I will get there eventually! Somehow, along the way, some of this has actually been sticking.

Today I woke up feeling just awful. We've all been down with colds, and this morning my head was pounding, my throat was on fire, and it made me dizzy just getting out of bed. Now I've learned from a difficult pregnancy - and subsequent gall bladder issues - that the kids and I can manage even when I'm sick. The house, I'm afraid, is another matter altogether.

But today was different.

I didn't do the bathrooms, but I know that they're both clean because they both got their daily wipe-down yesterday. I didn't make the bed, but the bedroom is clean and everything is put away. After I'd had some ibuprofen and was feeling a little more human, I took the five minutes to empty the dishwasher and throw in one load of laundry (and one load was all that needed to be done) The boys were happy to do today's "mission" for me, which was to shake out the welcome mat and sweep up the front patio. I've gotten dressed, the house is clean, and I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone came to the door. Best of all, I spent 99% of the day drinking tea, getting better, and enjoying being with my kids.

Flylady is awesome.