Day 24, 25, 26

24



Swish and swipe. Don't we love our swish and swipes! I can't imagine my life without them anymore! Whenever I get sidetracked, it's one of the first bells that start ringing! HEY YOU DIDN'T DO S&S YET! YOUHOO! GET A GRIP!!! In my early flybaby days ... I must admit I totally but totally didn't grasp the swishing and swiping. "What do they want me to do? ... Every day? Even when it's clean?" Now that couldn't be right? OK, the shiny sink stuff was crazy enough when I first got to know flylady ... but this? I couldn't get myself to clean toilets and bathrooms on daily basis. All excuses passed the revue ... from it being silly, to no time, or plain simple Princess's I don't want to ... mostly others making it filthy anyway ... so why do I - you know you have to stress the I real well don't you ;) - have to clean it anyway! And i did clean it though, once a week wasn't that enough?



The first time I gave the S&S a try was after my DS was born. We were staying at a studio next to my aunts apartment because of the renovations that were going on at our house. I didn't have a lot of housework to do because the place was sooo tiny lol. But still, as I saw the time approaching of moving back into our home ... I knew I needed a plan for blessing our house and family ... I hadn't done any flying during the year we moved out ... but I still had the mails coming in. I started by reading them again and jumped back on, not by babystepping lol ... that would have been to easy of course! :)) But I hearted the S&S because that was something I could start right there at the studio! And up till now, it is one of the routines that I practiced most of the time ... I fell off the wagon once in a while ... sometimes I had a good excuse due to my being ill and really not being able to take care of myself let alone the house ... sometimes Princessy could persuade me that we just didn't have to do it because we didn't feel like it lol ... but somehow it started to bother me real soon when not doing this little routine ... so I would jump back on the wagon!

Especially the bathroom really needs my S&S discipline. Sometimes I forget to bring a new rag to clean after I put the old one in the laundry ... and then things get horribly wrong and horribly fast! Not cleaning the sinks and mirrors soon infects our "pick up after yourself" routine ... and I don't have to draw a picture what happens next? Once the bathroom changes into partly Mt Washmore, partly garbage belt, partly ... S&S becomes very unattractive and I hate I really hate a filthy bathroom. Short:I love S&S!



25



"Learn how the routines developed" - a testimonial from our beloved Flylady. How she started blessing her home and family from chaos to a FINALLY LOVING YOURSELF not to p* ... to LOVING YOURSELF! I loved reading it! Going to put it in my CJ one of these days ... to remind me of the ongoing process of finding our way and once in a while leaving our path as she's tend to do, but knowing wht to do to find peace again! I'm being sidetracked and a bit overwhelmed when I'm writing now ... but blessed with flylady and all her wisdom ... I just know that I will find a way to organise my life in a way to reduce stress and enjoy a peaceful home and a loving family life. Whatever the challenge, I will babystep it!



26



"You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?One BabyStep at a time, PEACE is mine in 2009!" Thank you Flylady I needed to be reminded badly :) A big hug coming your way!



Sunday it is, so inspiration day! I will try to find some time today to reflect on my babystepping. What is going fluently ... where am I getting sidetracked ... how can I change my life so that I can find peace for my family AND me!

Jump!

:)

It's a smiley kind of day! I'm ready to get back to my babysteps. I did a lot of thinking and evaluating ... the routines that I have been practicing thus far are already a real blessing. Especially the sleeping routines!I really love to know that I'm trying to give my body the sleep it needs. It does wonders on my mood! At the same time it frustrates me too, cause sleeping 8 to 9 hours at night plus the regular naps during the day ... time seems to slip through my fingers ... but I do realise that quality must come before quantity. But still, I have to get a grip on the frustration part ... what I learned the last few days is that I CAN take TV time out of my day, I CAN reduce my PC time ... but I soooo need time to reflect, to seek inspiration, to read, socialise ... and my family needs more than routines to bless the house, they need blessing to ... and although I love them to bits ... they need more than cuddles and kisses and the daily basic care ... I need to bring in more time for them too ... what brings me back to time ... What brings me back to flylady :) ... what brings me back to my smiley kind of day ... babystep 23 was the step I needed to take before I took my break, just continuing the steps I had already been taking. Babystep 23 is what I did today. I set an afternoon routine. It consists of rest, playtime with the kids, a set time for dinner with kids (before DH gets home) and a set time for starting the kids BBR. I'm intrigued to see how this routine will affect my evenings. I hope it will free up time for reflection and reading. Th only thing I don't like about my AR, is that the kids and I will be eating without DH ... I hope it works out ...

Day ?

OK. Am I overwhealmed? First excitement of babystepping fading away? I don't know. I need to slow down a bit, that is sure. I'm still babystepping. Trying to make those BB and M routines MINE! And doing quite nice I think. I don't feel the same urge to get it perfect, like I had when I started babystepping again ... euh don't get me wrong ... the little monster roars sometimes, but somehow it is easier letting go of it when you actually see that all those tiny micy little steps DO make a huge difference to me and my family. I knew the babystepping would help me get my focus back, and the blog would motivate me to actually put my words into action, a real BTF that turned out to be lol! But I never could have guessed that the change in my attitude and expectations would be that enormous, since I've been fluttering for so many years now! But it really does! It physically hurts me, thinking of going to sleep if my kitchen ain't clean lol! Really lol! But cleaning out a bag (of probably clutter of course lol) that someone dropped in the hallway ... well that will be a babystep for the next day ... my body needs its rest ... no rest ... no happy mommy, and if mommy ain't happy ... :) I'm actually sighing with relief while I write this ... THIS FEELS GOOD!

Day 22

Where is your control journal? - On top of my dining table hotspot! And yes it needs tackling ... still just hot, but we don't want any infernos lol! How do others use their CJ I wonder ... I don't look at it very often, I must admit. Mostly in morning, after I finished my MR I go and check what I could do after. Checking and reading the CJ is important though ... reading my print outs daily, used to motivate me in the past and would help with the "flywashing"! Lol, do you know the feeling? The feeling that when you are doing the "flytalk", with the fifteen minute magic, mt washmore, MR, and BBR ... you really almost have to get slapped in the face before realising that not EVERYBODY speaks FLY! Lol. Even if not doing all routines, the philosophy is sipping through! So back to some more CJ focus!

Day 20&21

Day 20: include laundry in routines. Of course it could only have been me, organising search operations in the laundry room ... Very surprised I was, when introduced to Mt Washmore ... This is not a local problem! It's a plague! Every day this rough geological phenomenon is conquered by many and every day it bursts out again ... Just like dust, no escaping ... only maintaining: "a load a day keeps chaos away". Thank you flylady! This is one of the first routines, that settled in during all those years ... I can proudly say ... that roughly speaking, I am capable of getting a grip on laundry by doing one load a day. Even Princessy is so used of doing it every day ... she doesn't even bother to put up a fight about it! ... Although ... I must admit, that I still need some work with the other washing babysteps. Doing laundry is one thing, hanging and drying OK ... but ironing, folding and putting away ... ouch those really hurt princessy ... But still we are getting there ... so I will be focusing on those babysteps a little more from now on! .... Still ... the question lingers on HOW THE H* DO THOSE CLOTHES GET DIRTY SO QUICK????? lol!
Day 21. Well Flylady showed me the way again to "Ask FlyLady Question"

Day 18 &19

Day 18 & 19 was all about motivating and inspiration. A relief, cause I already have quite a challenge doing the routines as it is. Especially the missions from Kelly and the decluttering some days. Monday I read " The 11 commandments", it really made me smile :) those 11 things that's really what it is all about! I wrote them down in my control journal ... hope it sticks!

Day 19 was a testimonial from a flybaby. Those of us that have been following flylady for a few years now, know this testimonial all to well! I've read it so many times now ... it still makes me smile. And this time I wondered ... am I getting there too? Not yet mastered the flying that well ... but I love my little B&B too!

Day 17

"Set a bedtime and stick to it" ... well naturally I did ... been practising that for a while now ... and though my body isn't quite convinced yet ... I surely hope to stick to it! I have seen the change ... getting up before the family really helps me getting things done ànd at the same time I enjoy some quiet me-time!

Further, a bit of a grumpy grey day ... I think that in spite of the (very) early bedtime, this flybaby isn't getting enough sleep ... I'll have to plan naps I think! OK that's a new challenge from now on: FIND A MOMENT TO NAP! Hope that gets the bear out of me! And its a nice pamper!

Day 15 and day 16

OK short one lol ... kids are awake ... ceiling almost coming down ... so I guess my early morning me-time has come to an end lol.

Day 15 ... Adding making mu bed ... no problems there :) I was one of the bed making rebels: I used all the excuses you can read in Flylady's mails ... but she IS right of course ... I realised it from the first time I tried it ... and still ... it is one of the first habits that slip out of my routine as soon as something comes rocking the boat ... So no protest here during the month of april ... and hopefully taking it with me this time through the good and the bad days!... and rest of day ... nicely fluttered ... fighting irritation about not being perfect ... and finally gracefully accepting it ... I AM DOING JUST FINE :)

DAY 16 ... Reading a mail from Flylady ... lol I thought this was going to be a piece of cake lol ... but I had to quickly catch up on it before bed .... It was a mail about "moving in may" ... well I certainly will ... with all those exercises we do at the hospital ... and the "homework" they are giving ... this flybaby will surely help us moving around the world ...!

OK off to rescue the house from my kids lol!

Day 14

Thursday. I've been focusing on babystepping for two weeks! I must admit, that being a flybaby since over 4 years ... I wouldn't have thought I would find it so difficult. Maybe it is that for the first time I'm really trying to get into the philosophy of flylady. Before I was more looking for inspiration I guess, I wasn't ready for it yet. OK, and not being completely healthy doesn't make it any easier I know that. But anyway ... padding myself on the back! With "Progress not perfection", in mind ... I'm doing fine. I hope I can keep on the good work, because I love the peace of mind my routines are giving me.

So, how was my day? Well morning routines are becoming more fluent and so are the evening routines ... but I didn't do Kelly's mission ... well ... I think that I might go with one of the strategies of some other flybabies and write them down on post-it notes at the beginning of the week .... taking them down whenever I am able to do one. I think that will suit me better for the busy days. Evening routines stay hard ... there s so little time between finishing dinner and my bedtime hour ... but I know it's for my best interest!
The new assignment for day 14? Reading the essay from Kelly about the calendar! Well I've ordered my flycalendar for the first time last summer ... because, guess what lol ... I am so calendar challenged lol. It ain't a routine yet, but I'm getting there!
Day 15? I'll be making my bed ... ha ha I had all of april to train that habit lol ... guess what ... I think that will be an easy babystep :)

Day 13

Wednesday. Really did well on morning routine. Had lots of cooking and baking to do ... now that's a challenge on its own! All the mess and dishes! And before I know it I'm overwhelmed ... On top of that my parents in law called that they would be coming over ... but thanks to my 12 days of babystepping (and the fly washing for all those years!)... well why panic ... I can do this! Bathrooms were s&s and no crisis cleaning required! I could do my cooking as planned, and I managed the dirty dishes ... because the dishwasher was emptied during my MR! What I do consider now, is looking out for a dishpan for under the sink ... I decluttered quite a bit in the kitchen lately ... and with a little planning I think I can find a new home for the cleaners that are residing there now ... I don't think that the rest of the family will put there dirty dishes in there, but it will help me on those days that I cook a lot and the dishwasher is already running, to put the rest of the dishes somewhere out of sight, so that I can enjoy my shiny sink again! I just hate washing them by hand ... I only do those things that are not suitable for the machine ... and it's a terrible object of procrastination ... so ikea, you can expect me one of these days ... and i will nicely plan my list of all the wonderful things I need to buy!

I must admit that I've been slacking a bit on the evening routines. I'm really working on the "getting to bed early" part, but since that is reaaaaally early, I don't have much time (do you hear the horns lol) after dinner, and putting kids to bed ... I do shine my sink, tidy up and chose my clothes for the next day, but the two minute hotspot ... well, I don't do them in the evening with a timer ... but I think they do are under control when I go to bed ... but two minutes ain't hard work ... I'll try to get my act together again lol.

For day 13 I had to work on Kelly's missions. Again a new challenge for me! I must admit that up till now I only did them occasionally, not to say rarely. Every week I would be very eager to read them in the "sneak peek of the week" ... but once dancing through my week ... I would let princessy convince me that I wasn't up for them, I reaaaaaally didn't have the time (horns again)or just plain wouldn't do them ... because I don't wanted to. And did I now? I did! OK princessy was giving me a hard time while I was detail dusting my rare nick nacks in the living room ... "Didn't you do this already during whb?" - "No, princessy that wasn't detailed dusting" ... sigh ;)

Anyway, day 14 I will be reading an essay of Kelly about using calendars. Well my fly calendar is hanging in the kitchen ... more on that tomorrow!

Day 12

Tuesday fun day! But I wasn't in a funny mood to start. Did go to bed early, but slept poorly. Muscles and joints were aching due to physical therapy ... but sleepy or not I got up on time & danced through my morning routine.
I already knew that routines were the key to getting things done, but I never realised or could dream that "flying" could also give me the power to let go! I learned (I think so lol) that being nice to myself really is the only way to do it. No, I don't have to do the weekly cleaning NOW if that means not getting my rest. No, I don't have to make those muffins NOW, just because I planned it. No, I can leave the laundry putting away if that means that I actually can have some me-time ...
It helps to that DH is helping out a lot, although he would prefer dropping the routines and dive in the "real mess and the real jobs" that need are attention ... BUT I've been doing my daily 15 minutes decluttering for days now, and he said "ooow ... you are getting a move on in the office, I'll have to get started on my side to catch up"!!! And I know he loves getting up to a "shiny sink" too ... He just doesn't know yet :)
Anyway the extra babystep of day 11 was putting an inspirational page in my control journal and I did! My phrases?

First got-to-do's, then want-to-do's!

Be nice to yourself!

If mommy ain't happy, nobody ain't happy!

Your body needs its sleep!

Plan before play!

And day 12? Deleting my flymails. Ouch that hurt ... I always keep some "I will read them later" ones.

And tomorrow... uh today? Taking on the "Kelly challenge" ... wow lets sneak peek lol ... ok detailed dusting in the living room! Thank God I don't have lots of nick nacks ... and even yet I feel a tantrum coming up from princessy ...

Day 11 take 2

Mighty monday! Nice start of the week, kids off 2 school without to much trouble.

MR: done (euh no! I did the decluttering during before bed routine!)
WHB: done! With special thanks to twitterladies :)
Evening routine done! (With a little help of dh, taking care of dinner clean up and , yes ánd shiny sink, who would have known lol.

And then ... downer ... no shiny star on my calender :( ... Was 15m late for bed ... boohoo ... I'm so strict! But I have to insist on the sleep! I really need it (major teary yawn proving me right as I type lol).

And today? Well, I will declutter my flymails ... !

I'm just babystepping and I 'm not obsessing .... I'm flying :) teriteritititi titeritititi .... flying :))

Day 11

Sunday! Oh, I love my sundays :) Usually dh takes charge of bf and bakes us some croissants, spoils us with some freshly squeezed orangejuice and we all get our eggy!

Ok, dh didn't perform yesterday ... I actually let him sleep in. Kids woke up early, but since I was flying through my MR ... we were all dressed and fed, laundry going ... before ten. Wow that was something new on a sunday ... where bf mostly lasts till noon! And ok, my princessy really enjoys her sunday bfs ... and although I felt a bit harsh on taking it all away ... we got a reward. I woke DH up and got everyone excited for a trip to the parc. By 10.30 ... we were in the car ... RAIN! OMG :s ... But we found this indoor play-garden ... Kids loved it and if the kids are happy ... mommy is too! :)

Flying does frees up time for play ... and that makes it all worth while ... because I must admit ... It ain't easy keeping both princessy and me happy ...

And the rest of the day? Well, Dh made up for the "lost"bf" and helped me make lunch ... mmm he made spinach .... but with soysauce and lots of garlic ... de-li-cious .... we made him make seconds lol ... Then we all went for a nap ... which was great for everyone's mood! I didn't really sleep ... I needed my "sunday renewing my spirit moment" by listening to second part of princess conference.

But then things took a wrong turn ... the perfectionist in me ... hushing her up ain't quite as easy as the princessy ... made me complete my mt washmore sunday routine, although I knew I wasn't babystepping anymore ... but anyway .... I did end the day in beauty! I earned my first star! I went to bed on time! And it felt great .... downside? I was so excited to earn my star ... I forgot choosing my clothes oh oh ... but I had to redo day 11 anyway ... I didn't put the inspirational page in yet ...

So tomorrow ... day 11 ... take 2!

Day 10

Ok, I think it was great idea to write my reflections on my babysteps on the following day ... only problem ... it's not only my household that needs focus ... my brain could do with a little dusting too ... I'm really thinking hard now to recollect what happened yesterday.

Well ... aha I can look at my tweets! lol ... OK I did great yesterday! Took a lot on though ... Got up nice and early, way before kids ... so enjoying bf alone AFTER being dressed (mascara on!),, unloading and hanging laundry, emptying most of dishwasher! I made my bed. Got kids ready. Made bread and muffins.

By noon I felt sooo great about all the things I had done ... incredible ...! I went out to visit a friend all excited and cheerful thanks to the new sense of control!
But I'm a bit cross though ... I came home rather late only to find that DH hadn't put the kids to bed yet ... by the time they finally snuggled in .... I was exhausted ... but I still wanted to clean up ... and I really wanted to do my 15m trash hunt .... and having all that done by late in the evening ... I also really wanted something fun .... the show on the inner princess! I went to bed way too late ... I did however switch off the computer, when Flylady's words about our inner child suffering from the sleep deprivation-abuse-thingy started sinking in. This is really tough.

Day 10

Ok ... In my attempt on working on my nightly-owl-syndrome ... I will from now on update my blog during daytime ... I hope it will help! I really want my stars!

So how did day ten go?Did this flybaby crash today ... is she mending those fragile wings ... I'll tell you tomorrow ;)

Day 9

Proudly presenting: a fluttering baby! The only flaw in my day: evenings ... getting to bed at a decent hour ... that really is hard ... but highly needed. I really have to get a reward system in place ... mmm ... maybe a colour typing by MissusSmartyPants ... a star for every night that I snuggled under the sheets on time .... but how many stars must I earn??? I'll look into that tomorrow!



But for today ... I did my first 5minute room rescue since a very long time ... I'm really motivated again to do it every day ... no excuses anymore! And which room did I attack? The desk! THE dumping ground for stashes and dashes of all kinds ... paper clutter from the whole family ... dust to bless the whole world ... and hopefully no biological war components :s But anyway ... I started! And 5 minutes fly by ... I can do that everyday! Why did I ever think I couldn't? It's such a CAN DO! OK, no miracle results ... no flashing before and after views ... but I don't even care ... I'm still loving the process! Peace is mine!



Day 10 I will be searching for trash for 15minutes, putting it in the bin and taking 15minutes of me-time with my favorite magazine.... ooh I will!

Day 8

What a wonderful day :) ... sunny and bright both inside and out! Of course I got up nice and early ... even time for coffee and breakfast before the family was up ... and being dressed for success of course ... I enjoyed that so much! This gives me an extra motivation to keep working on this. Was also early enough to wake aunty up, so that she could use bathroom,swished and swiped, goes without saying ;), before kids could trash it again lol!

The cleaning lady came over today. (Due to illness and operations I have not been able to take on the whole household on me ... and because I have a high risk of arm swellings I will have to be very careful with straining my arms for the rest of my life) Together we had our version of weekly home blessing. She vacuums, and mops the whole house, cleans out the bathtub and shower, does the shoes ... and most of the time we have time to spare to tackle some "zone" detailed cleaning. And believe me or not with those two LO ... the house really is happy with this second blessing!

Then of to revalidation cardio-training ... what a boost ... what exhaustion lol. But then there was a nap, OK not a real one ... kids were using me for climbing-hills game :s ... in the sunny garden! Which gave me back the much needed energy for dinner (I could have eaten the kids ... I adore them when they love what I make them something healthy AND they eat it, all of it without whining, I really could eat them lol ... ok I was hungry from cardio lol ... I sticked to the menu and just cuddled and kissed them to excess lol) and my before bed routine ... neatly copied on a new page in my control journal .... I did fine today ... For a moment I had the urge to put in an extra load of laundry in the washer ... just to get mt washmore smaller right NOW ... but NO I can take babysteps ... a new load would probably mean: or me being cranky and tired waiting for machine to end to hang up laundry ... or the beeper buzzing till morning ... no no no none of that ... programmed a load that will beep me up tomorrow morning ... one babystep at a time ... I can put in an extra load over the weekend! I can wait! OK almost ready for bed ... 15 minutes playtime and then last bit of before bed routine: choosing the clothes!



Tomorrow comes the real work: decluttering! A 5m room rescue. Ouch ... that will be hard. Wish me luck with the princess!

Not ready for day 8 :s

Ok, feeling very tired, very overwhealmed and a little sick of eating too much chocolate. I have a guest staying over tonight ... so not up to the challenge of day 8. Ok I just could say that I did it couse I already have my control journal ... but that wouldn't feel right. I really want to focus on the process. I will be taking my time for it tomorrow.

But, was dressed at a decent hour, euh sink was shining up to lunch ... and is now waiting to be shined again when I unload dishwasher (again) and can put dirty dishes from dinner there ... Ok so I need another go at my hotspots for two minutes and chose clothes for tomorrow! I can mannage that in between guestmania :)

Day 7

These posts are getting shorter every day. And so is my energy level when I'm writing them... but I don't consider this as negative ... more like a transformation for my body and mind ... I accept that it is energy consuming ... I also know that the consequences of my illness can't magically disappear ... I'll have to take things as they come. And if that means less time in the evening for writing, reading, television, friends (ouch) ... well then I'll have to accept it and build my life around what I do can.

DH is frustrated though. Funny, first I am because I want more change than he is willing to work for ... and now that I am accepting slow progress ... he is getting nervous about it. But we will work it out some how.

So how was day 7? Great! Got everything done ... still have to go and chose my clothes, but that won't be a problem. I didn't overdo myself and still got around to tidy up bedroom, and start the seasonal clothing switches. And for fun? I wrote a post for my dutch blogsite and went out shopping!

Day 8, I will be looking for a three ring binder with some paper in it. Well I already have a CJ ... I will use that one ... but start over with the routine assignments etcetera ... another babystep ready to be taken!

Day 6

Great day! Up at a decent hour, showered and dressed to shoes! Kept sink shining. Sent negative thoughts hiking. Did two minutes hotspots. I even got around doing my whb and am very pleased with the results.

And now I'm so ready to turn in early lol ... I think I will love this tomorrow morning even more than I do now!

So Flylady what's up with day 7? "Pick out your clothes" I can do that!

Purple dreams!