FlyLady - Pagan Style; Hot Spots

For those of you who don't know what FlyLady is, it's an inspirational website designed to help you clean and de-clutter your home and your life. It helps you create routines that work for you, your lifestyle & your family to help housekeeping become stress-free and something you just do naturally and daily rather than something you put off until the last minute and then stress about when you have company coming over.

I have felt for awhile now that many aspects of the FlyLady program can be applied in spiritual ways to those who consider themselves, Neo-Pagans, Kitchen Witches, Hearth Witches, Green Witches, etc. I will be going over some FlyLady basics here in my blog and writing about how they can be seen as a spiritual thing; not just a house-cleaning and organizing thing! If you missed it, check out my post called "FlyLady - Pagan Style; Welcome Letter"

When you start with FlyLady, there are 31 days of "Baby Steps" to help you slowly start to integrate small changes into your daily routines. It's about developing habits and changing your mind-set to a positive one!

BabySteps Day 6
Keep Doing what you have been doing!
Look at the written reminders you have made for yourself!
Get Dressed To Shoes When you Get up!
Keep Your Sink Shining!
Learn about Hot Spots and spend 2 minutes "putting out" one major Hot Spot in your home!
(read FlyLady's Day 6 message here )

 

 

 

FlyLady describes a "Hot Spot" as a place that attracts clutter.  We all have places in our home... usually some kind of flat surface like a table top, countertop, or a chair, where you put things instead of putting them away.  Then more things get put there, and more things, and more things.... and like a wildfire it is soon raging out of control... a big clutter spot that has taken over the whole surface!

 

Energetically, these Hot Spots can be dangerous!  In Feng-Shui we learn that clutter disrupts energy flow in our home and our lives, and this effects our stress levels, our health, our financial abundance, wealth, and family happiness.  How many times have you forgotten or missed a bill payment because you misplaced a bill in one of these "Hot Spots"?  Or had an argument with a family member because someone has "lost" or misplaced something, and eventually you find it buried at the bottom of one of these clutter piles.  All this could have been avoided if we had just put things away in the first place!  We tell this to our children all the time, and yet we still have these areas in our home that attract and collect clutter!  When I go around my house on a "Hot Spot Firedrill", I imagine that I am putting out little fires... it's almost like putting out random candles so they don't cause a house fire.  I find all sorts of things on random surfaces and I say "Hey!  You don't live there!  Where do you live?"  And I pick up the papers, mail, toy, hat, coat, random candy wrapper, etc.... and go find it's "Home".  It may sound silly, but I feel like a house fairy flying around and finding any unruly children and taking them back to their rooms!!

 

Today your goal is to identify your "Hot Spots".  You don't have to clean them all up today, just identify where they are throughout your home!  Spend at least 2 minutes cleaning one of these Hot Spots.  You are going to add this to your Daily Routines, to spend just 2 minutes every day clearing Hot Spots.  Once you get the main ones cleaned up, if you spend just two minutes every day going around your home and clearing those Hot Spots, they never build up and out of control again!  Just two minutes a day to put things away!  Eventually it becomes habit to keep these spaces cleared and put things away right away, and this will make a huge difference in how you take care of your home and family!

 

I have a hutch right next to our front door... a cabinet with doors on it.  When we get bills in the mail, I put them in here.  I throw away the junk mail, and take cards or letters to my desk.  When I need to find the bills, I know exactly where they are, and they are not cluttering up a spot on the kitchen table.  You can use a basket or a bin to hold your bills and important incoming mail... create a "home" for the things that need to be put away, filed, etc... this way you have a place to put things instead of just throwing them in a "Hot Spot".

 

Keep up the positive thinking!  Write a reminder to yourself to check your Hot Spots every day!  So far with the Baby Steps you are getting fully dressed when you get up in the morning, checking your written reminders to yourself, spending 2 minutes clearing your Hot Spots, and keeping your Sink Shining!  You are speaking to yourself with a more loving, positive voice and noticing how even these few little things you do... if you do them every day, they make a big difference!  Keep up the great work!

 



FlyLady - Pagan Style; Welcome Letter

For those of you who don't know what FlyLady is, it's an inspirational website designed to help you clean and de-clutter your home and your life.  It helps you create routines that work for you, your lifestyle & your family to help housekeeping become stress-free and something you just do naturally and daily rather than something you put off until the last minute and then stress about when you have company coming over.

I have found the FlyLady system to be a wonderful and positive way to get my life in order, although admittedly, I haven't followed it as closely as I could have!  I have "fallen off the bandwagon" more than a few times!  Yet one of the great things about FlyLady is that you can jump back in at any time!  With FlyLady, I always know exactly where to start!!

Over the years, I have found ways to integrate my spirituality into my household cleaning.  Wait, did I just say that House Cleaning is Spiritual?? Yes, it can be!  I am a Pagan, more specifically an eclectic Neo-Pagan, meaning that I draw from MANY spiritual paths which focus on Nature and the natural cycles of the world we live in.  For many Pagans and Witches, our homes are the central place of our worship, our spiritual learning, our meditation, etc.  Since we don't have Churches to go to, and we don't limit ourselves to only experiencing nature when we are outdoors, it makes sense to think of our homes as our "Temple", or our Sacred Place.  Many Pagans and witches also believe that their spiritual path is a Lifestyle, not just something they do once a week or on the Blessed Sabbats or the Full Moon.  I have found through FlyLady and my own spiritual path, that even the mundane, daily tasks that come with being a wife, a mother, and a housekeeper, can be beautiful parts of my daily Spiritual Life, and I wanted to share with you some ways that I have done this.

I will be going through the different aspects of FlyLady, and talking about how I apply them to my own life as a Pagan.  Today we begin with The Welcome Letter!

When you first join FlyLady you get a Welcome Letter. (and by the way, if you follow my blog, please join FlyLady or at least bookmark the FlyLady website for reference!)  This letter explains the basic idea behind the FlyLady program and how it works.  Please click the Link and read the welcome letter for yourself!!

The first thing you read is what FLY means.  It means Finally Loving Yourself!  All the great spiritual teachers of our time and times long past have taught us that without first Loving Ourselves, we cannot truly love others.  Buddha, Paramasana Yogananda, The Dalai Lama, Ghandi, Jesus, Doreen Virtue, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Sonia Choquette, Louise Hay, Starhawk... to name a few; all teach us that when we truly see ourselves as Divine Children of God/Goddess/The Universe, we begin to truly love ourselves and then the flow of love to others and from others comes more naturally!  With the basic Law of Attraction, if we Love Our self, we invite Love into our lives.  This isn't meaning a type of love that involves vanity or a feeling of self-importance in that we are better than anyone else.  We are all children of the Divine!  But if you don't love yourself the way you love your own children; unconditionally - then you block the flow of true Divine Love from flowing to you and through you!  Without loving yourself, you are constantly criticising yourself, seeing the negative instead of the positive.

When you FLY, you embrace the positive and develop a desire to bring more positive into your life.  When you FLY, you want to eliminate the negatives to make room for the positives.  Maybe you have too much clutter.  Maybe you keep a clean home, but neglect taking care of yourself.  Perhaps you are really good at keeping parts of your home clean and orderly, but there are certain areas that build up and become a source of stress for you.  Maybe you procrastinate and let things build up to the point where it creates stress and a burden upon yourself and your family.  When you FLY, you look around your home and you think, why I am I letting myself - a beautiful Child of The Divine - live in chaos?

FlyLady's Welcome Letter explains that by taking one step at a time, the program will help you build daily routines and weekly plans that will help you run your household more efficiently, thus relieving yourself of stress.  If you embrace the ideal of FLYing (Finally Loving Yourself), then the desire to do this grows stronger.  Building routines takes time, and patience with yourself.  You have to work on developing new habits, slowly, piece by piece; trusting that eventually you will overcome whatever difficulties you may face.  The FlyLady program will help you develop these new habits and new routines, or build on the routines you already have in place.  It starts with the BabySteps, and onward to Daily Flightplans and weekly "Zone Missions", all of which are described in detail on the FlyLady website but I will (hopefully) also cover here - with a Pagan Twist!

Whether you are new to FlyLady, or have been doing it for awhile, take some time today to think about how you Love Yourself.  Are you really acting in ways that show self-love?  Are you being really hard on yourself, criticizing your failures and shortcomings?  Think about your inner voice - is it Loving towards you, or mean?  Would you talk to your child the way you talk to yourself?  How is your self-love reflected in your Daily Life at home?  Are you avoiding things that stress you out?  Is this avoidance just creating more stress and more critical self-talk?  The first step to changing negative self-talk to positive self talk is to be AWARE of your self talk.  Listen to your inner voice, and when you find it being un-loving to yourself, stop and think something positive instead.  Changing your self-talk is something that will take time, and take practice, starting with Awareness and Intention!

Here is a wonderful video of affirmations that will help you increase your self-love, by Doreen Virtue. 

 

Blessed Be!

Weekly Housewives Report 4/18 - 4/22

Weekly Houswives' Report 4/18/2011 - 4/22/2011

The week began and I drew this card for myself from The Housewives Tarot - The Fool.  I could certainly relate to this harried housewife, running around in somewhat of a frenzy, excited about the prospects of her week but just not quite in control.  Like the housewife on this card, the multitude of tasks and responsibilities of the week were just an unorganized mess of plans and emotions.  Once I saw this card I knew I needed to just slow down, simplify, and FOCUS.  Not always an easy thing for me to do!

With the FlyLady.net program this week we were focusing on the Master Bedroom.  I figured that focusing some of my energy on renewing my personal space would be a perfect way for me to slow down, simplify, and prioritize.  When my Bedroom is clean and inviting I tend to spend more time taking care of myself.  I sleep better, I meditate more, and I just feel better!

 So... this area needed some work.  This was my bookshelf next to the bed.  Most of my books were either in the closet or in the computer room because there just wasn't enough room for them here.  I had gotten a new book shelf a couple weeks ago, but hadn't brought it in here yet.  I hadn't really decided if it was going to go in my Master Bedroom or in another room.  But I decided my books and tarot cards needed a better home than their present location, sooo....

 Ta-Da!  Transformation!  ALL my "woo~woo" books in one place!  Now I actually WANT to stay in my room... I mean with all my books straightened and easy to find, I've got my own personal witchy library here and I love it!

 My Tarot and Oracle Card collection... now in it's worthy home that deserves some showing off!

And my Tarot Library!   Still growing... but it just makes me so happy to see all my tarot books in one place, happily on a shelf together with my tarot journals!

The lower shelves contain my spiritual books with topics ranging from Astrology, Meditation, Yoga, Wicca, Witchcraft, and other Pagan Paths.

Tuesday night I had my Yoga Class and our meditation on Awakening your Inner Child.  I was inspired to write a couple blogs about that experience...
Awakening Your Inner Child
Peace of Mind
Thirteen Ways to Awaken Your Inner Child
I was also reminded that as a child, our personal space in the world is our bedroom, it is our sanctuary, our kingdom where our imagination can roam and our play and fantasies really come to life.  This inspired me to keep working on my bedroom, even when it began to look like this.... 

But 30 minutes or so took care of THAT problem....

Ahhh!  Feels so much better now, doesn't it?!?!

I ended the week by getting rid of some clothes from the closets and dressers and immediately taking those clothes to my local Goodwill thrift store.  I got myself 1 new pair of jeans for work, and found a new lampshade to go with the lamp I got at a yardsale... so now my Master Bedroom is not only clean and organized, but well- lit also!  The sheets and comforter have been washed today also, so I'm about to crawl into bed and enjoy the scent of lavender on my sheets as I drift of to sleep in my energetically cleansed sanctuary!

All in all, I think this Fool managed to pull herself together and accomplish exactly what needed to be done!  Now I'm ready for the next stage of my journey, whatever that may be!

Weekly Housewives' Report 1-23 to 1-29

My week in review!
I feel pretty good about last week's accomplishments so I just thought I'd share them with you, and perhaps pass on some motivation too!
Last week's Housewives Tarot card was the 2 of Pentacles. You can read that post HERE. I really was feeling like the housewife in this picture. With all the duties of mom, wife, work, etc... How was I to balance it all? Just doing the basics seemed like too much to handle. But this card reminded me that I DO have the power and the grace to handle it all. I just needed to balance my time right!
Last week's Oracle Card was "Call On Your Runners". You can read that post HERE.
Flylady's Zone of the week was The Master Bedroom. My bedroom was in serious need of some TLC. I'm a bit ashamed to show you these, but I think many of you can probably relate!

Uhm... yeah, that's my Master Bedroom. This room can quickly become a disaster in my life. It's not a place that needs to be "company ready", because Company, if any is had, would have no need to go in there. It becomes the "Stash and Dash" area. To busy to put laundry away? Stash it in the bedroom. Not sure where to put something, or too lazy to put it away? Stash it in the bedroom. As you can see, this hasn't really worked out.

Another view. As you can see, I couldn't even GET to my closet!

And yeah... this is my Altar area. *Hangs Head In Shame* What a Bad Witch I had become! I have limited space and a need to have my altar kept in the private area of my home, so it doubles as my bedside table. But I shouldn't have let it become so unkempt!

So anyways, I set to work on my bedroom. I took on a "no pressure" type attitude, letting go of perfectionism and just accepting that ANYTHING would be an improvement on what it was. And guess what? It only took about 2 hours to get the majority of that mess cleaned up! Afterwards, I wondered why I had put it off for so long!

Look! I can see the floor!! AND I can get to my closet! The clothes are all hung up and/or folded and put away. The boxes are back where they belong! The top of my dresser is now a perfect place to do my daily devotions or meditations.

I put my journal, a candle, and my fairy clock here, and got rid of all that clutter. The basket on top of my jewlery box is full of my crystals and gemstones, which helps promote harmony and positive energy in the room, and I can even choose a crystal of the day if I want/need one. I aslo ended up putting my God Box here. It wasn't here yet when I took the picture, but I think this is the perfect place for it!

Oh, and my Altar area is back in order. All is as it should be! I've been sleeping better, waking up in a better mood, and all in all I've been more motivated this week. Can't say that this project didn't help!

FlyLady helped too! With her zone projects and "Fly Missions", I was able to get more done than just cleaning up the mess. She had some great suggestions that only took 15 minutes (or less) a day and really helped me Bless my Bedroom!
On Monday I cleaned out under the bed and vaccuumed the whole room.
On Tuesday I cleaned out my sock drawer, threw away old socks and organized it. I even bought myself new socks and did the same with hubby's sock drawer!
On Wednesday I spent more time clearing away clutter on the night stands and tops of dressers.
On Thursday I dusted the room, even wiped down the tops of the door jambs, wiped the doorknobs, windowsills, etc.
On Friday I pretty much had my bedroom nice and clean, so I focused on the small bathroom that is adjacent to the bedroom. I gave that room a good scrubbing and put stuff away that needed to be put away. Now when I go in my bedroom I really feel like it is a relaxing area, both for begnning and ending my day!

It's funny the things we take for granted, and the way that we minimize the importance of having a clean, sacred space to rest. This week, the work I did here in my bedroom was not just a cleansing of the room where I sleep, but it was a major blessing for myself! Giving myself a peaceful environment to sleep, read, rest, get dressed, etc, was a HUGE affirmation of self-love. It gave me a major boost that I really needed!

Clear Your Space

Today I was reminded of the importance of having a Sacred Space. I have my altar, tucked into a nice little corner in my bedroom; but it isn't always a place that I can go to unwind. Sometimes the kids are running amok and I can't just leave them unnatended. Sometimes my husband is sleeping or reading in that room, etc. I was sitting at my computer this morning, wanting to do a reading for a client and do my daily facebook postings of a positive nature... and I thought... what am I doing? I just wasn't feeling it. I was feeling this overwhelming anxiety. I've been feeling it for a while now. I could feel the depression there; lurking in the background... waiting to get in. Latley it gets in every day... I start off positive and then end up feeling bogged down, overwhelmed, lost. And I haven't been getting much of anything done. I would retreat to my haven; the computer desk and facebook... but end up feeling worse. This morning as I sat here and looked around, it hit me... THIS needs to be a sacred space. This area needs to be peaceful and serene. I mean, how can I sit here and offer advice to others and try to feed this positive light through the wires of the internet when I am surrounded by this;Clutter and mess and not even a clear space to set down my coffee mug? Why is it that even though I know the importance of keeping these flat surfaces and "hot spots" clear of clutter, I tend to neglect the one area where I spend the most of my time? No wonder I've been procrastinating on giving readings.... I don't even have enough room here to lay out my cards. No wonder I have a sense of anxiety and depression... when I come here to "take a break" and escape from stress, I'm surrounded by clutter. This picture doesn't show it all... but there is even clutter on the floor all around this area. Well... there WAS. But then I got up and cleaned it. In a matter of 30 minutes I cleared away the clutter, threw out the trash, and added some items to help this area become a peaceful, sacred place to rest, do readings, meditate, listen to music, etc.I began to feel better almost immediatley. Like.....LOTS better. I could kick myself for not doing this sooner.... for letting it get to this point to begin with. I get so occupied with trying to keep the kitchen, livingroom, bathroom, etc. clean that I tend to put off cleaning my personal areas. (Speaking of which... my bedroom and altar area are a mess right now! But that will be for another day) I tend to put off those personal areas, sacrificing the cleanliness of my personal spaces because I "don't have time", or the other areas seem more important. But you know what? I spent 30 minutes clearing this space... felt immensley better... and my energy started flowing again. I cleaned more of the spaces in this room. Then I cleaned the kitchen.... really good. I mean, my kitchen is SPARKLING like a Cullen Vamp. AND I still had time to give the kid a bath, have a phone conference with my daughter's teacher, and cook dinner. I'm sitting here right now, not worrying about what I didn't get done today... but relaxing with my candle lit, a cup of hot tea, and getting ready to catch up on my favorite TV series Fringe by watching the episode I missed last week. Life is good, and yes, it CAN be as simple as clearing a sacred space for yourself.

I was reminded of this card from the Archangel Oracle deck by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D. -

"Archangel Jophiel - Clear Your Space" (Card posted at the top of this blog post)
This is one of the first cards I drew for myself when I got this deck two years ago, and it is part of the inspiration that got me started on www.FlyLady.net . I'm a devoted FlyBaby, but even I need a reminder now and then to do something a little extra, and how important it can be to have a Sacred Space. The message along with this card from Archangel Jophiel says;
"Your home and work environments affect you on many levels. Clutter can erode your energy, creativity, and prosperity. I'll help you find the time and motivation to clear interferences from your physical environment. Together, we'll release anything thats not serving you. We'll donate, recycle, or discard unused items. We'll open the windows to circulate fresh air in the rooms. And I'll escort lower energies away. You'll notice huge improvements in all areas of your life as a result of this endeavor."

Perhaps it was Jophiel who came and tapped me on the shoulder this morning and reminded me to do this. Perhaps I was reminded of this card because it's message is exactly what I needed right now... even though I didn't physically or randomly draw this card for myself today... I still feel like this was my Oracle card of the day. And I'm sooo glad I have this peaceful space in which to tell you about it!

Weekly Housewife's Report 9/5/09

I feel like I got a lot accomplished this week and am finally getting used to the new routines with the girls in school and stuff.

I think that although it's really hot, the exercise from walking the girls to and from school each day has helped improve my mood a bit. I have always heard that exercise can help with depression and lift your mood, but I never really thought about it much before. Some days I am tempted to have a neighbor or friend pick them up or take them to school, and in some ways I think they are old enough to walk home by themselves. They are 10 and 6, they know the way very well, it is only about 3 blocks, and there is a large group of other kids they could walk with. But, thinking of it in terms of exercise for me and Mr. X, and a way to both help improve my mood and run off some of his boundless energy, I think I'll keep walking with them.

As far as my housework this week, I feel like I have been doing great!! With my blog earlier in the week I talked about some of my goals for this week and did a reading for myself with my Housewives Tarot deck about where I would draw my energy/inspiration from this week. Looking back, it seems those cards were very fitting, I certainly was motivated and energetic, I did have the right state of mind to stick to my goals, and I feel I was able to blend in just enough spirituality into the daily grind to make my days feel less like a "daily grind" and more like blessings!
Remember my goals for the week?

• To Spend 30 minutes a day doing Pre-School stuff with Mr. X - DONE!! I did it! I managed to work preschooling time into my daily routine, and I'm still finishing up the stuff I need to do. Mr. X is loving the one-on-one time with me and excited to be doing "homework" just like his big sisters do!


• To Work on Detail Cleaning Zone 1 - yep yep! It's amazing to find myself at this stage of the FlyLady program. I mean, I scrubbed walls and baseboards!! I was no longer worried about decluttering my front entrance or Dining Room - everything that is in those areas belongs there!! So I didn't have to worry about that and now those areas look and feel really nice - the walls are white again!! LOL!! PLUS - (this is a HUGE bonus) the KIDS must have gotten a touch of the Decluttering/Detailing Bug, because they surprised me by "Organizing" all the magnets on the fridge in the dining room!! PICTURE BELOW!!


• To do my daily routines & daily cleaning - YES, I have applied all my willpower and kept up with the daily cleaning!! Plus on Friday I took on an extra project - not one that was directed by FlyLady, but one that I did of my own accord - I cleaned and decluttered in my Master Bedroom. One part of the bedroom had become a complete disaster... *discreetly points finger and Husband* Shhhhhh!! I took care of it. (more PICTURES BELOW)
  
• To do my Bedtime Routine every night - YES!! (except for last night, ssshhhh!) And I am LOVING how I can get up in the morning, find my clothes already laid out for me, find my sink shining and all my dishes washed, and not have to play "Catch Up" for the first part of my morning!! A couple more weeks of doing this every night, and it will truly be a Habit, just like my morning routine is!

... The kids did this as a "suprise" for me!!

BEFORE & AFTER ... look, there IS a floor/space to walk between the bed and the wall!

Ok! I'm off to do my evening routine, and then go to bed! Tomorrow I will try out my new "Weekend Flightplan" and see how it goes!

Weekend Control Journal

So, I have been meaning to add another page to my Control Journal for awhile now. The thing is I need a different daily plan for the weekends than I do during the rest of the week. I need something simple, short, sweet, and to the point. Too often I come home from work and just end up procrastinating or not feeling like doing anything; and then by Monday my apartment is a wreck again. I end up making my Monday work twice as hard because I slacked off on the weekends. So, here is my plan;

Date;

Events / Plans;

Habit of the Month;

Morning Routine

Get Dressed To Shoes
Make Bed (Master Bedroom)
Feed The Cat
Take Vitamins / Drink Water
Brush Teeth and Hair
Check Calendar / Schedule / Control Journal
What's For Dinner? (plan ahead)

WORK 8 am - 3 pm

AFTER WORK ROUTINE
Hot Spot Firedrill
5 Minute Room Rescue Livingroom
Unload Dishwasher
Wash Dishes / Load Dishwasher
Wipe Table & Countertops
Take out Trash
Swish & Swipe Bathroom

SATURDAYS - Family Fun Day; Do something with the family/kids. (examples; Play outside, picnic, BBQ, Art Project, read books, take a drive, movie night, etc.)

SUNDAYS - Renew Your Spirit Day; take time with my religion. (exampes; Yoga, Meditation, Tarot or Oracle card reading, read a book, blog about my beliefs, spend time in nature, etc.)

Evening Routine
Wash Dishes / Run Dishwasher
Wipe Table & Countertops
Sweep Kitchen Floor
Shine The Sink
5 minute room rescue livingroom
Put Out Clothes for tomorrow
Check / Set Alarm Clock
Shower / Brush Teeth & Hair
Yoga / Meditation

Errand Day/ Office Day

Adding another page to my Online Control Journal!

Thursday is Errand Day - http://www.flylady.net/pages/df_Thursday.asp

Today (if possible) make a point to get out and run those errands! Sometimes I end up doing this stuff on Wednesday - which is Anti-Procrastination Day, but it's always good to have an extra day to get it all done!! Some of the things I might do are;

Grocery Shopping
Picking up last minute items at the store
Paying Bills
Going to the Bank / Cashing Paychecks
Checking the Mail / Sending out Mail

Sometimes am not able to get out of the House, and if I have to work in the Evening I don't have the time to go do these things. But I can still have Errand Day at home;
Call the bill collectors to make arrangements if necessary
Call to schedule Dr. Appointments
Call to schedule School Appointments

And, while I'm at it, I might as well do some "Office" type work
Organize the bills
Balance Checkbook / Look at Budget
Empty my e-mail Inbox
Listen to Voicemails / Delete old VoiceMail & texts
Check my alternate e-mail, empty inbox
Go thru, declutter kid's school papers
Declutter / Organize the Computer Desk

Anti-Procrastination Day

With the FlyLady cleaning & decluttering program, you have much more than just daily routines, you have daily and weekly themes as well!!


Wednesdays are "Anti-Procrastination Day", and whenever I finish the daily chores, it's time to pick a project or two that I have been putting off and get it done!! Whether it be a chore that I missed during the week, a trip to the store, phone calls or bill paying, or a decluttering or organizing project that always seems to get put off, today is the day I should try to get some of it done!


I LOVE how I feel when I get stuff done that I have been putting off! It makes me feel so.... LIBERATED!! It really takes a weight off my back, puts some skip in my step, and just makes me feel happy and proud! I can be a really bad procrastinator! (Enter my Personality Card; 0 The Fool) I often can get swept up in the moment, forget things, and then not get back to them later. Sometimes I get so exited about whatever adventure I'm currently on, that I neglect to take care of the details. Or I will feel like it's "too big a job", get overwhelmed and frustrated an not do it at all!!


So, I'm making a List (yes, I LOVE making lists, LOL!) of the possible projects I can undertake on Anti-Procrastination Day from now on, and hope that this blog will be here to remind me that getting this stuff done not only blesses my home & family, but gives me some inner peace!! As I get stuff done I'll even come back and edit this post to mark stuff off so I can see my progress!




ANTI-PROCRASTINATION DAY IDEAS

• Catch up on Zone Work; Decluttering, Missions, or Detailing for the week
• Do any chores I might have missed thru the week
• Work on my Control Journal
• Pay Bills / Banking
• work on my Budget
• Pick up necessities at the store
• Declutter Paper Work - Go thru the bag of papers & mail in the bedroom
• Declutter the File Cabinet
• Declutter / organize the "Junk Drawer" in my dresser
• Go thru my clothes in the Dresser, organize, fling, etc.
• Go thru my clothes in the Closet, organize, fling, etc.
• Declutter / Clean under the bed
• Declutter / Organize the Kid's Clothes (Dressers)
• Organize the stuff in the hide-away under my Altar
• Organize / declutter the small wire shelf in Bedroom
• Organize the Closet (my side)
• Organize the Closet (hubby's side)
• Clean & Declutter bedside table (hubby's side of bed)
• Paper Clutter & organizing the Computer Desk
• Decluttering / Organizing the Patio
• Wash Crayon off a wall (pick a wall - any wall!)
• Empty e-mail (delete old e-mails
• Empty Voice Mail (listen to & delete old e-mails
• Make important phone calls

P.S. - For today's Anti-Procrastination Day, I finished my Zone Work for the week (Front Entrance/Dining Room), AND I went thru the Girl's Sock & Underwear drawers, which had become a huge mess - this involved getting rid of 16 pairs of old underwear, 40 old socks, and separating the girl's socks & panties into their own separate dressers! Whew! I feel so accomplished!

Weekly Flightplan; 10 of Pentacles

My Goals for this week;

Continue with Quit Smoking plan & program.

Drink more water, Detox.

Get up by 7 am daily, bed by 10 pm nightly.

Keep following my control journal / daily routine.

Zone of the Week - Livingroom

Study / read with kids daily

Make routines or charts for the kids

Work more on my Control Journal

Take time daily to meditate & pray

Start planning Princess A's B-Day party

So, for the coming week I have a few immediate goals in mind. Obviously, first and foremost, I want to continue with Quitting smoking! So far I feel like I am doing really great, I am aware of my cravings but controlling them and teaching myself new things to do with my time. I would like to get the kids more settled into daily routines for morning and night so they will be prepared when school starts on Aug. 17th. So I want to work on charts or schedules for them, as well as working more on my physical control journal (it's a FlyLady thing, in case you're wondering)

I decided to draw a card for myself this week, and I got the 10 of Pentacles! I think it's a pretty positive card for this week, reminding me to stay positive, focus on what I have rather than what I want or lack, draw on the strength of my family, and remember my true values in life. The 10 of Pentacles relates to Tradition, Value, Affluence, Permanence, and Convention. As it might apply to my life right now it could represent feelings of security, being successful, having good fortune, creating a lasting foundation, thinking of the long-term outcome or goals, having order in family life, nailing down the plan or routine, continuing in known patterns, going by the rules, and following guidelines. (http://www.learntarot.com/p10.htm)I think that in order for me to find the success and fortune that I want, I should continue along the path I have already started; continue following my daily routines and using FlyLady as a "guide" for helping me get organized at home, continue with the suggested use of the nicotine gum to help me quit smoking, and keep in mind my long term goals while being grateful for the wonderful things I already have.

I CAN achieve my goals! I CAN quit smoking! I CAN continue to get more organized, and I CAN help my children establish routines and get organized as well!! Just look at this card from the Housewives' Tarot; what more do I really want than a home life that I can be proud of?? I am so close!! I may not have the big house, but my home life can be orderly, healthy, and rich with Tradition and Value!


THIS WEEK'S FLIGHTPLAN;
MONDAY - Weekly Home Blessing Day, Errand Day, Sour Cream Enchiladas
TUESDAY - Weekly Kitchen Blessing Day, Pampering Day, Breakfast for Dinner
WEDS. - Weekly Bathroom Blessing Day, Anti- Procrastination Day, Tacos
THURS. - Weekly Kid's Room Blessing Day,27 Thing Fling Day, Spaghetti
FRI. - Weekly Master Bedroom Blessing Day, Hot Spot Fire drill Day, Pizza

This week's Flightplan

Just planning ahead a bit to try and keep myself on task!

Of course, I'll be trying to stick to my daily routine, as outlined in my Control Journal.

Each week with FlyLady we have a different Zone to focus on decluttering or detailing. This week's Zone is the Master Bedroom, and my bedroom always needs help!

I think it's just that room where I throw everything and think I'll deal with it later. But it never gets dealt with. I should just re-name this room my Procrastination Room!!

In order to have time to do my daily routines and still have the time I want to focus on organizing this room, I have realized I need to tweak my schedule a little bit! Right now, with summer break and the girls out of school, mornings have been lazy. I've been staying up late, sleeping in, and not getting moving very well in the mornings! I'm lucky to be starting my Morning Routine by 9:30! School will be starting again in about a month, I need to change my habits NOW unless I want mornings to be stressful and chaotic!!

So here's my Flightplan for the week, including my new habit!


Go to bed at 10:00 pm - no excuses!! I do not allow my children to stay up all night, so why don't I take care of myself in the same way? (Actually, that's a lie... I've been letting Miss Zee stay up till 11:00 watching Nick At Nite or Disney Channel! This is gonna stop too... for her own good as well as mine!!)
This means starting my Evening Routine earlier, and restructuring my time before bed so that I still take care of the kids, the house, and myself all by 10:00. I am gonna have to practice some real self-discipline!!

Get up at 7:00 am - UHG! This is going to be so hard!! But I know I can do it!! Once again - Self-Discpline!! This means setting my alarm and actually getting UP!! Before 8:00!! Because once school starts again I will need this time to get the girls ready for school, and if I'm not in the habit before school starts; well it's last year's Morning Chaos all over again!!
This is going to mean really embracing my morning routine. Get Dressed To Shoes. Brush Teeth & Hair. Get Kids Dressed. Breakfast. Vitamins. Coffee. Water. Feed The cats. Check My Hot Spots. Make The Bed. Check the Calander / Control Journal. Plan for Dinner.
See, I didn't even have to look at my Control Journal, I know my Morning Routine by heart. But I just have to make myself DO it. ALL OF IT!! If I get up by 7 am, I can have my morning routine done by 8:30!! Which is the time I will be taking the girls to school once it starts again. And look, I'll already be ahead of myself by a whole hour!


7:00 - 8:30; Morning Routine / Kids & Self ready for Day!
8:30 - 11:00; Daily Cleaning. Doing the usual stuff on my list. Two and a half Hours should be plenty of time, if I stay focused and don't get distracted. 30 minutes at a time with short breaks in between.
11:00 - 12:00; Break for lunch, rest, etc.
12:00 - 1:15; Zone Work, Decluttering, Organizing. This leaves an hour for this stuff, 30 minutes at a time with a 15 minute break in the middle.
1:15 - 2:45; More cleaning IF I'm motivated and have more to do. Otherwise, this can be time for Blogging, FaceBook, games, reading, studying, Tarot, etc. Whatever I want.
Once school starts again, at 2:45 I will be going to pick up the girls from school. So I want to have all housework and stuff done BEFORE this time. Plus, in the fall, if all goes as planned, I will get my hours back at work, which means that I'll be working in the evenings again.
3:00 - 4:00; Homework and studying, Arts & Crafts with the kids. I've been awful about this. It's time to get the kids, and myself, back into the habit of studying, doing homework, reading, etc. Even if it just means coloring or painting.
5:00 - cook Dinner, eat dinner, family time. However long it takes.
7:30 - Evening Routine!! Kids Baths or Showers, Clean up from dinner, Shine the sink, rescue the livingroom, and start winding down for the day. Put the kids to bed, take a shower or bath, yoga, meditation, etc.
10:00 - BED!!


Link to this week's Zone Plan @ FlyLady; http://www.flylady.net/pages/FlightPlan.asp

Goals in the Master Bedroom;
Organize the bookshelf
Declutter the wire shelf by the door
Declutter top of bookshelf #2
Top of Dresser
Vaccuum, Dust

Monday; Weekly Home Blessing Hour / Livingroom Blessing / Monday's Oracle
Tuesday; Weekly Kitchen Blessing Day / Pampering Day / Tarot Tuesday
Wednesday; Weekly Bathroom Blessing Day / Anti-Procrastination Day / Wordless Wednesday
Thursday; Weekly Kid's Room Blessing Day / 27 Thing Fling Day / Thursday's 13
Friday; Weekly Master Bedroom Blessing Day / Hot Spot Day / Weekly Houswife's Report

MENU PLANNING
Monday - Sour Cream Enchiladas
Tuesday - Chicken, Veggies
Wednesday - Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon
Thursday - Chicken Veggie Stir Fry, Salad, Garlic Bread
Friday - Pizza Night
Saturday - Spaghetti, Salad
Sunday - Hubby's BBQ nite

Weekly Housewife's Report 7/17/09

My Weekly Housewife's Report for the week of July 12 - 18, 2009

At the beginning of the week I was off to a rough start. Sorry if this is TMI, but my monthly gift from Mother Nature does not make for a pleasant or happy Housewife. Monday and Tuesday I was pretty down in the dumps and feeling awful, and didn't really get any cleaning done. Remember my Tarot Reading for the week? The High Priestess and The Moon reminded me to look within, and take time to slow down. A little break was much needed. By Thursday I was ready to get back into my routines full swing.... and I really feel like I have once again learned the lesson of The Chariot this week....

This one is from "The Fey Tarot" by Mara Aghem. The Chariot is all about knowing where you want to go, embracing your inner power, accepting your mission. Once I gave myself some time off, I had to really DECIDE to get moving again. I was so tempted to just give up, but I knew that I wouldn't feel good about that choice. I had to really reach inside to find my inner Magician, recognize my true strengths, and just hop back up on the wagon and keep moving!!!

This week's Zone was the bathroom. Although I didn't get all the missions for the week done, I did some decluttering and cleaning and I am loving my bathroom again!! Check out these before & after pics of my decluttering;

This little drawer set really comes in handy in a small bathroom, but everything was just jumbled together!!
Oh, look! Now I know where things are because they are all separated into separate drawers!!

Under the sink was a bit jumbled too......

But now it's much more organized! I can find what I'm looking for without digging!!

Actually, organizing the bathroom seems like it was a perfect zone for me this week. I was learning a lesson about self-care, and now that my bathroom is a bit more organized and clean, I am much more motivated to spend some time in there for pampering! I was reminded that I do have the tools to take care of myself; vitamins and medicine, bubble bath, nail polish, facial cream, oh my - I'm sounding awfully girly!!

I was also reminded that sometimes the little things, like making my bed, feeding the cats, and wiping down the countertops can be much more than "Chores". This was something I hav known and practiced, but had temporarily lost sight of. I was reminded of this by Thorne's wonderful blog yesterday, check it out!

I think, most importantly, I learned that I can't be so hard on myself ALL the time. I am allowed to give myself a break, especially during a certain time of the month!! Actually I am thinking of making up a special daily routine just to use during this time each month - or for those days when I am sick or feeling worn down. And I will put a reminder about "The Chariot" on that page of my control journal, reminding me that it's okay to take time for myself to find my strength again, but once I find it I need to grab those reigns and get moving again - I just might suprise myself!!

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Join me in sharing something Positive every Friday with the "Only The Good Friday" meme!

Manic Monday, July 6 2009

This day is flying by, I have kept myself busy with my FlyLady routines (Control Journal) and working on my Monday Mission. Mondays are "Weekly Home Blessing" day with the FlyLady program, so I take out trash, dust and vaccuum, and just do things to bless me home all over! I can now happily say that my home has gone from Chaotic to Company-Ready in only a couple hours, and I am feeling just wonderful!! Check this out; I was keeping track of my 30 minute bursts of cleaning with some of my "Motivated Mommas" cleaning buddies on CafeMom;

10:30 - 11:00 -
gave Xander a Bath
Picked up Bathroom (clothes & trash)
Swish & Swipe
Took out bathroom trash
Took all trash out to dumpster

11:15 - 11:45 -
Alyssa took her bath
Made lunch for kids
Put away dishes from yesterday (unloaded dishwasher)
washed reamining dishes (from weekend & breakfast)
Wiped Countertop

12:00 - 12:30
Decluttering in Zone (kitchen counters)
Zone Mission - Wiped down all kitchen counters)
Hot Spots in Kitchen and Livingroom
Dusted in Livingroom
Sprinkled "Carpet Fresh" to get ready 2 vaccuum
Sprayed for bugs in kitchen & livingroom (gotta keep them at bay!)

12:35 - 1:05
Vaccuumed Livingroom
5 minute room rescue Master Bedroom
Master Bedroom Hot Spots
5 minute Room Rescue Kid's Bedroom
Unloaded Dishwasher again
reloaded dishwasher again (LOL)
Shined the sink!

1:10 - 1:40
Made a Menu Plan for the Week
Made a Grocery List
Wrote menu on white board in the kitchen

So that's it. About 3 hours of cleaning, with short breaks between each 30 minute mission, and my apartment is rescued and in much better repair than it was when I got up this morning!! Yay for me!! and a Big Thanks to my online cleaning buddies!!

okay, yes, I might be obsessing about cleaning again! But it feels right. There are worse things I could be obsessing about, right???

Here is my Menu Plan for the week. Honestly I used to hate making menu plans, but it saves me stress of worrying about what's for dinner each day, saves me money on my groceries, and helps me plan more balanced meals. I need to work on making Menu Planning a part of my Monday Routine and save myself a lot of stress!

Monday
Chicken Stir-Fry, Fruit Salad
Tuesday
Shepherd's Pie, Salad
Wednesday
Baked Chicken, Veggies, scalloped potatoes
Thursday
Brats or Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, veggies
Friday
Salisbury Steaks, mashed potatoes, veggies
Saturday
Hubby has this nite - BBQ!!
Sunday
Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread

The Fool

My Housewives' Daily Draw - The Fool

(The Housewives Tarot by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum)

This card shows our lovely young housewife running out of the house, all dressed up, but she is dropping (or flinging) things out of her pocketbook as she goes. A little less than organized, but she's got motivation and zest!
I totally feel like this is me lately, (in in fact, 0 The Fool is my personality card based on the numerology of my birthday... LOL!) I do have the motivation, and I do have the energy, but in the application of my goals I am falling apart at the seams. But I haven't lost hope, and this card is reminding me to just keep on going!! Even though I may not have the kinks worked out - I am on the right track! And maybe, just maybe, I don't need those things that are falling out of my purse. As I begin this new journey (of being organized) I will have to let go of that extra baggage and simplify my life!! And you know, they say "If at first you don't succeed, Try, Try again!" Well I have tried to get organized and find that domestic mommy/housewife within myself a few times, stumbled, and fallen down. And this time may be no different, but then again, this time may really be the time I find my niche!!

This card comes up often for me; and it's true, I'm often starting new projects or goals. Like this blog, once again something new that I'm running into, having no clue what I am doing. But it feels right, so off I go!! One of my challenges in life is "finishing things"; I'm great at planning and starting, but eventually I get bored and end up starting something else without finishing the first. ADHD? Laziness? Or simply the manifestation of this card, The Fool?

my FlyLady Control Journal - Daily

Okay, I'm a Capricorn, but no, I wasn't born organized. Actually I'm quite domestically disabled. So after years of living in C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) I am trying to pull myself together, get decluttered, and find a system that works for me. I found FlyLady.net a couple years ago, and I love it!! It's a motivational system where you build routines to keep up with the Daily Cleaning, and work on decluttering as you go. I also found a group on CafeMom - Fluttering Flybabies, which helps keep me motivated and stay on track with my routines; or get back on track when I fall off.
FlyLady suggests that you make a "Control Journal"; a book where you keep track of your routines, among other things, to keep you motivated. I've been working on re-vamping my routines and making my new Control Journal, and thought I'd share it with you. Also, if I have it online or on my computer, I can easily access it and see what I should be doing rather than chatting or blogging. So this is the first 3 pages of my Control Journal, the section which holds my daily routines. Some terms may be unknown to those who aren't familiar with FlyLady... such as "Hot Spots"... check out the website if you're curious! It may look like a lot, but if I keep moving and stick with it, I can have all this main stuff done and out of the way by lunch time, leaving the rest of my day for whatever I want. I have learned that it's when I don't do these things daily, the mess and clutter gets out of control, and unorganized Capricorn though I am, I simply don't like it when things are out of control!!

Date;
Events / Plans;
Room of the Day;
Zone of the Week;
Mission of the Day;
Habit of the Month;

Morning Routine
Get Dressed To Shoes
Make Bed (Master Bedroom)
Feed The Cat
Breakfast
Take Vitamins / Drink Water
Brush Teeth and Hair
Swish and Swipe Bathroom
Check Hot Spots
Check Calendar / Schedule / Control Journal
What's For Dinner? (plan ahead)

School Days - Getting the kids ready;
Make sure the kids are dressedto shoes
Help kids brush teeth and Hair
Check thier backpacks
out the door @ 8:30 am (Walking to school)

Daily Home Blessings
Clean up from Breakfast
Hot Spots - Livingroom & Kitchen
Hot Spots - Bathoom & Master Bedroom
Unload Dishwasher / Reload
Wipe Table & Countertops
Shine Kitchen Sink
5 minute Room Rescues (15 minutes total)
* Livingroom
* Master Bedroom
* Kid's Room
Sweep Kitchen Floor
Take Out Trash
Clean up from Lunch

Laundry - Try to do one load a day!
* Sort
* Wash / Dry
* Fold & Put away

Zone Cleaning
* Zone Mission of the Day
* 15 minutes Decluttering Zone

Daily Project / Theme
* Each Day of the week has a different Theme for cleaning, and each day I have a different room of the house that I give a little extra attention to cleaning * see comments below for Daily Themes*


Evening Routine
Wash Dishes / Run Dishwasher
Wipe Table & Countertops
Sweep Kitchen Floor
Shine The Sink
5 minute room rescue livingroom
Put Out Clothes for tomorrow
Check / Set Alarm Clock
Shower / Brush Teeth & Hair
Yoga / Meditation