I really want to do FlyLady.

[Abibigail]

I think it will really, really help me.



But I can't.



My sink is too far from shiny. :bag Getting it there is going to take so much doing, and then I'll have to cook again, and I'll probably have to cook while I'm still working towards shiny, and it'll just keep growing faster than I can get it worked out, like a monster who grows three new heads every time you cut one off.

:bag I could use a good kick in the pants, please. :bag

[monkeylicious]

do you have the book or are you just going by the website. i had tried the website once before and hated it - no way i could do that... but

i got the book for Christmas and it really pushes the idea of not worrying about anything more than shining your sink initially - even if you just take the dishes out and pile them on the counter... she talks about babysteps all the time. and really, makes it feel much more do-able. the website and emails were overwhelming for me. i just signed up for the emails again - and after less than a week will be changing that :shifty if you don't have the book please check your library or see if anyone here has a copy they no longer want/need :yes :hug

[Abibigail]

I just was looking at the website. I didn't know there was a book! LOL

And if all I need to do is get the stuff out of the sink, I can do that. I thought I had to wash everything! :doh Ok. I can do that.

[monkeylicious]

the book is called Sink Reflections So just empty your sink and clean it. This is how you should leave it every night.

[abh5e8]

you can do it mama :cheer :cheer

i kinda do flylady...but i am a very SLOW flybaby. the shiney sink is still sometimes a challange but it is my first goal every night. of course, for the shink to be shiney that means i need to do all the dishes and put them away :bag then its shiney and the kitchen is clean...so i feel like preping for breakfast (setting coffee maker, soaking oats, set out dishes, fill blender for smoothie).

just doing this 1 (albeit large) task helps my morning SO SO SO much. and that in turn helps my whole day...i dont' feel so behind. it actually trickles forward to that by dinner i am not so tired and i can actually start the process all over...

maybe someday i'll be ready for babystep #2...but for now, just this 1 thing is really helping me!! :heart

just give it a try...and see!

[tiffany]

I used FlyLady for a while and loved it!! :rockon

But the emails... :crazy I had to do away with that quickly. It was too tempting to sit and read all the testimonials and get inspired, but then have a million other inspiring stories to sift through and not get any of it actually done.

I started printing out the weekly zone lists and that worked really well, but I ended up drifting away from it all and desperately need to get back into it.

Maybe the book would help me...

[abh5e8]

I think it will really, really help me.

... and it'll just keep growing faster than I can get it worked out, like a monster who grows three new heads every time you cut one off.


good news...the shiney sink monster works the same way!!! i agree...start with just an empty sink..they scrub it a little and dry it so it shines. it is like a bright beacon of shineyness in my otherwise dirty kitchen...but somehow it gives me the little nudge to load the diswasher...then clear the table...then wash out the pans...they wipe the counters...then dry the pans and put them away...and then....poof...a clean kitchen :yes

emptying and rinsing out the sink first really helps bc then i have someplace to stack the clean dishes for them to dry. sounds oh so remedial...i know...shows you the state of my housekeeping most nights :bag

[erinee]

Flylady is big on not worrying about perfection -- whatever you can do is better than it was! So your sink doesn't have to be perfect. Here's how I do it:

--Take everything out of the sink.

--Sprinkle some baking soda all around it (not every time, this is just the initial time).

--Give it a good wipe down.

--Finish by spritzing with Windex (or what I use -- a vinegar & water mix in a spray bottle that I keep under the sink) and wipe with a clean cloth.

--Maintenance -- just make sure the sink is empty when you go to bed at night and give it a spritz with the Windex/alternative and a quick wipe down.

If you spritz it every night, it will look nice and shiny. If you go a few nights without, you may have to break out the baking soda again. But don't worry about it being perfect! As you get in the habit of shining it every night, it will look nicer and nicer without a lot of work.

I do the same with my bathroom sinks. I do mine & dh's bathroom, and it's one of Zach's jobs to shine the kids' bathroom sink every morning. It really does keep them looking nice without a lot of effort!

[Kat]

I'm a slow flybaby, too. I've gotten her emails for years, but always end up deleting them. :bag I also hate doing dishes, especially since we have no dishwasher. :sick

That said, I did put together the control journal. I still need to figure out the cleaning schedule. Dh and I are moving to a newly built house late spring/early summer. So our current house will probably be chaotic as we get ready to move. Maybe once we move, it will be much easier to get my cleaning schedule organized.

[LadybugSam]

I was SO there when Caleb was little. Really. I stood around the house staring at everything, crying, because i had no idea where to start and i didn't feel like anything would do any good because of all the mess i was in.

Okay, so i was a bit worse off than you are, LOL, but i know the feeling of being completely overwhelmed.

Flylady did help me a lot. Those e-mailed killed me and once i realized i was just ignoring them, i stopped getting them. The best thing she taught me was the routines and the control journal, those are what keep me floating above water everyday.

A shiney sink monster does keep you motivated. Once you wake up to a clean kitchen one time, its becomes addicting. I never was very motivated to clean but waking up in the morning with a clean kitchen is amazing. It makes my whole day (even if i still hate cleaning it at night, seriously who wants to clean up AFTER dinner. That's when i'm ready to clock out for the day)

Start with the dishes. Dishes are a big deal and once they're done it feels a lot better (even if you do dirty some again immediately afterwards, it will be a much smaller and less intimidating pile)

have you seen flylady's 30 babysteps? They didn't have that when i started, and it seems so helpful to getting started and not feeling so overwhelmed with her program and e-mails. http://flylady.net/pages/begin_babysteps.asp

[tiffany]

ooh... the baby steps are good...

[monkeylicious]

that is the thing - it spreads! :woohoo my goal of maintaining my clean sink at night has spread and so, i am no longer leaving things to soak "overnight" (or 2-3 days :shifty ) and am wiping down the counters and table every evening

i'm not yet doing swish and swipe (bathroom) daily, but i think to do it every few days. she has alot of tips and/or things to put in your routines, that will keep the house from getting to the point of overwhelming. preventative maintenance - things i need to learn

so... yes, you CAN do it! :cheer :cheer and one thing like a shiny sink is one thing you didn't have yesterday... every little bit makes a difference :cheer :cheer

[Forsynthianicki]

I'm another flylady user that has modified her system. I too quickly did away with the e-mails. My goals are pretty simple: Dishes done before bed, load of laundry in to wash before breakfast, swish and swipe in the bathroom every few days. It really is just one step at a time. The fifteen minute timer thing really helps when I don't want to do anything because I am only commited for a few minutes. Often I get most of it done by then and don't mind finishing.

[erinee]

Yeah, the emails really don't help me, but my control journal is awesome! I built my control journal from her website. I have a page for morning, afternoon, and evening routines as well as weekly tasks, with the really essential things highlighted for those days when I get called in to sub. For the zone work, I just printed out her lists for each room and I spend my 15 minutes in my zone doing things off that list instead of the missions. Or I do the GCM challenges if there is one going on. And I skip zone work if I"m working outside the home that day.

The thing I struggle with doing that I know would make a HUGE difference in my home being always presentable is the Weekly Home Blessing Hour. It is hard for me because it's all the things I really hate doing. Cleaning off a hot spot, shining my sink, swishing my bathroom -- all that's well and good. But spending an hour vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and dusting is tortuous for me. So that does not get done unless I'm terribly, terribly motivated.

[methodistmomshana]

I'm a slow flybaby too. I technically say I'm on baby step #2 because it's only that you put on lace-up shoes first thing in the morning, that was easy to me. I just have been to the website, didn't know about the book. I still struggle with step #1 though! Things get out of hand quickly. But, it is truly amazing how much better you feel when your sink is clean!

[Abibigail]

Thanks all. :heart As I get some other issues under control in my life, it does seem less overwhelming, but I am often in that "I don't know where to start!" place. The past few days have been better, but that really seems to be where I hang out, typically.

[LadybugSam]

Thanks all. :heart As I get some other issues under control in my life, it does seem less overwhelming, but I am often in that "I don't know where to start!" place. The past few days have been better, but that really seems to be where I hang out, typically.

:hug

This really helps me out: http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/community/showthread.php?t=216646

[Abibigail]

:ty