No Witty Title Coming to Mind

So I'm a little bit crabby at the moment and really don't feel like blogging, but since the book keeps harping on routines I figure I gotta blog or some small puppy somewhere will explode and I just can't have that. Also I figure once I give into one of my excuses it will become easier and easier to do just that. So...I'm blogging.
My big accomplishment for the day is that in the hour or so since I've been home I did a bunch of stuff.Why is that an accomplishment you ask...because I said so!!! Nope, just kidding. It is one because usually when I get home (especially when I get home at 9:00 or so) I want nothing more than to crawl into bed with a book and zone out. Not gonna happen tonight. Since I accomplished so much I am going to go with the bullet method and expand where I see fit. Enjoy!

-I fed my friendship bread (nom nom nom!)
-I baked muffins for my breakfasts at work and even cleaned up all the dishes I used and threw out the package.
-I took one load of laundry out of the dryer and put another one in (down side, I really should have folded it since that leaves me with 3 loads to fold now)
-I took a shower and actually picked up the dirty clothes and hung up the towel. I also had a shower curtain inspired hulk rage where I'm pretty sure I said (or at least thought) LISSY ANGRY. Now I'm gonna dive into personal territory here because I find I have all these really weird bathroom quirks. I cannot take a shower without my hands clasped together between my chest (unless of course I'm physically doing something with them like scrubbing or washing my hair.) I've tried. I can't do it. How weird is that?
-I fed the pigs. Just in case you don't know them they are my cat Casper (or Kitty Maow) and my hedgehog Bubbles. I'm totally open and looking forward to guesses as to why they are pigs (only if you don't already know the answer!)
-I scooped out the litter box. Bleh! Enough said.
-I laid out my clothes for tomorrow which equals no naked hardware sales.
-And last but not least I cleaned off the Hot Spot nightstand! (Just as I suspected I didn't do it last night. Or I can say I did and theorize that in the night small gnomes came in and put everything back on the table.) I put everything away, including the stuff that mysteriously appears on my nightstand even though a certain somebody has his very own nightstand.

So check that s*&@! out. I'm the bomb dude. And it only took me about an hour. Woo hoo! Now, everyone go out and tell your friends how awesome (and humble) I am and tell them to follow me since I'm feeling slightly bummed that I seemed to have topped out at 6 people. I feel the need for blog validation. Fulfill me!!!!

A Moment of Silence

This evening was really long...and it was my own damn fault. So I finished the chapter and kinda sorta did what it said. It had a whole big long thing about how to go about binge cleaning if you really need your whole house clean, which I pretty much ignored cause I'm not there yet. Then there was the 5 minute room rescue which is to save rooms that are so far gone (usually a basement or attic) that you can't really even walk through them, so I ignored that too. The last new thing was the dreaded Hot Spot. A Hot Spot is a place in your home that constantly gets out of control (think coffee table, night stand, etc..) I have quite a few, the dining table, the coffee table, the desk, the night stand, the kitchen counter, and the tops of both my dressers. I think pretty much any flat surface at this point is a bad zone for me. I've decided to start with one. In one of my earlier binge cleans I got fed up with not being able to use or find anything on my nightstand. It's not even that big, shouldn't be a problem, right? WRONG.. It gets covered in crap instantly (apparently clutter attracts clutter, kinda like dust bunnies) and therefor drives me absolutely crazy. So you're supposed to take like 5 minutes at the beginning and ending of your day and put everything away that appears in the Hot Spot. I've actually been doing this for the past few days but tonight it's looking a little sketchy. Should probably fix that, but in all honesty I probably won't tonight. I'm tired.

The other commandment for this chapter was to do another 27 Fling Boogie. I modified it a bit and did it my way. It seemed less stressful that way (no ripped off finger nails!) I had to have my car repaired a few months ago and in the process they ended up taking all the random hoo ha and crap that I accumulate (my car is a Hot Spot as well) and put it in a large box. Well the large box came in the house a while ago and....SAT THERE. So tonight I went through the box! YAY! I actually got rid of at least a dozen things, threw out two bags of random papers, and put away the rest. GO friggin ME! I then brought in the next round from the car to do, maybe tomorrow. I also got really ambitous and of course only got part way through the project but at least it was the hard part. I am horrible at opening mail, especially if its a bill. I do everything online and therefor it seems really silly to open up a bill if it's just a monthly send out. This has led to an entire drawer full of letters. I got the bright idea that tonight I would actually seperate them by year so they could go into their respective file folders (by the way how long do you REALLY need to hold onto bills and tax returns and things like that?) So by the time I got done separating my butt was completely asleep and I couldn't see straight but I had thrown away another entire box of paper. YAY! Again, maybe tomorrow I will finish putting them in their folders.

So anyone wondering about the moment of silence yet? I've been working up to it cause it was really hard for me and I'm trying to not go out to the trash can to get what I threw away. So, who's ready for more back story?!? ME ME ME! Ok, when I was little I had a collection (gasp!) of really pretty Christmas snow globes. Well over the year they have all slowly met their ends (amazingly enough not a single one by me) until I had the last two. Well, this year they both got smashed by a single unintended movement (again not by me.) So I did my best to not cry or get angry, I took pliers and did my best to remove the glass. I ended up with one that was saveable and one sad looking, very dry, snowman. He has been sitting on my kitchen counter since then, and tonight, I threw him out. Deep breaths... That's all I got, my brain is in memory land and I gotta go.

Guilt

Ok, well, I have to say that guilt is a strong and powerful emotion. Let me start with the fact that today is my day off. I had rehearsal for a few hours and then nothing what-so-ever planned. Which leads to the conclusion that there should be absolutely nothing to get in the way of my reading on in the book and ACTUALLY cleaning something. Well, nothing that is except myself. I went to hang out with Mom, Kat-O-Pitty and Alexis today and even convinced myself that I needed to leave at a reasonable time so I could come home, do laundry, take a shower, and find out what was next in line on my FlyBaby quest. So, ya, got home and....SAT ON MY ASS!!!! So I'm sure that at this point you are asking yourself where on earth guilt comes into all of this. Well, I'll tell ya...

As the movie that I was watching finished, I checked the time to find that it was already after 9:00pm. First thing to pop into my mind is that I need to make sure I blog, followed closely by the fact that once again, I didn't do anything! So as I'm sitting there thinking of how to make my failure into a funny (and possibly inspiring??) blog, the guilt creeps up on me and puts me in a choke hold. YAY! Crap, now what??? I decided I couldn't possibly face the waves of disappointment that would (in my mind at least) come flowing from my awesome 6 followers and must take action immediately. I got up, flew to the bathroom and proceeded to binge clean my sink and surrounding area. It was a great (*sarcasm alert*) surprise to find out that the hand soap either has a leak or doesn't work properly and has left a wonderfully gooey puddle on the counter. AWESOME. But, I perservered through the goo, cleaned the counter and sink (I ADORE Clorox wipes) and Windexed the mirror. I can now say, BOTH MY SINKS ARE CLEAN! (Anyone picking up on a trend here?)

So, even though I didn't accomplish what I set out to do, I did accomplish...something. I believe I have another 27 Fling Boogie coming up and I'm trying to pump myself up to face the fridge. I'm pretty sure that as I was getting something out of the fridge tonight I saw a thing of Eggnog....God help me.....

A Clean Sink

I feel like I keep coming back to the fact that my sink is still clean. Maybe she was onto something by making you keep your sink clean because if you do nothing else, there is one shining beacon that screams "I AM CLEAN!!!" in your home. I'm kinda feeling that way. Like I have accomplished.......a clean sink.

I got off the rock today (think large church choir singing the Hallelujah choir) and it was AWESOME. Had a great day, did all kinds of random stuff, and most importantly only came home with 2 new things. Well, five if you count food, but it will be gone in a week so I don't think it really counts. The funny thing about going off island is that usually a quick jaunt to accomplish a few things, usually turns into a day long adventure roaming around the greater Seattle (Kent, Tuckwilla, West Seattle, etc...) area. This also means that even though I had every intention of coming home and cleaning something, ANYTHING really, I didn't. LE SIGH... On the plus side I will consider dinner a business dinner and therefore write it off as a business expense (remind me to start getting paid to blog.) So Mom was with me and we talked about how impressed she was by my actual progress (which I think might be a delusional state in her mind, but I'm gonna let her run with it for now) and ways to make things easier the next time I do the 27 Fling Boogie. On a side note I only get slightly panic stricken while talking about getting rid of more stuff, YAY ME! Anywho, Mom was full of some great ideas like cleaning out your fridge (a.k.a. the Laboratory, muwahahahahahahaha) or getting a cool steamer trunk and using to hold some of the things I don't use as often to open up some shelf space for things I do use. She also said I was honoring the cleanliness by NOT taking home the leftovers from the restaurant to sit in my fridge and become...an EXPERIMENT, muwahahahahaha!!!! I'm beginning to think that talk of my fridge brings on my inner mad scientist.

So really, that's my progress for today. I laid out my clothes for tomorrow(no naked Oklahoma rehearsals, though that would give it an entirely different spin,)I actually took my dishes to the kitchen instead of leaving them on the bedside table, and for the past couple days I have been wearing some of favorite earrings that I got in a surf shop in San Diego when I was in high school (LOVE IT!) I have high hopes that tomorrow I will actually read the next chapter and do what it says. But with how hectic and busy my life has been, who knows what will happen tomorrow?

PANIC!!!

Ok, deep calming breaths. So I did my homework and read the next chapter (well most of it, I stopped when it said that was enough for today.) So this one was all about how clutter. "Clutter is things that do not bring you joy, you do not love, or you don't need." Clutter is like a cancer in your life. You can't organize it, you can't be friends with it, you have to GET IT OUT OF YOUR LIFE! Now I understand this, and I KNOW in my head that I have WAY more stuff in my house than I have room. BUT...(deep sigh) I am a collector. I love things. All kinds of things. I have shoe collections (real and porcelain) all kinds of celestial things, stuffed animals, candle holders, and more, LOTS more. I also am one of those crafty people so there are boxes and piles of fabric, paper, stamps, yarn, knitting needles, sewing needles, and finished products (such as scarves, hats, cards and Sock Monsters...which by the way I sell, HINT HINT) And then there is the fact that I am a confirmed and undeniable book worm, which leads to the issue that I CANNOT physically get rid of a book. And I have learned to supplement my habit by buying books at the Goodwill and other thrift stores which means instead of buying one book at a time, I usually end up with five or six. So the idea of getting rid of any of these things makes me slightly sick. So the problem is that most of the things I have I LOVE and use and it makes it REALLY hard to get rid of anything,

So, the actual "doing" part of this chapter was to do the 27 Fling Boogie. You're supposed to set a timer for 15 minutes, grab a box, and then run through your house getting rid of 27 items to give away/donate/whatever (it can also be done as just throwing things away). You're not supposed to think it through, talk yourself out of it or give yourself a chance to keep it. You take it to your car and donate it next time you're out. So I set my alarm, turned on my cleaning tunes, grabbed a box, and....proceeded to have a small panic attack. I felt sick to my stomach, tense, and I'm pretty sure I chewed off several fingernails. I did though run through my house doing my best to be ruthless and not second guess myself. I made it to 23 items. I figure all things considered its a step in the right direction...right? To make myself feel better about the fact that I am giving things away (especially since several of the things were gifts) I decided to grab a bag and throw away 27 things as well. Ok, done....breathe, breathe, breathe.

Ya, umm, this is going to be way harder than I thought. But, I can do this. Repeat after me, I CAN DO THIS. I also know I'm making progress, but I think I may have to do a bit more binge cleaning to make myself slightly saner (the house does look like a tornado came through.) The book says it may take months for all of these ideas and routines to take effect and I don't think I can wait that long to have some order around here. Ok boys and girls, send me your peaceful, get rid of crap thoughts.

Almost there...

So the ups or downs first? Lets good the bad ju-ju out of the way first and leave room for the good ju-ju. So after all my hemming and hawing last night about getting out of my nice warm bed to lay out my clothes for the next day, guess what I did.... or maybe I should say what I didn't do... Yep that's right folks I didn't drag my lazy butt out of bed and set out my clothes. I finished typing out my blog, shut the computer and promptly went to sleep. Woo hoo for keeping to those routines! So tonight before I even sat down to contemplate what I would write, I set out my clothes and rinsed out my sink. Progress...ish!

On the good ju-ju side of the universe, I did my homework ( I feel like there should be a test or something.) Luckily the next chapter of the book didn't actually ask me to do anything since I couldn't have accomplished it anyways. It did talk about getting rid of our perfectionism. Apparently we all have it (now imagine one of those old Uncle Sam posters with the works THAT MEANS YOU underneath it) and it is BAD. We have to cast off the fear of starting a cleaning job that we can't finish and the OCD-ness that binds us and move on to CHAOS free bliss! I feel like I should possibly be standing on a soap box...... Anywho, this one actually makes sense to me. I tend to get so overwhelmed that I have actual panic attacks about cleaning and then figure that since I can't get everything clean at the same time I'm just not going to clean at all (faulty logic or what?) So apparently I am to huck these thoughts out the window and go for small baby steps on the road to redemption (or cleanliness, whichever one comes first.)

So for tomorrow, since I will actually have a few hours at home (before 10:00 pm that is) I am assigning myself the reading of the next chapter and the fulfillment of at least part of it, whatever IT may be.

P.S. My beautiful clutter free dining table has accumulated MORE crap by some "mysterious" means....

P.P.S I thoroughly enjoy making up my own words and adding "ness" and "ish" to words. It really pisses off the spell check!

Sigh

So it is the end of a VERY long and VERY frustrating day which started out with the people who live above me screaming at their small children (AGAIN) at ungodly hours of the morning. It's very possible that this was the cause of said very long and very frustrating day. But now that I am wrapped up in bed and don't have to be anywhere for the 12 hours or so I am doing my best to let it all go and look at the bright side of things. With that said... My Sink Is Still Clean!!! Woo hoo. Of course there was some weird liquid that needed to be rinsed out when I got home but now it is back to its state of cleanliness! I also put away the assorted clothes/shoes/jewelry, etc... as I was getting ready for bed. Once again, Go ME! I did realize this morning when I got up that I did forget one of my main rules (set forth in the one chapter I have read of the book so far) which was to set out my clothes for the next day. Now lucky for me I was able to figure out an outfit on the fly and NOT have to go to work naked. The day is saved! Speaking of which, I probably need to drag my lazy carcass out of bed and set out my stuff for tomorrow...ugh...I don't wanna. Anything involving standing at this point I consider cruel and unusual punishment, and since I would be inflicting it upon myself I must have some hidden masochistic tendencies. Oh well.

Onto a side note which I find ironically funny. So one of the things the book stresses is that CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) and clutter make for bad relationships with our selves and those we live with. Which therefor leads to the conclusion that getting rid of said crap in your life will better those relationships. I know its early in the game and I know I've had a crappy day but the cleaning thing seems to be having an averse effect. So on my first day when I scrubbed my sink, the cleaning spirit moved me and I binge cleaned of my dining table. Feeling all proud of myself I even set it all purdy-like with the summer stuff I've had but never used. Ahhh, another shining beacon of wonderfulness in my otherwise still disaster-zone of a home. BUT-for the past two days every time I come home, my honey has unloaded something or another onto my beautiful shining beacon. ARGH!!! And it makes me want to rip his hands of and beat him with them.....(refer to earlier reference to really crummy mood) So instead of yelling I laughed about it and am once again trying to let it go. I just find it ironic that that which is supposed to bring us together is currently bringing out my homicidal tendencies as well.

On that note, I am slightly terrified by the masochistic homicidal wreck that I'm turning out to be, but I still have high hopes for the future. I am assigning myself homework since the book hasn't. I am to at least READ the next chapter. Hold me to it....

Day 2

Isn't it funny how life works? So as I'm driving home from dance class this evening I'm trying to figure out what to write in my blog seeing as how I haven't been home to clean anything or even read the next chapter in the book. I figured at the very least I could write that my sink was clean (refer back to the haven't been home issue,) so I walk in the door and GASP! My sink has some sort of weird food goo splattered all over it's pristine whiteness!!! Needless to say my honey only heard "no dirty dishes" not keep it clean. Oh well. Even though my feet were screaming and my dinner was waiting I actually stopped what I was doing and scrubbed out the sink. YAY ME! My sink is NOW officially clean.

So beyond that there isn't all the much new to report. I did forget some small details from yesterday seemingly insignificant but they make me happy and are therefore....GOOD.
Part of the getting yourself dressed and ready every morning was to find something that you can wear or do to make you feel special. It could be moisturizing your face (boring) or wearing red lace underwear everyday (impractical but awesome) and I couldn't figure out anything for myself. So as I was getting ready this morning I took out my jewelry box that's full of just earrings and it hit me! I am going to wear great earrings EVERYDAY. There's something about great earrings that make you feel fun or flirty or sexy and I love it!

On the progress front: THERE IS SOME! When I got out of the shower I actually hung up my towel in the bathroom instead of setting it on the nearest surface. Then when I got ready for bed I actually put my jewelry, bra and laundry where they were supposed to go! GO ME!

So here we are at the end of day 2 and I'm off like a herd of turtles.

The Beginning of A New Era

My life is a mess.... Beyond all the other stuff in my life, my house is a disaster. I continuously find myself standing in the middle of a room having a panic attack trying to figure out where on earth to start. There is stuff EVERYWHERE. So after hearing me whine about it (repeatedly) my mom gave me a book to read that is supposed to help. It's called "Sink Reflections" by Marla Cilley or the FlyLady. She swears it helps. So I took it home read the first chapter and did what it said, thus gaining the status of FlyBaby (new members to the FlyLady idea). Then I got the crazy idea that maybe if I blogged about (which in my mind entails me writing about it everyday) I might ACTUALLY do it so as to not let down my (currently non-existent) fans. So. Day 1.

Apparently the first step to getting your home in order all revolves around a clean sink... Count me slightly skeptical but I'm trying to go for this right? So after procrastinating the whole day I finally dragged myself home (where I procrastinated some more by making a "Cleaning" play list on my I-Pod) and stared down my sink. Let me explain about my sink, it's TERRIFYING. I can't actually see the bottom of the sink since it is being covered by the mass of dishes of every shape, size, and varying degree of disgusting-ness. Back to the book! Apparently you don't even need to do the dishes, you can set them aside and just clean the sink. I though can't see the point in scrubbing down the sink and then washing the science projects into the clean sink so I tackle one of the worst chores humanly possible (at least in my opinion.) After filling the dishwasher and setting the rest aside I follow 6 or so of the 12 steps to a clean sink. Now in my defense, some of the steps are for maintaining the clean sink. So when all is said and down the sink is as clean as it gets (for such an old sink) and it is reasonably fulfilling to have one shining spot of non-madness in my home. On to step two!

Step two I have a problem with....I own 80+ pairs of shoes, and I HATE wearing shoes. So step two involves getting up every morning and making yourself presentable no matter your plans for the day. And the key part of being together involves putting your shoes on (particularly lace-up shoes since they're harder to slip out of.) Now I understand the principle behind all this. You have more confidence in yourself when you feel you look good and you act it. But I don't want to wear shoes all the time!!!! Ok, temper tantrum over. So I'm going to try to stick to this one minus the shoes....

P.S. it seems to me like I should be going at this in more of an all or nothing type adventure but I suppose it only works if you cater it to yourself.

So the last step of day one is nice and easy which makes me happy! =) Lay out your clothes for the next morning. THIS I CAN DO! This step was greatly helped along by the fact that I just did laundry and therefor actually have clothes to wear.

Well, I have successfully enough made it through day one as a FlyBaby. We'll see how tomorrow goes seeing as I will leave home at 7:45AM and not get home till 9:00Pm. Wish me luck!