FlyLady Baby Steps Recap

Somehow I made it to the end of the 31 days. Not sure how that happened, but I turned the page and it said "Congratulations" at the bottom! So here's the recap of how the Baby Steps helped, didn't help, what stuck, hasn't stuck, and will still be worked on.

First off, I've always known that I'm a sucker for a list. Give me a functioning check list and I am a happy happy lady. I honestly believe that is a main reason why I had more success this time around than last time. I'm highly motivated by missing check marks. I haven't fallen in love with my time yet, though; and I really need to.

Just going down the list (mostly Fly Lady routines, a couple with my wording). I've been much more consistent or perfect at having my Morning Devotions, Getting Dressed to Shoes, Making my Bed, Rebooting my Laundry (completing a load a day), Rebooting my Dishes (completing a load a day), Knowing what's for Dinner, Closing up the Kitchen (shining my sink), 5 minute PUPA (Pick up put away) and Laying out Tomorrow's Outfit.

What hasn't stuck yet is pulling out the timer to attack a hot spot daily, or to declutter daily. I have been frustrated with my lack of progress on that, but not motivated enough to action. And one of the last routines added in the 31 days is the Swish and Swipe. I think I have completed it a total of 2 times.

So, time to move on, and here's what I'm doing next. I've taken the FlyLady's morning, afternoon, and evening routines (in the FlyingLessons section of the website) and customized to what I need to continue working on. Cue the newly created checklist with said routines.

For the next 30 days (the month of June) I am focusing on concreting these routines and adding decluttering and swish and swipe. June is a crazy, crazy month for us (staycation, close friend's wedding, and the church VBS that I lead music for) so I'm trying not to be too ambition with starting things. So even though I have written out the FlyLady basic weekly plan, I'm not holding myself to it. I do plan on trying to declutter in the weekly Zones, but not adding any of the other parts (detailed cleaning or missions) at this time. We'll see where we are sitting come July.

Mrs. Troyer

A Test of My Routines

This week will be a test - will my basic routines fall away in the face of stress?

Chad is away for work this week, my parents are gone this weekend, and my sister-in-law graduates from high school and has her graduation party this weekend.

This is the perfect storm that in the past has had one of two results. Either everything falls apart and the house is a disaster when Chad gets home, or I'm extra motivated without the distraction of having my favorite person ever home in the evenings.

As far as how I'm doing on Day 22, it's just okay.
I said at the beginning that I had attempted numerous times before and some of the habits had stuck. So starting back at the beginning built in many days where I'm not actually adding in a new habit, instead just continuing. In some ways I'm feeling a bit bored and wanting to jump in to other parts of the system. But I know that there are some habits that I'm just barely getting a grasp on and some that I'm still fighting with (*cough cough* decluttering).

So that's pretty much my goal for this week.
I need to continue with my basic routines (laundry, dishes, getting dressed, making bed, laying out the next day outfit, knowing what supper is, putting out a hot spot) and try to be more consistent with my 15 minute timer to declutter.

Mrs. Troyer

FlyLady Update Day 18

I am running out of words for the updates about babysteps, so I thought I'd show you in a video today instead. Still plugging away....over halfway through the 31 days....

Forming habits

Mrs. Troyer

School Year Wrap Up

I wrote a curriculum pick post at the beginning of this school year. It simultaneously feels like forever ago and like we just started. No matter, time goes on. As I am gathering my thoughts to start planning the 2019-2020 school year I filmed this Wrap-Up video as a "this is what we actually did", so enjoy!

Mrs. Troyer

Beyond the Shiny Sink

The FlyLady babysteps include more habits than just a shiny sink, so I thought I'd bring proof of some of the other habits.

I'm laying my clothes for the next day out each night.
I'm making my bed first thing.
I'm getting dressed to shoes (or slippers that stay on my feet) each morning.
I've done at least one load of laundry each day: washed, dried, folded, and put away.
I've ended each day with no dirty dishes and started each morning with emptying the dishwasher.
I've begun decluttering and tidying by using a timer.

I'm on day 10, still going.

Mrs. Troyer

Day 7 - Weekend Accomplished

Weekends are my cleaning downfall.
I never want to clean on the weekend.

So the kitchen gets used and not clean.
The kids play outside and get dirty, but no laundry is done.
We eat 6 meals and who knows how many snacks and nothing gets vacuumed.
I'm not cleaning so why would I enforce cleaning on my kids.

Now you see why I need help...this happening every weekend makes the week days feel terrible.

This weekend was an uncommon one, we actually had plans!
Chad and I had a night away (Friday) because he bought us tickets to see John Crist on his Human Being tour. Which meant that Friday morning I was trying to accomplish normal morning stuff, plus packing up our kids for their night at their grandparents'. And, SUCCESS!

Saturday, we returned by lunch, meaning I had unpacking (a task would normally would consume my whole next week, despite the fact that it was just one night away) and the normal day stuff. I also needed to prepare a salad for the next day for church potluck. I was exhausted and slightly grumpy by the end, but still relieved to see a shiny sink at the end of it.

Sunday (today) was a normal busy day at church, potluck after church, then supper at Chad's parents. All this means the kitchen pretty much had the day off (minus a few odds and ends I did as a side project this afternoon and evening). All in all, I still checked all the boxes on my checklist, including setting my timer and doing a 5 minute pick up and 2 minute hotspot this evening.

Huge sigh of relief, one weekend down and didn't fall off the wagon!
Wish me luck on the week!

Mrs. Troyer

No Burnout Allowed Here

One of the things I most appreciate about FlyLady is how the system avoids burnout. The idea that your mess didn't get there in a day so it will take more than a day to handle it is one I wish I had learned earlier in life.

3 days.

My kitchen has been a disaster again (a reoccurring pattern) for close to 2 weeks.
3 days of simply forcing myself to spend a little bit of time in there every morning and evening intentionally has led to a clean kitchen once again.
It didn't take 6 hours one day. (I've done that before, then refused to step into my kitchen for 3 days.)
Because this doesn't happen often, I had to take a pic.
I decided I'm going to continue to take a pic of my sink every night until it seems ridiculous because my sink is clean more than it is dirty.

On another note
JOHN CRIST SHOW this WEEKEND!!!!

Mrs. Troyer