I really took for granted just how much time I had to dedicate to the things I enjoyed doing. Prior to baby number four arriving, I was living in stay at home mum bliss. My oldest was at school all day and my four and two year old were content playing together in their room. I had plenty of time to get the house organized and cleaned just the way my perfectionist brain liked it. If I wanted to dedicate an entire morning to de-cluttering one room, I did. If I wanted to do all my laundry in one day, I did that too. Then baby number four arrived. Let me make it clear that I love my baby girl! She has brought so much more love into our family, and is the absolute perfect addition to complete our now family of six. However, like with my other children, my life now (for the time being) revolves around her. She dictates how much time I can dedicate to cleaning, cooking, self care. If she is fussy and doesn't want to sleep at night, then neither do I. If she wants to be cuddled all day, I am glad to cuddle her. (I usually end up cuddling her throughout the day anyways because I love my baby cuddles.) The time I now devote, willingly, to my baby had to be taken from somewhere else, and so I need a better schedule for cleaning. Something that would allow me to keep up with maintaining a clean home without it costing me hours a day.
Hello Flylady.
One day I was scrolling mindlessly thorough the suggested videos on YouTube when I stumbled upon Diane in Denmark's. Out of curiosity I clicked on one of her videos and began learning more about something called the Flylady. As strange as the name sounded, the program behind it started to make a lot of sense. No longer would I need to spend hours a day cleaning only to turn around it the house be a mess again. The key to success when using the Flylady program is being consistent. This way our everyday smaller tasks don't overwhelm us and become huge tasks that we don't have the time or energy to tackle.
Everything about the Flylady program sounds manageable. I can do 15 minutes here and two minutes there. I can put on one load of laundry a day. Bonus - Diane in Denmark has a talent of making it sound easy, manageable and fun! She will inspire you to get off your booty and start doing something!
Don't make the mistake of thinking you have to jump right in and do it all. Honestly, it is a bit much for a complete newbie like me. There are morning routines, evening routines, de-cluttering, hot spots, daily focus, zone cleaning and on and on. Thankfully, however, I just have to focus on completing the 31 baby steps and then I will be ready and, more importantly, prepared to do it all!
So here I go with day one - shine your sink
sounds simple enough - why this would be the first step? I think it is because it is a manageable accomplishment. something small to get your energized to keep going. plus when you go to bed with a clean sink you are going to wake up to a clean sink and that feels amazing! no one should start the day by doing yesterday's work (not even me) I also think that shining your sink in the evening is like closing the day. Now reward your hard work by snuggle in a big blanket on the couch or by having a big mug of steaming hot chocolate while you read a book.
I love my clean and shiny sink - NOW NO ONE MESS IT UP! :)
How I deep clean my sink
1. Remove any dishes from the sink
2. run the water and remove any food or gunk that may be in your sink
3. sprinkle baking soda and pat gently with a wet rag to make a paste
4. wet 10 minutes and then come back and wipe around the sink with a wet rag
5. rinse away the baking soda
6. dry with a clean dish cloth
(don't forget the faucet)
How I deep clean my sink
1. Remove any dishes from the sink
2. run the water and remove any food or gunk that may be in your sink
3. sprinkle baking soda and pat gently with a wet rag to make a paste
4. wet 10 minutes and then come back and wipe around the sink with a wet rag
5. rinse away the baking soda
6. dry with a clean dish cloth
(don't forget the faucet)
