I think that the flylady and I have broken up. It's an amicable split, we will remain good friends.
I will always be grateful for the advice on keeping the house tidy and how to clean a bathroom. I am especially grateful for the home management notebook I made with her guidance. I've done none of it exactly right, but the information provided helped to give me a great jumping off point.
The problem is, I am not a routine-oriented person by nature per se. I follow a certain loose routine every day, but it is not bound by the day. I cannot always do groceries on Thursday, sometimes I need to go on Sunday. I cannot always clean my van on Friday, sometimes I skip a week! or need to do it on a Monday.
Mornings have been a favorite for me this summer. We get up around 7 and I get the kids something to eat. I make some coffee and spend some time on the computer while I have a cup. On some days, we will then get dressed and go on an outing. On others, we spend the entire day happily at home.
The key to it all, is looking at our own home and our own calendar and doing what needs to be done here. I cannot follow the routine of someone else. I need to see the needs in my home. Today, for example, my kitchen floor desperately needs to be mopped and I must vacuum the popcorn nightmare that my dear little man created last night. On the schedule or not, that's what I need to do. Soon I will put in a load of laundry, clean up the kitchen, and get mopping and vacuuming done.
Soon, meaning some time in the next day or two!
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You know, I don't follow Fly Lady anymore, either - but the things I did get from her where useful. Just the idea of having a structure for when things should be done was enough to get me on the right track. But all of those purple puddles things made me barf and then I had to clean THAT up, so I had to quit.
Maybe what you should get (I don't "know" Fly Lady) is that you need to find what works for you and let it work for you. I love clean but the clutter can pile up on me. My sisters have no clutter but they do not clean like I do. My mother-in-law lived sparcely- no color on the walls, no warm and cozy rooms. Some of my friends have homes FULL of stuff. I enjoy their homes and yet when I come home I feel MY "hominess". I like to have routines- get up, go to the bathroom, start a load of laundry, exercise, take a shower, put the wash in the dryer, get dressed, eat breakfast, fold & put away clothes, start the dishwasher, tidy my bathroom, go to work (my husband is still in bed, when my children were at home I woke & dressed them after I was dressed). I can do this because I love early mornings. I could not do this if I was a night owl. Also my children were deep sleepers and slept through the washer running. In the summer I love to take a nap in the afternoon and then stay up late with my night owl husband. So, this works for me. Perhaps the best thing is to have a husband who has NEVER said, "Why is this place such a mess!" or "Why don't you clean this place up?". I will always be thankful for that. I also know I am still working on my system. As my life changes so do my systems. Yada, yada, yada! Do your thing girls!
If there's one thing I've learned it is that my life was not meant to have a schedule. If we decide wa want to go see a movie instead of sit at home, or we want to go play at a playground instead of stay at home and play in our wading pool, the decision shouldn't be made by the fact that I needed to put the laundry through the wash or vacuum according to my schedule. Life is what happens while you are making plans.
I agree with you, sometimes you just need to take care of something and it doesn't really matter what day it is. I do follow a plan each week for the most part, I clean on a certain day and shop on a certain day, but there are times when it needs to change and I don't worry about it.
Today for example I should be doing nothing, but there are some jobs that need to get done so I will do them.
I think you have just go with what works for you, if it goes against your nature it will never feel right.
Agreed. I am really not a FlyLady fan. I've got some free downloads on my site for customizing your own notebook, if you're interested. But I also understand that there are times when laidbackness is called for. I'm with you...
i don't know this flylady, but it would seem that a comfortable groove is the only way to go. otherwise, we'd lose our minds.
a few years ago I only knew the internet as a place to shop (amazon), email (yahoo) and do research for a paper (faked it!)
Then I someone pointed me towards all the mommy sites out there (ivillage) and a handful of blogs(I thought there were like 6 or 7 altogether.) When I accidently ran into the Flylady it scared me so much I shut down my computer for a week. Only then I really wanted to read blogs again so I turned it back on.
So, you lasted way longer than I did!
One of my favorite quotes is " I do not want to be remember for keeping a clean house" I think it was Madeline Albright who said it.
I am also doing my first giveaway for a kids super hero cape. If you have time come check it out.
Erin
I, too, got some benefits from the Flylady before we parted ways. But I agree with you 100%--you have to establish a routine that works for you and your family!
7 or 8! 5:30 around here. Oh for a routine!
Cheers
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