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Glad everyone is off to such a good start!

My sink may still be yucky, but my mudroom bench looks awesome!

We're out of town this weekend, picking DD up at camp (yay!!). Rest assured that the mudroom bench will remain uncluttered in our absence (except perhaps by the cat). Will check in again on Monday.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Have fun on your trip, and I'm so proud of you for having an shiny mudroom bench to welcome you home when you bring back DD! Yippee!

Wow - Dressed to shoes (DTS)was so much less of a big deal today. I got out of the house for my walk with BFF 5 minutes early instead of my usual 10 minutes late!

I didn't go online until DTS.

I've been listening for 'beat myself up words' in my head as 'Day 5' but haven't heard any.

Anyone playing with writing down the 'bad head tapes?'

Love and more Love,
Grinity

Day 6 is Hot spot fire drill. yippee! This is one of my favorites.
My hotspots are all horizontal surfaces of my study, and one counter of the kitchen. Plus they can flare up anywhere, really.

G

I have lots of hot spots. Unfortunately, my husband sees ANY bare surface as a place to dump stuff -- the dining room table, the kitchen island, the top of the piano -- you name it. This is definitely a tough one in my house!

That sound like our house - every place is a hot spot; The top of the mantle, empty chairs, dressers, dd's desk. Baby steps!

Yay for shining the sink.

Tomorrow we spend 2 minute 'Hotspot Fire Drills' - if there is clutter everywhere than you are guarenteed to have more clutter everywhere. It used to be like that at our house, but as I decluttered there was more drawer space to really put things away.

After you get past the first round of 'everywhere' there will be a few 'dependable' hot spots that start to smolder. They you'll buy a potted plant to put ther and a new one will emerge!

I also got better at forcing myself to 'make a decision' about if I did or didn't want this item in my life. If I did want it, where was it's logical place? I hate committment! (humor alert)

I eventually got my husband a pretty wicker basket for 'important papers' and when I get sick of looking at this stuff, I have been known to dump them in his basket. But that was months after I started my fire drills. Turns out that 50% of the junk papers in our house used to be stuff I though was his and he though was mine. LOL!

Remember that your house didn't get like this overnight, and it will take a while to get pretty again - but if I can do it, many many of you can do it too!

Love and More Love,
Grinity

So, I have finally got a shiny sink! Both the kitchen and one bathroom sink are shiny. It is very nice and I feel ready to move on. I know this isn't the right order, but all the bathroom fixtures have been needing attention, so I am going to do them all as my current project. Then I will continue with the baby steps in order. I guess I am sort of taking a detour...but now that I have the correct materials for the job, I'm doing it! Somehow, this is fun when it used to be an unthinkably difficult chore. I guess it proves the power of positive thought! Nan

((Humor Alert))
It's not a never ending job if you throw the %h!] away after you pick it up - LOL! It's kind of fun!

On a more serious note. Resentment is normal, but not inevitable - nowadays I ask myself: "If I have the chance to say "I love you" to a family member by putting something of their away, would I take that chance now? If the feeling is yes, then I do it.

Remember that the task is to put out a hot spot for 2 minutes. 120 seconds. I think I can handle my resentment for that long. Of course you know what direction we are moving in, but honestly, the reward of a beautiful home is worth it IF we are learning to gain that goal through babysteps.

It never has to feel like 'oh poor me' - that's why yesterday's job was to write down the negative thoughts. Believe me - my resentment about doing more work that the other family members and my fears of being sucked into the role of zombie housewife/doormat were costing me more emotionally than the effort required to pick up other people's stuff.

In lots of families there is a discipline plan for stuff left around the house. It does go into a time out box, and perhaps not released until the offending child a) asks for it nicely, or b) 'pays' for it with a little extra chore, c) just has to learn to live without the item for a specified length of time, or d) is allowed to claim one item for every item that is allowed to be moved into the trash/recycle bin.

Flylady doesn't go that way - she will eventually introduce a '15 minute' everyone work together to pick up a room, where the timer is set, and music is player, and everyone celebrates at the end. But that really can't happen regularly until there is some hope of success, and there won't be hope in the family, until the leader (us) takes a risk and gets some success.

I know that I have it much easier that most, as my DH is 'neat-preferring by nature' and my DS14 is at boarding school - but I do have to deal with ME (so maybe I don't have it easier than most - LOL!) But I remember so clearly when DS was 3 and I tried to keep the house neat for a whole week and succeeded - and decided that it wasn't worth me spending every blessed minute putting stuff away. Later I found Flylady, and the house started 'cleaning itself.' Such a huge contrast.

So - do 2 minutes and hope.
Ok?

Grinity