Checking in!

So far I've been doing quite well. I implemented the new sheet folding system and I'm ashamed to admit, I take a peek in my linen closet every time I pass it now. It's so pretty and neat, and my weekly home blessings fly by when I can just grab the sets I need without digging, hunting, or weeping when I can't find the right pillowcase. My sink is shining like a diamond and I get a kick out of waking up every morning and seeing the clean kitchen. It starts my day off in a positive mood and not feeling quite so overwhelmed.

In a nutshell, the fly lady has got me well on my way to a gleaming house once again. I'm awful about habits. I have to keep them up or I'll forget, get distracted, be too lazy, etc, etc, etc. When my house starts getting icky again my husband always asks me, "what ever happened to that fly lady thing...". So far the only day I spend most of the day cleaning is Mondays. And that has more to do with trying to coral children while I'm doing it. Mondays are the day I do my weekly home blessing.

*Change sheets
*sweep
*mop
*Vacuum
*clean mirrors/front entry door
*take out all garbage
*Clean the kitty litter box.

Doesn't seem like a lot, but after a long weekend of everyone trampling my house, vacuumed carpets, clean mirrors, and a fresh set of sheets to climb into at bedtime does me a world of good. The rest of the week it's just about maintaining my routines. Before bed and good morning to tell you the truth are the biggest ones for me. Why? Because they involve dishes.

Dishes are the bane of my existence. Have been my whole life. From the age of 6 it was my responsibility to wash the dishes. This of course would have been difficult enough except for two small issues. The first being that we had no dishwasher. So I had a great many dishes to wash by hand as my dad always managed to dirty every dish in the kitchen over the course of the day. Scraping food off the plates was rarely done either so it was always stuck on and had to be soaked in hot water that hurt my delicate skin to use. The second being that we didn't have non stick pans or even regular pots and pans. My parents are strong believers in cast iron. Only I didn't learn about how to properly care for cast iron until I was 25 and my husband showed me how to keep them oiled, how to clean them properly etc.

Back to the story at hand, I'm sure you dear reader can see why I so dislike dishes. Even when I moved into military housing and got a dishwasher, I still despise dishes. In Germany you always had to remember to add the salt, the pull out the filters and wash them ,etc. In our current house, you can't pull anything out. You have to reach in the back of the dishwasher and scoop up anything that may have made it into the dishwasher and pull it out. *shudders* I'm also lazy at night. So doing the dishes before bed gets on my nerves, I like to put everything off, and then in the morning it just seems overwhelming o I put it off some more, until suddenly we have no dishes and I have to spend the better part of the day washing them. Fly lady is breaking that habit.

My before bed routine involves beyond my own personal hygiene stuff, picking up stray toys and putting them back in the box, washing the dishes, wiping down counters, taking the garbage out and wiping down the dining room table. Laying out my clothes for the morning, checking my schedule, etc. The morning you guessed it, involves emptying the dishwasher. And to keep my sink shiny and get that visual reminder that I am doing good, i have to put the dirty dishes in the empty dishwasher. Seems quite simple to a born organized person, or those with any sort of natural housekeeping skill, to me it was a revelation. Who would have thought you could see hope in the reflection of your sink?