Today I'd like to review FLYlady's feather duster. This is another product that is a winner for me! Honestly, I've never had a feather duster so I really have no other duster to compare it to but my experience has been positive. I really didn't think it could possibly make a difference - it's just feathers, right? But, it actually does a fantastic job with dust, and let me tell you we have alot of that so I feel qualified to speak on this topic! So, here is a silly picture of me and my purple feather duster - obviously a pose, but it's a good representation of what I've been doing constantly since the duster arrived in the mail. I bought two - one for upstairs and one for downstairs and I can tell you that I've dusted a lot more than I used to because the feather duster makes it so much fun. Hubby giggles at me when I start going with it but it's perfect for someone like me that likes quirky things! Two thumbs up for the feather duster! You can go HERE to purchase your very own FLYlady feather duster!
Showing posts with label FLYing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FLYing. Show all posts
December 08, 2010
Works For Me Wednesday
Today I'd like to review FLYlady's feather duster. This is another product that is a winner for me! Honestly, I've never had a feather duster so I really have no other duster to compare it to but my experience has been positive. I really didn't think it could possibly make a difference - it's just feathers, right? But, it actually does a fantastic job with dust, and let me tell you we have alot of that so I feel qualified to speak on this topic! So, here is a silly picture of me and my purple feather duster - obviously a pose, but it's a good representation of what I've been doing constantly since the duster arrived in the mail. I bought two - one for upstairs and one for downstairs and I can tell you that I've dusted a lot more than I used to because the feather duster makes it so much fun. Hubby giggles at me when I start going with it but it's perfect for someone like me that likes quirky things! Two thumbs up for the feather duster! You can go HERE to purchase your very own FLYlady feather duster!
December 02, 2010
FLYing update
I previously promised to display pictures of the areas I was working on in my house at the end of the month....well, I haven't done anything further to those areas so there is no point in posting any photos!
So, what am I doing? Well, right now I am in the process of creating a Household Notebook for next year. I learned about this from my Organizing Life As Mom eBook. The eBook contains a number of printable documents to help you put your own Household Notebook together so I am slowly working through them to determine what my notebook will need to contain. Once I have it all together I am going to get it spiral bound at FedEx Kinkos. I am looking forward to seeing how this helps me to bring my homemaking tasks under control in the New Year. I think just having everything in one place will be helpful in itself.
Other than that I have been working on decluttering areas of my house when I have time. I have decluttered and reorganized two large cabinets in our kitchen and the drawer in the living room that holds the baby's bibs, burp cloths, etc. I also have finished some craft projects that now need to be hung. I am really excited aboutbegging asking my husband to take care of that so I can show you!
Also, I am excited to tell you that we have found someone to start helping with getting our house clean again. Ever since the latter part of my pregnancy the house has just gone to pot! Seriously, it is nasty. Sure, it looks fine on the surface but the dust bunnies have multiplied so much that they recently attacked the dog and cobwebs have totally taken over all the light fixtures. My hope is that after a few months of regular help I will be at the point I can maintain it myself. I realize that having paid help is a luxary in a world where there are children who don't even have enough to eat. I am thankful beyond words for God's provision in my life. Kelly Blowe of Kelly's Cleaning Closet will be starting in about a week and she will be coming three times in December. After that we'll see where things stand. I am hoping that with the basics getting done (as well as some desperately needed deep cleaning) I'll be able to focus more on the decluttering that is needed in order to scale back our belongings to make room for Olivia's things as well as my sewing projects.
Other than that I have been working on decluttering areas of my house when I have time. I have decluttered and reorganized two large cabinets in our kitchen and the drawer in the living room that holds the baby's bibs, burp cloths, etc. I also have finished some craft projects that now need to be hung. I am really excited about
Also, I am excited to tell you that we have found someone to start helping with getting our house clean again. Ever since the latter part of my pregnancy the house has just gone to pot! Seriously, it is nasty. Sure, it looks fine on the surface but the dust bunnies have multiplied so much that they recently attacked the dog and cobwebs have totally taken over all the light fixtures. My hope is that after a few months of regular help I will be at the point I can maintain it myself. I realize that having paid help is a luxary in a world where there are children who don't even have enough to eat. I am thankful beyond words for God's provision in my life. Kelly Blowe of Kelly's Cleaning Closet will be starting in about a week and she will be coming three times in December. After that we'll see where things stand. I am hoping that with the basics getting done (as well as some desperately needed deep cleaning) I'll be able to focus more on the decluttering that is needed in order to scale back our belongings to make room for Olivia's things as well as my sewing projects.
Works For Me Wednesday
Okay, first let's just get it out of the way...yes, I know it is Thursday. I'm a day late, so shoot me!
I have agreed to review some FLYlady products for my FLYbaby group so rather than just post my thoughts there I decided it made more sense to post to the blog and then post that reference to the group. My plan (ha ha!) is to blog on Wednesdays about a different product I am trying until I have covered all the ones I have.....don't hold your breath....my follow through is notoriously poor! (Just a comment, I am not being compensated for this review. This is a product I purchased for my own use and I am just sharing my thoughts about it with you.)
So first up is the Rags In A Bag product. This is a set of three purple microfiber cloths that arrive in a mesh laundry bag with zipper. I have been using these for a few weeks now and have decided that they are a winner! I really like them. I have used microfiber cloths before but these truly are a superior product in my opinion. One thing I am really loving about them is that I can dampen one corner and clean mirrors or glass without using any cleaning products. If necessary I will wipe over at the end with the dry end to make sure there is no smearing. Something like this really comes in handy when you have a child. Seriously, who has time to go get the paper towels and glass cleaner? Not me! I also like that they are generously sized whereas ones I have purchased in the past were not. The only negative thing I can say about them is that they do shrink in the dryer; however, I failed to read the instruction about air drying them so I am entirely to blame!
You can find this product in the FLYshop for $9.95 plus S&H.
I have agreed to review some FLYlady products for my FLYbaby group so rather than just post my thoughts there I decided it made more sense to post to the blog and then post that reference to the group. My plan (ha ha!) is to blog on Wednesdays about a different product I am trying until I have covered all the ones I have.....don't hold your breath....my follow through is notoriously poor! (Just a comment, I am not being compensated for this review. This is a product I purchased for my own use and I am just sharing my thoughts about it with you.)
So first up is the Rags In A Bag product. This is a set of three purple microfiber cloths that arrive in a mesh laundry bag with zipper. I have been using these for a few weeks now and have decided that they are a winner! I really like them. I have used microfiber cloths before but these truly are a superior product in my opinion. One thing I am really loving about them is that I can dampen one corner and clean mirrors or glass without using any cleaning products. If necessary I will wipe over at the end with the dry end to make sure there is no smearing. Something like this really comes in handy when you have a child. Seriously, who has time to go get the paper towels and glass cleaner? Not me! I also like that they are generously sized whereas ones I have purchased in the past were not. The only negative thing I can say about them is that they do shrink in the dryer; however, I failed to read the instruction about air drying them so I am entirely to blame!
You can find this product in the FLYshop for $9.95 plus S&H.
November 18, 2010
Organizational Tools
I want to share some things I've been finding online to help me get my home/personal life better organized. I have just recently come across these materials so I cannot yet comment on how user friendly or useful I find them but I plan to post in the future and share my thoughts on them. I just love sweet folks I only encounter online who create these routines and forms and then make them available for free. I believe that is an example of focusing on your gifts and sharing them with others.
- FLYlady.net is helping me to build routines into my daily life that keep my house going (we have also decided to hire someone to help clean our home until we get it under control and I can manage it myself again!). I am signed up for her daily digest email which contains all of the emails for the day in one. The emails include basic plans for each day, special challenges and testimonials.
- Awesome free printables for planning everything from Christmas gifts to weekly menus to instructions for babysitters to birthday lists and on and on
- Free Thanksgiving Your Way 2010 eBook which contains recipes, traditions, craft projects, decorating suggestions and has links to free printable planning sheets at the end
- Free Christmas Your Way eBook which contains tips for organizing and simplifying Christmas with links to free printables planning sheets at the end
November 16, 2010
FLYing projects - beware!
Here are a couple of FLYing projects I am working on - truth be told I've been working on them for weeks and haven't made much progress but I thought if I blogged about them it might help me get embarrassed motivated enough to work on them again!
So, here is a corner of my kitchen. Can you see why I need help???? I am a hopeless clutter-holic! I hate clutter yet I cannot seem to keep it out of my home and often I am as much the culprit as Mark. I should add that Olivia's things also seem to be contributing heavily towards the clutter ratio as well.
And here is a cabinet where we store Buddy's stuff (our dog).
And the top of the cabinet where all sorts of stuff seems to gravitate.
So, here is a corner of my kitchen. Can you see why I need help???? I am a hopeless clutter-holic! I hate clutter yet I cannot seem to keep it out of my home and often I am as much the culprit as Mark. I should add that Olivia's things also seem to be contributing heavily towards the clutter ratio as well.
And here is a cabinet where we store Buddy's stuff (our dog).
The only thing I've made progress on so far is the inside of the cabinet - below is the AFTER photo. I'm going to make it my goal to post an updated photo of the other areas by the end of the month.....stay tuned!
November 07, 2010
How's it FLYing?
It has now been several weeks or more since I began intentionally trying to create new routines and patterns of doing things in order to keep my home from imploding! Some new things are working and some are not. In fact I learned one day last week that sometimes you just have to leave your house in shambles and not worry about it because you did the best you could.
New routine #1:
I wanted to experiment with making a weekly calendar for household chores, appointment reminders, etc. The format and items included have evolved several times over but I think I am finally happy with the version I am trying out for next week. Essentially it's just a table created in Microsoft Word that lists all the appointments for the week, the household chores that are needed (a rolling list so if something doesn't get done I just carry it over to make sure I don't forget) and a place to write my dinner plans in so I know what to thaw/buy at the grocery store. I also make notes of any special household projects I want to tackle.
New routine #2:
Doing a load of laundry a day is working well. I no longer find myself with multiple loads of laundry to do over the weekend which is wonderful. The folding is another thing though. My goal is to wash and fold one load per day but on occasion the folding gets put off til the next day. This week that happened a few times and tonight I realized I had three loads to fold. It took a long time - waaah!
New routine #3:
Meal planning is the "November Focus" on FLYlady.net and it came at a perfect time. I had just gotten to the point where it was either start meal planning or start working two jobs to eat out all the time! Last week I made a complete plan for dinners for the whole week AND put the needed items on the grocery list BEFORE we went to the store. That might be the first time that has happened in 3.5 years of marriage! It felt really good to have a plan and work my plan so I will continue to work on this.
New routine #4:
Using my time wisely is working though it does make me resentful at times so I know I need to find a balance. What I mostly mean when I say "using my time wisely" is that I don't spend time watching TV regularly anymore. I used to be a huge TV watcher, huge. I easily spent 10 or more hours per week watching TV shows. I do still watch TV but it is probably more like 3 hours a week and rarely on the same day the show airs. Instead I now take every opportunity to get my "To Do" list done. The downside to this is that I am very unbalanced right now in "taking care of myself". I need to work on finding the balance but overall I am happy with my progress in this area.
On my next FLYing update I hope to post some pictures that just might make your hair curl!
New routine #1:
I wanted to experiment with making a weekly calendar for household chores, appointment reminders, etc. The format and items included have evolved several times over but I think I am finally happy with the version I am trying out for next week. Essentially it's just a table created in Microsoft Word that lists all the appointments for the week, the household chores that are needed (a rolling list so if something doesn't get done I just carry it over to make sure I don't forget) and a place to write my dinner plans in so I know what to thaw/buy at the grocery store. I also make notes of any special household projects I want to tackle.
New routine #2:
Doing a load of laundry a day is working well. I no longer find myself with multiple loads of laundry to do over the weekend which is wonderful. The folding is another thing though. My goal is to wash and fold one load per day but on occasion the folding gets put off til the next day. This week that happened a few times and tonight I realized I had three loads to fold. It took a long time - waaah!
New routine #3:
Meal planning is the "November Focus" on FLYlady.net and it came at a perfect time. I had just gotten to the point where it was either start meal planning or start working two jobs to eat out all the time! Last week I made a complete plan for dinners for the whole week AND put the needed items on the grocery list BEFORE we went to the store. That might be the first time that has happened in 3.5 years of marriage! It felt really good to have a plan and work my plan so I will continue to work on this.
New routine #4:
Using my time wisely is working though it does make me resentful at times so I know I need to find a balance. What I mostly mean when I say "using my time wisely" is that I don't spend time watching TV regularly anymore. I used to be a huge TV watcher, huge. I easily spent 10 or more hours per week watching TV shows. I do still watch TV but it is probably more like 3 hours a week and rarely on the same day the show airs. Instead I now take every opportunity to get my "To Do" list done. The downside to this is that I am very unbalanced right now in "taking care of myself". I need to work on finding the balance but overall I am happy with my progress in this area.
On my next FLYing update I hope to post some pictures that just might make your hair curl!
October 21, 2010
FLYing....
Throughout my pregnancy I was connected HERE with a group of women who were also pregnant and due in June. We are now very busy with our babies but still continue to encourage one another, give advice when needed and share the joys of motherhood. One of the things we have been getting into lately is FLYing.
What is FLYing?
FLY is the acronym FlyLady uses for Finally Loving Yourself. FLYing is really just taking care of your home using routines that become habits which enable you to bless your family and spend more time with them.
What does FLYing actually involve?
Lots of de-cluttering but in short spurts of time so that you do not get overwhelmed. Each week FlyLady focuses on a different "zone" (area of your home) and sends out daily emails that contain the "flight plan" (list of things to do for the day). Additionally there are daily "missions" which are emails containing additional 10 minute challenges in the current "zone". She also sends frequent emails of testimonials from other "FLYbabies" and right now, with the holiday season approaching, she sends "Cruising Through The Holiday" emails with tasks to help you get almostly completely ready for Christmas by December 1. She even has a Holidy Control Journal you can download. A control journal is essentially a notebook of information about a particular subject. Go HERE for your free Holiday Control Journal or go HERE to see if there are any other free Control Journals of interest to you.
So, Shannon, how are you FLYing these days?
Well, like any good FLYbaby I am taking baby steps. I am not doing ALL the routines from FlyLady's FLYing Lessons but I am slowly but surely developing new routines that work for my schedule to help keep the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) from taking over.
Here are a few things I've been doing:
What is FLYing?
FLY is the acronym FlyLady uses for Finally Loving Yourself. FLYing is really just taking care of your home using routines that become habits which enable you to bless your family and spend more time with them.
What does FLYing actually involve?
Lots of de-cluttering but in short spurts of time so that you do not get overwhelmed. Each week FlyLady focuses on a different "zone" (area of your home) and sends out daily emails that contain the "flight plan" (list of things to do for the day). Additionally there are daily "missions" which are emails containing additional 10 minute challenges in the current "zone". She also sends frequent emails of testimonials from other "FLYbabies" and right now, with the holiday season approaching, she sends "Cruising Through The Holiday" emails with tasks to help you get almostly completely ready for Christmas by December 1. She even has a Holidy Control Journal you can download. A control journal is essentially a notebook of information about a particular subject. Go HERE for your free Holiday Control Journal or go HERE to see if there are any other free Control Journals of interest to you.
So, Shannon, how are you FLYing these days?
Well, like any good FLYbaby I am taking baby steps. I am not doing ALL the routines from FlyLady's FLYing Lessons but I am slowly but surely developing new routines that work for my schedule to help keep the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) from taking over.
Here are a few things I've been doing:
- I created a list of household chores that need to be done regularly.
- Each week I fill in a calendar for my family that lists the appointments we have and the chores that need to be done for that week. I also use it to help plan meals for the days we will cook.
- I have developed a routine of using my time wisely at home without compromising on the quality of time I give to Olivia. Poor Mark, on the otherhand, might be suffering a little and I've certainly cut back on "time for myself"! (Need to work on balance in the near future - LOL!)
- I try to put a load of laundry into wash every morning. When I get home with Olivia at 5:15 one of the first things I do is move the load to the dryer and I do not go to bed until it has been folded and if possible, put away.
- I shine my sink at least every other day. I do not currently have space under the sink for the dish drainer so it stays in the sink.
- I try to do my Before Bed Routine. When I don't I can tell the next morning!
- I have selected two areas of my home that are really bothering me (in terms of clutter) and have been working on them slowly when I have time. I have taken before pictures and am posting them for the other FLYbabies in my group for accountability. I will probably post them here on the blog once I have the "after" photos!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
