Day Eight - check

Binder is done and ready to go. Actually, my binder is more than done. It has the following in it:
-The Fly Lady's Eleven Commandments
-Morning Routine
-Bedtime Routine
-Weekly Checklist (note: not that I've done any of it)
click here for more details on those routines and the checklist
-Weekly Bless My Home checklist (see note two lines up)
-The Fly Lady's detailed cleaning list categorized into zones
-A printout of age appropriate chores from ages 9 months up to 12 years
-Extra paper
-Personal Contact Info (like an address book)
-And an Emergency Contact page (has directions on how to get to my home, how to open the front gate, and important phone numbers: our pediatrician, pedi center, poison control, my doctor, and me and my hubby's cell phone numbers).

Please note: I had already completed this stuff 3 years ago. I didn't just sit down and do it over the weekend. But it's nice to know it's there.

Ok, tomorrow is a non-MOPS Monday which means I usually go to the gym in the morning. However, tomorrow is special because my hubby and I are going to do a spin class together at 5:30pm. So I won't be going to the gym in the morning. Which means, my day is actually going to start around 6am. (It usually doesn't start until 10am, when I come home from the gym.)
So here's what I mean by starting my day: I'll shower, get dressed, shine my sink, make my bed, spend 2 minutes on my hot spots and...



I'll attempt to do this during nappy poo time.

Wish me luck.

P.S. I think this is the most link-ridden post I've ever had!!! Some of them I did for complete fun! Boy, did I have fun!!!

Eureka!!!

I found it!!!

The recipe for my most favorite, absolutely most delicious cheesecake ever!


I've only had it twice. Once at a dinner party at a very ritzy house on the river. They flew it in for us from the Carnegie Deli in New York. And the other time I had it was right before Jeremiah was born when we visited Las Vegas. They have a Carnegie Deli inside the Mirage.

And who would've ever thought the Carnegie Deli would post their recipe for this most delicious, decadent, heavenly cheesecake. I'm very tempted to make it. But I wonder if it will lose its mysterious appeal to me if I know how and can actually replicate this thing of beauty? I'll have to work myself up to make this scrumptious dessert. And this month is not the month! But at least I know how now.

Day Seven - check

Getting my clothes ready last night saved me about 30 seconds of time this morning. But I can see how on busier days it will be a better thing.

Is it me or does it seem like things are moving at a zippy speed now. Let's review: I'm shining my sink, doing a load of laundry daily, making my bed consistently, getting dressed everyday, putting out hot spots...

Wow, I almost need a day off to let these new routines sink in.

Well, let's see what the fly lady has in store for me tomorrow:

Day 8 -



Aha! Here's my day off! (And a good thing too - tomorrow is the beginning of Pascual's weekend. Remember: his days off are mine too!)
I already have this ready to go...from the last time I way over did the fly lady and took an afternoon to create and perfect my control journal. Kinda sick...I know. I'll re-write my morning and evening routine so far and rip out the

pages

that

I

did...

wait. I can't rip those out. How about I just won't look at them for now.

Confession time: I haven't even attempted to clean in the zone of the week. But that'll come with time...I hope.

Day Six - check Wow...

Those 2 minutes went by sooo fast! I didn't even finish my hot spot! Well, there's always tomorrow. Bet ya never thought I'd say that, huh?

So I added "2 minutes for hot spots" as a sticky note to my bathroom and kitchen. Now what...


Tonight I pick out my clothes. Hmmm, isn't it just the same thing every day? Pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Okie dokie artichokie. I hope I remember...bedtime is still hours away. A lot gets lost in my head in that amount of time.

I've noticed...

that my day doesn't begin until 10am, when I come home from the gym.

And I'm ok with that! It works for me!!!

Day Five - check

I've noticed that my ANTs are thoughts like
I've got to take care of ____________ now so it'll get done.
Or
If I start the washing machine right now, I can work on _________ while it's washing.
It's like multi-tasking with machines.

And what ends up happening with me is I get overwhelmed with all the stuff that needs to get done and do hardly anything instead.

So today, when I really wanted to start my day before I took my shower and got dressed I told myself,
"Self, (not really but I like saying that) do it in the correct order!"

And ya know what...stuff got done today! So YIPPEE!

OK, let's prep for day 6:


I already know where my hot spots are:
a. the tiny corner of my kitchen table - I'm surprised by how much stuff is there.
b. my dining room table - we don't use it so it collects stuff; my stuff and Jeremiah's toys
c. computer desk
d. any surface in my den

Don't worry. I'm not going to over do it tomorrow. I'll set my timer for 2 minutes and work on that tiny corner until I hear the "ding". Then I'll be done for the day. I'm so excited!!!

Day Four - check

Ok, back to work...for the hubby and me!

I had to miss MOPS today because of my child's runny nose and cough...little stinker! I've gotta remind myself that she's not having cold-symptoms on purpose. :)

So day four was to put sticky notes around, writing what I do so far (which isn't much):
1. Get dressed for the day - as in be ready to leave the house.
2. Shine my sink - for me that's just cleaning up breakfast dishes and any dishes that didn't make it into the dishwasher (because it was full already) last night. And clean any green bags that I've let accumulate on my counter.
3. Check the reminder emails (love this one!).

So 3 sticky notes are attached to my bathroom mirror. I'll add 3 more, saying the same things, to my kitchen in just a moment.
That'll do.

Ok, so let's prep for day 5:

"Are you hearing any of those nagging negative voices popping into your head? I want you to take a piece of paper and write down what you hear then I want you to turn those ugly words around and say something nice to yourself to negate the ugly words that they said." (note: quote taken from here)
Ok, I'll just be honest. My first reaction to day 5's advice is, "Oh puhleeze!"
But upon further thought, I'm reminded that I've done this before...from my weight watcher meetings. Yep, those negative thoughts are called 'ANTs' - automatic negative thoughts and they must be sprayed!

So I'll just write down any negative thoughts, whether it comes from cleaning or eating or the fat on my body. It is a good idea...even if it sounds like hokey.