Do you fold your laundry daily?

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

 

Dear Friends,
On Wednesdays, I like to talk about things you tend to put off. When I talk to some of you, one thing that has been hitting high on the list of things procrastinated is folding laundry when the dryer buzzes.
Many of your families are living out of laundry baskets. They search around each day for clean clothes. Sometimes things end up on the floor and scattered about. Then you collect them and wash them again.
It only takes a few minutes to fold a load of laundry. Sometimes during the live BINGO game I host with FlyLady Premium, I will fold or hang a load of laundry in 5 minutes. I know it is possible! I do it all of the time.
Each night, I check out dirty laundry bins, and I start a load of laundry if a basket is full. Usually, it is a load of towels. I get up at 5:00 every morning, and I put the wet load of laundry in the dryer. Sometimes I start a load of darks or jeans after I switch the towels over. This way I can get two loads of laundry washed, dried, and folded before lunch.
If I don’t have a load to start first thing in the morning, the boys wash one of their loads of laundry.

Sheets are often overlooked in your Weekly Home Blessings. Assign a day of the week to each person in the house to wash his or her sheets.

Teach your children to sort their laundry and put dirty clothes in the bin assigned. If your family has been used to living out of laundry baskets and dropping dirty clothes on the floor, you will need to be consistent daily with checking their rooms and reminding them to put their laundry away.
Clean laundry needs to be put away daily. It does not need to stay in baskets in the laundry room or in the bedrooms.
If you do not have enough room to put all of the laundry away at one time, declutter some clothes. Each person needs a place to hang clothes and a drawer to put away folded clothes.
You can do this! Use the Do It Now Principle and don’t let your laundry pile up.
Your Zone Mission today is to clean out the stuff that does not belong in your closet.

Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe your windows and mirrors.

My menu plan for Wednesday is pasta for the boys and a salad.

Have a great day!

Involving Your Children in Your Routines

Getting Organized:
In Your Home and Homeschool

Dear Friends,

Do you include your children in your daily routines? As you are going about your daily routines, teach your children. They need structure and routine. If you are trying to do your daily routines with little ones around the house and not including them, it is like brushing your teeth while eating. They will be making messes while you are cleaning.

When I started the FlyLady system, I did it for me, but I knew I had to get my children on a good basic routine as well.

When I got dressed in the morning, they got dressed. I taught them to do their routine in a certain order: get up, make bed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, put dirty laundry in the bin, and start their homeschool lessons with me. When they were really young, I had to do this with them. As they got older, I could tell them one thing at a time to do. I also made little check off sheets for them.

If I was folding laundry, I asked them to help me. Even little ones can help sort laundry, or they can hand you items to put in the wash. They can put things in the dryer as you hand them items from the washer. When the clothes are dry, they can hand you one item at a time for you to fold or hang up. They can match up socks for you to fold. They can fold a stack of washcloths.

Children like to help if you praise them and make it fun. By including them, you are teaching them life skills for adulthood. The most important routine is the Before Bed Routine. Your evenings can go more smoothly if you have a predictable schedule for the children. It does not have to be centered completely on a clock. Teach them the order in which you do things. You will want a dinner time and a bedtime that are close to the same time each evening, but the other things can just flow into the next thing.

After dinner, divide and conquer the kitchen clean up. Then moving into the evening routine. Check the calendar and weather for the next day. Make it a game for each person to get an outfit, shoes, and socks laid out. This can be very entertaining to see what they pick out if they do not do this often. Ask them to bring you anything they need for the next morning if you have somewhere to go.

Have a quick Hot Spot Drill. Teach your children to pick up behind themselves by modeling it. Then you can move into your regular evening schedule. The children may play before bed or read books with you. If they play with their toys, have another pick up time before they get a bath, brush their teeth, and go into bed.

From my years of having little ones in the house, I know it is tiring, and I know it takes longer to do things when you involve them in helping. You are building them up and teaching them. If you keep them close to you, they will not be destroying other rooms in your home when you are doing things.

What questions do you have about children and routines?

Your Home Blessing for today is dust and vacuum.

Your Zone Mission for today is to put away all of the laundry. This includes the stack in your room.

My menu plan for Tuesday is corn dogs and tater tots for the boys and chicken for me.

Have a blessed day!

Are you ready for Christmas?

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,
It’s the week before Christmas! For some of you, it is Hanukkah. I hope you have a wonderful week and blessed Holiday season! This week, I will be finishing up some things around my house, so I can enjoy my husband’s week off next week without any big projects.
This week we are decluttering and detail cleaning in the Master Bedroom. If you have children at home, give them some missions, too!
Zone 3 Missions: The Master Bedroom

Monday – Declutter flat surfaces and dust
Tuesday – Put away all of your laundry
Wednesday – Clean out the stuff that does not belong in your closet
Thursday – Declutter items from one dresser drawer
Friday – Clean out under your bed
The Habit of the Month is Pampering Yourself. How are you doing with this habit? You need to take care of yourself, and you need to reward yourself, too. Pushing too hard, not sleeping well or enough, not eating well, not drinking adequate water, or not exercising all can lead to health issues.
Several years ago, I made the decision to take care of myself because I had allowed myself to get run down and burned out. I had to say, “No” to some things. I had to make it a priority to eat healthy and exercise. Looking back, I am healthier now than I was 10 years ago.
It is not wrong to put your health as a priority. You should not feel guilty if you are taking time to take care of yourself. I have found it easiest to exercise first thing in the morning before the boys are awake. When I had little ones in the house, I would get up early and do an exercise DVD in the Living Room. Now, I have teenagers, and I am able to run or go to the gym.
What do you do to take care of yourself?
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter the flat surfaces in your bedroom and detail dust.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wash sheets.
My menu plan for Monday is beef roast and vegetables.

Have a great day!

How much do you handle things when decluttering?

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,
When you are cleaning and decluttering, do you find yourself moving things from place to place? If you are handling the same items multiple times, focus on finding a home for the items you are moving around. If you cannot find a place for everything, you need to get rid of the things you are moving around often.

When I am decluttering, I have a box handy to put items in to donate. Then I take the box to my car until errand day. I make it a point to handle an item as few times as possible. Some of you get “stuck” trying to figure out whether to keep something or give it away. This is your perfectionism. You are trying to hold onto things until you might need them. Meanwhile, it is hard to clean your house because of the clutter.

You are holding onto books and papers that you are not going to use again. You feel guilty that you have not used the books like you intended. Let go of this guilt. If the books are not working for your children, you can get other books. You can use library books. You spent money on these books, and they are an albatross. You are trying to make them work for your family, and they just aren’t working out.

Unless your state homeschool laws require you to show your child’s work to someone, you do not have to keep all of the papers your children produce. Give yourself a limit on space and how you will hold onto their papers. Sort their school papers weekly into your storage area. Take photos with your cell phone or camera and share their artwork with others. You can make a cute flipbook once a year from these photos.

Tell me what your biggest source of clutter is in your home. Start working on the habit of handling things as few times as possible when you are decluttering.

Today’s Zone Mission is to have a 15 minute room rescue anywhere in the house.

Your Home Blessing for today is to empty the trash, sweep, and mop.

My menu plan for Friday is take out.
Have a wonderful weekend!

You have hope!

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,

At the end of each year, I pick a word for the next year that will be my theme for the year. In 2015, my word was “endurance.” I picked it because I was training for a marathon, and I needed endurance to run that far.

In 2016, my word was “joy.” I started writing a boy on choosing joy no matter what the circumstances. I got to practice this trait often in 2016 and 2017. Even in a bad situation, I looked for blessings. They are there. It takes patience at times. (Refer back to the previous year’s word of endurance.)

In 2017, my word was “grace.” I was shown a lot of grace in 2017. There are some things that happened in my life that could have been so much worse. It was grace that was shown to me. I can see where the previous two year’s words also came into play as I went through a difficult valley for more than 6 months. Honestly, I am still not completely out of that valley, but I have endurance, joy, and grace getting me through this valley.

For the past three months, the word “hope” keeps coming up. My word for 2018 is hope. I have hope that the valley I am in will end. I see light at the end of the tunnel. While it is a valley I would not have chosen, I have seen how it has been used to help others. I have seen where it has grown some of my family members.

Even in bad situations, there is hope. I know some of you are in a bad situation right now. Just keep moving forward each day. One day, it will be better. You aren’t alone either.

One way I want you to look at the word, “hope,” is that you can organize your home. You can get rid of the clutter. You can have peace and kick out the chaos. You have HOPE, too! Work on your routines each day. Declutter a little each day. You can do it!

Today’s Zone Mission is to do a 15 minute room rescue anywhere in the house.

Your Home Blessing for today is to declutter paper and magazines.

My menu plan for Thursday is chicken and a salad.

Have a great day!

Don’t Put It Off

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

 

Dear Friends,
Happy anti-procrastination day! This is the day of the week that we do something we have been putting off. Some of you are masters at putting things off. One problem is that you have a To Do List that is too long. Another problem is you allow your perfectionism to stop you from doing something on your list that really needs to be done.
Take a page from The FlyLady, and use the “Do it now” principle. When there is something that you have been putting off, set your timer for 5 minutes and get started on it. You might need longer than 5 minutes to complete it. But you are taking the hardest step by just starting. In many cases, you will have the momentum started and finish before you know it.
If your perfectionism is keeping you from doing something, remember that it is better to start it than to not start at all. What project have you started and abandoned because you weren’t getting it perfectly. If you tell yourself that you don’t have time to do something, you will never have time to do it. Break it down into small steps and get started.
The FlyLady tells us that housework done incorrectly still blesses our families. If you are putting off dusting, vacuuming, or sweeping because you don’t have time to do it “right,” just do it the best way you can. Dust around the items ON the flat surface. Vacuum the high traffic areas. Sweep quickly and move on. You do not have to spend hours cleaning your home.
Have you procrastinated your Christmas shopping? Get started today. You have time, if you get started. I know people who love the “thrill” of shopping on Christmas Eve. That stresses me out! I like to have time to shop a little at a time. This also means I wrap presents a litle at a time.
What are some things you have procrastinated? Tell me what you are going to do today.
Your Zone Mission today is to detail clean the shower.

Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe your windows and mirrors.

My menu plan for Wednesday is pizza for the boys and a salad.

Have a great day!

Let Go of Clutter and Just Make it Better

Getting Organized:
In Your Home and Homeschool

Dear Friends,

Do you delay picking up and decluttering because you don’t have hours in your day to do this? Today I want you to pick an area that needs to be decluttered; set your timer; and just make it better. You do not have to strive for perfection. You do not have to spend hours and hours a day.
Some of you have been saving your cleaning and decluttering for the weekend. If you can just budget 10 to 15 minutes a day through the week for decluttering, you will not have to spend all day on Saturday on a big decluttering project. I know you are busy throughout the week. That is why I keep my zone missions simple and quick for you.
If you have Hot Spots in your home because of your children leaving things out, you need a Hot Spot Drill implemented daily. You also need to be consistent with reminding your children to pick up behind themselves.

Are you still doing laundry for the whole family? Delegate laundry to the people in your home who are 10 years old and older. Teach them to separate darks, lights, and whites. Teach them how to start a load of laundry, switch it to the dryer, fold or hang up, and put away. Once they know how to do laundry, assign them a laundry day each week. They can also wash them bedding on that day.
Some of you have been resistant to teaching your children laundry and giving them this responsibility. But they need this life skill. By delegating laundry, you will have some time open up in your schedule for your decluttering missions.
You have a certain amount of time in each day to do the things you need to do and the things you want to do. By getting your routines established as habits, you will start finding that you have some time to do the things you want to do.
Remember to just make it better and let go of the clutter! Your
Zone Mission today is to declutter under the bathroom sink.
Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.
My menu plan for Tuesday is pasta and salad.
Have a blessed day!

You can take things off your schedule.

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,
How was your weekend? On Friday, we had a lovely snow in North Carolina. It really helped it feel like Christmas is coming while I was out shopping in the snow. I enjoy seeing the big, fluffy flakes coming down, and I enjoy it when it melts.
Keep doing your Holiday Missions each day. We are moving closer to Christmas, and I want you to enjoy the season.
This week we are decluttering and detail cleaning in the Main Bathroom and One Extra Room.
Monday – Declutter counters and wipe down
Tuesday – Declutter under the bathroom sink
Wednesday – Clean the shower
Thursday – 15 Minute Room Rescue – Anywhere
Friday – 15 Minute Room Rescue – Anywhere
Last week my schedule was really full. As I was keeping up with my routines and the appointments, I was feeling like I had too much on my plate. I cancelled two things on my calendar. It was not an easy decision, but it was the best decision for me. If I feel pushed, then I tend to be short with my family. They don’t deserve that because my calendar is full.
If you have too much on your schedule this week, see what you can push off until a later date. Be intentional with your time, and don’t allow outside activities cause you to be short tempered. Fix yourself a glass or cup of your favorite beverage. Put up your feet. Breathe. Enjoy the Christmas lights. Sometimes I turn on the Yule Log on my tablet and have a little “fire” while listening to Christmas carols.
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter the top of the bathroom cabinet and wipe it down.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wash sheets.
My menu plan for Monday is beef roast and vegetables.

Have a great day!

Do you have a Happy Hour in your home?

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,
The first hour that you husband comes home either goes one of two ways. It’s either a Happy Hour, or it isn’t. Some of you are nodding your head with me about how that hour can go. I have heard it called the Arsenic Hour or worse. How can we make it a Happy Hour?

When you have lots of small children in the house, you count down the hours until Daddy gets home. It means reinforcements are coming. It means you will have another adult to talk to. It means that you will see your beloved.

What I have also seen is that you are ready to unload your day’s cares on your husband. The kids want attention. You are likely working on dinner preparations. There is generally a lot going on in that hour. Your husband is coming home tired from a day at work. He is ready for a little relaxation before dinner.

Your daily routines can help you with this hour of the day. You can plan to do the things that bring peace to your home. If you are stressed about getting dinner on the table, do your prep work early in the afternoon. Get your meal started. Wash and chop your veggies for the salad. Prepare your side dishes. Have the children set the table. These can all be done before your husband gets home.

If the kids are young and tired by this time of the day, see if you can adjust nap time. Offer a small snack right after nap time and give them water to drink. This may help with their crankiness.

If you are the one who is tired and cranky, add a short relaxing activity to your afternoon routine. Put your feet up for 10 minutes and drink some water. Play with your kids and give them some attention before you start your kitchen preparations.

The first hour you husband gets home from work should be a peaceful time for the family. Tell me of any roadblocks you have encountered during the hour of the day. Any funny stories to share?

Today’s Zone Mission is to wipe the stove top and microwave.

Your Home Blessing for today is to empty the trash, sweep, and mop.

My menu plan for Friday is take out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Finding Joy in all Things

Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,

Can you think of one circumstance that happened in your life when it was hard to find joy in that moment? There are things that will happen in our lives when we have to look really hard for something that looks like a blessing.

This year has brought some situations into my life where I had to ponder on the blessing. Through sickness, accidents, things breaking, storms, fallen trees, and more, I can look back at each circumstance and see at least one blessing.

In the moment of the hardship, I have to remind myself to breathe and have faith. Something good will come out of it.

The Holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas can be hard for some of you. It brings back memories of pain and loss for some of you. We lost my grandfather on December 13, 2008. The days leading to that date always cause me to reflect back on the years I had with him. He was like a father to me, and he was the one who fixed everything for me when it broke. A big hole was left in my life when he died. I treasure the memories we made and the time we had together.

Some of you have lost a loved one in the past year, and this is your first big Holiday season without them. Reflect on the joy they brought to your life. Don’t fret with worries or regrets. Love the ones who are with you now. Even if you are sad and grieving, you can still love the people in your present. You can still feel happy and joyful.

If you have neglected some of your routines lately, jump back into them. Shine your sink. Get dressed to the shoes. Make your bed. These simple things can help you feel better about yourself. They can brighten your mood.

Have you neglected your paperwork? Purpose to spend 10 minutes a day on your paperwork. Whether that means filing, paying bills, or shredding paper, just be consistent with this routine starting today.
Have you had a hard time planning for the Holidays and getting your presents purchased? Make a short list, and get started today. You don’t have to pull out every decoration you own either. Put out a few Christmas decorations that bring you joy. You can keep it simple and still have a meaningful celebration.

If you are in the midst of a storm, hang in there and move forward a step at a time.

Today’s Zone Mission is to declutter items from one kitchen drawer.

Your Home Blessing for today is to declutter paper and magazines.

My menu plan for Thursday is chicken and a salad.

Have a great day!