fly lady

hi, my name is shari and i am a recovering slob.  here’s my story:

cleaning house is a JOB…i mean, some people actually get paid to do it.  and for me? it was almost impossible to get control of!

a year ago i became a full time SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) or as i like to call myself…house manager.  since my husband works and fights for me and my little one day in and day out, i think it is very important for him to come home to a clean house. at first, i thought this meant that things should be picked up, straightened, and ‘neat’.  now i realize that i need to go a step further really CLEAN everything.  like, eating off the floor clean (i am only in this place about once a week…hehe).

(side note: i read this article a few months ago and it really spoke to my heart about my role as a Christian wife. just to give a little background as to why i felt a sense of urgency to conquer this.)

anyway, a year ago, i had no idea how to do all of this.  i worked. like, all the time.  i taught high school math, spent saturdays at UIL competitions, and was a part time photographer so i spent my evenings and sundays editing or shooting.  so when i started my new ‘job’ at home, i was clueless.  and there wasn’t anyone to train or orientate me.  so, for several months i was quite lost (not to mention very, very round with a baby in my belly).  i look back and, if i’m being honest here, i was quite depressed.  we lived in a 30 foot trailer (you know, where every room is just ONE room) and i couldn’t find any energy to get up and CLEAN it! it only took about 30 minutes of hardcore cleaning to have everything looking nice. depression was setting in. i slept half the day and blamed it on my pregnancy. as much as i enjoyed that time growing closer to my husband, i don’t ever want my heart to be in that state again!

when we moved to our current rent house in march 2010 i let boxes sit unpacked for MONTHS.  y’all, this was my job. i didn’t have a baby yet, i took time off from photography. i didn’t have friends to hang out or talk to. i was just stuck in my unkempt house just waiting to have a baby.  i was so embarrassed for my husband to come home after working 10 or 12 hours and see that i had done almost nothing. (he’s my Hosea…but, that’s another story for another day).  luckily, i had my moms. my mother-in-law flew out to do a rescue of sorts.  she cleaned and she listened. and she helped me get the nursery ready. and then, of course, there is my own mom who has always been there for me.  always, always encouraged me and helps remind me “that this too shall pass”.

throughout all of that mess (literally), i stumbled across The Fly Lady.  you’ve prolly heard of her.  she’s become quite famous for her decluttering, cleaning, and organizing skills.

well, she pretty much saved my life! she has so many great tips and tricks and has a bullet proof plan to get your house CLEAN! it seems intense at first, but if you stick to just doing a little at a time…eventually you’ll get there!

i’m not as good as she is yet, but i’m getting there. i still feel as if i am going through recovery for my bad cleaning habits, but there are little triumphs here and there that show progress.  examples?

• my house is ‘nice’ everyday when my husband comes home from work. the floors may not be swept and mopped, but my house is ready for company everyday!
• every room has been decluttered. well, except for that one pesky junk drawer in the kitchen! what the heck am i supposed to do with all of those odds and ends?!!? anyway, everything else has its special place….no junk stuffed in closets, drawers, or under beds.
• every room has been deep cleaned at some point in the last 6 months. i’m working on getting back into the Fly Lady’s Zones this week! with the Zone schedule, you deep clean one (or two, depending on the size) areas of your house each week!
• a week or two before christmas i had all of the laundry done. no big deal…that’s happened a few times in my life. hehe. and today? it’s still done! yes, i wash clothes everyday, but i haven’t had to wash more than two loads a day and there’s usually never more than a laundry basket full of dirty clothes. y’all, that’s a BIG DEAL for me! wahoo!
• i have a system in place that helps me clean, play with my baby, manage house stuff, do laundry, blog, edit, workout, cook, etc. i don’t want to get ahead of myself, but i think i might actually have this whole SAHM thing down! (well, for today anyway!)

yes, i still struggle with it.  and some days that system completely fails. like, last friday when i was supposed to be doing chores, all i did was fold clothes and watch two episodes of grey’s anatomy during caleb’s naptime. oops. sometimes you need a break, right? this post is about encouraging other moms. we have a big job to do (regardless if you work or not) to keep our house in order most (not all) days.

if you have any tips or tricks that help you stay sane with kids, cleaning, working, etc then i would love to know your resources!

xoxo