set up FLYlady routines

I added sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor as part of my before bed routine every evening. It feels so nice when I have to walk barefoot for whatever reason, and not feel dust, tiny bits of food or soil from outside on my feet… And very, very soon, baby will start crawling, so it would be best to get used to the idea of sweeping and mopping the floor daily so it is safe for baby. Once you get used to it, you do it in a heartbeat!

Today I bought a proper carrier for baby made of cotton, and which can be used in five different ways. It can hold from a tiny newborn to a potty-training toddler… I plan on trying it tomorrow at home for the first time, see how it works…

Now that baby’s here is more important than ever to have a firm routine established in the mornings and in the evenings. But since I arrived home with the baby from the hospital it has been quite a struggle to get things done…

My mom stayed with us during the first week after I arrived from the hospital, and she was a big help. But after she was gone, it has been difficult for me to get back on track with the routine I had established before the baby was born. The thing is, baby is already used to being in my arms, and if he is not deeply asleep, I have to carry him in my arms, or stay beside him on the bed. I tried carrying him in a sling for a few days, but after a few minutes in it, he starts fussing and moving about.

Yesterday I bought 4 yards of cotton fabric to make a “wrap” so I can carry him close to my body. If he likes it, I will be able to not only reestablish my routine, but to study heavier for my bar exam. Let’s see how that works…

I am very happy because I have been able to establish a firm habit about the kitchen. Not so long ago I used to go to bed with dirty dishes in my sink. Not anymore. With the FLYlady system I realized that most of the time I can wash the dishes, clean the stove, sanitize the countertops and shine my sink in around 15 minutes. It is definitely worth it! It feels amazing to wake up in the morning to a shiny sink and a clean and ordered kitchen!

The thing is, little by little, I’m starting to see the effects of setting up a basic routine… It’s as if the routine has started to spill all over the house, little by little, almost effortlessly… At first the morning routine felt long and complicated, but lately, I’ve been doing it almost without thinking… there are things that I still have to remember to do, and that’s where my Control Journal comes in handy.

Last week my husband took a week off from vacation pay to stay at home and continue some of the hard work on the house in preparation to baby’s arrival. His continued presence in the house is a blessing. It also completely altered my just-created FLYlady routines. At least I have been able to be consistent with my kitchen, keeping up with a shiny sink and a clean prep area.

I confess that a couple of times I started feeling like a martyr, but immediately thought about my goal of making housework a spiritual practice (and taking care of hubby certainly includes that!) and FLYlady’s admonition of NOT giving in to the martyr attitude! That alone has helped a lot!

Also, I have begun to see it as a little taste of what will become of my life when baby finally arrives… It will certainly change everything!

Babysteps, babysteps…

I think I have an overly complex morning routine… it takes me about two hours to do it all… I think that’s too much! Of course, I’m eight months pregnant, and can’t move as fast as before, but even if I weren’t pregnant, it would still take me a lot of time. I have to wake up at around 5:30am in order to finish in time to start the day.

The FLYlady is always telling members that the Control Journal is a key tool to the Flylady routine/system. During the past few months I was able to implement some routines as I said before, but somehow I felt that I was not getting the gist of it. So last night, I decided to go full steam ahead, and dust my Control Journal, tweak it, update it, and start using it, this time for good!

Today I was able to complete most of my morning routine, except the 20-minute walk, since it was already over 9am by the time I finished the rest, and the sun here is too strong by then. I didn’t do most of the tasks I set myself out to do today on my personal planner, but I’m still satisfied because I was able to pull off most of the morning routine (which is kind of long). I keep remembering “baby steps”...

I have been a member of the FLYlady website for over a year now, and even though I have been able to establish quite a few useful habits (doing a load of laundry a day, drinking enough water everyday, wearing lace up shoes, making the bed every morning) I still have a long way to go. It’s been uphill, and in part it’s because I had the wrong attitude… I’ve been seeing household chores as, well, chores, instead of as an opportunity to show my gratitude everyday for all that I have. Just that little shift in attitude is starting to make a big difference.