Tuesday

Yesterday was NOT good - I was too tired to do anything, and the same this morning. Hopefully tonight will be better.

Evening:

• Do dishes
• Wipe tables
• Shine sink
• Take vitamin
• 5 minute room rescue.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow
• Floss

Morning:

• Make bed
• Face, hair, jewellery
• Read Bible
• Swish toilet
• 2 minute hot spot prevention

Two steps forward, three steps back

Feeling a bit discouraged tonight. The past 24 - 36 hours have been pretty difficult, mostly over coming to terms with Mike's delay. The kitchen has really been allowed to slide as has the laundry and that's discouraging. But I know that even just 20 minutes bustling about will bring about a change.
So, evening routine it is, and tonight I am making bread.

• clear the table
• wipe down
• stack the dishwasher
• set breadmaker
• Michael's lunch and drink
• Load of washing
• Dryer
• Tomorrow's clothes
• Shine sink

Monday

I am SO grateful for FlyLady! As you know I was sick Friday, I started feeling better around noon'ish though, so I wrote my friend that she was still more than welcome to come over in the evening, if she didn't mind that I was sick. She didn't (fortunately, as I'd really been looking forward to seeing her), and despite the fact that I hadn't done my morning routine that morning, nor my evening routine the evening before, it took all of 5 minutes to get the flat ready! TOTALLY unheard of in pre-FlyLady days. I'm really, really glad you told me to write down the routines - it's made an incredible difference.

That said, here are my routines for tonight and tomorrow morning:

Evening:

• Do dishes.
• Wipe down.
• Shine sink.
• Take vitamins.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.
• Floss.

Morning:

• Make bed.
• Face, hair, jewellery.
• Swish toilet.
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute hot spot prevention.

Sunday night

• clear table
• wipe down
• stack dishwasher
• set breadmaker for morning
• make Michael's lunch and drink
• tomorrow's clothes
• load of washing
• dryer
• shine sink
• tablets

On the agenda, attempt the second

I blogged a whole morning routine and a whole day's worth of tasks the other day and Blogger managed to lose the lot before I had saved it, so right now I am feeling a little disillusioned and annoyed. NOW I remember why it was that I moved across to Typepad in the first place :(
So, here goes, for what it is worth.
MORNING

• make bed
• hair, face
• swish toilet
• load of washing
• dishwasher
• clean kitty litter
• feed cat
• meat out for tea
• check calendar
• to do list

TO DO

• ring Aunty Bear and cancel my part of girls' day out :(
• drop Mike's homework book into school
• transfer money for Mike's OT assessment
• pay next part of FAO debt
• empty recycling bin
• put folding away
• tidy kitchen
• tidy family room
• 15 minute pick up in play room
• 20 minutes in craft room
• 20 minutes filing
• 15 minute pick up in loungeroom
• put away basket of ironing that has been staring at me since last Friday
• ME TIME!!!!! Today it will happen

And today I am going to make my timer my best, best friend and I will not get sidetracked. Uh uh, not me!

Wednesday

aaaand.... he's left again, not to return until Friday :-( *great big sigh*

Evening:

• Do dishes.
• Cook dinner.
• Wipe down.
• Clean up after dinner.
• Shine sink.
• Take vitamins.
• Write in journal.
• 5-15 minutes cleaning up.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.
• Floss.

Morning:

• Make bed.
• Face, hair, jewellery.
• Swish toilet.
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute hot spot prevention.
• Take down newspapers.

On the agenda

Tuesday...

Lars will be back in just 4 hours! Yay! :-)

Evening:

• Do dishes.
• Cook dinner.
• Wipe down.
• Clean up after dinner.
• Shine sink.
• Take vitamins.
• Write in journal.
• 5-15 minutes cleaning up.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.
• Floss.

Morning:

• Make bed.
• Face, hair, jewellery.
• Swish toilet.
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute hot spot prevention.
• Take down newspapers.

Starting again

My routines were NOT well established enough to survive a crisis. I did nothing but the very bare minimum over the weekend. However, I DID do the bare minimum (i.e. do dishes every night, even though there were only a few, instead of letting them build up, use 2 minutes in living room every night to ensure that even if it looked no better, it looked no worse either, and I am UNBELIVABLY proud of myself that I managed that. Usually my reaction to a crisis involving Lars is to go to pieces and do absolutely nothing.

I need to get back on track though. And today is as good a time as any. I don't know if I can stick to the routines I set up for myself before Thursday, but I'm definitely going to try. We'll see how it goes...

Evening:

• Do dishes.
• Cook dinner.
• Wipe down.
• Clean up after dinner.
• Shine sink.
• Take vitamins.
• Write in journal.
• 5-15 minutes cleaning up.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.
• Floss.
  And most importantly...
• PAMPER MYSELF

Morning:

• Make bed.
• Face, hair, jewellery.
• Swish toilet.
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute hot spot prevention.
• Take down trash.

Out of sorts

Had a family bbq today with 15 here for lunch and the afternoon. Coped with it fine, but as usual am suffering the after effects of having had the strain of entertaining. I'll be fine, but am just a bit out of sorts at the moment.
It's too early for the evening routine so I think I'll try this to keep my mind busy and free from stress for a while

• make cup of coffee
• 20 minutes in craft room
• 15 minutes filing
• 15 minutes ironing
• hang towels on new towel rail
• quick flick around in the kitchen
• laundry for tonight

That'll do for now.

Eating out tonight, so the short version :)

Evening:

• Shine sink.
• Take vitamins.
• Write in journal.
• 5-15 minutes cleaning up.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.
• Floss.

Morning:

• Make bed.
• Face, hair, jewellery.
• Swish toilet.
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute hot spot prevention.
• Take down newspapers for recycling.

Wednesday...

It's not that I was lazy this morning, but I woke up 45 mins later than planned (stupid alarm clock - grrr... have to figure out what went wrong) and was literally out the door 7 minutes after waking up. Good thing I'd done everything on my evening routine, so I didn't feel I was leaving the flat a mess :)

Evening:

• Do dishes.
• Wipe down.
• Cook dinner.
• Clean up after dinner.
• Shine sink.
• Take vitamin.
• Write in journal.
• 10 minutes clean up.
• Floss.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.

Morning:

• Make bed.
• Face, hair, jewellery.
• Swish toilet.
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute hot spot prevention.
• Take down newspapers for recycling.

Time to blog again

Being back at work has meant that I've needed to focus on doing the routines and not worry too much about writing about them until I have time, which is now.
So for today:

• make bed EXTRA Changed linen on master bed
• hair, face
• swish toilet
• load of washing EXTRA Washed bed linen and hung on line...this is a FIRST changed and washed on the same day :)
• dishwasher
• clean kitty litter
• feed cat
• check calendar
• hot spots
• to do list

TO DO

* buy meat for tea (it's fish so I have to get it fresh)

* weekly house clean

* 15 minutes filing

* 45 minutes craft room

* fold yesterday's washing

* put yesterday's washing away

* iron yesterday's washing

* change linen on kids' beds

ME TIME!!!! Hopefully in the craft room

ERRANDS

• bank cheques
• write cheques to Tax Office :(
• check through bills
• pay relevant ones
• transfer bill money and mortgage for February

All is quiet on the Western Front...

We've both been really quiet lately. I hope it's a matter of not updating rather than not flying. I haven't been doing every last bit of my routines over the weekend, but I have been keeping the hot spots under control... something I'm really proud about, considering how the appartment usually looks after having a visitor stay for so long. I even managed to do all the dishes yesterday :-)

But now it's back on track, so I'd better get back to posting as well.

Evening:

• Shopping
• Library
• Do dishes
• Shower
• 5 minute hot spot prevention
• Cook dinner
• Clear away after dinner
• Shine sink
• Take vitamin
• Write in journal
• Floss
• Clothes for tomorrow
• EARLY TO BED!!!

Morning: (getting up all alone as Lars is away with work :-( )

• Make bed
• Swish toilet
• Face, hair, jewellery
• Read Bible
• 2 minute clean-up
• Take down newspapers for recycling.

Slow but steady...

Slow and steady wins the race! I no longer see as much improvement from day to day as I did last week, but I'm not falling behind either. My living room looks better than it has in ages :-) Thank you for this idea, Anne *hugs*

Evening:

• Cook dinner
• Do dishes
• Tidy up after dinner
• Wipe down
• 5 minute hot spot prevention
• Shine sink
• Floss
• Put out clothes for tomorrow
• Write journal

Morning:

• Make my side of the bed.
• Hair, face, jewellery?
• Swish toilet
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute fire drill.
• Take down newspapers for recycling

Evening/Morning

Going out for dinner with my youngest sister tonight, and DETERMINED to get an early night (got one last night as well, but then lay awake for about two hours from 4-6 :-( ) so only a short evening routine tonight.

Evening:

• Wash the 'big' dishes (i.e. pots and pans)
• Wipe down
• Shine sink
• Write journal
• Floss
• Clothes for tomorrow.

Morning:

• Make my side of bed
• Face, hair, jewellery?
• Swish toilet
• Read Bible
• 2 minutes on hot-spots
• Take down newspapers for recycling
  

I know I can, I know I can...

I forgot to write down my morning routine last night, but think I did pretty well. Let's see... I got dressed to the shoes, washed my face, swished the toilet, read my Bible and even remembered to take down some newspapers for recycling :-D

Tonight's routine is going to be a short one, because either I have a meeting from 7-10pm, or I didn't go, which means my back's still too sore to stand up for longer periods of time.

Evening:

• Do dishes.
• Cook dinner.
• Tidy up after dinner.
• Shine sink.
• Wipe down.
• Write in journal. (I figured that since I want to do this every day, I may as well include it in my routine ;) )
• Use 2 minutes on the worst hot-spots.
• Floss
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.

Evening

• 5 minute run
• clear table
• wipe down
• stack dishwasher
• shine sink
• Michael's lunch and drink
• tomorrow's clothes
• load of washing
• dryer

I can do it

I have been reading for ages and trying hard to fly in so many areas of my life, but I had an a-ha moment this afternoon. If I can do anything for 15 minutes, then I should be able to do ANYTHING for five minutes. So today I set a goal of running around my backyard, blessing my heart and releasing body clutter for just 5 minutes. I hate running, but I can do ANYTHING for five minutes, so today I ran. I ran for 4 1/2 minutes before my legs gave out and the need for a proper sports bra meant I had to stop, but I did it! I did it! And I am so proud of myself for doing it. Tomorrow I CAN run for 5 minutes, and maybe the day after it might be 5 1/2. I didn't get fat overnight, and I am not going to become more slender overnight. But I don't have to. All I have to do is run for 5 minutes. And I can do that.

Maria's Sunday

Sunday: (home alone from 2-11pm)

• Make bed
• Shower
• Get dressed to the shoes
• Face, hair, jewellery?
• Swish toilet
• Read Bible
• Attempt to make menu for next week ;-) (Monday: leftovers, Tuesday: home alone so I don't know yet. Wed: pie, Thu: pasta gratin, Fri: Turkey breast, Sat: Stir fry, Sun: Danish meatballs)
• Make dinner for Lars
• 15 minutes focused work
• Shine sink
• Floss
• Put out clothes for tomorrow

I am not behind.

• make bed
• hair, face
• swish toilet
• load of washing
• dishwasher
• get meat out for tea
• clean kitty litter
• feed cat
• to do list
• check calendar for tomorrow
• check hot spots

TO DO

* get rid of dead flowers from lounge room

* change water in family room flowers

* cut some roses for the bedroom

* lunch

* do a quick tidy of lounge room floor

* 1/2 hour in craft room

* 15 minutes filing

* 15 minutes ironing

* time off to watch the cricket :)

An 'ordinary' routine for weekends obviously doesn't work, so I shall have to think of something else... among other things a 'full day' routine, rather than a 'morning' and an 'evening' one, as my mornings and evenings often spread out into each other ;)

Saturday: (going to Henriette's place for dinner - yay!)

• Make bed
  
• Get dressed to the shoes
  
• Hair, face, jewellery?
  
• Swish toilet
  
• Read Bible
  
• Make dinner for Lars
  
• 15 minutes focused work.
  
• Shine sink
  
• Shop if necessary
  
• Floss
  

Maria's Friday evening

• Do dishes
• Cook dinner
• Tidy up after dinner
• Wipe down
• Shine sink
• 15 minutes focused work
• Spend some quality time with Lars.

Evening

• clear the table
• wipe down
• stack the dishwasher
• shine sink
• set breadmaker - banana walnut bread tonight
• tomorrow's clothes
• load of washing
• dryer

Just a small note: I'm so cuaght up/coping with the washing that there might not even been a loads worth tonight. I'll do it anyway though as I am not going back to that dark place where there was dirty washing in every room in spades. Nody, nody, nody, no!

Wheels are coming off

It would appear that the wheels are falling off this bus a little and I can't for the life of me work out why. I am doing my morning and evening routines faithfully, decluttering a little each day, but slowly, slowly the house is not looking as good.
Of course, it could be that there's actuallynothing wrong with the house, it is just that my expectations have risen. Maybe the bar has been set a little higher now and I need to incorporate some focus area work as well.
It's worth mulling over.

• make bed
• hair, face
• swish toilet
• load of washing
• dishwasher
• get meat out for tea
• clean kitty litter
• feed cat
• check hot spots
• check calendar
• create to do list

TO DO

1. Drop the little man at school
2. Basket of folding
3. Put away
4. Spend 1/2 hour in craft room (this is going great guns!)
5. Make menus
6. Grocery shopping
7. Drop into school to check status of RFF timetable
8. 15 minutes filing
9. 20 minutes working on office folder
10. Ring up about rubbish removal
11. Ring Dr Ferris re account
12. NAP!

Yesterday

Yesterday was not such a good day in terms of routines and keeping things looking nice. I was all out of sorts as it was the little man's first day of school and after we dropped him off I felt a bit lost. I guess now it is a case of learning new ways to do things now that everything has changed.
Today, however, is a new day and it has a new beginning, so off we go again.

Maria's evening 20060202

...and her morning tomorrow, as I KNOW I won't get around to posting it later tonight ;) I'm home alone, so it's a shortish version.

Evening:

• Cook dinner.
• Tidy up after dinner.
• Wipe down.
• Shine sink.
• 15 minutes focused work.
• Floss.
• Put out clothes for tomorrow.
• PAMPER myself.

What does it say about me that the one thing I didn't do was pamper myself? Oh, I did relax with a good book, but nothing out of the ordinary. No matter, it was what I was in the mood for.

Morning:

• Make my side of bed.
• Hair, face, jewellery?
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute tidy up.
• Swish bathroom.
• Take down papers for recycling.

Anne's Morning 20060202

• make bed
• hair, face
• swish toilet
• load of washing
• dishwasher
• get meat out for tea
• clean kitty litter
• feed cat
• check hot spots
• check calendar
• create to do list

Feb 1st. 2006

Last night I spent 30 minutes decluttering the living room. I only did the top of our low bookshelves and the window sill, but it looks so good now. I've found my shining sink of the living room :-) It happened by osmosis... I cleared out two shelves for Lars to use for his stuff, and then wanted to wipe them down. While I stood with the cloth in hand, I thought I might as well do the top of the book shelves as well... only I couldn't, because there was too much clutter on them, so I started removing the things that didn't make me smile... one of those things was a candle still wrapped. I thought that would look good on the window sill, and it did, but it showed too clearly all the clutter around it, so I removed that as well, and voila! Two new clutter-free areas in my living room :-) It felt SO good going to bed, knowing I'd wake up to that in the morning. The top of the high book shelves is up next.

Evening:

• Cook dinner
• Do dishes
• Tidy up after dinner
• Wipe down
• 5 minute hot spot prevention
• Shine sink
• Floss
• Put out clothes for tomorrow

Morning:

• Make my side of the bed.
• Hair, face, jewellery?
• Swish toilet
• Read Bible.
• 2 minute fire drill.