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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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Lissa wrote:
| Conquer Your Paper Clutter--I took a deep breath, set a timer for 15 minutes, and marched to my once-again overflowing downstairs paper basket. This time, instead of dumping the mess out of sight upstairs, I sorted and filed everything in it. It took 11 minutes. Huge DOH moment. |
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Isn't that the truth?!!! I had three huge piles of paper plaguing me in the mudroom. At the outset of Conquer Your Paper Clutter Month (this month, by the way), I tackled the whole mess in about three fifteen minute sessions, finding absolute garbage along the way that was a no-brainer to throw out (flyers for events that passed six months ago, obsolete receipts, invitations to birthday parties we already attended, old church bulletins). I worked on it while watching EWTN, and it was a pleasure! Plus, I can leave the door to the mudroom open now, and I am planning on converting it to a lovely dressing room for my girls. It has an adjoining laundry room and bathroom, so it is the perfect place to organize all their clothes in a highly efficient way. This will save me from lugging the laundry back and forth up the stairs to their rooms (or having them do it), make it easy to pass down hand me downs by organizing all the clothing according to size (ie, if you are currently a size 8, these are your clothes--no more confusion!), and it will cut down on clutter in their rooms by moving the clothes, the biggest source of clutter, to a central location.
More on this project as it unfolds!
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
      
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Karen E.
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 6:14pm | IP Logged
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alicegunther wrote:
By the time I'm ready for a new grocery delivery, |
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Alice,
I loved your whole post, the encouragement and ideas, but I just have to say ... you get to have all your groceries delivered???????  I'm reeling. Okay, okay, I shall not covet, I shall not covet ....
__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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Karen E.
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 6:16pm | IP Logged
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WJFR wrote:
| And so thrilled to read that I'm not the only one who procrastinates making pediatric dentist appointments |
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Add me to that list ... I'm calling tomorrow ....
__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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ladybugs
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 6:45pm | IP Logged
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Hi Alice and ladies,
Just wanted thank you for suggesting flylady. I'd been thinking, "I need to do something!" but quite frankly, didn't know where to begin. I've begun  and already feel better. It's amazing how quickly that paper clutter accumulates! And, in a small house sometimes it's easy to feel sucked into the vortex of clutter!  
I find, too, that it helps me to know that others have been where I am. It gives me hope. These past few years with my dh in the IT field and having such a sproadic income, I have found my nerves a little frayed lately. My dh begins working his new job with Dell tomorrow but there is that realistic part of me that wonders, "Will he really have a job tomorrow when he walks in?" This stress coupled with the criticism that I often hear I was feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes, I need to hear how nice my children are and what a good job I'm doing rather than what I'm not doing!
Today was lovely. My children and I had breakfast, said our morning prayers on the way to Mass. A woman I know at church watched the little ones for me while Isabella and I went to confession - that is flylady for the soul, friends! Anyway, after mass, a different woman said, "Your children are so beautiful." It almost put me to tears! The power of the positive! That's what flylady is!
So, anyway, I've taken the scenic route towards a thanks, Alice. Oh, and I like what Lissa said too, quoting Flylady...let me see can I find it? Something about, "You're not behind, start right where you are!"
Cool! 
Love and God Bless,
__________________
Love and God Bless,
Maria P
My etsy store - all proceeds go to help my fencing daughters!
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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 8:01pm | IP Logged
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Karen E. wrote:
| but I just have to say ... you get to have all your groceries delivered??????? I'm reeling. Okay, okay, I shall not covet, I shall not covet .... |
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Oh, Karen, you are too funny! I only just started getting regular deliveries six weeks ago, and it's made such a huge difference. My husband used to do the lion's share of the food shopping, and it took up half the day on Saturday or Sunday. I will never go back to that again.
Another great feature is that the delivery company keeps the order open for a long time so that, as I realize a need for things, I can continue to add them to the list up to a certain time.
Go online and do a search for "online grocers" to see if there are any available in your area. You should also call your local stores to see if they have this service. You may be pleasantly surprised.
BTW, on behalf of Willa and myself, welcome to the Pediatric Dental Procrastinators Club.
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Sarah
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 8:26pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for all the words of inspiration. This has been a great thread and I'm actually excited to begin flylady.
__________________
Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 8:30pm | IP Logged
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Sarah wrote:
| Thanks for all the words of inspiration. This has been a great thread and I'm actually excited to begin flylady. |
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I'll be taking those baby steps right along with you, Sarah!
Congratulations on the new baby by the way!
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Karen E.
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 9:33pm | IP Logged
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My girls were just reading over my shoulder, and I have to share with you what they said. First, Maria -- Lizzy read your post, and said, "Oh, Emily, you have to come read this! This is so sweet! Read here -- start with 'today was lovely'! It's SO sweet!"
And Alice, they got to your post and looked at me with shock and stern faces. "Mommy, why are you coveting?"
Sarah, hang in there. With a new baby, all bets are often off. 
Flylady really has helped me. Probably the biggest thing she did for me was to inspire the control journal. I've adapted it for my needs and what a lifesaver it's been! Having one notebook in which I keep all the important stuff of life keeps me (relatively) organized and sane. I keep a planner there, and have sections for my monthly school log, school ideas, gift ideas and "wish lists", household notes, receipts, schedules, etc., a health section in which I make notes about the kids (except the note to myself to schedule the dentist ....), and my daily and monthly to-do lists.
Flylady was also extremely helpful, as Alice and Lissa detailed, in helping me to see how much can be done in small spurts. Adding little routines of clean-up to our days has helped me out enormously. The house can still get that things-have-piled-up-we're-out-of-control feeling if we're out of our regular routine (this weekend, for example, we had activities come up unexpectedly, and were very busy) but it doesn't get overwhelming anymore. Well, at least not usually.
(It did when my youngest was a baby, though, Sarah, so don't despair.)
I find that the "baby step" theory really works. Over the last few years, I have added little ideas here and there from Flylady, and the cumulative effect has been worth the effort and perseverance.
__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 10:22pm | IP Logged
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Karen E. wrote:
| My girls were just reading over my shoulder, and I have to share with you what they said. First, Maria -- Lizzy read your post, and said, "Oh, Emily, you have to come read this! This is so sweet! Read here -- start with 'today was lovely'! It's SO sweet!" |
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Maria, like Karen's lovely girls, I thought your story was just perfect. It is great to dwell on the positive, which after all makes up so much more of our lives than the negative.
Great story about the girls, btw, Karen.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 10:25pm | IP Logged
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P.S. I'll have you know that all my upbeat Flylady resolve momentarily went out the window tonight when I noticed two horrid pink stains on my NEW family room couch. A bit of detective work led me to discover that one of the girls had given my three year old a piece of **Big Red Gum.** It was so hot for him, he drooled it out all over my pristine cushion. Sigh. Anyone know how to get gum off upholstery?
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Marybeth
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 10:35pm | IP Logged
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Would rubbing an ice cube help? My Mom always used that trick when we were little.
I am sorry!! Hope it comes out easy.
Marybeth
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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 16 2005 at 10:39pm | IP Logged
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Marybeth wrote:
| Would rubbing an ice cube help? My Mom always used that trick when we were little. |
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It is certainly worth a shot. I'll give it a try and report back!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: Oct 17 2005 at 7:22am | IP Logged
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Alice,
I've only read half-way through your post but it has me wanting to re-sign onto Flylady.
The very reasons you gave for not signing up and deleting posts, are the same reasons I gave up on Flylady a few years back.
I'm the most disorganzed person on the face of God's green earth. But, then again, returning home from Hurricane Rita, I realized just how nice my home was...regardless.
I think I'm "in the mood" for Flylady. I wonder if she's ready for me.
I'm also in search of "Saving Dinner", commelled by your other post. I'm hoping to get to the library today, first day it's open.
Thanks for the inspiration.
__________________
Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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jdostalik
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| Posted: Oct 17 2005 at 7:32am | IP Logged
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Yikes, Alice...Did the gum stain come out? I've heard that aerosol hair spray can work, too, but be sure and test it on a hidden part of the sofa, first, to make sure it doesn't make a bigger mess, though I am pretty sure it would get the gum out...
Thanks, BTW, for this great thread on FLY lady...I am inspired to try and improve my household in baby steps...I signed up and printed out the 31 steps and am going to go shine my sink, now!
__________________
God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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alicegunther
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| Posted: Oct 17 2005 at 7:41am | IP Logged
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Many thanks, Cay, and thanks for the advice, Jennifer.
I think the ice would have worked if the gum weren't already ground into the weave of the fabric. I'll pick up some hair spray and test in on the swatch of sample fabric that came when I first ordered the couch.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
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Karen E.
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| Posted: Oct 17 2005 at 8:00am | IP Logged
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alicegunther wrote:
I think the ice would have worked if the gum weren't already ground into the weave of the fabric. I'll pick up some hair spray and test in on the swatch of sample fabric that came when I first ordered the couch. |
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Alice,
I've read that it's the alcohol in the hairspray that does the trick, so if you have rubbing alcohol around, you could try that on a hidden spot and see what happens.
This reminds me of a story: several years ago, my sister got a new couch and gave us her old white sectional. It was 9 years old, but since she has no kids, it was in pristine condition, just beautiful. The first week that we had the couch, Lizzy (18 mos. at the time) decided it was great fun to run from one end of the sectional to the other. Unbeknownst to me, she had pulled a tiny toenail on something and it was bleeding. There were little drops of blood all over the couch, from one end to the other.
My sister had kept the couch clean and gorgeous for nine years, and inside of a week, we'd reduced it to "used" condition. By the way, I spotted the stains when they were still fresh, grabbed baby wipes, starting scrubbing and got everything off!
__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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JennGM
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| Posted: Oct 17 2005 at 8:35am | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
| I'm hoping to get to the library today, first day it's open. |
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First the movie theater, now the library! I'm glad things are started to open up down there.
I can't tell you how nice it is to have you posting again, Cay.
I'm ready to boot up the FlyLady again myself...I'm moved in and need some routine established. A bigger house to clean...I need to keep on top of it!
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Oct 17 2005 at 1:09pm | IP Logged
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I'm not sure why, but I can't seem to figure out how to fit Flylady into my day. I try to keep my house in order but it is hit or miss. I've been to the Flylady site and it seems rather overwhelming. Can anyone who has been using Flylady effectively post their schedule? When do you do the house blessing? When do you fit in zone work? I actually have the morning and evening routines started and am doing well with them. It's the other stuff I can't seem to schedule in.
On a similiar note...
I have been thinking about this house cleaning thing...
I think it is important that I keep my home in order, sort of a stewardship responsibility in my eyes. But, as important as I believe it to be, I still struggle with it  . I admit, I really don't like cleaning, but I think it is because nothing stays clean! I plug away at it though. My biggest problem is staying on top of things once I've got them in order. I can spend a whole day cleaning... the house can be absolutely spotless... and then, two days later it looks like I haven't cleaned all week . I'm not sure why I have this aversion to keeping my house clean once it's clean! Yes, I'm just rambling here. I just get frustrated with myself!! 
Becky
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alicegunther
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Becky Parker wrote:
| I admit, I really don't like cleaning, but I think it is because nothing stays clean! I plug away at it though. My biggest problem is staying on top of things once I've got them in order. I can spend a whole day cleaning... the house can be absolutely spotless... and then, two days later it looks like I haven't cleaned all week . |
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Becky, this problem is typical for all of us. At my most frustrated, I have complained about the kids to my husband, calling them the Six Man Wrecking Crew!
I can't post an exact schedule because I do the Flylady missions whenever I can. Sometimes, it is immediately after reading a reminder email. Other times it's when I find myself with a free moment, like when I'm waiting outside art lessons with my control journal.
The site is indeed overwhelming, and I avoided Flylady for many years simply because I couldn't process it all. Realizing this, Marla Cilley has prepared a 31-day-babysteps program to help beginners ease into the system in extremely manageable five minute snippets over the course of a month. Ignore the rest of the site, and start with this.
As for keeping the place clean, this is very difficult in a house with many children, especially many children who never head off to school! Still, a couple of things have helped tremendously around here:
1. Cutting down on clutter. The less we have lying around, the less there is to wreck the house. By the same token, cleanup is much easier. Are there toys lying around that seem to have been emptied on to the floor, but not really played with? Those are the things you can probably live without. My kids haven't noticed a single thing I've tossed, and they enjoy their favorite toys so much more when they have a nice open place to play with them.
2. Teaching my children how to do a five minute room rescue. Now this is not strictly the Flylady method of doing things (her definition of a 5 minute room rescue is just slightly different from mine), but I make the kids spend 5 minutes speed cleaning any room they have been in. It works wonders, especially when they all pitch in.
3. Fifteen minutes a day also works wonders. Even if you wait until after the kiddies are in bed, spending fifteen minutes a day cleaning or de-cluttering or filing can really make a dent and boost your spirits. Start with one shelf or one drawer. You will be amazed how good it feels and how habit forming this is. Getting my shelves and closets in order has made the rest of the house cleaner, because, little by little, I am creating a place for everything so that everything can be in its place.
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Oct 17 2005 at 2:53pm | IP Logged
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I haven't been able to maintain the flylady's routine yet, but as for the overwhelming aspect, I understood the bigger picture much better when I read the book rather than trying to get it all from the web site.
Alice, how often do you check your mail? I want to try using the reminders again, but I'm afraid I won't check my email often enough for them to work for me. I could try checking it more often, but I know that if I did, I'd check all my loops and boards too and then I'd be on the computer half the day!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Flylady
