Meet Maggie; Our New Puppy

My brother Rob's dogs had a litter of puppies and we have the joy of making one our own! They've named her Maggie, we've yet to decide if that's the name she'll be keeping, but for now, we'll go with that. Her mom - Pepper, is a Terri-Poo and her father - Sam, is a purebred poodle. Both are extremely good dogs, who like to play frisbee and sit at their master's feet, so we know that Maggie will be great! We get to pick her up on Mother's day weekend. I am really looking forward to it. (Now she's not the Great Dane that Dan wanted, so I'm not sure how happy he is, but the girls and I are thrilled!)

Fly Lady Crisis Cleaning Tips

Hi everyone! I got this article from my friend Shauna. As I read it I laughed out loud because the author "Fly Lady" seemed to know my cleaning MO to a T! Check it out, she's got some great tips!

I can hear the panic in your voices. "In a fewdays, we have a ton of company coming, what am I to do?" If you want a crash marathon cleaning session, I can help you, but be warned, without the routines, your home will be trashed again in a day. So you have to listen closely.

1. GO GET DRESSED ALL THE WAY TO SHOES, HAIR FIXED AND FACE MOISTURIZED OR MAKEUP PUT ON. DON'T QUESTION ME ON THIS. JUST DO IT NOW. Put on some good working music. Not too fast, just slow and steady. peppy, but not aerobic. Light a candle that has a
good scent or put on some spices on to boil on a very low heat.

We are going to start in our kitchens. As the kitchen goes, so does the rest of the house.

2. Set a timer and spend 15 minutes in the kitchen. If your sink is not clean and shiny, then shine it first, then you can fill the sink up with hot soapy water and start to clear off the left and right counters. Empty the dishwasher, When the timer goes off. Stop what you are doing and go to the living room

3. Set the timer again and do 15 minutes cleaning off the coffee tables or picking up toys or newpapers. Concentrate on one thing. Not all of it. When the timer goes off, then go back to the kitchen. Get a laundry basket and put the things that don't belong in the living room in the basket. Take a garbage bag with you too. Start throwing away the trash. Don't get caught up in the guilt we have about recycling this stuff. Just bag it up for now. 20 pounds of trash in a landfill is not going to kill you. So get over this perfectionism attitude. As you get your home in order there will be plenty of time to recycle. For now we are focusing on getting the home presentable. You can't do this if you are hyperfocusing on sorting and recycling.

4. In the kitchen set the time for 15 more minutes, continue to work on clearing the counters. DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND WANT TO CLEAN OUT A CABINET. WE ARE DOING ONLY SURFACE CLEANING.

5. Now take a break and walk around and look at what you have accomplished in just 45 minutes. Set the timer for 15 minutes and drink a cup of tea or coffee or whatever you love and just relax. When the timer goes off. You are back in work mode for 15 more minutes.

6. This 15 minute session is in the bathroom. You can do this! Clean the sink in here first, then pick up towel and dirty clothes and put them in the hamper. DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND START A LOAD OF LAUNDRY. I MEAN THIS. LAUNDRY WILL COME LATER!

7. When the timer goes off, you are back in the kitchen. For 15 more minutes. We can do anything in 15 minutes. Keep working till the timer goes off. Then you go to the Living room once again.

8. In the livingroom, continue to pick up and put away.

9. Every 45 minutes take a 15 minute break. Do you understand this.

Adapt this schedule to fit your physical limitations and children's needs. But you get the picture. Stay focused on one job for 15 minutes. You are going to be so surprised at how much you get done in a day's time.

My timer is my best Friend.

You can do this.
Now turn off the computer and get to work!

Let's FLY through this Crisis Cleaning, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy your guests,

FlyLady

P.S. Put this in your Journal for future reference, just in case a friend needs your help.

Painting

I'm so tired! We've been painting our new house this weekend, and it's almost ready to move into. Now I've got to finish the packing... ugh, I'm not even close to being as ready as I should be! I can't wait to just get in there! Once I get settled in I'll post some pictures of our tiny little cottage. :)

SC