Thursday, June 16, 2011

Getting the Monkeys off my Back

Today marks the dawning of a new era. A time of conquering and victory. A time of soaring awesomeness. And what I mean, of course, is this: today I shined my kitchen sink.



Oh yes I did!

You see, that crazy feeling of things spiraling out of control can be a little irritating, but deciding which of the zillion things to do first is, you know...overwhelming. Then Jenny, in this week's deadline discussion over at The Lightning and the Lightning Bug, said "Maybe if I had an authority giving me deadlines for household chores, more would get done and in a timely manner."

Lightbulb moment!

All I need is someone to tell me exactly what to do and when to do it.  And who better to do it than the Fly Lady herself?  So I took a deep breath and signed up.  And then almost cried a little when I read that I could receive up to TEN emails per day.  Ten? From one person?  That's almost as bad as having to talk on the phone!  But then I slapped myself , insisted I suck it up, and clicked the magic button.

Then it became go-big-or-go-home time and I decided to go ahead attack the other monkey on my back (having two monkeys on your back can be really uncomfortable.  Unless they're both sleeping, they're either fighting or picking fleas off each other. I know.  Gross, right?) at the same time.  Enter Couch to 5k.


You'll note that this is a 3 day a week plan, which is awesome because...well, I'm lazy.  Also  because Monday/Wednesday/Friday are clearly the best days for something like this, which means I don't have to start until tomorrow.  I mean, hello????  I'm about to get 10 emails from that crazy bug woman.  I need to be READY!

In case you're like me and have barely heard of, and certainly never attempted to jump on the bandwagon of, The Fly Lady, know that there are also tasks for the children to help with do their own dang selves with the help of a timer.  What a perfect summertime project!  "No you may not loaf around, my darling offspring, for the Fly Lady demandeth that you clear your dresser of all your precious worldly treasures, including but not limited to that half-eaten moldy bagel and that water bottle filled with your experimental homemade perfume!"

The were not super stoked when they started:

 and after the requisite 10 minutes (thank you Mr. Timer) they had not made much progress:


But then THEY asked if they could work for another 10 and try to finish (they denied that they had been drinking or doing any drugs.  I still have my suspicions.) and I was all "Do your walls need a coat of white paint on this fake wood paneling so bad that it kinda makes me sad that the whole internet is about to see the caves you're forced to live in?"

And look!  They did it!

And look, I did it too!







My darling son chose this pose of his own accord.  Be still my pride-filled heart!
As you can tell, I'm feeling pretty good about this second day of summer vacation.  Mostly because my husband just took the three older ones with him to the hardware store and the baby is sleeping (oh sweet silence, how I love thee!) but also because I can see progress.  Progress!  The opposite of wheel-spinning!  Wheel rolling.
I would love it if you'd virtually roll your wheels with me in either (or both!) the Fly Lady-ing of your precious abode or the transferring from your couch to a 5k, so I'm adding a link-up to the bottom of this and any future posts on these topics.  Feel free to link up any post you do about either one, even if your post says "I think dweej has lost her mind again because she is doing these two silly things when she could be eating popcorn and watching old Jersey Shore episodes while her kids are out of the house."

Maybe I'll even make a couple of buttons for you to grab and make it official!  Maybe.  If I can remember how.

Until then, imagine me staring at my sink and patting myself on the back while running in place.  Take that, monkeys!



Oh look, if you want to add the linky to your post as well, go here to get the code:


post signature

44 comments :

  1. I did look at the Fly Lady and was so overwhelemed by all the emails. Good for you at shining your sink! It may seem small, but I'm sure it feels good. No nobody can eat or drink for fear of getting it diry again. *teasing*

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  2. Hey! I'm doing the Couch-to-5K thing too! Well, after I buy me some new runnin' shoes and the shin splints from my old shoes heal a bit. Right now, it's more like Couch-to-fast-walking-in-Chacos-and-riding-my-bike-a-lot. In fact, I even talked my darling husband into doing the whole 5K thing with me! Yay us! Yay Dwija!
    Your sink looks so sparkly! I think that means you have to eat out tonight so you don't muss it!

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  3. Fly Lady kept my head above water when my kids were tiny, and even still- when I'm overwhelmed I set my timer and fill my sink with hot bleachy water! (did it just yesterday!!)

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  4. The picture of you and the kitchen sink = best photo ever.

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  5. Fly Lady scares me with her purple hair. Until my children go through a weird "alternative" phase in high school no one with purple hair will tell ME what to do! But good for you! : )

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  6. Now I'm feeling really, really, really guilty for all of those projects I should be doing...

    Paint the paneled walls white. It will make a light-world of difference until you can yank the paneling and install sheetrock.

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  7. We DO need to paint those walls white. We really, really do. Maybe after the guitar convention Tommy can take a few days "off" to help. And by "off" I really mean "on, but doing something different" ;)

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  8. Is it just me or do the FlyLady links in this post take you to someplace called Jenny's Blessed Nest. Is this some kind of weird Rick Roll I've never heard of?

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  9. FLY Lady.... LOVE IT!!!! I need to get back on that bandwagon for sure.

    As for the running... keep with it. Next year I think I will try to enter my own hand-picked team to do the Hood to Coast Relay... and you would be on the short list! You want in?

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  10. @Charlotte- I will check on that! That would be bad and wrong...crazy Blogger! (I love blaming stuff on them)

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  11. Okay, I don't know what happened (embarrassing!) but it should be fixed now. Thanks for the heads-up!

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  12. Not a problem. On the bright side, Crazy Blogger could have linked to about a million other worse places! :)

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  13. 1) I am the QUEEN of wheel-spinning. It is the most hated hated hated regular occurrence in my life. Truly.

    2)Martin and I are actually thinking of having him come up with a list of tasks each day so that he can hold me accountable. I don't know how good this will be for our marriage. But at least the house will be cleaner and better organized while we decide who gets to keep it.

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  14. Olivia, do the Fly Lady with me! Write a post and link it up! It'll be fun :)

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  15. I had a similar moment the other day when I cleaned the kitchen window sill and woodwork around the window. I removed the valance to wash it, decided that I like the light pouring into the kitchen without it, vacummed the screens of the winter detritus, washed all my chili pepper knick knacks and put everything back.

    My poor family had to put up with me proclaiming: "Look at the kitchen! Look at it - doesn't the window look great? Did you see it? Wow!". Of course, now I have to scrub the floor so it matches the window sill...

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  16. Go Dwija!! My sister loves the Fly Lady, she says it feels manageable. I should probably try it, my house is a GIANT disaster.

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  17. Oh, and no worries, my dad still has that paneling in his living room, for all the world to see.

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  18. You know, some of us grew up with that paneling by choice just because our parents thought it was groovy!

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  19. I am a "Flybaby" too! It is a lot of e-mails, and I usually delete the testimonials without reading them, but the other ones are very helpful. My house is much less cluttered now.
    And good for you with the couch to 5k!
    P.S. my son has those exact spongebob pants :)

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  20. Last night I washed dishes instead of waiting until the morning. Good thing too. Had to leave first thing after coffee to catch the train to Sheffield.

    Yeah, that's right. Sheffield, UK.

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  21. FlyLady was the first woman to make me feel like I had accomplished something by merely scrubbing the toilet bowl. I mean really, who says you have to clean the entire house in one day?! Love her. Congrats on the beautiful sink.

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  22. Sink looks awesome! I like the 5 k training thing too. I went out again this morning and made it a lot farther than yesterday without stopping to walk, but since the asthma the distance isn't there at all. Maybe I should just start over!

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  23. I must be living under some sort of rock because *gasp* I have no clue who this Fly Lady person is. Should I know? Am I officially out of the loop?
    That sink sure is sparkly n' stuff. I mopped my wood floors and ran two miles today. Would that Fly Lady approve?

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  24. Can I recommend my cleaning method "Ten Minutes from Clean"? It's all about low standards!

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  25. ML, I loved that cleaning post! You should have left a link here in the comments!

    If you'll send me daily emails about what I and the children should tackle, I will gladly sign up for the Bird Lady program instead ;)

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  26. You know I'm with you on the Couch to 5K thing. This week is week empty set though, 'cause I've had a bad cold. Can't wait to get running again.

    Eek! Who am I????

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  27. PS...I don't need a fly lady 'cause I'm married to Mr. Clean.

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  28. OK. I should do couch to 5k. And I've never heard of the fly lady either. Your link list looks to lonely that I feel obliged to do something! But first I have to finish my reglazing my ancient bedroom window (I'm on a dinner/internet break). Will be back later, promise!

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  29. Nina, I would love if you'd link up...but don't feel guilted into doing it!

    You are so sweet and funny :)

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  30. Like Kelli and Nina, I am unfamiliar with the Fly Lady and kind of fearful of her. But I am very inspired by this can-do attitude and feel that I may be motivated to do something about my own laziness problem....tomorrow. :)

    The sink looks awesome, and the girl's did a fabulous job on their dressers. Definitely something to be proud of. Along with that killer pose from your boy. A chip off the old block.

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  32. Hey there! My sister, Jordan, from Trailer Gypsy sent me over. I just jumped back on the Fly Lady bandwagon with the Baby Steps yesterday, and invited friends to join. Nice timing! Good luck!
    http://apt345.blogspot.com/2011/06/clean-house-challenge.html

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  33. you're nuts! that fly lady is too bossy for me! I AM the boss of the pigsty at my house!!

    ps. i just shoved the huge piles of clean laundry in need of folding over to the edge of the couch so that i actually had room to sit down. my kids are just sitting on top of the laundry watching Dora. and i'm pretty sure my sink has some unidentifiable crustiness fermenting in it right now...yeah, we are FULL of ambition this summer.

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  34. I love a shiny sink, too. But not as much as thumbs up!

    Seriously, even my 2 year old does the thumbs up back to me. :)

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  35. Oh lordy, I love a shiny sink. A new white farm sink would be even better, but I'll take what I can get. Our basement and playroom are caves in desperate need of white paint too.

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  36. Well, I would join you on the whole FlyLady thing but she has this rule where you don't start a load of laundry until you have time to wash, dry, and fold it all at once. This hurts my laundry chair's* feelings. So, me and FlyLady don't get along.

    *chair where 1 or more loads of clean, dry clothes are stored for indeterminate amount of time so I can keep the laundry going full speed, 24/7.

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  37. @Kara- When we finally paint all that paneling, I will wear a ball gown and sip champagne!

    @Olivia- I've decided that since I don't own a dryer, I am allowed to fudge on her laundry rules. We'll see if the whole plan crumbles when I get to that stage! As of now, day 2, I am still on track. Aren't you impressed??????

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  38. I love the 10 minute idea. It's like a race to beat the clock. I need to do this in my classroom. You have 2 minutes. Can you get it done before the buzzer???

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  39. girl, you need one of your nice readers to send you a free dryer now.

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  40. Tenetia, I OWN a dryer...just no place or way to hook it up!

    Now if one of my readers wants to send me a free contractor, that would be a different story ;)

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  41. This brought back memories of one night during my grad school year at college. "You see, that crazy feeling of things spiraling out of control can be a little irritating, but deciding which of the zillion things to do first is, you know...overwhelming." Yes, I had that crazy feeling right in the middle of studying for some mid-term and when I took a break to use the bathroom, I decided right then and there that I HAD TO DECLOG THE SINK BECAUSE THE WAY IT DRAINED SLOWLY WAS PUSHING ME OVER THE EDGE AND I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE, EXAM STUDYING AND ALL. So for the next 45 minutes to an hour, I decided to forgo just using draino like any normal person would do, but I actually decided to unscrew the pipe below the sink and clear the perceived clog from there. I had never done this before and why I got the idea that I should do it then, if at all (why not call the landlord), I have no idea. I was a woman on a MISSION. I remember so clearly getting that pipe disassembled and extracting a massive, gross, dirty, tangled, soapy, hair mess that had been collecting for who knows how long (my roommate and I both had thick hair and mid-length, not to mention the tenants who lived there the year before us). I just remember feeling so proud of myself and thinking the world is all right now, I can go back to studying for my exam because the clog has DEFEATED and you should have seen how fast the water drained after that. I momentarily had some difficulty replacing the pipe, but I did get it back on. I can't remember how I did on that exam, but I will always remember that sink. Thanks for jogging that trip down memory lane!

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  42. You touched my life yesterday, actually your posts move me often. Today, though, I shared you on my blog. Thanks!

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  43. It looks shinier than before, you did a good job cleaning it.

    man and van London

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