Here we go!

Wow, where to start...

We love & miss you, Matt, aka Daddy! That's a good place to start, since that's the main reason I'm starting this blog. In case anyone out there doesn't know (hard to believe, since I tell everyone!), I am married to the most wonderful man on the planet. He is funny, caring, smart, handsome, a great father, and my best friend. In addition to being a great husband and father, Matt is an officer (2nd Lt) in the National Guard. Duty called, and he went. We miss him a bunch! But we are also very proud of him!

While Matt's gone, I'm going to try to make some positive changes in my life. I need something to do, right? So this blog will also be a place for me to keep track of that. I joined the gym 3 days after he left, and have gone every day since. Unfortunately, McDonald's is right across the street from the gym, so after 4 days, I'd gained 4 pounds. (Obviously, I have a slight willpower shortage!) I then decided that I'd better try to eat healthy foods, so I spent an hour and a half at the grocery figuring out what was healthy. (Can you tell it's never been a priority in my life before?) Well, since then I've lost 5 pounds, and am feeling better than I have in years.

So what else do I need to work on? That's easy to figure out, if not easy to do... declutter the house! I have never been good with housework. Frankly, I look around at all that needs to be done, get overwhelmed, and give up before getting started. So I subscribed today to a site called flylady.com. Several friends have recommended it as a great system for keeping your house in order, so I checked it out. The introduction asked if I suffered from CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. At this point, I'm checking over my shoulder to see if flylady is in my house, looking around disapprovingly at all the clutter & mess. Then I continue reading & find out that she used to suffer from CHAOS, too! She understands me! She recommends taking baby steps, starting with cleaning your kitchen sink. And then she gives you a hug to encourage you before you start. Now I'm thinking, why do I need a hug just to clean my sink? Then I read her novel on how to PROPERLY clean & shine your kitchen sink...


1. Take all the dishes out of the sink.

2. Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).
Rinse your sink well.

3. Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.

4. Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.

5. Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.

6. Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.

7. If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.

8. Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one, every night with my before bedtime routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen. The rest of the family will too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.


Whew!!! Well, here goes. I'm on step one now, and am actually looking forward to having a shiny sink when I finish all the steps sometime next week. :)

My problem has always been that I can't decide what to do first, so I just don't do anything. Now I'll have someone else telling me exactly what to do. Hopefully this system will work for me! I desperately want to have a home that I'm proud of. Feel free to pray for me in this endeavor! I can use it!