Taking Back the Control

***WARNING: REALLY LONG POST AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! (lol)***

Oh my wow!! I didn't realize that's it's been over a month since my last post. I am terribly sorry for that. I have no excuses except that I've been sinus sick, my hubs has been sick (off and on), Lor is back at school (after a long break), Eli has began potty learning, and Baby J is STILL inconsistent with his nursing/sleeping schedule. Oh yeah and did I mention that my power supply cord to the laptop ( I need to give it a name) went bad and it was out of commission for a while until Radio Shack lived up to their warranty. (Another post for another time.) It sure does seem that whenever I set out to write more here, my computer in some way shape form and fashion has other plans instead. Anywho, I'm back now AGAIN (w/2 power supply cords-thanks to the hubs) and am ready to get to posting on a more regular basis, as I promised? in my last post.

About a month ago, Chris and I decided that we were going to see how long it would take for the kids to start helping out by doing their part around the house. The only thing that they were REQUIRED to do was keep the floors picked up and clear. WELL....LESSON LEARNED...NEVER MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN!!! Somewhere along the lines over the last 6 yrs they've began to grow a little lazy...or they really just don't understand the ripple effect of it all. The majority of the problem was us not being organized and having WAY to much stuff for our space. Now that we have baby #3, it's all growing even more and more, and we're being suffocated in however many sq of space our house is. (I'll have to ask the hubs for the exact number.) Honestly, I can't blame them, nor get upset, nor punish them for not obeying or doing anything. They're too overwhelmed b/c they don't know what to do with anything or where anything goes or where to put what or...I'm sure you get the point. After a month of waiting, needless to say the whole situateion has completely gotten out of hand and we can wait no more. May I be excused from the blog while I go and wash the pie off of my face?

So, TODAY is the day that the entire family takes back control of the CHAOS that has decided to move in and stay awhile. It's time to CHAOS out the door. He/She is not a blood or communal relative and he/she is no longer welcome here. (Especially since he/she doesn't contribute financially-only makes the financial situation worse.) What is my game plan of action you say? Well, I'm glad that you asked. Here is my playbook for kicking out CHAOS:

     1. With the help of "Aunt" Marla...(a.k.a. the FlyLady) we will be utilizing the CRISIS CLEAN method to get the home back to a "presentable" place. She only meantions the 3 main areas of the kitchen, living room, & bathrooms. I have expanded on it to include the dining space & hallways of our floorplan.
     2. With the help of "Cousin" Jen @ www.iheartorganizing.com we will be implementing some organization in every room of the house as we go along decluttering. I just discovered her back on my birthday last week (THE BEST GIFT that I can give to myself AND my family). Her blog is jam-packed with all sorts of awesome "why didn't I think of that before" organizing solutions that she implemented in her own home. Seriously, you have to check it out for yourself & then come back and tell me how much you HEART her blog/ideas after you pick your jaw up off the floor.
     3. I spent several hours (before the power loss) typing up a recurring "schedule of appointments" in Outlook to help me keep track of what I should be doing when at any given minute of the day. I actually set it up for my "ideal" day/week to include step-by-step routines as the end result in sight. However, while I'm doing the CRISIS CLEAN, I'm not going to follow the schedule b/c of having to stop at least every 2 hours to nurse...and when I/we have to eat/go potty. I want to try to get as much done as I can even if it takes more than 1 day to get through the CRISIS CLEAN. I think it will be better doing it this way than just following the schedule first, b/c of that sense of accomplishment & some breathing room. Plus, FlyLady says that without any routines in place, our home will be trashed again in a day, and THAT IS JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.
     4. I went through my entire house in every nook, cranny, drawer, etc. and made a list of EVERY SINGLE AREA that needed some attention and typed up a to-do/task list also in Outlook. There are over 2, 000 items listed when they're all typed out which I know sounds a lot, but about 5 or 6 different items keep repeating on a recurring basis such as: "Reboot Rainmate", "Reboot Laundry" (until Mt. Kill-Laundry-jaro has been conquered), "Make Something YUMMY!" (take a moment to stop & make a yummy treat to eat w/the kiddos), "Next Meal Out Treat" (cause we're going to need a break to get away from the house every now & then) and "Nap til the Top of the Hour" (cause it's important to get the rest I need -especially while nursing-while doing all of this work blessing my family).

With that all laid out, I will be posting quite a bit w/pics as I go about the day(s) until it's all done to achieve the vision in my head of what I want for our home & family. I will NOT be posting any "before" pics as I'm/we're going through the CRISIS CLEAN though. I will post the "after" pics so you can see what I've done & just how busy this little bee has been when she's not been sitting here at the computer. I will make progressive posts on Facebook as I go along & one BIG blog post at night. If I did a progressive blog post...well...that would be counter-productive b/c I wouldn't be getting anything done and therefore would have no updates to blog about.

So, wish me luck and come along with me as I embark on this adventurous journey. It'll be interesting to see what we can find...

...until later...
:)

HELLO 2012!!!

I absolutely LOVE this time of year…starting over w/a clean slate to achieve certain personal goals that we set for ourselves. One of the 12 goals that I’ve set for myself this year is to dust off the ole blog & be more regular at posting. Please forgive me for allowing SO MUCH time to lapse since posting last. SO much has been going on since I started this blog a few years ago that sadly it has not fallen where I wanted it to, initially, on my priority list. Well…that all changes now, for NOW is the time to develop new habits & break the old ones that just aren’t working for us…I mean me. I can just hear Dr. Phil now – “How’s that been working out for ya?”  “Well, not so well, Dr. Phil & that’s why I’m here. I’m ready for a change.” So, I’ve set 12 GOALS for myself for this brand new year. (To me resolutions are like pie-crust promises that you make to yourself. They’re too easily broken. Then you get all down and depressed or beat yourself up b/c you fell off the bandwagon. Then you just give up totally and go back to the old way of life only to complain about it again at the end of the year and start a vicious cycle all over again the next New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Think about it. We’ve all been there. Ok, stepping down off the soapbox now.)
Each month I intend, (not plan,) to commit to making those changes (baby stepping my way 15 mins. at a time) by focusing on one goal per month. This month’s goal is to be better & more consistent at blogging and facebook posting. (Yeah, I had to throw facebook on there- just go with it.) Here is the list of my 12 Goals for 2012:

1.       Be better & more consistent at blogging and facebook.

2.       Be a better daughter of the Heavenly Father.

3.       Be better at praying more & delving into HIS word …also known as the ULTIMATE Instruction Manual for Life.

4.       Be a better wife to my husband.

5.       Be a better mother to my children (& the dog.  After all, he’s like a child and a member of the family too-just an OUTSIDE member. J)

6.       Be a better Christian woman.

7.       Completely declutter & organize the house-preparing for sale. Get back to FLYing!

8.       Shed the baby weight once & for all—be healthier.

9.       Be better w/finances & have 50% of our TOTAL debt completely paid OFF by 12.31.12.

10.   Be better at managing my time so I can do what I WANT to do & not just what I HAVE to do such as hobbies, reading, learning new things & whatever else I discover that tickles my fancy.  Anybody seen my scrapbooking supplies????

11.   Be better at thinking of & reaching out to others more, i.e. distant family & friends.

12.   Be THE better ME that I can BE!

Why focus on goal #1 this month instead of goals #2 & #3, which OBVIOUSLY are WAY more important & should come ABOVE all else? Well, in my current state of mind, I’m thinking that seeing it all out there, here in words on the site (b/c I have a tendency to misplace paper) it will help me to not only remember but stay focused. Then again I could just be fooling myself, so we’ll see how it goes. Every year Ali Edwards puts out a challenge to sum up how you would like to describe your life in just one word for what you want for the upcoming year. Can you tell what my word could possibly be for this year?? I’ll give you a hint: it starts with a “B” and ends in “etter”. J

So, there you have it. Not really “resolutions” b/c I won’t be beating myself up nor feeling guilty should I fail at achieving success w/any of them. Those are just some areas of my life that I feel are things that could use some improving in order for me to be a better ME.

Now here part where you play in. Yes, you! You didn’t think I was going to leave you to just read & not participate, now did you? What fun would be in that? What I ask of all of YOU who are reading this is for accountability. (This is where facebook comes in.) I’m asking for your help & prayers in holding me accountable at what I’ve set for myself in order to keep me focused & on track. I intend (there’s that word again) to post any & all updates on FB. Short updates w/few sentences al beit, but updates nonetheless.  If more than 3 days go by without a FB post from me w/a new blog post link—hubs, 3 kiddos & a dog, remember—then PLEASE, by all means, feel free to post on my wall to find out where I’m at, what’s going on, or if I’m still alive in all of the crazy madness of this thing called life.  With YOUR help & prayers, goal #1 should be very EASILY achievable & hopefully auto-pilot habitual.

Will YOU help me to be a BETTER me in 2012???