Learning to FLY...

I know that you are wondering why on earth I selected the post title that I did. Am I going to learn how to really fly a plane??

Far from it. This is a term that is all too familiar for a program that I am pursuing in order to maintain some sort of order in my busy life. By definition, I am merely a flybaby taking baby steps. Ok....what is this program? It's the Fly Lady program!

What is it?

"FLYLady is a personal coach for housewives. She helps even the most desperate women get their homes and lives together. Marla Cilley is the FLYLady. Thousands of women follow FLYLady's advice. FLYBabies are SHE's (sidetracked home executives).

Marla Cilley (aka FLYLady) keeps her FLYBabies informed through email. The email consists of daily reminders, thoughts from Marla (God Breezes) and also testimonials from FLYBabies around the world..."

To see what this is all about, check out: www.flylady.net

If you choose to sign up, it's totally FREE! If you sign up for the daily email reminders of what Zone you are in and all sorts of encouragement and advice, be sure to select ONE email per day! I get an email every day telling me what "to-do" for that day and what room(s) to focus in for that week. I use a 15 minute timer quite diligently and am amazed at how much I can really get done in 15 minutes. I am not perfect and have a long ways to go but that's ok.

The Fly Lady (Marla) doesn't want us to beat ourselves up (perfectionism) nor does she put up with our whining about what we can't do....instead, she encourages us to pick ourselves up and start over and do it all in baby steps.

I decided that this is the year that I want to become better at managing the way I care for my home and family. I know it won't happen overnight and that it will take a lot of patience on my part.

It all started with a book I bought by Marla years ago called
"Sink Reflections". I started just with cleaning my kitchen sink every night. This alone changed my outlook on housework!

If you are like me, I encourage you to check out her website. I work full time and am also going to school so time is very limited. Even though I no longer have little ones at home, I feel like my time is spread thin amongst other activities and responsibilities...

If you are already "FLYing" then I would love to hear from you too!

I have found Marla and FlyLady on Facebook as well.

I look forward to hearing from you....

I is a Straight Line - Neck and Shoulder Exercise by StretchClock

Posted using ShareThis

I have this saved as a Google Gadget on my desktop. It goes off every 60 minutes and prompts me to do a 30 second stretch to keep me from tensing up. If I get up and leave the computer for a bit, it also allows me to pause the timer and resume it once I return. This has been a lifesaver for all the hours I have spent on my computer working on school and work stuff! If you spend a lot of time on your computer, give this a whirl...the stretch on this link is one that I just did...there's quite a few different ones that the guy uses. You do need to turn your speakers up so that you can hear the guy's calm soothing voice, along with the chirping birds...I love the fact that the "model" is a guy in a shirt and tie in the middle of the wilderness...

I would love to hear what you think so please post a reply!

Cheers!

13...18...24...

No, these are not some magical Lotto numbers that you should play. (Although, if you do and you win, then, I would like to know!)

The picture above represents what I have on my desk right now! Well, I googled the picture by searching "stack of papers." I think my real pile is slightly taller and bigger!


My journey of going back to school to get my degree began in the fall of 2001. In fact, it was a month or so before 9-11. That year was a pivotal year for me. I had made the decision to go back to school and get my degree. Little did I know that this decision would take me this long. Well, working full time and going the traditional route wasn't pribably the best way to do it. Add in a busy family schedule and all the other stuff that life throws at you and you get what I got!

Tears, smiles, frustrations, joy, success, failure, fear, exhiliration, impatience, paptience, growth, wisdom, character, tenacity, perserverence, endurance, anger, love....just about every one of these words describes what I have felt in the past 7 years.

My pace picked up in 2003 when I quit my corporate job and took a part-time office job at my daughter's high school. It was by far--the best move I had ever made!
Even if everyone thought I was a bit crazy to give up the good salary and position I had at the time in a major corporation....but if you knew me then, you'd agree and say that the corporate life was sucking the life out of me...

I have saved every class's notes, tests, projects and assignments. I probably have most of the books too. I have a hard time letting go of things I invest so much of myself into...(this translates into boxes full of papers and notebooks!)

The past 2 years, I have attended Hope International University in Fullerton. This accelerated degree program nearly sent me off the edge a few times and--even as I write this- I am deliberately avoiding work on one of my final research papers.

Papers! Ugh! I have lost count of all the papers I have written....enough--if combined--for a few dissertations and at least one major thesis!
(Just wait until I start my graduate prgram next summer!)

So, what are those dates that title this post?
--13 days until my last class is OVER
--18 days until my graduation! (I am getting a B.S. in Human Development)
--24 days until we leave for Japan to go to my son's wedding!

What a way to end the year-eh?

Well...I best get back to work....Ugh!

Rain...rain....

There's something special about a rainy day spent home. The constant drizzle has not stopped since late last night when we got home. I eagerly anticipated going to bed and cuddling up in my warm (pre-heated) bed!

I fell asleep long before I finished praying. What happens to those prayers. God?
I usually awaken once or twice in the night being a light sleeper but not last night. Even our dog slept in well past 8am and when I opened my eyes, I saw that it was past 8am....the heater downstairs was going strong, and the air in our bedroom felt cool as I reached my arm outside the blankets. I contemplated getting up and just laid there, listening to the falling rain....it's still raining.

My hubby was still dozing so I got up to let Tippy out and to make some coffee....the routine is pretty set.

So, as this morning slowly continues to pass, the rain also continues to fall lightly. As much as I love the rain on days like this, I also miss the warm sun on my face.

Lots to do today but I am not feeling completely motivated...snuggling on the couch with a warm blanket and a good book (the kind you read for fun and not because you have to--ie: for school)

Digging my toes deeper into my UGG slippers....I yawn. We'll see.
Ciao for now

Bringing work home and homework...

Maybe it's because I am getting older (and more tired) who knows....or maybe it's because I am closer to that final graduation day for my degree....that I am so ready for this insance schedule to just be done.

Oh, the joys of coming home after work and just making dinner, doing dishes and vegging with my hubby....

Not a chance--I bring work home and I have homework too....never a dull moment.

After my degree, I will be looking at credentialing..........ugh. Just when I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...there in the near distance, another long, dark tunnel.

If I could write an ode I would...

Monday,Monday....da-da-dada-da.....


Some of you may remember that song from way back when (I'm dating myself).
Every time I hear it, I find myself back in a tree house that my dad built in our back yard when I was about 13. My best friend Diana and I spent the night in it and had a portable radio which only had AM stations....and this song was playing that Sunday night....on a radio station called KHJ.

The memory is so vivid because it was so special....the carefree days as a 13 year old. I didn't dread Mondays as much as I do nowadays. It's more a dread that I didn't get everything done like I wanted to during the weekend.

As I sit and make my list of things I still need to do....this song pops in my head.
I stop and look out my window to ponder the sun outside. Better get a move on I say to myself.

I think it's because I am going to school full time AND working full time that I feel so time deprived. Getting up earlier isn't even an option because I need every minute I can of sleep...

So, time to log off....until next time.

Out with the old...

Have you ever wondered why you hang on to stuff? I mean really old stuff...

For me, the trigger is emotional. I tend to keep things that hold a strong emotional reminder. Sentimental attachments can be paralyzing and over time they can take over your home. Watching a cool series on HGTV called "Neat"http://www.neattv.com/aboutHellen.html, I've learned that I am not the only one who has boxes and boxes of mementos, keepsakes, worn out things,etc....simply because they remind me of someone or something in my past.

Letting go of these things can be emotionally taxing and difficult; however, the release and freedom that one experiences shortly after it's accomplished.....well---it's very fullfilling and quite liberating.

Yesterday, I packed up about 50+ magazines that were gathering dust up on a shelf in my closet. I had Martha Stewart issues, Cooking magazines and Marie Engelbreit magazines dating back to 1998! Ouch! It didn't take long to do the math....10 years!

The problem with magazines is that if I don't make time to look at them right away, they tend to pile up. With all good intentions, I make it a point to "someday" read them...get caught up. I even reorganize them and put them in date order....oldest to newest so I don't miss a thing. HA! That's yet to work.

Helen Buttigieg, professional organizer from the show "Neat"http://www.neattv.com/aboutHellen.html addresses this very issue and advises people to just let go and move on...start fresh.

My attic is full of keepsakes and mementos from all my kids' school projects, toys, clothing....even my mom's suitcase filled with some of her prized clothing outfits. She died almost 10 years ago....and I've yet been able to give those clothes away.
This will be the toughest and most difficult thing to do so the suitcase remains next to the Christmas boxes...

Helen claims that having these things around cause undue stress and rob us of our energy. I sure can see that...because they are always there waiting to be dealt with.

2008 will be the year that I face some of these issues....God willing. After all, why would I want to pass all this stuff on to my kids to deal with?