My wings need a tune up...Day 20 of 31

Good morning all!

  I just want to start off with.....Thank You Flylady!!!!!  This morning I slept in a bit longer than I had planned.  Then I laid in bed for just a few moments while I read my daily devotional email on my phone.  When my feet hit the floor it was 6:51am.  I quickly made the bed, dressed/hair/makeup, opened the blinds in the bedroom, sprayed some Febreeze....ahhhhh.....let the dog out/fed, killed the gargantuan spider that decided that our doorway to the backyard was a perfect place for his web...NOT!!, started a load of laundry, vacuumed the family room, opened those blinds, emptied the dishwasher, fixed myself a cup of coffee and sat down to write this post at 7:42am.  SUUUWEEEETT!! In less than an hour, I was ready to start the day, and had accomplished so much!

   I was able to do so many of those things so fast because of the nightly routines I have already established, like cleaning the kitchen and running dishwasher, setting clothes out for today, having the coffee ready and set to brew, two minute hot spots, and five minute room rescues so that vacuuming can be immediate and not AFTER I pick out a mess.

  Today is all about making sure to keep up with the laundry.  You can read my original post on this here.  A few things have changed since that first time I wrote that post.  I generally only do one load a day, and don't start another load unless I intend to finish it.  I don't want clothes sitting in the washer to sour to only have to wash again or have dried clothes just getting all wrinkly in the dryer.  I still struggle with the laundry and tend to have a pile constantly waiting to be folded and put away.  So today I will do my very best to be diligent once again and complete from beginning to end!  I will also begin putting a load of dirty clothes in the washer during my nightly routine so all I have to do in the morning is add the laundry detergent and start.  That was another awesome tip I read from one of the veteran Flyladies.   ;)

Happy Laundering!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 19 of 31

Good morning all!

  Today I will just keep steadfast with the habits so far. You can read my original post on this here.   Just these few little things make such a big difference in our home.  Read one persons take on this from the Flylady's website here.  Think about that.....shouldn't our home be the most relaxing get away ever?  Since we are in it all the time!  If that doesn't motivate me to stay on task today I don't know what will!

Have a wonderful day!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 18 to 31

Good morning all!

  Well, yesterday was a failure on getting to bed at a decent hour.  No fear of that tonight though, I do not like this feeling already tired and the day has barely begun.  So, today I will be reading Flylady's 11 commandments.  You can read the original post on this here.   What a great way to keep it simple.  If nothing gets done but this list, which includes the morning and bedtime routine that I have already established my house is in pretty good shape.  That always puts a smile on my face!

So, enjoy your day today and pat yourselves on the backs for jobs well done while you enjoy some reading time on Flylady.  By the way....I added a couple of tips this post on making the bed.  Hope you find them helpful.  ;)

Enjoy your day!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 17 of 31

Hi all,

  Now that my bed is all made and inviting, I plan to do my best to get to bed at a decent hour on a regular basis.  You can read my original post on this here. It makes all the difference in the world to get a good night's rest.  When I do this, I'm able to get up earlier, feeling refreshed and ready to go.  I do much better getting my tasks done early in the day so that my house and errands are completed before I run out of gas.

Happy Sleeping!

Jennifer

Hi all!

  It's been so long since I have shared a shopping trip!  A lot has changed since I first posted couponing 101.  I will have to go back and make some updates soon.  One major change is that Kroger no longer doubles coupons where I live.  :(  Good news is, that doesn't mean that you can't still get some unbelievable deals.....like this one......

  Yesterday I went to my favorite couponing site.....Couponmom.com....where I pull up each store I plan to shop, to check for deals.  First stop.....Kroger.  I generally look for 80% savings or better.  I select the deals I'm interested in to print a shopping list like this....

  I then pull my matching coupons, grab my reusable bags, and away I go!  Here's what I was able to get for only $.41!!!!  Woo Hoo!!! 

1-Alka Seltzer 12ct.
3-Paper mate 10ct. pens
3-Brut Deodorant

This was a total savings of $16.74!!!!








  Here's the receipt just in case you just can't believe your eyes...

Second trip was to Publix.  Here's my Couponmom.com list.  

  Now as you can see in the blue it says Cash Back Offer....this means that once I make the purchase I can then come home and pull up my app for Checkout 51, upload my receipt and get back $1 for buying 2 Super Pretzels.  It is so easy!  Once you've accumulated $20 in cash back you can cash out and receive your savings.  Awesome!!

  So, I received two Super Pretzels for $1.23 with my coupons from Sunday paper inserts, then received another $1 in my Checkout 51 account once I came home and uploaded the receipt.

  I also went to Walmart to do some other shopping, but that trip did not have the WOW factor that these two trips had.  Just didn't want you to think that we would be living off of Super Pretzels, pens and deodorant. ;)

Happy Shopping!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 16 of 31

Good morning all!

  Today is all about keeping up with my habits so far and reading some inspiring emails from flylady.  You can read my original post on this here.  I really love how the Baby steps really ease me back into routines without overwhelming me with huge tasks each day.  This makes for a much more successful experience!

  So, off to enjoy a cup of coffee with my most favorite creamer (Peppermint Mocha....Mmmmmm!!!), read emails, tweak my inbox file folders so more, and finish clipping some coupons from yesterday.  I also have a couple of really great deals to tell you all about now that I'm getting back into my couponing again.  Will try to post that today as well. ;)

Happy Reading!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 15 of 31

Good morning all!

  I'm so happy to be on day 15!!  Just over two weeks in and the house is already smiling at me again.  Today I will be making sure to add making the bed to my daily routine.  You can read my original post here.  The minute I slid my feet onto the floor this morning I immediately made the bed.  The bedroom just doesn't look straightened up if the bed is all a mess.

  I read on Flylady that the bed is like the shiny sink of your bedroom.  This is so true!  It sets the tone for the room to be kept neat and tidy.  Once the bed looks so pretty,  I can't help but want to keep the dressers cleared off and clothes picked up to make the whole room look great.  Time how quickly it takes you to do this one little thing.  I'm telling you....you will be amazed at how such a sliver amount of time will make such a huge difference.


Little Bedding Tip:  If you don't already have a spare set of sheets for your bed, invest in another one.  This way, when I strip the bed to wash the linens, I immediately put the fresh set on.  No waiting on the dirty ones to be washed and dried before making up the bed.

Another little bedding tip:  For those of you with babies/toddlers that still have accidents in the beds.....I used to make my daughters bed with the waterproof mattress cover and sheet, then put another waterproof mattress cover and sheet over that one.  This save me so many times at 2 in the morning to be able to just strip the first layer of wet sheets to the dry set already on. ;)


Have a wonderful day!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 14 of 31

Hi all!

  I didn't post yesterday because it was mine and my husband's anniversary.  We spent the day together as a family out and about having an awesome time!  I hope you all had a great day and are settling into your new routines if you are following along.

  Day 14 of my tune up is all about making sure I have a calendar set up and up to date.  You can read all about this in my original post here.  This is something that I have been able to stick to pretty well.  My Cozi calendar on my iphone has been a great tool, since I keep my iphone with me at all times.  I do however, need to get a new calendar to hang in the kitchen for the whole family to refer to again.  I do still like the old school style of writing things down on a wall calendar as well.


  So....how about you?  Are you old school with your schedules or do you like the new technological ways to keep track of your comings and goings?

Happy Scheduling!

Jennifer

P.S.  As for the bed making challenge.....it took me 1 minute 13 seconds to make my bed.  Who doesn't have that small amount of time in the day to make a huge difference in the bedroom.  This should make tomorrow's step easy to stick to. ;)

My wings need a tune up...Day 13 of 31

Hi all!

  Today is about reintroducing myself to the daily missions.  You can read my original post on this here.  Since Flylady is in the Master Bedroom this week, I decided to hop up and make my bed the second I crawled out of it.  That will set the tone for completing the rest of my mission for the day. I will be setting my timer for 15 minutes and solely concentrating on my bedroom. I will just go from one mission to the next for this room until my 15 minutes is up.  If all the missions get done before the timer goes off, I will begin tackling some of the things on the Detailed Cleaning list for the Master Bedroom.

  What will you be doing for your 15 minutes?

Happy Cleaning!

Jennifer

P.S.  Wanna play a game?  How about you all time yourself on how quickly you can make your bed.  I'll time myself tomorrow and post in the comments.  Who can make their bed the fastest?  C'mon!!! It'll be fun! ;)

My wings need a tune up...Day 12 of 31

Hi all,

  

  My email situation is out of hand.....AGAIN!!!  Today, Flylady suggests that I delete all Flylady emails.  You can read my original post on this here.  As you will see, I have gotten into the same rut as before on this issue.  Good news......I have no unread Flylady emails.....bad news I have tons of emails that I just do not have time for.  Things I have subscribed to that I wanted to read, but just never get around to doing it.  So today I will take a deep breath and just delete, delete, delete.  I'm not going to look at anything, just get rid of it.   Every bit.  Then I will make it a 5-10 minute daily challenge to unsubscribe, organize folders, tweak email settings as the emails undoubtedly start flooding back into my inbox in order to only have my most favorite things I want to read coming in on a regular basis. 

  Who's with me?  Who's ready to declutter their inbox?  I can't wait!!

Happy Deleting!

Jennifer

Reward by crocheting....

Hi all,

 As a reward to myself for getting up and completing my good habit so far, I finished up the last bit of my project.  I thought I would share.  It turned out just the perfect size.  It fits the circumference of my hand spread out.  Just right for washing dishes.  Although this would make a pretty face cleansing cloth.  Hmmm....guess I'll have to make more of these. :)  You can see the post I found this pattern from here.

  Anyone else working on some fun things during your down time as a reward for a job well done?  Would love to see it!

Happy Rewarding!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 11 of 31

Hello all,
 
  Today is all about inspiring myself by jotting done some inspirational quotes.  You can read all about it in my original post here.  In response, I have updated the quote in my sidebar to the right.

  I will just be glad in today!  Celebrating the fact that I have followed through with my habits I've established so far.  I even had some time to do one of my favorite things yesterday.....crochet....I'll share that with you shortly.  I still have just a little bit left to do on that project before I can take a picture.  :)

Happy Quotes!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 10 of 31

Hello all,

  Today I will be turning on my timer for 15 minutes to declutter.  You can read my original post on this here.  It is truly amazing to see how much can be accomplished in such a short period of time!  A huge task can see less daunting by doing bits at a time.  This also helps me from getting burned out and leaving a task undone to never be worked on again.

  So, what did you get done in 15 minutes?

Happy Decluttering!
Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 9 of 31

Good Morning all,

  Sorry I was unable to write a post yesterday.  It was day nine of thirty one, which means I added on a five minute room rescue to my routine.  You can read my original post about this day here.

  I have a dirty little secret.....closets and armoires are my stash it and forget it spots.  My house may look all company ready, but don't go near a closet!  Seriously, you open that door and you might have an avalanche come down over you.  This can be so overwhelming for me to tackle because I just let these spaces get so out of hand.  I five minute room rescue (or 15 minutes,as you will read tomorrow) is the perfect solution for me to do a little at a time without getting so frustrated that I give up.

  As I said previously, I love before and after pictures.  So I'm pulling a picture of one of my previous five minute rescues.  The armoire above is not one of my worst hidden spaces, but it had so much stuff in it that I just didn't need or want anymore.  I decided this would make a great place for mine and my daughters craft supplies.

 It doesn't look so bad, but it was just stuff taking up space (drawers were crammed full of crap too).  Little by little I found a place for the few things I wanted to keep and proudly displayed it.  The other things were put into a box and taken to an auction for sale.  (I'll write a post about that in the future as well ;) )

 Now it has my crafting supplies nicely organized for easy access.  I have a lot more in there now, like my sewing machine, markers, material, knick knacks for future repurposing crafts.  Actually, it could use another good straightening up.  Will have to maybe make that my first rescue  so that it can once again go back to it's beautiful crafting glory.

  What space would you like to begin rescuing?  (If you have tried to comment and have been unable to....try again....I think I had my settings incorrect)






Happy Decluttering!
Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 8 of 31

Hi all,
 
  Today it's all about making a more detailed plan with the new established habits.  You can read all about it on my original post here.  This is my Morning Routine to the left.

 

Princeton is our sweet little dog.  Sometimes he is first on the list....just depends on if he is still dreaming of running through a field chasing after a ball or if he's up raring to go. :)
 

  

This is my Afternoon/Daily Routine so far with the baby steps.  I'll show you my more established list as I keep adding on later down the road.



Happy List Making!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 7 of 31

Good morning all!
 
  Sorry I missed a post yesterday!  I was suffering from a terrible migraine and just couldn't stand the light from the computer screen.  So today I will be writing two posts to get back on track.

  Yesterday's step is to get your clothes ready for the following day.  I love this step!  You can read all about it in my original post here.

  I do have a couple of tweaks so far since my original journey 3 years ago.....

  First....I am hopping in the shower and getting dressed first thing before my Devotional time.  I have found that I am too easily sucked into surfing the net or dwindling time away if I sit with my cup or 2 or 3 of coffee first.  Before I know it, I'm running late.

  Second....I still have a hard time with running out of steam in the evenings.  So I have to get things done earlier or it just doesn't get done consistently.  With the suggestion of a friend, I have started getting my clothes ready for the next day in one or two ways.  I either go ahead and get the next days clothes ready right after I get dressed, or I do it in the afternoon after I have completed a load of laundry.  I'm already putting clothes away, so why not go ahead and pull out what is needed for the following day then?  I will also go ahead and get my unmentionables and put them on the hanger (just didn't feel the need  to post a picture of that ;) ) as well as picking out my jewelry for the day and having that out on my dresser ready to dorn (I plan to do a craft project to have a better place for my next day jewelry in the future).  I just hang my clothes back in the closet to be out of sight, yet ready to go.  Doing this early has made a HUGE difference in completing this habit consistently!

  My daughter is almost 13 now.  My how the time goes by!  She has really taken on a lot of great habits.  She now has an established list of her own that she does on a daily/weekly basis.  She also gets in a rut at times, but quickly decides to jump back on the wagon.  She can't stand chaos for long.  She much prefers a routine and things to be neat and tidy.  I'm so happy I started giving her responsibilities of her own so that good habits could be formed early.  If you have young children go ahead and give them a small task or two to do on a daily basis.  It will go a long way!  Make it a game.  Stand at your bedroom doors and say, "Ready, Set, Go," and see who can make their beds the fastest.  It doesn't have to look perfect, it just needs to be done.  The winner gets to pick dinner, a movie, or a game to play.  If your children are older.....have them ease into habits by doing the baby steps with you as well.  My daughter and I still will "play" the racing games now to make things more fun.....the stakes are just raised a bit.  Whoever loses has to swish n swipe (you will learn this later) the others toilet the next day or has to fold a load of the others laundry, or sometimes it just all in fun and the winner just has bragging rights. ;)  You get the idea.

  So, is anyone else out there tuning up their wings along with me?  How about any new Flylady's?  Leave me a comment and let me know how it's going.

Happy Clothes Prepping!

Jennifer

P.S.  Be sure to stop by Raising Homemakers and join in the link up where I shared a post.

My wings need a tune up...Day 6 of 31

Good Morning all!

  Today I will begin taking care of my hotspots again.  You can read all about what those are in my original post here.  My hotspots have changed since I first began my Flylady journey.  They tend to be in my kitchen table chairs, dinning room, or still on my night stand/dresser in the bedroom.  Flylady suggests to start with two minutes, but since I am not new to this, I will add five minutes to my timer each day to take care of these spots before they get out of hand.  You won't believe what just two to five minutes can do for that stuff that you sit down around the house.  It makes a world of difference to just quickly put those items in there proper homes. 

Here's a little tip: It also helps to put on a motivating song while you do it.  One to two songs and you've made a cluttered spot look much better!  ;)

  So, how are you all doing with the beginnings of your new routines?

Have fun cleaning those hotspots!! 

Jennifer

  

   

My wings need a tune up...Day 5 of 31

Hi all!
 
  Today is all about praising yourself for all the accomplishments, rather than dwelling on things you didn't get done.  You can read my original post for this day here.  I have not gotten the beds made this week, or done a load of laundry everyday, or kept the bathrooms tip top, but I have kept our kitchen spic n span, and gotten showered and dressed, and cleaned out a good bit of my email inbox.  I feel great about that!

  So today I rewarded myself with some movie time with my family and I crocheted a new dishcloth for the kitchen.

  You can see where I found the pattern for this one here.  I just stumbled across it while scrolling through Pinterest. I did one less row and just did three double crochets instead of five on the last round.  I just prefer my dishcloths to be no bigger than the circumference of my hand with my fingers spread out.  It just feels more comfortable when washing dishes at that size.  

  Really nice Sunday!  Hope you all had a great day as well!

Happy Praising!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 4 of 31

Good Morning all!

  If you are new to the whole Flylady journey, you may be making the beginnings of you Control Journal today.  You can read all about this in my original post here.  j

  I've already done this, so today I will just continue to maintain the kitchen, getting dressed for the day, and continuing to clear out my inbox.  A good friend recommended some books, so I look forward to having a good read really soon.


Happy Journaling!
Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 3 of 31

Good Morning all!

  It's day three and I'm proud to say that I have maintained my kitchen in all it's shining glory.  I have gotten straight up out of bed and into the shower now for two days straight.  I feel so accomplished!  Almost seems silly to be so happy about that, but I am!!  Anyone else out there want a big high five?

  Day three is about exploring Flylady's website.  You can read my original journey post for this day here.  I have read the Flylady site thoroughly, so today I will be taking some time to clear out my inbox......

  

  Yes, you are reading correctly.....that says 1843 emails!!  I will be clearing out and unsubscribing to things that I just don't either love or have time to read.  Then I plan to look for a nice book to read since I have some vacation time in the very near future.  

Happy Reading!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up...Day 2 of 31

Good Morning all!

  It was sooooo nice to come down to this.......

  Rather than this......

  I had also gotten the coffee ready before going to bed, so not only was my kitchen smiling at me but I had nice hot coffee freshly brewed just waiting for me.  AWESOME!!

  This morning, Day 2, is about not only maintaing the kitchen so that it doesn't get out of control, but getting dressed right away.  So as soon as my feet hit the floor I got directly into the shower.  I went ahead and did my hair and makeup so that I am ready for the day.  It feels great!  I have to say, that this is a hard task for me.  Sound weird?  Well, I normally like to get up, let the dog out, go pour my coffee, and "wake up" while surfing the net/reading emails, etc.  Before I know it, gobs of time has passed and I have to jump up, running around like a chicken with my head cut off to get ready while blasting myself for wasting so much time.  Not to mention that on the days I don't have to go anywhere I feel like I don't want to shower first just to get dirty cleaning, or working out (who am I kidding?? I haven't done that in ages either!!).  One thing I found is that getting dressed first thing, really wakes you up and gets you going.  It relieves the stress of running late (as long as you get up when you are meant to rather than hitting that snooze alarm), and prepares you for those unexpected emergencies that you are not dressed for.  You can always just hop in the shower for a quick, neck down spritz if you really work up a sweat cleaning. ;)  

  Now that I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things....some days I'll be posting other topics as well.  So stay tuned.....

Anyone else joining me for a wing tune up?

Have a great day!

Jennifer

My wings need a tune up!!!! Day 1 of 31

Hi all!

  It has been three years and six months since I first posted my Flylady Series.  When I orginally went through that journey I was a stay at home mom.  Since then, I have gone from part time, to a full time position.  I have found that the schedule that once worked so well for me is just not cutting it these days.  I am once again behind on my homemaking duties and feeling very overwhelmed.  So.....I've decided that my wings need a tune up and my schedule needs tweaking in order to keep chaos at bay and my sanity in tack.

  I will once again be going through the baby steps in order to get back into a routine of the everyday things, and figure out a schedule for those other things that works around my full time job without completely depleting all my free time, or feeling guilty because I'm making free time when I feel like I should be cleaning.

  Today I was off work, so I started with cleaning my sink, which is day one of the Baby steps.  You can see my original post for this task here.  I love before and after pictures, so here is a picture of my sink before I followed the Flylady's suggestions.

Yucky muck in crevices and rust stains all around.  Couldn't wait to get that sink gleaming again!





Now onto the after pictures.......Drum roll please............













  No more brown, yucky stuff in the grooves.....

   No more rust stains........

  Just......gleaming bliss.........ahhhhhhh..........

  

  You may notice my sink looks different from the original post....this is not trick photography, or your mind playing tricks on you.....we just moved. :)

  One other thing that I will be trying to change since I started this journey over three years ago....I love it when we have dinner early enough that as soon as we finish eating, we throw our dishes in the dishwasher and start it so that while we watch a tv show together, read, or surf the net, the dishes are getting clean so that I can take five minutes before heading up to bed and emptying it so that it is all ready to be filled with breakfast dishes first thing in the morning.  This way if we just happen to hit that snooze alarm more than once (you know that happens!), I don't leave dirty dishes in the sink because I don't have time to unload the dishes from the night before.  Brilliant!!!

  Well, I hope that this post helps some of you who may like me, be needed a tune up on your wings and we can all be flying high again.

Happy Cleaning!

Jennifer