Hi Dana,I just wanted to write you a little message, thanking you for sharing your journey through your blog. Someone on a mother’s Facebook group I’m in shared your Facebook page, and I looked at it, thought it was interesting, and put it aside – because ‘those sorts of blogs’ never really work for me.
But something drew me back to your Facebook page, and then to your blog and your podcasts and something clicked. I’m also a life long slob, from a long family line of slobs, full of excuses and procrastination. But listening to your ‘slob story’ on the podcast (and then buying the ebooks with Years 1 and 2) made me realise that I don’t have to accept that ‘it’s just the way I am’ and that it really wasn’t too hard to make that extra bit of effort and have a nicer home.
I especially wanted to thank you today, since it’s the day my husband comes home. My husband works away – we live in Australia where a lot of resource and mining related jobs are remote towns and workers are knows as FIFO (Fly In Fly Out) workers. We’ve lived the FIFO life several times during our relationship and marriage and when it comes to housework, it tends to go the same way – he helps me tidy when he’s home and leaves a ‘surface-tidy’ house when he goes away. Then I spend the next ten days (or 2 weeks, or once 4 1/2 weeks – we won’t talk about that) making a mess because ‘that’s just who I am’. Then the day he’s due home, I race around ‘cleaning’ (by shoving everything into my study/sewing room – which I then can’t use), snapping at my toddler and feeling guilty if I spend time on anything but housework.
But this time – the first time since I discovered the podcasts and blog – will be different. This will be the first time ever he comes home to a cleaner home than he left. He won’t feel the need to frantically clean this weekend so the house doesn’t completely disintegrate around us, and will get to spend more happy time with our son and me (and Christmas preparation!). And I’m so relaxed! I went to a Christmas break up party this morning without once feeling guilty! And though I’ve done some cleaning today, there was nothing I *had* to do – it was all just things which made our house extra nice (ok, and let me close the linen closet properly).
So thank you, thank you, thank you so much for being so honest in your blog and allowing me to realise that my slobby behaviour isn’t set in stone. I’ll be continuing to read and listen, as I continue to make my house – and my life – a happier place.
Havok says
This is what I, too, love about your blog – is your honesty! You’ve done all of this, and there is no bright-and-shiny-my-house-belongs-in-a-magazine approach to it – it’s a straight forward, messy to not messy story. I like organization and cleaning tips, but when they come from someone who always has photos of their spotless homes, it doesn’t help any! My home will never look like that, we aren’t that kind of people! But to see a real, lived in home perspective on getting cleaned up and organized, that makes sense to me. It works, and it’s helpful and inspirational to see that there are enough people in this world like myself who have problems keeping things together. xx
Chris says
Hi. I just started a few days ago trying to have three goals every day. Make my bed every morning, do my dishes and clean my kitchen every night, and floss my teeth. I don’t know why, but Flylady didn’t really work for me (maybe I didn’t try hard enough?). Anyway, I love the way my house is feeling and want to start adding more habits. Thank you so much!!
RedheadedCyclone says
Huzzah! What a lovely Christmas gift to herself! A relaxed and happy wife is a present for the hubby too. 🙂
I want to know what a ‘Christmas break up party’?
Tanya says
Thank you for asking! We all secretly want to know! 🙂
Anna says
Some businesses close over Christmas, so a Christmas break-up party is the party we have before we ‘break’ . Ours is on the 23rd this year, we’ve always done it. Maybe this is an Australian thing?
Dana White says
Thanks for clarifying!
Amanda says
My slobby behavior is not set in stone! What a beautiful quote. Someone should embroider that on a pillow. 🙂 I’ll be saying that to myself now.
Gayle says
Yes– I love that quote, too!! Maybe your next book could have that for a title! 🙂
Gayle says
Or else I could use it for a central quote around which I will arrange the before-and-after pictures of the rooms of my home! (For my own and my children’s inspiration.) 😀
Anna says
What a great feeling this must be! An what a compliment for you too Dana!
Love it! <3
Penelope says
How delightful! I think we are all in the same boat, it won’t ever be perfect, but we can make it better! A little bit at a time.
Marybeth Smith says
I too love the fact that you put it out there and show before and after pictures.I tried following several other organizing sites until I found yours.I have a clean bed and a empty kitchen table for the first time in years.I go back and reread your post’s all the time.To see that you did this gives me inspiration that I too can have a reasonably clean and liveable home.Thank you for what you have done for so many of us and Merry Christmas.