Here we are. Week 3 of my new way of life.
It’s time to add another non-negotiable task for the week. Like last week, my mind fills quickly with all of the tasks I need to turn into habits.
I have really enjoyed having a daily-swept kitchen this week. The task is so quick and so easy when I do it every day. My kitchen has been the focus of the last two weeks, and I’m actually feeling pretty in control of it. Not perfect, but I’m willing to have someone show up and share a cup of coffee in my breakfast nook. As long as they’re willing to wear a blindfold as I lead them through the dining room, of course.
Now that I’m feeling good about the kitchen, I need to move to another area. As I type that, an little flutter of insecurity comes up in my chest. What if I fail? What if adding one more thing, in another area, means that I’ll get overwhelmed and not do the kitchen as well?
Get over it. My house is a mess, and I can’t confine guests to the breakfast nook.
What if they . . . have to go? You know, “go”?
I can’t exactly ask them to hold it.
I know that flylady has her daily swish and swipe. I think this is great. However, I’m going to start even smaller than that. I’m trying to prevent failure here folks.
My new non-negotiable task for the week is to pick up the stuff off the floors in each bathroom every morning. This will include magazines, undies, hangers, trash and the Ken doll who seems to need four baths a day.
Ideally, this focus will cause me to get my kids to pitch in at night when they’re getting ready. But that’s not the non-negotiable. Me checking the bathrooms and picking up anything on the floor is the task.
Whew. Here we go.
I flipped over the the FlyLady site to see what was up with this Swish and Swipe thing, and found the perfect answer for a big gross problem of mine. I have two boys to totally stink up the bathroom, and there is eternally a puddle, or dried puddle at the base of the toilet. Although I’ve tried to get better about cleaning the toilet (like at LEAST once a month!) it hasn’t really made a dent in the smell. I think her method might actually work!
Furthermore, I had the time today to REALLY clean the shower, which was disgusting because I try to spend my time in the shower with my eyes closed. It looks amazing! If I keep this up for another week, my husband might refer me to a psychiatrist.
I have had five boys and a husband for the past 23 years, so I totally get the pee thing by the toilet. Out of all these men..only one has a problem with the dribbles. I have recently read that spraying the area with peroxide will remove any urine smell! Hallelujah! One other thing that will promote the stench in a bathroom is a plunger. Ours stays behind the toilet…don’t ask. I noticed that this little piece of apparatus has a stinky smell. I used to take it and spray it down with bleach to kill the odor, but since I am trying to be less toxic in my cleaning habits, I am spraying the plunger with peroxide as well. Odor has disappeared in our main bathroom!
Peroxide. Hmmm, I’m definitely going to try that!
The overwhelm is definitely real.
I’m cheering you on.
I’m cheering ALL of us on!
Ji