I promise, this post does have a point. And it is about getting my house in order.
I’ve been doing a new Tae–bo video for the last two weeks. It’s a kicker. As in . . . behind-kicker. (My seven year old has been reading some of my posts lately and we don’t use the other “b” word.)
After my first child was born, I lost a lot of weight doing the original basic Tae–bo video. It was the best shape I’ve been in as an adult. I loved it and it felt soooo good. Now, after two more kids and several years, I’m determined to get back into that kind of shape. I’ve lost 30 lbs over the last year and a half on Weight Watchers, but I’m not in shape. Things just don’t look the way they did pre-kids, even at this same weight.
So I was doing this new video today, for the third time. There is one move that is at the beginning that I thought was pretty pointless the first two times I did it. But today, I got it. I had been going through the motions on that move, but today I did it right, and I felt it. I got the point, and felt that it is really working. This happened the last time I got into shape doing Tae–bo. The more times I did it, the better I got at it, and the more I got out of it.
This made me think about my cleaning. Many slobs are very creative people, we love projects (or the idea of them) and we have great big ideas. It’s the day-to-day tasks like making my bed or washing the dishes that make me wonder, “What’s the point?” And since I’ve let my house get to this point, one little task doesn’t seem like it would make enough of a difference to bother with it.
With the exercise videos, I go through the motions the first several times. I know I’m not getting as good of a workout as the people on the screen, but at least I’m going through the motions. And going through the motions is exercise. It may not be good enough for a real athlete, but it is movement, and this is a great start for someone like me. As I go through the movements several times, I start to get them down. I start to understand them, and I start to do them better. The better I become at them, the more I start to feel results. Before today, I thought we were doing the same kick at two different times in the video. But I realized this morning that they are actually two subtly different kicks, and one works the inner thigh and the other works the outer thigh. I was getting great leg exercise when I didn’t know the difference, but today I did more specific work on what are definitely problem areas for me.
I started going through the motions on keeping my sink free of dirty dishes. But the more I do it, the more I see the point, and the better at it I become. Since I don’t have huge piles of dishes to do, I’m able to take a few seconds to scrape the edge of the sink that gets nasty. Today when I wiped the bathroom counters, I also took a few seconds to wipe the toothpaste splatters off of the soap dispenser. I never even noticed those splatters before because the whole counter looked so bad.
Here’s the point. With this blog, I’m starting some daily tasks that I knew needed to be done, but I had no idea what kind of impact they would have. The more I do them, the more confidence I gain, and the better I am getting at them.
I don’t pretend that I have this all figured out, but I have hope that someday I will. The more “breakthroughs” I have, the more I’m changed.
And as I know from working out, you only stay in shape as long as you keep working out. There is never a point when you are done.
I stumbled upon your blog via your OAMC link on Life as Mom. This post almost made me cry! Specifically
"This made me think about my cleaning. Many slobs are very creative people, we love projects (or the idea of them) and we have great big ideas. It's the day-to-day tasks like making my bed or washing the dishes that make me wonder, "What's the point?" And since I've let my house get to this point, one little task doesn't seem like it would make enough of a difference to bother with it."
That's the story of my adult life! I am a newlywed and I feel horrible for my husband that he married such a slob. But I get overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
Anyways..you know all about this. I just wanted to say thank you for being an inspiration!
Sarah
I can relate to every post!
LOL, I have been working on changes for two weeks now. For the last two days I was too sleep deprived to do much of anything. I work night shift and every now and then I will have a couple of days that I just can NOT get to sleep. So frustraiting! It makes my night shift hard and the next day even harder… so needless to say my “have to’s” did have to THAT badly so today when I finally got a whole wonderful 10 hours of sleep to catch up, I got up to a pretty big mess. I got to work starting with the kitchen, and dishes that were piled up but still not like before, wiped the counters, did a walk through kitchen living and bathroom picking up as I went, … wow, 30 minutes and the house is looking pretty good. There is still a pile of clean laundry on the couch… my kids do the laundry but don’t fold it. So I’m taking a break reading your blog, then I will get back to it…even the bathroom looks good because i had been cleaning it every other day, so after two days of nothing it still is soooooo much better than before!
Thanks for helping me get in gear!
After stumbling upon your blog, I have come to the realization that I am indeed a SLOB lol! Everything I’m reading is totally me, through and through! Right down to cleaning like a mad woman before a party and thinking how I’d love for the house to stay clean and within just a couple weeks it’s as if I’d never lifted a finger! I believe I’ve found hope in your blog and I feel motivated to really start changing how I live. Thank you! 🙂
Thanks for commenting! I’m constantly amazed to find there are more people out there like me!
I am so happy that I found your blog. I am slob, grew up in a family of slobs, married a slob, and am now in the process of teaching my 10 month old how to be a slob. I want to break this cycle more than anything, but bad habits coupled with a wicked case of ADHD makes it really difficult to stick to any routine for more than a couple of days. I have started (and restarted) the Flylady system so many times but have always petered out quickly and then been stuck with the guilt and self-loathing that followed. Reading through your posts has truly inspired me, and I have to say that the pictures you post of before and after have made the most impact on me. Your before pictures have made me realize that there are other families that struggle with the same issues that mine does, and this post in particular has really spoken to me. I often ask myself “what’s the point?” but seeing your progress with small, attainable steps has given me hope that if you can do it, I can do it. Thank you for your honesty and thank you for allowing us all to watch you progress through your personal journey!
It’s never the big, showy, once-and-for-all moment I always dreamed of, but I can it’s truly worth it to keep going!
I love your analogy of working out to cleaning house! Totally makes sense to me and was an aha moment for me. Thanks!
When do you find the time to work out?
Now, I go at 5 a.m. to Camp Gladiator. It’s a boot camp style group workout with a trainer.
I’ve been binge reading your blog as I recommit (again) to keeping my house up better. I really appreciate your posts, your honesty and your approach. I hear your “voice” in my head when I walk by an item out of place, or when I’m about to put a dish in the sink.
Thank you!
Oh ma goodness!!!! It is absolutely unbelievable how your story matches up with mine!!!! I have just now found your blog and every. little. detail. is exactly how I have been going through my life so far. I weaned my 18 month old a few months ago and have been feeling like, “this has to stop… NOW!” Something needs to change if I am ever to have kids over for playdates etc. You’ve given me hope lol, it can be done!!! Another thing I’ve been working through is my shame surrounding it all. Brene Brown’s work is remarkable and is helping me unlink my messy house to my self worth. Looking forward to reading more of your journey!!!!
-Beth