Final Wrap up..What have you learned?

Hey ladies! Though I didn't end on a high note this week (didn't finish my home blessing hour) I still feel great about this challenge overall. I have learned soooo much. For starters, that laundry doesn't have to be the beast that I make it out to be if I just do a load a day and PUT IT AWAY instead of letting unfolded laundry pile up in my bedroom. Also, even if I do, it will take less time than I think to fold it and put it away, especially if I'm racing against the clock and set my timer. I feel like this has helped me take back control of the house and feel good about it being my job instead of bitter about how much work I used to think it was. (It's a lot of work but totally manageable if I am organized). And this challenge has helped me remember how much little things can make a difference and lead to a spiral effect (like if I take 1 minute to make my bed, I am more likely to be motivated to keep my room clean and not let the laundry pile up in there because I don't like it). It was soooo awesome to have some of the last few daily missions in the bedroom be ones I had already done so didn't really have to do anything like clearing off the nightstand and taking care of a pile of clothes. I actually didn't have to do either of those because my room was already clean. Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you for participating in this challenge with me. It would not have been the same by myself. And I do plan on doing one in March but I need a few days to get it going and I just haven't had the chance to get it organized. I'm curious to see what flylady's habit of the month will be for March because I loved the 15 minutes of de-cluttering. I want to keep doing that one. This post just keeps rambling on and on. I would love if you all could take a minute and share what you've learned or how this challenge has helped you. I think it will be motivational for us all. Cheers and happy flying!! (And congrats to Julie and Misty for being the winners and Katharine for also being a winner and sticking it out with me in the trenches!)

Julie 18

1860+140 (yesterday)+100(today)=2100
Got it all done today and even vacuumed out my car.

Misty day 18

Got all 100 points today. Skinned my other knee playing basketball and hurt my ankle, but made 8 points in the game and that made me happy. Shay, my dad, Skyler and I replaced the brake pads and rotors on the van and my dads car. And Skyler beat us all at Knights and Cities, or Cities and Knights, whichever you prefer. Hope every one is happy and healthy. By the way, is this our last day or are we going for 21 working days? 2115

Kath Day 17

I got everything done today in preparation for this weekend for 140 total. 140+1670=1810 Plus I cleaned the church tonight for my extra 300 points. Yeah for me because it wasn't that hard. So my new total is 2110. Good night girls.

Christy's Day 17 totals

Only got 50 points today for my stuff for a total of 1755. It was a ROUGH day. But thankfully, I did my duty and helped clean the church tonight for 300 points which makes my total 2055. Ouch! I think that puts me ahead of both Julie and Misty. That's incredible! And I never thought I had a chance. That's a come from behind victory if I've ever seen one.

Julie 17

140+ whatever my total was last night= ??
Great day, bad night. Got all my points plus weekly home blessing hour done before date night. Had to come home early from date night after 3 calls from the babysitter about a misbehaving 5 year old. Anyone looking to adopt a naughty little boy?

Misty 17

Another great day. Shay is home after being gone ALL week. Man I love him. Got all 115 plus a bunch of other stuff done. Tired but happy.

Kath day 16

100 points today for a total of 1670. I didn't declutter but I did sign some papers to sell my house. Super scary!!!!

C day 16

1605 + 100 = 1705. I AM EXHAUSTED and I don't know how I'm going to get out of bed tomorrow. I'm already feeling it.

Misty 16

Great day. Got all my stuff and my home blessing done today 140. And loved survivor, just wish Parvati would have gone home!

Julie Day 16

1745+115=1860 Super productive today, SUPER tired now...I think I'm overdoing it. Going to watch survivor and go to bed. Goodnight Ladies!

Julie 15

1630+115=1745 I admit it...I'm weakening... some things are getting easier, some things are getting harder. Its 1 min to midnight and it took all the strength I had to get up off the couch to go shine my sink. It was all I had left to do, but I got home late from YW tonight, watched 2 hours of American Idol with Andrew and was intermittently falling asleep. I did it though and was actually surprised because it took less than 5 minutes, yet I had been dreading it all night. My sink was actually already shining, but I had a few dishes around the kitchen to throw in the dishwasher!! Why was I dreading this? I think it is teaching me that work procrastinated just SEEMS harder. Its so much easier to just DO IT. Amen. Goodnight. (or good morning, since you've all already posted.)

Kath day 15

I am feeling very motivated and got everything done. It has been a great day to Fly. I've been thinking about how all you guys have been kicking my booty and want to know what has been easiest and hardest for you in this challenge. For me it has been the hardest to exercise and shine my sink at the end of the day. The funny thing is that I usually got those things done it was the ones that were easier that I failed at more then once like make dinner. Anyway,115 today+ 1455 so now I have 1570. good night

Kath

Misty 15

Today, I was feeling the joy of Fly Lady. I am so grateful. I was able to get the girls room organized. It is the toughest room for me. I want to get the girls new sheets, they need them bad. When it comes time to change sheets I hate it because I only own one sheet for every bed, so I have to wash them and put them back on in one day. But the upstairs feels SO good. I got 115 today as well. I do think this challenge has saved me ALOT of money because I don't go anywhere anymore, I have too much to focus on. It is great. 1760

Christy Day 15

1490 + 115 =1605. I had my loving movement and a few things left to do and Mia had been begging for a piggy-back ride. I threw her on my back, set my timer for fifteen minutes and ran around the house putting things where they belong. It was so much fun for the both of us and killed two birds with one stone. I love Flylady!

Kath day14

I waited until the last minute on a few things but still finished, yeah for me. 115 today for a total of 1455. Some things have become second nature like the swish and swipe and making my bed. It's kinda nice to not have to think about it. Good night

Christy's Day 14

1375 + 115= 1490. I'm tired. I already pooped out watching Lost and had to wake up and do my dishes. I almost said forget it and went to bed but I took a quick ten minutes to do it. Not for the points but because I know I'll be soooo much happier tomorrow morning to wake up to a clean kitchen. Cheers!

Julie Day 14

115+1515=1630
I'm tired. But happy! Today I packed away some maternity clothes, you know, from "THE PILE"...guess that means I need to start losing weight so I can actually wear the regular ones???

M 14

Feeling SO much better today. Today I was feeling like it is finally becoming habit. I just woke up, made the bed, read my scriptures, got dressed, etc... It just came easier. Julie, I can't remember if I said this, but I like to watch shows on hulu while I ride the bike. That motivates me to do it early, because I usually have something I want to watch. Got full points today, and cleaned my sons room for 2 hrs. My brother came and stayed with us for 4 days they just left and they stayed in there. We got it cleaned super good. Now to get the poop out of the carpet I just found. They have an almost three year old, who had fun pooping on the floor! I am so grateful to you girls for doing this and including me, it has been fabulous. By the way I loved the barbie dresses Christy, you will never have to buy Barbie clothes again.
1645

Christy day 13

1260 + 115 today =1375. Feels great. I want to continue and do a challenge next month similar to this one. I already have a few new people who want to join. I want it to still be motivating without people having to pay money if they don't want to. What do you think? Give me some ideas of what to do...

P.S. Sorry about the migraine, Misty. That's the worst. I can't believe you still got full points. Incredible.

P.P.S. And Julie congrats with the couponing. I need to know your secrets.

P.P.S.S. And not to leave you out Kath- Hope Liam is feeling better and fever-free tomorrow.

Julie Day 13

1400+115=1515 That's a cool score, right?? Got it all done, but once again had to do the exercise at night. NOT FUN. House is looking much better though. Went couponing again today and you've GOT to see this! I have ONLY had the time to coupon because of flylady. Now that my house is somewhat under control, I have more time to coupon, which means more $$! Yahoo!

Also, just wanted to add a little testimonial. Last Sunday I pretty much stayed on task because I didn't want to get off schedule. Yesterday, however, was another story. I didn't do a thing from my list other than get dressed and that was because we had church. This morning was ROUGH. I don't ever want to take another "day off." The work just piles up. Even my shower wasn't as nice this morning because I had to scrub mascara off my face since I didn't do my before bed routine (other than teeth brushing of course, GROSS). Anyhow, I'm a believer!

Kath Day 13

I'm tired and my son's fever keeps coming back so it's off to bed here. 100 points today because I didn't exercise. I got very little sleep last night. Poor excuse but it is what it is. 1340 total. By the way, I am also loving the missions for the week. My bedroom suffers the most.

Kath

Ps Thanks Christy for letting Ella play for hours. That is the only reason I got as many points as I did today.

M13

Had a bad migrane today. But pushed through and finished it all. I got most of it done in the morning so that is the only reason. I love the Master Bedroom being the cleaning spot of the week. 115 for me today. Paid off two Credit Cards today. One left and a small balance on it. HOORAY ICE CREAM!

De-cluttering Pics

I've been meaning to post these for a few days and finally got around to it. Enjoy!!

Here's my linen closet before: packed and ready to explode at any minute. Every time we got something out, everything would fall and I would just shove it back in.

In less than 15 minutes, I completely cleaned it out and got a good pile to take to the Godwill.

Here's my box I cleaned out of the toy box for the Godwill. Barely anything went back in. I've been trying to convince Ryan to get rid of the toy box for quite sometime.

Christy day 12

FYI, Misty and Julie, there is no mission for Saturday so you shouldn't have gotten 140 points, you cheaters! Just kidding, but really the most you could get is 100 unless you got the 25 for the weekly home blessing for a total of 125. I only got 75 today because I didn't do my decluttering or make my bed, etc. because someone was on it all day. We did make the activity table for Luke and it looks great. I just have to do the wood putty and paint it and we still have to make the toy bins. It wasn't that bad but Ryan is a perfectionist so it took a little longer than I guessed. We'll post pics once we're done. I did take pictures as we went, though. My total overall is now 1260 (and I'm not cheating!!). :)

Kath day12

90 points today. There isn't a mission on Saturday so I didn't do that and I didn't make dinner. The pizza was sure good. You guys are missing out on some sweet fast food. You are way stronger then me and that is my downfall.

Kath

That make 1240 total for me.

Misty day 12

Got family in town. But got everything done before they got here, except dinner, sink and face. So it was easy to get it all done tonight. Played a sweet basketball game today and made 6 points and only missed once. Went into overtime twice and we won by two points in the end. 1415 overall.

Julie Day 12

1275+140=1415 Today was a great day. I did mop my floor so I finished the weekly home blessing hour. Glad tomorrow is Sunday, this has been a busy 2 weeks. I'm not planning on slacking, but its nice that I won't have to be SO accountable. :) Got my decluttering done first thing this morning and it moved my day right along. So nice. Enjoy tomorrow and we'll see ya Monday!

This pizza is so yummy! I'm not trying to make you guys fall. I'm just letting you know how good it is and I'll have leftovers for Sunday lunch.

Christy Day 11

140 + 1045 = 1185 total. Drug my feet all day until around 3pm then kicked it into high gear. Finished mopping and scrubbing baseboards after the girls got home. It feels SOOOO nice to go into the weekend with a spotless house that I can just work on maintaining. Happy weekend! (I've got some de-cluttering pics to share later. Maybe sometime over the weekend. My house is looking fantastic).

P.S. I have the wood to build the activity table from Knockoff Wood. I can't wait to build it tomorrow with Ryan. I'll post pics when we're done (or once we've painted it, etc.)

Kath day 11

140+1010=1150 I made dinner tonight even though I didn't want too. That's awesome for me and saves some money. I just wanted the points.

Kath

Julie Day 11

1160+115=1275 Got it all done, but once again procrastinated the decluttering and exercise. I hate spending time doing them once hubby gets home, ya know? Any motivators for getting them done EARLIER in the day?? Help me out ladies!
Thanks for the mopping tip, Misty. My kids will love that tomorrow morning! By the way, I've been dying to see what you made from knockoffwood.com. PLEASE post pics!!

Misty 11

Feeling good, TGIF. 115+1200=1315

Kath day 10

Wow you guys are super women. I did not make dinner tonight but I got everything else done. I just finished my exercise. I will spare you the details of that:0(JK) 105 +905 is 1010. Good night

Kath

I'm horrible at adding. I had come back and correct it(ha ha)

I had to come back again because I didnt get 115 I got 105. I am having problems!!!!! It must have been that exercise. I can't think straight.

Julie Day 10

115 today plus a totally successful day couponing. I filled my cart for $8 and used $46+ in coupons. I love it!! Flylady is making me feel like superwoman! (Once again procrastinating the mopping of the weekly home blessing...just keep repeating, "my timer is my friend in 2010." I CAN mop for 10 min...I CAN...we'll see...1160 total

Christy's Day 10

960 + 85 = 1045. I had a fieldtrip with Halle, lunch bunch, home for a time and then took Mia to the doctor. It was a tiring day so I didn't do my exercise or de-cluttering but I did do the rest. Hooray for me!

M-10

Hosting book club tonight. Need to post early. But getting all done today was super tough. I am beat. Wow, but it was easier to clean this time than it normally is for book club. Got to get the kids to bed. Also completed my home blessing today. I must really love book club to miss Survivor. I am digging it this season. 140+1060=1200

Christy's Day 9

115 + 845= 960 total. I'm not freezing. You guys are just wimps. JK.

Kath Day 9

115 plus 805 is 920. I'm cold as well. Where is the spring?

M-9

FREEZING! 115+945=1060 Looking forward to spring.

Julie Day 9

115 +930=1045 Had a good day but I REALLY need to do my most dreaded things earlier in the day. I hate exercising at night, but I just got it in. Now I'm off to eat some cookies...ha ha.

Decluttering Wednesday

This is my front hall closet BEFORE:
And after: Ah...so nice. I always dread the decluttering, but am always surprised at how peaceful I feel about that space when I'm done. It is so nice. It's not a huge change, but I decluttered 2 church bags that were on the floor in there also. And I hung our fall wreath in the attic. Unfortunately the box has to stay there because it has all of my piano music and is the only place close the piano for now.

This is my lima bean wreath I finished last week. It is hanging on the outside of the hall closet door. It needs some kind of bow to finish it off... maybe sage green or black?

Declutter pics

decluttering is my favorite part. I guess because you can see the biggest difference.

Julie Day 8

115+815=930 We just moved into this new house in October and I was surprised by how much gunk had built up on the cupboards of my bathroom vanities. Thanks Flylady! Also, for my 15 min. workout today I walked around my neighborhood with the stroller while the kids rode their bikes. It was great for all of us. So nice!

Kath Day 8

115 today for a new total of 805. By the way are you guys totally sure you're adding right?(JK) Maybe I'm adding wrong and I have more than I think. Wouldn't that be nice. Good night

Christy's Day 8

730 + 115 today = 845 total. Thought I'd post a quick de-cluttering pic. Nothing fabulous but it made me happy. Cupboard under my phone before and after.

M 8

Super tired and my stomach hurts, just hope i am not getting the stomach flu that has been going around. 830+115=945

Kath Day 7

90 points for a new total of 690. We had a fun family day so I feel great about what I was able to do. It took some busting of butt this afternoon and evening, but all in all I'm happy with it. I can not wait until tomorrow and my kids get back in school. I will be bringing it on so look out.(I'm a horrible smack talker)

Christy's Day 7

Today I got 100 for a total of 730. I didn't do my de-cluttering because my kids were all home and any spare minute I had was sucked into a book I couldn't put down. Still, it feels nice to have a clean kitchen when I go to bed.

Julie Day7

115 today, 815 total. Again, I'm loving this. Sunday was a nice break. The decluttering is working wonders even though it is my most dreaded part of the day. I should have taken pics, but just wanted to get it over with. Hope you're all doing well. Goodnight.

Misty-7

Today I got all 115, but I yelled at my children when they told me their room was clean and I rewarded them only to find out that is was no where close to clean. So I am a little bummed. Hope to do better tomorrow in the talking nicely even when frustrated catergory. Good luck ladies! 115+715=830

Christy's Day 6

Today I got 75 (+555=630). I didn't de-clutter or make dinner. We had Pizza Hut and I have to say, it wasn't that great. I didn't want to do my exercise either but at the last minute I checked everyone's scores and figured I could do a quick few minutes on the Wii Fit. If Misty or Julie have a bad day I don't want to let myself get too far behind. It's not too late for us, Katharine! I made Claire a darling ruffle onesie tonight. I'll have to post some pics of it. Nighty-night!

Misty 6

Barely fit it all in, just finished washing my face and brushing my teeth. Give me 100 points for Saturday. Just FYI, I am soooo glad for Sunday. Don't give up Kathrine, I am barely hanging on!

Kath Day 6

I will hang in there until the end. I got 70 points today plus my weekly blessing hour of 25 points for a total of 95 points. Added to my 505 gives me a new total of 600 points. I'm not going to win this thing unless ALL of you mess up but I already feel better and there is less chaos in my home. It's great.

Day 6

I did everything today, but not sure how many points that would be. 100? Lemme know.
So it snowed here last night and they canceled church tomorrow even though it is mostly all melted. So funny. Good night.

My Decluttering Today

Decluttering is the hardest part for me. I think the pictures really help motivate. I didn't take before pics so you can't see how bad it was... but it still makes me happy. The top pic is Brandon's dresser. He's 2 mo old and had outgrown all 0-3 months clothes. So I opened up the box of 3-6 months clothes, but kept piling them on top of the dresser. It took 2 decluttering sessions, but I emptied out the smaller clothes and put the right ones in the drawer. It was great to give some away and THROW some away!
Also, I FINALLY emptied out my hospital bag from delivering him. Yea! I counted it as decluttering because it had been sitting on the floor of Brandon's room these past 2 months. It definitely needed some "putting away" and I even threw away a maternity shirt. Yea!!
And last but not least, I hit a HUGE coupon deal at Walgreen's yesterday on Huggies diapers. I came home and cluttered Brandon's floor with them...so much so that Andrew tripped over them this morning. Oops. So they had to be "put away". Pretty funny, eh??

Challenge of the day

Just to be sure, there is no Challenge of the Day on Saturday, right? I just didn't want to miss it. We are all doing so good, doesn't it feel great! Thank you so much for motivating me to DO SOMETHING. I have been so lazy lately. Good luck today.

Dedication...Julie Day 5

Yes, it is 11:39 and I JUST finished. I had to get my weekly home blessing hour done after date night because I was procrastinating the mopping. I hate it... 5 swiffer pads later my kitchen floor is finally clean. Ha ha. I also had to declutter which tonight was the top of the washer and dryer. It always has junk on it. Now it is all cleared off and ready for tomorrow's laundry to be folded! Yea! As for the workouts, I've been wiifitting every day. I just earn 15 points in my wii fit bank which usually takes about 18-20 minutes. Not bad for just having had a baby, eh?? 140 today, 600 total.

Misty's big 5

I did take some pictures of my before and after but will post those maybe tomorrow. Got it all done, I am loving it. The house just feels so good. Even though it isn't perfectly clean, I feel the spirit more with reading my scriptures, I clean way less but feel good because I have accomplished my task list. Shay is happier because the dishes and laundry are always done and our bathroom stays clean. My biggest fear is running out of spots to declutter before the challenge is over. Keep up the good work ladies. 475+140=615 For working out I like to put the firm on my laptop turn up Pandora and put Adam in his high chair. It works perfect. Honestly working out is my least favorite part! (I guess that is why I am chunky)

Christy Day 5 "kick yo butt" total

I'm feeling great posting my points early. All I have left is my before bed routine, which I am giving myself points for because I PROMISE I'm good for it. We have a date tonight so I don't want to forget when we get home. I got all my points today plus finished my weekly home blessing hour by mopping my floor today and vacuuming all of upstairs. Points for today 140 which takes my overall total to 555! I'm feeling great, ladies. I am so happy we're doing this challenge. Even if I don't win, I still win because my house is clean, it's getting de-cluttered and I feel in control and not super stressed. Hooray! I can't wait to hear how you guys are all doing and feeling about the challenge. We've got to keep this up after February.

De-clutter before and after

I don't have a great spot to put all my sewing stuff so it kind of takes over when I have a sewing bug, which I've had recently. I didn't even take pictures of the kitchen, where I also had stuff all over the table and the ironing board out covered in stuff. This is just my big pile in my room before.

Here is the after once I vacuumed and everything. Tadah! I'm feeling so great today. I even played one-on-one basketball with Addy for my exercise time while Claire took a nap. Feeling like a super mom today and looking forward to my date night with Ryan! Happy Flying Girls!

i

Kath day 5

I am posting early today because I'm going out of town for the night.(yeah for me) I kicked some serious booty this morning and got my stuff done. 105 points for me today. I will count my weekly home blessing tomorrow. My total is now 505. As for exercise ideas, some of the things I like to do is stairs(I run up and down mine during Liam's nap for exercise, Ella thinks it funny), walks around the neighborhood, a really good wrestle with my kids and husband, Wii fit or Wii sports, mall walk and (the act). Have a great day, because I sure will.

15 minute Exercise Ideas

Hey Ladies! Just wondering what you're doing for your 15 minutes of movement. I need some ideas. When I can't make it to the Y, I can't think of other ideas. I've been doing Wii Fit but wondering if you would share what you've been doing to broaden my horizons.

Misty's Day 4

Okay, got it all done, but it is getting a little tricky. Life likes to happen. 115+360=475

Kath Day 4

This is a little embarrassing but my excuse is that my kids were home alllllllllll day and it was hard. I still tried my hardest. It's baby steps, right? I got 85 points today, which puts Christy ahead of me:( I have 400 points total.

Christy Day 4

115 today. 415 total. I'm really hoping some one forgets to post tonight. Preferably some one ahead of me. Oh yeah, everyone is ahead of me. :) I am super tired. I almost fell asleep without posting. I took some before pictures today of my de-cluttering but I am going to wait to take my after pics tomorrow once I vacuum. I know you're all dying to see them. Until tomorrow...

Julie day 4

115 today, 460 total. Man am I tired.

Julie Day 3

115 for today...it was a close call...I had to declutter and shine my sink after YW tonight, but it got done so I'm happy. Like Misty, we had lasagna too and I made it using Christy's crock pot recipe. DELISH! Get this from her if you haven't already. It is definitely a new family favorite. I also started "couponing" this week and am SUPER happy with my diaper purchases today. All in all a great day.
115 today, 345 total.

Kath's Day Three

I finally joined the full points club. 115 points today added to my 200 makes for 315. Plus I scored some sweet deals at Gap. It was a good day.

Kath

Christy's Day Three Total and Bonus--Pictures to Boot!

I thought along with my total of 115 (300 overall) I would show the areas I have decluttered thanks to my 15 minute decluttering. (By the way, my 15 minutes of exercise about did me in. I really didn't want to do it but just did it on the Wii Fit finally). I will admit I did what Flylady warns against and I went a little overboard and spent more time decluttering but sometimes it can be addicting. I know you can all understand. I saw Katharine's lovely decluttered mudroom area of her laundry room today. I don't want to add any more pressure to anyone but if you have the time and feel like you want to, I would love to see what your 15-minute decluttering has done. I think it will be good motivation for all of us. A before shot of either of my spots probably would make the after more incredible but I think you can appreciate it anyway.

Junk drawer in my kitchen (believe me, this is a BIG improvement). I could hardly shut it before.

My laundry room. It's no longer piled with about 40 coats. I can't wait to take three big grocery bags to the Godwill tomorrow!! Yes, it's Godwill, not Goodwill. Our favorite little thrift store.

Misty's numero Tres

Tonight I made lasagna and banana bread. It makes me happy to cook for the family. I also completed the list and did my taxes. 115+245= 360

Misty's Day 2

Good day, got it all done. Oh except that one thing. 115+130=245

So to address the situation, I am sorry if I made you all uncomfortable. I was just trying to be humorous. I hope all is forgiven and we can get on with the challenge. I do not mind not counting that from here. Good luck and good night.

Julie Day 2

Yeehaw! I am loving this! I had a busy morning with grocery shopping and well baby visits, and was worried I wouldn't get all the points, but I pushed it this afternoon and got it all done and I feel great! Thanks so much ladies. Hope you're all enjoying this as much as I am.
115 for today, 230 total.
Keep on truckin'!
Julie

by the way...have you gotten the emails about the flylady olympic challenges coming up? Not sure what she'll have us do, but maybe we should think about it now so we can decide if we want to add that with points to the program for those weeks. Just throwing it out there...

Today I got 105 points. I didn't make dinner:( Add that to yesterday and I have a total of 200 points. Not bad but I'm still striving for full points. Now I'm off to watch some Lost in my clean house. Good night ladies!

Kath

Christy's day 2 total

Hooray! Today was much better. It feels good to get the full points of 115. Added to yesterday's total of 70, my overall score thus far is 185.

Daily Missions

Zone 2: Mission #1 Monday

Dear Friends:

We are back in the kitchen!! The mission for today is not fun! So
sorry! LOL! Clean your kitchen trash cans!! Take out the trash and
wash those nasty gross cans out! You know what happens when that
trash bag slips down and yet the rest of the family still tosses
things in there! Use a soapy rag and wipe down the sides and the
bottom. Some of you may need to take the can outside and spray it
out with the hose. If you have a lid, don't forget to clean the
underside.

Have fun! (Kelly is ducking and running now....lol)

Kelly
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Zone 2: Mission #2 Tuesday

Dear Friends:

Your mission for today should you choose to accept it: Scrub down
your counter-tops. I don't mean to just wipe a rag across them! I
mean you get some hot soapy water and you wipe down the counters from
front to back and side to side. Yes, you have to move the stuff on
the counters to do this. DON'T take everything off at one time and
then plan to put it all back again, I promise you will get
sidetracked and then you will all email me crying that it is all my
fault!! LOL! You just move your toaster (or coffee pot or whatever
this is an example here! :>) ) over to one side and wipe down the
counter, then move over a foot or so, move aside what is there and
wipe down some more and so on. We are not marathon cleaning the
kitchen here, just getting all the crumbs and junk that seems to
build up behind and under things. Have fun! Don't obsess! Enjoy!

Kelly
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Zone 2: Mission #3 Wednesday

Dear Friends:

I will be able to hear the groans around the globe with this
mission ! LOL!

Grab those toothbrushes and get ready! Yep! You guessed it! Get an
OLD toothbrush and some soap and scrub those kitchen sink faucets!
You will be amazed at how much gunk and grime will come off around
the handles! You shine your sink everyday but today we are going to
make those faucets sparkle! While you are at it take that soapy
toothbrush and scrub your rings that you are wearing that have gotten
grungy and make them sparkle too!

Have fun! I promise you will love the results even if you hated the
actual job!

Love,
Kelly
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Zone 2: Mission #4 Thursday

Dear Friends,

Today we are going after the big appliances!

I am not telling you to clean your ovens and tear apart your
refrigerators. Just wipe off the fingerprints, the spills and the
dried food that gets stuck on the stove, the dishwasher and the
refrigerator. Wipe down the doors,the handles and the surfaces.

This is not a detailed cleaning mission where you need to spend hours
scrubbing, just 15 minutes to surface clean your large appliances.

Kelly
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Zone 2: Mission #5 Friday

Dear Friends:

Today is our last day in the Kitchen!! For today I want you to grab
your broom and your mop. Sweep your kitchen floor really well and
then mop. There are several ways to mop a kitchen floor and no real
wrong way. Hot soapy water and wipe. There is no "perfect" mop and
no "perfect" way to do it. Just Do It!

Don't obsess and get caught up in perfection! It won't matter if you
don't mop the way your Mother did as long as you do it. Remember
House work done incorrectly still blesses your family!

Kelly

Misunderstanding...Ooops!

Lucky Shay ;) Seriously though, I thought we were kidding about the double loving movement. I could see counting that as your loving movement cause it is exercise after all but personally I’d rather not share whether I “doubled” my loving movement. I guess I’m a little embarrassed/shy/whatever. I must have misunderstood.

If you don't mind I propose that points stay as is, but from here on out we don't count THAT portion...although I agree any motivation helps! I'd think you could also include some "loving movement" as part of your own personal before bed routine. Ha ha.

Also, I think Katherine should be allowed to do yesterday's mission and get the points. And so no one misses the missions again, I'll post the daily missions here. Just a thought.

What say you?

Misty's Day 1

I woke up today dreading this. Adam was up with a severe diaper rash at 2 and I couldn't go back to sleep for at least an hour and a half (which NEVER has happened to me before). But thankfully I watch a little boy every Monday at 9 which got me up and running, with my hair done and my shoes on. But I almost feel a little guilty telling you my total today was 130. Good luck tomorrow and good night! Hope you get to feeling better Christy.

Christy's total

70 points for me! There's a lot I didn't get done due to sickness but I feel pretty good about what I did do.

The day started off easy for me, but now that it's 8:30 it was really hard to do the last few things!!! This is great for me because the evening are when it counts at this house. This will be fun it see how much I can push myself in the evenings. My house can stay clean up until the kids get home from school. I got 95 points today. That's not bad for me. I didn't do the mission of the day because I just signed up today on the Flylady sight and I didn't shine my sink because I'm too tired. Good Luck, Kath

Day 1 Points

Good Evening Ladies! What a great first day. I am LOVING this challenge. I did so many things I have been putting off because I just didn't think I had time. It felt so great to get so many things done. I got everything done on the list except the complete Home Blessing Hour, which I will complete by Friday for the mopping. So here's my points tally thus far:
115

Weekly Home Blessing Hour

FYI just thought I would share that according to flylady's website, you DO NOT have to do the weekly home blessing hour all in one day. You can spread it out however you'd like, as long as you get it done in that week, M-F. So I say for the points, you cannot log ANY points until you've done all of it. And its 25 points or 0. No in between. Just a tip for this week, the daily mission for Friday is mopping, so I'm saving that portion of the weekly home blessing and counting it for both. Happy Flying!

Get Ready, Get Set, Go!

Counting points starts tomorrow. You'll want to each make sure you're signed up to receive Flylady's emails so you know what the mission of the day is. If you have any questions about what a five minute room rescue is, etc. just look on her website. You can search for any of those things or go through the getting started stuff. I adjusted the blog settings so that we each will receive an email once a post has been made to the blog so we can keep up with how everyone is doing without having to check back all the time.

Everyone is a blog author so we can all easily make posts. Let me know if you have any trouble with this. Anyway, have fun and good luck!! We're going to have the cleanest, happiest houses around!

The Rules

Ok, ladies. Glad you're all excited to make new habits. I know I am. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit so I figured the last three weeks in February (7-28) would be perfect. I've assigned points to different items. Each day we have to post how many daily points we earned and what our cumulative total is. If you don't post THAT day, you don't get the points for THAT day. Fair enough? Also, no points on Sundays (should we do it on Saturdays?) We each put in $15 (if that amount sounds okay) and whoever has the most points at the end of the day on the 31st wins the prize ($75). And if you cheat, you're only cheating yourself. Honor system, please. Here's what I've come up with. Let me know what you think.

*Get Dressed to Shoes including Hair/Face, Brush Teeth (5 points)

*Make Bed (5 points)

*Swish & Swipe (5 points)

*Empty Dishwasher (5 points)

*Reboot Laundry (one load) (5 points)

*What's For Dinner? (10) (you get the points if you make dinner)

*Declutter for 15 Minutes (15)

*15 Minutes of Loving Movement (exercise) (15)

*Scripture Study (15 points)

*If you complete Flylady's mission of the day (15 points)

*Five Minute Room Rescue (5)

*Spend 2 minutes clearing off a hot spot (5 points)

*Shine your sink (5 points)

*Before Bed Routine (whatever yours is-brush teeth, wash face) (5 points)

*If you ever help clean the church, you can get 300 bonus points, ladies!

*Weekly you can get 25 points if you do Flylady's Weekly Home Blessing hour which includes:

• Vacuum
• Dust
• Mop
• Polish Mirrors and Doors
• Purge magazines
• Change Sheets
• Empty all trash

When you do your Weekly Home Blessing, set a timer and spend only 10 minutes per item on the list. When the timer goes off, stop and to the next item. Anything is better than nothing!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, post them and I can answer them (or we can decide together). Have I left anything out? How should we collect the money (at the end?). I can't wait to get started!!

*For the record, most of this content was taken directly from FlyLady's website @ Flylady.net. Check it out for further clarification.