I now have my own timer! It’s much nicer than using the microwave timer.

I’m in the “in-crowd” now. What? You don’t have one?

My routine flipped topsy-turvy lately, everything is in a different place, and I just felt overwhelmed.

It works great for me to set the timer and see how many boxes I can take care of in 15 minutes. Then I walk away and do something else.

Don’t forget the reward time. I’m all over that. Oh yea. The timer does help me there too. My previous timer just beeped and stopped. I’d think, “Just till the end of this chapter.” Before I knew it an hour had passed. This timer beeps for what seems like for-ev-er and so I have to put my book down, get up and turn it off.

The kids are getting in to it too. We have been doing a 10 minute pick-up every night. The four of us can accomplish quite a bit in 10 minutes. Plus, it makes me feel so-o much better.

Another thing about the timer and kids. I can say, “I will get you a drink [or whatever they are begging for] when the timer goes off.” That helps my hard-to-keep focus. I tend to go after something for the first child then 1 minute later the second child needs something. As I’m doing that I see something else that needs done…you know how it goes…the first thing never quite gets done.

I’m a big time lurker of Fly Lady. Watch out for the podcasts- they lured me in. Just nobody tell her that I don’t wear my tennis shoes every day. Please.

So, watch out house clutter! I’m learning to take control and destroy CHAOS even though my name is not Agent 99.

With all the sickness and appointments and such unnecessary evils my kitchen and dining room floors have been suffering.  Three weeks ago they got a swipe and a promise.  That promise was broken.  My floors were not mopped for two long weeks.

This is serious business for the kitchen and dining room.

In my defense, I did sweep a couple times.  [Just a couple.] 

Tonight, I figuratively rolled up my sleeves, got out my trusty bucket, and went to work. 

That dirt did not stand a chance!  With the scent of cleaner floating through the air I wrung out my rag and started in the corner behind the door.  Ya know, that wall is actually white underneath all that crud.

The kids all joined in with their own scrub rags.  The bucket became unnecessary; I could just dip my rag in the puddle on the floor.

My 5 year old son managed to fling water the whole way across the kitchen, on both his sisters and the papers on the refrigerator.  At least the bottom half of the refrigerator is clean.  They washed my microwave and their microwave – three times.  The cat wouldn’t stand still for them.  She wouldn’t even stay in the same room.

Anything that was standing still got wiped.  “Those are my toes!”  I’m not saying it’s all clean.  I’m saying that they wiped it.

It’s such a nice feeling to be able to slide across the floors in my socks again.