Shoes, Buttons, and the Voices In My Head

Well hello there!

FYI, if you have a blog, and your blog has a button, let me know! I'll be more then happy to add it to mine. (Except you'll be stuck at the bottom for now, I can't figure out how to move it up...)

Also, I'm going to change my settings so I have to approve comments, so thank you for your patience! That being said, I *am* removing the word verification.

So, I've done my 2nd night of Hot Spot attack! I chose to do the small table in the hallway, since it wasn't too bad and I want it to stay that way! I even had enough time to do most of the hallway which is a Hot Spot all by itself!!

I am having trouble with the shoes... I left them on to walk to get my daughter from school today! AYE! And then I just didn't put them on the rest of the day. But I'll be giving my sink a good shining when done here, and I have my clothes all ready for tomorrow!

SO, back to that Stinkin' Thinkin'... Here we go!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Much of my stinkin thinkin is pretty... well... MEAN! I'll try to give you the nicer version! I have to say, they are much better then when I first did this step many months ago!!! Let's call them Voice 1 (our villainess ) and Voice 2 (our heroine).

VOICE 1: You started again? Seriously? Are you like, a glutton for punishment? Do you LIKE to fail?

VOICE 2: You're such a strong woman, starting this again. This time, you'll DO IT!

VOICE 1: Ugh. You only have 5 minutes, and this room is TRASHED. Don't even bother. I mean, if you can't do it right, don't do it at all.

VOICE 2: OK, you only have 5 minutes. Let's do some now, so that's 5 minutes less that you'll have to do later!

VOICE 1: Your bedroom is trashed. Surprise surprise. What do you expect from a slob?

VOICE 2: OK, your bedroom got neglected a bit. Remember last time? It didn't take nearly as long as you thought to get it looking GREAT!

VOICE 1: And once again, you screwed up wearing your shoes. You can't even wear shoes right!

VOICE 2: Oops! Looks like something to focus on tomorrow. They say it takes at least 21 days for something to become a habit. The important thing is to keep trying!

VOICE 1: Accept the fact that you just can't do this.

VOICE 2: Says who? Is that a challenge?! I think it is!

So... there you have it! I am officially caught up with Baby Steps! How are YOU all doing?!

Sad News and Pink Shoes

Oh goodness....

Yesterday I received news that a dear family friend - someone who has been a part of my life since I was 5 - had unexpectedly passed away.

Two weeks ago he was visiting and running around with my kids. And yesterday, my mother found him dead.

Initially, that was the worse part; knowing my mother had to be the one to find him. She had been getting worried when she couldn't get in touch with him, and by Monday night she knew something was wrong. She and his brother went into his house to check on him.

My parents had been divorced when I was about 2, and then my dad passed away when I was 11. I never saw him between then. And my mom never had a boyfriend. Well, maybe "Mr. Bob" was, I don't know the nature of that, I just know that as awful as this is for me, it has to be so much worse for her. Again, he's been a part of our lives for 26 years.

And then there was telling the kids. DS (2) doesn't understand... I do dread when he sees my mom, because invariably he asks "Where Bob?" DD (5) doesn't seem to quite understand, but she was all lovey and huggy and kissy after that, trying to make sure we were smiling. DD(7) understands... and perhaps that's the most heartbreaking of all. While it's not the first time she has been faced with a death of someone, this is the first person she truly KNEW and loved.

One thing we've had to stress is that it is NOT "normal" to fall asleep and die. (We're pretty sure it happened in his sleep, for which I'm grateful.) I don't want her to be afraid of that. But she sees it for what it is. "It's not fair Mommy... we didn't get a chance to say goodbye."

And that's yet another "worst part". The shock. It hasn't really hit. It will suddenly dawn on me in little pieces, but for the most part I'm still in shock. How can that happen? Please, if you're still reading this, think of someone you might be taking for granted in your life. Think if this were to happen to you, what would your biggest regret be? Now start thinking how you can rectify that.

Blah. I rambled. I'll post. Talk about a quick way to get over perfectionist blogging! I just needed to get it out, not in any particular order, not thought out, just... OUT THERE. Out of my head, even for just a little bit.

Besides... I'm wearing pink shoes! How can I not be OK? See, today is also Day 2 of the Flylady Chat Babysteps Challenge! And yes, it was a push to get dressed today. Yes, I'm moving in a fog.
But I also know I have 3 kids to care for. And so I decided to try to keep up with the challenge, and today's babystep is to get dressed... TO THE SHOES! So, I am. And oddly enough, while I could only find 1 of my 'houseshoes' for the past few months (really, they're just hot pink Walmart clearance canvas sneakers), I found the missing one this morning. So, I think I should keep plugging. Try to keep things "normal" as we grieve.

If I'm not around for a bit, it will be because of travels this weekend to go back "home". (I don't consider where I grew up "home", but that's another story for another post!) I don't even think I"ll go back and reread this, I don't want to overthink, just want this out there.

Please go give hugs to your loved ones, and don't forget to FLY!

The Challenge!

Soooo....

Tuesday there is a challenge starting in a chat room I visit, and I think I want to be in on it. Who wants to join me?

Some ladies are going to start from scratch with Flylady; even those who are FLYing will start from Day 1! I'm going to join them!

Whoa, wait. Let me back up.

OK, I am a SHE. A Sidetracked Home Executive. I have a difficult time focusing. And organizing. And just... cleaning in general! THANK GOODNESS I found www.flylady.net, which is helping me see that - despite what I was told growing up - I am NOT lazy, a slob, a pig, etc etc. I just need to do things a bit differently then BO (Born Organized) people. (And, it helps get rid of that Stinkin' Thinkin' that comes along with all those lovely labels!)

So anyway, a big part of Flylady is taking things in babysteps, going slowly, working our way into things. She is great about breaking things down into small, manageable steps. And HERE she has her babysteps to getting out of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). And yes, you read right, the first step is to Shine Your Sink!

So, I'm going to try it. Again. You see, while I do apply quite a bit of Flylady into my life, I've never gotten very far with being "official" about it. So, Tuesday I start.

Will you join me? It's OK if you're reading this after June 1st. Or it's late, and you just can't right now. You can always just jump in! (Trust me, Flylady says so!)

Let me know if you get started in the Comments... and I'll be keeping you up to date here, so feel free to cheer me along!