Getting in the Birthday Spirit

With an awesome berry pom garland from Auntie JorJor!

Decluttering Time!

Remember how I challenged you to join me in learning to clean our homes using the FlyLady system? Well, I made it probably half way through the Baby Steps, then went on vacation for about a month. Oops. The good news? While I haven't followed the baby steps to the letter, I am feeling pretty comfortable about the daily state of our home. The sink is clean before we go to bed 90% of the time. I vacuum nearly every day. (Keep in mind that I use a battery operated stick-vac, so it's super easy to cross the house quickly, and the battery lasts less than 15 minutes, so I'm (gratefully) limited on the amount of time and space I cover.) And Lana's 5-6 play areas throughout the house are straightened up every night. I tackle quite a bit of this list while Raf is giving Lana a bath and putting her to bed. Hallelujah for Super Daddies! 

We've been entertaining like crazy, and I haven't felt any pressure to do super cleaning sessions prior, and the house has been back to normal within a day after hosting. And we're even hosting green parties--using real dishes rather than disposable. Yay Us!

Anyway, to the point. When I've found the time, I have been focusing on decluttering as well. The FlyLady constantly preaches that "You Can't Clean Clutter!" In other words, until you get rid of all the extra crap in your house that you don't need/use/love, it's always going to feel messy. And you're never going to be able to get into a good deep cleaning rhythm until your space is free of clutter. This is why decluttering is the second primary focus of the FlyLady system, right after mastering the baby steps, and before moving on to weekly zone cleaning (how she helps you deep clean your house without ever feeling like you did). So, I constantly have a box open to collect good will donations. It's helpful. But it's been slow.

That's why I got super excited when I skimmed the daily FlyLady email this morning--the Zone Cleaning focus through the end of October will be decluttering, space by space! Yay! (Check out the Sneak Peek for the Week here. Sign up to receive daily emails here.) With Zone Cleaning, the FlyLady has you focus on one or two rooms (depending on the layout/size of your home) each week, then they break it down and give you one Mission every day to clean that specific space. For instance, now that we're focused on decluttering, this week we're starting with the Master Bedroom, and today our mission is to declutter the top of our dressers. And...THAT'S IT! Tomorrow we'll do the nightstands. Then underwear drawers. Etc, etc. That's the beauty of the FlyLady system: little by little and before you know it you have a clean and clutter free home! Woo Hoo! 

Long story short: if you've been feeling like you need to whip yourself into shape to maintain a clean house, I urge you--TODAY IS THE DAY TO START! Seriously. Decluttering is the #1 most important thing, and the FlyLady is going to be walking us through it day by day before the holidays hit! So, who's in?? 

I'm off to declutter the top of my dresser...

This Week

We went to the mountains with our neighbor crew last weekend. Highlights included: a 4 mile walk around a lovely little lake, which we finished just as a thunderstorm began....

...kisses, kisses and more kisses!

....and yet another rousing round of Wits and Wagers. Have you played this game?? So much fun! Trivia+betting+totally ridiculous answers from clueless players (like me)=WIN!

Lowlights from the trip: driving home at 3:30am because the Bit woke up at 11pm and COULD NOT go back to sleep. It was awful!! As in: worst horrid baby sleep experience EVER. Wondering if getting a little mattress for her pack and play would help...?? Ugh.

A couple "whatchu lookin at, Willis" faces for your viewing pleasure.

Ah, that's better!

Practicing HUUUUUGS!!! with Koala bear. (Yes, you have to say it like that!)

Playing at the park with her buddy, Jake. Lana is REALLY into sharing food this week. Unfortunately, Jake doesn't seem very excited to be on the receiving end!

Gosh, Mom! Watch the hair, would ya!!?!

My Heart

It's just so full. 

This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

Sweetness

More Mischief

+

=

more mischief.

Little Miss Mischief

We have quite the personality developing over here. One that includes a healthy dose of mischief.

Exhibit A: 

Lana's not allowed to touch the lamp in the living room. But she loves it, because if you touch it, the metal cord bangs into the post--it's basically like a 6' rattle. I was sitting at the kitchen table the other morning and heard the cord start to clang, and as I started to yell my "NO!", I look over and see this. She figured out that she could push the exercise ball into the lamp post to get the effect she was going for...without touching the lamp. "I'm not touching it, Mom! I'm not touching it!!"

Exhibit B:
I knew that Lana was in the corner by the picture window, but couldn't hear her. This is strange because she's normally either yelling at the plants outside (grow tomatillos!) or banging on the window with her hammer (such a peaceful household). I immediately start to panic (silence=scary), run around the corner and find this: Lana pinching at a buzzing fly, on its last legs. Ok, Mr. Miagi...seriously?!

Never a dull moment around here.

Look Ma, No Hands!