Domestic goddess-in-training

This week, I recalled that I used to read a website called Flylady, which offered all kinds of hints, motivation and encouragement to not only keep a clean house, but one which offered peaceful and tranquil surroundings. My house isn't dirty, but with three kids, there's a lot of stuff, and I've been feeling boxed in by the clutter. So I took a gander at the Flylady website, and signed up for the email group.

Immediately my inbox was flooded with emails explaining about Flylady, giving tips for a cleaning routine (called a "weekly house blessing"), a morning routine, a new daily cleaning habit, ideas to get kids to pitch in, and a deep-cleaning zone of the week. I felt a little overwhelmed, but the emails assured me I wasn't behind, that I could take baby steps, and I could do anything for 15 minutes. So I gave it a try.

Monday I did the house blessing (vacuum, dust, mop, change sheets, empty trash, wipe down the bathroom and a few other things I don't remember) and tackled the out-of-control pile of photos in the master bedroom, which was the zone for the week. The house blessing took an hour and the photos I got out of there and put into boxes to deal with another time in less than 15 minutes. I did the daily bathroom wipedown and kitchen-sink shining. My house looked better already.

Since then, I've cleaned my bedroom closet; dealt with nightstand and dresser clutter; polished my bedroom furniture; organized and cleaned the non-kids bookshelves in the house; washed the bedroom windows; changed my bed again, including washing all the linens and flipping the mattress; washed the bedroom curtains; and cleaned my bathrooms and kitchen sink daily. All in mostly 15-minute intervals.

And I've kept up with most of the other stuff I had to do, too -- caring for kids, of course; practicing violin with Abby; cooking meals; meeting my column deadline; working on other stories, and teaching a full day on Tuesday. I didn't make it to the gym on Thursday but it was pouring rain. I'll get there today.

One thing I like about Flylady is the constant emphasis on baby steps, and the reassurance that things don't have to be perfect. It's easy to feel overwhelmed, but breaking down big tasks into small steps and not insisting on perfection is very liberating.

If I were braver I'd post a photo of my sparkly uncluttered bedroom. You'll have to trust me on this one.