Detailed Cleaning - Living Room Edition

Before:

First Step - Declutter !!

Next:

1. CLEAN COBWEBS - X

2. CLEAN WINDOWS - X

3. STRAIGHTEN BOOKCASES - X

4. WASH ORNAMENTS AND WHAT-KNOTS - X

5. CLEAN OUT END TABLE - X

6. STRAIGHTEN CLOSETS/ DRAWERS - X

7. WIPE FINGERPRINTS FROM WALLS - X

8. POLISH FURNITURE - X

9. CLEAN OUT MAGAZINE RACKS - X

10: CLEAN DESK AREA - X

11. CLEAN UNDER CUSHIONS - X

12. MOVE FURNITURE AND VACUUM - X

AFTER:

Time Spent - 90 minutes

Back To My Routines

It is Monday, the start of a new week and I will be back to my routines today. As you may have noticed, I have been concentrating on my Body Clutter a little bit more than my Home Clutter and it is beginning to show. One thing I have a problem with (among many, it seems) is that when I add something new to my day, I get sidetracked and have a hard time organizing my days with the new 'thing' involved. Somehow, I always end up off track.

I am starting to believe in the To Do Lists. It can be so easy to get overwhelmed when you only think about the big picture of what needs to be done instead of taking it one small, bite-sized peice at a time. I haven't made a To Do List in a long time, but today I am going to. Even if it's just today, I know that it will help me get things accomplished.

1.) Loving Movement (check)
2.) Quiet Time (check)
3.) Weekly Home Blessing:
    a. Vaccume (check)
    b. Dust (check)
    c. Sweep / Mop (check)
    d. Change / Launder Sheets & Blankets (check)
    e. All garbage out and to dumpster. (check)
    f. Clean out garbage cans. (whoops, have to do this tomorrow)
4.) Zone 4: Mission #1 - Master Bedroom / under the bed (I have no 'under the bed' so I will work on 15 minutes of decluttering and do a 27 Fling Boogie. Will also have children do their 'under the beds'.) (check)
5.) Errand Day (check)

There, not so bad. And off I go  *poof*

Diet News - Day 13 !

So, I've been doing the diet and exercise thing now for 13 days.  And I've been doing pretty good, I must say.  I've stayed under my calorie goal every day. I've had some issues with exercise, but only because I irritated an old rotator cuff injury and had to find other things to do besides TurboJam for a little while.  I've faced temptation and found other ways to satisfy my cravings besides the homemade chocolate chip cookies that my DD14 keeps making!

I have started a new blog that is devoted only to my journey to fitness and you can find it at:
From FAT Mama to PHAT Mama . 

If you want to keep up with more detailed posts about how I'm doing, I suggest heading over there and following along :)

My official weigh in day is Sunday and though the scale did NOT move one bit last week, I have kept doing what I've been doing and have high hopes for this week.

What goals have you stuck to this week that you are proud of yourself for?

Back On My Diet - Day 2

I have been utilizing the SparkPeople website to keep track of my fitness and nutrition goals for the last two days and it has helped me to see that a lot of my calories are coming from foods containing a lot of FAT! (Go figure, huh?)  I stayed within my range today for everything and really, it isn't all that hard.  I'm not finding myself feeling hungry at all. The swelling in my leg is not bothering me as much, either. Due to the cutting of salt, probably.  Here are my stats from yesterday:

May 8, 2011

Total today: CALORIES: 1,355; CARBS: 121; FAT: 61; PROTEIN: 90
Daily Goal: CALORIES: 1.350-1,700; CARBS: 180-260; FAT: 36-62; PROTEIN: 60-140
Remaining Today: CALORIES: 0-345; CARBS: 59-139; FAT: 0-1; PROTEIN: 0-50
Water today: 9 Glasses so far ( I ended up having 11)

I also went on a 30 minute hike through the woods which burned over 200 calories, so that's cool.

Today I will be going grocery shopping and will stock up on some healthier, low-fat foods. I will probably get some microwave dinners as well as it is easier to keep track of their nutritional value and only Beth and I are mindful of what we are eating.  Much easier than cooking two different meals for dinner. 

Today I will also be breaking out my exercise DVDs.  (Man, I wish I had cement floors and more space!)

Zumba looks so fun! But, I refuse to buy any more till I have conquered and or gotten sick of the ones I already have!

Back On My Diet - Day 1

Sadly, I went off any type of healthy eating and exercise plan during the last few months.  I didn't exactly binge the whole time, in fact there were periods of time in which I didn't eat a single thing all day ... for days.
Of course, as my Healthy FlyGirls would tell me, that totally threw my body into 'starvation mode' and now that I am eating somewhat normally I have gained every single pound I lost this year thus far.

So, I am going back on my 'diet' today. Eating more healthy, cutting salt and 'bad' cabs, drinking my smoothie within one hour of getting up and (sigh) exercising. I am so badly out of shape since I am not working outside of the home anymore that it just is not even close to being funny. I have a million and one exercise DVDs so I have no excuse. I just haven't been doing any of them.

My DD20 has been monitering her calorie intake with a group of people online. I'm not sure what group, I didn't pry. And she has been doing very well. My FlyGirls are all doing extremely well with their plans and their progress. It's time to get off my ass and start putting my smoothie where my mouth is. :)

So, today I am jumping in right where I'm at, taking it one day at a time and getting back on track.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Update on Today

Eaten today: CALORIES: 1,271 CARBS: 103 FAT: 75 PROTEIN: 55
Goals: CALORIES: 1,350 - 1,700 CARBS: 180 - 260 FAT: 36 - 62 PROTEIN: 60 - 140
Remaining today: CALORIES: 79 - 429 CARBS: 77 - 157 FAT: 0 PROTEIN: 5 - 85
Water: So far NINE eight oz. glasses

Dude! I Got An Award!



Jessica over at Ramblings of a Stay-At-Home Mom stopped by and granted me the Versitile Blogger Award!  How totally cool is that??  Definately head over there to check out her blog. You can find all sorts of great stuff!

There are a few rules that go along with accepting this award...

1.  Thank the person who awarded you.

2.  Share 7 things about yourself.

3.  Award 15 discovered bloggers

Since I have already thanked Jessica over on her blog, here are 7 things about myself that you may or may not know...

1.)  I LOVE American Idol and watch every single episode and sometimes cry when someone I have been rooting for gets voted off.
2.)  I also love The Voice and cry every time someone comes out with their hopes and dreams on their sleeve, sings their heart out and not one of the judges turns their chair around.
3.)  Though I get thrown off often, by the grace of God I always (somehow) get back up on the bucking bronco of life and try it again.
4.)  I recently cut off all my hair in a stage of depression. Now I'm butch.
5.)  While I am very good at writing out my feelings, I am not very good at speaking about them. (I'm working on this)
6.)  My children and I have a very loving yet laid-back relationship that others just don't understand sometimes. They feel free to speak to me about anything and everything and we all think the most insane things are funny.  Yesterday I was trying to make pizza and asked DD14 to hand me the cookie sheet. She got it and started beating DD20 with it. While trying to get it from her before I dropped the pizza, I tried to grab it in mid-whack and she about broke my fingers. She looked at me with her "OMG" face, I called her a name that I normally wouldn't call anyone in my "Exorcism of Emily Rose Angry Voice" and then we all couldn't stop laughing for 30 minutes afterwards. Yeah... we're a bit strange... deal with it.
7.)  I absolutely LOATHE Jersey Shores. Ugh, what a waste!!!!!!

OK, on to the BLOGGERS!  I've awarded the Versitile Blog Award to 15 SPECTACULAR Bloggers that I have recently (or not so recently) discovered and think they deserve some well-earned recognition! Here they are in no particular order:

1.) Welcome To Our Good Life
2.) Up The Hill
3.) The Puffy Mommy
4.) The Flying Penguin
5.) FlyBaby In Maine
6.) Our Simple Crazy Life
7.) Creating My Sanctuary
8.) Just A Bunch Of Momsense
9.) Miss Single Mommy
10.) 7 Little Steps
11.) Juice Box Dreams
12.) DecorVoyeur
13.) Blogging With Goodly Intentions
14.) Seriously Folks
15.) Becoming Versed

Whew, this took a long time, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to pass the award along!

Getting Back To Myself

Well, since taking some time off in order to re-evaluate my life and goals and dig out of the depression that I was going through, I am finally getting back to my old new self.  I don't want to be as before, I want to be made new. So, here is the plan...

1.) Get back to FLYing with my friends at the FLYLady Facebook Page and the Healthy FlyGirls Support Group Page.
2.) Even though I utterly failed at the 90 Day Challenge, continue reading through the bible until I am done.
3.) Read something that contributes to my Self-Improvement every day. This will be a new series of posts entitled 'What Am I Reading'.
4.) Work every day on building my home businesses with Scentsy, Homemade Gourmet & Affiliate Marketing via my blogs, network marketing, etc.
5.) Continue to bless my family and not be a martyr.
6.) Count it all Joy.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me through the craziness of this year so far.  I love you all!

It's Been A While....

Since the move, there has been an impossible amount of insanity going on in my life.  I have at least kept the sink shining on most days and even the house is not that bad. Will take a day of constant 15's to get it back to company ready.

However, my mind is in no means company ready and I'm trying like hell to get it back on track. This past six weeks or so has been a constant battle for me with many, many different issues hitting me all at once and I am struggling to keep my focus. I admit, I have lost any type of focus for a while. There were days when I could only lie in bed and submit to the numbness. There were days when I could barely get up with the children to see them off to school. There were days when all I could do was cry.  There was even a day in which I cut off all my hair.

I have not been online much. I seem to have lost most of my interest for much of anything and when I did try to accomplish something, all that happened was that I would drift away and leave it unfinished and so I quit attempting to accomplish much of anything.

I don't really know what to do except to take each day as it comes and see if I can muddle through it somehow. And somehow, another day always comes. 

While this post sounds horribly depressing and raw, I know that there is at least still some small spark within me, although I am having trouble tapping into it. 

Moving Is Such Fun... NOT!

So, for the last week I've been moving from our small house with a tiny yard to a bigger house with a much bigger yard, about 3 houses up the road.  We moved everything with a 1994 Dodge Caravan.  It took a gazillion trips and it was a spur of the moment move.  So, the packing is half-assed and it looks like our new home has thrown up all over itself with the garbage bags and boxes thrown everywhere.   But, the house that we moved out of is neat, clean and ready for the new tenants, whoever they may be.

Now comes the fun part, right?  The unpacking and organizing and arranging all of this 'stuff'.  It is a daunting task.  Even though I had decluttered an immense amount of stuff from the other house, I still cannot believe the amount of things that I have to put away or find homes for.  Needless to say, I already have a 'consignment store' box started. 

I did find some great deals on things we needed during the move.  Like a new to us couch. microwave and bunk-bed at a re-seller store. Now all the kids have their own bed and noone has to sleep on the couch in the middle of the living room!  Well, Wyatt still doesn't have his own bed, but he always sleeps with someone.

I can watch the kids at the bus stop now, too.  Which makes me a lot happier than having them wait for the bus out of sight or having to drive them to it.  They also have a yard to play in, even though it is on a slope. Before, all they had was a driveway.  Our new home is draft-free and stays at a constant temperature instead of us either being too hot or too cold.  The dishwasher actually washes the dishes and we have a little pantry to make up for the lack of cabinet space.  All in all, I'm pretty happy with the move.

Now, like I said, I'm off to unpack, declutter and organize my new home.  On a side note, I did actually manage to keep my sink shining even through the whole move, lol.  It may be the only place in the house that is not overflowing, but it brought me a sense of peace amidst all the chaos!

Moving Again

Well, today we start moving (again).  I swear, we move every year.  Whether it is a few houses down the road or all the way across the United States, we move Every Year!  I hate it.  I really do.  I wish I were able to find somewhere to call home and just stay there.  But, that hasn't come yet.

So, why are we moving this time?  Basically because we need a bigger house and a bigger yard.  Not because of our 'stuff', but because there are seven people living under one roof and we are all on top of each other day and night.  It is just too much.  It is claustrophobic. 

Now, we are only moving up the street, three houses away.  Which isn't bad.  It's just the whole packing, moving, unpacking, putting away, etc.  Hopefully it won't really be that bad this time because we don't have to officially pack every single thing.  It's just a TON of trips in the van, lol.  Oh well, I guess it will be lots of exercise to log for today through Monday, right?

Brain Clutter

A friend on Facebook shared a link today that hit upon the subject of Brain Clutter.  This is an area that I seriously need to work on.   My mind seems to always be running, running, running and it is not going in only one direction.

Half the time I cannot even focus on one single thought.  It's just a jumble of anxiety ridden semi-thoughts that keeps me disorganized and totally stressed out.

So, I am making it a goal this week to spend some time in 'down-time'.  That is going to take some concentrated effort because the method to my madness is to keep my mind busy with 'things' instead of dealing with the thoughts that have amassed in my head.  I keep busy no matter what I'm doing.  Usually I am doing much more than one thing at a time.  I don't even eat without reading at the same time. 

So, this week's focus will be to focus.  Much more difficult for me than it sounds like....

And Yet Another Do-Over...

If anyone has noticed, I have pretty much fallen off the face of the earth for the last few weeks.  Yes, I'm ok, and thanks to everyone who has posted to my facebook page their concerns and prayers for me.  Please don't think that I was upset at anyone of my friends or that I was keeping anyone out of the loop (Mom). Those who know what is going on will understand and that is why I will catch everyone up to date here.

JT is back.  He took a bus and showed up here at the same time I disappeared from web-world.  Needless to say, there wasn't much I could do about it as he is on the lease and I was not in any position to be able to move out so I had a lot to deal with.  I was, at that time, pretty comfortable with the idea of being alone and enjoyed having all the time by myself and with my FlyGirls and my children.  JT's coming back threw a wrench in that whole piece of work.

Since he has been back, I have not had a mili-second to myself.  When I go into a room, he follows me. When I use the computer, he pulls up a chair right next to me to see what I'm doing (in the guise of "I missed you, Baby. I just want to be near you.") I am lucky that I am able to use the bathroom alone.

When he got back, he swore that he would get a job and start paying all the bills. That turned into one of the biggest fiascos I've ever seen with countless trips to the DMV to get his ID sorted out, using up all of my cell phone minutes, job applications and finally a job interview last week. The manager actually saved the job for him for 5 days while we got his ID situation straightened out, which was a blessing and he started work yesterday.

Through all of this, I have not had a moment, really, to even breathe.  Now that he is working full time, I am finally feeling the tiniest sense of relief and that I may be able to let out the breathe that I've been holding for so long.

When he is around me, I have no ambition to do anything and honestly, trying to do anything with him under foot is practically impossible. My 'flying' was put on hold, my Bible reading put on hold, my exercising put on hold... everything.  And so there is clutter everywhere at the moment, physically, emotionally, mentally.. you name it.

However, during his work hours, I feel like my old self.  I feel like cleaning my house, I feel like getting back on track, I feel like ME.  Kind of sad, isn't it?  But, at least during those hours, now I can do the things I love and not feel like I have anyone watching every move I make and talking my head off. There is SILENCE! Ahhhhhh, how much I love silence.  Even with the kids home, there are moments of silence. Thank GOD!

So, anyway.... that's the scoop.  That's what has been going on.  And at least on the days that I am able to be at home alone, I will be doing another Do-Over.

Monday Blog Hops!

  

 

Organize Your Life!

Bonnie over at House Of Grace has issued a challenge that I am going to be taking part in. It flows along quite nicely with what I'm doing here at Clutter-Free Me and with FlyLady.

Bonnie is starting a weekly Link-Up Party which will be focused on the book Organize Now by Jennifer Berry.

The party will be every Thursday and each week, Bonnie wiill be sharing goals and tips for the week as well as a weekly challenge!

Now for the best part!

Jennifer Berry has graciously offered to give away a copy of Organize Now! to one of the bloggers who follows along!

Want to participate too?  Head on over to House of Grace and grab a button and link up with us!

Bible In 90 Days - Days 13 through 20

Day 13 Reading: Num. 32:20 - Dt. 7:26
Day 14 Reading: Dt. 8:1 - 23:11
Day 15 Reading : Dt 23:12 - 34:12
Day 16 Reading: Jos 1:1 - 14:15
Day 17 Reading: Jos. 15:1 - Jdg 3:27
Day 18 Reading: Jdg. 3:28 - 15:12
Day 19 Reading: Jdg. 15:13 - 1 Sa. 2:29
Day 20 Reading: 1 Sa. 2:30 - 15:29

Whew, that was a lot of reading.  I fell behind and caught myself up in just a couple day's time. I think will begin to read ahead when I am able so when something happens I will not be under so much pressure!

All in all, this has been a very interesting experience so far. I have been going through so many 'things' that I did not forsee and which have been trying to take over my mind and fill it with fear, doubt and discouragement. Continuing with my reading has helped immensely.

Bible In 90 Days - Day 12

Reading: Numbers 21:8-32:19

What a long time of wandering in the desert.  What a lot of complaining! Interesting how often the Isrealites ended up losing faith and complaining and speaking badly about God and Moses.  How many times? God asked that often, too. 

I wonder how many times He has wondered that same question about me?

It's A Sunny Saturday!

Since I am not at work today I am free to link up to a great blog hop hosted by Linda's Lunacy!

(I couldn't get the button for the Blog Hop to work!)

Bible In 90 Days - Day 11

Reading: Numbers 8:15-21:7

I absolutely LOVE the Lord's sarcasm.  I LOVE IT!  MEAT?? You want MEAT???  I'll give you MEAT! Till it comes out your NOSTRILS!  (See Numbers 11:18-23)

OK, but I have another Issue here with Numbers 12:1-16.  Aaron and Miriam BOTH oppose Moses.  So, why does Miriam get the skin disease and not Aaron??? HMMMMMMMM?????????????

And the Isrealites just amaze me with their whining and unbelief.   It's no wonder God got so frustrated with them.  I mean, He was right there with them every day!  He fed them and gave them water every day!  They could SEE his works EVERY DAY!

It's no wonder he says:

Numbers 14:11-12 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹¹ The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? ¹² I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”

Bible In 90 Days - Day 10

Reading: Leviticus 26:27-Numbers 8:14

OK, I have some issues with something in this reading.  

Look at this Test for the Unfaithful Wife found in Numbers 5:11-31.

I mean, come ON!  What about the Test For The Unfaithful Husband??  Shouldn't HE be made to drink a potentially poison liquid that will make HIS private parts shrivel and shrink??  I'm a little offended here.

However, I do like:

Numbers 6:24-27 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ²⁴ “‘“The LORD bless you
   and keep you;
²⁵ the LORD make his face shine on you
   and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you
   and give you peace.”’
 ²⁷ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Falling Off The Flutter-Wagon

Doesn't it always seem that when everything seems to be going along smoothly, you're feeling good about things and your accomplishments that the devil has a way of throwing a wrench in the wheel of life?

Well, that's what happened to me yesterday. 

I accomplished so much on Monday.  I felt good.  Got my whole bedroom clean and comfortable.  It was such a task!  But, I did it!  With the help of my friends over at the FlyLady Facebook Page.  8 hours straight of calling FlyLady Bingo and then a couple hours afterwards and I had amazing results:

I went to bed that night feeling very good about myself and my home and my family. It had just been a wonderful day.  The kids were home from school, I was off of work, nobody had fought or fussed.  It was just all good.

The calm before the storm, I suppose.

Yesterday I had a bomb dropped on me and I am struggling through the debris of my life once more. Someone hurt me and hurt me deeply.  I feel a million things right now.  Betrayed, Unloved, Unattractive, Angry, Disillusioned... these are just a few of them.  My head and my heart are at odds. I'm trying to keep to my routines.  I'm trying to be Thankful in the Midst of the Storm, and I am.  It's just that the thankful feelings are gettind drowned by my tears that just refuse to stop.  God talks about the wellsprings of the heart.. well, mine are coming out my eyes.  *sigh*

My motivation is miniscule.  My home and emotions are in cahoots and have exploded all over the place.  I have to get up and get moving, but getting out of bed and putting yesterday's clothes back on was an accomplishment in itself.

There are things to be thankful for.  I need to concentrate on those.
There are sinks to shine. And I can do anything for 15 minutes, right?

I did manage to make my bed this morning.  I did manage to make the boys' their breakfast. I did manage to get my coffee on.  I can do this.  I will do this.

Please, God, HELP me do this.

The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength.
All Things Work Together For The Good Of Those Who Love God.
He Knows The Plans That He Has For Me ...
He Leads Me Beside Still Waters...

No matter who does NOT love me... My GOD LOVES ME!
Their loss.

Excuse me, I have to catch that Flutter-Wagon.  It's time for me to start FLY-ing again.
(FLY - Finally. Loving. YOURSELF!)