House Habits

Well until I figure out the whole new page posting dilliwicker I guess here is where you're going to be following my newest adventure. Getting control back over my house. Years ago I was a housewife. I can't say I was ever a great housewife but that was my job in life and it was a daily practice. For the past few years (since being divorced) I've found myself a little lost and floundering some when it comes to what my daily practices should be. Keeping house doesn't seem as important when you don't have someone coming home to your hard work so it got put on the back burner. Sure I eventually got into the Monday and Thursday kitchen cleaning habit but mostly because I really picked up the joy of cooking and the kitchen was my favorite place to be. Sitting in the living room isn't as nice when it's just you, especially after having someone around for so many years to sit with you at the end of the day. So the kitchen, cook, create, eat. Now that life has gotten a little busier and I'm gathering a new me, reinvention is what that self-help book calls it. Years of learning and wondering and coming back again. 

So I joined www.flylady.net this is the place to get back that lost control when it comes to the house and home. It's a good site. She emphasizes on not getting burnt out on the task of getting back on track; 15 minutes at a time. The house didn't become a mess in one day so it'll take more than one day to get it back in order. I'm sure none of you have that problem. :)

Yesterday was day one on the adventure. Flylady gives daily tasks called BabySteps when you're first starting out. Day 1's BabyStep is shining the kitchen sink. That is what I did yesterday and low and behold it's still spotless. 

It's not beautiful but it's clean. I'm not going to show you the rest of the kitchen counter though because it's still a tad bit behind. :)

Flylady has a Morning Routine that I put to practice this morning. I gotta say I feel a little more in control of my day so far. 

Here's the morning routine:

1. Make your bed as soon as you get out of it. 
2. Go into the bathroom
3. Shower and clean the bathroom while you are there.
4. Swish the toilet and leave the room never to return till later. It is clean and you can forget about it for now.
5. Leave your bedroom with a load of laundry in hand and go straight to the washer. (her idea is a load a day keeps the chaos away)
6. If you did the Before Bed Routine (I'll tell you about that later) the kitchen is clean (I only got part of the Before Bed Routine done last night so I'm a bit behind) and all you need to do is empty the dishwasher.
7. Make coffee and start breakfast. (this morning was a dutch baby [I'll tell you about that one later too])
8. Feed critters
9. Feed the family (including myself) 
10. Check your calendar
11. Make your list of what you are going to do today
12. Thaw something for dinner
13. Checkbook balancing 
14. Reboot the laundry (put in dryer)
15. Hit the hotspots. (I'll tell you about those as I learn about them, basically it's where things tend to pile up like the coffee table)
16. Take your vitamins and medications. 
17. Sit down.
18. Eater breakfast (I did that earlier when the kids did)
19. Morning Meditation: God, Imagination, Focus, Thanksgiving (GIFT) 
20. Now reward yourself with some computer time. Check your e-mail.

I got the first 14 steps done before 10. I'm slow and on the learning curve. I skipped to step 20 cause I wanted to share. :) Now to learn about step 15, do step 16, 19 and wrap up step 20. 

My to do list:

1. Water the Garden
2. Plant 6th and 7th corn squares
3. Fold and put away laundry (yep gotta actually put it away, no more living out of a basket)
4. Shave the dog
5. Do today's BabyStep (I'll let you know what that is after I get it done)
6. Make lunch
7. Work on this weeks "Zone" (this week is the living room but every week it changes to a different part of the house so you're sure to do a thorough cleaning of all your house every month [handy huh?])
8. Milk the goats
9. Make dinner
10. Chat with Mr. Right-for-me
11. Before Bed Routine

It's not a long to do list but it'll take up the rest of the day. There's another blog in that list somewhere I'm sure and probably a nap. I better get at it

P.S. I met Mr. Right-for-me. :) (I'll tell you about that in another post)

Thursday again already?

It's amazing how fast a week goes by when your main objective is to milk two goats and to feed four goat babies and to take care of two kids and to keep laundry clean and dishes clean and the house picked up and... well you get the point. But I forgot to mention feeding the other animals and collecting eggs... oh wait.. shoot that's what I forgot to do today. I knew I forgot something! Ah well.

And the garden.

This morning started at 4:45AM. I think I mentioned once something about getting up at 4:45 but that was a fluke and it didn't happen again because I didn't have any sane reason to be up that early when I couldn't even do anything for another two hours. Well. Now-a-days 4:45 leaves me enough time to hit the snooze button twice, get up, go pee, put on jeans and boots, pour a cup of coffee, put an entry into my diary (yes I keep a diary, I call it "Farm Fresh Diary" [catchy huh?]), collect my buckets and be out of the house at 5:30AM, then I fight traffic all the way to the barn (traffic happens to be my "springing aussie" [she's Australian shepherd and springer spaniel mix given to my oldest daughter for Christmas, by the guy I was dating at the time, who's really smart but really needs more attention. Which I just don't have!]).

So yea, from then on it's all up hill till now which is the time I should be headed to bed, actually past my bedtime but I decided to have a night cap and let the kids stay up a little later. My oldest has been soooo helpful that I don't know how else to reward her, besides letting her steal a marshmellow from the cupboard and letting her stay up 30 minutes later to watch Sponge Bob. I can't afford anything else.

Oh I took pics... let me find them.

 Don't pay attention to the look on her face it's just my cell phone camera taking the picture about two seconds after I hit the button. So the image is about 2 seconds later than what I was hoping to take. Anyways. My awesome 8yr old helped me take all the kids (goat kids) and her sister out to play in the back yard which is currently being turned into a giant garden. She's got La Blanca in her lap, she's one of Icy's triplets and I think the other one with the nose cut off is Latte (she's latte because latte's have lots of milk in them and dairy goats do too).

This is Daisey. She's the smallest of the triplets. She has the same coloring as Latte and their momma Icy. All alpines if you're wondering. La Blanca in the previous pic is missing the saddle on her back.

There's a shot of Latte. This is their first time out on the grass and I think after the initial weirdness wore off they really liked it. Buttercup (the first kid, now two weeks) is really.. um.. frolicsome. Is that a word?

See I caught her in mid frolic. I know it just looks like some evil half goat blurry blob but that's her twisting and bucking in mid air. Nuts huh? She likes to jump off of my back if I'm sitting on the ground long enough for her to do it. Just takes a flying leap. Ok so that pic is a little weird but if you'd seen it you'd have understood.

Ok so I just got tired of goat pictures. I found this fuzzy thing when I was watering the goats. I'm sure it's going to turn into a moth because of how pretty it is. All the ugly ones turn into butterflies. So far anyways that's what I've gathered from the ones I've seen and googled. Hey it makes sense.

See like that one. It turns into a butterfly. Though at the moment I can't remember what kind. My brain is too tired to think but I know that's no moth there.

And the yogurt. It was so beautiful I had to take a picture. I love yogurt. They're sitting on the egg incubator that I incubated them in. That's one handy piece of equipment.

Ok I think I've covered just about everything interesting.

Good night!

Oh yea. I have a date on Saturday...  same guy as last Saturday. Wish me luck! I can't imagine anyone normal wanting anything to do with a mom who milks goats, runs a farm and makes yogurt in an egg incubator but who knows. There are other weird people out there besides me. Lucky dog me!

Ok now I'm going to bed!

Sunday the day of rest...

Sunday feels like the end of the week. To me it resembles a day off. Unless it requires me for it's life and health I don't do it which means I feed/water all the animals and kids, go to church and now the added chore of milking the goat (only one has given birth).

I don't do dishes (well I have to wash the milk pails, jars and strainer), I don't do laundry (except for the rags used in the barn with the goats), I don't pick up toys (except those dragged down to the barn by my 2yr old during evening milking) and I sleep in (I hit the snooze button 3 times instead of 2).

Sunday is a day I look forward to. Sunday is a day I wish most to have someone around. Someone to share a wonderful super or day lounging by a creek fishing or eating lunch out after church. Someone to whistle when I strip out of my thigh highs, garter belt and heels to put on my jeans and socks and boots... *sigh*

He hasn't asked me out again yet. Yet. I haven't even check eHarmony in over a week. I swear I'm completely hopeless. I need a little icon with rolling eyes, that's me right now, rolling my eyes at my own pathetic self. Blah.

6:59am

Well that's still beginning of civil twilight. Ya know when the sky goes from black to grey. That mere shade of something other then night. When day first winks at you. It'll also be when my alarm goes off, but again I'll hit my snooze button atleast 3 times. Sunrise is at 7:30, so my goal is to have my jeans and boots on and first cup of coffee in my hand by then.

Wish me luck! ;)