uphill battle..

I don't remember keeping up with the house chores being so exhausting. I haven't come close to catching up after the last 5yrs of slacking off and procrastinating and ignoring and just plain not feeling like it. It'll take another week or two to catch up completely but I think the routine is starting to set in once again. A routine that I really haven't thought about since... well almost 5yrs ago (the day the ex got the final boot and I started the learning curve of doing it all myself).

Those of you women who keep house, kids and a husband and manage to blog regularly I have a ton of respect and awe for ya. I don't know how you do it. Honestly I wonder if instead of a husband I need a wife. :) I think I've mentioned it before. Someone to do the domestic stuff while I run the farm, but I wouldn't give up the mommy stuff, just the laundry, dishes, toilet cleaning, kitchen mopping, vacuuming, shampooing and dusting. Yea that's it, but I'll do the rest, kid care, cooking, dog shaving, gardening, livestock care, fencing, mending of buildings, etc. Though maybe the weed eating is something the wife could do. Anyways.

This morning I was talking to a friend and was about to go into depth about something... and instead told him I'd save it for the "sofa" (my blog is about the best therapist money could buy). But I think I'll save the really scary stuff. :) ha ha.

This weekends challenge is to shear the alpacas. I'm hoping to wrangle up a couple of hands to help but I don't know what the chances of getting good help is around here. It's way past due though and the weather is finally in season so it has to be done. I can't promise pictures considering I'll be doing the majority of the work but I'll try to take a couple before and after shots just to prove it got done. The joy of being the one in charge is I don't get the luxury of watching from a safe distance.

Oh yea, housekeeping is exhausting. Maybe it wouldn't be if I didn't have a garden to plant, water, weed and pick or livestock to feed, milk and herd, and kids to feed, clean and keep safe, but I do, so it is. Ah well I guess I'll get it figured out eventually.

All you multi-tasking women are my hero! Keep up the job well done!

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)