"Drop In" Ready?

Do you ever have people just "drop in"? I don't. Maybe its because I am a "Northerner" and a "New Yorker"? Maybe I just don't send a "drop in" vibe. Either way, it never really bothered me because I have never felt "ready" for it. You know, clean laundry might be on the couch waiting to be folded or dishes in the sink, waiting to be cleaned. Inevitably there would be something noticeable in my house just waiting for my attention and quite honestly I never seemed to have the time to get it all done.

Here's irony for you - when I started to stay home full time after Barber was born things seemed to get worse rather than better! I thought for sure that once I was home I would have a spotless house. What else could possibly consume my time. Hmmm...how about two children needing my undivided attention at various times throughout the day??? Nope, didn't think about that. BUT there were mom's whose homes seemed to always be spotless. How did they do it? I needed to find out. I was on a quest and was determined to find the solution. Would you believe it has taken me 2-1/2 years?!? Now, that doesn't mean that we have lived in a garbage dump...our house just wasn't what I would call "drop in ready".

What is the solution? It is actually a combination of things that has resulted in the creation of my "Lesson Plan Book for Life". This works for me - probably because I functioned with lesson plans for over 8 years teaching anywhere from 3-5 preps at a time. Lesson plans set goals/objectives and at the same time allow for flexability in how success is achieved. So it is with my new found freedom in the world of cleaning. I have compiled information from http://www.organizedhome.com/ and http://www.flylady.net/. Lil' sis is credited with introducing me to flylady. I don't get the emails from flylady but I know that they have helped her (lil' sis) a bunch. My problem wasn't HOW to organize or clean. I needed the TOOLS and ROUTINE to do it. Organized Home provided me with the tools - calendars, and forms that I could fill in for weekly and daily agendas. Flylady provided me with routines - morning routine, before bed routine, weekly routine, etc. The question is have these things really worked?

Yes and no. The "no" is that for me, if I don't write it down it won't get done (like if I go food shopping and its not on the list, it isn't purchased). I forgot to write on my calendar that lil' sis and friend were coming over today (technically the system isn't what failed me). I was reminded by an email last night from lil' sis. Here is the point - I did NOT panic and I didn't have to run around the house like a mad woman because someone was coming over (I never had to do this for lil' sis BUT there was a friend involved - who by the way hadn't been over in about 2 years!) This is a luxury I have never fully known in my lifetime until now. You know what it can be like - cleaning like a crazy person and then being completely exhausted and frenzied when company arrives rather than fresh and ready to visit. Needless to say, it has been a life changing experience!

I have finally found the solution to my defined quest of 2-1/2 years. That's not to say that my "system" won't adapt and change over time as our lives change. (Like the science analogy? It's in my blood!) But that's the point - it needs to. And in the process of circumstances changing in my life, I can remain sane.

Now you know, we are ready for drop ins...just don't all do it at once. LOL.