Cilley - Sink Reflections

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Just before you begin this book, I want you to know a few terms we use in our community. Some have been coined by us for the FlyLady program and others have come from our wonderful members. All of them will be used throughout the book and as you learn to declutter your home and life, they will become an important way we communicate with each other. You can call them buzz words or jargon or whatever you want.

So here goes:

BABYSTEPS: Always remember: BabySteps! I do not want you to be burned out by doing too much too fast. This is a big problem for all of us. We want it done now. I am here to tell you that this process is going to take time. We will eventually have a clean and organized home, but first we have to learn some routines. Do a little every day.

BEFORE BED ROUTINE: This is one of our most powerful tools. This is the most important routine of the whole day! It is not the only one, but it starts you in the right direction every morning. There are also Morning Routines. You will see how this is done in Chapter Five.

CHAOS: Cant Have Anyone Over Syndrome. This is just what it sounds like and youll learn how to finally conquer this widely shared fear in Chapter Two.

CONTROL JOURNAL: This is a special, customized system to help you stay on track with your daily activities. You build it yourself. It is so important there is an entire chapter (Six) devoted to it. It is just a 3-ring binder to hold your routines in one place.

FIVE-MINUTE ROOM RESCUE: This is one of the tools that FlyLady suggests that you use to clear a path in your worst room. You can identify this room easily by thinking, which room would cause me to turn bright red if anyone saw it? Work on this room for 5 minutes for 27 days and it will be the first stop on your home tour!

FLY & FLYING: One of our dear members coined it for me: FLY means Finally Loving Yourself!

FLYBABIES: New members are called FlyBabies. Keep in mind, you are not behind as a FlyBaby, you are just getting started. I dont want you to think you have to catch up with anyone. You jump in where you are.

FRANNY: A symbol of the sad person within us all when we are surrounded by clutter and CHAOS.

GOD BREEZE: On our first date my husband, Robert, told me about God Breezes. Imagine yourself in a little sailboat on a calm lake. Now think about the vision of God as being the Ole North Wind. If you have your sails up when the breeze comes, you can go where it takes you. If you dont, you are dead in the water.

HOME BLESSING: Each week we spend about an hour blessing instead of cleaning our home by setting a timer for ten minutes for each of 7 jobs: Change sheets, Vacuum, Dust, Cull magazines, Mop, Empty all the trash, Polish mirrors and doors.

HOT SPOT: Any area, but usually one that is clean. Yet, as soon as you lay one piece of paper on it, the paper will begin to multiply and before you know it, the surface will be covered. I have several: my dining room table, the end of a kitchen counter, the coffee table, an end table, a chair in my bedroom, and my cedar chest. Do I need to say more? You have them too.

MORNING ROUTINE: This is the few items you write down to establish as a habit when you first get up in the morning.

SHE (Sidetracked Home Executives): This is a concept from a book written by Pam Young and Peggy Jones (Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise). In fact they came up with some of the underlying principles of the FlyLady system and have endorsed the way I teach it. Pam & Peggy have changed my life through their books, humor, and wonderful attitude toward living. They first developed the idea of Zones. A very in-depth explanation of Zones and how to use them is the subject of Chapter Nine. You can access their site from FlyLady.net.

STUFF: This is a shorthand buzzword we use for Something That Undermines Family Fun.

27 FLING BOOGIE: A tool to declutter your house 27 items at a time.

W e are each put into a tiny boat when we are born and set on our journey through life. I was introduced to God Breezes on my first date with my husband, Robert, in 1996. As we enjoyed our five-hour dinner on his side porch, Robert described being in this boat, sitting in a large body of water. He explained that we all have choices in our lives, saying: Imagine God as the picture of the Ole North Wind with his cheeks puffed out to blow His mighty breath your way. Now think of yourself as being in that little boat with a sail. It is your choice to raise your sails and let Gods Breeze power your journey in the direction of your choice or let the wind pass you by.

We are all little sailboats. Robert and I had been directed toward one another all of our lives. That day, we met in the vast sea and have continued on our journey together. He is my life partner and soul mate. With our eternal love, we opened our sails full out in order to take advantage of the slightest breeze.