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Dear Friends,
We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our latest live on Youtube.
We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools!
I love You All!
FlyLady
P. S. All sales are final and no returns.
Thank you for your love and support over the years.
| | Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory! | | That Shiny Sink is the Beginning of Flying | | |
Dear Friends,
My bathtub is my place of meditation in the mornings. I surround myself with warm water and open my mind and heart to listen. Robert calls them God Breezes. When they come in the middle of the night, we refer to them as the Midnight Editor and when I get them in the tub; they are bathtub epiphanies. This morning the subject was love!
Robert and I have spent the last hour and a half talking about love! Not our love but the love that is in us all. As SHEs all we have ever wanted is to be loved. I can remember a time when all I wanted was to just feel loved. It didn't matter if I was really loved or not just as long as I felt like I was loved. I guess that is just affection. Any way love is not something we can make happen.
I don't care how much you try to make someone love you it is never going to happen. You cannot earn love. Respect maybe, but not love. It is either there or it isn't. This is why I have told you for years that you have to get the house in order for you. You are never going to get your home clean enough to make someone love you more or at all. Even as the house gets cleaner this person is never going to love you if they don't love you with a dirty house. Do you understand this? The house is not the problem with the lack of love. If the love is there all things are possible even a small spark of love is enough. You cannot buy love with gifts either. If you are not loved for you then no gift is ever going to satisfy the need you have to be loved by this person or family member.
Do you remember the first time you walked into your kitchen after you shined your sink? If you have not shined that sink yet then go do it now. You feasted your eyes upon a reflection that made you smile. You didn't know why it made you smile but that feeling emanated from the very core of your being. That feeling was love! I know you don't believe me. When that sink greeted you and you smiled, you felt something that changed you forever. I know it seems so simple and maybe a bit corny but that sink is a reflection of you.
When you take care of the sink; just look what that care does for the way you feel each and every day! This is the beginning of you accepting the love that has been hidden inside of you forever. For years we have pushed that love down deep and had forgotten about it because we were too busy trying to work hard enough to earn that love from others. It is time we uncovered that eternal love and cultivated it so that love can be shared with the world.
Now I am in great big purple puddles. Think about all the songs that have been sung over the years. As a little child in Sunday school we sang the song about hiding our little light under a bushel. Then we would yell NO! I am going to let it shine! That little light is your love and your connection to God and the world. That love has always been there, we have just kept it hidden; especially from ourselves. Some of us have even been told it was wrong to love ourselves. Well to this I say you cannot love anyone else till you love yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself means you have to love yourself to be able to reflect that love to others.
Did you know that when you are loving yourself that you attract love back to you. You become a love magnet. Not only are you reflecting that love to others but that love is coming back to you and the best part is that it is multiplied! And it all starts with you! Have you shined that sink yet? This is your first uncovering of that love that has been hiding underneath all the self-loathing and pain you have suffered your whole life.
All we have ever wanted was to feel loved! We can do this for ourselves without having to depend on anyone else for what we need. We deserve to be happy! This little ray of hope, happiness, peace and love has always been inside of you! We all remember the Wizard of Oz and the good witch telling Dorothy that she had the power to go home; that it was always inside of her. This is how I feel about FLYing! Your love is just waiting for you to open up the doors and windows then let the sun shine from within you to light up the world!
Love makes the world go round, it is the energy that keeps us moving when all is lost. Love is always with us, we just have to start with babysteps to rekindle the love that we have locked away. Start now. Go shine that sink of yours, get dressed to shoes and do something sweet for you. If you don't take care of you; who will?
May the force be with you! Are you ready to FLY?
FlyLady
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Ask FlyLady
Why Shine Your Sink
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This is your first habit of the new year or when you first join FlyLady.
Many of you can't understand why I want you to empty your sink of your dirty dishes and clean and shine it, when there is so much more to do. It is so simple. I want you to have a sense of accomplishment.
You have struggled for years with a cluttered home and you are so beaten down. I just want to put a smile on your face. When you get up the next morning, your sink will greet you and a smile will come across your lovely face. I can't be there to give you a big hug, but I know how good it feels to see yourself in your kitchen sink. So each morning this is my gift to you. Even though I can't be there to pat you on the back, I want you to know that I am very proud of you.
Go shine your sink! - FlyLady
Shiny Sink 101 Video
Many members have asked "How do I clean my sink until it shines?". So, just for you, we have posted FlyLady's "Shiny Sink 101" essay. Here's to a great shine! Note: Follow this procedure the first time you shine your sink.
You do NOT need to follow this method everyday. Just keep up the shine with a little window cleaner. Dear Friends, I want you to smile from ear to ear when you gaze upon your shiny sink. I have heard every excuse in the world. Even old sinks can look new again with a little elbow grease. Here is how you do it: BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!
- Take all the dishes out of the sink.
- Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).
- Rinse your sink well.
- Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.
- Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.
- Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.
- Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.
- If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.
- Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one, every night with my before bedtime routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen. The rest of the family will too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.
- Don't have a fit if someone doesn't take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part. You will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty hurtful word are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.
- If you don't have a dishwasher, don't worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family, that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink or go buy a new set.
- To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught either. It is going to take some practice.
- Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new. If you still can't get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend. Go Shine Your Sink!
FlyLady
Last note: ensure you don't mix cleansers like Comet, etc. with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners), you can create dangerous gases! It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step.
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March's Habit: Getting Dressed to Lace Up Shoes
March Habit #26 For the Early Birds
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Showering in the Dark May Not be ....
Dear FlyLady,
I have been working on getting my lace up shoes and getting ready for the day when I get up. I need to leave the house at 5:30 am which means I need to wake up at 4:10 a.m. and I am not a morning person. I was not used to taking a shower, doing my hair, putting on makeup, and putting on my lace-up shoes. Doing all of that was overwhelming. So I did one at a time. First, I shined my sink and put my lace-up shoes in January.
In February, I started taking a shower every day before work (I had gotten out of the habit because I take a shower after the day at work). This month I am putting on my lace-up shoes, showering, and doing my hair. Next month, I will add putting on make-up. I used to feel so grungy going to work not showered and unkempt. I feel much better now that I am taking some time to spruce myself up for the world.
As I said, I am not a morning person. Getting out of bed feels painful (not literally) some mornings. When the clocks set were set ahead, it feels like I am getting up at 3:10 am. This morning was particularly difficult. I decided not to turn the lights and take my shower in the dark. I have learned also to shut off the inside saboteur that complains about getting in the shower and just do it without engaging that voice. Taking the shower in the dark was much less painful and even peaceful for me. Of course, I need to find a happy medium with maybe a dim light in the bathroom since I can't find the soap if I drop it LOL.
Just wanted to share my experience in case there are other flybabies out there who are overwhelmed with dress to lace up shoes and hate mornings as much as I do.
Thanks for all you do,
Mary from CT
FlyLady here; You may be right about finding a dim light for the bathroom. How about some soap on a rope too. You could use a battery operated tea light. I have a night light that is green that comes on when the light is off. I want you to be safe in the shower. I take my bath before bed and in the morning I just need to wash my hair in the bathroom sink.
There are lights that gradually get brighterr to wake up with on Amazon.
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Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes?
We love to hear your testimonials.
You can motivate others with your success stories!
If you have a success story please send it to
flylady@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line.
| | March's Habit: Getting Dressed to Shoes | | |
March is here, and you know what that means — it's time to practice a new habit.
This month, we are going to work on getting dressed to shoes. This is such an important part of our day.
If we aren't dressed to shoes, we can't face whatever our day might throw at us! Here's some great information from FlyLady to help get us started.
With shoes on those feet of yours, your mind says, "Okay, it's time to go to work." ~FlyLady
Getting dressed to shoes is a very important component of the FlyLady system.
You can read about why FlyLady thinks getting dressed to shoes is so important in her first book, Sink Reflections.
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"What have you been putting off; Procrastination is fueled by your perfectionism!" ~FlyLady
Reading the Bible Everyday
Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!"
I can help you get a jumpstart with my book,
The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady
This Week we are in Zone 5; our Living Room!
Zone 5 is the living room, family room, or den. But, only focus on one this week. After a few months, you will have them decluttered them all and the detailed cleaning will be a breeze.
Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in this room. It did not get dirty in a week and it will not get clean in a week, but you will be making head-way. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it.
Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day!
Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like:
- Do the Laundry
- Clean Out Your Refrigerator
- Make doctors appointments
- Finish that report for work
- Work on a project with your child
- Clean the fish tank
You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off.
"Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady
Zone 5: Mission #3 Wednesday
Dear Friends:
For today you are to take 10 minutes and dust the decorative items in your living room. The picture frames, lamps, and knick knacks. This is a detailed dusting so, turn on the music and move quickly.Don't get sidetracked, set your timer and go.
FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday
Hi Kids,
Today we are going to go into our rooms and pick up any clothes we have laying around on the floor, our desks, dressers or chairs. If they are clean - put them away, if they are dirty put them in the dirty clothes basket or hamper. If there are too many to take care of all of them in 15 minutes, you can do this tomorrow too as a bonus challenge!
We have a Student Control Journal for you, it's FREE.
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I used to cringe in agony when I would see people pull up in the driveway now I don’t. Just like Marla says the husband has started organizing and getting rid of his stuff too. The teenage boys are a work in progress. I loved the tips on , the delicate cycle, storing sheets under the bed( I’ll Have more room in my linen closet and that’s major when you are limited on closet space like us) .
The FlyLady is such a good motivator! I have found my self quoting her and singing the songs. Earlier I was cleaning and was upset about something having water spots and Marla popped in my head and said “that’s your protectionism “ and I moved on.! I so wish I would have stuck with The Flylady years ago when the kids where younger but, so glad to have her now.
| | Your Checklist for Daily Reminders | |
- Getting Dressed to Lace Up Shoes, Fixing your Hair and Face
- Swishing and Swiping Your Bathroom Blesses You Most
- Is Your Bed Made? Every Room has a Shiny Sink
- Checking Your Calendar; relieves stress
- Reboot Your Laundry; A load a day keep Mount Washmore Away
- Think about what's for dinner this relieves lots of guilt
- Drink your water, take your supplements, and meds
- Empty Your Dirty Dish Disposal Unit
- Check Your Morning Routine to see if you missed anything
- Have you had any lunch
- Reboot Your Laundry
- Declutter for 15 minutes
- Did you drink your water?
- Have you exercised today?
- Start Your Before Bed Routine after dinner
- Check Your Calendar for Tomorrow
- Lay Out Your Clothes for Tomorrow
- Place things needed for Tomorrow on your launch pad.
- Spend Two Minutes Clearing off a Hot Spot
- Shine Your Sink
- Wash face/Brush Teeth
- Go to Bed at a Decent Hour
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All Sales Ending!
Last Call to Save up to 50% OFF! FlyShop
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You are not behind!
I don't want you to try to catch up;
I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?
Coming Alive in 2025!
Habits strung into Routines help us Thrive!
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