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 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. 

We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse!

The FlyShop is Closing

FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon! Purple Rags and Mops!

We found another Case of Kitchen Towels! Yippee

Dear Friends,

Do you ever feel like you must be losing your mind? Someone says to you, "I told you that last week!" or "Don't you remember?" We can get defensive about comments like this. I know I have. This morning as I was "sleeping in" it hit me what the problem is.

It is sensory overload and our database has failed to file the information in the proper place. Can you tell that I am learning to speak geek? Let's think about this overload for a second. When I am sitting at home in my chair with my computer on my lap, four dogs, a television on with a ticker tape scrolling across the bottom or music playing, a house phone, a cell phone, my ipod, text messaging and instant messaging, emails coming in, the doorbell ringing and my sweet darling somewhere in the house. It is a miracle that I can do anything much less remember something that is tossed into this chaotic mix.

We are so smug at believing that the ability to multitask is a virtue. All it really does is divide our attention, take us longer to accomplish anything and make us feel frazzled. Only thing that it does is make us look busy. Just because we look as if we are doing something doesn't mean we are accomplishing anything. This is called busy work. It's no wonder why we can't remember anything. We are not losing our minds! We are multitasking!

My sweet darling laughs and tells me that I must have movie amnesia. This morning I have figured out why I don't remember movies that we watch at home. It is because the movie never has my undivided attention! I watch with my computer on my lap! In the evening I don't usually make business calls but my instant messenger is always up and I am checking emails. This is just the physical things I am doing with my hands. My mind is a million other places; processing ideas for essays and what is going to happen tomorrow.

So how do we stop this sensory overload? We have to pull the plugs! Let's practice turning off and tuning in. This is not going to be easy. I know myself too well but I also know the satisfaction that comes from being able to accomplish something. This is how I wrote my first book. I had made myself a strict routine for the morning.

I know my mornings are my most productive time as long as I am not pulled in several directions at once. My routine started with getting dressed to lace up shoes, making my bed, swishing and swiping the bathroom, emptying the dishwasher, feather dusting, a quick dust mop of the floors and then eating my breakfast with a strong cup of coffee. This is my normal morning routine.

My goal was to write ten pages or three hours whichever came first. To accomplish this goal I had some rules for myself.

1. Do my regular morning routine. I could not allow my house to fall apart while I was writing the book.

2. Turn on my computer only after I had my breakfast and bottles of water by my side.

3. I could not turn on my email program or a browser; only my Word Program.

4. I could not turn on my instant messenger program.

5. This one is the most important! I could not answer the phone!

I started my day at 7:30am by 8:00am I was ready to start writing and by 11:00am I was finished with ten pages or I had worked for three hours. In two weeks I had a manuscript. Do you see what you can accomplish when you turn off the distractions and tune into your brain power!

We are very smart people. We don't have to feel frazzled and pulled in many directions. As I have been writing this essay I have had to stop myself several times from turning on the television, radio or my iPod. We can focus! When we practice unplugging and tuning in to the power that we have in our brains the sky is the limit!

Are you ready to FLY!

FlyLady

My Sweet Darling is pretty good at focusing. This is how he wrote his book. He stayed focused for two years.

Dear Friends,

Moving is never fun, but it can be made easier if you will not get overwhelmed by the whole process. The very first thing you need to do is read my moving tips. May and June are big moving months. We can teach you how to Babystep your way through a big move.

Every week we have several members that holler HELP! "We are moving and I don't know where to start. We have to put this house up for sale and it is awful. Please tell me what to do."

"We are moving cross country and I don't know where to start to pack."

"When we move, I don't know how I can unpack and keep the chaos of the move from overwhelming me."

These are some hard questions, but I have a simple answer.

BABY STEPS! YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT, WE HAVE TO BREAK THE JOB DOWN INTO SMALLER PARTS.

DON'T MOVE ANYTHING YOU DON'T LOVE!

You know how we do Crisis Cleaning: 15 minutes at a time in three different rooms, then take a 15 minute break. This is the most important part. Rest so you won't burn out.

I want you to think about the hardest room in your home to pack up and also the easiest. For most people the hardest room will be the kitchen or the storage room/basement. Then the easiest will be the bathroom. Split your time up between these two rooms so that the worst room does not get you down and when you change to the room that is easy, you will have a sense of accomplishment.

1. Get your favorite drink as well as a bottle of water. So you will not get dehydrated.

2. Set your timer for 15 minutes and get started doing 15 minutes in your toughest room.

3. The first thing to do is get rid of all the trash; Bag it up and get it out of the house.

4. Then get rid of everything that can be given away to friends or charities. This is hard.

5. Next you have to get all of those bags out of this room right this minute.

6. Do not let the trash or give aways pile up.

7. Pick a place to stage them until the truck arrives to accept your give away items.

NOW FOR THE PACKED BOXES

1. Now pick a staging area for your boxes that will be going to your new home;

2. Get the boxes out of the rooms where they were packed.

3. Don't mark every box with the word STUFF and More STUFF.

4. Color code your rooms and mark your boxes as you pack them. Number them too.

5. Last boxes packed will be the items you need first. Label them START UP. Load last.

6. Unload Kitchen stuff first. The kitchen is the heart of the home.

Now be sure and read my moving tips. This is all detailed and our members have given us some great tips for getting settled. There is also a section in my book Sink Reflections if you have it.

Keep in mind that once you have the necessities unpacked and placed in the proper rooms, the rest can be unpacked 5 boxes at a time. You did not get it packed up in a day and you are not going to be settled in to your new home over night. BabySteps will get you there. Besides if you were not ruthless with your decluttering while you were packing, then you can take the time to find the right place for your stuff in your new home. If for some strange reason, it does not have a home, then you may need to rethink your decision to hold on to this item. The box you packed it in can also be the box that gets taken to your new charity thrift shop. Get to know these people well!

Now as you are packing up the old house, you need to keep one area clear, just for sanity of your family. You still need to eat and rest. So you will need a clear dining table and comfortable chairs in the family room to relax in. Make it a priority and you will have a place to sit when your timer goes off.

Please do not crash and burn! Now is not the time to get sick, so pace yourself! This is a direct order. If you will take BabySteps, before you know it, you will be settled into your new home and all of this moving will be just a dream.

Now for those of you that are not moving to a new home, you can make your current home feel like a new one if you will pretend that you are moving and join in with our decluttering. It is all of your clutter that makes your home feel small and cramped. It is also this clutter that makes you feel overwhelmed and depressed. Release this clutter and you will find that your home will become new and joyous place to live. Peace is just a declutter away! Try it.

If your home is decluttered and you are not planning on moving, then you can join us in spirit by asking yourself the important questions: Do you love it, Do you have a place for it and Does it make you smile? There is always some decluttering to do.

Moving is always hard, but when you take it in BabySteps, it will not kill you!

Are you ready to FLY through your next move?

FlyLady

We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to

FlyLady@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

Dear FlyLady,

I have really enjoyed the April habit of the month of making your bed.

Making the bed was not really a challenge for me because it was the one thing on the system I did consistently.

I decided to take the April challenge a step further and marked on the calendar each time I made the bed and kept it cleared of stuff. After all, the bed is a flat surface and an ideal hot spot.

So, this month's habit brought me closer to having that sanctuary because I walked in to a lovely made up bed which was free from clutter.

Thanks for all you do to make my house a home.



FlyBaby G Florida

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.

Welcome to April! It’s a brand new month and that means it’s time for a brand new habit.

This month, we are concentrating on Making Your Bed. This one small step makes a huge difference in the look and feel of your room. Here’s some great information from FlyLady to get you started.

Your bed in the bedroom is what the sink is to your kitchen. – FlyLady

"Is your perfectionism getting in the way of a peaceful home?" ~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:

Today I want you to spend 15 minutes getting rid of anything that does not belong in your living room. Things that have gotten thrown in a corner, on a chair, or even the floor. The things that you almost don't even see because they have just become part of the room, get it out! If it does not belong there then out it goes!

This does not mean that you have to spend three hours in your living room, do what you can do for 15 minutes.

FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday



Hi Kids,

Today we are going to do something that might be hard but that is okay. You can do this! You are going to go look in your rooms for 11 toys that are either broken or missing pieces that need to be thrown away. Get a trash bag and toss them!

Things that you do not use because they are broken is clutter. Clutter is made up of the things that you have that you do not love or use. When you get the things that are broken and the missing pieces out of your room, there is less to pick up and clean. This gives us more time to PLAY!

Take your bag to Mom or Dad and tell them that you are getting rid of the clutter in your room!

We have a Student Control Journal for you, it's FREE.

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.



1. Getting Dressed to Lace Up Shoes, Fixing your Hair and Face
2. Swishing and Swiping Your Bathroom Blesses You Most
3. Is Your Bed Made? Every Room has a Shiny Sink
4. Checking Your Calendar; relieves stress
5. Reboot Your Laundry; A load a day keep Mount Washmore Away
6. Think about what's for dinner this relieves lots of guilt
7. Drink your water, take your supplements, and meds
8. Empty Your Dirty Dish Disposal Unit
9. Check Your Morning Routine to see if you missed anything
10. Have you had any lunch
11. Reboot Your Laundry
12. Declutter for 15 minutes
13. Did you drink your water?
14. Have you exercised today?
15. Start Your Before Bed Routine after dinner
16. Check Your Calendar for Tomorrow
17. Lay Out Your Clothes for Tomorrow
18. Place things needed for Tomorrow on your launch pad.
19. Spend Two Minutes Clearing off a Hot Spot
20. Shine Your Sink
21. Wash face/Brush Teeth
22. Go to Bed at a Decent Hour