I'm a "hapa" which is a term for mixed-raced. My mother is Japanese and my father is Italian/German. I have 2 sisters, one older & one younger. I have a dog named Peeps. He's a white fluffy dog who looks like a marshmallow, and tastes like one too. (jk)
More things
I'm 28 years old living with my perfect match in central New Jersey. I'm a musician at heart. I play the sax, viola & piano. Finally starting to teach myself guitar. Music is a hobby right now, and telecom is the industry I'm working in to pay the bills. I hope to get back into music performance again sometime in the near future. Gettin' hitched October 3, 2008.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Let It Go
This is a pic of me, Alicia & Gavin... (getting the picture was worth the 'effort' LOL)
The first time I ever saw him perform was by chance at a Bare Naked Ladies concert. I have to say, he totally out performed the main act... HA! I like that all his songs tell a story. He has a particular sound about him, he sings with so much feeling. You never see him in the tabloids, that's because he is just a normal guy. Loves and appreciates music.
Written and performed by Gavin DeGraw -- a musician I have always admired. He writes from the heart.
Listen here (no video out yet) - and lyrics below:
Let It Go
I can't live without you Set me goals around you Takes a little extra time But it all works out
You're a shining ember I'll be shining armor Just look up into my eyes I won't let you down
And I'll always be here Yes, I'll always be here
Let it go, settle into me Let it go, let it all go Except for me, I'm the one you found Just hold on, hold on to me now
Why don't we play hooky? We could both get lucky Better to get lucky Than to go to work today
We don't have to shower You won't wait in traffic Take our daily panic And we'll put it all away
And we'll always be near We should always be near
Let it go, settle into me Let it go, let it all go Except for me, I'm the one you found Just hold on, hold on to me now
Just let it go, settle into me Let it go, let it all go Except for me, I'm the one you found Just hold on in, hold on to me now
Don't you know you're the one for me? After all anyone can see Let it go, let it all go now Let it go
Two nights ago we had tofu marinated in teriyaki sauce over brown rice with scallions. Yummy
Last night and tonight we had some black bean soup with sauteed shallots, over brown rice, with fat free shredded cheddar. Wish we had some sour cream --- but otherwise, it was freakin' delicious!
P.S. : I still have yet to find the perfect substitute for meat. Nothing satisfies me like chicken did!! Fat tastes so F'n good -- I just wish it wasn't from animals!!!
Holy shiznit. Good movie (suspenseful and action packed) -- not what I had expected, really...but I think I had anticipated the ending. Which always sucks -- still entertaining.
The beginning was pretty intense, as most of her books are. This one, however, was moreso b/c it was a bit gruesome for me. (if you haven't read it and plan to, do not read this entry or I may spoil it for you)...
After the first 70 pages or so, it was just rough... It was rough to read until about page 450.
It's not that reading it was hard, it was just a topic I didn't really want to deal with. Most of the book was based around a prisoner, in jail...on death row. He was on death row for molesting and murdering a 7 year old girl and her father (a cop).
Obviously, as in all Jodi's books that I've read thusfar, there was a bit of a twist at the end....
I think just KNOWING there was a twist got me unnerved, b/c I just wanted to get to that part...but the book was SOOOO long.
Another focus in the book was religion. Christianty, Gnosticism... I had not known anything about The Gospel of Thomas until I read this book. D'oh.
That's all I can say -- yup -- D'oh!
I don't know what else to write about the book without writing a super long review of everything that was good and bad about the book. The storyline, the characters etc...
So I'll just move on.
The Tenth Circle -- I think that was the 2nd Jodi Picoult book I ever read. The first was 19 Minutes... I was SHOCKED that 2 books by the same author had such an impact on me. Usually, (in my experience at least) -- I read 1 good book by someone and the next by the same author just doesn't live up to it. Disappointing.
Having read The Tenth Circle -- I was SO EXCITED to see that it was being made into a Lifetime Original Movie. It came out on TV this past Saturday.
ARGH!!! Obviously, not everything was true to the book, but some parts of the movie were totally on point as to what I had 'envisioned' when I had read it. I don't like the changes that were in it though. Like, the ending was different. There wasn't as much about 'Alaska' as there was in the book. So Eck..
The thing I like the MOST about her books is that I'm always learning something...Something I never would've learned on my own. It's just amazing to read her stuff.
Anyway -- I'm taking a break for her books for now, and attempting to read 'The Prime of Miss Brodie' and 'The Pure Land'.
The first is very short...the 2nd -- looks good. Cultural books are always good.
Sue is reading an interesting book called Atlas Shrugged. Just looking at a book with 1192 pages makes me not want to read it. I have weak arms. However, I might pick it up on AudioBook for my long commutes to/from work. Sounds intriguing.
Just bought this shoe - i don't know why. Saw it on clearance rack at Lord & Taylor's and I bought it. Love it! I never bought Anne Klein shoes before, but they are affordable.
I never bought a shoe on impulse so this is weird. Especially considering my shoe collection consists of: - 1 pair hideous blue crocs - 1 pair black mary jane crocs - 1 pair sneakers (walmart) - 1 pair white sketchers sneakers (rarely wear) - 1 pair silver ballet flats - 1 pair black ballet flats - 1 pair black high heels.
That is all my friends. That is all!!! I have bought other shoes, however, they never fit right or they were just plain hideous so I couldn't be seen in public wearing them. (the crocs have that right to be ugly and be seen -- the others? NO!)
There's a lot of shiznit I've got to do, and a lot of shiznit I've already done.
I've been doing things I've always wanted to do, but now, I'm at a point in my life when I'm emotionally, physically and monetarily stable enough to do things.
I'm getting married in October, I'm excited, but also can't wait for it to just be done with already. I think the best part about getting married is the preparation and anticipation. But what happens when the 5-6hr party is over...that's it. Now what, you're married .... AND THEN?! ooooOooOh -- THE HONEYMOON! DUH -- i foogotz (Tahiti here we come!)
Mike and I have it pretty good. We've been living together for a few years now and are 'used to' each other. We know each other's habits and I am relying on past experiences we've had together to determine the fact that we can live together for the rest of our lives...
We both have decent paying and stable jobs. YAY.
We have a place to call 'home'. We no longer live with our parents which is spectacular...so the whole mess of buying a place to live after getting married -- is one thing we don't have to worry about. However, we've been wanting to sell our current place for the longest time. Each time it's fully presentable -- we mess it up... The problem with our place is not the size, but moreso, the layout. We have 4 floors all jumbled in the weirdest way. There is no 'flow'. It's bizarre. I can't say it's "bad" it's just not a place to start a family b/c of all the stairs...At this point, I'm hoping we sell by the end of the year, not so sure about that, since that's what we said last year. LOL.
Tomorrow I'm getting my hair and makeup trial done at Depasquale's. It's a day-spa near where I work -- which is closer to the wedding/reception than where I live at least.
The price of all these things (just the trials) is enough to freak some people out. I can't believe it, but I guess it's just an understanding that for a wedding, you just pay more. Argh. I don't even have my head piece yet. My mom got a veil from someone she works with who already got married. I think I will use it...(Don't really wanna shell out $200 for a piece of sheer fabric). I just need the headband to attach it to since I want to have my hair down.
Most girls I know, are all about the wedding. All about the planning. It becomes their life. It has become mine now too, but I'm more stressed about it than anything. I'm so excited about marrying Mike, it's just the whole cost of it all and I'm not really that fond of wearing white...but for traditions sake -- I will. LOL. If I could wear a black cocktail dress, I'm sure I'd feel so much more comfortable. Also, I'm not really one for having all eyes on her. Yikers...that is a little weird. And the whole "It's Your Day" thing -- I get it, but it makes me feel selfish.
I'm a bit of a control freak, so I think that's the biggest issue. If things don't go the way we plan, I will freak... So I've been slowly planning things and trying my best to depend on the people we are paying to do their jobs and do them right. That is soooo hard. I'm one to just do something myself, if I want it done the right way (or at least 'my way')...
2 weekends ago, some friends from work and from the meetup.com vegetarian group went with Mike and me to Pennsylvania to do some Whitewater rafting on the Lehigh River. It was a friggen blast! I had no idea what to expect...and was happy at the outcome. We had 2 rafts with 6 people in each. I had thought there would be a guide who knew the river, in each raft, but there wasn't. Just us beginners...trying to stear a huge @$$ raft through rapids. Some people paddled, some didn't, some people fell out, some didn't... Sometimes our raft would just take us downstream while the rest of the group stayed back. That was a little freaky...and it was impossible to try and paddle back up stream... At one point, we all just got out of the raft and tried walking it back up to a place where all the 'other' rafters stopped to eat lunch. Don't worry, out of the 100+ people who were there and saw us... NO ONE HELPED!
At least I know I could survive in the semi-harsh-wild with my crew. HA!
After rafting, I, the vegetarians and Mike went to Jim Thorpe, PA. What a friggen cute/quaint town. It had the most AWESOME restaurant that catered to Vegetarians...and the food was prob the best I had since I became vegetarian in September. (Cafe Origins)
Last weekend some friends and I went horse back riding. We took a night-trail ride that lasted about 1.5 hours, through the woods near a stable in Newfoundland, NJ. (Echo Lake Stables). After the trail ride, we took a hayride into the middle of the woods where a DJ (yup...a music DJ) and a grill and bonfire awaited us (a group of abt 30). They grilled up some Hamburgers and hotdogs (I had a cheese sandwich), and we roasted marshmallows over the fire while the DJ cranked out some country music. (-- there were PLUGS in the TREES!)
After about an hour and a half of all that, we took the hayride back through the dark spooky woods and were dropped off by our cars. GOOD TIMES!
For $60, what a friggen bargain!
We are planning to get a bigger group together in August for a possible Day ride (no bonfire/hayride/food).
Oh, the horse I rode was named Maestro -- he rocked. He was in Spiderman 3 & Enchanted. He had a bit of an attitude and bit a horse and kicked another in the face. I was scared...
Mike rode a horse named Burrito... Burrito was hillarious b/c he would randomly just stop and stand in one spot and even after Mike kicked and pulled him, he wouldn't move. Mike wound up in the back of the pack holding everyone up, but it wasn't his fault, it was Burritos. It was just the funniest thing.
With abt 30 of us riding through the woods on horseback -- if one horse had to pee, they would all pee...at the same time. It literally takes about 2 minutes for them to 'complete'. Some horses walked so close the horse in front of them, that when the horse had to poop -- it came right out on the other horses face. YUM!!!
Tomorrow morning Mike and I are driving up to my mom's to drop off Peeps. Seeing 'Get Smart' at the movie theater at 11:50am. Then I have my trial at 2:30ish, and it all ends around 5pm. Then we go to dinner for my mom's bday at 7:30...then we pick up Peeps and head back home.
My mom's house is a bit dog-crazy right now. She's got the 4 (Louie, Kiko, Chip & Yoshii) and now she has 2 more she is dog-sitting for about a month ... so there are 6. With Peeps there tomorrow, that will make 7. Holy CRAP.
This is the first year, I think, that I didn't see fireworks :-( So Sad... I was lazy today.
oooooh, I love this idea, though I'm not sure how far it will go --
Let's write a story together. Add one sentence to help further the story (you can read the sentences before it to stay on theme). There is one catch: You must start your sentence with the alphabet letter that follows the one that started the prior sentence. For example, if the last sentence is "The sun was shining bright that morning," the first word of your sentence must start with a "U." (When it gets to "Z," start back again with "A.")
1. Have you made any life-style changes lately? If so, what are they? If not, are things fine the way they are, or would you like to change something? - My most recent life-style changes include how I eat. But that happened in September. Vegetarianism, here I am. The next life-style change is to eat healthier! I'm not eating meat anymore, however, my staples currently are flour & sugar. LOL
2. Do you believe in the institution of marriage? Why/why not? - Tough one. It's tough because the 'institution of marriage' is a religious take on things. I believe the purpose and meaning behind it is good and all, however, take the God part out. I am agnostic (believing in something), so to ME the institution of marriage is this : be committed to one another physically and emotionally. Grow and learn from each other, how to live harmoniously and with respect. Create life between each other... -- something like that. LOL.
3. How's life treating you these days? - Fanfriggentabulous...thanks! I have it good. I do. I've been getting a little stressed out with the wedding planning and how fast things are moving. I feel like I'm a little behind. I'm behind on my 'goals' for this quarter for work, only because the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the quarter have been put on the back-burner b/c of new priorities in the office. FUN! - Besides all that, life is treating me damn good!
What is the last thing you splurged on? Was it worth what you paid?
Oh boy, well, tonight on my way home from work, I stopped at CVS. They were having a buy1 get1 free sale on some makeup products, so I went nuts. I splurged. I bought about $120 worth of makeup (which is a lot at CVS) -- but paid only $80. Not too shabby!!
Was it worth it?! Hells yeah!
I always buy a lot of makeup products, but I don't use old ones. I usually rotate through my products within 2 months -- so after 2 months of having a product, out it goes.
TriCounty Vegetarian Meetup -@- Tom Yum Goong in Princeton, NJ
I joined this meetup group and have gone to 3 events so far. It's a great bunch of people and always great food. I've learned alot from my fellow vegetarians these past few months.
If you haven't joined yet, what are you waiting for?! Meetup.com is the place to be!! I host a meetup group for New Jersey Inline Skaters -- fun times. It's still new but it's getting there, slowly but surely -- I think maybe I should've focused on a specific region of NJ rather than the whole state. Even though there are over 40 members, our meetups are small due to the location of the events. Oh well.
I have looked at some other meetup group events and liked some of the ideas for events. Unfortunately, the events were either totally booked or had already passed...so I have been starting up a 'semi' meetup group on the side.
We are going Whitewater Rafting on the 21st, with a group of about 14 people and the following Saturday we plan on doing a Night Excursion on horseback which will end with an all you can eat western style BBQ, live music and bonfire and hayride.
Oh the simple things --- things I've always wanted to do but never had the initiative to follow-up on them.
A friend and I are doing a fitness challenge - We started up this past Friday.
Our goal is to do 30 mins of cardio everyday.
If you know me - you know that I usually commit to something only to de-commit within 2 days or so - setting up this challenge with a friend is supposed to keep me and her on track.
I missed 1 day of cardio so far -- and I made it up by adding 30 mins to my cardio routine tonight.
Sunday - we spent abt an hour skating outdoors at the 'duck pond' park in Ridgewood, NJ. It was for a meetup, and it was fun.
It was 96 degrees and super humid, but luckily the parks paths were shaded and cool. Didn't feel the heat unless we stopped skating. It started to thunder and drizzle so we stopped the skating early.
It was my first time skating at that park and I LOVED it. The paths are great. They even have some little declines to skate down that are a lil scary at first, but so much fun.
Today I worked out on the Wii Fit -- it kicked my butt!!
My biggest challenge is doing any kind of exercises that focus on any body part other than my legs. My legs are the strongest part of my body so skating, running, and doing the elliptical aren't as challenging as a few yoga moves or push-ups.
I worked up such a sweat in my den -- Yoga -- is fun on the Wii Fit -- I think b/c you can go at your own pace and you don't wind up comparing your level of balance and form to others that you would in a class. (everyone makes it look soooo easy!)
I don't get too discouraged b/c the Wii Fit seems to think I'm practically a Yoga Master -- really -- it's just my balance. Thanks to skating -- my balance is getting so good.
I have a problem with breathing while exercising -- when doing weights and crunches and yoga type things. The Wii Fit helps me control my breathing. That alone has already made me a lil more flexible than when I started. Weird - but true.
My next fitness challenge is a personal one - I used to run for recreation for a short time while I was in college. I could do distance. I could do it everyday. Now -- not so much. My goal is to do the 5K challenge, but in 1/2 the time. I don't consider it pushing, since I already skate and do the elliptical -- so I shouldn't be a novice level exactly. So -- hopefully in 4.5 weeks I will be able to do approx 3miles without any huffing.
Yesterday Mike and I both received some items that we ordered online.
I bought the Wii Fit from ebay -- I was a nervous wreck the entire time I was waiting for the package. The seller had great response time to my super annoying inquiries, but he sent me a tracking number that related to a package that was shipped to CA from IL. I'm in NJ an entirely different coast so I thought he was just trying to BS me...
Luckily -- yesterday I received my package in the mail. YAY!!!
Mike ordered a wireless webcam online - we wanted to hook something up that will provide us decent streaming video from any spot in our house so that we could watch Peeps all day.
When I moved in with Mike -- Peeps wasn't such a happy dog, b/c when we would go to work, he would be left alone. He had major separation anxiety and would howl and bark for hours straight. Our neighbors - at the time - got soooo raged b/c of his barking, that we had to remove Peeps from the house. He went to live with my mom and 4 other dogs. He would never be lonely there.
A few years have past, and I'm lonely without Peeps. But how selfish would I be bringing him back to our home if he still had his separation anxiety.
So we tried. Day 1 - no barking -- it was great. Day 2 - no barking when we left the day for work, as far as we know, but when we went out to dinner and came back, we heard him barking -- yikes. We asked the neighbors if he was barking and she had said he was barking for a few hours. YIKES. So, we brought him back to my mom's house.
We decided to wait until the weekend to take him again and focus on training him the entire time.
Yesterday we left him home all day -- I came home from work and asked the neighbors again about Peeps' barking and they said they didn't hear him at all all day.
YAY!!! Success!!!
Anyway -- we still have this cam - and we are going to 'spy' on Peeps while we are not away.
He has been good at 'holding it' and not peeing in the house, however, #2 is another story. He doesn't always go #2 when he has to when we walk him outside, b/c he is preoccupied with his surroundings, so he holds it and either when we are sleeping or away from home -- he poops in the house.
Yesterday I came home to find soooo much poop on the floor in our loft. I didn't yell at him, but he knew I was upset. He went to our kitchen to hide.
I was following some training instructions that say to ignore the dog when he does something bad instead of yelling, b/c they can misinterpret that. And -- lets say, if you point and make a lot of suggestions towards what he did bad, he may feel the need to pay more attention to the objects or whatever, and do it again. He can't tell if it's good/bad attention sometimes.
It worked -- honestly, I think the best punishment for Peeps is ignoring him. He's a fully fledged attention whore. So when he doesn't get your attention -- he's upset.
He has lessened his whining too -- b/c instead of us petting him when he whines -- we ignore him.
It's like he's finally growing up!!!
Anyway - the 'Peeps' Cam is all set up and I get to watch it from work all day! YAY! It's focused on our den -- we don't know if he even spends a lot of time in there, or if he stays in the bedroom.
I hope I don't wind up watching an empty floor all day. LOL
Robert Meier watches as his comatose girlfriend's vital signs got weaker and weaker and made the decision to marry her before she died. People in the hospital thought it was a romantic gesture as Meier and his girlfriend became husband and wife only hours before her death. But later, in July 1996, Meier was arrested in Tampa, Florida, for using his dead wife's credit card to rack up more than $20,000 in expenses. Did Meier claim to be distraught over his wife's passing and driven by depression to go on a shopping spree? No -- he blamed her dog. According to polie records, "[Meier] said the dog told him sim [his wife] would want him to have a better life, so it would be okay to use her credit cards." It makes sense that Meier would speak to a dog - it sounds like he was a real son-of-a-b!tch.
Dumb Statements in History "If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one." -- The National Cancer Institute, 1954
Since my last finish up of Snow Flower & the Secret Fan and My Sister's Keeper, I've found it hard to continue reading the others on my night stand -
The songs of the humpback whales one -- it's soo hard to get through. So I've resorted to starting from the very beginning.
The Pact -- I kinda lost this book, so technically it's not on my night stand ... it just disappeared? hmmm
Every Sunday -- I just put this one on hold.
For my bday - Mike got me a Jodi Picoult book amongst some other lovely things (Wii game and a necklace)... It's called Change of Heart.
He said the reason he got me this book was because he saw that one of the characters names was June.
These books are usually written in voices. They are sectioned out by character. The first chapter was in the voice of the character named June... Freakishly -- the second chapter was in the voice of a character named Michael.
WEIRD --
So far -- 50 pages in -- and it's DEEP. The book is depressing already, but it's good. It's written so well -- so, I'm digging in and putting the others on hold.
However -- I am still up for doing a mini-blog-based-bookclub with a friend... Should be fun once we figure out a title or theme or something.
Catgut, which for centuries has been used to string musical instruments, is made from cats, right? Not eve close. Catgut is a term for a chemically treated animal intestine made into a tought string or cord. But the animal in question isn't a cat and never has been; it's a sheep. So why isn't it called sheepgut? Good question. He's my gues: Imagine the sound of a young child practicing a violin, and then imagine the sound of a cat with its tail caught in a door. The word catgut makes a lot more sense now, doesn't it?
All the plants Mike and I have received, have died. Why? Because we have such a brown-thumb when it comes to keeping plants alive.
One day we decided to go to Lowes to try the 'plant-thing' again. We bought 4 plants. 1 died almost 2 weeks after we got it...we let it sit in our kitchen - dead - it was a tree like plant. It stood upright with brown crunchy leaves on it for months. We finally threw it out when it started collecting spider webs. One of the plants, we named "Butch". He survived for a few months, then we forgot about him, and he died. We couldn't revive him. The third plant, has survived and is still living well in our kitchen. It's cute. I like it. It's been a long hard road trying to maintain it's livelyhood, but we've done it. There were good days and there were bad days. Days when we would come home to realize our plant was practically dead, b/c we had neglected it. We would water it and the next day it was good as new. I love that plant.
This plant below, I have on my desk at work. It makes me smile - b/c it's survived as long as the last plant above and has never wilted on me. The water bottle next to the plant is what I use to keep it alive. I water it once a week with a few squirts of water, and it's good to go. Even under the artificial lighting in my office. The mug makes me smile too...only b/c it's cute. :-)
What book is on your nightstand now? Tell us about it, post a blurb. If you're reading it, do you like it? If you haven't started, what are your expectations? Would you recommend it to a good friend? What type of stories do you like to read the most often? Why?
There are a few books on my nightstand right now, all of which I am reading :
I am 1/3rd the way through Songs of the Humpback Whale, 1/2 way through The Pact & 1/2 way through Every Sunday.
I am also listening to My Sister's Keeper - By: Jodi Picoult on Audio Book. I have 1 CD left to hear. It's great to have when stuck in my 1.25 hr commute to and from work.
I JUST finished Snowflower and the Secret Fan - By: Lisa See which was an AMAZING book. However, the entire time I was reading it, I thought it was a true story -- making it that much more interesting. Only to find out, while reading the Afterword that it was not a true story. Some of the things that happened were based on facts...but really --- not a true story about the specific characters. Oh POO! How disappointed I was.
I like to read books based on or about true stories. Jodi Picoult uses fictional characters and story lines, however you learn sooo much by reading her books. She researches so much about what she writes that you are always learning. You really feel EACH characters emotions and understand what's going on the entire time. I love her writing, which is why I am reading so many of her books.
The reason I read so many books at one time, is because when I read, I get really involved in the story. With the emotions and thoughts of the characters. If I come home from work one day, and I'm just frustrated, I would HATE to dive into a book that is about conflict, so I hop to one that isn't. If I don't have one around, I go out, and buy another. I am currently missing a laugh out loud book...if anyone has any suggestions, let me know!!!
I highly recommend 19 MINUTES & THE TENTH CIRCLE by Jodi Picoult.
Anyway -- I also enjoy reading books about science. Like, books that question WHY and actually give a finite answer.
Relatives from Japan are coming to our area. YAY! It's really great getting to meet everyone at an age where I can take it all in and enjoy the company.
I think I had met a lot of our family from Japan when I was really young, I don't really remember everyone.
We are going to see Eizo and his wife on Saturday & Sunday. Saturday we are starting out early -- meeting at their hotel in the AM then walking through Central Park -- going to Bodies - The Exhibit, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island (I think) then eating dinner at the brewery at the Empire State Building. Sunday -- not sure what is happening then.
Tomorrow night I am going to a Chinese Auction. I love those things -- but since I am now starting the FlyLady routine, I can't start bidding on things that will just add clutter to my home!! Ahhhh that is going to be sooo hard.
Here are the items in my control journal. The headings are listed in order however the items below them are not listed in any particular order yet.
Before Bed Routine
Check calendar for appointments
Shine the sink - load the dishwasher
Layout clothes for tomorrow / Put clothes away (from any laundry done)
Brush teeth, wash face etc...
Skin care routine
Pack and prep work items to take the next morning
Spend 10 minutes in the kitchen, clean off counter tops and set table for breakfast
Start a To-Do list for tomorrow
Take a bubble bath
Think about todays accomplishments
Morning Routine
Get out of bed & hit the ground FLYing -- I have yet to understand this one.
Make the bed
Shower, Skincare, Hair, Get dressed to shoes
While in the bathroom, swish the toilet & wipe down the counters and put things away (Swish & Swipe)
Empty the Dishwasher
Check calendar for appointments
Eat breakfast
Review To-Do list
Allow 10 minutes to check emails (computer time) before heading to work.
After Work Routine
Change clothes (dress down if dressed up) - Make sure to get dressed to shoes (curious about the shoes part?? visit FlyLady.net or get the book.)
Get dinner started, fill sink with soapy water (Clean as you go)
Sit down & drink some water for 5 minutes
Set the table and put some candles out.
Monday
Zone Mission
Figure out menus for the week and create grocery list
Tuesday
Zone Mission
Dark Laundry
Grocery Shopping
Wednesday
Zone Mission
Errand Day (run errands on lunch break or right after work)
Thursday
Zone Mission
White(lights) Laundry
Friday
Zone Mission
Saturday
Home Blessing Hour (see below)
Sunday
Clean out fridge
Pay Bills
**Weekly Home Blessing Hour
Vacuum and Sweep (just the middles, not around the walls)
Dust
Swiffer the kitchen & bathroom floors
Clean the mirrors
Purge Magazines and Newspapers
Empty all trash cans
Change sheets on the beds.
Some days don't have many items -- believe me, they will build! I made this list without actually knowing what I do everyday...so it will be ever-changing, I'm sure.
Slowly but consistantly, we've been building clutter in our house. We have been at the point for some months now, where we don't have a place to put everything, so we just pile stuff up in 'Hot Spots' throughout the house.
These hot spots keep building and building to the point that both of us are just too scared to attempt to clean them or we start and feel unaccomplished when we can't finish, or it just keeps building the next day.
I went to my sanctuary (Barnes & Noble), and found a book to help. It's called Sink Reflections.
Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in CHAOS? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons will show you how to get your home and your life in order --- and it all starts with shining your sink!
CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome
I started reading this book, slowly but surely, and I've also visited the FlyLady's website at FlyLady.net.
I can't wait to get started on my ToDo's.
It took me about 3 days to get a 'Control Journal' together to organize some routines to keep the house in order once it gets out of the CHAOS mode.
We have a lot of little things, everywhere. We really do not have a place for them. Our entertainment center has become a storage area for everything. We are going to wind up throwing things out and donating them. It's going to be hard b/c some items hold sentimental value and others -- well they are just in GOOD condition, I just don't see a reason to get rid of them.
We'll see how it goes.
Our first steps are to organize and clean the entire house over.
We've heard comments of how people say our house is always so clean. That's because we go into crisis mode when we know people are coming over. But what happens when an unexpected guest comes over? Well, luckily we haven't run into that issue yet, so we are going to make sure we are ready for it!!! Plus, we have to sell our house. The house is in good condition, we just need to get it staged and looking good to potential buyers.
The FlyLady has some good tips for marathon cleaning, which is what I want to do. 15 mins in the kitchen, 15 minutes in the den, 15 minutes in the kitchen, 15 minutes to sit and relax...then move on to the next zone.
I recommend everyone get this book. We are not living in garbage, and yes there are lots of people who really need an extreme makeover in their homes, but if you're like us and just want some organization/routine and the ability to avoid crisis cleaning, buy the book and get online and join the FlyLady community.
I hope to post pics of before and afters, I will also post my initial Control Journal (which I know will build as I start to use it)
I took this photo on Sunday afternoon while at my mom's house. I walked in the front door and saw this lovely scene. Luckily -- I had my camera in my hand and was able to quickly snap the pic. It is soooo rare to get a picture of our dogs all facing one direction... 4 of our 5 dogs are in the photo. The two big dogs are Yoshii & Chip (Renee's dogs) Peeps is the small white one (My dog) Kiko is the one on the right (My mom's dog) Louie (Dawn's dog) is M.I.A. , probably still sniffing around in the backyard.
