40 Days of Decluttering and 40 Nights of Dreaming Big

Are you ready to FLY though 40 Boxes in 40 Days! Your home is going to hug you for this! For more help check out our Decluttering Section on our website.

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Dream Big #8
Dear Friends,

Tonight I want you to find one of your favorite books and spend a few minutes reading quietly to yourself. I do not want you to read a self-help book; I want you to jump into a novel and pace yourself. We don’t have to read it all in one night. That is what bookmarks are for.

Robert used to read me the stories of Scheherazade from The Book of a Thousand and One Nights. Every night was a cliff hanger. They were wonderful stories.

Another thing you can do is read your daily meditations in the evening instead of a morning. We are always so rushed in the morning that reading them at night can be a pleasant way to set your thoughts before you go to sleep.

One of my favorite Christian meditations is Daily Guideposts. There are lots daily meditations for all religions. I know we all have bookshelves filled in inspirational books. It is time to explore some of them. The words do not get into our heads through osmosis. We have to open up the pages and read.

Fill your mind and heart with a sweet story and close your eyes knowing that you are loved.

Enjoy your dreams tonight!
FlyLady

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Dream Big #7
Dear Friends,

Tonight as you get ready for bed; I would like for you to sit quietly with a warm cup of something you like. Chamomile tea, warm milk, or even a cup of hot lemon water.

The best part of this exercise is that it feels so good to hug a warm cup. You could also lower your lights, turn off the TV, and computer. This goes for your phone too. I have a do not disturb feature on my phone. I love it.

Lowering the external stimulation is going to help you get to sleep easier. This will work for your children too.

I love crawling into a warm comfy bed. This is why I have a little electric blanket that I turn off after my bubble bath. Well I don’t really take a bubble bath but I do use my Epson salt for a good soak.

I love my simple before bed routine! It is all about making me feel loved. It is up to you to pamper yourself.

Are you ready to enjoy your dreams!
FlyLady

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Dream Big #6
Dear Friends,

I know that many of you have had a hard day without a lot of appreciation. Tonight as you do your before bed routine; I want you to know how much I appreciate you!

Getting our emails is your commitment to making a change in your life. I know that you can’t read all of them, but thank you for giving our methods a chance. I feel your love and support and I want you to know how much you are loved!

I am very proud of you for taking this babystep! So get into your warm bed tonight at a decent hour and close your precious eyes. It is time to Dream Big! Your dreams can come true!

You will be ready to FLY tomorrow because you are FLYing tonight!
FlyLady

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Dream Big #5
Dear Friends,

Every night for 40 days I will be tucking you in with a simple message. Tonight I want you think about all of our members who are just like you.

Most of your life you have thought that you were the only one who didn’t know how to clean house. This is why I dedicated my book, Sink Reflections to those of you who have suffered in silence thinking you were the only one who lived this way!

Sink Reflections begins with this wonderful testimonial. This can be your home. As you close your eyes tonight I want you to see your home in this testimonial.

Dear FlyLady,

Wanted to let you know about the wonderful B & B my husband and I stayed at this Memorial Day weekend. The small but simply furnished kitchen was well stocked with delicious healthy snacks and meals. Homemade waffles with blackberries were served from a beautiful clean kitchen. The living areas and bedrooms were furnished with fresh plumped pillows, lovely matching sheets and down comforter and scented candles everywhere. The bathroom – ah … bubble bath, lotions and fresh white towels. The library was stocked with books, magazines and yoga videos.

Best of all, my husband and I spent time together with no interruptions, chores or traffic. Okay – you guessed it … thanks to you – this is my home.

Thank you, thank you.

Sweet Dreams!
FlyLady

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Dream Big #4
Dear Friends,

Once upon a time there was a little Princess. She did not like to be told when to go to bed. She would come up with every excuse not to go crawl under her covers. There was always one for thing to do, another post to read on Facebook, or one more page to read. Most nights she would not close her eyes until the wee hours of the morning.

When that alarm would go off in the morning; she was not a very happy Princess. All of her toys would hide from her. No one wanted to play with her because she was so unhappy and irritable. One morning when all her little friends were in school she started searching on the internet for a way to have more fun and get things done.

She saw that one of her friends had talked about her Fairy GodMother, FlyLady. This friend was describing how easy her mornings were when she did a few things at night to get ready for the next day. All she had to do was pick out her clothes for tomorrow, check her calendar and most importantly, go to bed at a decent hour.

Our little Princess decided that she would give it a try for a week. Really she just wanted to prove her friend wrong. The funny thing was it started working right away!

She started doing a simple before bed routine as soon as she finished her dinner. She also picked out her toy’s clothes. She didn’t wait till just before bedtime to start her routine. When it came time for bed; she was not rebelling against people who told her to go to bed! She was doing this for herself because she wanted to have more fun.

I hope this little story will help you to find more fun in your life. Right now it is time to choose your bedtime. You will feel good in the morning when you get seven to eight hours of peaceful sleep.

Sweet Dreams!
FlyLady

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Dream Big #3
Dear Friends,

Friday night is usually our time to stay up later. This is why I am sending this message out a little later. I love to feel tucked in a night. I have a little electric blanket that I turn on after I get out of my evening bath. I love crawling into a warn and comfy bed.

Tonight as you place your head on your pillow; I want you to focus on this one little message. Say to yourself, I am beautiful, I am kind, I am love.

Slowly breathe these words in and out as you go to sleep. You are setting the tone for you dreams.

Sweet Dreams!
FlyLady

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Dream Big #2
Dear Friends,

Once upon a time there was a very tired Princess who had worked hard all day long. She could not wait for her kiddos to get into the bed so she could have a few minutes of “Me Time”!

As her bedtime slipped away; she would check her email, get on Facebook, and play games on her computer. All this did was to get her brain fired up so that when it came to go to sleep she was wide awake!

Then each morning she would hit the snooze button several times because she had not gotten her beauty sleep.

Then one day she heard about a Fairy God Mother that would help her establish a simple before bed routine and soon she was getting the restful sleep that she deserved.

She was ready for tomorrow because she had picked out her clothes for the next day! Her items were on her launch pad and she had taken time to bless herself by slowing down her brain. Her favorite part of the evening was the beautiful music she listened to from her FlyLady CD.

Sweet Dreams!
FlyLady

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Dream Big #1
Dear Friends,

It is hard for us to slow our brains down when it is time for bed. We push ourselves to the last minute. When we finally get into bed we are wired!

I want you to start a simple process of calming yourself so you can close your eyes and fall asleep.

1. Turn off the TV an hour before you want to be in the bed.
2. Do a simple before bed routine.
3. Turn the lights down so you don’t reset your internal clock.
4. Sit and read quietly for a few minutes.
5. Write down two things you’re are thankful for.

As you settle down focus on your breathing; slow and steady!

I want to leave you with this thought for the evening! I am so proud of you for taking a few minutes to FLY! Finally Loving Yourself! Close your eyes and Dream Big!

Sweet Dreams!
FlyLady

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02/14/2013
Dear FlyLady,

I am a FlyBaby just fluttering a little bit and frequently inspired by you and my amazing FlyBaby girlfriend.

She has been FLYing for quite a while and we moved in together just a couple months ago. Several things became very apparent and feel very special:

1. FlyLady shoes. My girlfriend took me shoe shopping and we both got shoes for home. This is the first time I’ve ever had shoes for home and it feels great! You put on your home shoes, start your timer and get things done! I know that when she has her timer clipped to her waist and her shoes on that our home is going to be cleaned or swished or scrubbed and most definitely loved.

2. Timers, timers and timers. We have 2 timers right now and they are put to good use. We’ve had to replace the batteries in each of them. We use them for cooking, for cleaning, for studying, for tidying and, most importantly, to keep us on track. We are both perfectionists to a degree and there is nothing like “15 minutes” to keep us from working ourselves to exhaustion.

3. Our calendar. We have a beautiful big FlyLady calendar covered in stickers. Every month when we flip it over and it is empty, I smile and think about all the stickers we will get to put on it. We have stickers for cooking, yoga, running, dancing, studying, family days, cleaning, working and going outdoors. Sometimes we have so many stickers, it’s hard to find space around the writing. That calendar brings us joy every single day.

4. Cozi lists. Our Cozi lists help with everything. Shopping has become so simple. Before I would be scratching my head in the store over something I scribbled on a napkin and smeared with bbq sauce. Now, I just bring out my phone, open up Cozi and there is what we need. Magic!

What really brought home how wonderful FLYing can be was a visit to Mountain Equipment Co-op we made a couple of weeks ago. We were looking at new coats and hats for my girlfriend and she comes over to me carrying the purplest coat I have ever seen… With neon green lining. I smiled and we both thought it was the perfect coat for FLYing. We got it and I see how she smiles every time she puts it on. Oh! And the hat! We bought a knitted toque that contained one of life’s little surprises… Inside, there is a tag that says “Use your head”.

Now, every time we leave the house and she puts on her purple jacket and toque we both smile and say “Use your head!”. I know this has been a rambling e-mail but, I just wanted to say a big “THANK YOU!” from both of us.

Our home is clean, inviting and warm and a big part of that is all the lessons you teach.

Thank You,
FlyBaby Matthew from Vancouver, BC

FlyLady here: What a wonderful way to FLY together!

The timer and the calendar are two of the most important tools you will ever use.

Cozi is a FREE online calendar and organizer that has apps for some smart phones. You can have your daily flight plan on your Cozi calendar.

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02/13/2013
Dear Friends,

Every year at this time New Orleans Fat Tuesday is the kick-off for the Lenten season. We are going to focus on getting rid of our clutter for the next 40 days. We got this great testimonial once about getting rid of a box of clutter each day. Imagine that 40 boxes of clutter removed one day at a time. Along with taking something away from our home; we are going to add something beautiful to our Bedtime Routine. More on that later!

Here is the testimonial:

One BabyStep at a time! Peace is Mine!

Dear FlyLady,

I set myself a challenge based on some discussions at the beginning of Lent – I decided to get rid of 40 boxes/bags or items over the course of Lent. And I took on 40 items from my to-do list as well. And since tomorrow is Easter – I wanted to let you know how I fared.

42 boxes, bags or items (that don’t fit in a box or bag) have left my house. With an average 10 lbs per item, my guess is that about 420 lbs have left my house…. I have a few more boxes staged to go out – but they haven’t left yet… some went as donations, some were garbage.

24 items are off my “to-do” list. So I didn’t quite get where I wanted. But I did take care of 18 other items that made it on and off “the list.” So all in all, I did move 42 items off or through my “to-do” list.

What I learned – with a little extra effort every week – I did manage to get rid of a fair amount of stuff – more than my goal.

With a little extra effort every week, I was able to finish or get rid of some things that had been on my “to-do” list for a long time – some 12 years old, some more recent. The best part – the mental guilt is gone for what I finished. Some things took less than 15 minutes, some took much longer. And while some things aren’t done (which is why I can’t count them yet) I made progress on them so they will be done soon, sooner than if I hadn’t focused on them at all.

I can hardly wait to redo my list on Easter Monday and know that it just isn’t the same list from February.

It’s been one of the best Lent experiences ever – the routines and the discipline of working day after day on stuff and to do list items and the goals – times when I thought I’d seen no progress but I checked, I was 25% into Lent and 25% through my goal at the same time. It just didn’t look like much. And for a long time, I’d work and work and never see any progress and then suddenly, 4 or 5 things would come off the list, or 16 boxes would make it to Goodwill…

This has been long, but my message is – don’t give up. It looks insurmountable but by working some on it regularly, you can make a big difference over time.

Thank you, as always, for the inspiration and the tools to help make it work. And thanks, as always, for listening. It helps. It really, really helps.

Thanks,
Trisha – a FlyBaby in Northern Illinois

Are you ready to FLY though 40 Boxes in 40 Days! Your home is going to hug you for this! For more help check out our Decluttering Section on our website.

FlyLady

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