Dear FlyLady,

Happy New Year to the FlyLady team and Flybabies around the world!

I have been fluttering for almost a year (January 21) and by adapting routines to suit my family situation I can see a huge difference in my home both physically and emotionally.

My DH of 40 years was always the tidy one (too p*****t sometimes) and although areas of my life were organized (inside cupboards and drawers, planning Sunday School lessons) other areas (the clutter and mess in the house) were chaos.

I have got some routines down pat, (the shiny sink, making the bed, laundry and swish & swipe) while others are improving, (paper clutter, drinking water, before bed routine), some are spasmodic (decluttering, pampering, moving) and some are a struggle (menu planning and getting dressed to shoes!!).

My DH has noticed my efforts to improve and tries to help without interfering and changing my routines.

By breaking the weekly house blessing into individual days I have found that I can set up routines for morning, after work and evening that keeps things flowing smoothly most of the time. For years my mother tried to make my routine suit her lifestyle and I rebelled because it didn’t suit my family at that point in time.

Now I realize that we need to make our own routines and these will change with the needs of growing or shrinking families. By being open to change and suggestion I have been able to work around the needs of my family through the different stages of my life (from young married, through 4 children and now with 8 grandchildren to bless me) and although I am still fluttering I can see the world stretching out for my flight as I improve.

Thank you for sharing your ideas and encouragement with us Flybabies. May God bless you and your team!

Roz in Oz

FlyLady Rebecca here: Do you have a Shiny Sink Story? Let us know, and send an email with MY SHINY SINK STORY in the subject line to flylady@flylady.net!