Dear FlyLady,Everything you have asked me to do and showed me a way to do it to bless my home has been great. The first month I joined ( 3 years ago) the habit was making the bed. I have made my bed everyday since. I never made my bed before, after all it would get messed up when I got in it anyway.

This month is menu planning, well one of my mantras used to be. I don’t like housework but I love cooking and I feed my kids well and so at least if the house is messy there is fresh food on the table. I am a good cook, but you know what is coming next.

As my house got messier and more cluttered so did my brain and my kitchen, the meals became, pasta and sauce, pasta and sauce and so the spiral goes on. I love baking but that went too, I loved the baking but the mess afterwards, on top of the mess already there. You get the picture.

Plus shopping became an mad dash on a Friday or I would send my husband (with no list) who loved shopping but would just come home with whatever was on special and no fresh fruit or veg. My cupboards were bursting at the seams with stuff no one ate or was going to eat. So much stuff was wasted.

This month has been a blessing for me. I am cooking again and baking plus making cakes for my daughters Guide Christmas Party and last month I made her a fantastic Pumpkin shaped cake for her Halloween Party. Everyone was impressed and I was impressed with how clean my kitchen looked afterwords.

I now do the shopping on the same day each week. I go with a list and I know what we (yes we all join in) are cooking the whole week. I have a small exercise book and on each double page I write my menu on one side, plus extra baking, or freezer dishes, (I am stocking up for Christmas as I have family coming) and my shopping list on the other side.

During the week I add to the list, toothpaste, washing powder etc. I leave the book in the kitchen so the kids can add what they need. Even if it is not a grocery. My daughter writes to her grand parents and she often needs stamps so she writes this in (I also go the the post office every Tuesday) plus birthday presents for friends etc. In the back of the book I have a freezer list so i know what I have in there and when I take it out I cross it out.

I also have a crock pot (slow cooker here in Europe) which I am using at least three times per week. Thanks Leanne for giving me the idea.

It is possible to get your house in shape and not feel overwhelmed and I am so happy to have met you all. I don’t always get it right but the massive improvements in my home mean so much to me, some are tiny and some women would think I was mad to feel so proud of myself for just taking the rubbish out or washing the cats dish or changing the sheets on my bed or cleaning a toilet or putting a cup in the dishwasher.

Every little thing I do blesses my family more that not doing that tiny thing. Today I blessed my daughters by changing their sheets. My son will be blessed next week when it is his turn. My routines are now in place and as the old saying goes and this is so true. “There is a time and place for everything.” All the things that need to be done in my home are in my control journal so each day I do what should be done and then I can get on with the rest of my life knowing that tomorrow I will do the rest and as I go on each day gets easier and easier and easier. One day my house will eventually clean itself!!!

I love you all,
FlyBaby Vanessa, Germany

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FlyLady here: Routines are truly freeing! I’m so proud of you! This month’s habit of Menu Planning is such a time, money and stress saver. We offer the best tools from our FlyShop, as well as wonderful advice and menus from our Dinner Diva Leanne Ely.

Are you ready to Menu Plan and FLY?