Baby Steps

My friend Aleesa so gently hinted to me that my blog is in need of updating. My last post was before Christmas, so I guess she might be right...

My husband so gently hinted to me that it has been a while since I have shined my sink. The last time I shined my sink was probably around this time, so I guess he might be right...

My parents, in-laws, and siblings so gently hinted that I haven't been so diligent in keeping their picture frames updated. My memory cards are full and my Photoshop skills rusty, so I guess they might be right...

My scale so gently hinted that it has been a while since I've paid attention to my health. Since my treadmill is covered in potential garage sale items and my water bottle is at the top of the cabinet way in the back, I guess it might be right...

My Heavenly Father so gently hinted to me that it has been a while since I have had more than a "hit and run" quiet time. The last time I remember doing that was right before Spring Break, so I guess He might be right...

It has been easy lately for me to beat myself up over the things I haven't been doing or to even air a laundry list of excuses for not doing these things. But instead of beating myself up, I am going to tackle this FlyLady-style: Baby Steps. That involves doing just a little bit of each task each day and taking full advantage of a trusty little thing called a timer!

So here's to finally creating a blog post, shining my sink, drinking more water, opening up Photoshop, and diving deeper into the Word. And all in one week!

Oh, I can't forget a photo of my kiddos. They have grown quite a bit since Christmas!

Life post-op

Life post sinus surgery has had its ups and downs. Mostly down at first and now definitely up!Since last Friday, I have felt terrific! I truly didn't realize just how much of a toll my situation was on my family until my kids said excitedly, "You're going to church with us!?" Or, "You're not sick today Mommy?!" Ouch, and double ouch! Wesley actually told his teacher "Mommy took drugs and now she feels better." Um, Sheila, I promise I don't have a drug addiction!

The healing process has been so much faster than my previous surgeries. After two post-op doctor's visits, I've been cleared (pun intended!) to blow my nose again and for all intents and purposes, resume a normal life.

Well, if by "normal" you mean spending too much time in pain and in bed, then no thank you!

Maybe we'll try to redefine normal...I have always been one to love change, so I think we'll work on that.

WGH has already noticed a big change in me. Albeit one that he DOESN'T like. It seems that with this new life sans headaches, I have really taken to this whole FlyLady thing. Things that I didn't notice before (or just didn't care) are really beginning to irk me: shoes left in the floor, laundry being draped over furniture instead of being put away, and the mother of all infractions NOT PUTTING DIRTY DISHES IN THE DISHWASHER!!! Short and sweet, anything getting between me and my shiny sink has become a big deal and of course, I would be remiss if I didn't remind him of it--ALL OF IT. Well, nevermind the fact that it might be misconstrued more like nagging. Not that I ever nag,

EVER.

So maybe this shiny sink business isn't such a great idea...

The words sink and Nazi keep running through my head. My kids even have taken up my new mantra: "A clean house is a happy house." They chant it as they pick up their toys.

Seriously.

I feel almost a bit cultish in this attitude. The sad thing is that I haven't even made it through a whole Baby Steps cycle yet!

And I haven't even mentioned my Control Journal yet...we'll save that for another day. It needs a whole post for itself.

The up side to this OCD attitude is that for the most part (the kids' playroom and bedrooms NOT included) at any given moment, someone can stop by and I won't feel utterly humiliated in letting them in my house. So bring on the visitors! We are hoping to throw a mini birthday party for my precious Uncle Ross tonight. Maybe I'll host!

I have millions of pictures of the kiddos to share, but I'll try to keep it to a scant few. These are "Easter" pictures. That means we are pretending that I took these pictures at Easter instead of a week later. Never fear grands and other family. These are also "school pictures" for this year (well, the individual ones are different) because 1) the school pictures were not so hot, and 2) the photographer totally forgot to take Jilly's picture after their sibling picture! Oh well, mine are MUCH cheaper!

While listening to KSBJ the other day, I heard a quote that really hit home for me. So I'll leave you with the awesome words of missionary Jim Elliot:

"Wherever you are,

be all there."

Sisters, Stellan, Surgeries, Shiny Sinks, and Sunshine

To say that I have been neglecting my blog in an understatement! Excuses seem to flow forth like a rushing river, but they are still mere excuses. Nothing more, nothing less. So I will give you the "short version" of the latest goings-on in our chaotic as of late household.

SISTERS

Yes, I have four of them, but as of this past weekend, I now have THREE MORE! "The Amazing Race" pretty much sums up SBC's 2009 Ladies' Retreat. All I can say is "Wow!" What an amazing time with amazing ladies. My new sisters, Lori, Jenny, and Michelle, are some of the most phenomenal women I have met and I look forward to sharing and learning with them as we continue on our own Amazing Races. Each one of us is different in complimentary ways, but these differences seem to intertwine into the makings of a beautiful friendship. They are truly kindred spirits. Together we laughed, cried, prayed, and ATE CRICKETS. That's right! We ate crickets! But eating those little critters earned us 3rd place in the Amazing Race! I would be remiss if I claimed we did not hesitate, but we had come so far that there was no turning back. I am so proud of Jenny, who confessed earlier in the week that she was terrified of eating strange things! Here is a visual for those of you who may not believe me:

STELLAN

For those of you following the story of MckMama and her little Stellan, you know that they have a long road ahead of them. This remarkable woman has impacted thousands upon thousands of bloggers and mommies around the world (including this one!) as evidenced by this news story.

Please continue to pray for them and the rest of her Many Small Children (who all have the flu). To follow her blog, click here.


SURGERIES

Part of my "excuse" for being behind in blogging, is that I've been preparing to have sinus surgery. This is nothing new to WGH and me, as this is my third surgery in 10 years. This go around, I will undergo a submucosal resection which will reduce the size of things in my nose called turbinates, and functional endoscopic sinus surgery which will flush out the built up gunk in my frontal sinuses (the forehead area). Fun stuff right?! The surgery is scheduled for April 7th, at 8:30 am. Please pray for me (obviously) but also WGH as he tends to all the "mommy things" that I normally handle!

SHINY SINKS

Even though I am a little behind on my FLYing, I still maintain a shiny sink (see picture below!). Much to my pleasant surprise, WGH even kept the sink shiny for me while I was off eating crickets (see SISTERS above)! Life seems to be getting easier on the FlyLady program. Areas of my home which haven't seen the light of day in quite some time (the proof is here) are now not only functional, but aesthetically pleasing. They seem to call to me, "Danielle, come work on that scrapbook page here!" or "Danielle, that vase of flowers would look great over there!"

Okay, so maybe my desk and dresser aren't communicating to me on a deeper level, but I certainly am drawn to maintain their natural (aka clean & clutter free) beauty!

My plan is to post the after pictures of these areas before my surgery, but as WGH reminded me as I'm writing this, "You sure have been chasing a lot of butterflies here lately." Well, duh! For now, bask in the glow that emanates from my gloriously shiny sink!

Lori, if you read this, I still am interested in being FLY accountable with you, but can't seem to leave comments on your blog. If anyone else is interested, please leave a comment and we'll try to find a date to start fresh all together!

SUNSHINE

We're about to go get some! If the weather is as fabulous at your home as it is here, go outside and chase some butterflies!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

• In NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM would I ever turn into a "Sink Nazi." Despite my recent attempts in becoming a FlyBaby, I would NEVER let a shiny sink become top priority in my home. So much so that I am CERTAINLY NOT afraid to cook dinner or anything else that might make my sink less than shiny. And even if I did behave this way (which I certainly DON'T) I certainly WOULDN'T sacrifice my family's nutrition just so I could relish in the fact that I can practically see my reflection in my beautiful sink!
• At church I am always super-focused on gleaning as much as can from our pastors in order to improve my walk with the Lord. NEVER would I use church as a place to vet a future husband for my middle sister (I DON'T already have future candidates for my youngest sister and kids).

Alright, it your turn! Let us know what you HAVE NOT been up to this past week. You really will feel better after 'fessin up, I promise!

Are you ready to FLY (Finally Loving Yourself)?

I sure am! I'm getting just a little frustrated with the status of my overall household! Laundry is a never-ending battle, floors need sweeping and mopping 5 times a day, dishes seem to multiply every time I walk in my kitchen, and I can't even begin to tell you the last time I dusted! This may seem normal to most people, but for the love of peanut butter, I AM A STAY-AT-HOME-MOM!!! It is my job to maintain a tidy home (among other things). If I were still in the classroom and was as unprepared for an evaluation as I am for unexpected company, I'd definitely be on the unemployment line! Mind you, I have been plagued with almost daily headaches, so many days go by where I do NOTHING, but that is a story for another day. Nevertheless, I feel like an utter failure at my current job and am desperate for a change.

My cousin Lori (who appears to have it so much more together than me) recommended a website to me, FlyLady, and I think this might be the change I've been searching for (please ignore the fact that, yes, the English teacher just ended that sentence in a preposition). The beauty of this system is that it trains a person to build daily habits that create a uncluttered home as well as and uncluttered mind and body. To top it off, IT'S FREE! Okay, so it may seem a little corny or oversimplified and is heavily dependant on timers, but that's exactly what this Butterfly Chaser needs!

I am going to start the 31 Beginner Baby Steps today. As I progress, I'll try to post my accomplishments. Now, don't get me wrong, anyone can clean a house. And granted, some people can keep it that way. However, I am not one of those people. The goal of FlyLady's plan is to help you regain control of your home and life. One of the first rules is to throw out ideas of perfectionism. That's going to be a hard one for me (that is why my "meager attempts are lackluster at best")! But this is definitely timely in our household. I'd love to have some "FlyBabies" join me on this journey. Let me know if you're interested and maybe I'll modify part of my blog for accountability. As for that accountability part, here are some embarrassing photos of the CHAOS that is in my life right now:

Now that I am publicly ashamed, I will go now and begin Day One of the Baby Steps: Go Shine Your Sink! This is the basis of the Baby Steps System. I'll post before and after pics tomorrow!

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Now for some light-hearted stuff: my cuties enjoying DST!