A natural grace. What is it? For me, it's a new mantra. I want to be all the things that make up a naturally graceful woman. Real beauty, simple abundance, vast knowledge, kind humor, good taste, impeccable style. But where do I begin? Today, I want to start with a clean house.
A few years ago, my lovely mother and I became "FlyBabies". For those of you who don't know about FlyLady, let me tell you. FlyLady is a program created in 1999 by Marla Cilley. The program helps people de-clutter and organize their homes and lives. "Subjects covered by FlyLady include clutter, routines, weekly cleaning with focus on the zone of the week (five in total), self-esteem, and letting go of perfectionism." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlyLady) Although it really is a wonderful thing, sadly, I didn't stick with it. But with the start of a new month, a new blog, and a new mantra, I want to start FlyLady. Again.
If you want to start FlyLady with me, just click here. If you want to get the full experience, you'll have to sign up at their bigtent.com group (there's a link on the page I've directed you to). After you've done that, go back to the "Getting Started" page. There is a ton of really great stuff on there to get you excited about being a FlyBaby, like the Beginner BabySteps, FLYing Lessons, and building (or buying) your own control journal. I love pretty much everything she has on there, especially the control journal. With my busy student schedule, the routine it gave me was a lifesaver.
In my opinion, a clean house tells a lot about a person. Especially about the woman in charge of that house. Trust me, I am the queen of putting off house cleaning, but I'm starting to realize that the effort it takes is completely worth it. One of the main problems FlyLady addresses is CHAOS, or Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. Lately, I've kind of developed this. It really is embarrassing to have your friends over when the house isn't spotless. I used to tease my mom all the time about never even letting family come over without tidying up the house, but as I get a little wiser, I start to realize, as crazy as it might seem, she's right. Even when I know better, I do judge people, most of all on their outward appearance and the amount of care they give to their possessions, cars, houses, etc. It's not right, but it's true.
So even though becoming a FlyBaby doesn't really seem like it will lead to obtaining that natural grace, it does. And if a little self-discipline and sink shining is all it takes, well then, its worth it.
