Domestic Bliss Tip - Homemade Wood Polish

While I was browsing Procrastination Central a.k.a. Pinterest the other day, I came across an all natural recipe for Wood Polish. Actually, I came across several, but this simple recipe called to me. It required little effort and only two economical ingredients: olive oil and distilled white vinegar. The recipe I saw called for 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup vinegar, but I was skeptical whether this would work or not. I just used the 3:1 ratio and mixed together 3/4 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp vinegar. I dipped my microfiber rag into the concoction and got to work.

 

My results:

 

The wood looks revitalized in my opinion. Of course the deeper scratches will still require sanding and refinishing, but this is a quick and easy trick that does make wood visually appealing in a snap. I even used it on my wooden banister that the cat has clawed up. Again, a huge improvement but it won't fix the deep marks. It may not be a perfect solution, but it definitely fits into greening my environment. And it helps while I'm following FlyLady, making things look prettier!

FlyLady - Check-in One

Our kitchen whiteboard helps me plan. Each week we list what
will be for dinner and what FlyLady's Daily Mission is.

They always say that babies don't come with instruction manuals. Well, life as a stay at home mom doesn't come with a manual either! It's actually a lot easier to find a book on how to take care of a baby than it is to find a book on how to take care of a household. I guess for some it may just be common sense, an easy transition, or skills you acquire throughout your life, but to me, it is a whole new ballgame.

Don't get me wrong, I know how to cook, do laundry, wash dishes, and the mundane that we all must do to get by, but when you're a SAHM, you have to learn to function in your house a majority of your day. On top of that, you have to learn to do it with a new little person constantly demanding attention and interrupting your every thought. (But it truly is my favorite job in the whole wide world.)

Rewind to a few months ago, when I told you about FlyLady.net and how I was hoping to follow this system on my journey to domestic bliss. Though my blog got put on the back burner (yet again) while I tried to regain control over certain aspects of life as a new SAHM, FlyLady has been something I was actually able to stick with. Believe it or not, the system is working; one Babystep at a time!

I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting better about letting go of perfection and instead getting right down to work. I've taken some pressure off myself and instead of the mess that is my house getting worse, it actually started looking better, thanks to my new outlook. Apparently, all I really needed was a place to start. As simple as it sounds, I just needed someone to tell me what to do.

I've found through working with this system, I am quite successful as long as a set teeny, tiny realistic goals for myself. Sometimes my goal is as small as: Take a Shower. Sometimes I think bigger and say: Redo Master Closet. I'm pleased with the progress I've made so far and am excited to keep going.

My next small step goal: Go to the post office (with an eight-month-old baby, that's harder than it sounds)
My next big leap goal: Create a household organizer

FlyLady - First Impressions

As I mentioned in my last post, I was introduced to a website called FlyLady. The website is all about overcoming your perfectionism and "finally loving yourself" (hence the word FLY). So what better a way for me to find domestic bliss than to follow this program!

Let me start by giving you my version of how it works. Each month, FlyLady introduces us to a new habit that we should try to incorporate into our daily routine. In addition to the monthly habit, each week we are given a "zone" in the house to focus on. For instance, this week we dedicate our time to taking care of "Zone 1" which includes: the entrance, front porch, and dining room. Since I signed up to receive the emails (free), FlyLady breaks it down even more, giving me daily missions on what specifically to do in that zone for the day. The email also includes a daily routine schedule that you should eventually adapt for everyday use. (This is just a quick overview, check out the site, FlyLady.net, for more details.)

So here are my first impressions of the FlyLady system:

Almost immediately after I signed up for the emails, I was bombarded with them! They were completely overwhelming. I wasn't sure if I needed to read all of them and I also didn't feel like I had the time to since some of them were quite long. I wondered what I had gotten myself into (there is a "lite" version with one email a day, but I was afraid that might become too easy for me to ignore).

Quickly, I realized I'm really just interested in the daily "Flight Plan" emails and deleted or set the other emails aside for the time being.  I really love how the "Flight Plan" tells me the monthly habit I need to work on, gives me a daily mission for my "zone" and includes a specific daily routine. Personally, I feel like I follow direction really well, so it definitely helps me to accomplish something. Otherwise, I tend to feel overwhelmed and don't end up doing anything!

As I said, I can become overwhelmed easily, but FlyLady has a solution for that. According to FlyLady, the best way to avoid getting overwhelmed or sidetracked is to break things down into small tasks and stick with them for 15 minutes, then move on to something else. It is true that you won't believe how much you can actually get done in 15 minutes! I kept saying I couldn't get anything done because I was too busy with my two-month old daughter or just too exhausted. It's pretty easy to squeeze in a 15 minute task during one of her naps or when my husband comes home and can relieve me for a short break. I just tell Siri on my iPhone to set a 15 minute timer and go to work. The best part is I can give myself permission to stop working on the project even if it isn't done perfectly (well honestly, I'm still working on that part)!

 

So overall, FlyLady is already helping me to see that in letting go of being perfect, our lives actually become a little more perfect and a lot less chaotic. I'm excited to continue working on both the monthly habits and the daily missions while working toward finding domestic bliss. Check back here to follow up on my progress!

Have you tried FlyLady? What do you think of the system? What works for your routine?

*Note - This review is my personal opinion. I have not been asked by the website to review it; I am just sharing my journey to domestic bliss and hope the help it provides can be a part of my success.