It's not the tragedies that kill us, it's the messes ~ Dorothy Parker

I am not a clean person.

Ok...let me rephrase that.  I am not a neat person.  I tend to collect clutter.  Now underneath the clutter, it probably needs to be vacuumed and dusted, but there isn't any rotting food, or dead animals.  There are no mystery smells. 

Just clutter.

But I do think that clutter gets in the way, both literally and figuratively.

So, on my list of habits to obtain and/or break for the year is a cleaner house. Not because a cleaner house means that I am a better person, or that it is my role as a woman to be the one to clean the house but simply because the clutter is killing me and I am a happier person when I don't have to cringe every time the doorbell rings.  

Aguably, this is easier now that there are just three people living in the house.  The mess-load and my workload is 3/4s what it used to be....BUT we are also getting into a good routine.  For the past couple of weeks...since my B-Day, I have spent my first day off of the week cleaning and that includes helping my son clean his area.

The first week this took several hours.

Last week it took three.

This week two.

Now I have moved on to adding special projects to the housework habit.

I am using two things to help me improve on what I am doing...

An iPhone app called HomeRoutine* and emails from FlyLady.net.

Basically they are both part of the same thing, but FlyLady has always struck me as being more hand holding and life-coaching.  Example...Flylady tells you that you need to take care of *you* and reminds users to wash their face and brush their teeth every night.  Erm.  I don't really need that much hand-holding.

They both cut your house into zones and encourage you to concentrate on a different zone each week, on top of your general dusting and mopping.

Example: Last week HomeRoutine told me that the zone was the kitchen and reminded me to clean the pantry and refrigerator.  Good point!  By time this zone rolls around again, it will be time again.

Now, FlyLady also sends you daily reminders of little 15 minute things you can do to make sure your zone gets the extra attention it needs via what they call "daily missions."  Today's daily mission is to wipe down the base of the toilet and around the back.

Confession time: I don't always clean the toilet (oh heck, who am I kidding? I am the only one who cleans the toilets!) but when I do, I always clean the base.  And I think I always forget that little piece of floor that is behind the base.  Good call FlyLady.net!

OK...so I have two or three weeks under my belt.  Let's see if I can keep this up!

 *Isn't routine a funny word? It is one of those words that the more you look at it the more the more you say to yourself: "Surely that isn't how you spell that!"