FLYing again

My darling daughter, who currently is sleeping on my chest, will be three months old this week. My life for the last thirteen weeks has revolved completely around her. And while that's exactly how it should be, it means my house, which is normally lived in, if you will, has become downright messy. Add in two guinea pigs (who need far more attention than they're currently receiving) and nannying four days a week plus an upcoming move into a new apartment and things need to get under control. Since this precious babe has started to like her swing and will be entertained in it for anywhere between five minutes and a solid hour, that means Mama (and Daddy too) can tame the housework mess. If we get into the habit now, our new place will never look half as bad as what this one does.

But the question is how to start. Since I've never been the best housekeeper, I turned back to FLYlady. For those of you who are unfamiliar, FLYlady is a system in which you break your house into zones and work on each one a week every month. The main tenents of the system are routines (stored in your handy control journal, which is basically a manual for running your house that you design) and the idea that you can do anything for 15 minutes. Well, some days I may not have 15 minutes in which the baby is content but that's the beauty of the system. I can set my timer for two minutes and get to work. Or if she fusses before my timer dings, I simply pause it, tend to her, and go back to it. Housework done "incorrectly" still blesses my family. And I think we all feel better when our homes are taken care of. So to get started, I've created routines. I'd like to make them look pretty before I put them into my control journal but I'm not letting my perfectionism stop me from getting started. The pretty part will come later. Without further adieu, my routines.

Morning:
Get dressed.
Make the bed.
Take care of the baby. (Diaper, clothes, nurse.)
Eat breakfast (or at least take it with me!).

Afternoon: (This will get done during naptimes most days.)
Write down what I need to pack for tomorrow. (Am I low on diapers? Do I need more wipes?)
Spend time with Jesus.
Move your butt! (Walk, exercise, whatever.)

Evening:
Eat dinner.
Dishes.
Tidy up.
Prep for tomorrow.
     Diaper bag
     Carrier
     Clothes for me, Wes, baby laid out
Piggy time! (Floor for one, lap for the other)

Weekly:
Meal plan
Wash diapers 2x
Groceries
Check and sync calendars
Vaccuum the middles (aka don't move stuff, just get what you can get)
Sweep/mop floors.
Clean bathroom
     Toilet
     Sink
     Tub/shower
Clean pig cages
Clean out fridge
Wipe down the stove
Laundry
Trash

Monthly:
Dust
Windows/mirrors
Wipe down appliances inside and out.
File papers.
Clean washer, dryer, dishwasher.
Wash sheets.

Yearly:
Outside windows.
Wipe walls, baseboards, cabinets inside and out.
Switch out clothes for the season.
Wash pillows, comforter, duvets.
Clear out expired medicines.
Vaccuum under/behind things.

Is it perfect? No. Is it what you should do? Probably not. But this is my plan for my home and hopefully it'll work for me! Oh and one other thing: I don't plan to accomplish everything on this list alone. This is the plan for the home. Which means my husband will be helping too. This will just keep us both on track. What do your routines look like? You may not have them written down but everyone has some sort of a routine.