Day 17: My Cleaning Style

For the month of October, I am joining TONS of other bloggers by linking up with The Nester for 31 day blogging challenge where we post about one topic each day for the whole month.  After lots of consideration, I have chosen to take a journey through this book, 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha Home the Mary Way, by Sarah Mae.  Check out more information about the book from my 1st post here, and see my intro post with the links to the entire series here.

I took the quiz that was part of the book.  The results were of no surprise to me.  What is a surprise to me is how little I exist anymore.  That sounded bad, let me explain, as I read the description of my personality, I was saying, yes that is me!  That is how I work, that is how I think, that is what is comfortable to me.  Then I realized, that is not how I have been living my life.  I have been trying to force myself to do things in a way that I is not the way I am designed by God.

What a crazy realization.  Honestly, how did I not know this?  I am a morning person at heart.  I feel so much better when I am out of bed by 6am and productive in the morning.  Trying to stay up late and then being exhausted in the mornings is not me.  It isn't the way I tick.  I struggle with the "polish" or "finishing" touches that really bring a project together.  It is so hard for me to do that, and I really struggle when my projects never look like I want when they are complete.  As a perfectionist, it is difficult for me to start something that I know I can't perfect.  I know those sound like opposite things, but they are the same.  It is hard to explain without sounding completely crazy, but long story short.  I need to get back to being me, and cleaning in my own God given style.

What is your style?  Do you fight it or embrace it? 

Day 16: Willing Hands

For the month of October, I am joining TONS of other bloggers by linking up with The Nester for 31 day blogging challenge where we post about one topic each day for the whole month.  After lots of consideration, I have chosen to take a journey through this book, 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha Home the Mary Way, by Sarah Mae.  Check out more information about the book from my 1st post here, and see my intro post with the links to the entire series here.

Have you ever been at the point where you feel that all you have done is dream and think of how nice your home would look if it were clean, but get stuff in the practicalities of actually doing the work?  I feel like this so often.  I have a willing heart, but my action steps suck.

"I can pursue my ideals and I can do them {mostly} consistently, with the Lord’s help and grace. My block is that I always think they are out of reach, which in turn keeps me in a rut. I give up, my hands stop being willing." page 33 of 31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae

I so often think my dreams are out of reach that I get unmotivated and stop what I'm doing.  I feel like I've been running a very long way, and the end is nowhere in sight so I just stop.  It goes back to my motivation issues I talked about yesterday.  I need to just get over the block and DO IT.

I have a few blocks I need to work through, one block, is not seeing results fast enough.  I feel like when I clean, my kids are just making a bigger mess somewhere else.  It never ends.  There is never a point where I feel the home is "good enough".  There is rarely a point where I feel like I've accomplished anything.  I need to get over this, but doing small things where I can stop and feel accomplished in that one area.

Another block I have is time.  I want to spend time with my kids when I can.  As a working mom I'm away from them more than I'd like to be.  It is really frustrating and difficult to spend time cleaning when they are awake, and even harder to stay up late, or try to beat them up early enough to get anything done.  It's something I'm working on.

My biggest block is my own laziness.  I would rather relax on the couch and watch a movie or TV show with my hubby for an hour than clean.  I have little to no self disciple in this area, and I need to fix it.

What blocks or barriers to you have to keeping a clean home? 

Day 15: Finding Motivation

For the month of October, I am joining TONS of other bloggers by linking up with The Nester for 31 day blogging challenge where we post about one topic each day for the whole month.  After lots of consideration, I have chosen to take a journey through this book, 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha Home the Mary Way, by Sarah Mae.  Check out more information about the book from my 1st post here, and see my intro post with the links to the entire series here.

I really do struggle with motivation.  I have found that different things motivate me.  I completely identified with this part of today's reading.

"Unless I’m in some crazy cleaning groove, I would rather do anything other than clean. I relate with all of you out there who struggle with the motivation to clean.  It’s not that I don’t like having a clean, peaceful home; it’s that I find cleaning terribly boring. However, cleaning is part of life, and it must be done or life becomes chaotic and stressful (if not for us, for those around us)" - page 32 of 31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae

I recently did a weight loss competition.  (Stay with me, I know not what I normally write about but I'm going to make a point, I promise.)  Now, I have been struggling to loose this extra baby weight for the last year.  I have only been really "trying" for about 7 weeks.  During the month of September I joined a group of ladies to help motivate each other.  It was amazing.  The deal was loose 4% of your body weight and pay nothing, fail and pay $10, loose the most and collect the winnings from those who had to pay.  It motivated me.  I actually ended up winning, but what it also did was help me find a tangible reason to change my habits, until I was able to appreciate the intangible. 

What is your tangible reason to clean our home?  Seriously.  Remember back in day 1 where we discovered WHY we wanted a clean home?  Through this weight loss competition last month, I realized that if my why has a tangible component, I am able to keep my motivation.  Just not feeling stressed, is not tangible enough for me until I actually experience it for myself.  Just like with loosing weight, I now know that intangible positive feelings that go with loosing weight and while I am not in the "competition" this month, I am still loosing weight because I have established better habits and have leaned the intangible value of it.

Bottom line: I have realized that for awhile, until I have experiential knowledge of the good that is intangible that comes with something, I need a carrot dangled in front of me to help me establish the habits to get to where I can experience the rest of it, and find my true motivation.

This makes me feel childish, but it is true. You see I "know" that if my home is clean,  my family and myself are way less stressed out.  However until I actually "experience" this less stressed way of life, I have a hard time being motivated, because I wonder if it is actually worth it.  This month, going through this book, and blogging about it has served as part of my "external" motivation.  Posting pictures and writing about my experiences to share is something I enjoy doing.  It gives me an extra reason to actually do the challenges.  It also has shown me, that I do feel better when certain things in my home are done.  I am slowly learning the intangible feelings and hopefully, when this challenge is done, my habits have changed enough so that I know the rewards and am able to keep my motivation.

What motivates you?  Do you need a dangling carrot?

Martha Challenge:

Sorry the last one is so dark, my hubby was still sleeping this morning when I was snapping the picture.  I know it isn't perfect, but it is a HUGE improvement.