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Have you ever had a gaggle of friends come over?  Chances are that you have.

What’s it like the week before?  Are you killing yourself to get your home in order?  Are you stressing over the dust bunnies under the side table in the foyer?

Girl, I know how you feel!  There was a time when I’d be cleanin’ up and my boys would ask, “Who’s coming over?”

Heart-dropping-to-my-toes.

I hated that.  I hated that their first thought when they saw me picking up the clutter was that someone was coming to visit. As if I having a clean home was only reserved for outsiders.  Like, we weren’t important enough ourselves.

I get choked up just thinking about it.

So my question is, Is this where you are?

If so, it’s OK.  Really.

And you’re question is, how do I make a change?

Here’s my answer.  And it’s not going to be all in one day and overnight kinda thing. It’s going to take time and we’re going to make an effort, albeit a eeensy-teensy-day-by-day one.

It’s going to be so simple, you won’t even notice you’re doing much of anything.  We’re going to go so slowly that it’s going to feel like your home is super smart and cleans itself!

Welcome to the Self-Cleaning Home!

First, we’re going to start in one room with one thing. Only one. Each week (or when you are absolutely ready) we’ll add one more thing.

Starting off? We’re going to go to THE most important thing. (Flylady and I agree on this one). Doing this everyday will make your home feel immediately refreshed.

We’re claiming ownership of the kitchen sink.

Do you have dishes there right now?  If so, that’s where you start.  Go clean them up.

Just the dishes in the sink.

And then tomorrow?  Do it again.  Do it before bed so you wake up to a nice and clean kitchen sink.

Don’t worry about the clutter or the paper or the kids art.  Just get those dishes clean and done.

If you want your stainless to shine, just follow this tutorial.

Do this everyday until it becomes an easy-breezy habit.  Don’t even think about anything else until you feel the joy of having a clean sink.

Focus on that.  Focus on how it feels to have a clean sink. Not the drudgery of doing the dishes.  Cuz that can suckit. Live in the moment of the completion.

If you get anxious about it, stop and visualize that sink justa sparkin’ like a brand-new-delicously-waxed-BMW.  That’s what you’re making your sink into.  The BMW of kitchen water-catchers.

When you’ve got this under your belt, check back here (bookmark this page) and we’ll move on to the next habit, which I’ll be posting here very soon.

You can do this and you can have a home that is clean just for YOU every day.  That way when company comes, it’s just a welcome addition to your company-ready home!

xoxo

Gwen

P.S. Let me know you’re on board with me by leaving a “YES!” in the comments below.

You can find week 2 of the Self Cleaning Home right here.