The "One Touch Method"

I read something interesting that I wanted to share with you. It's called The One Touch Method and I found it very interesting. The concept is that you make a resolution that you will only touch things one time whenever possible. For example, if you are cooking and you need a particular spice, you reach into the cupboard, measure the spice into the recipe and rather than set it down on the counter to be put away later, you put the spice directly back into the cupboard. That's so simple, but I could see where that could make a big difference!

When you come home at the end of the day, instead of dumping your shoes and coat somewhere, you could just walk to the closet and put them right where they go. The same with mail. Instead of dumping the pile of mail on your desk to be dealt with later, you would put the junk mail directly in the trash and then put the bills in your bill basket or just deal with them on the spot.

This could be good for eliminating your bathroom clutter. What if you had a basket under the counter with all your daily bathroom items? You'd pickup your toothbrush, use it, put it back in the basket, same with your comb, moisturizer, etc. and then put away the basket. You'd never have any bathroom clutter.

Do you see where this could be a great change to make?

Change - It's a good thing!

This is a mini essay sent out by my Financial Advisor Chellie Campbell:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”—Charles Darwin

How big a risk is it that you’re afraid to take?

To take a risk is to embrace change. It’s been said that the only thing that likes change is a wet baby—and they cry about it. We long for the new, hoping it will be better than the old, but we are terrified it won’t be as good. So we spin a web of habits and endlessly repeat them, forgetting that the web was of our own making. Sometimes it takes what seems, at the time, a tragedy to knock us down so that we are freed to weave a new and finer web of life. We weep and wail and hate the change and curse our fate—and then, so often, find we are better off because of it.

A lost job paves the way to a new and better career. A failed business shows us our mistakes so we do better next time. A friendship’s end opens our lives to new relationships. Our victories in survival create in us depths of understanding, compassion, and empathy.

Life, excitement, drama, experience, learning, and love are on the other side of change. The seed must turn into the flower and the caterpillar into the butterfly. Change leads to growth and the growth to new fulfillment. We must keep growing through the changes, even though we don’t know what’s on the other side. Every experience is valuable. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. What a pity if the seedling were to refuse to flower because it had never done it before. If the caterpillar stayed locked in the cocoon, we would never have butterflies’ shimmering colors gliding on the breeze.

Change. Grow. Flower. Fly. Love.

Today’s Affirmation: “I am endlessly creative. Money flows naturally from my creative endeavors.”

Ideas on Organizing

I was looking for something in the bathroom today and I thought I'd share with you how I organize my bathroom. It's funny, we all have certain things that we do well and it helps us when we focus on the good things instead of the bad things. For instance, no matter how disorganized I was in my house and other areas, I was always fabulously organized when it came to my purse and diaper bags.

I am notably picky about the type of purses I buy and then once I find one, I use it until it literally falls apart. I have to have one that is exactly the right size, not too big and not too small, and it has to have certain pockets. I have to have one for my keys, one for my cell phone, my MP3 player and a large pocket for my checkbook, calendar, and address book. It makes me feel good when I have everything I need with me and I can lay hands on whatever I need within 3 seconds. My diaper bags were the same way - I could always lay hands on the snacks, or a clean outfit or an extra binkie.

That said, I've tried to expand that same organizational skill into other areas of my house. For instance, my bathroom cabinets. I have everything very precisely organized. I keep all of my cold remedies in a ziplock bag under the sink. Same thing for anything stomach-related - antacids, Pepto-Bismol, etc. I have one spot in the drawer for "topicals". Any kind of skin cream or lotion. Another spot in the same drawer for all kinds of elastic bandages and wraps or braces. Then I have a separate drawer that is completely devoted to First Aid supplies. If someone is bleeding, or has a burn, they don't have time to dig around in four different drawers, so they always know where to go for these types of things.

Hope this helps you.

IGAD Disease

Have you got IGAD disease? I hope not! IGAD stand for I've Got All Day and it is the bane of retirees and stay at home mothers. They never manage to buckle down and get anything done because they figure they've got all day to do it. The problem with that is that they fritter away the day on trivialities and never get to the actual work they had planned to do. Even though I am a working Mom, I sometimes fall victim to this disease, especially in my workday. I will fritter my time drinking coffee, or surfing the net, maybe visit with a friend and before I know it half my day is gone and my work is still staring me in the face!

Fortunately, I have a simple cure for IGAD disease. Take one to-do list and a Flylady timer and call me in the morning! It is just amazing how much more focused you are and how much more you can get done in a day if you have that list and that timer to keep you motivated. It's like a magic wand!

For instance, today is Saturday and I've been grumping about how messy my house got while I was away at Convention last week. So I got up, grabbed my timer and jumped right in at 7 AM this morning, still in my nightgown, still unshowered (ew!) and now it's 10:00 and I can relax and enjoy the rest of my day with a sparkling clean house. I just started in my bedroom and did 10 minute sprints in each room. I had to do a couple of double sprints (20 minutes) in some rooms that were really messy, but I made sure not to spend more than 20 minutes on each room. And I just went right down the hallway. Bedroom, check! Bathroom, check! Guest room, check! TV room, check! Desk & dining room, check! I still have the downstairs to do, but I'll catch that tonight and get the boys to help me while we are watching the Olympics.

See how easy that was! Your house can get out of control amazingly fast when you fall off track for a few days, but it's surprising how quickly you can pull it back together. All it takes is your timer and your list!

My Friend Barry by Linda Hastings

This doesn't have a darn thing to do with house cleaning, but I'm sharing it with you anyway, just because I liked it. This came to me through my daily inspiration messages from Zig Ziglar.

MY FRIDAY STORY
My Friend Barry
By Linda Hastings
© September 2007

I first met Barry in the mid-80's while working as the secretary for the President of a limousine company in the town where I grew up, a suburb of Dallas. My boss, Charles was the newly appointed President of the National Limousine Association based in Washington, DC. Barry, a man nearly twice my age and also serving on the board lived near the Associations' headquarters and would routinely call to discuss issues with my boss. When Barry would call he would exuberantly say "Good morning!!!" and you could tell from his voice and tone that it really was!

Being a young mother of two small daughters, often it was well up into the day before my morning felt "good" to me. Usually fatigued from the daily routine of getting dinner the night before, baths, making lunches, helping with homework, and then getting up early to rush the girls off to school and drive the 20+ miles to work in traffic, I would be doing well to muster up a smile, much less any enthusiasm, yet Barry's calls would always rejuvenate me.

As time went on, I found myself anxiously awaiting his phone calls. He would always ask about my family and before long he knew as much about my family as my closest friends. He would be genuine in his interest to hear how the girls were doing as well as my husband, Bill.
His laughter was contagious and his zest for life always made me glad he called. Barry spoke of his family too, a wife of many years, children and his most recent family addition, a grandson.

You could tell from our conversations that he not only loved life, but also his family. In the spring of '88 his work with the Association would bring him to Dallas. When he called to tell me the news that he would, at last, get to meet me in person, I was ecstatic! I had long wondered what he looked like and wanted to see for myself if that enthusiasm on the phone was indeed something that was the 'real deal'.

Barry arrived some weeks later and chose to stay over on Saturday to see some of the Dallas area. He had asked if Bill, the girls and I were up for showing him around and I jumped at the opportunity, saying "yes" without first checking with the family.

As it turned out, there was a softball tournament that Saturday and Bill, being an assistant coach, could not get out of attending it. Feeling bad that I had already accepted the invitation to show him the city, I begged off from sitting in the stands for hours watching teams of children play softball (none of which included my own) and said nothing to Barry of the change in plans.
On that Saturday we were to meet at his hotel for brunch. His treat! When I arrived alone he was hugely disappointed that the girls and Bill were not with me. I explained the circumstances and he asked if we could include a trip to the ball fields as part of our excursion that day and I agreed. Little did I know that the events of that day would change me forever!

Barry was a gentleman in every sense of the word and his attitude and humor kept me entertained throughout the entire day - one surprise after another. However, it was the way he treated others that would remain with me and alter my ways of thinking for a lifetime.

It started first with the waitress at brunch. He made sure he knew her name and called her by it throughout the morning meal, but it didn't stop there. He complimented her on the tiniest of tasks and genuinely showed an interest in every part of her job. When she warmed up to us, his humor kicked in. When she asked if we were from out of town, he remarked that he had flown in because we were getting married that afternoon! He continued by asking her if she didn't agree that I was the most beautiful woman in the world and wouldn't I make a lovely bride for him.

Obviously, the waitress didn't know what to say seeing that we were years apart in age, so she smiled and agreed with him. He went on with his charade as I sat smiling and listening to his ridiculous story. All the while he made it remarkably believable. When she walked away, I laughed and told him how crazy he was and he laughed just as hard as I.

Throughout our meal our waitress would provide the best of service, coming to check on us regularly and offering anything that she could possibly bring us. It was obvious that she couldn't get enough of Barry and his outlandish story and every time she appeared at the table, he added to it even going so far as to invite her to the 'wedding' that afternoon.

It was hard to contain myself as I wondered what he would do if she accepted. I could tell from that first experience I was in for a day full of surprises and Barry didn't disappoint me. After walking out into the lobby, still laughing about his charade with the waitress, we encountered the hotel custodian, an elderly black man with graying hair and a demeanor so low I sensed immediately that he wanted to be invisible. As he polished and cleaned the lobby tables and doors we stood talking about the day's agenda.

Barry wanted to run up to his room and get his sunglasses and I told him I'd wait there in the lobby for him. We were standing near the elevator and the custodian had made his way over to clean out the ashtrays. I remember them being the ones with the sand on the top that, when freshened up, had the hotel's logo pressed into the clean sand.

Barry went into action! He greeted the elderly custodian with the warmest "hello, good morning, sir" that I have ever heard - much like that between two long lost friends at a chance meeting. The custodian smiled and softly returned a shy "hello" back as he continued with the ashtrays. Barry was relentless.

"How are you (waiting for his name) today?" The old man replied "Oh, fine".

"And what is your name, sir?" The old man replied with his first name, Henry.

"Well, Mr. Henry." Barry began. "No, sir, that's my first name, Henry. Me's last name is Turner", was his reply.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Turner", Barry said. Mr. Turner now smiling and standing a little straighter and taller turned to look towards me. I returned the smile, waiting to see what was in store for us both from Barry.

He continued. "Mr. Turner, how long have you worked for the hotel?" he asked.

"Oh, nearly five years now" came his reply.

"And do you take care of this beautiful lobby all by yourself, or do you have help?"
Barry continued to pry. "No sir, I do it all by myself, ain't got no helpers, don't need nobody, I likes doing it real nice by myself" he answered.

Barry then walked towards the ash try he had just finished restoring to perfection. "Mr. Turner, how do you get that logo in the sand like that, I have often wondered how it's done and you're the first person I have ever seen who could actually tell me." Mr. Turner, now standing tall and confident walked over to the next ashtray and proceeded to show Barry the tricks of the trade so to speak. He carried a rubber stamp in his supplies that when pressed into the smoothed out sand made the logo prominent. "Jest like that, sir", was Mr. Turner's reply.

Barry studied the logo in the sand intently and turned to Mr. Turner and remarked, "well, I'll be - that is impressive if I must say so - and that must take practice to get it right in the center and make it stand out like that - yes, a real art I'd say".

Barry had turned his total and complete attention to the aging custodian, showing him a genuine interest in this mundane tasks and Mr. Turner was thriving on the attention he was getting. The elevator arrived and Barry went up. The elderly custodian began to whistle a little tune as he continued his cleaning and when he got to the next ashtray, he stood looking at his work as an artist does upon completing a masterpiece.

Sitting silently in the lobby glancing through a magazine I began to take it all in. I marveled at the changes that had come over Mr. Turner - he walked tall now to the next ash tray, his head held high, a smile on his withered face and he whistled softly - a transformation made in only moments by an act of respect and a few spoken words.

The remainder of the day proved to be more of the same as we visited historical locations, shops and even the ball fields where we found the girls and Bill intently watching the softball tournament. Everywhere we went Barry made the people he encountered feel like they were the owner or president of their company, or could be! His enthusiasm and concentrated interests in whatever they were doing brought smiles and opened conversation everywhere we went.

Later that night, alone with my thoughts, I re-played the video in my mind of Barry making small talk with total strangers standing near us in a line, the waitress, Mr. Turner and even the way he reacted when meeting my family. What a difference he made in the lives of those he would never meet again, whose day was made more special because of a word, a smile, a story.
I closed my eyes and thought to myself, I want to live my life just like Barry - making those I encounter feel important everywhere I go! The following year, the limousine company I worked for declared bankruptcy and closed its doors. I was handed the word processor on my desk as payment for my last two weeks at work.

School was about to end for summer vacation and I decided to take that time to enjoy it with the girls and think of what I would do next. Barry stayed in touch with me, making sure I would be all right in light of my sudden loss of work and an income. I assured him I was fine and that I would bounce back come September when school started back and that I would find other employment.

It was then that Barry began to encourage me to start my own business - he reminded me that I had the knowledge and personality to be successful and now I had an expensive tool by which to get started - the computer. At first it seemed more like the story of us getting married that day - totally ridiculous - but he wouldn't let it go.

As we continued to converse over the summer it became more and more evident that he was right - I could do it! I spent the summer gearing up for my new company, "Secretarial Solutions" and on the first day of school while dropping the girls off I heard a knock on my van window. I rolled down the glass and a gentleman asked for my business card.

Puzzled, I asked, "What business card?" forgetting the signs on the side of our van advertising my new business. He smiled, "Isn't this your van?" "Yes" I replied and then snapped to what he meant and scrambled to find my new business card to hand him. He became my very first customer!

For the remaining 4 years my business grew and I thrived. Barry was there for me each time I needed advice or direction and always for encouragement. Whenever I found an opportunity - which was daily - I put into action what Barry had shown me - and even today it is the standard by which I live.

Sometimes I wonder whatever happened to Barry Locke, and then I smile knowing if he isn't still here on earth making people feel important, he is surely in heaven making up stories to entertain the angels!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Linda has been writing for a number of years now and writes about true experiences that are near and dear to her heart. Many of her stories are tributes to family members. In addition to writing, Linda is a full time Executive Assistant with two grown daughters and a loving husband that enjoys spending leisure time with her on the lake or on their Harley Davidson. Linda's love for writing stories began when her children were small; she would create tales to entertain them using their names and their friends as the characters. Linda's stories have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, the book and the weekly newspaper syndicate, Fort Worth Business Press and you may recognize her name from other stories she has shared on MyDailyInsights as well. You can reach Linda at lghastings@embarqmail.com

7 Steps to a Clean Bathroom

Today's message is thanks to Jeff Campbell of TheCleanTeam.com

How to Clean Your Bathroom In 20 Minutes Or Less

Think you can't clean your bathroom in under 20 minutes? Think again. The key to a sparkling bathroom is regular cleaning and organization. You probably already know that. But do you know how to achieve that goal?

Here are the 7 essential -- and easy -- steps for getting the job done. (Quickly.) Before you get started, make sure you have the essential tools on hand. This includes cleaning cloths, scrubbing pads, toothbrushes (for those hard to tackle spots bathrooms are famous for), liquid or powdered cleanser, all purpose cleaner and mirror/window cleaner. All set? Now just turn on your stop watch and let the time fly!

Step 1: Shower Power
Soap scum and hard water deposits are two of the hardest substances to clean (No kidding!, you're probably thinking.) Here's how to knock out that scum without busting your bum:

Use a product that is specially designed to attack that scum. Tile Juice and Scum Bum are examples. Apply and scrub from top to bottom using a circular motion. Scrub the plumbing hardware as you come to it.

If you have shower doors, scrub with your tile cleaner along the inside of the doors. Use a toothbrush to get out the gunk lodged in the tracks. Leave the outside of the doors for Step 5.
Use a powdered or liquid cleanser to scrub your tub (less is more here) and then switch to a toothbrush to break up any mold growing where tub meets the wall.

Once you have scrubbed every surface in your shower, only then should you rinse it all thoroughly with cold water. Start with the walls and doors; end with the tub. If you don't already have a detachable showerhead, consider investing in one: It will make your life *much* easier.

Total cleaning time: 6 minutes.

Step 2: Make Your Sink Shine
Move on to cleaning out the bowl of your sink with the same technique you used to clean your tub. Lightly apply the cleanser with a scrubbing pad, using circular motions. Only clean the bowl of your sink. Do not clean your faucets or your vanity. You'll get to that in Step 6.

Total cleaning time: 1 minute.

Step 3: Tackle Your Toilet Bowl
For cleaning and disinfecting the toilet bowl, some like to use cleanser. Others go straight to bleach. Still others prefer the natural route: baking soda followed by a vinegar chaser (it foams -- your kids will love to help with this part!) Whatever your preferred cleaning material, make sure you scrub thoroughly around the bowl and under the rim. As you flush, hold your toilet scrubber under the water flow to rinse it clean, too. Only clean the bowl of your toilet. Do not clean the outside -- you'll get to that in Step 6.

Total cleaning time: 2 minutes.

Step 4: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Shine all the mirrors in your bathroom by spraying them with a glass cleaner and wiping them with a lint-free cloth. Work from top to bottom and make sure the surface is completely dry when you're finished. If you're still using messy newspaper to get a streak-free finish, give cloth a try. It will make your life easier and leave your fingers cleaner.

Total cleaning time: 1 minute.

Step 5: Shower Power, Part Deux
If you have shower doors, now is the time to clean the outside of them. (Or, if you are one of the lucky ones with a curtain, you can go straight to the next and final step!) Shine the outside of the doors just like you did the mirrors, with glass/window spray and a dry, lint-free cloth. Usually the only area of the door that needs cleaning is where people touch the door to open and close it.

Total cleaning time: 1 minute.

Step 6: Think Sink (and Toilet)
Using a dry, clean cloth and an all-purpose spray, clean the top of your vanity and shine your faucets. For stubborn spots, use your toothbrush. Now turn your attention to the seat and outside of your toilet. Spray the seat (top and bottom) and the lid, plus all those plastic joints. Scrub quickly and wipe clean with a damp towel. Don't forget about that grubby area at the bottom of your toilet. Too gross to clean? Turn to your ally the toothbrush for making quick work of this unpleasant task.

Total cleaning time: 4 minutes.

Step 7: Finish With Floor-ish
You're nearly done. Don't lose steam now! There are lots of ways to clean a floor, but there's only one way to clean a bathroom floor: The old fashioned way (aka, on your hands and knees). Start in the back corner of the bathroom and work your way to the door. Spray all-purpose cleaner as you go, wiping it up with dry cloths. As your cloth gets littered with hair and other bathroom debris, fold your cloth in half. When there's no more cloth to fold, grab a new one.

Total cleaning time: 2 minutes.

You're done! You did it! Now that wasn't too bad, was it? Take a moment to admire your handiwork and check your stopwatch. If all went well, you've got 180 seconds to spare in your 20-minute allotment. If you went over 17 minutes, don't worry. Doing this every week means you'll get many (many, many) chances to shave your time. Save even more time by using a shower squeegee after each shower!

CFC Feeling - Clean for Company

This is one of Pam Youngs 365 Surprises - she is one of the ladies in the video we watched.

Have you noticed that when you are going to have company, it's almost as if you get a new pair of eyes? You start seeing your home through the eyes of "the company," and you get a special spurt of motivation to clean and tidy up. I know when I'm expecting company I want every room to look extra special, because I want "the company" to "ooo and ahhh," and talk about my home behind my back: "I was in Pam Young's home and it was just absolutely lovely. What a woman she is. She is just fabulous!" (It is fun to pretend.)

That CFC (Clean For Company) feeling is normal. We all love compliments and we love to get approval not only from our immediate family, but especially from people outside of our immediate family. In fact we just plain love approval where ever we can get it! When we are raising our babies it is so important to compliment them generously every day, because much of our work as parents is to correct and teach. Our children love us to pay positive attention to them. When I look back to when my kids were young, some of the most common sentences I heard were, "Look Mom," "Watch this Mom," "Look at me Mom," "Mom, watch me."

I think one of the reasons the House Fairy works with our children is because they go into Clean For Company mode. Their precious imaginations kick into gear and suddenly they find delight in the mundane. The House Fairy's coming! The House Fairy Program is chock full of positive, loving ways to motivate, inspire,reinforce and recognize children's good behavior. To join go to www.housefairy.org