ZEROWASTE MINIMALIST MOM

  T he first baby step you are asked to take in the FLYLADY method is to  SHINE YOUR SINK.   When I first heard it, I was wondering why shining the sink was pivotal to keeping my home tidy. But, I decided to OBEY. Every night, before I reset the kitchen, I would wash up all the utensils and shine the sink. In one article, someone said to wipe it down after shining it. So I added that to the routine.  In the morning, the first thing I got to see was that SHINY SINK! Guess how that made me feel?  It made me HAPPY.  You see now why the FLYLADY asks to start with that baby step.  FLYLADY Marla shared the reason for choosing this particular task to begin the baby steps. She was a slob so her sink was always piled high with dirty dishes. Her husband threw her a challenge. "Darling," he said, "if you will keep one half of the sink shiny always, I promise to bring you a cup of hot coffee every single morning!" Well, our fiesty FLYLADY took up the challenge and the rest is h

  A disciple of Buddha, said, "Oh Master! I have a request to make." Buddha: "What is it; tell me?" Disciple: "My robe is worn out. It is no longer decent enough to wear.Please, may I have a new one?" Buddha looked at the disciple's attire and found that the garment was absolutely in tatters and really needed replacement. So he asked the store-keeper to give a new robe to this disciple. The disciple offered obeisance to the great master and left the room. Buddha kept thinking about the incident and felt that he had perhaps missed an opportunity to teach a valuable lesson to the disciple. So he went to the disciple's quarters to talk to him. Buddha: Are you comfortable in your new robe? Do you need anything else? Disciple: Thank you Master. I am very comfortable and do not need anything else. Buddha: Now that you have a new one, what have you done with the old one? Disciple: I have used it to replace my worn out bedspread. Buddha: What did you do wi

Whenever I watch an organizing video on YouTube, I get new ideas on how to keep my home in order. I try to implement them if I can.  Scene from Hoarders  When I first watched Hoarders however, I was horrified and disgusted with the way Americans collect stuff, literally turning their homes into gigantic garbage bins. I guess that nowadays stuff has gotten so cheap that one can keep on buying but not using.  Here in India, fast fashion has trended in a big way too, making it possible that, in the near future, every hoarder's dream will come true. In my own home, I see this hoarding mentality creep in. My eldest son keeps getting hand-me-downs that he can't let go of. My second son, however, is minimalist. So is their Dad.  I confess that I am a hoarder trying to become a minimalist. I learnt and practised the Konmari method five years ago and got rid of some of my 'unwanted' stuff. Project 333 helped me customise my wardrobe. Still, the 'What If' mentality is har

  The FLYLADY method of cleaning the home got me interested a couple of weeks ago. I had been introduced to the notion by a friend years ago but never tried to   find out more. We are presently downsizing to move to a smaller home and I was trying to see how to do it so I wouldn't get too stressed out at the last moment. I think a video by the FLYLADY popped up when I was browsing for decluttering videos.  Anyway, long story short, here I am now doing research on the method. Which I thought would be nice to share with my readers. That's you.  WHAT IS THE FLYLADY METHOD? AND WHO IS THE FLYLADY? A wife and mother,  Marla Cilley,  aka FLYLADY, has created this unique method of cleaning that has made her a diva in her own right. She has written two books on clutter and how to tackle house cleaning.  Now let's get into the method itself. The key to a clean home begins with keeping your sink shiny. Is your SINK SHINY? Why not? Marla discloses the secret to her starting out with t