The Gift That Kept On Giving

"A tiara!"  "Wow!"  "Mom, I love it."  

"Does mine look like hers?"

Of course, siblings would want to know something like that when they realize they each have been given similar presents, LOL.

This tiara was a gift from mom who gave my sister one, too.  We were teenagers, not yet in junior high, and this was quite extravagant for our family.  I felt so glamorous.  It was oh, so, stunning with many rhinestones rising to a peak, and it tucked perfectly into a white box.

30 some years later, April of 2004, and I'm hunting high and low for this beloved treasure, and I can't find it anywhere!

Here, I have to tell you about FlyLady.net.  My parents and sibs have gone from party-line telephones on the wall to radio/camera/internet connecting cell phones.  With the internet came websites, my favorite being FlyLady.net.

Here's a wikipedia explanation of FlyLady:  The system encourages "baby steps" to develop routines and habits to organize and maintain your home. The primary focus is "Finally Loving Yourself" by making your life easier by decluttering, menu planning, "anti-procrastination" day, and establishing routines, as well as financial and health-related self-care.  FlyLady's logo is a self-caricature -- a woman in purple, sprouting wings, and sporting a fishing pole.

So, this day, while cleaning the 15 minute FlyLady way, I found my glistening tiara stuck in a nightstand drawer.  Promptly, I placed it on my head.  I can't call myself The FlyLady, and I can't call myself Domestic Goddess like my friend Jeani, but I can claim the title Queen of Clean, can't I?  Yep.  Yep, I can.

My toddler was helping me; he was doing FlyLady cleaning by spritzing the baseboards and dusting them.  His way, of course, because as FlyLady says, "Housework done incorrectly still blesses the family".  

He looked up at me and said, "Cool crown!"  I replied, "Thank you.  It's my FlyLady crown, I'm the Queen of Clean."  

Now, here's where I'm surprised because I can't say too much about FlyLady around the boys and hubby.  They think of FlyLady as a dirty word, associating it with cleaning sessions and timers going off.  And besides all that, I'm also surprised because the toddler's only 4.  He said of my tiara, "Cool crown!" then he quickly came back with, "But, Mom, it's supposed to be purple."  

Wow!  He noticed.

Wow!  He thought I deserved an upgrade.

I love it!

I love it all!