I don’t even know how I got to this website but chancexchange.com looks like it has a lot of potential. It’s a website that allows you to mail books, dvds, games, and other junk you no longer want anymore to people who do want it. And it’s free. Well almost. There is the annoying fact that you do have to pay the postage to send your item to its new home. You get one credit per item you send and then are able to choose what you want sent to you. I listed three books just to see how it would work. So far, both of my Janet Evanovich books have been requested. I’m planning on tomorrow to make it to the post office. If you know me, you know that I HATE the post office. The slow line and the crazy kids. My kids. They decide to “act the fool” at times. I have other things I need to post too–Kate and Melanie’s birthday gifts–so I REALLY need to go.

In other news, I finished Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex last night. It was absolutely wonderful. I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to discussing it at book club on Wednesday. I haven’t been in several months but am really excited about this book. A lot of times, I read books and enjoy them but don’t recommend them to Alan. He’s so busy, I hate to persuade him to read just anything. Like the Twilight series. There are certain people I would recommend it to because they’re avid readers and won’t be wasting half a year to read them (Melanie, Hillary, etc.) but if you’re only going to read one piece of fiction a year, you better make sure it’s a good one. Middlesex measures up. It was utterly convincing and had me walking away wondering if Jeffrey is a hermaphrodite–if the book was largely autobiographical.

In other book news, Hillary and I are tentatively planning to attend the Twilight party at Barnes and Noble on Friday. I’m almost giddy. Hill originally had to work that night but because of another family obligation, she’s going to have to take off and will most likely be able to fit in coming up to Greenville. I’m wondering what the age range of people there will be. I’m imagining that Hillary and I will be on the upper end of that bell curve. Which reminds me that I should go reserve my copy of Breaking Dawn right now. Yes, I’m grinning from ear to ear just thinking about it.

I’ve decided that it’s time to try out FLYlady again. I was chatting with my friend Helena and she mentioned that she’s a FLYbaby. I’d thought about trying again recently. My house is in constant disarray and I never seem to have the time to pick up all of the toys that get flung to the four corners of my house let alone actually cleaning it. The first time I tried FLYlady.net I was completely overwhelmed by the number of emails I got each day, but now that I check my email so often, I’m looking forward to these little reminders. There is now a thirty day plan for FLY babies too–very good. Before, I think I got lost trying to figure out what I was supposed to do and what I could skip since I was just a baby. So today, my Day 1, I shined my sink. I didn’t do the whole bleach thing. But I did clean it. And left it at that. I also started cleaning out the cabinet in my bathroom. I didn’t get around to wiping off the counter tops (they REALLY need it) but as the Fly Lady says, I don’t want to get so jazzed up about the whole cleaning thing and then just crash and burn.

Tomorrow, my Day 2 goal is to get dressed down to lace on shoes. So, I’m planning on setting my alarm for 6:30 and hopping in the shower. That’s all I have to do. Well…and keep my sink clean. As noted in my previous post about my little experiment, getting up early makes my life seem 10 times longer. But tomorrow, I’m not going to try and do tons of stuff. I have what I need from the store. Once I’m dressed, I can spend time with my kids, which will hopefully make them more content and less contentious. When I’m preoccupied with getting “ready for the day,” there are inevitably all sorts of fights or lots of TV watching. Tomorrow, at the very least, I’ll be able to help referee the fights and watch TV with them.

I’ve read a few of the FLY lady emails and I’ve started trying to be nice to myself. A lot of times, I think about what my Mom would want me to be doing. I hear her voice inside of my head telling me to get up and do something productive like clean the kitchen. And sometimes she’s not so nice! If I can just remember that I’m not behind and I’m just getting started, maybe I can get rid of this impulse to completely tire myself out when I feel the compulsion to clean. I could totally relate when The FLY Lady mentioned finally getting to the nasty bathroom and wearing yourself out and not wanting to go near cleaning supplies for another 6 months. That’s so me! Right now, our kitchen floor needs to be mopped. It is completely nasty. Max threw down a cucumber last week and it’s now dehydrated and stuck to the floor. Told you it’s gross! But I’ve decided I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I will not her my mother scolding me for letting that grime go unchecked. Instead, I will tell myself that I deserve a nice home. A relaxing home. One where my eyes can REST and my mind doesn’t go beserk when I look at all of the undone tasks i.e. dirty laundry, dusting, mopping, etc.. But I will not try to achieve this sort of home in one day. I will follow FLY lady guidelines and achieve it in a month or so and build good habits while I do it. I will become a good housekeeper without being neurotic. I will EASE into a peaceful, beautiful, clean home.

I will start by going ahead and prepping my coffee maker for tomorrow morning. And then, since it’s almost 10:30, I’ll go to bed. Wish me luck!