Oh, and Did I Mention?

My in-laws are coming to visit at Thanksgiving.  Oh yeah.  5 weeks I have in which to cram a year's worth of cleaning.  I'm planning some kind of blogging event to go with it, but I haven't decided what yet.  Open to suggestions.

What is wrong with me?

You know how "they" are always telling people who are trying to reach a goal or change something that the first step (or one of them) is to visualize themselves doing whatever it is they're trying to do?  I guess for some people who don't have confidence or faith or whatever this would be difficult.  I have no problem with that.  I can - and frequently do - picture myself with great clarity in the act of really getting down and dirty as it were, cleaning everything in sight.  It seems so easy, at least one bit at a time it is.  And yet I can't seem to get up and actually do it.  What's wrong with me?

I also really need to get over my aversion to using water to clean things.  I know, weird.  I tend to go out of my way to clean things with wipes or sprays or dusters or dry cloths instead of a good, old-fashioned bucket o' water and rags or sponges.  I think it has something to do with the thought of getting something clean only to have to deal with the puddles or drips or spills or whatever.  Dumb.

Days 5, 6, and 7 - what happened?

Somehow I lost 3 days. I know where today went; I was shopping. But Friday and Saturday are a useless blur. Week one down and not a darn thing done. So tomorrow is Monday, Chris is back to his regular schedule (messed up last week due to the holiday), and I refuse to be sucked into tv shows or video games or sitting and doing nothing all day.

I know that I want to start in the kitchen. Based on my zone diagram there are 8 sections of the kitchen to be dealt with. My first choice would be to simply start with #1 and move through the house in order. However, over the weekend the ceiling at the other end of the kitchen finally caved in. The insulation and drywall were picked up right away of course, but I kinda need to get the area cleaned up if an insurance adjuster is coming over. Of course, I have no idea when that might happen so maybe I will start with #1 and if I need to switch gears I can.

I do really wish I'd had the sense Friday and/or Saturday to clean out the fridge and pantry *before* shopping today.

It can't be a bust already

I'm sensing a general lack of enthusiasm for PCCX this round. I don't know if it's the season or what, but I think all of us are having "issues" keeping us off track. But you know what? I refuse to give up already. There's more than half of the run time left, it's early in the week, it's way early in the year, and it's far too early to call anything quits. So what if I was in a week-long bi-polar funk concurrent with a bout of the stomach flu? So what if nearly everyone in my house has been sick in the last 2 weeks? So what if I haven't had a single day with everyone out of the house like they're supposed to be? That's changing, and it's changing NOW. Ok, tomorrow. Right now I have a nasty pain across the base of my neck that's seriously limiting my desire and ability to do most physical work. I hope to sleep that off and ship everyone off to school and work in the morning and get some actual work done around here.

Speaking of tomorrow, Celeste and I have declared Clean Your Ceiling Fan Day. She said one fan/fixture, I'm saying all of them - 5 in my case. According to the PCCX file, ceiling fans count for 75 points each, PLUS 10 points for each glass flute things over the bulbs. What are those called? Anyway, 10 per plus 75 for the rest of the fixture. I suppose if you wanted to wash your actual bulbs too they'd be another 10 a piece, but make sure they've been off a good long while so they're cold, and completely dry before you put them back in. AND, for participation in CYCFD I'll offer double points for any ceiling fans cleaned Wednesday, January 20!

If you're on track with PCCX, or holding your own with daily chores, or keeping up with homework, or in any other way in good shape right now, my most sincere congratulations. Leave a comment and toot your own horn; I want to hear some inspiring examples! If you're trailing, feel like you're failing, or even drowning, heads up. It's time. Time to pick yourself up out of the mental ditch and get back on the road. You - we - may be still at the beginning of the path, we may have even backtracked, but the road is still open and the journey laid out ahead of us. Take the first step and the rest will follow.

Anyone ever notice how I suddenly turn into a motivational speaker - and a bad one - when I'm coming up from a funk? Sorry 'bout that.

P.S. We miss you Kim. :)

Ringing in the new year

It's that time again. Time of renewed hope, lofty ambitions, and crashing after a holiday sugar high. Oh, wait, is that just me?

Winter PCCX is the time to capitalize on the resolution wave and start the year off with a bang.

Will somebody please slap some sense into me so I quit talking in sound bites? Sheesh.

Ok, so PCCX starts again on Monday and I'd really like to kick some...ahem. Seriously. I really, really, REALLY *want* to have a clean house, honest. The thing about this challenge is, once it's over there's all the follow up maintenance afterward, and I'm not so good with that. On the other hand, if I were to actually *gasp* complete the list - or even come reasonably close - odds are I would be conditioned to doing the work every day, so the maintenance (daily, weekly) lists wouldn't be a problem. Right? I'd like it to be right. I'd like to think I can really do this, that I'm not an utter failure and sad excuse for a housekeeper, and by extension, person. Oh, sorry. It's gray and snowy outside and it's been this kind of Christmas, so I seesaw between ambition and despair. Don't mind me.

Are you ready for the new year and the new challenge? Is it one of your resolutions for 2010?

What does PCCX mean to me?

After creating CCP, PCCX is my biggest project of its kind to date. The writing of it, I mean. It was inspired by and developed with others, but the writing then and since has been my responsibility, and I'm proud of what it's become.

At the same time, it is a source of, alternately, hope and dispair, potential and disappointment. I start each one with a gleam in my eye but inevitably fall flat. Then I spend the next 6-8 weeks beating myself up for failure while at the same time looking ahead to the next one. Someday, I swear to myself, I will finish one. After all, I wrote the darn thing, right? Unfortunately, saying and doing are two entirely different things. A concept with which I'm sure everyone is familiar.

So I am here to say that from this moment forward I will not look at myself as a failure. Reflecting on the process and looking for ways to improve is ok - encouraged, even - but dwelling on shortcomings is not. Each day is its own entity, and its success or failure is based solely on the actions of that day. Even so, a day in which we are all still alive and the house is standing is never a failure. This is my new motto. Until tomorrow. :)

What does PCCX mean to you? What does it make you stop and think about? Is it an entity to you, or just a pile of drudgery to be endured? Let us know in the comments please, and help yourself to 50 points for doing so.

Decided to Join!

Hey ladies...

Yep its me, Renee...dont faint, but I decided to finally join PCCX. I am excited about getting motivation from blogging and reading up on everyone elses!

Glad to be here.

Renee