Our homes have always been a source of shame for us. This is why we locked ourselves behind the doors and refused to let anyone in. We were afraid someone would find out our dirty little secret. We felt that we were the only ones in the world who lived this way. I wrote "Sink Reflections" for you.

This book is dedicated to you who have suffered in silence, thinking that you were the only one in the world who lived in CHAOS! (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome).

We no longer have to suffer with our shame. FLYing gives you the tools to deal with your home and yourself. You see you never dreamed that the state of your home was a symptom of your problem and not the problem itself. You have said it thousands of times, "If only I could get the house clean; everything would be OK." That is not how it works. We have read every self-help book ever printed because we were looking for that special tip that would be the saving grace. There is no special tip for house cleaning. It just has to be done. The problem has always been our perfectionism.

As children we were taught by our parents that if you can't do it right don't do it at all. We were also taught by example that cleaning took a huge block of time. I don't know many people who have hours to devote to their homes. We all have busy schedules and just want our homes to magically clean themselves. We all know how to clean; after all we are perfectionists; our biggest problem is doing something when we have the chance.

For years in our stinking thinking we cleaned for company. That would last only a few hours because the clean would start to disintegrate around us because we didn't have routines to help us keep it up. Routines are not the straight-jackets. With them we can be even more spontaneous than before because now we can open our doors and not hide. Before in our CHAOS, we had to have lots of notice to get ready. It would take days or weeks to get it together and an all-night cramming session the day before the company arrived.

Did you know that your family deserves to be treated like company and you do too? The secret to keeping your home in this comfort zone is to pick up after yourself. I asked my clerk one time about this. I had crisis-cleaned to get ready for Thanksgiving, and I was afraid that it would all fall apart before Thursday and I would be up half the night to get ready for our guests. Since she is born organized I interviewed her about how to keep it together. She chuckled at me and said, "It is really quite simple, Marla. All you have to do is pick up after yourself." That was a light-bulb moment for me. If I get it out, I put it away. Wow, it is that simple.

Half the battle of having a home ready for company all the time is to have your favorite dumping grounds (hot spots) clear. Your house can have dust everywhere and floors that need doing, but if your hot spots are extinguished, then your home looks clean because the clutter isn't in your face. We don't allow our homes to get more than 15 minutes worth of messy. We could have a party tonight if we wanted.

Could you do this without a panic? It is so peaceful to know that your home is ready and your bathroom is presentable. I want for you what I have and this peace came from building my routines one habit at a time. Are you ready to FLY by eliminating the CHAOS in your life?

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For more help getting rid of your CHAOS; check out: www.flylady.net. Also see Cilley's book, "Sink Reflections" and her new book, "Body Clutter." Copyright 2006 Marla Cilley Used by permission in this publication.