March 17th, 2010 by admin

We are all busy trying to run our homes, keep track of our family’s activities and just take care of business!  Isn’t running a home sort of like a business? We are the CEO, Chef, Concierge, Chauffeur, Doctor, Maid, Bellmen, Receptionist, Reservation Clerk, Maintenance Chief and CFO of our own little hotel. Many of us are also running businesses while we are wearing all these hats. If you need a job done just ask a busy woman!

One of the things that we don’t have time for is change. We hate change! We do fine until our vicious juggling act of hats comes crashing down. I guess we are the entertainment too. This is not fun, especially when your cell phone dies; you lose your contacts and have to learn how to use a new one.

This has happened to me many times but I didn’t sweat it much because I have been using a Palm Phone for many years. All my information was backed up on my computer as well as my phone. My phone was an extension of my computer when I was out running errands and taking care of my business as well as my home.

Let me say that right now I am reviewing the Palm Pre Plus phone for Verizon. I am a loyal Verizon customer and had already purchased this phone before they asked me to review it. As most of you know, when I like something I can’t keep my mouth shut about it. This is a phone that becomes a tool in your hand and it must be designed by a woman with a woman’s busy lifestyle in mind.

The Palm Pre Plus is intuitive. This is what I loved about learning and being able to hit the ground running with this phone. My contacts, calendar, personal email, camera, video camera and the ability to go online are right at my fingertips. Just last week I was traveling to an event at Fort Benning, Georgia. This phone was such a blessing!

I was going to miss my radio show and at the last minute I had the idea to use my phone as a microphone and record the speech. I put the phone on speaker and placed it on the podium. I also took a picture of the audience holding up my book, sink reflections. That night I got a private email from my TV Producer with a PDF outline of the show attached. I was able to read it and respond to the email immediately. I love the “Do It Now” Principle!

It is nice to stay in touch with my Tweets and Facebook friends. I have the ability to upload pictures to my page from this great phone. I love staying connected when I travel or even if I am at a doctor’s appointment. This phone’s calendar gives me the ability to merge my calendars with other calendars and code them with a color. Another blessing is that if you need to know how to do something fast there are tutorials on it and links to videos.

I am learning so many ways that my new Palm Pre Plus phone is going to help me in my daily work life and personal life. You can learn more too if you join me and some other moms talk about our new Palm Pre Plus. When you hear us, you are going to get as excited about this phone as we are.

Our show happens on Thursday at 11:00am edt on BlogTalkRadio. See you there! The chat will be open for you to ask questions too. If you can’t listen live you can listen to the archive anytime.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flylady/2010/03/18/how-smart-moms-balance-life

March 9th, 2010 by admin

In 1999, I got my life in order. It started with a tiny pocket calendar and a “to do” list. I had owned a little digital address book but in my sidetracked frame of mind I would forget to put batteries in it and then I would lose all my addresses. When I got my first Palm Pilot I thought I was in heaven.  I loved this geek toy. All I had to do was plug it in. It would synchronize with my computer so that I would never lose another address and it had a date book with reminders that I could program. I believe that it helped me to establish my habits in a way that nothing else ever had. It was in my face and in my pocket.

The beauty of the Palm Pilot was the computer application. I mainly worked on my computer. When a reminder popped up it told me to drink my water, send a birthday card or eat lunch. I had a simple little reminder for many habits I was establishing. A few years later Palm came out with the Palm Treo phone. I was in love with this phone. It merged my Palm Pilot into my phone and I had one less thing to carry. This was the best. I became addicted to my Palm phone and my corresponding computer calendar.

About a year ago my cell phone company Verizon quit carrying my favorite phone. I was forced to find replacements on Ebay to feed my addiction to this my favorite tool. When Palm came out with the Palm Pre I was ecstatic. I saw the Olympic commercials on TV. I joined the Palm Pre Facebook page in hopes of getting some type of information.

I was so sad that this new toy was not going to be available on Verizon. Every time I went to my Cell phone store I begged for it. Then I heard a rumor! Could it be! Verizon was going to get the Palm Pre Plus for their loyal customers. I could not wait but I had to wait but not patiently. Finally on January 25th they showed up at the Verizon Store.

On January 27th my Palm Treo made its last call! It died in my loving hands. Thank you Palm for a great phone, I had waited and now I was ready to try the Palm Pre Plus. Robert and I went to the Verizon store! It was Christmas morning! As we patiently waited our turn, Robert chose his phone. He is not a cell phone person but we have dragged him kicking and screaming into the 21st century with his new Droid. Thank you, Verizon for those great commercials and the wonderful reviews. I can now call my husband and text him, but that is another story.

When I held my beloved Palm Pre Plus I could not believe how nice it felt in my hands. This is a phone that seems to be designed with a woman in mind. When I opened it up for the first time to make a call, I almost laughed out loud. It had to be designed by a woman because it had a mirror to check your teeth for spinach or put on your lipstick. I loved it. It also fit nicely in my jeans pocket. It was smooth and sleek.

The more I explore my new Palm Pre Plus, I am so glad I waited. It is very intuitive and fits the way I work when I am home and when I travel. Now here is the funniest part of all! The next day I got a phone call wanting me to promote this phone in a blog and a radio show. I would have promoted it anyway because when I love something that is what I do, but they said they would give me one to try. I didn’t tell them I already had one. I wanted a back-up phone for travel in case I drop it in a puddle!  They had no clue that I had a love/hate relationship with it already. Oh and the hate part is that I would hate to ever have to be without it!

March 1st, 2010 by admin

Do you ever look at the clock and find yourself in a panic because you are not dressed yet? It doesn’t matter if you are headed off to work in the morning, work from home or you are retired; that same panic tells you that once again that time has gotten away from you!

There is no worse feeling than to walk into the bathroom and be startled by what you see staring back at you.  Well there is something that is worse; running to hide when your UPS man comes to the door with a package. Why do we wait to the last minute to get dressed?

I have heard every excuse in the world for not getting dressed, but the truth is we don’t take the time. One minute we are having our coffee watching our favorite morning program and the next minute we need to be walking out the door. It slips up on us!

Even though getting dressed is something we do every day, most of us don’t know how long it takes us to actually put our clothes on. This is because we get sidetracked; with ironing, getting kids ready, watching tv and everything else that gets thrown our way.

The ease of getting dressed in the morning starts before you ever go to bed. By picking out your clothes and getting them ready; you don’t have to think! It is all laid out for you. That will help you put an end to your procrastination.

Unless you keep hitting the snooze button! This tells me that you are not going to bed and getting enough sleep! If getting up and getting moving is hard, then it is time to set your bedtime just a little earlier.

Our habit this month is to practice getting up and getting dressed to lace up shoes first thing in the morning! As soon as your feet hit the floor start getting ready. There are no more excuses! You can do this and you are going to be less stressed in the morning.

Stress free mornings make for a peaceful day! What have you got to lose; your nasty attitude and hateful words. Get up, get dressed and feel on top of the world. Then when you walk into your bathroom you will not scare yourself! You can get more done before you leave. You won’t be hiding from a knock on your door! This one act of getting dressed to shoes has you ready for anything that comes your way!

Here are the tools to help you establish this empowering habit!

Pick out your clothes before you go to bed.
Go to bed and get plenty of sleep.
Get up 15 minutes before the rest of the family.
Start getting dressed as soon as your feet hit the floor!
Then lace up your shoes!

Your day is off to a peaceful start! That stress free morning sets the tone for the rest of your day!

For more help getting rid of your CHAOS, check out her website and join her free mentoring group at  www.FlyLady.net or her book, Sink Reflections published by Bantam and her New York Times Best Selling book, Body Clutter published by Fireside. Copyright 2010 Marla Cilley Used by permission in this publication.

January 23rd, 2010 by admin

Our whole lives we have played “Catch Up on the Weekends”! This put a sense of dread into our daily life. We no longer looked forward to a wonderful weekend filled with fun with our friends and family. This all started when we were children. It is how our mothers did it! We would have to spend all day Saturday cleaning house or we were banished to our rooms for the evening. I truly believe this is why we despise cleaning house. It has always been a punishment for us. I want you to have a reward for your Home Blessing Efforts! A Saturday to play is a great gift for you!

The solution to saving your Saturdays is very simple. Let’s think about how many hours you spend frantically cleaning to catch up from a whole week tossing your routines out into the street! Between our piling and procrastination our homes look like a bomb went off. You can look at a room and see evidence of the things that were done this week. You know the package that had to be wrapped for a birthday party or the whole week’s worth of mail piled on the kitchen counter that is about to fall into the floor.

On Saturday you don’t wake up all excited about cleaning all day. You sleep in a bit; drag around in your pajamas for a couple of hours with a pot of coffee to get you moving in the right direction. By the time you get started it is already noon! The next six hours are spent cleaning like a banshee so that you don’t feel terrible. All the while you are yelling out orders for everyone in the family to get in gear! I get sick just thinking about what we have done us and our family; all because we lie to ourselves with these words; I DON’T HAVE TIME!

The truth is; what you don’t have is ROUTINES! You have the time, you just choose not to do anything because you don’t think you have six hours to do it right! Well you don’t have six  hours to clean like a banshee but you do have 15 minutes.

Implementing just five minutes in the morning, when you come home from work and before bed will give you back your Saturdays. Maybe we can call this our 5 Minute Room Saturday Rescue.

The secret is to pick up after yourself and get the family to do it right along with you! It can become a fun game. Set your timer three times a day, morning, when you get home from work or school and just before bed. Everyone has to put away the things that belong to them. It is up to you to remember to do it. When you forget you only make it harder to do the next time.

This does not mean you can leave the dishes in the sink and on the table. This is part of cleaning up after dinner and shining your sink. If you do this all week long then on Saturday you can do your Weekly Home Blessing Hour! With your piles put away and hot spots extinguished, your Weekly Home Blessing Hour is a Breeze! Then you are off to have some fun.

For more help getting rid of your CHAOS, check out her website and join her free mentoring group at  www.FlyLady.net or her book, Sink Reflections published by Bantam and her New York Times Best Selling book, Body Clutter published by Fireside. Copyright 2010 Marla Cilley Used by permission in this publication.

January 18th, 2010 by admin

This time of year we all start getting cabin fever. This sickness is fueled by the never ending flow of our junk mail filled with gardening and seed catalogs. I am a sucker for them. The thought of a beautiful garden filled with fruit trees, butterfly attacking bushes and perennials makes me smile.

When we first married the patch of dirt in front of our home would not grow anything. We are surrounded by a forest. The only open spot is just above our home and where a maple tree had to be removed. Direct sunlight only happens at noon.  I spent a whole winter plotting and scheming.

When I moved into Robert’s home in 1996, I was determined to make it mine too. I was not going to move in and not unpack! This went for the yard too! The first thing I need to do was to figure out what I liked and what I didn’t like about the front yard.

That was easy! I didn’t like the ivy that grew on the concrete block wall that was beside our driveway. The rest was going to be a little more challenging. As those gardening books and magazines flooded into our home I would spend 15 minute culling through them with scissors in hand.  Each time I saw something I liked, I would cut it out and put it into a sheet protector. Then place that sheet into my Garden Control Journal.  This was just a place to keep my wish list. It had no plan except for holding the things that I loved along with some interesting articles. After I was through clipping pictures I would toss the magazine into the recycle bin.

Slowly my vision for our garden began to blossom in my head and my Garden Control Journal. But it was not on the ground in front of our home. No one was going to see it stuck in my book. For this vision to come to life there had to be actions. I began one babystep at a time and with the use of a timer. I knew me! I can hyper-focus with the best of them. I would set my timer for 15 minutes and go pull some ivy! Each day I could declutter a little bit of the ivy! The best part was that I didn’t kill myself in the process. That decluttered ivy unveiled an ugly block wall. One project led to another one. Isn’t that the way it always goes. Thank Goodness! We don’t have to do it all at once!

I know you really want to get your home organized RIGHT THIS MINUTE, but stop yourself! I don’t want you to crash and burn! You can’t develop habits that will take root if you try to do everything at once. Babysteps and being kind to yourself are the seeds to growing effective habits and cultivating them into the routines that will nourish you the rest of your life.

Are you ready to plant the seeds of change in your home? Get out your timer! Set it! Then go shine your sink! It is the actions that plant the seeds; not the wishing for the clean house!

January 10th, 2010 by admin

All I have ever wanted for you was happiness! As I stand in front of my fireplace, I realized that I have surrounded myself with things that make me happy.  Pam and Peggy’s book the Happiness File taught me many wonderful ways to nurture myself and identify what really does make me happy.  At first you don’t know what makes you happy. You just know what does not make you happy.

For me it started with shining my sink. I knew that a sink full of dirty dishes made me as bad as that nasty water smelled. When I focused on that one habit of keeping my sink clean and shiny, I found happiness each morning. The joy of cooking returned because I was not already behind before starting to cook. That one little habit changed my life.

My next habit was decluttering for 15 minutes a day. I had held on to so many painful memories. The act of getting those out of my home gave me joy.  I would never have to feel those unhappy memories again as I walked across the room. Now my home only has good memories. If an item becomes a bad memory I immediately declutter it.

I learned from the Happiness File that simple routines for the morning, afternoon and evening can free me up to enjoy the beauty that is all around me. With my work done I was free to play, free to create or free to just sit! No guilt! A life with no guilt is a happy life.

Do you want to find happiness? Just sitting and hoping that happiness will find you is not going to happen. It takes practice to find out what brings you joy. With The Happiness File, I was able to work on one habit each month to help me find my joy.

With this habit of practicing new things each month I found my calling in life! I built my very own happiness file right under my own roof. I had happy places in every room of my home: My kitchen had a clean and shiny sink, my living room had my favorite chair and a clean coffee table, my bedroom had a comfy bed that was made and my bathroom was clean an inviting each time I went in there. That was a lot because I was drinking my water and taking care of myself.

Happiness is not a state you visit for a short period to time. It is a place you reside. Make your home your happiness file and you will find the joy your have been searching for right under your own roof.

January 2nd, 2010 by admin

Have you been wearing your heart on your sleeve? Do you perceive that you have been wronged in some way by others? Are you wearing all the wrongs like a cloak of armor? Have these wrongs been the foundation for your whining? Are they what have kept you from FLYing? Armor is heavy stuff! When we blame others we need to look closely at our own actions. This is why we tell you that this is a NO WHINING ZONE!

Tribes used to sacrifice a poor innocent goat for their sins. They would heap all their sins on the scapegoat and send it out into the wilderness. Have all the wrongs been heaped upon you! Do you feel like the scapegoat? Are you acting like a martyr?

Have you been hoarding these wrongs? This is just like we do with clutter, we hold on to things past their usefulness. When we get our feelings hurt it is best to discuss it as soon as possible. The longer it festers the worse it is on you! Are you hearing this? The person who has wronged you may not even know they have done anything to hurt your feelings or they may not even care. If you don’t talk about it and clear the air; you will be the only one suffering. Discussing the wrong will let you know two things; they are mean and need to be prayed for, or they didn’t know they had hurt your feelings and they apologize.  Either way you have released the wrong and it is no longer being hoarded.

Some of you are going to argue that it is not easy to forgive and forget. If you notice, I didn’t say forget! When a snake shows its fangs this is a warning! If you pick that snake up and put it in your pocket; whose fault is it when you get bitten. Forgiveness is the gift, you give yourself.

You get what you give! But if you give in order to get, you will always be left wanting! At the start of this New Year let’s symbolically take off that armor of wrongs! Put each wrong on a Post-It Note. Imagine that you peel each wrong off your sleeve and put it in an old pie pan. Then take it outside or put it in your fire place and put a match to them. As you watch your wrongs (the ones you have been hoarding) go up in smoke send a prayer of gratitude up with it! Be thankful that you no longer have to hold on to this and thankful that now you know!

If you need more help with this we have some tools for you. I have written an essay called, How to Pray for an Enemy. If you would like it please send me an email to FlyLady@flylady.net with PRAY in the subject line. I will send it to you.

Leanne and I also have a whole chapter in our book, Body Clutter devoted to forgiveness. I just listened to our new audio version. This chapter is powerful!

http://www.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_bc_dl.asp

My wish for you in this New Year is that you release the wrongs by forgiving others and yourself and open up your wings to FLY!

December 31st, 2009 by admin

As I look back on the past year asked my members what was one of their Go Me Moments. I had to ask myself the same question. What had happened that was an accomplishment for me and what had changed my way of thinking?

The biggest accomplishment for me was when Leanne and I went to Utah and read our book, Body Clutter aloud. I have never been comfortable reading out loud. Spending a week with Leanne as we read was the turning point in my oral skills. She taught me how to read. Well I knew how to read but not without awkward pauses. Her simple analogy of scallops gave me the visual I needed to make the words flow from my mouth. I learned to read to a conjunction or a comma, then pause slightly and proceed. Thanks Leanne for helping me to overcome a fear and giving me the gentle coaching while making me laugh. I will never forget it.

In the years past I never really thought about high school and the people that I grew up with. They were in the past and when you have a busy life, high school friends don’t usually come into your train of thought.  A year ago I joined the social networking site Facebook. At first it was for my members have a place to challenge each other and help one another. It has become a blessing in my life.

Over this past year of reconnecting with old friends, I have watched us grow stronger with our mutual love and support.  We watched the courage and faith of one of our friends as her light of this life faded and she went on to shine in the heavens. She reminded us daily that we are sunbeams touching those around us and to make the most of every precious moment. I may not need the people from high school in my life but they are a part of me and I look forward to seeing them on my Facebook page every morning. They bless me with their wisdom and love!

I don’t know if the software engineers knew when they built Facebook a few years ago that it would bless so many people. Facebook started out just for Harvard students and then it expanded to other universities. Now it has hit the Baby Boomers and we have taken it to a new level.

We have renewed old friendships, made new ones and found lost loved ones. My sisters and I found a first cousin we had not seen in forty years. It was so great to see pictures of her children and realized that we had both named our sons, Justin. It truly is a small world and Facebook helps to shrink it.

I think the greatest thing about Facebook is that it is a newspaper filled with headlines and inspirational messages from our friends and family. Who knew that a computer could keep us connected! It is a bridge to our past and to our future. With this connection we are blessed with a present! Our friends can give us the gift of laughter every day! The only problem is that we could stay on Facebook all day.

December 28th, 2009 by admin

Dear Friends,

Every year we come up with a new motto. I always like to make it something that is easy to remember and emphasizes a key point of FLYing!

The first year we had a motto was 2003. It was “Be Kind to Me in 2003″. Being kind to myself was a New Year’s Resolution when I got organized. We have to quit beating ourselves up with our perfectionism. This resolution changed my life along with my way of thinking. After all you can’t change your circumstances without changing your attitude.

The next year our motto was “Less is More in 2004″. We have held on to so much stuff thinking that we would need it one day. Our homes have become storage units filled with stuff we don’t love or use! The clutter in our life makes keeping our homes impossible. You can’t organize clutter you can only get rid of it. This is why focusing on eliminating clutter with this motto changed many attitudes.

In 2005 our motto was “FLY to Thrive in 2005″! Finally Loving Yourself is what we teach. I realize that you come to use to figure out how to keep your home clean. This is the key to not just existing day to day but flourishing! When you love yourself, you have enough love to go around. Your love blesses others. If your loving cup is empty you had nothing to share. That is when the martyr comes out.

2006 had another great motto that is one of the key components to FLYing! “Simple Routines Do the Trick in 2006″! We try to make everything more difficult than it has to be. We build elaborate routines only to find ourselves unable to do them. Then we forget our other mottos about loving kindness and we beat ourselves up. Simple routines like simple mottos stick in our heads. Building those routines out of our monthly habits sets the foundation for keeping your home ready to bless you and anyone who comes through your door.

Every year a new motto set the stage for an attitude adjustment. 2007’s motto washed over us like a warm breeze and it fills our hearts with love. “Progress not Perfection in 2007″! Do you see how those simple words free us to take little steps to get things done? We don’t have to push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion. We can pace ourselves. This motto has become part of us!

The longest motto we ever had was in 2008. Do it now! Don’t wait! Get things done in 2008! This mottos hits us right in the heart of our procrastination! Procrastination is the result of perfectionism. When we don’t think we have time to do something we put it off. The reason we put it off is really because we don’t think we have time to do it right! What we learned in 2008 was to not put things off. When you hear yourself say “I don’t have time!” just set your timer for 2 minutes and do something. Anything is better than nothing! We got things done in 2008!

In 2009 we focused on our path. One BabyStep at a time, PEACE is mine in 2009! In our excitement to get organized and get our homes clean we want to “hurry up and get there”! It took me nine months to get rid of my clutter and establish routines. It was like giving birth to a new me! Taking those babysteps helped me to accomplish much more than I ever dreamed. Each month I practiced a new habit! Each new habit piggy-backed on the previous month’s habit, before I knew it, I had routines! Those babysteps opened up a little window of peace in my life and in our home. It was immediate! Just like the joy and peace we feel when we look at a shining sink! The peace comes from not having to tackle a sink full of dirty dishes! You can have this peace too! All you have to do is take babysteps and be happy with your progress.

Here is the recap of our mottos over the years. Print them out leaving off the years and put them on your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator or above your sink. Incorporate them into your heart and mind. Watch your life flourish because you made the choice to change your attitude.

Be Kind to Me in 2003
Less is More in 2004
FLY to Thrive in 2005
Simple Routines Do the Trick in 2006
Progress not Perfection in 2007
Do it now! Don’t wait! Get things done in 2008
One BabyStep at a time, PEACE is mine in 2009

2010’s motto can help us get more done than anything tool we have in our toolbox. Our motto is My Timer is my Friend in 2010. Timers are everywhere; your stove, your arm, your microwave. You can even use commercials on TV as timers or songs on the Radio. I use my coffee brewing as a timer to dust mop my floors every day. Most anything can be a timer if you just get creative. A timer helps us to make a game of mundane things. It keeps us focused and tells us when to quit. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. We all just want to have fun. Make friends with your timer this year! It is a friendship that keeps giving you more peace.

Are you ready to FLY into a brand new year with your timer in hand!

FlyLady

Here is one more little thought I want to leave you with:

You are not behind! I don’t want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?

Now don’t you feel better?

December 27th, 2009 by admin

The older you get the faster the years fly by! It just seems like yesterday that FlyLady started. For me time flies when you are having fun. I guess that is the message that I want to end this year with and start the new one.

Have you been having fun? That is all most of us want to do anyway! We just want to play! As children we couldn’t wait to get outside and play after a hard day at school. Even though we were told that we could not go outside till our homework was done. We faked being done because we knew the daylight was fading.  Our procrastination forced us to get our homework on the bus or just before class.

The stress of procrastination makes life miserable. Putting things off till later is self punishment. We know eventually that our procrastination will catch up to us. I don’t know why we do this to ourselves but if we can ever do what needs done before it is time, it frees us to have more fun.

When your home is messy you don’t feel like you have time to pursue the fun things in life. You may think you do but that sink full of dirty dishes is still tugging at you and making you feel bad. Wouldn’t it be more fun to play without unconsciously feeling guilty? We deny that our home bothers us. We are liberated women!

If I had not gotten my home in order I would not have recognized my purpose for living! I had always felt that something was missing in my life. My talents were many but as long as I lived in clutter and chaos they never came together to bless my life and the lives of others. I wanted more!

So a decade ago I got up on New Year’s Day beating myself up. Why was I so disorganized! Why couldn’t I keep our home clean! Why was I always late! The list goes on and on! As I made my perpetual New Year’s resolution to “Get Organized” I vowed to figure out what my problem really was. I started looking deep into myself to a time when I had my act together.

The only time in my life that I had ever been able to keep house was when I was using Pam and Peggy’s card file system. As I dug out my old card file; one of many I had built in two decades of striving for organization, I realized that once again I had faked my way so that I could play. I had built my card file but had never really internalized the habits that they were supposed to help me build.  I had thought that the card file was the answer. It was not for me because I had skipped the most important part of Pam and Peggy’s book.

The crucial missing rule to my card file was that when one of the cards becomes a habit; you get to throw it away! I missed it because I was in a hurry to establish the box and had not read the book well. I just wanted to play once again. This realization changed my life. I had never established a habit!

Right then and there I made two New Year’s Resolutions.  They were not huge goals like “getting organized”; they were babysteps! I picked one habit to practice, keeping my sink clean and shiny! That second resolution was all about my attitude toward me! Everytime I beat myself up, I just gave up. I was tired of not living up to my unrealistic perfectionist expectations. It was time that I showed myself a little kindness.

As one established habit eventually evolved into my routines I was free! Free of my own self loathing, free of a messy home and free to have fun!

Are you ready to have some fun? Time FLYs when you do!

For more help getting rid of your CHAOS, check out her website and join her free mentoring group at  www.FlyLady.net or her book, Sink Reflections published by Bantam and her New York Times Best Selling book, Body Clutter published by Fireside. Copyright 2009 Marla Cilley Used by permission in this publication.