Sidetracked Waylaid Home Executive

I made a decision to get going around here, stop procrastinating and get this place cleaned out and cleaned up. I quit the cleaning lady. It's too easy to ignore things that are piling up when the house smells like Pine Sol. I hate my house, and that in itself should be a sign things have gotten really bad. Oh Yes, I realize I've said this before. That's why I waited until Friday to post this, to see how much of what I wanted to get done actually got done.
I'm happy to report, I feel great about my progress so far. I took some things I learned from the Sidetracked Home Executive sisters, as far as dividing my cleaning up to daily chores, weekly chores, monthly, etc. I took the idea from Flylady.com to also assign each week to a certain room of my house, so that week besides my regular cleaning, I also spend extra time decluttering, tossing, and organizing that one room.
My biggest hurdle this week was not getting everything done on my list for a certain day. I realized when it comes to giving myself things to do, I am a perfectionist, and this week I realized that's a crock. I gave myself permission to do what I can, and not have to make excuses or feel bad for what didn't get done. I mean if I'm making progress, I'm doing fine. If I spend time cleaning out a drawer a day, or a cabinet, or the top of the dresser, I'm eventually going to have everything done I want done.
Now getting rid of things was a problem for me, not because I hate to toss. In fact, I love tossing and usually go overboard when I declutter and get rid of things I probably should have kept and later buy again. But....I feel better leaning on the side of overdoing decluttering since my husband falls on the underdoing side big time. Well, I like to take that stuff I don't want and throw it in garbage bags and put it out for the trash man. My husband freaks over this. He says it's GOOD stuff and even if don't want it, someone should be able to make use of it. So he says we should donate this stuff to our local thrift store. Sounds good in theory. I gather, he promises to drop it off. Then after a couple of months, I happen to be with him when I buy groceries, and open his trunk to find all the last three month's toss outs still stashed there, because he never got around to taking it to the thrift store. This drives me nuts folks. Gone from the house to the car is not decluttering to me . Not by a long shot.
Well this time I called my friend that has all the kids and is going through the divorce. I asked if she's like to have the stuff I'd be taking to the thrift store. She said she'd take EVERYTHING I wanted to get rid of. I told her fine, take it, sell it, throw it out, give it away, whatever. I don't care once it leaves my house. She agreed to come by and pick it up each day BEFORE my husband gets home from work. ha. It's much better for his nervous system and our marriage if he doesn't see what goes.
This week, I've gotten my house clean, cleaned out some drawers, baskets, nooks and crannies (what's a crannie?) and my house already looks much better. I'm pleased and looking forward to doing more next week. I'm actually beginning to enjoy the sense of pride I USED to feel for having a cleaned up, straightened house. I also like having "to do" lists, because at least I know I have a plan, even if it's flexible. I even took some of my clothes to the consignment shop, and next week plan to box up books to donate to the library. I'm also getting those "I should move the furniture" and "I should redecorate, paint, buy curtains" yearnings. Martha Stewart I will never be. But that's ok. I wouldn't look good in that color of prison green.