I call sexist BS. I don’t feel guilt, and it’s got nothing to do with whose “job it is”. It’s got everything to do with personal comfort levels and personal standards. When I feel the house needs cleaning, I clean it. That doesn’t come as quickly as the female residents of the house would like it to, but does that make them right and me wrong? I certainly don’t think so. It’s a matter of personal preference. That’s all.

If you feel guilt, it’s for one of two reasons:
1) You choose to do so.
2) You were socially programmed to do so.
So you might get by with saying I don’t feel guilt because *my father and mother* felt it was the woman’s job, but don’t lay that on me. I ain’t taking it.

One date night was a movie on Google Video, and Google Talk. We synced up our videos and watched the movie together, chatting MST3K style throughout.

Last night, I watched a hockey game on TV with somebody who was at the hockey game, and we were having drinks and chatting vociferously via SMS (I love you, Google Voice!)

Real conversations + real quality time = real friendship. On the other hand, there are some people I know locally who aren’t real friends… :-p

Not to stick up for the Fly Lady (hey, she can do that for herself), but your comment about testimonials being covert advertisements is something that’s fairly new. I’ve been on and off the bandwagon for a longish time and I have a number of old testimonials (some that make my hit parade for motivation – some don’t) and I don’t recall this tone until recently.

Oh well. Like I said, I cycle on and off when I want a swift something (not a kick, maybe, but a gentle nudge) to get and keep going. And I don’t wear lace up shoes, either.

Laura

Funnily enough, I was exposed to the wonders of the electric kettle while my husband was in the Air Force and we had British friends. I’d read about them in my British books over the years, but had never been impressed with the whole idea until I actually saw one in action.

BTW, I also use a cup-top brewer cone with single-cup sized filters much of the time. My son and I are the coffee drinkers in the house, and sometimes we don’t feel like messing with making a full pot. When we do want to make more coffee at one time, we use a stovetop percolator and pour the extra coffee into a thermal carafe for later drinking.

I just found your blog after doing a Google search for people who blog and use Flylady’s system. I’m considering giving her method a try, since I’m hopelessly overwhelmed by the mess that is my home, and your blog was a happy find! I very much appreciate your perspective and your wonderful sense of humor, as well as your practical take on things.