I’m such a newbie to the whole FlyLady phenomenon that I didn’t even know she has official baby steps for those of us who are just starting out. Yes, there are 31 Beginner BabySteps. Here’s what she says:

Our FlyLady system is all about establishing little habits that string together into simple routines to help your day run on automatic pilot. You can do this!

I haven’t started any of these BabySteps (yes, one word) except for shining my sink and using a timer. I think if I did this system, I’d feel a lot less stress in my life because I wouldn’t be carrying around so much in my head — it’s clutter! If I set my to-do list down, it will get colored on — or stapled into a book. (My girls are really into making booklets these days. Wonder why!) So I keep way too much on my mind.

The other day I got behind AGAIN on my kitchen — if I only miss shining my sink after one meal, suddenly we have a huge pile-up. Seven people eating together at least two times a day — well, you get the picture. I got behind and started feeling overwhelmed about it.

But instead of moping, I just got my timer and set it to 20 minutes. I can do this for 20 minutes. That ticking sound was like FlyLady motivating me — and it worked. I got caught back up again!

Sometimes I imagine her like a much-needed cheerleader while I’m debating about whether or not I should throw something away. It’s like she’s telling me, “You can do it, girl! You just be brave and bold — and you throw that catalog away! That kindergarten workbook page from September– it’s okay. You can get rid of it now! You’re doing great!”

This physical work reminds me of what goes on spiritually as well. Keeping clutter cleaned out of your house is also like keeping sin cleaned out of your heart. It creeps back in if you don’t stay on it!

Do you ever feel that way? You work on an area and feel like you’ve made great strides, and you’re really growing closer to God. (You may even do a little bragging about it.) Then you stumble AGAIN! That same old sin creeps back in.

Same thing with clutter. You clean out a certain area and it looks great! Until a few days go by (or in homes with young kids, a few MINUTES…) We just gotta stay on it.

So here I am — admitting to you that I’m at the beginning of the Beginning BabySteps. Has anyone else been through this system before? How did it work for you?

Several Mind & Media reviewers are currently reading/reviewing the first two books of the Wilderking trilogy, so I thought I’d share some recent news. I found out that Book 1, The Bark of the Bog Owl, has been chosen as one of ten finalists in the Lamplighter Awards. According to the Children’s Crown Awards website:

The mission of the Children’s Gallery, the Children’s Crown, and the Lamplighter Awards is to encourage elementary and junior high students to read wholesome and uplifting books by providing lists each year of the best literature … Books that convey wholesome values, uplifting characters, and edifying themes that inspire children toward positive goals are selected by a committee of readers from participating schools.

Teachers and school librarians encourage students to read books from this list. They’re new books that have all been published within the last two years. When kids read one of these books, they can earn points in the Accelerated Reader program — by taking a specially designed comprehension test. (If you’re not familiar with the AR program, it’s highly competitive for kids throughout the school year. They earn prizes, and teachers display the points up on the wall.) The Lamplighter Award winner and runner-up will be voted on by students this spring, so it will be interesting to see which of these ten books wins.

We caught up with the author, Jonathan Rogers, at CBA Advance in Nashville. He was signing Book 2, The Secret of the Swamp King, and hosting Swampboat Tours around Delta island inside Opryland.

Although I didn’t see them, I heard his wife made feechie costumes for their children to wear, complete with Dobro Turtlebane-approved hairstyles (moss included). The feechies are the tribe of creatures who inhabit the swamps of Corenwald in the Wilderking books — and their way of talkin’ keeps you turning the pages in laughter.

Rogers also showed us an advance copy of his forthcoming Book 3, The Way of the Wilderking, which will be released in May. Rumor has it this book’s the funniest one yet. It’s the final installment in the Wilderking trilogy.

A Mom 2 Mom reader sent me an enthusiastic comment last night after recently reading Book 1 and Book 2:

Great read. I especially love Roger’s insight to David. Book 1…Looking at the whole Goliath situation through the eyes of David gave me fresh ideas for Sunday School. The theme of Book 2 is “grace.” Again, Rogers gives us a good look at what God’s grace truly is. Book 3…I can hardly wait!

So, if you’ve got kids who like fantasy adventure books, you still have time to jump in before the third book comes out in May. They’re published by Broadman & Holman, the same people who give us glorious Beth Moore.

Iris is hostessing the Carnival of Beauty on her site today. The topic, The Beauty of Gentleness, brought in quite an eclectic gathering of thoughts — and it’s like visiting old friends now when I amble into these women’s blogs. (I feel like I need to wipe my feet on a doormat or something — or bring some flowers!)

Here’s a quote I found today from Daily Christian Quote. I think Billy Graham and I seem to be on the same wavelength with what I wrote about yesterday:

Too many women have too much leisure time for their own good. They have time for criticism, gossip, faultfinding, and complaining. They have time for idle games and lay too much attention to things of the flesh. There are other women who have too little time for the enduring things of life. They are too busy flitting about doing this and that. They have great activity and much doing, but they lack time for building Christian characters. Both kinds of women — the too-idle and the too-busy need to take time for meditation and quiet repose in prayer to God. They need time to cultivate their souls that in turn they may cultivate their children’s lives.

Billy Graham
Billy Graham Organization

I love that phrase, “cultivate their souls.” That will give me something good to think about today.

Last week, I went to my first Christian Bookseller Association (CBA) conference — at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. It was also my first trip to the famed “Music City,” and I half-expected to see Stetson-clad cowboys two-steppin’ in the street. Instead, I mostly saw thousands of Christian books!

I badgered a few people to see if I could get a badge to attend — it’s one of those conferences where they have security at the door. CBA Advance is held every January and offers Christian publishers and wholesalers the chance to connect with retail buyers, authors, and editors to share products and ideas. There’s an even bigger CBA gathering held in July.

Before I left, I was secretly worrying about my budget — how many books would I be able to buy? When I’ve been to homeschool conferences, my credit card has burned a hole through my purse as I purchased curriculum and must-have educational products.

But this turned out to be different. Nothing was for sale! The booths displayed only floor samples for buyers. I felt like I was going on a treasure hunt every time I walked around the HUGE room. And there were authors I recognized everywhere! I had to stand and gawk at novelist Liz Curtis Higgs, my favorite humor columnist — she was signing her newest release. Her column appears on the last page of every Today’s Christian Woman issue — and she’s so funny.

Then I walked past Mary Hunt’s publisher — and there she was signing her two new financial management books. I’ve read her Everyday Cheapskate columns for ages — and here she was in person, smiling at me and giving me her books!

So, of course I’ll be reviewing many of them here for you. I’m almost halfway through Dennis Leonard’s Happiness Matters: 21 Thoughts that Could Change Your Life, and I love it — and can’t wait to tell you about it. (It came with a CD of some mighty fine preaching.) Michelle Medlock Adams and Gena Maselli signed their adorable book for women, Divine Secrets of the Yahweh Sisterhood, which looks like a fun read. I also picked up a copy of Story by Steven James, which is a passionate retelling of the real Easter story and will be sold in stores everywhere this spring.

One highlight was taking a swampboat tour with the author of The Wilderking Trilogy — which I’ll tell you more about tomorrow.

If you’ve never been to Opryland, here’s my sales pitch: it’s ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. I felt like I was in Hawaii — or on some remote South Pacific island. You’re inside this huge, 4.5-acre glass atrium, surrounded by real living plants — and you hear the swish and roar of waterfalls everywhere. The picture above is where my husband and I enjoyed our breakfast croissants and coffee in the morning. He could hardly get a bite to eat because I kept asking him to take more pictures — I love palm trees!

The best part of the conference for me was meeting the real people behind email names. A dozen of us from my online writers’ group met for a chat — and it encouraged me so much. Most of the writing work I do is very far from glamorous — I’m either up writing alone before dawn — or I’m composing while surrounded by kids, crayons, pets, sandwiches, laundry, the phone ringing, grocery lists, missing shoes, and stacks of magazines and books (which give me plenty to write about — but there’s not a pinch of glamour involved.)

So this was beyond refreshing for me — and hopefully, I’ll have plenty of new books and ideas to encourage and inspire you as well.

Living faith — that’s what I saw — the love of Christ demonstrated in thousands of ways.