The FlyLady method can be a bit controversial, especially when it comes to today’s topic. After you shine your sink, the next step is developing the habit of getting completely dressed each morning…including shoes. And not just shoes but lace-up shoes! This is where many part ways with the FlyLady.
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Get Dressed…Including Shoes!
Getting Dressed Each Morning
For those who are at home all or most of the day it’s all too easy to get in the habit of slouching around in pajamas (or nightgown, in my case) half the day. If you aren’t going anywhere and no one is going to see you, you may wonder why that’s a problem. Well, because our appearance affects our mindset.
You wouldn’t go to an office job in your jammies with your hair uncombed, right? Homemaking is an important job, too, and treating it as such can really make a difference in how you feel about it.
Watch a few episodes of family shows from the 1950s/60s era. Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, or my personal favorite – I Love Lucy. For the most part, the homemakers in these programs are nicely dressed with their hair and makeup done. Now, I don’t know how realistic the high heels and pearls were but from what I’ve heard from women who kept house in that time period, most didn’t spend their days pajamas or yoga pants.
There’s a saying that you should “dress for the job you want”. I think we can apply that to our lives as homemakers. While I don’t care too much what others think of my role as a homemaker and how I do things, I DO care about my own opinion of myself. I just feel a lot better about what I’m doing and who I am when I’m dressed nicely with my hair done and a bit of makeup on. On the other hand, when I don’t take the time to fix myself up and catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror, I feel less confident.
Now, that doesn’t mean we need to wear our Sunday best and high heels while cleaning house. That would be absurd and not very practical. However, I do think there is much to be said about having some comfortable yet attractive house dresses to work in. I wrote more about that here:
Why I’m Bringing Back the House Dress
But not everyone likes to wear dresses and that’s perfectly fine. Just put together a nice wardrobe of attractive clothes that are still comfortable enough to work in. Add some cute earrings and a necklace. Fix your hair. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Even brushed and in a neat ponytail or bun is fine. Wash and moisturize your face and if you usually wear makeup, put on just enough to feel attractive. For days when you don’t plan to leave the house, a tinted moisturizer, mascara and lipgloss may be enough. Whatever makes YOU feel pretty. This is something you should do just for you because you deserve to feel good about yourself!
And now about those shoes…
Here’s where things get sticky. The FlyLady insists that we should wear shoes in the house. And not just any shoes. They are supposed to be lace-up shoes.
Now, some people are absolutely opposed to wearing shoes in the house. Sometimes it’s a personal preference and sometimes it’s cultural. It’s certainly true that wearing the same shoes indoors that you do outdoors tracks in all sorts of dirt and germs. The FlyLady gets around that by suggesting that you have a pair that you only wear indoors.
As for the lace-up part, her reasoning is that you’ll be less likely to kick them off than if you were wearing flip flops or sandals.
Personally, I love to go barefoot…always have. In fact, as a child my grandfather called me “Barefoot Sally”. And then I developed plantar fasciitis. You can read how I cured it here:
Why I Wear Birkenstocks Every Day
Now I nearly always wear Birkenstocks, even indoors, because my feet begin to hurt if I go barefoot too much. If that’s not an issue for you, then the shoe thing is up to you. However, I do suggest keeping a pair of shoes right by the door so you don’t have to hunt for a pair if you need to rush outdoors for some reason. Even though I wear a pair of Birkenstocks indoors I also keep my Hunter boots by the front door so I can easily slip into them when I walk Shiloh or if I’m gardening. I have a special boot tray near the door to keep them in and that prevents tracking dirt through the house.
You can read more about the FlyLady’s thoughts on this topic here:
Flying Lesson: Getting Dressed to Shoes
More posts about The FlyLady Method:
The FlyLady Method: Shine Your Sink
The FlyLady Method: 5 Minute Room Rescue
The Best (and the worst) of The FlyLady
Haha! My first thought on seeing the title of this post was, “Shoes? Hang on a minut… Uh-uh! No!”
Getting dressed but staying barefoot… Yeah, OK. I was actually starting to try and do that now I’m recovered from surgery, and actually feeling well enough to stay awake for a decent chunk of time. I say, “Trying,” because I’ve only progressed to getting dressed some days so far. Hey, it’s progress, since I used to literally only wear something that wasn’t pyjamas if I was going out, or someone was coming to the house. Baby steps, right?
But shoes? I can’t wear shoes all day!
Also, I never wear things with laces. I like things I can slip on and off easily. I’d like to say it’s in case I need to put them on and go somewhere in a hurry, but it’s actually just that I hate fussing with laces.
My shoes already live near the door though, so that part is OK.
I’m totally with you about shoes with laces. I do have a pair of running shoes for the treadmill but as soon as I’m done, off they come!