Holiday grand plan 2010

[blessedw2]

every step is right dharmony.

[Nancy]

Cookie dough has been baked!

[blessedw2]

from flylady:
"Dear Friends,

Christmas is coming! I can hear the panic in your voices. "In a few days, we have a ton of
company coming, what am I to do?" If you want a crash marathon
cleaning session, I can help you, but be warned, without the
routines, your home will be trashed again in a day. So you have to
listen closely.

1. GO GET DRESSED ALL THE WAY TO SHOES, HAIR FIXED AND FACE
MOISTURIZED OR MAKEUP PUT ON. DON'T QUESTION ME ON THIS. JUST
DO IT. Put on some good working music. Not too fast, just slow
and steady. peppy, but not aerobic. Light a candle that has a
good scent or put on some spices on to boil on a very low heat.

We are going to start in our kitchens. As the kitchen goes,
so does the rest of the house.

2. Set a timer and spend 15 minutes in the kitchen. If your
sink is not clean and shiny, then shine it first, then you can fill
the sink up with hot soapy water and start to clear off the left and
right counters. Empty the dishwasher, When the timer goes off. Stop
what you are doing and go to the living room

3. Set the timer again and do 15 minutes cleaning off the
coffee tables or picking up toys or newspapers. Concentrate on one
thing. Not all of it. When the timer goes off, then go back to the
kitchen. Get a laundry basket and put the things that don't belong in
the living room in the basket. Take a garbage bag with you too. Start
throwing away the trash. Don't get caught up in the guilt we have
about recycling this stuff. Just bag it up for now. 20 pounds of
trash in a landfill is not going to kill you. So get over this
perfectionism attitude. As you get your home in order there will be
plenty of time to recycle. For now we are focusing on getting the
home presentable. You can't do this if you are hyper-focusing on
sorting and recycling.

4. In the kitchen set the time for 15 more minutes, continue
to work on clearing the counters. DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND WANT TO
CLEAN OUT A CABINET. WE ARE DOING ONLY SURFACE CLEANING.

5. Now take a break and walk around and look at what you have
accomplished in just 45 minutes. Set the timer for 15 minutes
and drink a cup of tea or coffee or whatever you love and just relax.
When the timer goes off. You are back in work mode for 15 more
minutes.

6. This 15 minute session is in the bathroom. Do you have
this! Clean the sink in here first, then pick up towel and dirty
clothes and put them in the hamper. DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND START
A LOAD OF LAUNDRY. I MEAN THIS. LAUNDRY WILL COME LATER!

7. When the timer goes off, you are back in the kitchen. For
15 more minutes. We can do anything in 15 minutes. Keep working till
the timer goes off. Then you go to the Living room once again.

8. In the living room, continue to pick up and put away.

9. Every 45 minutes take a 15 minute break.

Adapt this schedule to fit your physical limitations and
children's needs. But you get the picture. Stay focused on one job
for 15 minutes. You are going to be so surprised at how much you get
done in a days time.

My timer is my best Friend.

You can do this.

Now turn off the computer and get to work"!

[blessedw2]

great job dnancy on baking!

my lights are on the christmas tree.
ornaments are on the table ready for placing.

I have to follow a guide such as flylady's list as I get completely discombobulated if I don't have a focus. that's why dindiana's and dharriets guide help me so much.

[blessedw2]

tree is decorated.
today's goal: take all boxes that I had ornaments in and put them in closet where I keep christmas.

Monday pick up dh's meds, make sure my makeup etc. is all in the right place
tuesday: cleaners pick up, early am get things for salad, hair dye appointment
wednesday: seperate presents by families
thursday: charge cameras, showers.
friday: put presents, cameras, extra cloths and food/wine/pop in car leave at 1:30

[Nancy]

Way to go blessed an all who enter this thread this week!

[blessedw2]

from flylady:

"Dear Friends,

Here it is five days and counting till Christmas. Are you beginning
to feel like a chicken with its head cut off? Now is not the time to
run around like a screaming banshee. We have things to do, and the
faster we get to them, the easier life is gonna to be.

The first thing we have to do is sit down with a warm cup of something
wonderful and your holiday control Journal or notebook. We're going to
look at exactly what it is that needs to be done and in the order that
it needs to be done. Now is the time to figure out what it is we
really want and what it is we think we want and decide which is a
priority.

Sometimes deciding what we want and what we're willing to let go of is
a big step for us. As SHE's we want to it all and we want it now.
Then when we can't figure out how to do it all at once; we give up and
do nothing. This is not going to happen a week before Christmas. We
have a plan. We been procrastinating about putting together a plan
for several weeks now, because we don't think we have time. Time is
running out, but you still have time. The key is letting go of our
perfectionism, setting our priorities and getting off our Frannie's to
do something.

If we spend the next few minutes feeling sorry for ourselves saying,
we only have seven days; how in the world can I get all this done in
just seven days. We won't accomplish anything! You can do it! It's
called babysteps. Our babysteps will get us to our goal. We just have
to start now!

1. Do you have that cup of something warm at yet?

2. Do you have a piece of paper?

3. Set your timer for 15 minutes.

4. Do you have any presents that need to be mailed?

5. Do you have any presents that need to be purchased?

6. Do you have any parties to attend? Do you have to bring a dish?
Do you have a hostess gift? Do you need to take presents to this
party? When is the party? Are the presents wrapped? Are the
presents purchased?

7. Have you purchased the food for your Christmas party? What are
you having? Make a list of the menu.

8. How's the house look? Do you need to do is in crisis cleaning?
How about clearing off your hotspots?

9. Are there any presents a need to be wrapped?

10. Any more decorations that need to be put out?

11. Is there anything else that you can think of that needs to be done?

Now that you've answered these questions. It's time to put them into
priorities. You can't do everything at once. So it's time to pick
one! What will it be? What item is bothering you the most? This is
a good place to start.

Now that you've been sitting for 15 minutes. It's time for you to get
up and do something. Set your timer. Now pick something from your
list and go!

Set your priorities, you got a plan, now to implement that plan!

FlyLady"

[Harmony]

Blessed, I feel like I pushed myself kicking and screaming through my "plan" this year. While I was out shopping I noted that I did not enjoy one minute of that. I did the things that are important to me, though, and am very pleased with the results. My Christmas cookies this year look like something someone would buy from a very expensive place. I started out trying to keep things simple, but ended up with the harder stuff, and tried new recipes that I really like.

Isn't there a week after the holidays that one is supposed to sit down and analyze what worked and what didn't work? Or is that something we just all did here? I think I'm going to try to get some more "happiness" in all this next time. Hmmm, something to ponder...

[Nancy]

Creche' is on top of the piano beside the white tree with colored lights on it and around the creche' no ornaments on the tree this past couple of years.

I'm enjoying Christmas this year and doing it because I do like it not because I have to now with
out stockings to stuff less cards to send out, not as many holiday parties because we have dropped a lot of the social clubs we were in and as the kids are getting older it does seem to be getting easier for us. We can enjoy things we like the most these days.

[blessedw2]

((dharmony - I understand)), you have had the same things to do and having dkids live 3 hours away makes it hard to get everything together and up. After christmas is when we usually here find out what worked and what didn't but I was being reflective of what makes myself and my family happy)
I think cooking and trying new things is a wonderful way to do your holidays! dharmony. those cookies sound wonderful.
I also like to cook but it depends on the year. this year we are trying a new cookie, biscotti for our families.

I guess this week I tend to see what I want for my family, I tend to relax a lot this week as I make myself do the present thing early. the first year I over did it.. wanting the "perfect" Christmas and our family loved that the house was decorated etc. but it was too structured. I have learned to get what must be done out of the way early and what is a joy added in during the end.

dnancy. I like what you said "I'm enjoying Christmas this year and doing it because I do like it not because I have to"
I think that brings a lot of peace to the holiday for me.

Also this year I did not decorate outside. time slid away and at first I thought the kids would be really disappointed but I did buy a small tree and put it out front with lights on it and we are feeding the birds off of it. dh's finch feeder is next to it. besides thinking of others we are thinking of the animals this year. it is right outside our front room window. we also have the tree up and the decorations in the house. What I thought was important wasn't and now I don't have to worry about taking the lights done in the ice/snow.lol

I have a hard time only that my inlaws wait till the last minute as they are all so busy but that makes me stressed out. I got all the groceries shopped for and found out today they changed what I was to bring. I will bring what I was originally told and buy a tray like they want. they love that stressful part of the holidays.

so yesterday dgirls and I decorated our premade gingerbread houses and watched a movie together with dh.