Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time
My Knitterella gift tags just arrived in the mail. Aren’t they cute? I got the top two styles, plus a holiday one for next year. After I get a few things done around here, I’m going to sit down with a nice hot mug of coffee (with a shot of International Delight Caramel Macchiato), read her blog, and get inspired.
What to do with all the art the kids bring home from school? You want to give that hard work and creativity the respect it deserves but there’s only so much wall space. I found a large, cheap frame at a local antique shop, removed the original art (a hunting scene that I hope wasn’t worth millions), and hung the empty frame on the wall over the kids’ art cabinet. A more exacting sort of person might have repainted it, but I think the whole gold and shiny thing makes it special.
So now the kids select their favorite pieces, I tape them onto the wall inside the frame, and we enjoy the artwork until some new projects are ready to take a turn. The kids are happy because their work is being honored and I’m happy because it’s not taking over the house.
Full disclosure: I don’t keep every piece of schoolwork or artwork that comes home. I used to save every single scribble, but I realized after a few years that kids bring home a lot of stuff, especially in the preschool and kindergarten years. Lily alone draws 10 pictures a day. So I recycle a lot of it, give some away, and store the rest in bins labeled for each kid. These bins are also a great place to store report cards, awards, and other mementos. When they fill up, we sit down together and weed out some things (easier to do after a few years have gone by) to make room for more.
Amanda at Kind Over Matter has a great freebie to help you spread a little sunshine. Print out one of these fliers (or customize your own) and stick it on the bulletin board at your local coffee shop, post office, or grocery store. Or put it up on your fridge to let your nearest and dearest know how much they mean to you. Don’t forget to snip along the dotted lines so people can tear off the messages.
I just realized it’s the 25th, which means it’s time for Holiday Countdown: Part 1.
I know, I know. How dare I even mention Christmas 2011 when you’re still recovering from Christmas 2010? Here’s the deal. After way too many frenzied December days followed by way too many nights staying up way too late trying to get everything done, I promised myself that next year I would do things differently. As Tim kindly pointed out, I was trying to do a year’s worth of stuff in four weeks. How true. So then and there I decided no more waiting until after Thanksgiving to start doing all the things I could easily do throughout the year.
Of course we’re busy the rest of the year, too, and it’s hard to think about the holidays when you’re chasing kids around a swimming pool on a blistering summer’s day. But let’s remember the desperation of December and power through. And don’t worry. I’ll ease us in gently because we’re still feeling a little fragile from last Christmas.
First things first: Organization
Here’s a nice little project that will help you have a more organized Christmas. I saw Ann’s Amazing Holiday Planner years ago in Family Fun magazine. This was before downloadable PDFs were the norm so my planner sheets look very much like the handmade ones found in the original article. But you can download Family Fun’s ready-made versions if you prefer. Grab a 3-ring binder and some dividers, print out the planning sheets, give them a quick punch, and you’re good to go!
If you’re already on top of your holiday game, you could make this organizer as a gift for an overwhelmed friend or relative. He or she will love you for it. I know I would have.
Next up: Advent Books
We started an Advent Book tradition when our oldest was in preschool and it’s still a family favorite. Every day starting December 1st the kids take turns opening a wrapped Christmas book and we read it together. In the beginning many of the books were board books because that’s what we had around, but since we give each kid a new Christmas book every year the collection has grown quickly. Tim and Andrew’s favorite is The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Lexie and I love Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Rylant, Will digs Santa Kid by James Patterson, and Lily is all over Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O’Connor. In early January, I pick 25 to wrap, plunk myself down in front of the TV after the younger kids are in bed, and wrap away. Just remember where you hide them.
I bought three of next year’s books for 50 percent off at Borders right after Christmas. They didn’t have one of the books I wanted in stock (Every Man Heart Lay Down by Lorenz Grahm) so I was going to order it later and use a coupon. The old me would have forgotten all about this until December and stressed out trying to find a copy. But the new me will calmly order the book and be all set for next year. The Plan is already working!
That wasn’t so bad, was it? Future topics include: Teacher Gifts, Sibling Gifts, Kids’ Crafting-for-Charity Party Ideas, Fun Traditions, Christmas Knits, Wrapping Ideas, Decorating, and Recipes.