Calendars 102

This is a re-post from last year; I admit it. But hey, I'm feeling sick, lousy, and uninspired, and I already said what I wanted to say, so what's wrong with putting it out there again for those of you who missed it?

Have you bought your 2010 calendar yet? If not, stop reading this blog post. Go buy a wall calendar, a purse calendar, a desk calendar, a family fridge calendar, refills for your Day Timer, whatever you use. Right now! Yes, really! Then come straight back. Now are you ready?

First, make sure you have your current calendar beside the new one. Then, go through and add in all the birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, and holidays. Use a pen for all these dates. Next, find all those scraps of paper stuffed under the couch cushions and scribbled on the edges of the old calendar that have the events scheduled for this coming year. Write all these events in your new calendar. Use a pencil for these events. That way if there are last minute changes, you won’t have a scribbled out mess on your calendar. Be sure to update all your calendars (including the family one on the fridge) every time you make a change.

The next most important tip is to use your calendar FAITHFULLY! Never commit to an appointment without consulting your calendar. Train your children (and hubby!) to do the same thing. Don’t forget to write down each and every new event right away, otherwise you’re likely to forget about it.

Here comes the fun part! Let me tell you about my favorite products. My absolute favorite calendar organizational item is my Palm Centro (it goes EVERYWHERE with me and syncs with my computer calendar, too). I realize not everyone wants one of those (or could have one), but it’s what I use. My next favorite tool is a monthly, magnetic, dry-erase calendar by Boone (bought at Wal-Mart). Each week is a separate magnet, so we can always see ahead for an entire month ahead of where we are. All family appointments, classes, and other events go onto that calendar. Each family member has his or her own color marker to designate personal events. Each child also has her own small student calendar, and I am training them to put long-term homework assignments as well as schedules into these. (True confession: I wrote this post a year ago & we're still working on this goal!) We also have a few wall calendars by our desks, mostly for long-term reference.

If you aren’t visiting with family or friends, New Year’s Day is a great time to make the official transfer from the old calendar to the new calendar. See, I’ve given you a whole extra day to go buy your calendars!

Q4U: What's your best calendar organizing tip? What's your favorite type of calendar? (Oops, that's 2 questions.)

The Real Christmas Story

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancee, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: "Glory to God in the heavenly heights, peace to all men and women on earth who please him."

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. it turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

~ Luke 2:1-20, The Message

Christmas Traditions

Y'all know how much I love lists, but there is one thing for which I don't need a list: our Christmas morning traditions. It's been pretty much the same since I was a kid. My own kids have taken over waking up their parents way too early.

Christmas stockings are placed by the side of the beds before Santa (aka Mom) goes to bed on Christmas Eve. When I was a kid, we were allowed to open our stockings whenever we woke up--even if it was 3 a.m.! Our kids usually wait until 7 or so and bounce on our bed with their stockings. We groggily open them together, then read/recite the Christmas story from Luke 2. The recitation usually comes from the KJV because that's the way I memorized it years ago.

After reliving the REAL reason for the season, we troop (or race, depending on the age!) to the tree. Instead of a free for all, the dad (my hubby or my dad, if we're together) hand out presents a few at a time. That way we can enjoy the opening process and see what each other received. That's also a good way to stretch out the presents.

As we open our gifts, I make a list of who received what from whom so proper thank you notes can be written. We also munch on the Chex mix and other goodies that were in our stockings. That's usually our breakfast (hey, it's just cereal minus the milk!).

Then we laze around and I work on a nice dinner. We usually call the family members who aren't with us and try to Skype my brother and his family, who live overseas.

Q4U: What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

P.S. - Happy Birthday to me!! :-) Nope, I'm not telling you how old I am, but I will tell you that one of my birthday traditions has been insisting that my birthday be separate from Christmas and that my presents be wrapped in real birthday paper instead of Christmas paper.

Life Happened Last Week

What did you have planned for last week in order to get ready for Christmas this week? Did you get it all done?

My original plan for last week did not include editing the first 2 volumes of The Tutor for the big re-release scheduled for Jan. 15. They arrived in my inbox last weekend. My original plan for last week did not include waiting for an editing job from a different publisher. I was going to start it the week before that. My original plan did not include having my cousin visit all week and drag me out to do impulsive stuff like getting a second hole pierced in my right ear to match the second hole I've had in my left ear since college days and going to the mall on the Saturday before Christmas. My original plan for last week included wrapping all the gifts, getting ahead on my blog posts and articles, and cleaning the house before all of our holiday traveling (3 states in 2 weeks = 30 hours of driving).

So, what did the very organized homeschool mom ACTUALLY do last week? In case you didn't pick up on the clues above, I let the editing jobs sit unopened in my inbox; I left the vacuum cleaner in the laundry room, and most of the gifts are still on a shelf in my closet (ssshhhhh, don't give away my hiding spot!). Instead, I did crazy stuff with my cousin, watched some fun movies, cuddled a sick child (actually 2 sick kids in turn), and RELAXED.

How would you feel if you'd relaxed with family and friends last week instead of running around like crazy? Yep, it felt pretty good! So, during this super-busy time of year, remember to slow down long enough to ENJOY your family and friends. That's what they'll remember years from now anyway, not the fact that your house was totally spotless and that you had a gourmet feast fit for a king (but didn't have time to sit down and eat it yourself).

If you're waiting for my true confession, here it is: now that my cousin is on the plane back to Florida and it's only 4 days until Christmas (2 days until we leave), I am in full panic mode! I have a lot to do in the next 2 days. But, I don't regret the way I spent last week one iota.

Q4U: What's on your docket for the next few days? Do you need to make a few changes to your list to include some downtime with your family? Let me know!

My Mamma Raised Me Right

Is it just me, or are thank you notes (the paper kind you hold in your hand) becoming obsolete? Are they following the dwindling number of friendly letters and Christmas letters and cards that used to stuff our mailboxes? Well, my mum (she’s Canadian, but I thought the southern phrase more apropos for the title) taught me to acknowledge every gift with a handwritten thank you note. If your techno-kids balk, here are some inspirations to help reinstate the good old-fashioned thank you note.

1. Don’t restrict Thanksgiving to a single day or month. On the contrary, the fact that Thanksgiving comes exactly a month before the day when kids get overloaded with new toys, books, and electronic gadgets should prime them for even more thankfulness.

2. Someone—grandparent, aunt, sibling, parent—took the time to pick out a special gift for each child in your home. The least a child can do in return is to take the time to handwrite note acknowledging appreciation for the gift and for the thought that went into its purchase.

3. Yes, grandparents know that little Jimmy just loved the Tonka truck, but writing a thank you note is kind of like saying “I love you.” You know it, but it’s still nice to hear frequently.

4. The Bible leads the way in encouraging thankful attitudes. “Offer to God thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14a NJKV). “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4, NKJV). “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NKJV).

5. You can count writing thank you notes as a school project! Just look at all the subjects you’ll cover: grammar (proper letter forms and written grammar), handwriting, art (if they design their own), spelling, and etiquette (it is good manners to write thank you notes).

6. Let’s face it: the kids will be looking for something to do in between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The novelty of the new toys will wear off about two days after they’re opened and writing thank you notes can help fill in the time gap before you’re ready to jump back into formal lessons in January.

7. Many children enjoy designing their own cards or drawing pictures. The recipients will enjoy seeing those pictures and cards on their refrigerators. This works especially well with children who are too young to write complete sentences; they can draw pictures of themselves playing with their new toys.

How many ways can you say thank you? Shukran Gazillan, Thoinks, Moite! Wado, Xie_Xie, Merci, Danke sehr, Mahalo, Köszönöm, Grazie, Cheers, Salamat, Spasiba, Tapadh Leat, Gracias a todos, Tesekkurler, Thanks y'all! (Other languages courtesy of e-Tailers Digest.)

This article is featured at Heart of the Matter Online!

FREE Christmas Music Download!

Merry Christmas from the folks at Codex Publishing! Please enjoy a FREE GIFT from us: a download of the American folk Christmas song “I Wonder as I Wander.” Please visit our Web site in order to access your totally free mp3 download.

Many of the Christmas carols we sing today have been around for several hundred years. I assumed this was the case with “I Wonder as I Wander” until I did a bit of research on it. This haunting melody was first heard by composer John Jacob Niles in 1933 when he visited the Appalachian town of Murphy, North Carolina.

Accounts differ, but the Morgan family was a poor, homeless family trying to collect enough money to buy enough gas to drive out of town. Various people had gathered to help them collect the money, John Niles among them. The Morgan’s young, unkempt daughter sang a few lines of this Appalachian folk song, and Niles paid her a quarter each time she sang it in order to try to capture the lyrics. He was only able to glean fragments, but later rounded out the first verse and added verses two and three.

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For people, just people like you and like I,
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary bore Jesus, ’twas in a cow’s stall,
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.
But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall.
And the promise of the ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing,
Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,
He surely could have had it, for He was the King.

Sources:
* Amy Schumaker @ Suite 101
* Wikipedia

Additional resources:
* Sermon highlighting the song on Lifeway
* Midi music file and PDF sheet music file
* Maureen Hegarty singing with cool pictures on YouTube

Sane Holiday Homeschooling

The following article appears today in a guest column over at Anne Elliot's blog and in her weekly newsletter. Thanks for hosting me, Anne!

Is it possible to homeschool sanely and still celebrate the Christmas? Yes! How? My two best tips are to make lists and to start early. I love lists! I make lists of my lists (yes, really). I keep a running list in my Palm Centro (hand-held organizer, but a notebook will do) of every person for whom I regularly buy gifts. As I hear hints or think of gift ideas, I make a note of it. I make a note next to the item after I’ve bought it. This works for birthday presents as well as for Christmas gifts. People who receive our annual Christmas letters/cards/pictures (depending on the year) are on a master database on my computer. Every year, I update the list for cards received and sent the previous year, and who we’ll be sending cards to, then I print it out to check off names as new cards roll in. In early November, I print out address labels for the cards (I update my computer’s address book as needed throughout the year). By the end of the month, I’ve written the letter or pulled out the cards I bought at the after-Christmas sale the previous year. The cards are in the mail the first week of December.

Throughout the year, I buy gifts for family and friends as I see things that would be appropriate. Since none of our family lives close by, all of their gifts are bought and wrapped early in the fall. They get mailed anywhere from mid-October (overseas) to early December (stateside). All the rest of the gifts are bought by the first week in December. I usually wait until the weekend before Christmas to wrap the gifts because I don’t like to put them under the tree too early, but it’s written in my planner. My husband takes the kids out for an afternoon while I do the wrapping. I put on my favorite Christmas music, pour myself a cup of hot chocolate, and think about how each person will enjoy opening his or her gifts from our family.

By early November, I’m working on my menu lists for any meals or parties that I’ll be hosting. The calendar is updated daily, and the food and necessity shopping lists are updated as needed. I start buying things like pie filling or chocolate chips early and a little bit at a time. That way, my food budget doesn’t get too blown out of proportion. Also, if a guest asks what she can bring, I’m able to make a suggestion and then make a note of her contribution right on my menu.

Okay, that covers Christmas, but what about school? Well, I do try to make the kids’ workloads a bit lighter for the month. We focus on the basics and on the subjects that persist in making the workbooks have thirty-six weeks of work in them. I make sure my lesson plans are done right after Thanksgiving so they know what to expect. All the parties, cookie baking, decorating, and shopping trips are good incentives for the kids to finish their schoolwork early during the day. As far as housecleaning and other chores go, we do things the same way we do the rest of the year: everyone has assigned chores each day. A few things do get left undone, but even the very organized homeschool mom can’t do everything. We incorporate fun activities and ministering to others (nursing home sing-alongs, delivering cookies to our pastors, etc.) into our school days as well. For younger children, baking all those Christmas goodies can certainly count for math (measuring) and home economics.

We do take off the two weeks right around Christmas and New Year’s Day, though. Those two weeks are just enough to give us a relaxing breather, but not long enough to forget too much. We’re refreshed and ready start school again early in January.
Remember to slow down long enough to celebrate the birth of our Savior this Christmas season. Take time to read the Christmas story from Luke and to sing some traditional Christmas carols around the piano. Those are two of our favorite Christmas traditions.

Get Your Wrapping Paper Under Wraps

If you have cute, matching, Rubbermaid storage containers for your wrapping paper, bows, ornaments, tree lights, and table decorations, stop reading right now. You heard me! You don't need me if you've got red and green plastic storage totes. This post is for those of you who spend ten minutes digging out the crumpled wrapping paper from under the bed. This post is for those whose cardboard boxes fall apart in the garage as you're lugging them towards the kitchen. This post is for those of you whose bow collection has multiplied in more places than dust bunnies. You know who you are.

Let's just get today's confession out of the way right now. My wrapping paper rolls are not in a special, long plastic container. My bows are not in a red box. My decoration storage boxes do not all match each other. Phew! That almost hurt to type! But, I want you to know that you can get your wrapping paper, bows, tags, and decorations under wraps without spending a fortune at The Container Store (even though that would be really fun!).

I think the rolls of wrapping paper are the trickiest things to corral. First of all, put a rubber band on each end of the roll to keep it from unwrapping itself. This will keep it from getting so mangled that you have to throw away half of it before you even start wrapping. Then, go buy another roll at a Hallmark store or another retail store. You probably need at least another roll to get all of this year's stuff wrapped anyway. SAVE the long bag that the clerk put it in. Use that bag to store all of your wrapping paper rolls in. Voila! I store my bag of wrapping paper rolls upright in a corner of my (very small) coat closet. The guest room closet or under a bed would work, too.

The tissue paper, bows, ribbon, and tags are stored in a medium-sized plastic storage container. It's a cheap one not specifically designated as such. All of the gift bags are stored in another storage container of the same size. These are stacked on the floor of my coat closet. Since we moved south, we don't have snow boots, so this works for us. Again, find and designate a spot that will work for the space you have. The important thing is to store all of this stuff in the same spot so that you don't waste time hunting it down all over the house. If you wish, throw a pair of scissors, a roll of tape, and a pen into one of the boxes.

Now comes the fun part: the decorations. Yes, this really is the perfect time to start organizing your Christmas decorations. They're already out (right?), so you can see exactly how much stuff you have. Start by throwing out broken and long-unused decorations. I promise it won't hurt! If it truly is extremely sentimental (there should only be a few of those), store it in a special place where it can be enjoyed, but not further damaged.

I do recommend plastic storage containers for your decorations for two reasons: 1) They are protected from water damage, and 2) They are protected from termite and mice damage. Unfortunately, I tell you these things from experience, but I'll spare you the gory details. This is a great time of year to pick up red and green containers cheaply. Of course, that's not necessary, but when my hubby makes his yearly trek up the black hole into the attic, he can tell at a flick of the flashlight which boxes need to come down. Mine have been purchased at different times, so they don't all match, but they all work! I'm thinking I should really buy another container for this year, though . . .

Anyway, take a look at what all you have and try to estimate how many storage containers you'll need. Plan on sending your hubby to the store for a few more the day you take down all your decorations since you'll probably underestimate your needs!

When it's time to undecorate, blare the Christmas music one last time and pull out your new boxes. Tackle one area of the house at a time. Put similar decorations together. For instance, most of your ornaments will probably fit into one container. Put your tabletop decorations into another box. Store nativity scenes and mantle trimmings in another one. You get the idea. For the lights, put each strand carefully into a separate plastic grocery bag, then put the bags into a box. My wreath and large Star of Bethlehem get stored in heavy-duty garbage bags; there's no need to buy pricey wreath storage containers.

That's it! Next year, you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover how easy your decorations are to find and assemble, and how easy it is to pull out the wrapping paper for a serious wrapping session.

Freebie link for the day: a printable Christmas planner from The Excutive Homemaker. Leave me a note with your best holiday storage tip!

For Girls Only! Devotions

From the title, For Girls Only! Devotions, to the cool purple writing, to the cutesy illustrations, to the real-life issues addressed with attention-grabbing titles, to the biblically sound yet accessible snippets, to the interactive quizzes, author Carolyn Larsen has hit a home run. Each devotion starts off with a Scripture verse, moves through a realistic example from another girl's life, and cuts to the chase with a practical application.

Moms will love the assistance that these discussion starters provide. Girls will love feeling that they're not alone in their tweeny struggles. For Girls Only! gets two thumbs up from this mom of a tween (and a teen).

Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary review copy. I just know Kitty will love unwrapping it in a few weeks!

Do You Know Where Your Christmas Cards Are?

Christmas Countdown designed by Christmas Gifts.org

It's December 3rd. Do you know where your lights, cards, and nativity scene are? I know, I know! The lights are on our decorated tree, the nativity scene is on the table beside the phone, and the cards are on my desk. But, they're addressed (yes, I do cheat and print labels on the computer!) and half are written.

Christmas is a wonderful season of giving and sharing, and most of all, of commemorating our Savior's birth. Somehow, though, these most important things get lost in the hustle and bustle of decorating, overspending on gifts for people we hardly know (as well as the ones we do know), and trying to get everyone to look happy for the annual family photo.

You know by now how much I LOVE lists, so it should not be a surprise that I think lists are a lifesaver especially at Christmas. However, the type of list I am going to suggest just might surprise you. Sit down with a blank piece of paper (or an open Word document, or your personal calendar/organizer) and write down all of the preparations you need to make for Christmas every year. Just make these general items, not specifics like "Buy red sweater for Aunt Mary." You may wish to keep the list easily accessible for a few days so you can add things as you think of them.

Then take a look at your list and put it in a general sequence that makes sense for you. I could just tell you that you have to make your gift and card lists in October, shop in November, and decorate the first of December, but that might not work for you. So, make your list work for you; don't work for your list.

After you've got your general, yearly list, make a copy of it (or store it on your computer). Then take a look at this year's calendar. Use whichever one you look at most frequently and pencil in the activities/preparations from your list onto your target date.

That's it! You've got your own, custom Christmas prep guide! While this is generally my method, I must be honest and tell you that I got the idea of writing this post from the Living on a Dime Newsletter. Marybeth Whalen also has a helpful Christmas checklist over at Hearts at Home today.

Q4U: how do you organize your Christmas preparations?

Does Pain Have a Purpose? (book review)

If you’re looking for a bunch of empty platitudes about suffering through God’s will, don’t read Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Drs. Paul Meier and David Henderson. Pain and problems WILL occur in our lives, but just as a physical pain sends us to a physician to root out its source, so should emotional pain send us to the Great Physician for healing. The book’s key point is that pain is NOT the enemy; it is a tool. Most of life’s problems are encompassed by these seven categories: injustice, rejection, loneliness, loss, discipline, failure, and death.

While some people may wish to read the book straight through, others may find it more helpful to read an applicable section at a time. I found that to be a useful feature. The authors presented a good balance of real-life examples with whom readers can easily identify, Scripture promises and reminders, and questions to consider. The section that I found to be most interesting and applicable currently was the one on discipline. Even though it can be self-imposed and necessary, it still hurts. Great read!

I’m a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program and they provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.