August 22nd-28th 2021

[sweetpumkinpye]

This week sees us in our second week in lock down and under a stay at home order. Numbers seem to be improving so hopefully we are on the right path. Work for me both days this week but reduced hours on Monday. The rest of the week will be spent at home and making the best of the situation and getting a lot of work done. There is certainly enough to keep me busy.

Daily:
Moisturise morning,
Water throughout day,
Shower/bath at night,
Moisturise,
Brush teeth,
Lip balm,
Hand cream,
Clean kitchen and DW on before bed.
Read and sleep at reasonable time.

Weekly:
*make work lunches for Monday (X) Tuesday (X)
*washing (X)(X)
*fold washing (X)
*vacuum floors (X)
*mop floors ( )
*clean bathrooms (X)( )
*meal plan dinners plus work lunches ( )
*clean fridge (X)
*tidy pantry ( )
*tidy freezer ( )
*tidy stockpile ( )
*shopping list (fortnightly) (X) grocery shopping (fortnightly) (X) online this week

Fun/ Christmas prep:
*start/continue/finish one craft project (X)
*start/continue/finish one book/magazine ( ) Goal for the year is to read 10, I have read 14
*update planner ( )
*tidy gift closet ( )
*continue looking for stocking fillers and gifts ( )
*start working on HGP/update lists in binder ( )
*start thinking ahead for Spring/Summer ( )meals ( )plans ( )celebrations ( )

Extras:
*Exercise at least 4 days (X) (X) (X) (X)
*Look at HGP, is it working for me? How can I improve it? ( )
*Re visit freezer cooking sessions (X)
*Online grocery order Tuesday (X)
*Connect with family via phone (X)
*Tidy Pintrest boards (X)
*Place online order from department store ( )

5 small chores:
1) Wash/vacuum car (X)
2) Look through recipe books for meal ideas (X)
3) Tidy my sewing boxes (X)
4) Iron bunting (X)
5) Start packing wedding items (X)
6) Wash vacuum cleaner filters (X)

Word of the Year:
IMPROVE

 

[Holiday_Mom]

This week marks the beginning of the back to school season for me. This means adjusting to new routines and less people living here. Last year we had 7 of us here due to restrictions. Here it is a year later and it will be 4 of us.

Katrina - It sounds like you are making the best of the situation right now. When we were in lockdown, many of our neighbors weren't able to work from home so they did a whole house declutter. By that I mean, they were getting rid of stuff as if they were moving. We always saw interesting objects out by the curb the night before the trash collectors came. A lot of home improvement projects were also being done. Dh has been working from home since March 2020 so we didn't participate in the "Great Neighborhood Clean Up and Home Improvement Season."

• Weed Gardens
• Clean Bathrooms.
• Pay bills -
• Correspondence: Family History group;
• Appts: Monday: Uniform Store; Oral Surgeon Consultation; Tuesday: Physical Therapy; Thursday: Physical Therapy; New Parent Meeting
• Menu Planning
  • Menu plan for upcoming week.
  • Check that ingredients for planned meals are in the house.
  • Make a grocery list.
  • Buy groceries.
  • Food Prep: Cut up onions, peppers and carrots, etc, for upcoming meals.
• FlyLady: Master Bedroom
  • Dust.
  • Vacuum.
  • Clean Windows.
  • Declutter room.
  • Shred papers.
• Do weekly reflection.
• Staple reflection papers to the planner pages.
• Update journal.
• Wrap bridal shower gifts and sign card.
• Declutter boxes from the closet.
• Register for Church.
• Begin to think about HHP and things to do in August.
  • Work on the items on the Holiday Spruce Up list.
  • Inventory Christmas Cards, Stamps and Christmas card list.
  • Look through the new catalog and place order for cards.
  • Prepare dry mixes for holiday baking: 3 mixes done, 4 more to make
  • Work on Christmas Planner Binder to include weekly what worked and didn't work sections
  • Inventory tape, glue, pencils, pens, paper am scissors
  • Think about stocking stuffers and start a gift list.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Dh has been working from home since March 2020 so we didn't participate in the "Great Neighborhood Clean Up and Home Improvement Season."

Similar things are happening here. You cannot hire a dumpster (we call them skip bins) at the moment. Many people are in a declutter frenzy. At the height of the shut down last year charities had to close their doors to donations as there were just too many.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

• • Work on Christmas Planner Binder to include weekly what worked and didn't work sections
  • Inventory tape, glue, pencils, pens, paper am scissors
  • Think about stocking stuffers and start a gift list.

I am loving these ideas. I especially like the what worked and what didn't idea. My household binder is always evolving because I see great ideas like this.

 

[MrsSoup]

This week brings the start of school for us here too. While I started last week, my students start on Tuesday and my own children start on Wednesday. Eli has open house on Tuesday and DD on Thursday. There are appointments scattered throughout the week as well. Should be an interesting adjustment for all. I am taking today to get prepared (hopefully).

[X] [X] [X] [X] [X] Eli practice (mornings until school starts and then it will be after school)
[X] Eli open house (Tue)
[X] Addison open house (Thu)
[X] [X] Addison PT

[C] Call for same day appt for my foot (if none, make appt for Monday if possible)
[ ] Call to schedule massage, or full day of pampering on a Monday or weekend soon

[X] Wash sheets
[X] Meal plan/plan lunches
[X] Grocery shop
[X] Dollar Tree
[ ] Pick out first day outfit (help kids if needed)

[X] Make copies
[ ] Make calming bottle
[X] Find play-doh
[X] Put velcro on calendar pieces
[X] Label file folders
[X] Label Eagle folders
[X] Put up student birthdays on wall
[X] Take laptop stand and Scentsy lamp to school
[X] Learn more about Promethean
[ ] Cut pool noodles for cardio drumming brain breaks

 

[Holiday_Mom]

This week brings the start of school for us here too. While I started last week, my students start on Tuesday and my own children start on Wednesday. Eli has open house on Tuesday and DD on Thursday.

Jess - It sounds like a week of adjustments for everyone. You'll do great! You have so much enthusiasm for teaching. Things are bound to go wrong at some point so be sure to give yourself grace at those times. (Spoken by one who gives more grace to others than to myself.)

I am loving these ideas. I especially like the what worked and what didn't idea. My household binder is always evolving because I see great ideas like this.

Katrina- I have been doing the weekly reflection on what worked and didn't work since January. I think doing that exercise brings clarity at some point.

It got me thinking about Christmas Prep. I know I can be hard on myself because I like setting goals, using a list and attaining goals. Life interrupts those goals so often. There were 2 different Novembers that were especially difficult for me. The cleaning plan kept me going but I didn't process my feelings. I thought combining both would be a good way to: (1) process those things that are hard to process, (2)be kind to myself and (3) still move forward with Christmas plans.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Jess, wishing you the very best for your first week. You have worked so hard towards this and I know that you will do great. Be kind to yourself, it will be a big few weeks for you.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Mary, I will sit down very soon and revisit plans, ideas, goals for next year. We must take our feelings into account, we must be kind to ourselves.

 

[MrsSoup]

Thank you Katrina! I will try to give myself grace, as Mary said. As someone that likes to have everything just so, it will be difficult not to get down on myself if something doesn't go right, but I am also reminding myself that it's my first year and i'm learning right along with my students. I will be using that as a lesson for them as well, that mistakes happen and we learn from them and move on. I think i'm mostly worried about behavior issues and handling them correctly. I think that if I just love them, give them grace, and treat them like human beings everything will be alright in the end.

 

[Miss JoDee]

Jessica, I always started out firm on the discipline and let up when I knew that understood I met business when it came to rules. Once they understood the rules they needed to be followed I was able to extend grace. (Minor consequences when learning rules but still a consequence). They needed to know that rules were made for a reason. I could turn most rule in to a safety issue for them or others. I tried to get them to tell me the why behind the rule. I would also learned to remind a lot in the beginning of the rules and consequences.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Thank you Katrina! I will try to give myself grace, as Mary said. As someone that likes to have everything just so, it will be difficult not to get down on myself if something doesn't go right, but I am also reminding myself that it's my first year and i'm learning right along with my students. I will be using that as a lesson for them as well, that mistakes happen and we learn from them and move on. I think i'm mostly worried about behavior issues and handling them correctly. I think that if I just love them, give them grace, and treat them like human beings everything will be alright in the end.

Perfectly put. Remember also that at home you have mostly grown children and a DH that loves you. Lean on them over the next few weeks when things seem overwhelming. Ask for their help and don't let it rest all on your shoulders.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I was hoping to get to check off some more items from my list but I don't think that's going to happen between now and Saturday. Tonight and tomorrow will be getting dd packed up and unpacked.

I did pick up a small binder to keep notes for HHP. I do enjoy being off line and sitting outside to work on my lists. The writing with pen and paper, the sun, the birds, and the wind make it very grounding and real. The flip side, is the online notes are searchable and I can access them from the phone if I'm out shopping and I have a question. I'm going to try writing ideas in the binder and then transferring it to the computer later.

The catalog where I buy my cards has sent me their Christmas card catalog! I will look through that hopefully next week.

I did let my dc know that it would nice if they could start a list of gift ideas sooner than later. It would benefit me and those who ask for gift suggestions. Last year we tried it with Google Docs and it helped. In the beginning, they didn't have many ideas but as they had more time to think about it, the list got bigger.