2017 HHP (Week 1)- PLANNING & PAPERWORK

[ejagno]

Let's get this party started friends. Below is the information for this weeks tasks with direct links in red. Please join us and share your HHP experience and goals.
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/house-holidays-plan/01-planning-week

 

[farmerswife]

Ellen your link came through for the HGP, here is the Link to the first week of the HHP,



http://christmas.organizedhome.com/house-holidays-plan/01-planning-week

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I am so ready for this! It's been a whirlwind nine months and I'm trying to reclaim the order that I once had.

I had given up paper planners for online calendars but ultimately, I've discovered that I work best with using paper planners first. I picked up a planner from BlueSky that has a monthly calendar and a two page weekly planner with lines. It's enough space to write notes in. There is something about the process of writing that helps me solidify things in my mind. Then I put it to my online calendar for when I'm out and about.

This Week's Household Checklist:

• Declutter and Straighten up the office/planning areas. I was working on paper clutter in August. I have school projects that I've been working on that need to be better organized and cleaned up. I want to set up a better space to keep my planner, Christmas notebook and household binder. Done
• Update Emergency Kit. It's not quite on the plan for this week but I still have to get it done. Irma is a big ol' question mark for the East Coast now. I want to deal with the kit in the next two days so I'm not restocking with everyone else if it heads our way. Done

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist:

• Set up a Christmas notebook. I'm going to use the old 5 x 8 planner this year. It had been misplaced under a bunch of telephone directories. It's a good size to grab when I have to pick up and drop off the children. I can read through it while waiting and make notes. I'll be using the a spread sheet again. I'll transfer any notes I make. It's been helpful to have it on Google Sheets to refer to and it's hard to loose. Done
• Write out our family values for Christmas. Done
• Create a Christmas activity center. I used a picnic basket last year and that was great to have. I need to look through it and make a list of things to keep in it. Done
• Establish a holiday budget. I'll sit down with my husband and talk about budgets and gifts. Done
• Begin a Master Gift List. I'll brainstorm ideas now for stocking stuffers and gifts for the children. In the past, we've done a family gift which would be a big ticket item like a Wii U, etc. Last year, we did an family adventure gift of zip lining. We cashed in on it in the summer and it was a big hit. I want to review the service/teacher gift list too. Done

 

[happy2bme]

The 2017 HHP is here, I am so excited! Can't wait to get started.

My tasks for the week are:

Household Checklist:
hang bulletin board - done
organize file folder - done
update planner - done

Holiday Prep Checklist:
read family values checklist - done
establish holiday budget - done

 

[Cindylouwho]

I'm here! Hello everyone!! So excited to get going! And I agree -- this year has been crazy! Am really looking forward to getting myself organized again! Right now I have to run out the door but just wanted to check in and touch base on Day 1 -- back again later with a list. I'm missed you all!

And Holiday Mom ~ I am a big digital planner. I find that works really well for me with appointments and such BUT this year I've discovered the Happy Planner and Bullet Journaling and I just love it! So I'll be juggling all of them from now on. I'm a firm believer that nothing happens unless it is written down. We'll have to talk more on this -we will have to share our systems.

 

[ejagno]

Thank you so much for catching the error Laurie. I've changed the link. Whew, it's been a crazy first few days. We are continuing to feed hurricane evacuees still being brought in from the flooding waters of Harvey. I wasn't sure if I was going to be moving my office/planning/craft room again to house my family from flooding so I sort of just did the wait and see thing. They've all escaped relatively unscathed although my oldest son's carriage/guest house had 3' of water in the bottom floor. Their main house was fine.

This Week's Household Checklist:

• Declutter and Straighten up the office/planning areas. Tomorrow I want to kick it in overdrive on my desk/office area. This has always been my "problem child" area. I will work diligently to resolve this. I'm struggling with technology and going paperless for many things.
• Update Emergency Kit. Having just gone through Harvey I do have some items to re-stock and replenish but right now our city is the first city you enter from Texas and these poor people are here in droves getting food and supplies they need to survive. Their needs are far more important at the moment so it's on my list for next month.

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist:

• Set up a Christmas notebook. I really haven't decided if I'm going to keep my paper copy or just keep everything in Evernote. I'm really trying to get my paper clutter under control and this is certainly one area that it would help to utilize Evernote. This way I have my lists, recipes and calendars with me at all times since I also have Evernote on my phone and tablet as well as my desktop. I'm in the process of setting up the notebook but being fairly new it's taking time.
• Write out our family values for Christmas. Last year, after Christmas, we made some significant changes to what was really important and wrote those down. I look forward to implementing them this year.
• Create a Christmas activity center. I have a whole room dedicated to my Christmas decorations, projects, gifts, wrapping and such.
• Establish a holiday budget. My Christmas shopping is 99% done since May. The remaining odds & ends will work well with our regular budget.
• Begin a Master Gift List. I do need to make a list of the few remaining people, charities I would like to buy for.

Additional Holiday/Household Goals:

• Keep up daily household routines before starting special Christmas tasks. I tend to get tunnel vision and focus on one thing while letting other items fall by the wayside. I have to set boundaries. In this household any day not sweeping or vacuuming leaves enough pet hair to form another pet.
• Cook Ahead. Each week my goal is to double one meal (entree & veggies) and put the extra meal in the freezer or canned. This is so helpful as the holdiays get closer and we're busy preparing big family meals or our homes.

Now I know we aren't the only 3 people following this plan. Come on friends..............let us know how it's going on your end. I know many of you are watching Irma, as we are, and I want you to know that my heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with our Florida/east coast/gulf coast members at this time.

 

[MrsSoup]

I may try to follow along some on this. Being that we have only been in our house a month, there's not much to do as far as decluttering and such. So i'll tweak where needed.

This Week's Household Checklist:

• Declutter and clean the home office area: This house is quite a bit smaller than our last one and does not really have an office. There is a small counter top area that is off to the side of the kitchen that is "supposed" to be the "office" area, but it is literally like a 4 foot counter space in between two walls. So, the printer, telephone and cable box/router are all on this space. We have shelves to hang up and my file cabinet is underneath. I would love to get the shelves hung so I can further get this space organized!
• Emergency Preparedness Kit: Since we just moved we have nothing in place. Being on an island we need to be prepared for hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes and basically to be cut off from the outside world for food and resources. There is some food grown on the island but mostly pineapples. We need to make sure we have a kit in place and ready, just in case, especially with this stuff with N. Korea going on. This week my goal will be to make a list of items that we don't have that we would need for our kit.

Holiday Prep Checklist:

• Family Values: I really want to sit down and decide what traditions we are going to uphold this year and maybe implement from our childhoods. DH and I had talked a bit about this recently and I would like to further the conversation and make a decision.
• Holiday Budget: We always set a roundabout budget for each of the children and stick pretty close to it. We don't buy for any other family unless we are physically going to visit them or they us. With us being on an island now, the cost of shipping alone is going to have to be figured into the budget moreso than in the past since it will be much higher.
• Master Gift List: I would love to sit down and start thinking of ideas for the kids. I have already had some thoughts for stocking stuffers.

I'm not doing a binder Christmas notebook and will keep records on my laptop or in a small notebook to carry with me when shopping.

 

[farmerswife]

Our office has been under construction for over a year now, added a full dormer across the 2nd floor. I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel, though. The carpet comes in 2 weeks, hoping it's not delayed and that is the final piece to a very long project. Can't wait to put my craft room, office, a sitting room and two guest bedrooms back together. Looking forward to the holidays this year with my whole house again.

 

[tanya]

Im here but Im lacking in motivation this week. Lots of other stuff happening- friend diagnosed with cancer, getting her treatment organised, helping her family, me being unwell with colds/ flu that just wont go away.

I will get it together.... lots of stuff from week 1 is already done- I just have not sat down to think about it... lists etc were pretty much done through the year. I do have what feels like a mountain of paperwork and organising to do.... now if I could just stay awake long enough to get it done....

Keep posting ladies... I will get my mojo back. Your progress spurs me into action.

I have half redone my planner. I was not super happy with last years so Im trying something new this year. I got halfway through doing it then got sick... its in the I will get to it pile.....

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Mel - I have a bulletin board that I recently hung on our entry wall. It has a US map with pins in the places we've visited. I want to get photos of the trip and pin them to the perimeter of the board.

Cindylouwho - It's nice to see you here again!

Ellen - I can't imagine dealing with 3 feet of water. My heart goes out to everyone dealing with flooding. We had 5 inches of water in our basement after Hurricane Floyd in 1999. We lost power and the sump pump stopped working. And I thought that was bad...

Mrs. Soup - It sounds like you will be off to a great start without the clutter.

Farmerswife - That is a big addition. I'm sure you will love having everything in place for Christmas.

Tanya - I'm sorry to hear about your friend and not feeling well yourself. The great thing about starting this prep work early is that there is wiggle room for when we have off days or weeks.

I want to share a tip for doing the Family Values sheet. I worked on this last night. I wrote down my answers and then remembered that at the end of the HHP plan last year we were asked to evaluate what went well and what we would change for this year. It was interesting for me to go back and read what I wrote because I most of my answers were different. There were some details that I forgot over time. Apparently, I haven't changed too much because the last thing I said in that post was "Keeping notes from year to year is very helpful. I'm surprised how easily I forget. "

 

[jollykelly]

Hello...I am in for the plan! Most of the items for Week #1 are already done. I use a binder and I already worked it up on those muggy dog days of summer! Here's to a great year!

This Week's Household Checklist:

• Declutter and clean the home office area:

Clean out desk drawers and bottom filing cabinet drawer - done
Clean blinds - done

• Emergency Preparedness Kit:

Complete kit for the car - done
Refill first aid kit - done

Holiday Prep Checklist:

• Set up a Christmas notebook: - done I use the same 3 ring binder every year, it works for me and easy to make changes to
  
• Family Values: done - like Mary, it really helped looking back on my recap list from last year
• Holiday Budget: done - had to make some tough decisions, but feel better that it is done and communicated to everyone
• Master Gift List: done - I have gone through the gift closet and recording everything down on my Master Gift List

Additional Holiday/Household Goals:

• Since my list this week is complete, I am going to do some tasks on the HGP plan
• Continue with menu planning and stocking baking supplies

 

[happy2bme]

I have cleaned out my file folder and thrown out a lot of stuff. I just need to make some new labels for a couple of the sections and this job will be done.

ETA - I have put the new labels in the file folder and that job is done.

I was going through a pile of papers that have accumulated since our move and realized that most were garbage, so into the recycle bin they went. Those that are important were put on the bulletin board - what a novel idea!

 

[ejagno]

Ladies, you are amazing.
Jess, the preparedness kit is a lifesaver. I have one in the car, the camper and at home.
Laurie, I know you must be so excited with such a wonderful addition to your home. Can't wait to see pictures when it's done.
Mel, I love the bulletin board idea and more so that it's working for you.
Kelly, I need your energy. Way to go!
Mary, that is a great tip on the family values and reassessing our values by reviewing what works & what needs improving.
Tanya, please take care of yourself and get well. Trust me, you will have plenty of time to revisit any week you might have missed or not completed. That's why I love the flexibility of this plan and the great support from this group. Being with your friend and her family during this time is exactly where you need to be and it just shows what a loving person you are. We will keep her in our thoughts and prayers. Now get some rest.

This week has been hectic and I'm still working on everything. I'm sure I'll be working on the paperwork aspect throughout the HHP while trying a whole new method of household filing and paperwork.

 

[housewife2]

this week i will work on my christmas planner. also going thur my desk and getting rid of old mail papers and junk that i dont need

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I started my master list and actually picked up something my daughter was asking for since it was on clearance! I finished my decluttering and organizing my work area. I had unfinished things that needed to be finished. No more procrastinating. It's done!

I decided that I'm going to keep a weekly housecleaning list with my Christmas notebook. I need reminders that weekly housework has to get done too. Sometimes I get a little too caught up in the Christmas prep and forget about the weekly stuff. I did a little catch up in the weekly work these past couple of days.

I have two things left: Sit down to talk budget with my husband and look through/set up the Christmas Activity center.

 

[happy2bme]

I started my master list and actually picked up something my daughter was asking for since it was on clearance! I finished my decluttering and organizing my work area. I had unfinished things that needed to be finished. No more procrastinating. It's done!

I decided that I'm going to keep a weekly housecleaning list with my Christmas notebook. I need reminders that weekly housework has to get done too. Sometimes I get a little too caught up in the Christmas prep and forget about the weekly stuff. I did a little catch up in the weekly work these past couple of days.

I have two things left: Sit down to talk budget with my husband and look through/set up the Christmas Activity center.

Mary,

It is easy to forget the regular housework when we are working on Christmas plans. Keeping a weekly housecleaning list is a great idea.

 

[happy2bme]

My planner is updated. I use my computer for that, so it didn't take long. I do a calendar from August to January and enter in all important dates like birthdays, holidays and wrapping parties. I was looking online for Christmas things to do in our new city and there is a lot. I think my calendar is going to be full this year!

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I got the budget set up, cleaned out the old papers from the basket I used for storing the Christmas Notebook, magazines and sales circular, and wrote down my weekly cleaning reminders on a "book mark" that I will use for my paper planner.

 

[Cindylouwho]

Ellen ~ Wishing your town lots of strength as you help those coming in from Texas! There's so many people needing open arms right now. And here comes Hurricane Irma. I'll be joining you with Evernote as I use it also and I have other online stuff that needs to be updated. I'm actually updating quite a bit in the office -- feel like I'm setting things in update or backup mode every night before I go bed. I'm using Evernote for recipes also but these days I'm also using the Paprika app quite a bit for recipes and am really liking it. But for Christmas stuff I really like to have my big red recipe binder in the death grip of my hands.

Holiday_Mom - I too go back and look at my notes from the previous year. I checked the thread from last December today and was surprised I didn't post my recap for the HHP. It is so valuable to me. I went and checked my computer and did find my notes there which I apparently didn't put together til February. (So much going on and I was exhausted.) But at least I wrote them down. I would never remember all the details without those notes so was thankful they were there!

I spent some time this week gathering my wagons here on the Christmas front. We have lots going on with extended relatives. We also have work being done on the house this Fall. So our office is back to being full of paper for all these things. BUT things should be settling down in the next couple months and we'll get back to normal I hope.

Here's what I got done this week:

Week 1 - Planning & Paperwork

House:
DeClutter the Office -- There's a lot happening in there right now but made a dent. Need shelves.
Set up a Household Filing System - Cleared out the existing files and re-tabbed for the coming year.

Holiday:
Set up Excel Spreadsheet schedule for HHP, lined up with Flylady for the coming season.
Set up Christmas Notebook -- Updated digital notebook & contemplated some sheets for my Happy Planner
Family Values -- Realized we have additional members of the family this year and we will have more to incorporate this year. I have more people to speak with about all this.
Master Gift List -- Updated the Christmas List for 2017, including Stuffer items.
Bonus item: Ordered supplies and printed off a new set of return address labels for Christmas cards.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Holiday:
Set up Excel Spreadsheet schedule for HHP, lined up with Flylady for the coming season.
Set up Christmas Notebook -- Updated digital notebook & contemplated some sheets for my Happy Planner
Family Values -- Realized we have additional members of the family this year and we will have more to incorporate this year. I have more people to speak with about all this.
Master Gift List -- Updated the Christmas List for 2017, including Stuffer items.
Bonus item: Ordered supplies and printed off a new set of return address labels for Christmas cards.

I'd like to hear more about how you line HHP with FlyLady. I'm the kind of gal who likes those peaceful, calm moments at home with a candle lit and all is well with the world. Sometimes I can sneak those moments in for oh, say 5 minutes... The reality is life is busy and I can easily get sidetracked with life and forget the house needs to be taken care of also.

This spring was a do over for me with the house. We had a high school graduation so I did the HHP but adjusted it to spring cleaning and a graduation. Best thing I could have done! I felt like the years of neglect were being slowly addressed. I kept up with the outdoor stuff but I know I need reminders and accountability. I find incorporating the two would be helpful for me.