January 12th-18th 2020

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sweetpumkinpye

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Not back into the normal routine yet. It takes me several weeks to get back into it after Christmas. The hot, hot days of Summer means I just get the bare minimum done around the house. A few more weeks and I will really get started. In the meantime the focus is on planning, taking notes and making sure that in the year ahead I am as prepared and organised as I can be.

Daily:
Moisturise morning,
Water throughout day,
Shower/bath at night,
Cleanse,
Moisturise,
Brush teeth,
Lip balm,
Hand cream,
Read and
Sleep at a reasonable time.

Clean kitchen and DW on before bed.

Weekly:
*make work lunches for Monday (X) Tuesday (X)
*wash hair (X) ( )
*shave legs ( )
*washing (X)(X)
*fold washing (X)
*vacuum floors ( )
*mop floors (X)
*clean bathrooms (X)
*meal plan (X)
*clean fridge (X)
*tidy pantry (X)
*tidy freezer (X)
*shopping list (fortnightly) (X) grocery shopping (fortnightly) (X)

Fun/ Christmas prep:
*start/continue/finish one craft project (X)
*start/continue/finish one book (X)
*books back to library ( )
*update planner (X)
*tidy gift closet (X)
*DrillDance training plan (X)
*DrillDance training (X)

Extras:
*bloodwork Wednesday (X)
*grocery Shopping Wednesday (X)
*lunch with former coworkers Thursday (X)
*pick up stationary Thursday (-)
*dinner date and Louis Theroux with DD and BF Thursday (X)
*drs appointment for check up and health plan Friday (X)
*help cleaning DH fathers house Saturday (X)

Word of the Year:
Appreciate.
 
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MrsSoup

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Appointments:
[X] Meet with principal at placement school (Mon)
[X] Chiropractor (Wed)
[X] Pick up MRI disc (Wed)
[X] Eli Orthodontist (Fri)

School:
[X] Submit task after editing
[X] Preassessment
[X] Objective Assessment
[ ] Start studying for praxis II

Work:
[X] Tue
[X] Thu
[X] Fri
[ ] Sat

Other:
[X] Sweep/vacuum
[ ] Clean bathrooms
[X] Drop stuff at UPS
[X] Call in prescriptions
[ ] Call doTerra to cancel Loyalty Rewards Program and stop being an advocate (will still be wholesale customer)

Fun:
[X] Read- Finish book/Start another
[X] Practice ukelele
[ ] Girls night (Sat)

Word of the Year:
Intentional
 
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Holiday_Mom

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It looks like a good plan for the week, Katrina and Jess!

This was the first full week back to school for 4 of my 5 dc. Looking at their winter and spring school schedules and our family schedule, things will pick up next week and then increase in March, followed by non-stop busyness in April, May and June. I will really need to get a grip on the menu planning and ask for help more than I did September-December.

Weekly
  • Review calendar for upcoming week. Done
  • Plan Menu for next week. Done
  • Clean Bathrooms.
  • Pay bills.
  • FlyLady: Bathrooms
    • Dust top of fan.
    • Clean Windows.
    • Wipe down wall and door jambs.
  • Trimester Goals - 5 days/20 mins sessions:
    • Photo organizing X
    • Decluttering: basement XXXX
    • Exercise XXX
    • ReadingXXXX
    • Research/Writing XXXX
    • Reunion and/or Vacation Planning XXX
New this Week:
  • Look into Driver’s License Renewal/Real ID information. Done
  • Read Austen Book for Tuesday. Done
  • Set up planning goals for reunion and vacation. Done
  • Double check that online calendar and offline calendars are synced through June. Done
  • Tentatively note nights when freezer meals are necessary. Done
  • Menu plan for freezer meals for the next few months: Done
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Beef
    • Meatless
Still to Do:
  • Think about menus for Confirmation, Easter and Graduation Done
  • Make Dry Mixes: Taco Seasoning, Ranch Seasoning, Onion Soup, Pizza Seasoning. Pancake Mix
  • Clean microwave out.
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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Make Dry Mixes: Taco Seasoning, Ranch Seasoning, Onion Soup, Pizza Seasoning
Mary, can you share your recipes for these. I would like to try and do a bit more prep like this in this year.
 

Holiday_Mom

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Mary, can you share your recipes for these. I would like to try and do a bit more prep like this in this year.

Yes, I'll post the recipes here after I make them. I just added Pancake Mix. We finished it up over the weekend.

I also would like to request to know how you make, store and how long the mixes last.

I gather dry spices into a recycled jar with a screw top lid. I store the jars in a basket that I keep in my kitchen cabinet with the other spices. I go through the mixes every 3-4 months but I'm cooking for 7 or more people. Most of the time, I've doubled, tripled or quadrupled the recipe.
 

Holiday_Mom

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I was listening to a podcast today about habits. It was very good and it reminded me of everyone at MHH. :) Here are the notes I took:
  • Focus on habits not goals. Keep the habits simple not exquisite.
  • Have your habit connect to a value. (health, education, etc.)
  • Reward yourself when you do a habit.
  • Make sure your environment has visual cues that support your habit.
  • Find a community that will support you in these habits.
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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Mary, the podcast sounds interesting. I try hard to get into good habits, like my daily routine. I work hard at it for weeks and then either something happens and I forgo the routine or it just gradually winds down and I fall off the wagon. I wonder why some habits are easier to keep than others.

I do like.... Find a community that will support you in these habits. That is very much like MHH.
 
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Holiday_Mom

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I try to get into good habits too. I was thinking more on goals vs. habits. I think what the person was trying to say was to focus on the habit and not the goal. So maybe in my case, the goal could be to declutter the basement or go through photos but the way that's going to get down is making it a habit to go through the stuff in the basement or the photos in a box. I know I don't ever get a whole day to go through things so it will only happen a little bit at a time.

Today was a reality check now that we are all back to school and work. There is a lot going on here and I realized that the time that I had is not really there right now. The basement declutter will be done in two parts. I'll do what I can this month and what doesn't get done will be done in the summer with the dc. There is a lot of stuff that they need to go through but school is so busy now, I know it just won't be done.

Today was also one of those "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" moment. (There is a book I use to read to the dc by that title where it just lead from one thing another. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Give_a_Mouse_a_Cookie) I have so much on my list that I've decided to live my life in 20 minute segments. LOL! I'm going to work on something off my to do list for 20 minutes this week and then move on to the next thing. I'm hoping that I will actually accomplish something by the end of the week.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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i completely understand the time thing. I have so much that I want to do, it happens at the beginning of every year and I just don't have the time that I need to do it all. So I will concentrate on the things that are either a priority or will make me feel better. The rest can wait. I also know that there are 52 weeks in this year....it will get done.
 

MrsSoup

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I follow a gal on Instagram but she also has a blog: https://letsliveandlearn.com/ She has a lot of tips and printables to help organize and manage your time there. She has a habit tracker that just went up a couple days ago that might be helpful and some tips to go along with it. Check her out! Like I said, I follow her on Instagram so see posts from her there regarding these things and then if I like something I head over to her blog and check out more information. I have saved several of her printables, just need to print them out. haha
 

DahliaDoll

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This is such an interesting discussion. In the forming habits area, I think once I get a hot-spot organized, I need to establish a habit to keep it organized. Does anyone follow Fly Lady? I try it occasionally, but don't devote nearly enough time to the room of the week to make any real progress. I truly need to learn to purge!
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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DD, Fly lady is something that I am not familiar with. Mary does some Fly lady and I have been meaning to look into it.

I did quite a purge last year and am now trying to maintain it through out the year. I am also doing 2 major cleanings, one in Autumn (March 1st) to get the house ready for the upcoming Winter and one in Spring (September 1st) to get the house ready for Summer. This seems to be working for me so will plan for it again this year. My house is the best that it has been.
 
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Ahorsesoul

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I started following Flylady when she first started. I really did it to prove her wrong. No one could keep their house clean with just 15 minutes a day. I was very wrong and she is right. The key is to follow her plan and get in the habit of doing your daily cleaning. It’s not an overnight fix. But a shiny sink is addictive. And a shiny shower/tub. I’m way into shiny. It doesn’t take long to shine just one wall of your shower/tub every time You are in the shower. Then you never have to clean the whole thing at once. Flylady saved my life (and my mind) when I found her.
 

Lolwlias

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The focus area for this week is the dining room.
Last week I didn't even decorate my planner pages or even write anything down.
I'm really liking breaking up my cleaning into various areas. It seems less overwhelming.
As I may have mentioned, after my husband died I really let things go so I was looking around asking myself how in the heck I was ever going to get things back in order. One small step at a time, it's getting done.
 

luludou

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Jess will look up that blog. Thanks for the input on Flylady Diedra. I have my own list I made a few years back. I too decluttered alot over the past years so it isn't as bad as it used to be… but still have more to go! less stuff = less maintenance! I try to maintain weekly and have to start the deepcleaning soon… once a year EVERY little nook and cranny gets done… of course some rooms need more attention than once a year (bathrooms, kitchen).
 
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DahliaDoll

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I started following Flylady when she first started. I really did it to prove her wrong. No one could keep their house clean with just 15 minutes a day. I was very wrong and she is right. The key is to follow her plan and get in the habit of doing your daily cleaning. It’s not an overnight fix. But a shiny sink is addictive. And a shiny shower/tub. I’m way into shiny. It doesn’t take long to shine just one wall of your shower/tub every time You are in the shower. Then you never have to clean the whole thing at once. Flylady saved my life (and my mind) when I found her.
That's inspiring!
 

MrsSoup

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I had looked at FlyLady before, maybe even tried it for a bit. I will have to revisit!
 

Holiday_Mom

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I follow a gal on Instagram but she also has a blog: https://letsliveandlearn.com/ She has a lot of tips and printables to help organize and manage your time there. She has a habit tracker that just went up a couple days ago that might be helpful and some tips to go along with it. Check her out! Like I said, I follow her on Instagram so see posts from her there regarding these things and then if I like something I head over to her blog and check out more information. I have saved several of her printables, just need to print them out. haha

Thanks! I had one last year but I can't recall where I got it. I like the year long one though. It's a visual on what is done daily. See the long term picture could be more motivating.

I started following Flylady when she first started. I really did it to prove her wrong. No one could keep their house clean with just 15 minutes a day. I was very wrong and she is right. The key is to follow her plan and get in the habit of doing your daily cleaning. It’s not an overnight fix. But a shiny sink is addictive. And a shiny shower/tub. I’m way into shiny. It doesn’t take long to shine just one wall of your shower/tub every time You are in the shower. Then you never have to clean the whole thing at once. Flylady saved my life (and my mind) when I found her.

I joined her list in the beginning too. I think there were less then 1000 people then. I was an all or nothing person which worked fine when I was single or newly married. Children changed me. Cleaning/Decluttering 15 minutes at a time changed me. I still have some of those all or nothing tendencies which I struggle with occasionally. I still make my bed every morning, put on my shoes first thing in the morning, look at the menu for the evening and shine my sink at night. FlyLady's big thing is taking baby steps.

I've been doing housework/habits in 20 minute segment for the last few days. I'm trying not to let any one thing totally consume my time at the expense of other things that have to get done. I feel good about it because it's the stuff that is on my mind that is getting done 20 minutes at a time.
 
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girlsinmo

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I follow a gal on Instagram but she also has a blog: https://letsliveandlearn.com/ She has a lot of tips and printables to help organize and manage your time there. She has a habit tracker that just went up a couple days ago that might be helpful and some tips to go along with it. Check her out! Like I said, I follow her on Instagram so see posts from her there regarding these things and then if I like something I head over to her blog and check out more information. I have saved several of her printables, just need to print them out. haha

I subscribed to her blog. Thanks for the link
 
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