It's just the start of the crazy holiday madness, have you "lost it" already? I mean there just aren't some things that can be helped around the holidays traffic, spending money, obnoxious relatives, consuming far too many calories, whiny kids, lack of sleep...need I go on? Ha! I didn't think so! So what can you do to keep the holiday madness in check? A little organization is key my friends!
1. Create a master list.
Take the time to write out everything you'd like to accomplish for the holidays, the goodies you want to make, the presents you need to buy, supplies you'll need for all of it. Refer back to it often and check things off as you do them, you'll save yourself many a headache in the interim.
2. Budget it out (and stick to it!).
It's so easy to go way overboard in the spending dept. during the holidays and the best way to keep that in check is to plan out how much you want to spend and on what. I try to spend equally on my kids, say $100 a piece and I stick to it because no one wants to hear the kids whining that Susie got more than I did...bleh. Also while you're at it, make sure you are only buying things that the kids will in fact use and enjoy. I suck and my kids get a couple of fun things and a lot of practical things, it just saves me trips to the donation center later.
3. Think simple.
Keep the season simple and teach your kids to focus more on the "reason for the season" other than the gifts they'll receive. Play secret Santa for someone or the "12 days of Christmas" for a less fortunate family. They'll appreciate what they do have and it'll foster a life-long appreciation for service to others. I don't remember all the gifts I got as a child. The best things I remember are the fun times we spent as a family together and serving others.
4. Be realistic.
Everyone wants the holidays to be memorable and if your "to do" list is longer than you have time, then cut out some nonessentials. Recruit your spouse and your kids and have them help with everything including decorating, food prep, and what not. Remember it's far more important to make memories for your family by spending time with them and enjoying the little things.
5. Enjoy yourself too.
I know this last one is really hard as a parent, I'll confess to a few manic episodes during the holiday craziness myself. Take a deep breath, remember that all of this is supposed to be fun, and make sure it is. If you aren't having any fun then stop and try something else, hell, put yourself in time-out if you need to! ;0)
Try to keep all of this in mind as you run like a madwoman through Wal-Mart on Thursday morning because you forgot to buy potatoes...tsk, tsk, should have read my TiP fOr TuEsDaY! ;0)
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