Okay, this was supposed to be a shopping blog, since my shopping mission last week ended rather abruptly, but my mind isn’t there today. Between two weeks of transferring everything in my virtual life from a PC to a MAC, 3-4 days of torrential downpours, a sick and demanding Eva, a massive magazine/paper cleanup project, holiday planning and events, and all the other stuff of life, it’s caught up with me. I have been dragging the last few days, fighting something but not really sick, and today, I was so wiped that I fell asleep while Eva watched Max and Ruby today. The last straw came when I backed out of our garage, without waiting for the garbage door to full open. I dented the brand new garage door, which now refuses to close. So on days like this, I start thinking of ways to make my life simpler, less hectic, so I spend less time snapping at the girls and more time snuggling with them. Here are ways I plan to make life easier in the hectic months ahead:
1. Host a Dinner Exchange: Inspired by a talk with some friends today, I plan to host a dinner exchange with other mom friends – like a girl’s night out, but we each walk away with 5 take-home dinners. What could be better? Get inspired to start one of your own by checking out this link from Real Simple: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/great-dinner-swap-00000000039507/index.html.
2. Cut out Paper Clutter: Since Tonya, the incredibly sweet and talented soul who helps me clean the house and keep things under control, commented on the ever-growing stack of mags next to my bed last week, I have been sorting through piles of mags like a tornado, tearing out pages and filing them away in recipe files and those cute little file totes with ideas and tips and stuff. My new rule: when a new magazine comes in, the old issue of that magazine gets tossed. This is huge for me. I still have fashion mags from high school. Of course now they are considered vintage. : )
3. Sort my Recipes: What I’d really like to do, now that I’m on a MAC, is find a recipe app that makes it simple to scan, sort, and search recipes. I think I am going to have to take them in a paperless direction, as hard as that is. Any suggestions? Maybe, just maybe, the next item on my list will help.
4. Explore my Pinterests: Monday night, my sister told me about this amazing new thing called Pinterest, where you can create cork boards full of whatever interests you, from recipes to decorating ideas to clothes. Sort of like Polyvore, but less shopping-oriented. Then today my friend Aimee mentioned it again. Apparently, everyone knows about it except me. I plan to try it out tonight, so I will let you know. I am afraid that I will be sucked in and never come out again. Please send help.
5. Shop with Friends: I am planning shopping trips with my mom/sister and with friends to knock some items off of my Christmas shopping list. Also, it will be fun! Besides Christmas shopping, I need some holiday party attire and some pants…
6. Bake on a Weekly Basis: If I plan better, I can bake once a week for everything I have coming up, from kids class parties to treats for the family. I can involve my girls sometimes and try to keep it fun, not stressful.
That’s my list, for now. How do you plan on making your life easier this holiday season?
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