Week 6

September 30th-October 6th

Welcome October!  Here we are, on the brink of the holiday season.  This is the time of year when others finally start to jump on the holiday planning bandwagon.  Stores are filling shelves with everything from Halloween candy to Christmas decor and people start to complain that the holidays are coming too quickly.  Thankfully, we have a month of preparation already under our belt and it feels good!

Here is our plan of attack for this week:

Make a batch of holiday goodies.

Make a freezer meal.

Buy 2 canned items- one for your menu and one to donate

Buy at least one Christmas gift.

Wrap and label your packages if possible

Work on any homemade gifts

Check your smoke detector batteries. This household chore often gets overlooked until the incessant and annoying beeping starts in the middle of the night.  Be sure they are working and you have extra batteries on hand.  Frequent use of your oven, live Christmas trees, and excessive use of lighting all increase the likelihood of fire.  Now is a good time to check.

Clean out old toys & clothes to donate or sell. Don't put this chore entirely on yourself.  If your kids are old enough, remind them that Christmas is coming and there needs to be room for new toys.  Encourage them to get rid of anything they don't usually play with.  If that doesn't work, you can always take a trash bag into their room while they're at school.  Just an option. :-)

Make a list of toys/books that your kids would like and will fit in their rooms.  We all appreciate generosity shown to our children, especially that of overzealous grandparents.  But let's face it, do you really want your daughter to receive a Barbie dream house the size of a Buick?  Do you have space for it? If you know your son is obsessed with Legos. Is it worth a family member's money to buy him a bucket of Lincoln Logs that will sit in his closet?  You know your kids hobbies and favorites.  You also know how often those things change.  Be considerate and keep your family in the loop.  Be sure to make the list extensive so they feel like they still have a choice in the matter and can control their spending.  Include clothing/shoe sizes as well since those can change from month to month.  I wish every member of my family would do this too!  It would make shopping for nieces and nephews so much easier! 
*if you are expecting some larger gifts, now is the time to make room for them.

Decorate for Halloween