Destressing Your Holidays

This comes from one of my recent ezinearticles that I thought I would share with you. After all, tis the season...

As the countdown to the holidays grows shorter and shorter, the burdens of your to-do list grow larger and larger. There are cookies to bake, gifts to buy, cards to mail, home décor and house cleaning to complete.


Sound familiar?

Sound like too much?

Like every good coach will tell you, you’ve got to have a game plan. The holiday season is no different. Just look upon Christmas day as “game day”-- no television required.

The key to de-stressing your holidays is not allowing your holidays to become more of a burden then a joy.

If you’re planning a large family gathering, ask everyone to help out. Each member of the family can bring a covered dish for dinner, leaving you only to prepare the main dish.

Ask family members living nearby to come over a few days early to help clean and decorate the house, and exchange the same for them.

When you know family members are going out shopping, ask them to pick up items for you.

Send your husband and kids out for supper and a movie, while you and your friends have a gift wrapping party. Also, many small shops now offer gift wrapping services, as do local church organizations and children’s clubs like Girl Scouts.

Feel overwhelmed when it comes to baking? Join a cookie exchange where you only have to make one kind of cookie. This way, on Christmas day you’ll have a variety without all the work of changing recipes. Don’t bake? It’s okay to skip the oven sweat and pick up a variety cookie tray at your local bakery.

Do gift exchanges freak you out? You just never know what to buy the family member whose name you got stuck with? Why not suggest a Yankee Swap this year? Old gifts that you got and never used, or new ones you picked up on the fly… your family will have plenty of fun discovering what’s inside while they swap and laugh till the end.

Skip the handwritten addresses this year for your Christmas card list and create one through your word processing software. Print them out on standard mailing labels and save half the time of processing your Christmas cards. Each year, you can pull up the file and update the addresses in just a few minutes.

Is it your wallet pressing the most weight on you this holiday season? Sometimes the most cherished gifts are those that cost very little to nothing to give. Written sentiments, a handmade item, a promise of service (like shoveling the snow from the driveway, or walking the dog), or traveling to see someone can rank as the best gifts of all.

Before you let the holidays stress you, create a plan to lighten the burdens and bask in the joy of the season.

Create a Space In Which To Entertain This Holiday Season

It never fails, right around this time the anxiety and stress begins to build over one big thing in our homes - clutter. Yep, look around. You see the books piled, the toys scattered, and last year's pile of things to be donated still stuffed in the hallway closet.

Home Made Simple has this great weekly set process to you help you prepare your home for the holidays with their Guest Prep Timeline.

One hour, one room, one day a week.

You can do it. Get the entire family involved. Think of all the good you'll be doing. Not only will your home be de-cluttered, you'll feel better, and all those clutter items can be donated and put to use by someone who needs them.

No more shoveling stuff into coat closets upon company arrival or herding guest into the only clean room in the house. Enjoy the day, be thankful for the company, and be blessed by you're holiday prep.

Preparing to Travel

Every Thanksgiving I'm grateful for the time I get to spend with my family, even if it means hours on end in the family taxi.

However, before that wholesome family time can begin a lot of planning, packing, and time is spent preparing for the days away from home and on the road.

If you are planning on traveling for Thanksgiving, here are a few things you may want to add to your "to-do list".

1. Water Plants.
2. Arrange for Pet Care (if your pet isn't coming along for the ride too).
3. Turn your thermostat down for the days you'll be away.
4. Make sure your home is secure by locking all the windows, doors, and removing hidden keys from outside around your house.
5. Set a radio and light on a timer. Those who don't know you're out of town will think your home.
6. Close blinds and curtains.
7. Clean up the kitchen, empty garbage cans, wash dishes, and dispose any items in refrigerator that won't be good when you come back.
8. Have at least one frozen dinner in the freezer when you get back, you'll be thankful for it later.
9. Check out the family taxi before you leave, tires, jacks, fluids... make sure your vehicle is road worthy for the trip.
10. Make sure you have a few dollars of cash for tolls or traveler's checks depending on where you're going.
11. Have the car charger for your cell phone and a calling card for areas you might not get service on your cell phone in an emergency.
12. Take care of any last minute bills that arrive and are due while you're away.
13. Catch up on your laundry while your packing, this way when you come home you only need to take care of the soiled clothes in your suitcases.
14. Pack an extra "fun bag" for the kids with books, games, and other amusements that are age appropriate for the ride. (we'll talk about this in another up coming blog. :) )
15. Take along plenty of snacks to prevent unnecessary fast food stops.
16. Don't forget your GPS, Maps, and directions.
17. Post a list of "what not to forgets" on the front door as your going in and out from packing the car, write on last minute items as you think of them, but don't get too carried away!!
18. Wear old comfortable shoes. Yes, you can get blisters inside the car too.
19. Give yourself plenty of time to travel to your destination.
20. Relax, it's going to be okay. You're family will remember this time always. :)

Make sure you use your travel itinerary and packing list in the free MRsCHADT Holiday Planner to help guide you as you prepare to leave. And, if your staying home this Thanksgiving, there's a meal planner and shopping list made especially for the occasion.

As always I'm thankful for my family, great friends, wonderful fans, and I don't have to cook the turkey this year. ;P

How about you?

To all of you, a blessed Thanksgiving.

Creating a Crisis Plan

We all know that life is easiest when things are going our way, but it's a different story when things turn upside down in a snap and become difficult. Unfortunately, we can't keep the inevitable downs from happening or plummeting further downward, however we can be prepared.

In the book,The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know the author talks about creating a crisis plan.

Whether your family suffers from bipolar disorder, depression, or not, it's always a good idea for families to create a crisis plan to help bring order to a otherwise chaotic time in your life. Like each fall when you and your children practice and learn about fire drills at the start of the school year, this same type of plan applies.

Start out by asking yourself, "If I were ever in trouble, who would I call?"

We teach our children from young ages to dial 911 in an emergency. However, there are crisis groups, and other people you may need to call or depend on given the type of situation.

It is hard for us sometimes to think that our significant others may not always be there for us when we need them, or visa versa. Sometimes there are those in our lives that are unable or unwilling to provide the support we need, and thus we must turn to other people in our lives when crisis occurs.

The first stage of creating a crisis plan is to take out a sheet of paper and list all those who answer the question above, "Who would you call?"

Make a list of family members closest to you (driving distance) and their phone numbers. Be sure to ask these family members about putting them on your list that you can rely on them when a crisis occurs.

Next go to your friends. Ask them the same thing.

These are people who will step up and provide childcare at anytime during the day or night if you have children who are too young to be left unattended, that can drive you to a hospital, or other places you may need to go, that can provide meals when you are unable to provide for yourself, and even those who are willing to listen and give you emotional support when you don't feel you're getting it anywhere else.

These people will become your core circle, and you may become part of theirs.

Once you have your crisis plan in order, post in a place where it can easily be found, a central place in the house and also keep a copy in your daily planner where you have it on you always. Go over this plan and share it with all the members of your household, make sure everyone is on track and understands what to do when a crisis occurs.

Remember, you can't prevent a crisis from happening in your life, but you can plan ahead for the day it does.

Free Holiday Planner

Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to let the holiday's stress me out and I'm not going to get carried away in the spending spree that Christmas often invokes upon us.

Yet, each year, I get more and more stressed. I have less dollars to spend, kids who as they grow, so does the price of their gifts, and less time it seems to accomplish all the preparations of our home for the holidays.

Over the years, I've compiled lists of guiding me through the holidays. To help me keep track of my spending, the people i need to buy gifts for, sending out Christmas cards, planning my Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners, and even planning out my New Year's day.

I've got list for online and catalog shopping, handmade gifts, mailing gifts, and grocery lists.

A few weeks ago, I sat in my MOPS group listening to the women praise how lists have helped build their self-esteem and give them that feeling of accomplishment. Even if it means writing down something they've already done and crossing it off for the day.

This holiday season, I'd like to share with all of you my Holiday Planner. It's FREE!

You can go to www.mrschadt.com/freebies.aspx and print it out.

I've also added a link to it on this blog.

Let me know what you think, and how your holiday's went.

Wishing you a joyful, family filled, holiday.

MRsCHADT