The Challenge of Less

New Years Resolutions....Why? What’s the purpose? Who started this anyway? Is it really worth the time and effort? Do they work or do they set us up for failure? Studies show that most people will abandon their resolutions by the end of the 1^st month.  That’s it, 4 weeks is tops for most people. That’s all that they have in them to resolve to change or improve themselves or their lives.  My son even informed me that January 17^th was national give up your New Years’ resolution day...Wow!

I confess that most years I haven’t bothered with a new years resolution, it seemed like a big fuss or hype more than anything else.  However over the last few years I have attempted the one word challenge introduced by a blogger a few years ago. She challenged her readers to pick one word for the new year and apply it to as many areas of your life as possible. This one word is to help define your year, give it direction. You can choose any word but only one, just one word to guide your actions.  Words like hope, light, reflection, rest, renew or beauty, you get the idea. How you apply the word is also up to you. Where do you need hope or beauty in your life?

Seems easy enough, but when you really stop to truly consider which one word would have the most impact or is most needed in your life, choosing becomes difficult. What needs changing or improving in your life or that of your family and how can one word help you get there? What is it that you want the new year to hold and why? Suddenly one word is now pretty important.

After a lot of reflection of how the last year had been my one word presented itself to me and I could not argue, I knew that my one word had found me.

Less.

Yes, Less is my one word for 2013. 

Less stuff, less stress, less debt, less worry, less of the things and trappings that tie us down. All of this less has me hopeful that our family can have more. More time for each other…more time to relax and enjoy life. I want less clutter to take care of and clean and more time and energy for our family. Less processed foods and more real foods.  Less take out and more home cooking. Less time with things that take away from our family and more time for activities that we enjoy or want to try.

In some ways I have already gotten started. I honestly was not in the mood to decorate for Christmas. It really felt more like a chore on the list to cross off instead of part of a wonderful holiday time. I feel certain if I didn’t have young children that kept asking when it would get done and who even ended up helping in making it happen; it wouldn’t have. So since we got a very late finish, I say that because the tree came home on December 1^st and wasn’t touched until about the 16^th. My son came down with the flu, in addition to the busyness of the holiday and normal activities, that was the first time I had the energy to tackle it.  By the time we finished our decorating, I had scaled back what we put up. A little less of everything, but enough to feel like Christmas and enough for the house to seem bare once it was packed and put away.  It really helped me to embrace the idea of less, that less is more.  We enjoyed Christmas every bit as much with fewer decorations and trappings as we have had in the past. 

It really helped the idea of less seem even more attractive to me.

I’ve chosen a biggie for our family and myself; thankfully I have all year to meet the challenge of less.

Yes, I want less this year!

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Twentyone - R & R

You've come to learn that on Sundays my post are to review the week and rest up for the new week ahead. Today is no exception. You probably also know that I'm behind in posting.

I won't lie writing for 31 days is hard. Yes, harder than I thought especially since I thought I had chosen a topic that would come easily to me and easy enough to jump back in with. In the beginning I was even a few days ahead in my writing usually by 2 or 3 days but life goes on and stuff happens.

My son got sick with "something" still don't know with what and that's after a trip to the hospital to have x-rays and blood work, all which came back negative or inconclusive...fabulous! He recovered with several days of rest, by the following weekend dear sweet hubby was with sick similar symptoms but still it left us wondering what was going around and who might be next. Guess who was next? Yes, me! Luckily I saw it coming and upped my vitamins, herbs and essential oils, it didn't keep me down too long. Who's got time to be sick anyway?

I've also tried to keep up with a few of the other 31 day blogs, there are so many great ones, but that to can eat up so much of our time. I will direct you soon to some of my favorites for you to find some time to enjoy and learn from.

Throw in the rest of the busyness that life seems to include these days and there you have it...behind.

I'm so very sorry, but I do have every intention of getting these 31 days written. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Twenty - Family Time During the Holidays

We like to designate a time or times for our family during Christmas, sounds crazy but if we don’t plan for it ahead of time something or someone else will take it from us. A time just for the four of us, my darling hubby, the two kiddos and myself but this time can be for really whomever you wish to include.

We have a few rules. No shopping or errands, it will include a fun or special treat restaurant for dinner and we all have to agree to where we are going and what we are going to do. It has varied for us almost every year. We have seen the Rockettes, the Nutcraker, we’ve gone to the movies together or simply to look at Christmas lights.  But each year we have enjoyed an activity together. 

Some years it’s been very planned and other years not so much. Since the kids are getting older and their interests are changing, we like to change up what we do. But we are hopeful that whatever we choose that they will remember and cherish the memories and time together.

Whether this is already a tradition for your family or you have never done anything like that before, start looking now. There are lots of great shows or activities to do together, if they require tickets the sooner you decide the better, you don’t want it sell out. Don’t let your ideas only consist of those that will cost money. As I said some of our activities are been simply getting in the car to go look at Christmas lights. We’ve made hot chocolate and had a sing-a-long to Christmas songs in the car as we drove around.

Some other ways to spend time together as a family might be to spread Christmas cheer to others or for some down time together at home; we’ll talk more about that soon.

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Nineteen - Meal Planning

We’ve talked about holiday cooking and baking needs along with cleaning out our pantry, now let’s talk about meal planning during the holidays.

What about your normal everyday meal needs? Start with looking at your calendar. What kind of events will you need to attend, especially during the week when cooking dinner could present more of a challenge than normal? Having a plan in place {if you don’t already} for which meals you’ll eat at home versus out along with what you might serve will help make this a little less stressful. Have you considered preparing some meals to have in the freezer? We’ve cleaned out the freezer, so we’ve got room.

I know I always have the best intentions to eat at home as much as we can. It never seems to fail though that for one reason or another we have to eat out more than I had hoped for, mostly due to poor planning.

How nice would it be to have meals ready to heat and eat?  It would help ensure that you eat at home more which is almost always healthier and cheaper than eating out. Preparing a few casseroles or soups now to pull out later will make life a little easier during the busy Christmas season.

Once you’ve decided on what you will cook and you have the supplies ready, plan a day to cook. Do this before things get busy and your calendar gets full. Make time to prepare meals to have in the freezer ready to cook for your family when you need it.

Most people that I know that prepare meals ahead take a day to do it all at once. Then you only mess up your kitchen once, you’ll do all of your chopping & preparing for several meals in one day. Having just 3 or 4 of these in your freezer could be big lifesavers later.

If by some chance you don’t use these meals you could always give them to someone else in need or use them in January when you want a night off from the kitchen.

If you are planning to include baked goodies as gifts you may want to see if you can prepare any of these ahead of time too and then plan a day to do that, if not then schedule it on your calendar for later.

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Eighteen - Cleaning: The Pantry, Fridge & Freezer

I’m sure you were wondering when I would cover this. I almost did this one during the first week, but decided to wait and here’s why. It will just get messed up again. I know your thinking well of course it will. I’m not ready just yet, as you will see I save the BIG clean ups for later, then its just maintenance cleaning through the holidays. I hope that makes sense. In other words when I go into cleaning mode I want to know that I’ve completed a lot of the messy work already and my cleaning will stick so to speck.

On to cleaning out our pantries, refrigerator and freezers, basically I pull everything out and go through it. While you’re there really clean it, dust or wash the shelves and organize the items when you put them back, grouping items that need to be together are easier to find.

Check to dates and throw out expired items and make note of the items that you are low on {and know you will need}. The best part is that most of these items are plentiful in the stores right now and may even be on sale, most have coupons out there for you to use too.

Earlier we talked about holiday entertaining or baking needs, what recipes will you prepare? If you’ve had the chance to look these needs then you will have better idea of what to look for as you clean out these areas in your kitchen and to help your budget since you will know what you need to replace. Even if you are just taking a dish to a gathering having everything on hand can go a long way in helping you to enjoying a stress free holiday.

Make list of your needs spices, flavorings and basics like flour, sugar and butter along with the other items you see you need to stock up on.

I know in the past I “thought” I had everything only to have run back to the store or send someone to get it for me and hope that they get the right item. Let’s save ourselves from that stress. Take the time to plan and shop ahead and we’ll be ready.

I feel a more enjoyable {and less stressful} Christmas coming, don’t you?

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Seventeen- Crafts or Baking Projects with the Kids

What types of events do you & your families enjoy doing together over the holidays? I know that with the long break the kids can get board. Trust me that statement makes me cringe.  I really don’t remember being board growing up, but I wasn’t use to all of the instant gratification/entertainment that our kids seem to be.

I love the idea of bring kids back down to reality and to appreciate time together that we don’t get enough of with the crazy schedules we keep.  Giving them an opportunity to take a step back in time together, reconnecting to each other as well as creating those memories that they’ll reflect back on one day. Making something with their hands, being creative and learning from the experience.

Past projects for us have including making gingerbread houses, hosting cookie-decorating parties with friends and making ornaments as well as other projects. But as with the recurrent theme here, planning is key to keeping things fun and running smoothly regardless of what activity you plan.

Whether baking or crafting, Pinterest is a wealth of ideas for projects and ideas.  Luckily with most of these a few clicks and you have your supply list and directions ready for your use along with several photos to guide you. Just be realistic about your time & ability, this is meant to be a fun time not the start of something ugly!

Once you decide on what if any projects that you’ll do this year go ahead and add these items to your shopping list and have then ready to use once your ready to use them.

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Sixteen - Gifts for Others

 

Perhaps you covered this when you did your Christmas budget…but just in case you didn’t let’s look at gifts for others.

I’m thinking neighbors, teachers or a gift for a hostess.  As with pretty much every other area some times just taking the time to note the need and have some kind of rough plan will greatly reduce your stress levels.

For me I always seem to forget someone.  It never seems to fail I’m headed to a party and realize that I don’t have a little something for the hostess or the team mom approaches me at practice that we need gifts for the coaches or the kids are going to have a gift exchange…ugh!

So take a few minutes and think of all of the people in your life outside your family & friends that you may need to buy a gift for or might be asked to go in on.

Will you need to contribute money, buy a gift or maybe make or bake gifts?

Know what’s coming and be ready, that can go a long way to reducing your stress and allowing you to enjoy the holiday.

Thirty-one Days~ Day Fifteen - Updating our Christmas card lists

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{sorry I'm behind I've had a sick child all weekend}

Now’s a great time before it gets much busier to update your Christmas card list.

Did any of your friends or family move?  Make a note of it now or call them if need be to have the correct address when the time comes

Has someone on your list passed away? Ok I know that may seem harsh, but my father in-law passed away earlier this year and when my mother-in-law has received some mail addressed to him or the both of them it’s been hard. So be sensitive to anyone on your list that may have lost a spouse.

I guess the same goes for divorce.

Do you need to add anyone new? Do you have any new friends or neighbors? Maybe there has been an addition to the family, nieces or nephews that have recently gotten married and started their own families.

And again maybe you need to remove someone all together?

Take the time to look at your list and update it, in most cases it shouldn’t take to long and it will help you to know how many cards you will need to buy. I just guessed last year and ran short by about 15 cards. So don’t wait, you could even pick up stamps now as well.

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Fourteen - Review and Rest

Here we are at Sunday. For whatever reason this has been a very long week around here. We've made some process, but I still have a lot to do. I know that I need to rest.

I can't believe that two weeks are behind us, we're almost to the half way point. I also hope that you have found some useful tips or inspiration to begin to get ready for the Christmas season and to do so with less stress. Since we've done a lot of planning and prep work...we'll be ready!

Look back over the suggestions and ideas that we've talked about and see what areas still need to be addressed. Decide what you can work on this week and what can wait until later to tackle.

Enjoy a day to rest or maybe visit some of the other 31 Day blogs there are some great ones.

www.thenester.com/2012/09/31-dayers-2012.html

~Also this week we hope to get our Christmas card pictures taken. Still can't decide what the kids should wear???

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Thirteen - Gift-wrap and Batteries

Now let’s move on to an area that I’m always aware of but still seem to forget.

Batteries, tape, gift-wrap, gift-bags, boxes, ribbons and bows.  No, I don’t forget all or every part of it. But I do seem to over look one or two of these. Maybe I get gift-warp but need bows and boxes. Have batteries but not enough or the have the wrong size.

So today is kind of an easy one. Make a point to look at what you may have on hand and add what you need to your list of supplies to pick up, maybe you can even catch some sales and save money too.

I hope these reminders are helping you to begin to think now about what you need or will need to do and by doing a little at a time we’ll all enjoy a Christmas with less stress.

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Twelve - Holiday Entertaining Part II

Continuing with the mindset of entertaining lets looks at our supplies.

Take time to look at your china or Christmas dishes and other plates or platters that you would use for parties or other entertaining events.  This will help you avoid discovering a crack or chip in something the day of your event and if you do see you if need something, you'll have the time to take care of it.

What about your linens? Do you have the right sizes? Are they in need of replacing? Do they need to be cleaned or pressed before your party? What about napkins or other paper products? 

What about candles and candlesticks?  See what you have versus what you will want to use. I know that red and white candles are always the first colors to sell out at the stores.  Checking on this now will ensure that you have the sizes and colors you want. 

What types of centerpieces will you have? Do you have a piece you pull out every year? If so then you may have already checked on this, if not take a look at it. How does it look? Do you like a fresh arrangement? You may want to begin to plan this and even speak with a florist.

Take a day to check these items so that you can take care of them ahead of time and not have any surprises at the last minute.

Thirty-one Days ~ Day Eleven - Holiday Entertaining

What if any entertaining will you do this year?

In the past we have hosted a small party of 8 to 10 couples for a White Elephant party. This has always been a fun party that we all look forward to each year. Then for the last five years we have hosted Christmas dinner for my husbands family and mine. This usually includes a late lunch for around 20 or more.

If you are hosting, preparations ahead of time are huge to pulling this off and keeping your stress levels low. I enjoy a decorated house, but I have so much on my plate that I think I could pass on it most days. Having company gives me the motivation and deadline I need to get things done.

There’s a lot more to consider. Date, time, theme and maybe even location in addition to a guest list and invitations to prepare are just a few of the decisions you will need to make. You’ll need to plan a menu along with deciding who or how this food will be prepared. Will you need childcare for any of your entertaining, if so book it as soon as you have your date set? What will you wear?

Sit down with a calendar and a note pad. Write down what needs to be done and make notes of the days and dates to have these completed. Just having a rough plan can go a long way towards reducing the stress that some can experience from hosting friends and family during the holidays.

Also keep in mind that less can be more, most people aren't as concerned or critical about the details as we are as the hostess. Most of my family are relieved to have the hostess duties taken care of by someone else and are glad to bring a dish.

Again the best and most important tip here is to have a plan of what you are doing, what you need and time planned to make it all come together.  A lot of what we’ve already talked about as well as some of our remaining topics will help us to cover many of the aspects that go along with preparing for the Christmas season as well as entertaining; hopefully doing so with less stress.