By the way...

An update on Project Simplify.  It went well.  I did such a great job at cutting out unnecessary things so I could spend more time enjoying Christmas, that you'll notice you have not received a Christmas card from us yet.  And may not at all.

We'll see how Project Simplify continues on into the New Year:)

Maybe we'll do a Happy New Year card... or a Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day card...or...well, we'll just see where this week takes us.

Project Simplify: A little hiccup

I thought it'd be a great idea to make pine cone ornaments.

I still haven't sent out Christmas cards.

I entered the wrong shipping address for one of our gifts.

Due to a four hour Primary Presidency meeting last night, our neighbor gifts still haven't been delivered, and we missed our 12 Days delivery last night.

BUT, all my shopping and shipping is finished (except that one that's going to who knows where; haven't figured out what to do about that yet).  Really all that's left is wrapping and baking.  The fun stuff.  Oh, and those pesky Christmas cards.  Grrrr.

I relapsed yesterday into thinking about homeschooling organizational stuff.  But, I've repented and am thinking of it no more.

5 Days until Christmas!

Project Simplify--Update

We're doing pretty well.

The teacher's gifts are done.  Well, the kids haven't wrapped them yet, but it'll get done before Friday, for sure.  We're giving the kids' Church teachers a 6-pack of Sprite and a box of popcorn with a little note that says: "Pop, pop, fizz, fizz: Oh what a great teacher you is!"  I know. I know.  So cheesy.  I got the idea from one of my BYU Bishop's wife.  Cheesy can be cute, coming from a kid, right?!  For school teachers, I bought some fancy cookies, and then gathered up some supplies from around the house that were on their "classroom wish lists:" file folders, address labels, books etc.  Should be good.

I have (almost) all the neighbor gifts done.  I ran out of supplies.  I made a "Santa's trail mix" with red and green M&Ms, Golden Grahams, white fudge pretzels, and chocolate covered raisins.  It's pretty good.  Anyway, put  2-3 cups in a treat bag, tied with a cute bow, and attached a little card with a map and "Santa's Trail Mix: He's headed your way!" on one side, and "Merry Christmas!  From the Morgans" on the other.  The cards and the bags are ready, but I need to throw some more mix together and then we can deliver.

I've also started with all the Christmas baking.  The kids love to help, and my house smells scrumptious.  Fun fun.

I've set up a corner in the office for gift wrapping and I've started wrapping several gifts every night, so I don't have so many to do on Christmas Eve.  Some of my friends have all their shopping and wrapping done by Dec. 1st, but that's just not me.

I've prohibited myself from thinking about homeschooling stuff until after Christmas.  Then I can go crazy.  So far, it's working and it's extremely liberating.

I canned our daily activity countdown.  I had collected, emptied, and decorated little matchboxes and printed off an activity for every day in December up until Christmas.  Every night, one of the kids could open the box for that day and see what we were going to do the next day.  It wasn't working.  Looking back, we've done pretty much everything that was on the list, but I can't be nailed down on the day.  I have to be flexible about when to do things, and when the kids are expecting something and it doesn't quite work out, everyone's bummed.  So, I've posted my list up by my calendar, and we keep doing stuff when we can, and now that the pressure is off, I'm having a lot more fun.  Very good.

Three nights in a row, now, I've sat by the tree, soaking in the lights and the Christmas spirit.  Awesome!

So far, project simplify is running smoothly.

A million random things...

I give up.  My brain is fried.  WARNING:  too much information comin' your way.  And, I'll probably regret this over sharing tomorrow.

But I'm so tired!  I know everyone is busy.  It's Christmas time and there's lots going on.  I get it.  But I'm stressed and I'm not enjoying it.

I finally got to the gym today, for the first time in 3 weeks, and I'm STILL in my sweaty stinky clothes, 14 hours later.  I literally haven't had a spare minute to shower.  The worst thing about this is that it's TYPICAL for me!  Something's gotta give.

Part of it is that I'm trying to get ready to start homeschooling in January.  December is just busy.  My husband has two jobs and is never home. And Primary is crazy trying to get ready for next year.

But also, my downfall has always been that I'm interested in everything, I want to be good at everything, I want to DO everything and BE everywhere, read everything, talk to everyone, and get everything done.  I love to cook/bake, so I have glorious plans for Christmas food.  Because I'm too stressed, probably none of it will happen.  I like to give handmade gifts, so I have plans to MAKE gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, and grandparents.  Not going to happen.  I want to make cute Christmas cards and make each one individualized and sweet and witty and homemade.  NEVER going to happen.  This is, by the way, why none of you has received a Christmas card the last several years.  I'm a perfectionist, and I won't do something until I can do it the way I want to.  So, I end up not doing a lot of things.  I'm seriously debilitated!  As part of our Christmas countdown, I printed up an activity for every day up until Christmas and put each one in a little decorated matchbox that we open every night.  We're already behind.  (The matchboxes are cute, though.)  But I'm stressed about the things we're not doing, so then the time that I AM spending with my kids, I'm stressed out and not enjoying.

I have to stop this.

It's time to simplify.

Sorry friends, neighbors and teachers, NO handmade gifts.

Christmas cards will be sent, but they won't be cute or individualized, and probably not witty.  (AHHHH!  Not sure if I can handle this one).

And I'm finally going to turn the Christmas shopping over to Kirk, which he said two weeks ago that he'd do, but that I haven't given him a chance to do.  It's all yours babe.  I'm outtie.

I haven't even looked at my Christmas binder, so it's time to hit the book and get organized.

Okay.  I'm slightly relieved....and cringing just a bit.

I can do it.  I can do it.

Time to take a warm shower and sit with hot cocoa admiring my Christmas tree lights.

And breath.

And go to bed before 1am tonight.

Wish me luck.