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.