The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day has always been a difficult time for me. How I’ve chosen to be proactive this year(and hopefully in future years), is to set aside the Saturday after Thanksgiving as a “Bullet Journal” day that takes me up until New Year’s Day.
My goal is to make this year as smooth as possible for each member of my family. Since we lean towards unschooling, this isn’t completely unrealistic. Planning is not…..actually, let me rephrase that, sticking to a plan is not something that comes easily to me at all! I figure in January, I’ll evaluate how this year goes. If this goes well, I may just take a “Mom Day” once every few months.
I’m starting with making a list of my priorities for the rest of the year.
I know one of my priorities includes decluttering/simplifying things. I always find that this time of the year, decluttering is imperative. We live in WI which tends to have extremely cold and snowy winters, so as we gear up for hibernation, I need to declutter or I know this winter will have me feeling overwhelmed. It’s amazing how much clutter you naturally accumulate through the holidays and if I don’t focus on this before they arrive, it will be a tough winter for all of us. So on our calendar for next week, is to start with closets and dressers of everyone. Time to cut back on our clothes, which will eventually help my laundry pile, right? Second for us, will be organizing, filing, and putting away all papers and projects lying around. Next up, we will tackle books, games, puzzles, etc. Also on my necessity list is toys. Time to throw out or give away at least half. This collection seems to grow by leaps and bounds all year. For me, this decluttering, is mandatory. I will find ways for the kids to get in their educational time, but for right now, this takes precedent! Both my mom and my brother passed away this year, and I wound up inheriting almost all of their “stuff”. With my own family, our in home daycare, and a super busy schedule, I feel like we are literally drowning in stuff. I feel a little guilty about having this be our priority for a few weeks, but I have to be honest with myself and realistic. I simply will not be at my best or able to thrive until this is accomplished. My children are going to be instrumental in helping with this and I cannot wait until we are done. I have a feeling we will be able to breathe so much easier. Sometimes the best thing to do for your family is to be honest with yourself about what you really need to do to improve your current situation. Then, set about doing it! No looking back and no feeling guilty!
Another priority for me is to finally figure out a meal planning solution. I have no idea how I am about to tackle this, but I will find a temporary trial. This is such a struggle for me. Between the daycare, homeschooling, and evenings full of chauffeuring the children to their activities, dinner is often whatever is quick and easy, and sadly to admit, this often involves eating out. I know I will devote a decent chunk of time to this on my Bullet Journalling Saturday.
Crafts and Seasonal treats. This is a huge part of December for me. I just love wasting time on Pinterest and finding crafts and treats to try with the daycare, with my children, and with my family. This year, I will try to make a schedule for all of these, as well as supply/ingredient lists. This way, a few days before Christmas, I won’t get discouraged because we haven’t done any of the crafts or made any of the treats I was hoping to. Since this holiday season is going to be hard on us because of the loss of loved ones, I’m hoping that this will help us to make new memories and enjoy some special time together.
Bills! I do not know why, but this has been my worst year ever. I’ve always been one to pay on time, look them over carefully and make calls as needed, keep my checkbook balanced and all that type of thing. This year, I think I’ve been so overwhelmed, that I just let them pile up and don’t even notice the “late payments” being added on. I need to tackle this. I allowed my grief to cloud my responsibility in this matter and it’s time to take back control. Getting them all sorted out and adding pay dates to my bullet journal will be most helpful.
I will also spend some time talking with each of the children about all of the activities that they are currently in, and we will evaluate them one on one. We will cut out any activities we can, add what is needed and tweak anything that needs to be tweaked. I will then, update my “family calendar” so it’s as up-to-date as possible. I will add in any special days or events that we are planning as well. When my calendar is all filled in and accurate, it makes our days run so much more smoothly.
A bullet journal can be as extravagant as you want it to be, or as simple as you choose to make it. I am going to use the planner that I already have. This could even be done in just a simple notebook though. I have stickers, washi tape, and different colored pens that I’ll be using. If you choose to make one, the only requirement is that you make it work for you. Letting myself take a day just for me, and using it as a day that will benefit my family, is ok. This is tough for me. I spend my days finding ways to serve others and usually overlook myself. I’m quite excited to be doing this and hope that you also consider taking a day to yourself to do the same. This will simplify your daily life and help each day to run smoother.
I have high expectations of what I can accomplish in one day. Taking a day to myself is a rarity. I am so looking forward to it. I’ve already told everyone that the dining room table is mine for the whole day. No one can ask me to drive them anywhere, nor can I be asked to help with anything. The older kids have agreed to be in charge of meals for the day. I’m going to get my own vacation, right here in my house, with my whole family here. I am so thankful to have their support and love. I’m so blessed that they understand and seem excited to support me on my first ever “Mom Day”. I’m really hoping this becomes a new tradition. Plus, it’s “small business Saturday” and with so many friends with small businesses, I plan to reward myself by doing a little shopping if I stay on task!
If you had a “Mom Day”, what would you do?
