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After coming out of a week of sickness it’s back to basics for me, like grocery shopping and laundry and then on to planning for Christmas activities. I am behind but the gift planner will keep me focused in the next week. Time is running out to send gifts by mail!

Gift Planner and my Birthday – just coincidence!

Some find it funny that I am sending out a gift planner on my birthday.  No subliminal message being sent here!  It is a “Christmas” gift planner.  It is a spreadsheet with the following categories: Name, Gift Item, Buy at –, Make it!, Date to Make, Wrap Date, Deliver/Mail Date. 

Download now or preview on posterous

Christmas_List_and_Planner.pdf (157 KB)

Need help planning gift ideas?

Whether you are making gifts or buying them, this gift planner will help you keep track of what you are giving to all on your gift list.  It even helps remind you when you need to mail them if your family lives out of town.  It is too large to include here so just send me your email and I will add you to my list of friends and send you the planner for you to use.  NOW is the time to start planning!

Kinda cool!

I just discovered posterous.com.  Should help me alot to start social networking.

Experience the Freedom

To get the latest update of what organizing project my friends and I are working on – Go to ForbesOrganizing.com.

As the morning light came over the horizon it illuminated a scene of wonder.  A blanket of snow covered everything from the storm last night.  Snow is continuing to fall as a fine powder as if someone high above the earth was shaking powdered sugar over everything.  The houses are amusing.  The snow is curled around the edges of our porch roof.  Porch lghts and lamp posts are wearing a bishop’s hat made of snow which creates a whimsical look.  Only the tops of the fences and mailboxes poked out of the snow.  Cars are wrapped in snow up as if they sunk into a great sink hole.  We received 24 inches last night.

I was awed by the majesty of it all.  Each tree is covered in snow and some are bending under its weight.  Our crepe myrtle looks as if it is bowing to a mighty king.

Nature knows who the King is that created it all.  This is one snow storm that reminds Man that we are not the master of the universe.  God is.

Computer Time – A Mom’s Review

I bought Computer Time on a recommendation of a friend.  I have tried several methods to try to limit and monitor how much time the kids spend on the computer and each method failed in one way or another.  Computer Time lets me set how long the kids can be on the computer at one sitting, how much time they must wait before getting back on again, how many sessions in a day and even set what time of day!  I can even set computer use after noon on Saturday mornings so they won’t be tempted by the computer when they should be doing chores.  I can even give extra computer time as a reward by giving them a special code or by adding the time myself.  I love this software!

The only problem we have experienced with Computer Time is on the occasions when I forget to log off and the kids get on under my name.  I have given myself unlimited time so they like to jump on under my name.  Each of the kids have their own password and their own time limits depending on their age and their needs. That isn’t really a problem with the software just my own discipline!  Honestly, it becomes habit to log off after awhile. 

The software is on every computer in my house, even the lap tops.  It was extremely easy to set up and extremely affordable.  No hesitation here to recommend it to all my friends and their families!

Click HERE to learn more!

Click above link and learn about Computer Time.  My family uses it.  As parents — We love it!

Take Time to Celebrate

The Autumn bug has bit!

We have had only a couple cool days but it is so refreshing. 

On the first day of Autumn I try to make apple cider doughnuts to celebrate this wonderful season.  I did it again this year.  My kids enjoy them but I realize that I really do it for me!  I want to mark this wonderful time of year and since I am a baker and I REALLY like good food it was an easy to put the two together and start a family tradition. 

I made these apple pies today because we are going over to a friend’s house for dinner tonight.  Again, I wanted to celebrate the season.  We are also celebrating the Lord’s Day tonight.  It is my family’s tradition, as well as many of our friends to celebrate the Lord’s Day by starting it out each Saturday night at dinner.  We gather as a family or with friends to “break bread” together and thank God for the blessings of this past week.  It is a really great tradition which strengthens the bonds of friendship and family.

We are also recognizing God’s provision for us and resting in order to be ready for what He has for us in the coming week.  We have some formal prayers that we say but you don’t have to.  Just try going around the table each Saturday night and tell how God has blessed you this week.  It doesn’t have to be profound.  My son used to thank God for “apples” for weeks before he could come up with something else to say.  We can thank God for safe travels, for someone we bumped into this week, for our health and even thank God for some of our trials!  We sometimes learn alot through trials too!

We have alot to be thankful for.  Let’s set aside one day a week to dwell on the good.  Take the time to celebrate our rich and full lives!

Sandra’s Story

Sandra Forbes was an increasingly frustrated mom who had a lot of dreams and ideas.  From the time of the birth of her first son it became increasingly evident that she had to stay organized in order to follow through on her dreams.  As each subsequent child was born it became harder and harder to find the time to do anything other than take care of the children and the regular household duties.  She knew there was a better way.Who Is Sandra Forbes Click here to read her story

Everything is yelling at me!

I am getting a slow start this morning.  Everywhere I turn there is something yelling at me.  The phone is yelling for me to answer it, the house is yelling for me to pick it up and there are projects everywhere to do. 

Do you ever feel this way?

There are some things that don’t take any thought.  The baby needs to be fed.  That is a clear priority.  Then I get into the wishy washy area of what to do first.   It can be paralyzing! 

This is why it is so important to have set up an order for each day.  You can feel free to say NO to things.  Your time map helps you see that the laundry is going to get done during your laundry time, the projects can wait until the project time that you have set aside.  Yes, the bathroom needs to be cleaned today but you see that it is on the schedule for tomorrow so it can wait.  Slowly, all those things that are yelling at you to get done gets put in their place and it is easier to see clearly what needs to be done today!

Use your time map and experience the freedom and QUIET.