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Cos I know some of you might find this of interest, here is my Christmas Plan. Last year, to stay sane while Vinnie was little, I kind of did a Christmas Plan and kind of followed bits and peices of it, and it was fantastic. The best, most relaxed, fantastic, Christmas ever. I was prepared and organized, I was happy and calm. I set up the table on the 1st of december, had a dinner party with family and decorated the tree, and kept the table decorated and festive all December.
;-)
It was good. I also did not go overboard!! :-)
So, this year, since Lisa and Sarah and I were bumming around keeping each other sane, I figured I'd make a plan we could do together, so when we got together to talk over Dr Phil, we could make things and plan things and be organized. I gave Lisa her colour printed version a couple of days ago, and have just finished assembling Sarah's and mine now.
Here it is:
http://members.iinet.com.au/~cheshire/Callistos/Christmas_Control_Journal_06.pdf
And here is the Calendar that goes into it
http://members.iinet.com.au/~cheshire/Callistos/Christmas_06_Calendar.pdf
The book is designed to go into a slip folder; you know the ones with the binders down the side, a colours pastic backing and clear envelopes inside for the pages. However, this will actually put you out by one page (by my definitions; I like things balanced and colourfully pretty) and so I ended up printing out an extra page with "Extra Notes" at the top to make it all perfect. This copy, however, doesn't have that extra page in there. However, there's a reasonably good chance most of you won't even notice what I'm trying to fix here, so feel free to print and enjoy at will. Um, this is version 1.1, so it hasn't actually been through a christmas yet. If you do use it, and find it misses something important, please let me know. These books are designed to be scribbled on, filled out, drawn on, stapled, chewed, licked, eaten, dirtied....
Reasons why I like a family plan for christmas:
- Every one gets their say and can't turn around afterwards and say "I felt left out because..."
- Room for improvement and changes every year, or room to stick the last year's plan
- The workload can be distributed more evenly if needed (in future when the kids can help more or if I go back to a full time job)
- People can't follow you around whining because if they do you have a list of things they can do instead
- You don't have to be the answer person all the time (What can I do *now* Mum? Go and see if that list on cleaning is complete)
- I can do fun things like make coasters and placemats once a year and it's Ok if they look cheesy rather than "good"
- I can organize to do the fun parts with my friends
- I am unlikely to forget things :-)
- Recipes, lists, presents and plans all in one centralized place
- I love documentation and enjoyed producing the book
Unfortunately, someone ran off and got themselves a much needed full time job.
:-)
Makes things hard (and funny) but hey, we'll figure it out. We're a bright bunch of women.
Maybe I should make a christmas planning book and see if I can sell that!! OoooOOOoooOOOOoooooOOOOOOo...
Anyway. It's Dad's birthday today, and I should probably go and open the door on the boy's room so he starts waking up.
;-) We're off to Sizzlers for a late lunch. :-) He's so cuuuuuuute!
;-)
It was good. I also did not go overboard!! :-)
So, this year, since Lisa and Sarah and I were bumming around keeping each other sane, I figured I'd make a plan we could do together, so when we got together to talk over Dr Phil, we could make things and plan things and be organized. I gave Lisa her colour printed version a couple of days ago, and have just finished assembling Sarah's and mine now.
Here it is:
http://members.iinet.com.au/~cheshire/Callistos/Christmas_Control_Journal_06.pdf
And here is the Calendar that goes into it
http://members.iinet.com.au/~cheshire/Callistos/Christmas_06_Calendar.pdf
The book is designed to go into a slip folder; you know the ones with the binders down the side, a colours pastic backing and clear envelopes inside for the pages. However, this will actually put you out by one page (by my definitions; I like things balanced and colourfully pretty) and so I ended up printing out an extra page with "Extra Notes" at the top to make it all perfect. This copy, however, doesn't have that extra page in there. However, there's a reasonably good chance most of you won't even notice what I'm trying to fix here, so feel free to print and enjoy at will. Um, this is version 1.1, so it hasn't actually been through a christmas yet. If you do use it, and find it misses something important, please let me know. These books are designed to be scribbled on, filled out, drawn on, stapled, chewed, licked, eaten, dirtied....
Reasons why I like a family plan for christmas:
- Every one gets their say and can't turn around afterwards and say "I felt left out because..."
- Room for improvement and changes every year, or room to stick the last year's plan
- The workload can be distributed more evenly if needed (in future when the kids can help more or if I go back to a full time job)
- People can't follow you around whining because if they do you have a list of things they can do instead
- You don't have to be the answer person all the time (What can I do *now* Mum? Go and see if that list on cleaning is complete)
- I can do fun things like make coasters and placemats once a year and it's Ok if they look cheesy rather than "good"
- I can organize to do the fun parts with my friends
- I am unlikely to forget things :-)
- Recipes, lists, presents and plans all in one centralized place
- I love documentation and enjoyed producing the book
Unfortunately, someone ran off and got themselves a much needed full time job.
:-)
Makes things hard (and funny) but hey, we'll figure it out. We're a bright bunch of women.
Maybe I should make a christmas planning book and see if I can sell that!! OoooOOOoooOOOOoooooOOOOOOo...
Anyway. It's Dad's birthday today, and I should probably go and open the door on the boy's room so he starts waking up.
;-) We're off to Sizzlers for a late lunch. :-) He's so cuuuuuuute!
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 05:36 am (UTC)From:I often do things at the last minutes because it is a busy time of year for me work wise. I also tend to do thngs in batches too.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:26 am (UTC)From:- Things I could do in 5 minutes due to Vinnie being away or hungry or both, putting away optional
- Things I could unpack, do, and put away within a fast time frame, again due to vinnie
- Things that were small and portable so I could do it wherever I needed to be.
The 15 minute thing is brilliant.
:-)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 06:05 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:21 am (UTC)From:i need to find a way to bind them nicely. Ideas?
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:32 am (UTC)From:I suggest making a sample and approaching a publishing company rather than making them yourself though. I can help you with layout and graphics if you like.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:34 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:39 am (UTC)From:The option John and I were discussing is industrial staples, with cloth tape along the back as the most professional looking in the end.
:-)
Do you think there would be enough demand for a publishing company? I was thinking of making up 20 and trying to make a small profit from that!
:-)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:42 am (UTC)From:I am convinced.
:-)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 12:04 pm (UTC)From:I don't think they look cheap, but we can do a strip of cloth to cver them like you were talking about with the staples if we wanted too.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:42 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 06:09 am (UTC)From:I am a very organised person usually but for some reason Christmas always takes me by surprise, so for the last few years (as things have gotten more complicated) I have taken to making plans and lists earlier and earlier.
I actually started my usual Christmas inventory (who to buy for whom) this weekend and then I saw your book. It rocks!
I love lists and checklists so I am sure I can put it to good use and hopefully adulterate it to suit my needs.
Yay for you!! I would buy it - especially if it was pretty and involved COPIOUS amounts of stationery :)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:21 am (UTC)From:If I wanted to, I could make each one individual and each page could be a pretty paper, and then bind them all together at the end... you'd need to buy a new one every year though!!
What do you think of that idea? Unfortunately, the pretty paper starts costing 60 odd cents a page, and that booklet currently is 21/32 pages...
But hey, why not add another project to the list *grin*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 07:56 am (UTC)From:If they are once only use each year then they could be like scrapbooks/photo albums (a bit like a wedding book) where you paste pictures from catalogues (ideas), photos as you make stuff (and from the actual day), draw pictures of table settings and where people will sit, pictures of recipes and copies of receipes, craft ideas and swatches of fabric, card lists (i.e. who sent me cards in 2005, 2006 and so on)... I could go on.
But if you sold them at Christmas for 'next year' people could use them throughout the year as ideas come to them... So I guess what I am saying is that if it was a memory then it would be an investment and 60c per sheet would be irrelevant :)
Just to show how obsessive I am sometimes - I have excel spreasheets going back to 2003 showing who I sent Christmas cards to, who I sent presents AND cards to, and who sent me cards and so on. The orginal reason for the Database was my wedding which was in November, so Thank yous went out with Christmas cards - so the orginal DB had who gave us what and Christmas cards combined. Sad :) And oh so enjoyable.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 08:08 am (UTC)From::-)
Cos I like *everything* to be there. The only thing I don't think we could put in there but would like to is stamps.
Please keep coming with the ideas, I love the ideas that you've suggested and I'd rather the hard task of winnowing good ideas than making up new (and often depserate) ones!!
And this project would encompass many of my loves... stationery... stationery shopping... making kits .... stationery...taking christmas back from the corporations...
Did I mention stationery?
:-)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 10:08 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 10:06 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 12:00 pm (UTC)From:Cool
*grin*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 10:07 am (UTC)From:After working at Kmart for several years, I try and get my christmas shopping early.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 12:09 pm (UTC)From: