Talking to myself while I’m planning and letting you eavesdrop on the conversation, here is the week I hope to have:

11.13.22 – 11.19.22

• 13th – Colts football game Gee. Any news this past week? Anything out of the ordinary happen?
• 16th – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Greatest Hits (1993)
• 17th – The Little Mermaid (1989)

First things first …

• What is essential?
• What should I reschedule or omit?
• What do I need help with?
• What can I delegate?
• Where can I cut corners or compromise? The goal is to take care of my home and family without running myself into the ground.

To Do / Enjoy / Remember:

• CATCH UP WEEK: anything from the last few weeks I need to catch up with?
• Begin forcing paperwhites
• Polish silver trays
• Rake leaves, yard work
• Assemble a Winter car kit
• Deep clean the oven
• Clean behind the stove
• Clean behind the fridge
• Purchase an extra pumpkin pie (my son’s favorite) to have the weekend after Thanksgiving
• Deep clean the dining room Our dining room doubles as our homeschool area and right now it’s out of control. Yikes, babies. Super yikes.
• Tidy storage areas:
  • Closet under the stairs
  • Pantry
  • Garage
  • Linen closet
  • Guest coat closet
• If hosting Thanksgiving:
  • “set the stage” for serving
  • set the meal plan
  • map the cooking timeline
• If traveling:
  • confirm travel plans/vehicle rental/lodging
  • confirm pet boarding
  • start packing suitcases
• Plan the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving meal
• Come up with a Black Friday sales plan
• Come up with a Small Business Saturday plan
• Come up with a Cyber Monday sales plan
  • I think my plan for all three big holiday sales days might be to ignore them unless there’s a deal for something specific on my list. Our budget is tight and I cannot risk being influenced to spend more than our planned amount.
• Change the letterboard
• Update Roku screen saver – I use family photos
• Write down the kids’ December sports and club schedules
  • Any holiday events to make note of?

• Did you guys see this from Simple Bites? Looks like a good one to bookmark: How to Eat Well and Spend Less

I plan to put up my feet and knit along to …

• The Frasier Thanksgiving episodes
• Holiday Baking Championship
• Christmas Cookie Challenge
• Gingerbread Showdown
• The Santa Clauses

This is a good time of year to bookmark the Christmas TV Schedule site.

My main influences:

• Martha Stewart’s monthly calendars in her magazine (no longer in print)
• Cynthia Ewer’s Organized Home, which she has retired
• Alison May’s Brocante Home
• Frasier. Yes, the television show from the 1990s. You laugh, but it’s true.

Be brave. Be kind. Keep going. I’m so proud of us!