Making Our Homes Like Heaven in 2011- Week 4!

WOW! Can you believe we're already 4 weeks in???!! I can't! It is just flying by! I hope you are beginning to feel like you're making some progress in your home.  If you are new to our adventure you can revisit previous weeks and see where we've already come from here:  Week 1 , Week 2, and Week 3.

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Over the past few weeks we've cleaned out our refrigerators, inventoried our freezers, cleaned out our master closet, cabinets in our bathrooms, and cleaned up our bedrooms.  We've also checked our credit and begun keeping a record of our donations for tax time next year.  We've looked at our calendars and tried to scale back a little, and we'll be doing a little more of that this week as well :)  Some of us have gotten all of the tasks completed and some of us have done a couple each week.  We've also started the habit of making a list each night of 6 things we need to do the next day so we can stay on top of our priorities.  I think you'll agree with me that everything works together for the good, the bad, or the ugly.  If one area  of our life is out of sync the others will get that way as well.  So, we're trying to really focus on the entire package as we Make our Homes like Heaven in 2011.

One thing that happens at my house is that I get so busy taking care of everything and everyone else that I don't take care of myself.  I wonder if that happens at your house too?  It takes me getting to the point where I'm completely overwhelmed and exhausted and yelling at my kids and being short with my husband to realize I've not been taking care of myself and it's affecting how I care for those I love.  It is also a known fact in my house that my mood often directly correlates with the state of the house or the "busy"-ness of my calendar.  I'm really trying to become more aware of this and more proactive about it before it gets to the point that I lash out at my loved ones.  Tell me I'm not alone in this!!!! :0

With that, let's get on to this week's list!

1. Go into your pantry and clean it out.  Make an inventory list of the items that are in there and put everything back in an organized fashion.
2. Based on your inventory lists for your Freezer and Pantry, plan at least one meal in the next week solely made from food you already have on hand.
3. Check your calendar for February.  Find a date to do something for yourself- maybe get a pedicure, maybe a massage, or just spend an afternoon alone at the library.  Whatever you decide to do, make time for yourself away from the kids a priority this month.
4. While your checking your calendar for February, find a date to go on a date with your spouse.  I know it's Valentine's month, and if you usually go out for Valentine's Day that's fine (we stay home and spend it with the kids), but make sure you have at least one night that you will have time to refuel your marriage.
5. Finally, find 1 full day and 1 half day on your calendar that you can block out and commit not to plan anything, just have some down time on those days.

Fairly easy list this week, depending on how big of a project the pantry is!  :)  If you breeze through this list consider doing an item from a previous list that you didn't get to.  :)  Also, let's talk about our progress on FaceBook.  It helps to encourage each other and holds each other accountable!

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