And it begins...

Friday officially kicked off the holiday shopping season and hopefully you were able to get a lot of shopping done and avoid the crowds. Personally I love shopping for gifts but hate dealing with the crowds. I think that shopping online is the best thing that ever happened to me. I get shop, compare prices and have a wide selection...all from the comfort of my living room.

No matter where you shop, you might still find yourself stressed. After all there is there baking, wrapping, cleaning, decorating, etc. There is the stressing over whether you will make your budget and whether or not you got the "perfect" gift.

I find myself stressing about getting everything done for the end of my semester in 3 weeks. Ahh...three weeks. Sorry needed to freak out for a second there. Although I'm looking forward to my winter break from school, I know that month off will be a busy one. Evan will be home from school for 2 weeks and I'll need to keep him busy and entertained so that he doesn't feel he needs to mess with Abby for fun.

I recently signed up on www.flylady.net for useful tips on being organized. I wanted to share the tips that I received today in hopes that they might help you feel calm and organized over the next month too.

A few things to remember:
1.During the Holidays, everyone's expectations are higher. Blame iton Santa Claus. Where once, "because it's Christmas" was a nice way to explain good behavior, these days it's more often used to justify the necessity of bigger, better, and more. Making the best of the holidayspirit is fine, but you can and should say no to some requests. Most Scrooges are nothing more than disillusioned elves.

2. You are allowed back-up. Your own little elves, toy soldiers, andsugar plum fairies can be drawn into the process of Christmas-wrapping presents, helping to organize family events, gluing feathers on angelwings-whatever. There is no reason why you should go it alone. And let the abominable snowman dozing in the evening chair, fingers clenched around the remote, know that his role extends past hanging the electric icicles from the roof of the garage.

3. Start Now. The earlier you can accomplish the busy work, the better you'll feel as you approach the Christmas weekend. We all have busy lives and schedules crammed with all measure of commitments, but try taking the business of Christmas one day at a time. Save yourself the anxiety by avoiding procrastination whenever you can.

4. Find the magic in the details. Christmas is a magical holiday. Lookfor the twinkle in your child's eye. Give a present to a friend when they least expect it. Weather permitting, run around outside in the snow. Take a few moments to enjoy the way your house looks decorated-with all the lights and bows and bells-because it really is quite pretty. The holiday season has just begun. Keep yourself in the spirit by cutting yourself a little slack. Even Santa takes time out for cookies