Our frugal family is taking a trip to watch my husband's brother graduate from the Army Reserve Basic Training program.  I have been working frantically this morning to pack clothes, games, books, movies, and snacks for the 6 hour car trip.  I have also been doing last minute loads of laundry, washing dishing, and generally picking up the house.  As I have been working on these chores I was thinking about ways to be more organized during those pre-travel times.  I have a few tips gathering that may help both you and me doing the upcoming holiday traveling season.

• Make sure the laundry is caught up BEFORE the day for packing arrives.  There is always that favorite shirt or pair of socks someone wants to take that is going to be in the dirty laundry.  This will help avoid the last minute stress of doing a load of laundry.
• Make a list of items you want to take and check the list before heading out the door.  Cameras, maps, hats/gloves, and glasses are items we have been known to go back for in the past.
• Buy bottled water, snack mix, and other munches at the grocery store before your trip and take them in a cooler.  Convenience store food can eat into a travel budget very quickly.  Having a snack in the car may also eliminate an unnecessary stop along the travel route.
• Pack a variety of items to keep the kids busy while traveling.  Movies are a good way to help pass the time quickly.  Other things my kids like to do are listen to audio books, read, color, and play video games.
• Don't forget the wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and the Atlas.
• Have plastic grocery sacks in the car to help keep trash picked up and throw the full one away at the next stop for fuel.

If you have an other travel tips or suggestions, please add to this blog.  I am also interested to hear of any family car games your family plays to pass the time.

I have been studying many resources from experts on how to build last memories for our children.  One of the ideas I liked best was the concept of not only building memories, but also building a "heritage" for our children.  Webster's dictionary describes a heritage as "anything deriving from the past or tradition regarded as the valuable inheritance of contemporary society".  The holiday season is the time of year when we spend time with family and friends and these special times can be made intentional to give our children a lasting heritage that they will pass on to their own children.

I have put together a list of things of holiday ideas that can be done as a family to make special traditions and memories while building a heritage of family and togetherness for your family.

1. Go caroling in your neighborhood, at a local nursing home, or in the children's ward of a hospital.
2. Invite someone who will be alone at Christmas over for Christmas Day dinner.
3. Celebrate advent.  There are many resources and advent calendars that can be used to assist you with the details. Lego: Advent Calendar
4. Scoop the neighbors walk after a heavy snow.
5. Read a Christmas story together as a family on Christmas Eve.  I have a special story that we have read each Christmas Eve before any of the activities begin.  My boys look forward to this time and even ask "when are we going to read?"
6. Watch a Christmas special or movie together as a family.  (I have listed several family friendly choices below)
7. As a family,  volunteer to help serve Christmas dinner at a local mission.
8. Bake Christmas cookies and goodies together as a family.  Then make up trays and deliver them to friends and family spreading some unexpected Christmas cheer!!
9. Give your child an ornament each year for Christmas.  Then when decorating the tree the next year make it a special time of getting out each decoration and talking with your child about when it was given and any memories from that holiday season.  Be sure to label the ornament with your child's initals and the year given to make it easier to identify who it belongs to and when it was given.
10. Take a drive to look at the Christmas lights as a family.  Play Christmas music and drink hot chocolate while enjoying the lights.  It makes it especially magical if it is snowing while you are driving.

Family Friendly Holiday Movies:

• It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
• Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (50th Birthday Deluxe Remastered Edition)
• Elf (Infinifilm Edition)
• The Polar Express (Widescreen Edition)
• WHITE CHRISTMAS (DVD) (IRVING BERLINS)WS ENHANCED 16X9/DOLBY DIGI ENG 5.1
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)

If you are like me, there never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything that you need and want to do.  The emergencies and necessities take priority and they usually get done, but many times this doesn't leave time for relaxation, family, friends, or hobbies.  Here are my secrets to taking control of my time.

Tip #1:  Know how you are spending your time.  For one week track the time that you are spending on all of the activities in your day including work, household chores, errands, T.V. time, reading, etc...  I would suggest tracking your time in either 1 hour or 1/2 hour intervals.  In about a week you will have a good chart of where your time is being wasted and then you can put a plan together to make some changes. 

Tip #2:  Know what is important to you and write it down.  During the week that you are tracking your time on the various activities in your day, take the time to make notes about what is really important to you.  Note the things that you feel you are not getting a chance to do because of your busy schedule.  What things are a priority in your life that you are not taking the time to do?

Tip #3:  Review time chart and priority list for changes that you want to make.  After a week of note taking, sit down and review how your time was spent.  Become aware of the areas that you are spending your time on things that are not important to you or that are time wasters.  Make a plan that will allow you to spend more time on the things that are a priority to you and less time on the insignificant time wasters.

Tip #4:  Come up with an organizational planner or system.  There are many good paper and electronic planners out there that can help you track your time, organize your responsibilities, make lists, and set reminders for meetings and important dates.  A tickler file for the mail, school papers, coupons, and future To-Do items is a great way to stay organized.  (See next week's blog for more details on tickler files and organizers).

Tip #5:  Don't be afraid to "say no".  If the event, activity, meeting, or playdate does not fit into your family schedule or will cause items on your priority list to be pushed aside don't be afraid to say no.  It is not rude to tell someone thank you for the invitation however, that event is not going to fit into our family schedule.  There are times that we need to sacrifice for our friends and family, but not at the expense of our personal family time.

Taking control of your time will take time, effort, and planning.  The results will be amazing!  Time to spend on the things that are most important to you including friends and family. 

I discovered yesterday that the holidays are officially here.  I was in a retail clothing store and they were playing Christmas music which, I must admit, started to put me in the Christmas spirit.  Then I got a knot in my stomach thinking about all of the gifts needing purchased, cards to be sent, food to be made, and decorations and gift wrap to be purchased.  The holidays can create a lot of stress on a person physically, emotionally, and financially. 

I have gathered a list of frugal holiday spending tips to avoid financial stress while maintaining a creative flair.  To avoid credit card debt or overspending try one or more of the following:

• Create a budget (spending plan) and STICK TO IT
•  Write out a gift list and spending limit per person before going shopping
• Start shopping early before the items you want are picked over
• Take advantage of store specials, bargains, and use coupons
• Regift items that you own but do not use that may be useful to a friend or family member
•  Purchase vintage gifts from thrift or second hand stores
•  Make a homemade gift

Creative frugal gift wrap ideas:

• Recycle gift bags
• Use the artwork your children have created
•  Use fabric, wallpaper, magazine pages, or the comics
• Make a sweater bag
• Use old Christmas cards as gift tags

Time change occurred over the weekend.  Fall back.  An extra hour of sleep.  The sun rising an hour earlier in the morning.  All good things.  Then the evening comes.  The sun sets an hour earlier and everyone is ready for bed not long after the supper hour is finished.  How do you get the family adjusted to the time change? 

I have found a few tips to help me get the family adjusted to the time change.  Mornings do not seem to be as much of a problem.  Everyone is already accustomed to being up an hour earlier, so the kids are awake or ready to wake up by the time the alarm rings.  In the evening, I bundle up the kids and let them play outside until dark even if it pushes back dinner a bit.  They only have about half an hour outdoors by the time we get home and settled, but it gives them some time to run out their energy and enjoy what is left of the daylight. 

After dinner and homework I give the kids about an hour of free time to play or watch television.  Then it is showers and reading time to calm and relax them and ready them for sleep.  I have them go to bed 15 minutes 30 minutes earlier than usual to give them time to settle down and fall asleep.

Being consistant is the most important thing in helping your kids adjust successfully to the time change.  Be understanding of any irritability the child may feel due to the changes they are being forced to make to their biological clock and sleeping patterns.