The Elf Blog

Activity of the Week #5

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way.

Here’s the Activity for Week 5:Donate something. You can make a donation to a good cause, give some old clothes to a thrift store, give blood, volunteer time. Use your imagination. But do give of yourself.

Accountability: I reviewed my photo album from my Antarctica trip!

Craft Control

In the world of crafting, there’s a concept called STABLE – stash beyond life expectancy. Essentially, it means you’ve stockpiled more craft supplies than you could ever possibly use. This is a bad thing.

So, in the next month or so, gathering together all of your craft supplies and do an inventory. You may be surprised at what you find. If your stash exceeds your life expectancy (and no fair assuming you’lllive to be 163) If you have an excess of crafting supplies here are some hints for managing it:

• STOP BUYING SUPPLIES. NOW! No buying supplies until your current inventory is under control. The only exception is a limited amount of something necessary to complete a project. And don’t buy that until you reach the stopping point.

• Gather all the partially completed projects and make yourself a completion schedule.

• Organize your supplies so you know where everything is. When possible, judiciously substitute what you have for what you need. For example, you need a baby gift and you have material for a cross-stitched bib. Don’t go out and buy what you need to sew a bear.

• If there’s stuff you know you’ll never use, donate it. Places that might want it include schools, special education centers, assisted living facilities, and scouting troops.

Learn from my mistake! Yesterday I was locked out of my house while taking my dog for a walk. No keys, cash, or cell phone. I know my neighbors, but no one was home. Ultimately, the local rescue squad got me in by knocking out my doorknob. Then I got to install a new one. So:

-- Keep more than one set of spare keys in a variety of places.
-- Never leave home without your cell phone.
-- If you don't know your neighbors, meet them.
-- Always support your local rescue squad. You never know when you'll need them.

Activity of the Week #4

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way.

Here’s the Activity for Week 4:

Look through an old photo album or scrapbook. We spend hours and hours and hours taking photos and putting together scrapbooks which then end up sitting on a shelf or in a digital file, collecting dust (at least metaphorically). This week, open one up and page through it. We shouldn’t live in the past, but it’s nice to visit every so often!

Accountability: I thanked my dear friend and volunteer agent, Noreen, for her 20 years of service teaching 6th graders. Seriously, there should be a medal for that – or at least a fair paycheck!

Winter Entertaining

We don't often think of the winter as a great time to entertain, but there are some excellent reasons to gather friends in your home. Here are some of my favorites:

• February 5th is Super Bowl Sunday
• February 14th is Valentine's Day
• February 21st is Mardi Gras
• February 26th is Oscar Night

Any of those days are a great time to put out some food (homemade or picked up from a favorite restaurant) and celebrate.

For Super Bowl or Oscar parties, you'll want at least one TV. Since it's the Patriots versus the Giants, think lobster rolls or steamed clams versus New York pizza or hot dogs and knishes.

For Valentine's Day, all you really need is chocolate. Lots of chocolate. You better get more chocolate, just in case.

For Mardi Gras, it's always fun to do a Cajun theme with big pots of gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. Decorate with green, gold, and purple (the traditional colors of Mardi Gras) and make hurricanes.

Activity of the Week #3

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way

Here’s the Activity for Week 3:

Thank a teacher. Any teacher. Send a note to an old teacher of yours. Drop a note to someone who teaches your child. Thank a friend who works as a teacher. Just drop a thank you note in the mail to a local school or send an email to the office. With the holidays past and June ever so far away , teachers could use a little encouragement. We place increasing demands on them for salaries that wouldn’t cover a sports team’s towel budget. The teachers I know are hard-working, dedicated men and women who want the very best for their students.

Accountability: I gave my dog a gingerbread-shaped chewy for Christmas. She ignored it since it was too big for her to take a bite. I finllay started chopping it up so she can enjoy it!

Incentives

It’s amazing how small an incentive can change behavior. As of January 1st, my county imposed a 5 cent tax for every bag you get from a grocery store, a department store, etc.

Now, 5 cents isn’t a lot of money. Even if you are doing a huge grocery shop, it’s not going to be even an additional dollar added to your bill.

But I went grocery shopping Friday evening. Within 2 weeks of the tax going into effect, well over half the people I saw in the store either had reusable bags with them or had brought plastic or paper bags from home to reuse.

It seems that 5 cents a bag was enough to get people to change their behavior. And for those who forget or who don’t change their behavior, the money collected goes to clean up the extra trash generated by all those bags.

It’s amazing how little of an incentive it takes to create a behavior change. What other behaviors might it be worth trying to change?

A Long Weekend

For many people, this will be a three-day weekend. So let’s use it well.

When you get home tonight, there’s time for a Friday Tidy so the house will be in good order, no matter what you choose to do. Here are some suggestions:

• Invite some friends over to watch the playoffs on Saturday or Sunday. Refreshments don’t need to be fancy: pizza, salad, chips, veggoes and dip, brownies, and beverages.

• Spend one day cleaning one room thoroughly or running your errands and then just enjoy the other two.

• Build a fire, make some cocoa and cookies and catch up on your reading, letter writing, or movie watching.

• Start a new winter craft project.

• Plan your garden.

• Do the mending or the hand laundry that stacks up.

• Get together with friends.

• Begin gathering documentation to do your taxes.

• Bundle up and get outside for a walk, a run, or some skiing or sledding.

What will the Elf be doing?

Friday Tidy. Grocery shopping, finishing an editing project, writing, and putting the Christmas decorations back in the attic.

Activity of the Week #2

As I explained last week, each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way

Here’s the Activity for Week 2:

Use something you’ve been saving “for the right time.” We all have the pretty candle we’ll light someday. Or the good bubble bath. Or the nice bottle of wine or the fancy chocolate. Or we’re looking for the right place to wear the luxurious sweater.

The right time is THIS WEEK! Enjoy!

Accountability: I called my godmother last week. We haven’t actually chatted in 29 years. She’s lovely.

Being Prepared

Being prepared just makes your life easier. For example, right now, I REALLY want chocolate. Unfortunately, I failed to prepare and I don’t have any chocolate available in my office. (The work provided hot chocolate isn’t cutting it.) If I woere better prepared, the chocolate covered cherries or the peanut clusters or the truffles I have sitting at home would be on my desk and this crisis would be averted.

Being prepared can also help you develop healthier behaviors. You can keep healthy snacks like fresh fruit and baby carrots (not chocolate) easily accessible. You are more likely to eat them if they are easy to grab. Keeping a pitcher of water with citrus handy in the fridge will likely lead to drinking more water. Having a set of workout clothes ready to go and sitting on your bed makes it easier to get the exercise you know you need. Having to find your sneakers just gives you another excuse to be lazy.

Planning ahead to do what you know you should do makes it more likely that you’ll succeed!