December Monthly Newsletter
Merry Christmas! I love this
time of year! It is, without a doubt, my favorite. The tree, the gifts, the
glory to the Lord, and fellowship with friends and family – I feel as if it
can’t get any better. I hope you have used my newsletter from last month and
are almost done with your preparations for Christmas so you can sit back and
enjoy it all without any headaches! Well, I hope this newsletter helps you enjoy
Christmas more and stay organized and efficient!
Also, this month we are rolling
out with a new employee! Her name is Hannah and she is a huge blessing and
helper. I am so excited for the new helping hands coming on, and I am sure that
you all will love her as much as I do. So with the extra set of hands we are
now able to help out with your steam cleaning needs for the guests coming your
way soon, and the in-depth kitchen cleaning you may need to prepare your
holiday meals! Let us know, because this is the beginning of the busy season
that typically runs until June. Get in while you can!
Charity
of the Month
This
December we will be donating 5% of sales to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh
Valley and Northeast counties. They provide funding for soup kitchens, kids’
backpack programs, elderly, and nursing mothers programs and so much more. To
find out more or how to donate your unused food, please visit www.shfblv.org.
Organization
Idea of the Month
As much as I love to decorate my
home for Christmas, I find it very annoying to run from one room to the next
with a single decoration in your hand. Then when you need to pack up,
everything is scattered and it’s a chore just trying to fit things in the box
closest to you. All of this can be avoided! I assume you already have your
Christmas needs in boxes? I always recommend totes for any storage because they
do not come in contact with mold, water, bugs, rodents – and your items are
safe every year! So while your Christmas décor is out, recycle those boxes,
splurge a little on yourself, and grab some totes. When it’s time to pack up
Christmas, place a tote in the center of each room (some may need more) to put
your décor away according to room. Now when you pack and unpack it is much
easier and quicker for you. As the children get older you can give them a tote
and tell them to decorate the room itself with the items in the box. Also, keep
in mind that all the Christmas tree décor should be in a separate box of its
own. So go and enjoy!
Cleaning
Idea of the Month
This
month’s idea was a tough choice because there are so many cleaning highlights
coming into a holiday month. I thought of focusing on your stove for baking, or
your entry way since snow is coming soon. But this month, more than any other,
the focus is on toys. Toys are going to be the issue because so many new
packages are about to come Christmas morning. Here’s a general rule of thumb: If
one box of new toys comes in, be sure to fill another box with older toys your
children have outgrown. I collect my daughter’s outgrown clothes and the toys she
doesn’t play with all year round. Yet, somehow when I look into her room at
Christmas time I just can’t mentally place all the gifts I have gotten her. There
is just so much stuff! It’s a good idea before December 25th comes around to
get your child’s room emptied of all the items you haven’t seen them play with in
a long time. You can donate the ones that they have outgrown. However, if you
have removed them and you still have too much, a great idea is to have a
seasonal rotation of toys. Every 6 months pack and unpack a box of rotating
toys and the kids always think they are getting new toys.
Craft of the Month
A great craft for
this time of year is to focus on the reason for the season. Make a manger scene
with your children. Print out images of each character in the true Christmas
story for your children to color. Glue them onto toilet paper rolls to stand
upright, or put them onto cardboard with clothespins glued to the back so they
can stand up tall. You can also make them out of candy! I know every year we do
a gingerbread house, so instead of a gingerbread house, make it a manger scene!
Add in Mary, Joseph, and the rest of the crew with gum drops, chocolate, marshmallows,
mike and ikes – however you would like. While doing this, talk about the true
Christmas story and after creating the masterpiece, they can act out the story!
Healthy Idea of the Month
All of the
cookies, parties, cocktails, and sweet Christmas gifts can hurt you in the long
run. These are all given with the best intentions. But, a good way to help
yourself and your family in this season is to make goals. It’s simple and easy.
If you and your family do it all together, you’ll have support and a sense of
pride that your family is special and different and cares about your bodies. Here
are some example goals; eating only one dessert or not staying for dessert at
all, having only 2 cocktails, giving a fruit basket instead of candy, or making
sure the cookies you are baking for the neighbors are whole grain with dried
fruits, instead of chocolate and sugar. It’s a great family goal. Keep in mind
– it’s healthy to shoot for 80/20. This means you are on target with diet and
exercise 80% of the time, and relaxing and indulging the other 20% of the time.
Teaching your children with these goals while they are young will help them for
the rest of their lives.
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