Packing UP!

You can bet that one of the first things I will do upon my feet walking through the threshold of our home will be to take down the Christmas decorations. I was chomping at the bit LAST night to change my blog background. Second to NOT RSVPing (I really should do a blog entry on that), lingering Christmas decorations is a HUGE pet peeve.

May be it is because heading into October 1st, I always feel like those next three months my feet never stop running. It begins with sewing Halloween costumes, followed by our traditional Halloween dinner, then three family birthday celebrations every two weeks for six weeks, Thanksgiving, Christmas preparations, and finally the actual Christmas celebration itself. It may sound like I am complaining, that is completely NOT true, I enjoy EVERY last detail in the planning, implementing, and celebration. May be it is the pending, 'fresh' start of the NEW YEAR that eggs on my excitement to 'pack up' 2008.

The last week of the calendar year is greeted with year end inventory, tax preparation, a 'family' 2009 planning meeting, goal setting for the first three months of the new year, a quiet reflection on 2008, and a packing up of the Christmas decorations (YEE HAW). Don't you feel like your house is bigger and cleaner after that process?

January through March is typically a time of the year when I devote extra time to the growth of my business. We have fewer 'family' commitments and I know I will have the next 3 - 4 months to work like mad woman before our 'spring' schedule takes shape. I LOVE this aspect of my life that allows me to have periods of intense work followed by periods of lighter work so that I am able to strike a balance between work and family.

Knowing how this last week of every calendar year shapes up, I hope you will check in daily for snippets of the reflection and planning that goes into closing out one year in preparation for the next and perhaps you may pick up a few tips and tricks as you strive to 'find balance in this BUSY world.'

Jill