This is not a month of selfishness, this is a month of nurturing our selves so that we can nurture others.

It’s January, time for new beginnings, resolutions and learning to care for ourselves so we can truly care for others.

Assignments

• Buy a new notebook in a color you really like (or recycle a good used one with contact paper or other covering). At least 8 dividers, 25 page protectors, a good pair of paper scissors, glue sticks, graph paper, plain paper, notebook paper.
• Collect ads, magazines and pictures that you can cut for next weeks assignments. Make sure that a good proportion of the ads and magazines are “fashion” and not a lot of computer ones.
• A sturdy container for all of this, you will be using the container and notebook all year, I also keep my HGP notebook in this container. I use one of the Clamp on Lid containers made by HOMZ that I bought at K-Mart.
• Decorate the notebook and dividers so that it is a pleasure for you to use it.
• Label the dividers
  1. Dreams
  2. Definitions
  3. Plan
  4. Relationships
  5. Love & Romance
  6. Garden
  7. Home Improvement
  8. Family Perks

Routine for the Week

• Start visualizing this as you go about your day.
• To walk in my home and feel peace
• Sink clean at checkpoints in the day
• Porch inviting
• Entry Clean and decorated
• All seats clean and accessible
• Living Room and Dining Area attractive and clean

Here’s to a Blessed and Joy filled New Year for us! (and hopefully our children/spouses/friends won’t be spending too much of it in war zones!)

Try the smoke alarms to make sure they’re working.

Check the pressure gauge on fire extinguishers. (Your owner’s manual will give the correct reading.)

Make sure the automatic garage door safely reverses as it should (see your owner’s manual). Adjust as necessary.

Take a child’s-eye tour of your home. Look for potential hazards (a hair dryer permanently plugged into a bathroom outlet, toxic cleaning products easily reached, uncapped electrical outlets, window shade cords reachable from a crib) and do something about them.

Unplug (and keep unplugged) all appliances not in daily use. If they’re not connected, they can’t start a fire or become a hazard to curious kids.

Wash the interior of the dishwasher with warm, soapy water to prevent fungus and mildew. (If you’re going to be away, have a neighbor run the dishwasher every two weeks so gaskets don’t dry out.)

Inspect electrical wiring for holiday decorations and replace faulty cords and burned-out bulbs at sales.

Clean or replace the lint filter in your washing machine (it’s attached to the drain hose). You can buy a metal or mesh filter or just use a piece of nylong stocking stretched over the drain hose.

Take a listen and look toor of your house. Hear any drippy faucets or running toilets?

Take faulty parts from faucets and toilet tanks to your home center or make a drawing so that clerks can help you replace what you need. (then write down all part numbers and sizes)

Get bids for spring and summer remodeling projects now. Contractors are hungry at this time and anzious to schedule work. You’re likely to get better prices.

Start a Home Maintenance file. Include names and phone numbers of service professionals who’ve worked in your home. Use the file to hold service contracts or invoices for work performed.