We’re halfway through the month. Only a couple more weeks until Halloween!
Have you decorated your home for fall yet? Is there an autumn wreath on your door, a fall welcome mat at the front door, pumpkins and squash on your mantel or your front porch? Orange, cranberry, brown, black or dark green candles around your home?
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
– Pay any mid-month bills coming due
– Need to order any stamps online?
– Do you have a flashlight in your car, by your bed, in the garage, and in your kitchen? Do you have a flashlight on every floor of your home? In the living room in case the power goes out while you’re sitting watching TV? Test ALL of your flashlights tonight in the dark and see if the batteries need replacing. Is the light bright enough to actually see? Can you get ahold of the flashlight easily if it’s pitch black in the room?
– Put out any remaining Halloween or fall decorations you haven’t gotten around to yet
– Finalize Thanksgiving travel plans, book airline tickets if you haven’t already, or finish inviting guests if you are hosting
– Look over the next two weeks. Can you build in time for socializing, alone time, quiet nights at home, exercise, nightly walks, pet care, special time with your kids, special time with your significant other?
– Take inventory of laundry detergent, dryer sheets, bleach and other laundry supplies. Throw out anything you don’t actually use (a bleach pen? starch? baby detergent for your baby who is now a kid? Swimsuit or hosiery cleaner you never actually use?)
TODAY’S PROJECT: Medicine Cabinet
Be sure you are stocked for winter colds, flus and other maladies. Today I’m removing everything from both medicine cabinets in my house, cleaning and dusting the shelves, checking expiration dates, and sorting the medicine. Later today I’ll go shopping at a drugstore or Target for things I might need this season.
I’ll carefully check expiration dates and throw out anything outdated. I have a hard time “decluttering” when it comes to up-to-date medicines, because I want to be sure I have something to solve every possible problem. But I don’t have a problem throwing out anything I’m unsure of the expiration date on!
Do you have headache remedies, sinus remedies, fever remedies, cold/flu medicine (both liquid and capsule form), anti-diarrhea medicine, something for upset stomachs, something for gas and/or acid heartburn, sore throat and cough lozenges, something just for coughs? Do you have aspirin AND ibuprofen, both Tylenol AND Advil? Any Benadryl on hand in case of allergic reactions? Do you have the good kind of Sudafed if your family tends to get congestion in the ears?
If you have children, do you have children’s medicines (or have you read the recent warnings against giving cold medicine to children under 4?) How about Vicks VapoRub?
Outside of the medicine cabinet, do you have plenty of Kleenex/Puffs, more than one box? Do you have crackers, bouillon cubes, chicken noodle soup (or vegetarian alternative), several kinds of bottled juice, graham crackers, and other foods for sick people? Let’s hope nobody gets sick and you won’t need it, but it’s better to be prepared.
How well are you stocked when you travel? It seems the older I get, the more just-in-case medicine I have to take with me. I put it in my checked luggage so I don’t have to hassle with airport security and my carryon. (I have a cute Hello Kitty pillcase I carry stuff in).
Do you keep medicines in your guest bathroom too, so guests don’t have to be embarrassed and come ASK you for diarrhea medicine?
Are your medicines stored out of the reach of children?
Also, do you have a good supply of hot water bottles/packs, coldpacks, bandaids, gauze, and other first aid and comfort supplies?
If you unfortunately develop an extended period of illness where you aren’t able or feeling up to to going to the store, do you have plenty of toilet paper, pet food, laundry detergent and other supplies you might not be able to go out and get for yourself? (Hopefully you have a supportive network of friends who would shop for you in emergencies too!)
LOVELY BLOGS: The Magic Onions
This is a crafting blog by someone with a cute Etsy store. There are helpful posts on how to make peg fairies, create a Halloween birdie witch, how to create a Halloween pumpkin wreath, fairy gardens and fairy furniture, and how to make your own miniature Zen garden. I love all the step-by-step photographs she includes throughout the process of each craft.