Getting it done

Have you ever felt like you're just sitting around wasting time and not getting a thing done? I have felt that way all this week but in reality I have accomplished quite a bit. I feel like time's awasting because I have to stop and feed Ira every couple of hours for about 45 minutes at a time. When one is used to being up and moving, just to sit and enjoy a newborn takes some getting used to. So what have I done this week?
1. I finished putting together our family Christmas card and included Ira's birth announcement (in a rather ingenious way). I'll post pictures of that early next week.
2.The family photo album I've been putting together for Joseph's parents was finally completed. It contains pictures of Joseph's paternal grandparents as they were growing up, their wedding pictures and then ones of their children. It took quite a bit of time because many of the photos needed to be fixed. I uploaded them all to Winkflash and put them in a photo book. We've ordered one for each of Joseph's siblings as well.
3. The girls all earned money to do Christmas shopping. I took Eve and Marie to do their shopping yesterday. It was so much fun to see them chose their gifts. It was also touching when they saw the Senior Giving Tree and didn't even hesitate to chose a tag and buy gifts for a needy senior citizen. Sara and Abby get to shop next week.
4. Our "Christmas School" starts next week so I've been planning that. Here's the schedule:Mondays we will read the prophecies about Christ and their fulfillments in the scriptures. We are using the wonderful article from December's Ensign that also includes beautiful artwork to go along with the scriptures. Tuesdays will be spent learning about different Christmas symbols. Wednesdays we will read various Christmas stories and books and also learn about the different names of Christ like Alpha and Omega, Lamb of God, Good Shepherd, etc. Thursdays we will learn about Christmas traditions from different countries, in particular, Spain, Mexico and England where our ancestors came from. And Fridays will be all about Christmas food- hot chocolate, cookies, gingerbread, etc.
5. Today we set up our Christmas tree and put up some Christmas decorations. We will be doing our advent calendar again this year so I've been getting all of those supplies together as well.
6. Lastly, I finished the family calendar and got it copied in town. I will be binding it this afternoon. Every year for the past 9 - 10 years I've made a family calendar for Joseph's side so we can all remember birthdays and anniversaries. There are so many of us we need reminders. :D
Whew! Are you tired yet? I am. I think I'll go curl up with a book, a blanket, and a big mug of hot cocoa.