The Pagan Origins of Christmas

No one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?

The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.

In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.

In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.

Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.

The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.

In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.

Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”

The practice of exchanging gifts at a winter celebration is also pre-Christian and is from the Roman Saturnalia. They would exchange good-luck gifts called Stenae (lucky fruits). They also would have a big feast just like we do today.

Mistletoe is from an ancient Druid custom at the winter solstice. Mistletoe was considered a divine plant and it symbolized love and peace. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is Druid in origin.

The Scandinavian solstice traditions had a lot of influences on our celebration besides the hanging of ornaments on evergreen trees. Their ancient festival was called Yuletide and celebrated the return of the sun. One of their traditions was the Yule log. The log was the center of the trunk of a tree that was dragged to a large fireplace where it was supposed to burn for twelve days. From this comes the twelve days of Christmas.

Even the date of Christmas, December 25, was borrowed from another religion. At the time Christmas was created in AD 320, Mithraism was very popular. The early Christian church had gotten tired of their futile efforts to stop people celebrating the solstice and the birthday of Mithras, the Persian sun god. Mithras’ birthday was December 25. So the pope at the time decided to make Jesus’ official birthday coincide with Mithras’ birthday. No one knows what time of year Jesus was actually born but there is evidence to suggest that it was in midsummer.

Sources: essortment.com
zenzibar.com

It's Yule, the Winter Solstice Eve! (Yule lore, rituals, and a tarot spread that starts tonight!)

Yule Lore
Yule is pronounced EWE-elle. It is also known as Solstice Night or Yule-tide. It is celebrated on the longest night of the year, December 21. According to Celtic myth, the rebirth of the Oak King comes on Yule. The Holly King is the ruler of the waning year, presiding over the world from Midsummer to Yule, as the nights get longer and the days begin to shorten. He represents death and darkness. Then, on the day of the Winter Solstice, the Oak King rises up to reclaim his throne from the Holly King, and will reign once more from Yule to Litha.

In some Wiccan traditions, the Oak King and the Holly King are seen as dual aspects of the Horned God. Each of these twin aspects rules for half the year, battles for the favor of the Goddess, and then retires to nurse his wounds for the next six months, until it is time for him to reign once more.

Often, these two entities are portrayed in familiar ways - the Holly King frequently appears as a woodsy version of Santa Claus. He dresses in red, wears a sprig of holly in his tangled hair, and is sometimes depicted driving a team of eight stags. The Oak King is portrayed as a fertility god, and occasionally appears as the Green Man or other lord of the forest.

Ultimately, while these two beings do battle all year long, they are two essential parts of a whole. Despite being enemies, without one, the other would no longer exist.

Yule, or Winter Solstice, also represents the rebirth of light. During this longest night of the year, the Goddess gives birth to the Divine Child of Promise. His is the promise of summer and the return of the sun.

In early human civilization, as the days grew colder and the nights grew longer and darker, candles and fires were lit to lure back the sun. At this "time of darkness", while the Earth was sleeping, many did not survive. Winter was a time of death and stagnation. Shelter was drafty, disease was common and food was scarce. The night of the sun's "rebirth" was celebrated with much joy. From this day forward, the days would become longer. Even though the cold and darkness still prevailed, hope was renewed and the people began to look forward to the warmth of summer.

Yule was not celebrated in early Celtic traditions. It was brought to Britain by the invading Saxons who viewed Yule as the "turning time". Yule literally means "wheel" in Old Norse. Because the symbolism of the wheel was so important to this Sabbat, it became a day sacred to Goddesses of the spinning wheel. Wreaths were a popular representation of the endless cycle…the Wheel of the Year.

Evergreens were sacred to the Celts because they did not "die" thereby representing the eternal aspect of the goddess. Mistletoe represented the seed of the God, and at Midwinter, the Druids are said to have gone deep into the forest to harvest the mistletoe. They cut the mistletoe with a golden sickle and caught it in a white cloth for it was not to touch the ground in deference of its sacredness.

Yule Traditions
Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.
Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun, the boughs were symbolic of immortality, the wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly, mistletoe, and ivy not only decorated the outside, but also the inside of homes. It was to extend invitation to Nature Sprites to come and join the celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to pay visit to the residents.

The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift... it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze be a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.

A different type of Yule log, and perhaps one more suitable for modern practitioners would be the type that is used as a base to hold three candles. Find a smaller branch of oak or pine, and flatten one side so it sets upright. Drill three holes in the top side to hold red, green, and white (season), green, gold, and black (the Sun God), or white, red, and black (the Great Goddess). Continue to decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves, and dust with flour.

Deities of Yule are all Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid's flame, like the flame of the new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda's cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.

Other names of Yule:
Midwinter, Alban Arthuran, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yuletide

Symbolism of Yule:
Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future.

Symbols of Yule:
Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, Christmas cactus

Plants and Herbs of Yule:
Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense, holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar

Foods and Drinks of Yule:
Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples)

Incense of Yule:
Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon

Oils of Yule:
Rosemary, Myrrh, Nutmeg, Saffron, Cedar/Pine, Wintergreen and Ginger

Colors of Yule:
Red, green, gold, white, silver

Stones of Yule:
Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds

Animals of Yule (real and mythical):
Stags, Squirrels, Wren, Robin, Phoenix, Trolls, and the Mermecolion

Activities of Yule:
Caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule, meditation and introspection

Ritual Meanings of Yule:
Ritual Meaning: Rebirth of God, Honor of the Triple Goddess, Return of the Sun and the Waxing Year

Spellworkings of Yule:
Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness

Deities of Yule:
Goddesses - Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, Demeter, The Great Mother, The Triple Goddess, Gaea, Mary, Amaterasu, Pallas Athena, Rhea
Gods - Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon, Newborn God, Lugh,Balder, Father Christmas, the Lord of Misrule, Jesus, Mithras, Santa Claus

Solitary Yule Ritual
Items needed: A candle in a traditional Yule color

Statement of Intent:
"Since the beginning of time witches
have gathered in this season
to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun.
On the Winter Solstice - the darkest of nights
The Goddess becomes the Great Mother
And once again gives birth to the Sun
Beginning the yearly cycle anew
Bringing new light and hope to all the World.
On the longest night of winter
Flares the spark of hope
The Sacred Fire,
The Light of the World,
I am present here to welcome the new light.
As I join the Goddess in greeting the new Sun
I also welcome the new light within myself."

Call the Quarters and/or cast the circle as you would nromally do

Invocation:
"Lady, you who are the beauty of the snowy earth
and the white moon among the stars
the mystery of the waters
the desire in the heart of humanity
We invite to you to come to this place and attend this rite,
for you are the soul of nature that gives life to the
universe."

"Lord, You who are the freedom of the wild things
the bright sun that lights the day
the mystery of the forest
The resolve in the heart of humanity
We invite you to come here to this place and attend this rite,
for you are the body of nature who gives life to the
universe."

Meditation:
"The old solar year has run its course and completed its
cycle.
So too have some of our habits or traits completed their
cycles and outlived their usefulness.
This is a time for shedding that which is no longer needed."
(Take a few moments now to consider which things
you would leave behind as you go into the coming year.)
(Pause to meditate)
"As the old year dies away
so to will these old ways will fade into memory."

"In the beginning we came from the darkness of the womb.
There we were created, nourished
and prepared for our birth into the light.
Within us, we still carry that fertile darkness.
There we hold the seeds of hopes and dreams to come.
There we nourish are hopes for love, joy and peace for all.
We shield these tender roots
until they are strong enough to come forth and flourish in the
light."
(Spend a little time now tending these creations to come.
Name them, nurture them for they will grow with you,
and bloom in the coming year.)
(Pause to reflect)
"As the sun strengthens above, so will my new ways grow."

Reading:
"I light this candle for the infant Solstice Sun
One small flame to pierce the darkness
A ray of hope
A symbol of the Light within me
Light that can never be extinguished
Light that will grow in glory
Waxing strong, despite the cold to come
Light that dispels despair and resignation
Giving us a glimpse of golden days ahead"

"Behold the light that can never die
Reborn anew in the Solstice Sky!"

Close or release the circle as you would normally do

Yule Mistletoe Spell

6 White Candles
Dried Mistletoe
3 Square Pieces of Paper
Green Pen
Burning Dish

Arrange the candles in a circle, and light them saying,

"Hail to the Sun's return, may the strength and life return."

On the paper, write a word on each to sum up your goal, e.g. Health,
Happiness, Strength, etc.

Sprinkle mistletoe onto each word, fold the paper and then ignite (be
careful, and please do not breathe the fumes) - leave the burning paper in
the fireproof dish.

When it is safe to do so, bury the ash in the Earth.

Sacred Days of Yule Tarot Reading

PRIMARY USES
To help you to walk a sacred path through the twelve days of Yule from December 20th, the Mother Night of Dreams to December 31st, New Year's Eve or Hogmanay.

Sacred Days of Yule Interpretation

This spread will help you to learn to apply the tarot to enjoy and enrich your passage through the twelve festive days from December 20th to 31st. The meaning of each card in the spread reflects the energy of the festivity associated with each of the twelve days.

1. Mother Night of Dreams: - Dec 20th This card reminds us to look for a particular message in our dreams tonight. The ancients believed that our dreams on this night foretold some of the important events in the coming year.

2. Yule - Winter Solstice: - Dec 21st This card shows us how best to connect to the Light within and without - it symbolizes the Birth of the Sun.

3. The Time of Beth: - Dec 22nd This card points to the inner blocks and resistance that is holding us back from following our dreams.

4. Hopi Time of Renewal Dec 23rd This card indicates the best way for us to seek purification and renewal, and to build tolerance for others.

5. Feast of Mothers, Christmas Eve: - Dec 24th This card shows how we can connect with the spirits of our ancestors for communion and to ask for wisdom and guidance. It is also a time for Christians to reflect on the birth of Christ.

6. Festival of Life, Christmas: - Dec 25th This card shows us how to connect directly with Spirit.

7. Yuletide, Kwanzaa: - Dec 26th This card shows us how to express nurturance, to attend to our families and to express the protective energy within us towards others.

8. Birth of Freyja: - Dec 27th This card points to issues of love, luck, artistic and creative expression and female wisdom.

9. Feast of Alcyone: - Dec 28th This card gives us a personal inner message - one that speaks directly to our heart and spirit.

10. Day of Nymphs - Dec 29th This card encourages us to connect to our playful side, our inner child and how best to cultivate this aspect of ourselves.

11. Day of Rest: - Dec 30th This card shows us how to walk our path in a relaxed and confident way....with the ability to deal with stressful situations in a philosophical, detached way.

12. New Year's Eve, Hogmanay - Dec 31st This card shows us how to release the old and let in the new. This relates to both our external lives and our inner being.


Directions
This spread is unique from other spreads - it is done one card at a time, over the course of twelve days. Each card is meant to be drawn and reflected upon as a separate entity, with a special unique message for the particular sacred day.

1. First, print out a copy of the Yule Wheel.

2 Select a quiet consistent time of day to draw each card over the twelve days if you can. Considering the busyness of the season, this could be a challenge.

3. Each day, draw one card from your tarot deck and lay it on the appropriate spoke of the wheel. Reflect on each card and glean the message it has for you, according to the meanings given above.

4. By New Year's Eve your wheel will be full with the drawn twelve cards. Reflect on the overall meaning of these twelve cards as a whole and write down your impressions of the message being given for the coming year.

Sourcez: Bella Online
Wicca.com
About.com
Angelfire.com
IAmAWitch.com

tribe.net

We interrupt this blog...for a True Blood moment

Sure Yule is tomorrow and this isn't exactly fitting but I love HBO's show True Blood and I love the song Teeth by Lady Gaga. Here's a collection of fanmade videos using the song. Which is your favorite?

Forget FLYing Lessons...Throw a Party!

After a month's worth of FLYing lessons from Flylady, my house still wasn't quite at the standard that I wanted it. I think part of it was that there just wasn't a sense of urgency. For weeks now, my daughter has had her 14th birthday party planned. This wasn't going to be a quiet group of intimate friends. Instead a full band was to play in my living room and thirty teenagers were invited. (Twenty-four came to the party.) I spent all day cleaning the house. My house looked better after that one day of cleaning, then it did after 31 Days of FLYing Lessons! So if Flylady's Beginner BabySteps don't work for you, throw a party!

Here's a short video of my daughter Jaylee singing with the band!

Day 31 I am SO PROUD OF YOU!

It is the final day of The Domestic Witch Gets FLYing Lessons! How many of you checked yesterday and today in anticipation of the final Flylady Beginner BabyStep? I am posting a couple days late for dramatic effect! Okay, not really. I'll explain in a bit.

Day 31 is the only day that I am going to quote directly. Flylady says:

Check Your Control Journal Every Morning, Afternoon and Evening

Don't get bogged down by wanting to know everything about our system. As your clutter goes away you will find that you will have time to do the zone detailed cleaning, weekly home blessing hour and some of the fun things we do in our email and on the website. You don't have to see the top of the staircase to take the first step or the 30th step; you just need to keep FLYing!

I am so proud of you!

If that's not enough, Flylady has I'm So Proud Of You pencils available in a 12 pack for $4.95 plus shipping.

It's a pretty anti climatic ending, if I do say so myself. In this process, I was hoping to learn some homemaking secret, something magical even, to keep my home neat and orderly. It seemed like half the time she was just promoting her email group.

Here's what I learned from my FLYing Lessons

1. Don't try to do this during the Yule/Christmas holiday season.

It was going pretty well until this past week. I've fallen off the Flylady wagon and haven't been sticking with my routines. I have been doing Put Out Your Hot Spot and Room Rescue but at random times during the day. Getting ready for the holidays and my daughter's birthday has taken priority over sticking with the routines. This is why I am posting the final BabyStep a few days late.

2. The BabySteps Routines are not the same as they are in Flylady's book Sink Reflections

I am a "do it yourself" kind of person. I like to make my own schedule and pick and choose what works for me and what doesn't. The Beginner BabySteps routines were a one-size-fits-all solution...meaning they weren't really a solution at all. I had difficulty fitting all of the steps of the Morning Routine in with taking my kids to school and if I had to be at work every morning there would be no possible way I could follow the routine. Honestly, I rarely checked the Big Tent website or Ask Flylady. Flylady's ideas in her book are much more flexible and she's giving actual helpful advice not overly promoting her email group. I was very disappointed that my favorite thing from her book, the Weekly Home Blessing, was never even mentioned in the BabySteps.

3. Doing just a little bit everyday makes a huge difference

Even though the exact routines didn't work for me, the strategies such as Put Out Your Hot Spot, Room Rescue, and You Can Do Anything For Fifteen Minutes were invaluable. I no longer thought "This room is a disaster, how will I ever get it done?" but instead thought "Fifteen minutes will really make a huge difference in the way this room looks." I think part of my biggest problem was that I had it in my head that cleaning is a time consuming thing. Sure, if you want a house that looks perfect. But if you are going for good enough, it takes about an hour everyday broken into 2, 5, and 15 minute increments. The routine of doing laundry in the morning and evening has worked out great for me. This routine I stuck to because for the first time in a long time I am just about caught up on laundry!

4. Flylady and feminism don't mix

Flylady is a bit old-fashioned when it comes to how much housework the woman should do. How much? All of it! None of Flylady's Beginner BabySteps included how to get your kids to help or how to split up the work with your significant other. But guess what? Neither did any other website I visited. Every single website had the women doing all the work. Hello!? This isn't the 1950's! We are entering the second decade of the twenty-first century! I'd really like to find some websites that are more family inclusive when it comes to making a housecleaning routine.

5. While not perfect Flylady is the real "queen of clean"

Nearly every website I visited copied her ideas and sometimes even the terminology. It seems that in the world of housecleaning, the Flylady is the one everyone looks to for answers, even if they are claiming that the ideas are their own.

Day 30 Check Your Calender For The Nest Month's Events

Welcome to Day 30 of The Deomestic Witch Gets FLYING Lessons!

It's the second to the last day of Flylady's Beginner BabySteps and you would think that they would build to a housecleaning climax where Flylady reveals her most powerful secret weapon for keeping your home clean and in order. Drum roll please. Day 30 is about checking your calender for upcoming birthdays!? Surely we are doing that already!

What isn't disappointing in the Day 30 BabyStep is that Flylady finally mentions her Basic Weekly Plan. Let's review the Basic Weekly Plan.

Monday - Weekly Home Blessing Day
Tuesday - Free Day
Wednesday - Zone Clean and Partial Desk Time (I just kept it a Zone Clean Day)
Thursday - Grocery and Errand Day
Friday - Paperwork and Misc. (I changed this to be a second Weekly Home Blessing Day)
Saturday - Family fun Day
Sunday - Renew Your Spirit Day

In another post where I mentioned the Basic Weekly Plan, one person complained that having only one errand day wouldn't work for them. Maybe not, but can you honestly say this until you have your tried it? Imagine if you could pick up the dry cleaning, get the weekly groceries, and return those library books all in one day? I'm sure your arguement is that it would take up your whole day. True. But isn't it more of a hassle to go somewhere on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Aren't you wasting gas by making three trips to do errands when you could combine them into one trip? (BaByBlues: If I'm a Stay-At-Home Mom, Why Am I Always in the Car? by Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman available at Amazon.com)

My Experience
Errands mean different things to different people. If I remember correctly, the person who complained said that her daughter had doctor appointments scheduled on a certain day. I don't consider scheduled appointments or classes to be errands. You may feel differently, but here errands mean things such as picking up dry cleaning, buying groceries, and returning library books. My daughter has gymnastics on Tuesday and ballet on Thursday, so I understand. I also know what it's like to go to the store on Monday, gymnastics on Tuesday, the library on Wednesday, back to the store on Thursday, and the video store on Friday. On the weekends my kids spend time at friends or want friends picked up. I feel like I am always in my car! I have been saying to my kids "I just want one day where I stay home all day" so much that it has become my mantra. The idea of combining at leas tmost of my errands into one day sounds like heaven to me!

Magickal Tip

Parking Spells

Version 1 As you are driving to a destination take a few moments to visualize a parking space wherever you desired it, even near the door of the building, and imagine yourself pulling into it, as if the space was waiting just for you. Say a prayer to the Goddess and God as you visualize, silently saying something like, “I ask in the name of the Goddess and God to grant me a parking space that is correct and for my highest good. So mote it be.” When you arrive at your destination, the parking space would be where you envisioned it, or fairly close by. Found at Llewellyn

Version 2 This one is by Edward Fitch and includes using thoughtforms, familiars, or elementals (depending on what you are most comfortable with). Just before you leave for a shopping trip or other short visit, call forth in your imagination a small familiar spirit or gremlin atop the hood of your car. Tell the creature "Hi!" in your mind. Call your little friend by a name of your choosing, and ask to have it locate and hold a good parking spot for you at your destination. Finish with "Now go!" As soon as you get to your destination and park in the space that has been held for you, be sure to call your friend forth onto your hood again, breathe five breaths of life force into your body, and direct it out to "bathe" your little friend in a shower of life energy.

Day 29 Weekly Pamper Mission

Welcome to Day 29 of The Domestic Witch Gets FLYing Lessons!

We are in the last few days of Flylady's Beginner BabySteps! Day 29 is about setting aside time to enjoy the Weekly Pamper Mission. The Weekly Pamper Missions can be found at the bottom of the Flylady homepage. They are written by Dana of the Flylady crew. Let's check out this weeks Mission, shall we?

As we enter the holiday season, it's easy to overlook small pampering details. When preparing for your holiday parties, don't forget to spend a little extra time pampering your hands. You will probably be shaking a lot of hands at your parties, so you want your hands to feel their softest. The fastest and easiest way to soften your hands is to exfoliate them by making a paste of liquid handsoap and sugar and rubbing that into your hands briskly. Rinse with water and then apply a heavy moisturizer to complete the treatment. If you are doing this pampering session at night, you can slather on moisturizer and then put your hands in gloves to intensify the effect.

At first I didn't see how this could be all that pampering, but then I remembered an episode of Sex and the City. In "The Good Fight," Miranda admits her secret single behavior. “I like to put Vaseline on my hands and stick them in those Borghese conditioning gloves while watching infomercials.” Hmmm...so maybe Dana is onto something!

By the way, Borghese Moisture Restoring Gloves are available at Amazon.com for $39.50.

Day 28 Food, Water, Rest (and more websites)

Merry Meet! It's Day 28 of The Domestic Witch Get's FLYing Lessons.

Day 28 of Flylady's Beginner BabySteps is a reminder to take care of yourself by eating good food, drinking your water, and getting your rest.

Take Care of Yourself First
Why wasn't this BabyStep number 1? I think it's a great BabyStep. Honestly, it's probably the most important one of them all. But good self-care should come first! You eat well, drink well, and sleep well and then you worry about the house! This just gives me more insight into Flylady's philosophy and how her routines seem to put her last every single time! Not only does she have you doing everything for your significant other and your kids, while they get to sit on their bums, she now has you taking care of yourself on Day 28!?

My Experience
I was at the used bookstore yesterday and I found a book that does something Flylady does not. It explains the psychology behind why people are disorganized and don't keep their house clean. I didn't think a good, solid psychological explanation would be in a book titled The New Messies Manual but it is.

Sandra Felton even breaks people into different kinds of "messies." I am a combination of a Relaxed Messie (I just want to relax at home), Clean Messie (I don't mind doing laundry but I have a hard time putting the clean clothes away), and The Idealist Messie (meaning I constantly fantasize about having the ideal home but could never live up to image in my head). She explains why we are the way we are and how to do the psychological work to become better housekeepers.

More Websites
Messies Annoymous is Sandra Felton's website. The website itself is kind of boring and is similar to Flylady. So similar she even calls the Getting Started section Flight Plan for Beginning Fledglings. Ugh! Her book is great. She doesn't copy anything from Flylady in the book so why she feels the need to do it on her website is beyond me.

Queen of Clean is the website of Linda Cobb. I saw her books in the bookstore as well but they didn't interest me. There's no system that I can find, some tips, but mostly it looks like another infomercial for several different products.

Day 27 What's For Dinner?

Welcome to Day 27 of The Domestic Witch Gets FLYing Lessons! Sorry I'm posting a day late.

Day 27 is about deciding what is for dinner before 6 PM rolls around. You are to write it in your Control Journal as part of your routines.

Seriously? This is Day 27? Where's the brilliant menu planning that Flylady talks about in her books? Her menu planning ideas have helped me so much that I'm ignoring this useless BabyStep and am going to share the ideas anyway.

Flylady has more on Menu Planning here but I want to share her What's For Supper page that she includes in the premade Control Journal. Here's an example of Sunday:

Sunday

Entree_______________________________________

Side Dishes____________________________________

Bread__________________ Beverage_______________

Dessert_______________________________________

Do the same for Monday through Saturday. At the beginning of each week on Sunday, plan each meal that you will serve for supper (or dinner, if that's what you prefer to call it). I like to have everyone in the family do this together. It makes the children feel involved and "heard."

After you have planned all your meals, make a shopping list of all the ingredients that you need. You will be amazed by how much money you save! If you are like me, you just buy several ingredients for dinner and either end up buying too much or not enough. When you buy too much, you waste money and when you buy too little you waste money still because of the gas you have to put in your tank to run back to the store. You may argue that even if you buy too much you will use it eventually. True, but wouldn't it be nice to have some extra money each week? It's also hard to keep track of what you do and don't have when you don't follow an exact list every week. The four boxes of instant mashed potatoes in my cupboard speaks for itself.

And yes, that is Robert Pattinson in the photograph. Who needs food when he's so yummy?