Deadline week! Week Thirteen, Dining Room Week, sees us move into the holiday season, and it's time for a reality check.

Thanksgiving Day falls on Thursday for our American friends and ushers in the holiday season, so this week's cleaning and organizing focus is the dining room. Holiday prep chores center on Thanksgiving and turn to planning the celebration ahead.

Ready? Let's get organized with Dining Room Week in the Holiday Grand Plan!

Grand Plan Deep Cleaning/Organizing Area:

• Dining Room
• Dining Room cleaning checklist form

Holiday Prep:

• Deadline Week: If homemade gifts are not done, put them away. After Thanksgiving weekend and go buy something. This is not a contest, this is life.
• Get everything out for Thanksgiving Dinner and prepare everything that can be done ahead of time. Make sure enough dishes are available.
• Stock bathrooms and first aid kit.
• Wednesday: Use one of the Freezer Meals, buy a salad at the store...
• Friday or Saturday: Have children make/set up Advent Calendar.
• Set up the Creche area and add figures each day as we read from an Advent book. Continue until Jan. 6 when the wise men come.
• Read "Christmas Comes Once More" by Mildred Correll Luckhardt.
• Let kids get out and inspect Christmas decorations; test tree and other lights, replace bulbs.