Getting Ready for Santa’s Arrival!
If you have children, you have toys! And with Christmas right around the corner, now is the time to get rid of the old and make room for the new! Take some time in the next few days to go through your children’s playrooms, bedrooms, any area where toys are being stored. Don’t forget the outside toys, sometimes these can get missed!
Set up a work party and get your children involved by having them decide what they have outgrown and teach them the value of giving during this time to kids less fortunate. As you are going through this process, you can take a mental note of what your children have and better plan for your own gift buying. After sorting the toys make sure to clean them and put all the pieces together in a bag or box so everything stays together and then go to your favorite charity together as a family to donate.
Not only are you clearing room for your Santa’s arrival, you are making a difference to another child as well!
Happy Holidays!
Holiday Shopping Tips!
The Day After Thanksgiving! What a big day! Black Friday! Do you attempt to take on the crowds? Do you get up at 4am to wait in line for the best deal ever?
I have before, however this year I am taking a break! There is nothing so important to me this year to get up in the wee hours of the morning to stand in line. I would rather sleep in and drink a nice Hot Peppermint Mocha! This is my plan for the day after Thanksgiving and probably a turkey sandwich for lunch!
However, many of you will attempt the crowds and will get up early…. And no matter what, we all have shopping to do for the holidays…
Here are Ten great tips to help you SAVE TIME and MONEY!
1. Make a list of everyone you need to buy for – Family, Friends, Co-Workers, Neighbors, etc. As you buy the gift, check them off of the list.
2. Set a budget and stick to it! Pay in cash, not credit card. So set your budget realistically… What can you really afford and stick to it. The holidays should not be about feeling guilty after you made the purchase or going into debt.
3. Keep the gifts simple. Giving a gift during the holiday season is about sharing your love with others, telling them you appreciate them. It doesn’t have to cost anything. If you have kids, set aside a day where you make art pictures for family, and if you have a few bucks to spare, frame the picture. If you scrapbook or make cards as a hobby, set aside some time to scrapbook a page for someone or a mini book with supplies you already have. Make a set of cards as a gift. Make a card and tell that person what they mean to you.
4. Think about buying one gift for one family. Instead of buying 4 individual gifts, buy a board game for the family. Or if you have a couple you are buying for, instead of two gifts, buy one gift they both can use – a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant or a night at the movies.
5. Consider drawing names with your family this year. Everyone is on a tight budget, people may find relief in only having to buy one nice gift rather than having to buy for several people. Keep it simple.
6. Bake your gift! People love getting homemade baked items during this time of the year. Buy a few decorative plastic plates or baggies and double your recipe and pass out your baked goods with a nice little note wishing them a Happy Holiday! 
7. If you are buying gifts from a store, make sure to understand their return policy and make sure to add the gift receipt to the gift. Stores are tightening up on their policies this year, and you don’t want to be out of luck! (Keep all of your Christmas receipts in one place for reference later. Plus this keeps you on track for your budget!)
8. Along with making sure you get a gift receipt, make sure it was ran up correctly. Store clerks are busy this time of year and mistakes happen.
9. If you don’t want to mix with the crowds this season, buy online. There are some great deals online with reasonable shipping rates. This may be easier if you need to ship a gift anyway!
10. For the hard to buy- consider a gift card, however make sure the company is solid and not going out of business anytime soon, and you may want to find out if there is an expiration date, and make sure the receiver is aware of the store policies.
Happy Holidays! Happy Shopping! Happy Organizing!
Preparing For Your Holiday Guests!
Thanksgiving is officially a week and a half away!
Many of us will be hosting guests this holiday, maybe just for the day or for a few days!
Last summer I wrote a post on how to Host Guests. The just of the article is as follows:
Plan your meals ahead of time and make sure you are aware of any special diet needs or preferences. You don’t want to serve fish the first night and realize your guest is allergic! Get all of your grocery shopping done a day or so ahead of time. That way if you need to go to the store it is only for last minute changes or basics like milk and fruit.
Do your deep cleaning of your home a couple of days prior to arrival. This way on the day of, you are only picking up and doing light cleaning.
Make sure your spare room and bathroom are ready to go. Have the room set up with the clean sheets and make room in the closet for their clothes and a place in the room for their suitcase. Show them where the extra blankets are.
For the bathroom, make sure to have the all “extras” handy. Have a decorative basket on the counter with q-tips, cotton balls, an extra toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and washcloths. Have the towels out in the open or show them where to go to get them.
In the morning, have the coffee ready to go with coffee cups, creamers, sugars, etc on the counter for easy access. You don’t want them to feel like they have search your cupboards. Make sure they know the plan for breakfast, it doesn’t matter if you are making it for them or it’s buffet style with cereal. It is important to help them get what they need and not feel uncomfortable doing so.
In addition to the tips above, I wanted to add a few more that I feel are more specific to the Holiday season:
1. Start New Traditions! When you are eating your Thanksgiving Meal, go around the table and talk about what you are most thankful for. Include children in this activity, the answers may surprise you! When I have hosted Thanksgiving, I have a book called ” If”, ( Click on “If” or to image to go to Amazon.com to purchase the book! ) and I wrote several questions down individually in a hat, each family member had to pick a question and answer. It’s a great way to get to know your family in a different way! And it is a lot of fun! 
2. Plan activities ahead of time- especially if you have children or children are visiting your home. Know what movies are out, what are the hours of local malls, and play areas. Make time for “downtime”, have your puzzles ready, games out, and seating available to everyone to just catch up!
3. Thanksgiving is a big meal, with a lot of time and preparation to make. Delegate and get your family involved. Even if they don’t ask first, you ask. Get help in the preparation of the meal but also for the clean up. You will enjoy yourself much more if you are not doing everything!
4. In regards to other meals, if you have guests staying more than just a couple of nights, plan meals out, order pizza in, even have your guests be in charge of a meal or two. Not every meal has to be fancy, make it easy so everyone enjoys themselves.
5. If you have added to your family, a new sister in law, etc. show them around your home, make them feel extra comfortable. Even if you have known them for years, if this is their first time staying with you, it can still be uncomfortable. Make it easy.
Last year I wrote about having a Thanksgiving Checklist, please click on link to review this post. There are some excellent tips on how to organize your TO DO List!
Last but not least…. Remember why we celebrate Thanksgiving…. Make memories with the ones you love!
Holiday Travel Tips
Most likely sometime between now and the end of the year you will be traveling. Although this is a great time of year, it can also be very stressful and anxiety driven. With a little planning and organization those anxieties can be wiped away!
Here are some simple tips to get you started:
1. Refer to my earlier post in the summer about packing and to do lists! This goes over in detail what kind of lists to write in regards to packing, leaving your home, and what to prepare for in the air or on ground lists. It’s a great start on being organized and getting everything done!
2. Make sure you have your home secured before leaving. Make sure your mail and newspaper are picked up everyday, use timed lights in your home, tell a trusted neighbor where you are, for how long, and how to contact to you in case of an emergency.
3. Pack light- Unlike going to a remote island in the summer, this trip is going to entail going to Aunt Linda’s house- remember you can always wash your clothes! There is no need to overpack – check the weather and pack accordingly.
4. You may want to pack your essentials and enough clothing to get through 24 hours on your carry on bag- better to be prepared than sorry if your baggage is delayed or lost.
5. Arrive to the airport early – with the mass of people flying and security measures, you want to be prepared and not add extra stress running to your gate!
6. Send gifts to your location ahead of time – this will save you worry about if they are safe and will not get lost. If you can’t send them early, do not wrap them, security may have to unwrap, so don’t waste your time and energy!
7. Don’t forget to bring an extra bag for the gifts you are bringing home!
A great reference for more Holiday Travel Tips, please visit: www.weather.com.
Travel Safe and Happy Organizing!
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