3 Tips for Getting a Head Start on the Holidays

I know…you are not ready to think about the holidays yet. However, the key to having a wonderful and stress-free holiday is planning ahead.

Here are three tips for making your holidays a bit more organized and a bit more enjoyable this year:

Holiday Tip #1: Holiday cards and gift lists. If you haven’t already, save your Christmas card list names and addresses on your computer. You can print labels or envelopes quickly and easily. Address changes are easy to handle and won’t get messy like trying to change addresses in a handwritten address book.

If you use a PDA, save your loved ones gift wish lists on the PDA. You will have the lists with you whenever you go shopping, so you can take advantage of a good deal when you see it. Keep a list of sizes on the PDA as well.

Holiday Tip #2: Take notes. Pay attention to friends and family during conversations. You’ll be surprised at how often they mention items they would like to have or plan to buy. The person receiving the gift will be grateful for a gift they truly want.

Holiday Tip #3: Consider “experience” gifts rather than things. Try something different this holiday season by thinking of what the gift recipient might enjoy. What about a concert, play tickets, spa certificate, tickets to a sporting event or a donation to the recipient’s favorite charity in their name?

5 Ways to Remember Everything

You are busy and have so many things on your mind. Keep your memory sharp by using these ideas to remember what you need to and free up memory...brain memory, that is:

1. Believe in yourself. Attitude means a lot. If you continually say you are forgetful, then you will be forgetful. Instead change your attitude and think about having a good memory.

2. Write it down. No one can remember everything. Writing down everything - your appointments, your schedule, your families schedule, your work schedule, your grocery list, things you need to do, tasks you need to delegate, etc., frees up your mind to think about whatever is happening in the present.

3. Record your thoughts. Sometimes you want to remember something, but can't write it down at the moment. Record your thoughts. Carry a little hand-held recorder or check to see if your cell phone has recording capabilities (many do).

4. Call yourself. Call your voice mail and leave yourself a message. Then you can listen and write it down when you get home or are in a place to be able to write down the message.

5. Set timers and alarms. Alarm clocks are not just for waking up. Use the alarm clock, the microwave timer or computer alarms a reminder.

Thankful and Organized for Thanksgiving

When I was single and living in Austin, Texas, my family was far away in North Carolina. I had a lot to be thankful for and having a lonely pity party was not on my Thanksgiving to-do list. So I found other ways to enjoy Thanksgiving.

I love to cook. I found a service agency that paired me up with a family that needed a helping hand for Thanksgiving. I was given the family’s name, their situation, how many to cook for and directions where to drop off the Thanksgiving dinner. That first Thanksgiving I was paired with the Johnsons, a family of five, the youngest being about two years old.

I cooked the traditional turkey, dressing and veggies and had picked up a couple of pies at the store. (As much as I like to cook, I don’t bake.) Almost as an afterthought, I picked up ice cream, some fall flowers, and some inexpensive candles and candleholders.

I made my delivery that afternoon. When I knocked on the door, Mr. Johnson and his oldest son came out to help me carry in the boxes of food. Mr. Johnson was quick to tell me that his family didn’t usually take hand-outs, but that he had been injured on the job. I told him he was doing me a favor…giving me somebody to cook for because my family was far away and that was all that talk we were going to have.

Inside the house, I was helping Mrs. Johnson unpack the boxes and the little two-year old spotted the ice cream. Her eyes got huge and she said, “Mommy, look! I-queem!” About the same time, Mrs. Johnson was unpacking the candles and candleholders and we both got emotional. We cried and hugged and the Johnsons’ insisted that I stay and eat with them. I wasn’t supposed to. I was supposed to just deliver the food and leave, but how could I refuse such a gracious family?

I signed up to do this for the five years I lived in Texas and it was some of the best Thanksgiving holidays I ever had. Now I have a wonderful husband to share Thanksgiving with. No matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday can be less stressful if you use some of the following tips:

- Make a plan: Decide what you are going to do for the holiday now.

- Start a tradition where each guest or family member shares one thing they are thankful for.

- Get the house cleaning out of way early in the week. Book now if you plan to have a professional clean for you.

- Prepare side dishes and desserts ahead of time and freeze.

- Plan a menu. Decide what you are going to serve, write it down and stick to it.

- Frozen turkeys take 3-4 days to thaw in the refrigerator. Don’t forget to take your bird out of the freezer in time to allow for the thawing.

- Consider inviting a single friend or neighbor to join your family.

- Have some games on hand for the children to enjoy so the adults can watch ballgames, converse or nap after dinner.

- Make a grocery list and shop for non-perishables early.

- Have some disposable containers on hand so everyone can have a “to go” snack.

- Get out your serving dishes several days ahead of time. Label them with sticky notes. Others can help you dish up just by putting the stuffing in the bowl marked stuffing and so forth.

- Set the table the day before or at least early Thanksgiving morning.

- Mashed potatoes or other vegetables can be made ahead and kept warm in the crockpot.

- Cut up vegetables the day before and store in the fridge in zip bags.

- Consider just fixing the turkey and make the rest of the meal potluck.

- If you are terribly busy, most grocery stores sell ready made holiday meals. If you decide to use this option, keep in mind you still have to put in your order several days to a week ahead of time.

- Start yet another new Thanksgiving tradition by taking a walk after the meal.

Grateful for Routines

Once again I am grateful for having routines. I am writing this blog post from the waiting room at St. Vincent's hospital in Beaverton, Oregon. My father-in-law came in yesterday for what was supposed to have been routine tests and possibly stents down the road. It turns out that his heart blockage is more serious and he was scheduled for quaduple by-pass surgery today.

I am grateful that I have wonderful clients that didn't mind being rescheduled for later in the week so I could be with my husband and his family today.

I am grateful that I have routines so we have clean laundry, a car full of gas, the bills paid and a fridge & pantry full of food so we can just drop everything and be here for Dad.

I am grateful for my husband that has allowed me and my organizing ways into his life and loves every minute of it. Well, most of them anyway.

I am grateful to be a part of two loving families...mine and his.'

I am grateful for routines so that I have clean sheets to fall in between tonight after this very tiring day.

I am grateful.

Getting Ready for Winter

Brrrr! Get ready for the cold, winter season before it hits. Here is a checklist of things to do to be organized and ready for Old Man Winter:

__ Schedule a heating system maintenance call. A technician can clean the burners and fan, lubricate moving parts, and change the filter.

__ If you have a humidifier, clean & check it and replace the filter.

__ If you use a pellet stove, order pellets to be delivered now.

__ Have the car serviced before winter. Check the tire treads and pressure, the battery and all fluid levels. Replace windshield wipers.

__ Clean and store summer clothing, if you haven’t already.

__ Check windows and doors for any cracks and gaps and seal with weatherstripping and caulk. According to the Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% on your heating bill by doing this.

__ Clean out your entry closet and make sure you have hangers for winter coats. Take winter coats and accessories out of storage. Check to see if anything needs to be cleaned.

Trick or Treat? Organizing Tricks for Halloween

Halloween has changed dramatically since I was a little girl. Then, Halloween was asking Mom for an old sheet or raiding her fabric stash and then fashioning my own costume with lots of imagination. Then I got to visit a few of the neighbors (most of whom were relatives) for treats and that was pretty much it. Fun, but not the production that Halloween has become these days.

Now, stores have two or three aisles of costumes, another two or three of various candies, and yet another two or three of decorations and even orange lights. Grocery stores have huge piles of pumpkins to be carved. There are Halloween parties for kids and adults alike. Adults have theme parties and dinners.

With more Halloween “stuff” and activities comes scheduling, time management and storage issues. Here are some tricks for making your Halloween preparations a treat:

Decorating. Early in the month is the time to take out your autumn decorations and decorate your house.

Start planning what your children will need of Halloween costumes. The earlier you shop for costumes, the better the selection.

Candy and treats are displayed and on sale now for Halloween. Go ahead and stock up.

Choose a pumpkin for dual purposes. Carving a pumpkin has become a fun family tradition. Start a new Halloween tradition and use the meat of the pumpkin and bake a pumpkin pie as a family project.

RSVP for any parties for you and/or your children now. Note the commitments on your calendar so as not to over schedule.

Remember the key to being organized for Halloween: Take down your decorations promptly, store them in a container in long term storage. Label the storage container for easy retrieval next year.

Shop for new Halloween decorations the next day or two after Halloween, when prices are slashed. Think about where you are going to store decorations before shopping. Purge old decorations. Store and label the new decorations right away.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Fall Organizing Projects

Fall is a time of new beginnings…the beginning of the school year, the beginning of the fourth business quarter and changing weather. Fall can be a good time to start new organizing projects, too.

Here are some suggestions for projects to help you get organized this fall season:

Change out your wardrobe. Go through last year’s fall and winter clothes. See what you want to keep and what you want to donate. Put the clothes to donate in a box or bag and take immediately to the car to be dropped off. Don’t clutter your closet with the donations. Do it now instead of later. Once you have determined what clothes you have left, then you can see what pieces you need to make your fall wardrobe complete.

Wash outside windows. Fall is a great time to wash the dust of summer off your windows. You want them to be as sparkling clean as possible to bring in the fall and winter light.

Sort toys: Sort through children’s toys before the holiday season. Have your children help you put the ones they no longer play with in a large box to be donated. Explain to them how they are blessing other children that won’t be getting new toys for the holidays. Praise them for being kind and giving.

Landscaping: Fall is the time to prune back perennials, plant bulbs and mulch flower beds to be ready for next spring.

Hose it. Drag out bikes, lawn mowers, plastic garbage bins and any other items that can be washed into your driveway on a sunny fall day. Hose them down, let them dry and then store back in the garage.

Sweep it. While the stuff from your garage is drying in the driveway is a great time to sweep out the garage.

Holiday shopping: Do your holiday shopping now so you can enjoy the holiday season in November and December with your family instead of rushing to the crowded stores.