Holiday organizing Archives - Page 5 of 8 - Ellen's Blog, Professional Organizing for Kingwood & Houston

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

December 1, 2016/6 Comments/in Holiday organizing, Time management/by Ellen

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We love the lights, sounds, smells and feel of the holidays. It can be overwhelming too! There’s lot of places to go, people to see, gifts to buy and cards to send. Here’s simply strategies to keep this the most wonderful time of the year for you too!

Make lists

Have you been searching the Internet for a gift for a “just in case” hostess gift for a party? Or not sure what to purchase for your family but you don’t know if you are a part of a gift exchange? It all starts with a list. It’s a list of who to buy for and a list of your budget for the purchases. That list keeps you aligned with what you plan, instead of those extra purchases and expenses. Find 3 small “general” gifts for hostesses and “surprise I brought you something” times. My favorite list making apps are Evernote and Notes. Your list is with you all the time on your smartphone. Make your holiday wonderful with a list.

Write it on the holiday calendar

A quick family meeting, even if it’s only you and your partner, gets all the details on your holiday calendar. Invitations are coming in and holiday activities are starting up. Writing these on your calendar makes sure you are in the know and are at the right spot at the right time. It’s also important to schedule time to just be. By scheduling in this time to sit, reflect, catch up, and rejuvenate, you gives yourself the gift of time. Otherwise, all your time will be filled and you will end up feeling frazzled. It’s hard to not overbook the holidays however your holiday will be wonderful with a modest schedule. Use your usual calendar and add these dates in red, green or blue to stand out.

Enlist help

Santa has his elves! Mrs. Claus is there too! It’s time for us to work as a team too. There’s help around us to wrap gifts, make treats, and share the fun. Ask for help from your family with specific requests but without being a perfectionist. Look around for resources to help, ask teens who want to make a little extra holiday money and inquire when a friend mentions a service they used. Take a small step by purchasing already cut fruit, using the gift wrap option online, hire a cleaning service or a decorating professional. These little gifts to yourself make your holiday wonderful.

Rest up

The holidays are when we are most busy. It’s easy to stay up much later online, decorating and baking. However, it catches up with us! Keep true to your bedtime routine that includes sleep for 7 – 8 hours. Be sure your sleep is restful with a cool, darkened space. Make a list at night while your tasks are fresh on your mind to keep your mind clear and ready for rest. Stay true to your exercise routine to be tired in a good way to sleep well.

Simplify

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the wonderfulness of the season. Holiday fun extends to extra gatherings with friends, sharing more treats with neighbors and family, and extra good wishes with holiday cards and gifts. Simplify your holiday by choosing what’s most meaningful to you. Reflect back on prior holidays with your family or in a moment of meditation to remember what made your holiday special. Take that awareness to the next step by reinforcing this with your holiday activities. Just checking in and knowing that even one thing is NOT on your agenda this holiday makes for a wonderful experience.

Not sure what to simplify this year? Here’s how I do it. My decorations include a festive doorway garland and my Christmas tree. We send holiday cards at the beginning of December. My holiday treats include make ahead holiday treats. Find what’s most meaningful to you, and simplify the rest.

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Do this NOW to get ready for the holidays

October 20, 2016/2 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

It’s October and we are starting to see twinkling lights on holiday trees. It’s tempting to wait for the day after Thanksgiving. There’s a big list ahead of you. Capitalize on the time by getting ready in small ways for the holiday. Stretch your preparation time forward into October. Do this NOW to get ready for the holidays.

Write out your holiday lists.

Start with a budget, gift list, a card list and activity lists. A budget is a guideline for what your expenses will be this holiday. It’s your way of keeping financially responsible when it’s easy to go off track. Your gift list includes all those you will be exchanging with or thanking with a gift. This can include teachers, hostesses, hair person and others. Your holiday card list needs tweaking with updated addresses. An activity list adds meaning to your holidays. Know that happens when and create a holiday calendar to share with your family. You can keep these lists in a holiday notebook. These are your guide posts for the season ahead.

Take your holiday card photos and choose a holiday card

Holiday cards are a joy to receive. Your family photo is a special way to share what’s happened this year. Now is the time to take the photo. It’s great weather to be outside for the background. It’s the first step for this holiday project. Check online for possible cards. There’s an array of choices and it’s the next step to decide on your card too. Get this mini project checked off and ready to go.

Shop holiday craft bazaars

This month is filled with the joy of holiday crafts and goodies. Use this time to check out local vendors to support local crafts people. There’s treats for parties and hostess gifts. There are theme gifts special for the holidays. Holiday craft bazaars also get you in the holiday spirit. You can find a list of local holiday markets online.

Check out local resources

Maybe this year you want to have a local restaurant make the Christmas Eve lasagna. Maybe this year you want to have a cleaning service come in and deep clean the week before you have company. Think about what help would make a difference for you this holiday. It’s a gift you give yourself to be able to enjoy the holiday fully. Now is the time to gather resources and referrals for extra help.

Make a plan

Whether it’s logging onto 101 Days To Christmas or simply sitting with your calendar, now’s the time to make a plan for the holidays ahead. Each holiday season we vow to be more organized and more productive with our time. October is the time to talk to your family about simple holiday traditions, about what’s special to them and then prioritize these activities. Add dates to your calendar, purchase tickets for the Nutcracker, and decide when you will pull out the decorations. A plan, a list and a calendar keep us in control during the holiday season.

What are you doing NOW to get ready for the holidays?

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6 Tech Tips for Holiday Organizing

December 17, 2015/5 Comments/in Holiday organizing, Technology and Organizing/by Ellen

Holidays can be merrier with by adding some tech help. It’s these little ways to add organizing using your computer, tablet or smart phone. Technology can help you with holiday organizing like lists, recipes, coupons and more.

Evernote for Christmas lists

Make it easy to keep all your lists with you all the time with Evernote. You can add an item after each purchase, match up your purchases with those you are giving to, and keep up with what you gave last year.

Pinterest for holiday recipes

No need to keep paper recipes again! Search pinterest with the ingredients and you find all sorts of recipes for holiday baking and entertaining.

Genius scan or DocScan to scan and print receipts

Having trouble keeping up with holiday receipts? Not sure where to keep your receipts? It’s easy with these apps. You can store them on your smart phone and in the cloud. It’s easy to make returns this way too.

Bank app for keeping up your budget

Your bank app helps you stay on track for your holiday budget. You can access funds, make deposits, and see where money has been spent. It’s great to keep up to date with what you spend each day for gifts, entertaining and decorations.

Pandora for holiday music

I love Pandora! It gives you instant, free access to all the genres of the holidays. Download this on your smart phone or computer to enjoy holiday themes like holiday traditional, holiday country, or Today’s Christmas.

ShopSavvy or Amazon app to check prices

Want to be sure you are getting the best deal? ShopSavvy and Amazon compare prices so you can check what the lowest price for your item is.

More holiday apps of all sorts!

6 Fun and Useful Holiday Apps including snow!
Apps for Surviving the Holidays, including finding wine.
5 Must Have Apps for the holidays, including ones for fitness and travel.

What are your favorite holiday apps?

More holiday fun on Pinterest Happy Holidays!

10 Organizing Gifts for Everyone

December 9, 2015/6 Comments/in Holiday organizing, Organizing products/by Ellen

It’s gift giving season. While we often think of giving gifts of experiences, you can also give gifts for organizing. The gift of organizing is a functional, practical and fun way to share. Here are my top 10 favorite organizing gifts.

Travel time is the best time to be organized. Give a gift of a Vera Bradley travel accessory to help keep makeup and jewelry organized on the go. It’s also a great gift for people who exercise and get ready at the gym.

Enjoy all your favorite pieces of jewelry with this Little Black Dress jewelry organizer. It’s easy to find your earrings, necklaces and bracelets with slots for each piece.

Gifting legos this holiday season? The Lay and Go Lego organizer is for you! It’s easy to store and play with all your legos this year.

Too many stuffed animals or blankets in your child’s room? The Sprouts bin is the perfect place to organize and store these.

Our families have lots of technology! Make it easy to store and access with this Kbag electronics organizer. The zipper section is great for cords or flash drives.

Struggling with all the passwords we have? Give the gift of a password directory. It’s easy to store at your computer desk.

Make dinner time special with table topics. Every one will have a chance to share.

Make it easy to file with this stylish file tote. Everyone has paper and everyone needs paper storage.

A spot for watches, phones and more with this men’s valet. Keep receipts in the drawer and you are all set!

Everyone loves a label maker!

BONUS Top 10 non clutter gifts

Once a month cleaning lady at home
Lawn maintenance or semi annual landscaping clean up
Tickets to an event, such as a baseball game, play, or concert
Season passes to amusement park, zoo or museum
Baby sitting for your adult kids to have a date night
Subscription to streaming online tv shows and movies
Donation to a charity of choice
Gift certificates for clothes, music, sporting goods or other items
Spend the day together just being spontaneous.
Professional organizer or productivity consultant

Do you have a favorite non – clutter or organizing gift you love? Share it here!

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Simple Holiday Traditions

December 3, 2015/11 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

Family traditions are part of what makes every family special. Your kids will reflect back to you what are existing traditions you may not realize your family has already. It’s in creating tradition that we connect with our family. It’s the simple holiday traditions that are memorable. Here are my top 10 holiday traditions.

1.Purchase a personalized ornament with the year on it for each child

Each year I add a new ornament to our kids’ collections. It’s a special reminder of the year gone by. I love that our kids will take these on to use on their family trees in the future.

2. An evening holiday walk to see Christmas decorations and sip hot cocoa

There’s nothing more fun that a walk to see the holiday lights in your neighborhood. Bring hot cocoa to keep warm.

3. Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with 12 donations to local charities

Your holiday will be especially meaningful with donations to those who have little. Choose little ways you can contribute with either goods or funds.

4. Add Christmas songs to your Pandora channels

The music of the season brings a smile to our faces. Your music is always with you too!

5. Organize your Christmas cards by binding them together in a book

I love this small way to cherish the holiday cards we receive.

6. Purchase ready-made gingerbread houses to decorate and host a hot chocolate buffet

Assemble your gingerbread houses the day before so they are sturdy. Decorate and display for a week. Be sure to decorate your own too.

7. Host a holiday movie night and invite a family to join you

Whether it’s Charlie Brown Christmas or Christmas Vacation, all families have their favorite movie to watch every year.

8. Host a hot chocolate buffet and crazy Christmas sweater get together

Get crazy with hot chocolate mix ins like marshmellows, candy canes, cinnamon red hots and whipped cream for a hot chocolate buffet. Add in the crazy Christmas sweater phenomenon. It’s an evening full of laughter.

9. Gather up gently used family coats and bring the donations as a family

We all have coats, scarves and gloves we have not used in a while. Bring these as a family to donate to share the joy of giving.

10. Drop off treats for fire department, police station or other emergency responders in your community

We are supported by many in our community who keep us safe. Remember them this holiday season with homemade or store bought treats. It will bring joy to you and those you meet.

What are your holiday traditions? It takes just a few minutes of planning, a spot on your calendar and communication with your family to share the joy of holiday traditions.

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Wishing you an Abundance of Blessings!

November 26, 2015/0 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

Wishing you an abundance of blessings this holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Dinner Organized

November 12, 2015/11 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

Thanksgiving is a one of my favorite holidays! It brings together all that I love! It’s our family sitting together, lingering, chatting and enjoying each other at our dinner table. It’s a food festival with special seasonal treats like noodles, bread dressing and gravy. It’s a day of thankfulness, blessings and mindfulness. Here are a few tips for Thanksgiving Day Organized.

It’s also a day to be especially organized!

Invite guests

Make your plans and invite your guests two weeks ahead. Knowing who is coming is a blessing to you and your guests.

Decide on your meal plan

It’s fun to share the day and share the cooking. Who will bring the turkey? Who will bring what side dishes? Who is bringing the pie? Share the responsibility and also get some help from Mrs. Kroger.

Grocery shop and prep early

There’s a lot of food to buy and veggies to prep. Start early with both of these to be sure you have enough time and energy. Turkeys need time to thaw and cook properly. A great timeline helps you stay organized.

Enjoy your day

Enjoy the day with family friends. A game of charades, snooze on the couch, afternoon walk, or color pages can make for a little extra fun. It’s the little touches that add to a special event and make family memories.

What makes your Thanksgiving Dinner organized? What tricks do you use?

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Easy Ways to Organize Your Halloween Decorations

November 5, 2015/6 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

Pumpkins, black cats and witches are everywhere! It’s the first holiday of the fall season and a prelude to all other fall and winter holidays. According to the National Retail Federation, almost 50% of us decorate for Halloween. Make it easy to decorate for Halloween with these easy ways to organize your Halloween decorations.

Go orange

Organize your Halloween decorations in orange easy to spot totes. Label the totes on two sides and on top to know exactly what is in each bin.

Inflatable decorations

We love those giant inflatable decorations! Store them in individual 18 gallon tubs to keep them in good condition.

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins

Pumpkins can be difficult to store because of their generous size. Keep these from crushing with extra large ziplocs. Your pumpkins are all together too.

Halloween lights

Flameless candles, candle holders and strings of lights can be stored together in a small bin. Wrap the strings of lights in circles then store in gallon size ziplocs.

Just like all holidays, it’s best to make a plan for when to decorate and undecorate. Enjoy a fall afternoon outside with your family creating a spooky spot on your front lawn.

How do you organize your Halloween decorations?

Happy Fall Y’all! Check out the fall fun on my pinterest board.

October is the time to start your Holiday Organizing

October 6, 2015/4 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

Santas have been in Hobby Lobby since July. Orange and black fall decoration organizing bins just arrived at retailers. Should we celebrate Halloween first before jumping into the holiday spirit? As surprising as it seems, the best time to start your holiday organizing is now. There are some basic elements to the holidays that make it easy to organize now and enjoy the season.

Organizing Your holiday lists

Year after year we follow many of the same holiday traditions. Why not start your lists now? Some easy to start lists are gift giving and holiday card lists. These lists are typically the same each year, however starting early gives you the opportunity to review, add and delete from these lists. An early start affords you time to break these lists into smaller chunks. Gift giving can be more manageable and even tweaked to become a gift of experiences. Holiday card lists include dates for picture taking, stamp purchases, addressing cards and then mailing. Getting an early start is one way to be sure you are ready when the holiday rush starts.

Organizing your holiday experiences

The holidays are jammed with get- togethers. Focus on what’s most important to your family by talking about your holiday experiences. Reflect back and focus forward on what will be the highlights of this year’s holiday season. Get online early to purchase tickets for events, purchase airline tickets, and set calendar dates for what’s most important to your family. Simplifying your holiday experiences will make every experience more meaningful.

Organizing your holiday decorations

Decorating for the holiday season can be overwhelming. It can be downright Grinch – like when families clash over Christmas trees and outdoor light displays. Start early with your holiday decorating. Take it room by room, inside and outside, or create family teams to tackle different spaces in your home. Take out your decorations early to see what you are ready to part with and ready to display. Giving yourself the gift of time to decorate can be one of the most fun parts of the season.

You may still feel a little bewildered at this early start to holiday organizing. But year after year my clients reflect back that they wished they had started earlier on their holiday organizing. You can start organizing with your Pandora Christmas music playing in the background and your wassail simmering on the stove. October is the best time to start your holiday organizing.

Check out my pinterest Happy Holidays tips!

Organize a July 4th Summer Celebration

June 30, 2015/2 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

It’s easy to get in the spirit of our nation’s biggest celebration July 4th. It takes just a little organizing for summer celebrations for us to have a grand ole time! Organize July 4th summer celebration with these easy to do ideas.

Red, white and blue

Easy to pull together, our patriotic colors set the stage for fun. Coordinate your party goods, food and beverages around these colors. Strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon are healthy additions to every celebration. Make homemade ice cream and add red, white and blue sprinkles. Guests love to be a part of the food preparation and are happy to bring pot luck items to share.

Lanterns, twinkling lights, and sparklers bring light to your party after dark. While waiting for the fireworks, have on hand glow sticks, glowing necklaces and glow in the dark toys.

Patriotic music is a must for this holiday celebration. Pandora has a special patriotic music station. Create your own playlist with God Bless the USA. Choose music from all generations to play throughout the day.

Decorate your home with small flags at your curb. Place American flag toothpicks in your edibles. Share your patriotic spirit.

Let’s the fun begin

Old fashioned games are the best! Think about croquet, frisbee, kick ball and other outdoor games we played as kids. Serve water infused with strawberries and basil while you are playing to keep hydrated.

Bike rides and picnics are a fun way to celebrate the 4th too. Decorate your bike the evening before with red,white and blue streamers in your bike spokes and on your handle bars. Bring a picnic lunch with a red checked tablecloth.

Rained out on your party date? Take the fun indoors with charades, Heads Up app on your smart phone, or a top 10 July 4th movie like Independence Day or National Treasure. Watch one of the national celebrations on tv from Washington DC or New York.

Plan to pick up these items early in the week to stay away from holiday crowds. Enjoy your day with family and friends as you celebrate our national holiday.

Let’s party! Ideas on pinterest.