Happy Thanksgiving
Wondering What To Do With All That Halloween Candy?
Isn't it amazing how much candy one child can collect in a few hours on Halloween night? And what if they have a party on top of that? YIKES!
Well, here are some quick tips on what to do with it all!
SORT all of the candy into "like with like" so that you can get a visual of what there actually is.
TRADE have your children trade with each other or their friends so they can get more of what they like.
REMOVE all of the candy they don't like.
DONATE anything they don't like to a food bank or children's hospital or any cause close to your heart.
FREEZE any chocolate so it will last longer.
LIMIT the daily intake by packing a few pieces for lunch.
TREAT Use the candy as special extra treat
Please share any other ideas you may have!
The 5 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Designing a Closet
Decluttering for Back to School
It's that time again! Kids are going back to school and parents are scrambling to get them ready.
Well parents, you don't have to take the load on all by yourself! Below is a list of things your kids can help you round up at get rid of to help declutter their rooms and prepare them for school.
Feel free to print it out and share!
Have fun with it and let me know how it works out!
3 Tricks to Avoid Over Packing
If you are anything like me, when you pack for a trip, you don't end up wearing more then half of the things you brought with you! At one point on every trip I wind up saying "What were you thinking?!" Well, I recently had to pack for a 3 week trip in 2 different destinations each with different weather.......so I stopped to really think about it before I packed. These are the 3 tricks I can up with to keep me from overpacking:
DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE YOU LEAVE: Before you leave, get some idea about what the weather will be, what kind of activities you may be doing, what the dress codes are for places you have planned etc. Once you know what types of things you need to bring you can limit what you pull out to pack.
LAY EVERYTHING OUT TO MIX & MATCH: Clear off your bed and grab a glass of wine....it's time to create outfits! We do this for ourselves every day...now you just have to plan ahead. You don't need to wear something different every day! Choose only pieces that will work with others to create different outfits. ONE pair of formal shoes will do on most vacations! If you are going some place tropical, ONE "just in case I'm cold piece will do! Once you have it all laid out, leave the room for awhile and then come back to see if you can weed out any more.
- LEAVE ROOM FOR SHOPPING: Yes I am serious! If you fill your luggage with too much leaving home.....you will have no room to bring back any goodies! It's a no brainer!
Wishing you all wonderful summer holidays! Please share any packing tips that you have.
Organization Love Poem
I found this posted on Facebook and I thought it was so cute I wanted to share it.
An original poem written by a COLUMBUS Liberator. ENJOY!
Make Clothing Exchanges Fun and FAIR!
Clothing exchanges are a great thing to do with your friends when you have good pieces you don't like or can't wear any more. But, they can also be very frustrating.
I have been to a few where some people bring beautiful pieces and others bring old ratty ones. When everything is just thrown in a pile on the floor.....the outcome can be quite unfair.
Of course my professional organizer mind takes over and begs me to
Here's the plan I came up with for an organized clothing exchange:
- Ask everyone to bring only good quality used pieces. Nothing with stains, frays or tears.
- Organize the items by category so people will easily find what they might be looking for.
- Have 3 rounds timed how ever long you like. Leave enough time for people to look around and try things on. Whatever they don't choose goes back in the piles.
- In the first round, people can choose the same amount of items that they brought with them to exchange. In the second round, decide how many more pieces everyone is allowed to choose.
- Before the final round, people can decide whether they want to give away what is left over or take it back.
It may sound complicated but it's not! It is organized and fair!
Give it a try and let me know how it goes. My friends have all thanked me for it!
5 Choices When Spring Cleaning Your Closet
If you are someone who avoids cleaning out your closet because you can't decide what to keep and what to get rid of,(and what I mean by get rid of is to donate or hand down unless it's unwearable)....here's are 5 tips to help make your choices easier.
- To Wear or Not To Wear: You know what I am talking about! We all have those pieces of clothing that we start at time and time again thinking we will wear it, we should wear it and of course we never wear it. Those pieces need to go! Yes, you may have paid a lot of money for it, but your money will be better spent if someone else is wearing it, than if it's sitting in your closet!
- Ouch it Hurts: Ugh my feet are killing me! Is that another blister? If these things sound familiar...you have some shoes that need to go! Life is too short to have sore feet!
- Did That Ever Fit?: Are you standing in front of the mirror wondering how you ever fit into a piece of clothing? If it doesn't fit properly, send it on it's way. Yes, you may lose/gain the weight again but then treat yourself to new clothes. Live in the present and enjoy!
- Never Again!: Say goodbye to the pink taffeta bridesmaid dress or your wedding dress from 15 years ago! If you know you will never wear something again, give it to someone who will!
- Tugging at the Heart Strings: High school is over. Your camp days are in the past. IF you are wearing some old comfy pieces that are torn and ragged but simply make you happy: BRAVO! But, If you are saving clothing in a box just for sentimental value, take a photo and move on.
I hope these helped and if you have any other ideas please share with us!
