Calendar

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 3

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Once you’ve completed the steps in Part 1 and Part 2 (see links below to review them) it’s time for the fun part – shopping! Impulse shopping, especially at Halloween, is a lot of fun but in the long run you usually end up regretting having spent more money than you planned and/or buying way too many items with no where to store them the rest of the year.

Take your list from Parts 1 & 2, then add some of the information listed below. Now you’ll be ready to head to the store for some fun shopping without too many regrets once Halloween is over. …

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Countdown to Halloween Series Part 2

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This is the second part of this series. If you missed the first one you can read it here.

In Part 2 of this series I explain how to set up a planner and calendar so you can prepare ahead of time for those school parties and trick-or-treaters. I know setting up a planner sounds like the boring part of Halloween and I agree, it is. But spending a little time now to write out a schedule can make all the difference in enjoying the holiday or stressing out about it.

“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.” ~ H. Stanley Judd

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Countdown to Halloween Series Part 2 Read More »

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 1

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This blog series will help take you on a Halloween organizing journey through the whole month of October. You’ll be able to enjoy the process of decorating your home, making or buying costumes, and planning for parties and/or trick-or-treating without a crazy last minute rush.

 

witch 1I will be giving suggestions on what you can do each week.  Be sure to get your children involved so they can have fun with this holiday. I welcome any suggestions, ideas, or questions you have to offer. It’s not only fun to know how other people prepare for Halloween, it’s also helpful.  We learn from each other’s experiences.  Please share your contributions in the comment section. Thanks. …

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Don’t Wait For The Holiday’s To Bless Others

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I was talking to a friend yesterday about decluttering Halloween and Christmas decorations.  She mentioned that she just clear out some from her basement that had not seen the light of day for about five years.  Her children are out of the house now so she doesn’t do as much decorating.

I like what she did with these unused decorations.  A friend of hers has a resale shop in a small town near here.  The area is somewhat depressed due to the economy. My friend just donated the items to the shop and told her friend to sell them and keep the proceeds. In other words, she was helping out a small business owner.

When we clear out the unused items in our homes and give them away we are accomplishing two things. We are decluttering our homes and blessing others.

I have another friend who is always putting things on our local Freecycle.  Again, she is cleaning out her home and blessing others.

Now is a good time to start with the decluttering and blessing others. Don’t wait until the holiday’s are upon us. You’ll be too busy then. There are so many people who have been hit with hard times in the last couple of years. You can help make their lives just a little easier by donating your unused clothes, toys, and holiday decorations. Heck, if you’re not using them then what good are they doing you packed away in the dark corners of your closet, basement, or attic.

Halloween is a little over four weeks away.  Just think how happy some child could be to have the costume your own child has outgrown and won’t wear again.  Take it to a charity now. Or Freecycle it. Let some child who can’t afford to buy that new one in the store get to enjoy your old one this Halloween, not next year.

My Halloween eBook, “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” has lots of ideas on decluttering and safety of costumes and decorations.

The “Countdown to Halloween” blog series will be starting next Monday, Oct. 3. Be sure to sign-up to receive these posts by email so you don’t miss any.

Janice

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Are You Overwhelmed With School Papers Yet?

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School has been in session for most children for close to a month now. Are you overwhelmed with all the papers coming home?

There are the notices of events going on, the permission slips, homework, worksheets, and of course all the art work the younger children do.  With so many papers coming in so fast it is easy to put them in a pile to go through later.  But will you and/or your child go through them before the homework is due or the permission slip is too late?

If you didn’t set up a system to handle all these papers before school started then now is the time to do it!  Below are some tips on a system I set up when my children where in school. Since everyone is different there is not one perfect system. You have to find what works best for you and your children. Sometimes it’s a matter of trial and error.  I’ve also listed some websites below for you to check out their tips. The sooner you find one that works the smoother the school year will go for the whole family.

  1. Notices, permission slips, etc.:  A different color pocket folder for each child works best.  Each day when your child brings home the papers be sure to mark the date on your calendar before you file the paper into the folder. You could also use a 3 ring binder with pocket folders in it.
  2. Current homework:  Each child should have their own notebook or folders they keep in their backpack.  Usually the teachers will recommend what they want for their class. Check it daily.  Your child will need to clean out this folder periodically or else the current homework could end up lost in the old homework.
  3. Old homework:  This is were it’s harder to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.  Depending on the grade level there can be a lot of papers that your child never needs to look at again.  If there is a chance they will need it to study for a test help them set up a folder for each subject.  Most of the time in the younger grades you can get rid of the the practice papers.  At the end of the school year very little if any needs to be kept.
  4. Art work/stories:  Many of these will be keepers, at least for a short time.  You can hang up the art work, give it to the grandparents, or store it.  Plastic boxes that go under the bed work great for these since many pieces of  art work are larger than the standard piece of paper.  You can also put those short stories they write in this box.

If you haven’t decluttered last years papers now is a good time to do it. This article will show you how.

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com/decluttering-childrens-school-papers/

Don’t forget to check out some of the links below for more ideas on how to organize children’s school papers.

Website links for controlling school papers.

http://www.onlineorganizing.com/NewslettersArticle.asp?newsletter=go&article=284

http://www.creativehomemaking.com/organizing/kids-artwork.shtml

http://www.familyhistorykids.com/organize_and_preserve_childrens_art_and_school_work.htm

http://www.marilynbohn.com/articles/back-to-school-and-the-agony-of-paperwork.html

Janice

 

 

 

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