Countdown to Halloween Series Part 1

/

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. …

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 1Read More »

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 1 Read More »

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

/

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

Don’t Wait For The Holiday’s To Bless Others Read More »

Are You Overwhelmed With School Papers Yet?

/

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

 

 

 

Are You Overwhelmed With School Papers Yet? Read More »

Helping Hand

/

This past weekend we took my mother-in-law out for her 86th birthday dinner. Since the weather had turned cooler I looked through my closet for a nice long sleeve top to wear. Almost all of them were old and didn’t look that great anymore.  Many were too heavy for this time of year.

Since I don’t like shopping much I tend to not update my wardrobe very often.  As a result it sometimes reaches the point that everything looks washed out.  You know, where the shirts are pilling, are faded, and hanging out of shape.

I only have a few dressy outfits for good and then my everyday uniform. There isn’t much in between.  My everyday uniform consist of blue jeans or shorts and a short or long sleeve T-shirt depending on the time of year.  The advantage of working out of my house is I can save a lot of money on clothes since I don’t need a wardrobe for a workplace.

Of course the disadvantage is since I don’t need a lot of nice casual clothes (business casual) I tend not to shop much for them.  Now this may not be a disadvantage for most people, especially if they enjoy shopping, but it becomes my excuse not to shop often enough to keep my wardrobe updated.

A few years ago I joined the Missus Smarty Pants program and that helped me a lot. It taught me how to shop for the right kind of clothes for my body type. I didn’t dread going to the store so much and buying clothes that didn’t make me look my best, (wasting money?). With the help from her program I bought clothes that made me look good and were much more versatile. I think it is time to sign up again!

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes that helping hand can help us overcome our weaknesses.  Sometimes we may need that helping hand on a regular basis (like my clothes shopping dread) so we can continue to have accomplishments in our weaker areas.

This is what I’m trying to do with my blog and website. This is why I’m writing the Halloween blog series (starts Oct 3). I want to make sure I don’t wait until the last minute to put up decorations or buy candy. Yes, I have done that before! I also hope that this blog series can help you avoid procrastinating until the last minute.  In other words, I’m offering a helping hand to help you plan and prepare for the holiday.

If this series works out well I’ll be happy to do it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Chanukah. If you want to receive this blog series in your email all you have to do is sign-up here.

If you’re already receive the blog posts by email then you don’t have to do anything.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas for the upcoming blog series, please let me know.

Thanks,

Janice

book coverThe “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

Helping Hand Read More »

Requesting Input for New Blog Series

/

I am currently writing a blog series called “Countdown to Halloween”.  My objective is to help you prepare for Halloween over the course of the four weeks of October.

I will be sending out 1-2 blog posts each week with a list of things you can do to start enjoying the holiday without all the last minute stress. This series will be set up where I will welcome your suggestions or questions. It will be a lot like a free e-course only we get to help each other through the comment section of this blog and/or on my Facebook page.

cat02 halloween

Before I start the blog series in the next few weeks I’m asking for your input now on what you would like to see in the each post. Right now the areas I’m writing about are:

  1. Setting up indoor and outdoor decorations.
  2. Making or buying costumes.
  3. School parties.
  4. Buying candy or other treats.

If there are other areas you would like to see addressed in this series please let me know in the comment section.

If you want to receive the “Countdown to Halloween” blog series and future blog series please sign up here….

If you already receive the blog post updates in your email then you are ready to go.

For more tips on organizing and decluttering be sure to “Like” my Facebook page. This is also a good place to make comments or ask questions.

http://www.facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

 

book cover

The “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

 

Thanks for you input.

Janice

Requesting Input for New Blog Series Read More »