I 'Heart' Container Store Stocking Stuffers - 2013 Edition

I am one of those lucky Professional Organizers that lives less than 15 minutes from The Container Store. It's great to be able to stop in, wander the aisles and check out new products whenever the mood strikes.

Despite it's proximity to my home, I always look forward to receiving their catalogs. My favorite one arrives through my mail slot at the end of November--The Stocking Stuffers catalog. There's something about this collection of cute, helpful, gadgety things that just makes me smile.

I flipped through the catalog last week and found a few items to share with you. Are you looking to fill holiday stockings or are you in need of the 'next best thing' to keep you organized? I think you'll find a product here or on the stocking stuffers page of The Container Store's website to suit your gift giving and organizing needs.

And now, some of my favorite Container Store Stocking Stuffers of 2013...

Bondi

The Bondi is known as a 'helping hand.' Use it to secure an item and hang it over a doorknob, rearview mirror, stroller or anywhere you need to hang something small.

Cuppa and Dash Measuring Cups and Spoon

Designed by Umbra, these space-saving items are perfect for the cook who is short on space and appreciates good design.

Tab and Page Markers

If you're like me, as you read you feel the need to mark off helpful or inspiring passages in books and magazines. I don't usually read without a pack of these next to me. Great for color coding and they come in their own carrying case.

Dressing-2-Go

Ever take a salad to work or to an event but you don't want to bring the whole bottle of dressing with you? Enter the Dressing-2-Go bottle. It's BPA free, leakproof and holds 2 oz of dressing--perfect for those watching their calories.

This last one will probably not keep you organized, but it was so cute I wanted to share it...

Shower Cap

For the ladies, this vintage-inspired shower cap is covered in rubber duckies--what could be more adorable? It also has a ruffled rim which keeps water out of your eyes. I don't want to leave any one out, but this item may be a bit too girly for a guy with long hair...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear some stocking stuffers calling my name. Good thing I live close to The Container Store...

Get Organized for Thanksgivukkah!

Courtesy of PJlibrary.org

If you haven't been on Facebook lately or you're not into pop-culture, you may not have heard the news. This year, for the first time since 1861 and the last time until the year 79,811, the holidays of Thanksgiving and Hannukah land on the same day. To commemorate this special day, the phrase, 'Thanksgivukkah,' was coined (and trademarked) by two women in Boston. A Facebook and Twitter account devoted to the day was created and the idea spread like wildfire across the United States.

For many of you, this day is business as usual. Turkey, cranberry sauce, football, and family traditions will be the norm. But for those who celebrate Hannukah as well, this day just became a little more challenging.

One holiday is religious. One is secular. The foods are different. Maybe you celebrate Turkey-day and Latke-day with different people. Celebrating two holidays at once? OY!

If you haven't already started to plan, here are a few tips for getting organized for the won't-see-this-again-in-our-lifetime holiday of Thanksgivukkah:

De-clutter Your Brain
You're probably thinking, "Two holidays? What am I going to do? Where do I start?"
Start by dumping your brain onto a piece of paper or into a productivity app. Write down all the shopping, cooking, gift-giving, prepping and schlepping you'll need to do for both holidays. Prioritize and then...

Delegate
It's tough enough preparing for one holiday, but two? You're going to need to delegate tasks in order to cover the important rituals and traditions of both holidays. If you're a self-declared perfectionist, this is the time to lose the title. Control freak? LET IT GO. Some tasks to delegate:
• preparation of a Thanksgivukkah side dish
• creating and facilitating games to keep the kiddies occupied
• shopping for gifts
• cleaning up the kitchen
• playing 'bartender' for the day
• supplying candles and matches for the menorah/menurkey

A Menurkey--created by a ten year old boy with a Thanksgivukkah dream...

Prepare in Advance
Mise en Place is a French phrase meaning, 'to have all of your cooking tools and ingredients prepared before you start cooking.' The key to not stressing out while cooking for two different holidays at once is organization. Review every recipe and take note of what ingredients you'll need. Also take note of what size measuring cups and spoons you'll be working with. Do you have enough platters? What dishes need to cook in the oven and which on the stove top? Preparing in advance will prevent kitchen chaos and 'Harried Hostess-itis.'

Keep it Simple
Two major holidays. One day. 'Nuff said.

Ways to Keep it Simple:
• Usually, I advise people to make lists and store them in a file or electronically for the next year. You're celebrating these two holidays together for the first and last time next week. Feel free to jot down notes but I don't recommend creating a permanent file labeled 'Thanksgivukkah' unless you want to look back at it for some reason. I leave that up to you.
• Buy some pre-made food. My husband and I used to make potato latkes from scratch. Then we had two kids. No more latkes from scratch. My savior--Trader Joe's Potato Pancakes. They are delicious and I don't stay up half a night cleaning my kitchen.
• Eliminate a ton of side dishes by melding the two holidays in your recipes. Ideas: Sweet potato latkes, challah-chestnut stuffing, pumpkin pie a la mode with Manischewitz ice cream! (delegate the last item to someone with an ice cream maker and time on their hands...)

Latkes? Stuffing? Or both!

It's been a real hoot reading articles about this once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Here are some interesting and informative ideas about Thanksgivukkah that were cool to read and helped me write this post:

Much of the historical information for this post has been gleaned from articles on the web and this one from Wikipedia.

How to Celebrate Thanksgivukkah, The Best Holiday of All Time
Recipes, decorations and funny stuff

Pinterest does Thanksgivukkah
Food, gifts, decorating and great ideas

Ingeniuous 10-Year Old Creates 'Menurkey' for Thanksgivukkah
Never underestimate a child again...

Happy Organized Thanksgivukkah!

Ideas for an Organized Halloween

BOO!

Hope I didn't scare you too badly...

If you couldn't tell by walking around the mall or your neighborhood, Halloween is just around the corner. I've bought my candy and scoured the Target One Spot for cool Halloween pencils. My eldest child's costume is almost complete (baseball player) while my three year old just prefers to wear an orange shirt (his favorite color) and I'm 100% fine with that.

What do you do to celebrate Halloween? Decorate your house? Cook Halloween-themed treats? Put on a costume to hand out candy?

Some people love Halloween, some celebrate it because of their kids, and some would rather shut off all the lights in their house and hide in their basement on Halloween. If you fall into the first two categories, read on.

Holidays require preparation and Halloween is no different. Ordering/making costumes, buying candy, preparing themed food, setting out decorations all take time. Then there's the purging of old costumes, candy-sorting, and the putting away of all decorations--lots to do for one day!

Mummy Hot Dogs - photo courtesy of Yummly.com

In order to make your Halloween a less stressful and cluttered holiday, I've gathered a few articles for you to read on the topic of organizing for Halloween.

From the people at Jurasic Junk Removal: Get Organized for Halloween

From Examiner.com: Top 10 Tips: Organizing Tricks to Make Your Halloween a Treat

From my organizing colleague and frequent guest blogger, Cena Block of Sane Spaces: Get Organized for Halloween

I hope these articles provide you with some good ideas on how to keep your Halloween organized so you can enjoy a stress and clutter-free holiday.

Watch out for ghosts and goblins and have a fun Halloween!

Anniversary Post - It's Been Four Years!

It doesn't seem that long ago that I dropped my three year old off at preschool, came back to my office and wrote my first blog post. I had so many ideas swirling around in my head--I couldn't wait to put them in blog form.

That three year old is now in second grade and it's the fourth anniversary of my blog! The four years have flown by quickly. I can't believe I've written close to two hundred posts in that time.

In reviewing my posts, I saw that the most popular post I've written over the past four years is Best Products for Organizing Your Car. I'm thinking of writing a Part 2. Or maybe a series of posts titled, 'Best Products for Organizing Your ________.' Gotta go with what works!

I'm always thinking about what I'll write next. Sometimes it will be about something I've seen, learned or experienced. Sometimes I'll write about a product or helpful resource. What I do try to keep in mind as I write is that a blog post should do at least one of five things for their readers:

• Educate
• Entertain
• Inform
• Inspire
• Empower

I keep this list handy when I'm gathering ideas for my blog. I write for my own enjoyment and to keep up my skills as a writer but for the most part, I write for YOU--my reader. I hope over the past four years I have educated, entertained, informed, inspired and empowered you to lead a more organized life.

I also have exciting news! All being well and good, this time next year, my blog will be part of a WordPress website--no more separate blog. I am in the process of hiring a designer to merge my existing website and blog into one WordPress site. I can't wait--my website has needed a makeover for a while and there are things about my blog I'd love to change (larger writing and photo area, different fonts/colors). I'll be keeping you posted throughout the process and I look forward to celebrating my fifth anniversary with you and my new, improved WordPress site.

Another exciting development--my book. Although I've said in past anniversary posts that I would post updates about the book I was writing, I've been pretty quiet. I promise to blog about it more often in the future. I completed the manuscript at the end of 2012 and hired a book coach this summer to help me navigate the sometimes bumpy road to self-publishing. One of the many details she helped me with was a title. The working title is: The Organized Bride's Thank You Note Handbook: Let Systems and 101 Modern Sample Thank You Notes Take You From Overwhelmed to Organized. The peer review stage is almost complete and the manuscript will be reviewed by an editor by the end of the year.

With all of these exciting projects come extra work. And extra work means sometimes I don't have ample time to write a blog post (kids home on school vacations take away from writing time, too). So, I have been hosting guest bloggers to bring you new ideas and fresh perspectives when I am unable to fill that space. I hope you have learned from them--I know I've picked up a few great organizing ideas from my guest bloggers, too.

Image from beedivinedesigns.com

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my posts. Your support, kind comments and words of encouragement motivate me to keep writing and bringing you the best of the world of organizing. Onward to year five of blogging!

Tales of a Town-Wide Garage Sale

In 2000, my husband and I got married and merged two households. Between all the stuff we came with and the beautiful wedding gifts we had received, our home was overflowing with three of this, four of that and too much of a whole lotta stuff. So, we decided to sort through what we owned, purge out what we didn't need and have a garage sale.

I wish I had pictures to show you but our driveway and lawn were filled with our belongings. People thought we were downsizing and moving! I overheard one woman on her cell phone yelling to a friend, "You gotta come over here--there's so much great stuff!"

Two days and almost $1000 later, we had done a good job of clearing space in our home. We used the funds to buy a patio set which we still own. At the end of day two, I turned to my husband and said "I never want to have enough stuff in our home to do a garage sale again..."

It's now 2013. We've had two children and our house was feeling full. My husband swore our attic floor would soon buckle and bins of stuff would crash to the floor below. In the Spring we began, Operation 'Get It Out of the House.' Big ticket items like our crib and two exersaucers found new homes. Bags upon bags of baby clothing found their way to three different expectant mothers. My husband says he could hear the attic exhale for the first time in years.

Multiply this times three and that's how many bags of 0-12m baby clothing I gave away!

I kept purging--kiddie toys to the preschool, old pillows to the trash and then it happened...My neighbor tells me our town is having it's first town-wide garage sale.

I pass the great news on to my husband. He's as excited as I am.

I continue purging. I started to collect boxes and plastic bags, and began pricing. I even dug up the Word file for the garage sale sign I had created in 2000 (Hubby says that didn't surprise him one bit...).

My cousin Dale gave me the 'Fill a bag for $1' idea. Brilliant!

After pricing, I sorted our items by category--Baby, Kid Toys, Housewares, Books, etc. counting down the days when I could finally reclaim my garage space again.

We had about a tenth of the stuff we put out in 2000. Our friend gave us some of her things to put in the garage sale so she could purge her house, too. We had two beautiful sunny days and although foot traffic was light, enough customers made purchases to say it was successful.

My neighbors across the street set up a few tables and my nine year old neighbor decided to try his hand at selling some toys he and his brother didn't play with anymore. I advised him to lay them out on towels grouping 'like' with 'like'--dinosaurs with other dinos and all vehicles together, too. He sold a few items (including one of the bikes in the background) but at least half of them went to my son's preschool or to my own kids!

The wares of a budding entrepreneur...

A few shoppers commented on how organized my labeled pricing system was. I smiled and said, 'Thanks.' Oh, if they only knew...

Two days later, we made less than a tenth of the money we had made in the 2000 garage sale but that's OK. We weren't doing it for the money--we were getting rid of the 'old' to make room for the 'new.'

Some funny/unexpected things that happened during the garage sale:
• My neighbors bought some of my stuff!
• A shopper thought a painting marked $3.00 was actually $300. We all had a good chuckle...
• A grandma about six inches shorter than me bought and then picked up a Little Tikes picnic table and walked back to her house with it.
• I sold a NJ Devils giveaway towel to my seven year old for $ .25. I thought it would be a good math lesson...

He said, "Mommy, I can't believe you were going to sell this!"

Some great things that happened during the garage sale:
• I had fun hanging out with my neighbors and celebrating our selling successes.
• My kids acquired some cool toys and baseball mitts from our neighbors across the street.
• I got to read two magazines during selling 'downtime.' Any mom of small kids know that this is quite a feat!
• We made a little extra spending money.
• We purged our home of things we no longer needed.

At the end of the garage sale, I packed up all unsold goods and split them into three categories. Give to Preschool, Give to Thrift Shop, Bring Back in the Garage. The 'Give to Thrift Shop' bags and boxes went from my driveway to my car to a local donation center. My 'Preschool' items are enjoying a new home in my son's classroom and the one (!) bin marked 'Bring Back in the Garage' is being dealt with this week.

So, if your town is declaring a town-wide garage sale soon, or you're looking to make some room in your home and some money for your wallet, here are a few tips to make your garage sale successful:

• Use a color coded pricing system and hang your signs everywhere. I used blue painter's tape and a marker for any item over $2.
• Wear comfortable clothes with pockets and comfy footwear. You're going to be moving and standing a lot.
• A few weeks before your sale, start collecting large and small plastic shopping bags for customers to put their purchases in.
• Group like items together. If someone is looking for kids toys and they're strewn across your lawn, customers are less likely to see them and buy them.
• Smile and welcome your potential customers. Engage them in conversation and ask if you can help them find anything special.

OK--Who is ready to have a garage sale?

Organizing 'Quick Tip:' ICE: In Case of Emergency

Wildfires, hurricanes, and floods, seem to be making headlines lately. The news speaks of of lives lost, homes and communities destroyed, and families displaced. We hope to never find ourselves in such a situation.

September is National Preparedness Month--the perfect time to consider what you might need in a time of crisis.

You might be thinking--"I don't live in tornado territory." Or, "My apartment on the 18th floor and wouldn't be affected by a flood. I understand your thinking but, I implore you to put 'personal safety' on your to-do list this month.

We've all heard about creating an emergency kit for a car or stocking a three-day supply of water in our basements--all important preparations. What I'd like you to do in the next day or two is today's Organizing 'Quick Tip'...

Prepare for an emergency by programming your cell phone with I.C.E.

I.C.E. stands for In Case of Emergency

Photo courtesy of Worldstart.com

It's very easy and could save your life in an emergency.

Programming emergency contacts on my iPhone has been on my to-do list for a while. In honor of National Preparedness Month, I took a few moments to set up those I.C.E. contacts. My husband and my parents are my contacts and I have added my home telephone number so a message could be left on our answering machine if necessary. I also listed my allergies and my blood type. Not only is my pertinent information listed, I've included the names of my children in case they are in an accident with me. I've identified each of them by their hair color and what they are allergic to.

After you've read this post, please make an appointment with yourself to program I.C.E. contacts on your phone. Here are a few how-to's articles to give you some ideas...

For iPhone:

http://www.worldstart.com/adding-ice-contacts-to-your-iphone/

Smartphone and iPhone with Siri in case of password protection:
http://rnn10.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/how-to-set-up-an-ice-contact-on-your-iphone/

Now, go get organized for an emergency!

Organizing Help for Back to School

Some of your children may have started school already. Some may still be anticipating the first day. Despite their start date, my guest blogger, Linda Samuels of Oh, So Organized! wants to make sure your child's school year is a happy and organized one. Read on for her top tips for creating simple systems for getting and staying organized throughout the school year.

It’s that time of year. Leaves are turning, classes are starting, and new school supplies are flying off store shelves. The other day I came across an old pre-printed pad, “A Note to School from Linda Samuels,” which I no longer use since our daughters are in college and beyond. Seeing the notepad made me think about all the years of excited anticipation we had preparing for school to begin. Are you and your kids ready for the transition? Take a deep breath. Getting that organizing piece working for you can make a big difference in having your days run more smoothly. Here are my top tips for an organized, joyful school year.

Cycle – Giving closure to the previous school year helps us get ready for this year. Sort through last year’s school papers (preferably with your kids.) It’s a great opportunity to review what was accomplished and what they were most proud of. It gives you a chance to create a mini time capsule representing last year. Be ruthless when you sort. Save what’s important and recycle the rest. Store the “keepers” in a large envelope. Write your kid’s name, grade and year on the outside. Store the envelope in a larger container. Add a new envelope at the end of each school year.

Capture – Establish a place to put the current school papers as they enter your home. You can use bins, binders, boxes, or any container that’s easily accessible. As artwork, graded papers, or programs come in, put them in their designated spot. You might want a separate container for each kid. When the container gets full, you can do some editing. Then the “keepers” can be stored in their year-end envelope, as described above.

Classic Stockholm Magazine Files from the Container Store are helpful for organizing papers

Land – Create a place for backpacks, coats and notes to reside. When kids come home, they will know where to put their belongings. Cubbies work well, as do hooks. Make them easily accessible both in terms of their physical placement in the home and the heights that you place things. The easier you make it, the better chance you have for creating the “place it here” habit. Consider adding a white board or other communication center in this area to leave notes, messages and important items for kids to remember. Before bed, have your kids make sure that all needed items for the next morning are reading in the “land” area.

Center – One of the essential ingredients for school success is establishing a place to do homework and have school supplies readily available. When it’s time to do that science project, it’s no fun to have to hunt for the markers. Review your current supplies to see if there are any items that need to be replaced. Create a zone for the supplies to reside. If your kids like to move around to various locations for doing their homework, then put together a portable tote or crate to hold the supplies. Whether they prefer working on a desk, their bed or the kitchen table, the supplies can “travel” with your kids.

Pottery Barn Schoolhouse Craft Desk

Assess – Fall is a natural time to review clothing needs. Organize with each kid separately. Go through their closets and drawers. Remove any items that no longer fit, they won’t wear, or need repair or cleaning. With the “do not wants or fits,” donate or save for younger kids if appropriate. Make a shopping list of items that are needed. Remember that less is easier to maintain than too much. Factor in how often laundry is done. Especially if it’s done frequently, you many not need as many clothes. Getting dressed is so much easier and less stressful when everything fits, is clean, and organized.

Resources – This is the time of year when back to school tips and suggestions are abundant. Many of my organizing colleagues have great wisdom to share. Some of my favorite tips and posts are Lorie Marrero’s video about using a binder for organizing school papers and more, Leslie Josel’s Student Organizing Pinterest board, Clare Kumar’s 5 Tips for a Better Back to School, Helena Alkhas’ school paper organizing system, and Ellen Delap’s Back to School Tips to Organize Your Home.

Perspective – With transitions come new patterns, more to dos, and extra stress. Reminding our selves to enjoy the moments can be helpful. They go so fast. A few years ago I wrote a guest post for Working Mother, Moms’ ‘To Do’ Lists, about getting things done, parenting and appreciating the various stages of our children’s lives.

What are some of your favorite ways to stay organized for the school year? Come stop by to share your best tips and resources.

Linda Samuels, CPO-CD® is a compassionate, enthusiastic professional organizer and coach, founder of Oh, So Organized! (1993), author of The Other Side of Organized, and blogger on organizing and life balance.  In July 2013, Linda joined the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) Board of Directors as President-Elect. She has been featured in The New York Times, Woman’s Day, Bottom Line Personal, Westchester Magazine, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Enterpreneur.com. Connect with Linda on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blog, or website. Sign up for a free monthly e-newsletter with bonus tips at ohsoorganized.com.