Tiny Tasks, Big Results - Preparing for Unwrapping

  Okay, I know, many of us haven't even wrapped our gifts yet and I'm already writing about unwrapping.  I was going to save this post until closer to Christmas, but all around me people are having early celebrations as friends and family get ready to head off on holiday vacations, pack up to move, or prepare for a military deployment. 
  If you're hosting the holiday, you'll be the one that misses out on the joy of unwrapping it you're constantly having to jump up and get things. 
   Make the Unwrapping event a little easier by preparing a tray of "tools" that can slide under the couch.  You can do this at any time - as long as you don't have small children around. If you do have small children, create the tray, but stash it somewhere else until after the kids are in bed on Christmas Eve.  During the Unwrap, you can pull the tray out and have easy access to anything you need.
My little tool tray includes:

1. A pair of scissors for cutting through ribbon.
2. A pen and note pad - for keeping track of who gave what to whom
3. A garbage bag or 2 - keeping the wrapping under control helps to insure that things don't get lost and/or thrown away by mistake.
4. A box cutter - for getting through those "clam shell" type packages.
5. A pair of wire cutters - So many things are packaged using zip ties or twist ties, this make getting toys out of their packaging quick and easy.
6. One reuseable shopping bag for each family member.  This provides and easy place for everyone to corral their small items together.  It also makes it much easier for everyone to haul their stuff into their rooms at the end of the day.

  How do you handle the "madness" that can often accompany unwrapping? 
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
  

Tiny Task, Big Results - Haul Away Day

Earlier in this series of posts I suggested that you place a few empty boxes around your home.  These boxes were for donations to the local Goodwill Store, or Toy Rescue Mission. 
Today is the day to pack up those boxes and haul them off to their designated home.

 It's just that simple.  Grab the boxes, grab your family and head out the door.  After the drop has been made treat yourself to a coffee or hot chocolate at your favorite coffe spot. Make this an annual holiday tradition and you'll help control clutter in your home all year long.
 Simple.
 Thanks for stopping by today!
Tif

Tiny Tasks, Big Results - Day 15

 2 EASY steps to keeping your home looking great.

  Whether you have guests that come for a week or that come for a couple of hours, more people translates to more mess.  Set aside a few minutes each day to power through a whole house pick up and then "Put on a Windex shine. 

  Step 1: Get a large basket or tote with a handle(s), start at your front door and weave a path through every room in your home.  In each room toss whatever doesn't belong there into the basket.  As you move through the house take things out of the basket and put them back where they belong.  You'll be amazed at how quickly you can tidy up when you have a "path" that you follow.  I love the big tote from Thiry-One.  The handles are big enough to throw over your shoulder; it holds lots of "stuff"; and it squishes down totally flat for easy storage.  If you're unfamiliar with Thrity-One ask a girlfriend, everyone knows someone that sells Thirty-One.  This tote is GREAT in the back of your car too, it's the perfect place to put all those slippery plastic grocery bags.

  Step 2: Grab a bottle of Windex Multi-Surface and a roll of paper towels.  A quick spray and wipe of kitchen and bathroom counters, faucets and sinks, glass top tables, and any other hard surface will give your home a fast face lift.  You can even use it for a quick wipe down of light switches, doors, and windows.  You'll be amazed at how much better everything looks "smudge free."  This was a trick my mom taught me when I moved into my first apartment.  That was nearly 3 decades ago and I haven't stopped using it.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit with me today.
Tiffany