Take a piece of paper out and write down one business and personal goal you want to reach in the next year. Over the next few weeks start making a list of all the little tasks that need to be done to fulfill that goal. When the new year rolls around start implementing a few of those tasks each week until you reach your goal.

Plan out your week ahead of time to see how these new tasks can fit in. Be aware of this procrastination pitfall: As your list starts getting marked off you may see there are a few tasks you keep skipping over because you just flat out don’t like to do that activity or it is not a strength of yours. Instead of avoiding it all together, ask yourself if the task is necessary to get the job done, if so can it be delegated? As mom’s we tend to see ourselves as a “one woman show” when in reality we have a multitude of friends that would be willing to share a specific skill set. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Break your goals into manageable bite sized tasks while keeping the big picture in mind! If you are connecting the dots, which dot is next in order to get the picture to look right?

I think it’s funny that a holiday about giving thanks is surrounded by all these ads about Black Friday. You see more media about sales and stuff than being thankful for what we already have. Tis’ the season for giving and receiving.

As I join in on the hustle and bustle of the season I tend to want to go above and beyond with the gifts. “Just this one more thing” or “Oh, he will loooove this!” This year we decided to get the kids something big that they can share but then felt a tinge of guilt that they wouldn’t have more presents to open on the big day. But the gifts aren’t really what it is all about. And rest assured there will be plenty of gifts from the Grandparents!

As I shop now I think about all the things we have to be thankful for. By giving thanks I remember that our kids are very well off and they could care less about the number of gifts they received. What they remember the most is how the family spent that time together. Laughing, playing, giving thanks and just being together. It is much easier to keep the holiday shopping simple by remembering how much we have to be thankful for!

For the past few months I have been collecting shoe’s from friends, family and clients for Soles4Souls, the organization I traveled to Haiti with. It is certainly a great time to start weeding out those shoes and summer clothes! I just had to pull out the winter clothes for the kids and I know some of you in the north have done that long ago.

Before the holidays are upon us let’s think about other things we can start weeding out. The maintenance part of staying organized is all about keeping on top of things that no longer have a purpose in the house. What about that ice-cream maker you bought five years ago and never touched? Unless you have made that a summer family tradition by now, it’s not likely to happen. Take a good look through cabinets and closets to see what needs to be weeded out.

What about spots equipment and pool toys? It’s easy to throw them in a big box when they are not in use. Remember the float that has a hole beyond repair. Or the helmet that the youngest has grown out of? If it’s broken let it go. Unless it can be handed down to another sibling let things like helmets and outgrown bikes go as well.

All of this stuff takes up space in our homes and lives. It’s time to weed! Don’t let these things lead to overwhelm.

We don’t just wear the mom hat but we feel like we can take on the world sometimes!

Oh but it feels good to be needed though doesn’t it? We pile up those responsibilities like no tomorrow until one day we catch ourselves leaving the house with our hair standing on end, yesterday’s gym clothes still on and on the table you just noticed the kid’s lunch boxes that should be at school with the kids! Not again!

Our families are busier than ever with sports and school activities but you don’t have to take it all on! Peel back those obligations and find out where your true priorities need to be. Work on those first before you take on extra activities.

Some of us are natural doers when it comes to extra activities and the rest just feel bad that they aren’t doing as much as Molly down the street. If it stresses you out it’s not for you! Find what you are great at and stick to it!

So good to be back from Haiti but I miss it dearly already! The kids I visited were just adorable as you can see! As you know from last week I took Loot Bag Combo labels to the kids at an orphanage that we were involved with. Right now they have 14 children and I am glad to report they all have their names on their bed. And they had them on their shirts and foreheads and well, all over. Their sweet faces lit up when they saw their names in print.

Stephen, the orphanage “dad” said the labels were great, because they are trying to teach the children ownership and how to take care of their possessions. He wants to give them each a box for their stuff and the labels of course will come in handy. In larger orphanages you will see children clinging onto toys they are given for dear life. They barely play with them because if you drop it, one of the other 80 kids could swoop in and take it. Everything is communal and they don’t really “own” anything, It is too hard to keep track of.

These children were so thankful for their gifts and I brought them another surprise. I made tutus for the girls and capes for the boys. There were tons of smiles all around! A big thank you to Mabel’s Labels for your support all the years I have been blogging with you and we are certainly going places! To Haiti and beyond!

While you read this I am actually in Haiti for the second time this year. I am so excited to be traveling with Soles4Souls again to distribute shoes to the children there!

This time I brought a special treat for the kids at one of the orphanages we will be visiting. Their own personalized labels! The Loot Bag Combo was great for this! I can’t wait to see the kids faces when they get a gift personalized just for them!

I will share more about the trip next week when I return!

You would think that being a perfectionist means we get stuff done with ease but sometimes it is the complete opposite. See, every time I try to use a list, I focus more on the list itself. It has to be just right or the “system” has to be just right before I can get started. A client showed me the elaborate systems she had tried one day and I told her she was spending more time fussing over the lists than actually cleaning.

For us simplicity was key. I told her to stop with the lists and just make cleaning a habit. For instance, I bought a set of cleaning supplies for each bathroom. When I help kids get ready for bed my habit is now to do a quick clean up (because the supplies are right there) and I don’t have to do a deep clean nearly as often! These spaces almost maintain themselves. The laundry gets done because it is a habit wrapped in with our morning routine.

The kids have certain things they have to help out with each day, not as a chore to earn a reward, but as being part of this team. They have a list of things they can do for money, but they rarely opt to do that.

How about you? Are you a lover of checklists? Or not so much?

1. Don’t duplicate – Have you ever made a purchase and came home to find that you have one or even more of the same item at home? Maybe you just placed it in some random cabinet or closet and forgot about it. First and most importantly organize what you already have!
2. Make a list – If your intention is to go grocery shopping make a list and follow it to avoid making unnecessary purchases. A super Walmart can be a dangerous place if you are wandering around with out a plan. You need meals for this week, but you come home with a new outfit forgot two ingredients for tomorrow nights dinner. Now your making an extra trip to pick up the forgotten ingredients and you also grab a pair of pants you had your eye on the day before. It’s a viscous cycle, your wasting time, money and gas here!
3. Avoid late fees – We’re talking movie rentals, library books and yes, bills! Have you ever looked down at your calendar and realized… “Oh, not again! The credit card bill (or whatever it may be) was due yesterday!” Perhaps your kids misplaced a library book or you can’t find the movie you were supposed to return. Late fees are avoidable!
4. Save receipts for returns – Keep receipts until the store’s return policy or warranty expires. While I was organizing with a client we found a receipt that was expiring that day. She was so grateful because the receipt went to a bench she bought that was damaged. She returned the bench right after our session together and it saved her $250!
5. Tell your money where to go – Make a budget and stick to it. Sit down with your spouse and spell it out in black and white. Decide together what your future goals are and where you want to see yourselves financially. When you find yourself out shopping with no real objective in mind ask yourself, if you really need whatever it is you are desiring and how it fits into your long term goals. Make conscious choices about your spending!

The kids and I love making brownies together. What’s even better though is eating them together!  I wish I could say that having the kids helping me bake is always a joyous occasion in our house but usually it stresses us all out. I am not the regular cook of the house, hubby is, and he is just awesome at multitasking while cooking! The kids are usually right under foot as he cooks and everything magically comes out tasting exactly as it should. I on the other hand can get easily distracted and forget which ingredient goes next. I usually line everything up and measure it all out as I go but inevitably it happens…. something is forgotten when a child starts arguing over whose turn is next to pour what.

I finally found what works for me!  This time before the kids came in the kitchen I got all the ingredients out and measured them in individual bowls. And here I thought this stuff was just for TV and making pretty pictures! Then I had the kids come over and gave them each what they could pour in, no fuss no muss and everyone gets to lick the bowl at the end!

It’s really common sense but I think I avoided it before because I didn’t want to dirty the extra dishes. In reality it was just a few extra bowls but we all were much happier during the process! Well worth it!

Are there ways you can simplify in order to cut out stress?

When school starts up that usually means a new season of soccer in our house. In your house it might be football, dance or some other activity. They certainly don’t give us Mom’s much time to get the school schedule figured out before the activities come piling on top. Of course, the more kids you have the crazier the schedule!

Among the chaos we tend to seek perfection, we envy a picture perfect schedule. The truth is we go through seasons of life and sometimes a few seasons are going to be crazier than others.

Yes we would like to get the kids, fed at a normal hour while sitting down with the whole family, homework done in a quiet serene space and bedtime gone over like a breeze. However, most days we feel frenzied as if walking on a tight rope. Take a deep breath with me now!

Remember, your bet is good enough! Now is the time to pull together as a family. Perhaps dinner has to be done in shifts and things aren’t quite as put together as they normally are. Enjoy these more chaotic years because the older the kids get the years seem to go by that much quicker!