Stay Organized This Time of Year! #whirlpoolmom

I love this time of year and by this time I am normally so into the Christmas spirit! This year however, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and I’ve had to step back to get a good look at what needs to get done and what I want done. See the first thing I don’t recommend doing is taking a week long vacation between Thanksgiving. It will completely mess you up. It did for me.

Now that we are back I am trying to make sure all my decorating is done. I’m not taking out all my decorations this year as a result. Normally, I recommend making sure your house is clean and in order the week before Thanksgiving. This way once one holiday passes you can easily pack it away and bring out the next one. If you are decorating a tree think about keeping everything stored together so when you need to decorate the tree you aren’t going through all your other boxes. When you pack your boxes try to keep everything in one box for the same areas. Remember how you put it away is how you will open it the following year.

Baking. Oh this is one of my most favorite parts of the holiday but somehow I always wait. Make sure to map out what you need before you start baking. My general rule of thumb is to have more eggs and butter then you think you need as they are the main ingredients in every recipe. Make sure to store in air tight containers until you are ready to gift. Then just before switch them into cute little cookie boxes.

Don’t wait until the night before to do all your wrapping. I seem to fail this one every year. My intentions are good and I start with a few under the tree and its the one thing I always end up doing until late Christmas Eve.

I love wrapping my presents with paper this time of year. Instead of expensive ribbon hit up the wedding section in your local craft store and grab some tulle that matches your paper. You’ll save a ton of money and it looks just as pretty.

Make your own gift tags. With a simple square punch you can make them quickly and for very little cost.

Picking up after yourself is key. Life is so crazy and we’re coming and going so much that we can easily leave trails behind us, especially with kids. Taking 30 minutes every night and every morning to go around and pick up everything that has been left some where it doesn’t belong  and put it back to where it does.

Do room purges! With all the gifts that are coming in you’ll want a place to put them. This is a great chance for you to go in and make sure anything you don’t want is removed. When you are organizing remember to sort: donate, keep, consign.

Whirlpool has some great tips to share too!
Whirlpool’s Tips for the Holidays

• If you haven’t used your holiday dishes since last year, take advantage of the rinse cycle on your dishwasher to refresh your holiday dishes once they have been pulled out of storage.
• Wax drip on your candle holders? In order to remove the wax, simply dip the item in boiling water to help soften the wax, remove what you can, and then repeat the process until all wax is removed. Place the washable candle holders in the dishwasher for cleaning and to get that final sparkle!
• Using some winter squash in your recipes? To make it easier to cut in half, place in the microwave and heat for about 2 minutes on high power on each side. To continue cooking in the microwave, scoop out the seeds. Place 1 tablespoon of water into the space where the seeds were. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes on high, depending on size. Let stand 2-3 minutes.

First rule of thumb, read the care label. After that, follow the instructions below.

• Cranberry sauce slip off the spoon? Remove any excess fruit from the cotton and run the fabric under cold water to prevent oxidation. Wash the garment in the warmest water safe for it.  Use your bleach dispenser or add liquid chlorine bleach or color-safe bleach during the rinse cycle, after your detergent has done its job.

• Turkey a bit too juicy? Apply a pretreat to the oily stain, or rub liquid detergent directly into it. Wash the garment in the hottest water safe for the fabric, then air dry and check it for any remaining stain. If necessary, repeat the procedure before placing the clothing in the dryer.

• Overflow from the gravy boat? Scrape off any remaining gravy with a spoon or back of a butter knife. If it has already dried, brush off the residue. Rub in liquid detergent and then soak the fabric in a mixture of detergent and water for up to 30 minutes. Finish by washing the garment in the warmest water safe for it.

Most importantly take time to just enjoy yourself. Enjoy your family, the decor, the food. Enjoy all of it. While I always make sure I take out the camera to record our great holiday events I also make sure to put the camera down and enjoy my family.

I hope you have a very happy holiday this season!

“I wrote this review while participating in a Blog Tour for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Whirlpool. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”