Christmas Clean Up Tip
Posted by Holly Nelson on Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Under: Tip of the Week
Here are a few tips I have used over the years to keep my Christmas morning sanity. Before, I have lost parts to toys and batteries. Not so much fun for the little one wanting to play with his gift! I've also thrown in time saving tips for you, too.
Clean Up Tips
1. As you and your family unwrap presents, put all the wrapping paper in a trash bag.
2. If you save ribbon , bows, boxes, or bags: Keep a large Christmas bag and put them in it as you unwrap.
3. As your kids unwrap, have them keep all of their presents beside them in one pile.
4. We do not allow our kids to open the toys of every gift to play with them. They have so many to open from us and grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. They choose a few they like first.
5. Gather each child's unopened and opened toys, lay them at the end of their beds. You can do this if you are going somewhere or even if you are staying home. For us, this keeps each child's toys in one place and we know whose gifts is whose. When we return from family gathering, we lay those presents on the end of the bed.
6. Take a picture of the child and their presents. This is a good way to remember what the child received and what and to whom they should write their "Thank You "cards.
7. Break down toy boxes and gift boxes as you Unwrap. Make a pile in the garage to stack them until you can take out the trash.
8. If you are taking presents to friends and family, divide the presents and put them in large Christmas bags to carry. Label each bag for each family or friends.
9. For opening presents away from home: Keep a few large laundry baskets in your car. When it is time to go or as they open presents, put in the basket to carry to the car. Depending on how many children you have, you can have a basket labeled for each child.
10. As your child opens present try to remember who gave them what present. Or just write it down. *Have child write a "Thank You" note before they play with the toy. (Children should be given thank you notes in their stockings! )
Time Saving Tips:
1. Make a breakfast casserole before you go to bed Christmas eve.
2. Wake up early on Christmas morning. I wake very early to get things ready for the boys. I make the donut snowmen and put it in their place at the table. I make breakfast. And I turn on all the Christmas lights. And make sure all the presents and stockings are set out.
3. Before opening presents make sure you have: scissors, small-medium-large screwdrivers, batteries (lots of batteries!!)
4. If you do not already have one, make a spot in a drawer that is for batteries, of all sizes. Stock up before Christmas.
5. If you are going to a dinner/party, make your dish the night before, bake before leaving. And make sure you have your hostess gift out to give when you arrive.
I hope you have a very merry and blessed Christmas!
Clean Up Tips
1. As you and your family unwrap presents, put all the wrapping paper in a trash bag.
2. If you save ribbon , bows, boxes, or bags: Keep a large Christmas bag and put them in it as you unwrap.
3. As your kids unwrap, have them keep all of their presents beside them in one pile.
4. We do not allow our kids to open the toys of every gift to play with them. They have so many to open from us and grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. They choose a few they like first.
5. Gather each child's unopened and opened toys, lay them at the end of their beds. You can do this if you are going somewhere or even if you are staying home. For us, this keeps each child's toys in one place and we know whose gifts is whose. When we return from family gathering, we lay those presents on the end of the bed.
6. Take a picture of the child and their presents. This is a good way to remember what the child received and what and to whom they should write their "Thank You "cards.
7. Break down toy boxes and gift boxes as you Unwrap. Make a pile in the garage to stack them until you can take out the trash.
8. If you are taking presents to friends and family, divide the presents and put them in large Christmas bags to carry. Label each bag for each family or friends.
9. For opening presents away from home: Keep a few large laundry baskets in your car. When it is time to go or as they open presents, put in the basket to carry to the car. Depending on how many children you have, you can have a basket labeled for each child.
10. As your child opens present try to remember who gave them what present. Or just write it down. *Have child write a "Thank You" note before they play with the toy. (Children should be given thank you notes in their stockings! )
Time Saving Tips:
1. Make a breakfast casserole before you go to bed Christmas eve.
2. Wake up early on Christmas morning. I wake very early to get things ready for the boys. I make the donut snowmen and put it in their place at the table. I make breakfast. And I turn on all the Christmas lights. And make sure all the presents and stockings are set out.
3. Before opening presents make sure you have: scissors, small-medium-large screwdrivers, batteries (lots of batteries!!)
4. If you do not already have one, make a spot in a drawer that is for batteries, of all sizes. Stock up before Christmas.
5. If you are going to a dinner/party, make your dish the night before, bake before leaving. And make sure you have your hostess gift out to give when you arrive.
I hope you have a very merry and blessed Christmas!
In : Tip of the Week
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"Let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a quiet and gentle sprirt, which is precious in the sight of God."
1 Peter 3:4 -
"An excellent wife,who can find? Her worth is far above jewels." Proverbs 31:10 ~~
I am a stay-at-home-mom(SAHM) married to the love of my life, Jeff Nelson. We have six wonderful boys. Ryan(13), Seth(11), Ian(8), Noah(5), Luke(4), and Jack (born April 2010). We live in Tennessee on 4 acres. I grew up the first few years of my life on a dairy farm in Missouri and loved country living. I was saved at a young age by the grace of God and shed blood of Jesus during that time of simple country living. That part of my life is very dear to me. God taught me many things as a baby Christian that I can still think about today. Then we moved to Memphis when I was in the 5th grade. I learned to love the city life, too. It was a completely different way of life. My whole family still lives in Missouri, still does a little farming and simple country living. When Jeff, the kids, and I moved from the city to the country, I incorporated my city life with my country background. My mom laughs at me when I cut my grass on my John Deere tractor while drinking my Starbucks Mocha and wearing my fancy sunglasses. And when I am shampooing my carpet in my high-heeled black boots. I just love those boots! But I would love to share about how I got to be the way I am today, The Victoriously Organized Woman! I used to work as a supervisor at bank for years. I had to dress up everyday. After the birth of our second child we decide I should be a SAHM. One of the best decision I've ever made. But I made a bad decision, too. I hardly ever dressed up anymore. I hardly ever wore make-up. After about a year I looked in the mirror and said, "OH MY! Jeff has to come home to this!?!" He is so wonderful he said he liked me that way, "natural". Well , I realized that I didn't. It made me feel bad about myself. I felt disorganized, tired and stressed and a little "rough" looking. I felt I just couldn't get it all done. At this time I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. I wasn't able to do certains things. Like mop the floor of my completely hardwood floor home that I was obsessed about keeping clean. The doctor told me I couldn't have salt, caffeine, or stress! "What?! Are you kidding!?" So , then I decided to change my routine,thought pattern, and cooking. I began to get up early, shower and dress, put on make up. Always being ready to leave whenever I needed to. I established routines that helped me eliminate extra cleaning and stresses. I was able to make more time for myself and make more time for my family. And the family had more time for each other. I made more time for God and others. This made me feel better about myself. I am so happy about how this changed my life I want to share it with everyone.
