• About/Contact
  • Disclosure | Privacy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Sponsorship
  • Home

Tips, activities and support for staying home with your children and joyfully surviving it!

  • Mom Survival Store
  • Complete Guide for SAHMs
  • Kids Activities
    • Infant Activities
    • Toddler Activities
    • Preschool Activities
      • Preschool at Home Curriculum
    • School Age Activities
    • Free or Cheap Kids Activities
  • Motherhood
    • Motivation
      • Me time
    • Homemaking
      • Organization
      • Quick Tips
      • Recipes
    • Faith
    • Parenting
    • Marriage
  • Natural Living
    • Young Living Starter Kit
    • Essential Oils Recipes
    • Cleaning Tips

Get Organized FAST for the Holidays!

November 3, 2015 by Jaimi Erickson 1 Comment

Ready to have the ENERGY to be the best mom you can be? Get started! Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome back! Did you already get started here?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fellowes Brands. All opinions are 100% mine.

Get organized fast for the holidays with 6 tips including getting the kids to help!

We all know how much work it takes to get organized. It takes time, and it is that time that drags us down. Living organized does not drag us down, though, it frees us to do more of what we want to do with our families. My motto is: Live clean to stay organized.

The reality: things pile up!

There are a few areas in my home that collect the piles of papers, dishes and toys until I can get to them. I often have to make a focused effort to get to those piles and clear them up.

6 Tips to Get Organized Fast

I decided I wanted to share how I get organized fast-despite life causing piles and clutter. I am hosting a holiday prep event with moms and kids at my home soon. I am using these tips to get organized fast to keep the house as clean as possible.

Tip 1: Organize room-by-room.

To feel like I am making progress with my plan to get organized, I focus on one room at a time. I just did this the other day to take pictures for you. This is a behind the scenes “reveal” of my messes. I start in the most-used rooms to get the biggest impact, and so I can see my progress. The kitchen is usually my target.

messy kitchen

In the kitchen, I always have cups piled up. My house is not the one with clear counters all the time. The cups, dishes that I did not get to because the twins needed me a bit longer at bedtime, the piles of papers from my son’s school and daily mail delivery pile up. I do not like the look of clutter, so eventually I have to clean it up to keep from feeling overwhelmed.

While the kids were playing together (a quiet moment where I was not immediately needed) I started in on the kitchen mess. This was my attack plan!

Put clean dishes away.

Load the dishwasher.

Hand wash large pots and pans.

Wipe down counters.

Go through paperwork to file or shred.

File papers.

Get the kids to help shred paper.

I rolled my Fellowes shredder into the kitchen, plugged it in, and let my preschooler shred papers while I started washing the pots and pans. I could supervise and we could tackle two jobs at once. The heavy-duty Cross-Cut blades can handle up to 16 sheets of paper per pass in addition to staples, paper clips, credit cards, junk mail and CDs, so I do not have to worry about sorting the papers before the kids get to shredding. (Always supervise when your child is near the paper shredder!) I will show you how to use the shredded paper in a later tip!

SHREDDING

I like having the kids help shred for a couple of reasons, 1) They like to do it, and 2) I have a Fellowes shredder with SafeSense® Technology so shredding stops if hands touch too close. I can let them grab papers and just go! Staples and even small paper clips run through this thing. Plus, it lasts about 20 minutes, so if I am clearing out old files or my son’s school work, the kids can keep feeding papers into the shredder for a while. 

When the kitchen is done, I move to the family room/playroom.

toy bins

Tip 2: Give toys a space

We have labeled bins for toy storage. I have always used this method since my first child was born. It helps my children learn where the toys go when I ask them to clean up. We do not have a separate playroom, so this method of toy organization helps keep the house from getting too consumed by toy clutter.

Tip 3: Create a household binder

I created a go-to manual for my household. School schedule, daily schedule, important events, budget info, emergency numbers-all info important to the daily functioning of our home are in one organized location. The holidays bring about a lot of extra events, so being able to have important info in one place is handy.

Tip 4: Write it down, right away

I sometimes check my phone, see a few email notification about bills that will be due, or supplies I need to donate to my child’s class (that reminds me…), then I get distracted, do not write the dates on the calendar and the inbox backs up.

Now every time I view my email, I do it near the calendar so I can immediately write down important dates. No forgetting and no time wasted finding that email again.

Tip 5: Give the kids chores

As I mentioned in Tip 1 above, my children usually help me shred papers with our Fellowes 79Ci power shredder. I love it, because it is so versatile. The kids ask if they can help, so I let them. My children have regular chores they do daily, and they help a lot with extra prep for events-they get excited to help!

 

Some of the chores I have my kids do:

Match the socks in the laundry basket.

Put their clothes away (preschool and older can do this).

Clean up toys (because you have picture labels, right?)

Take silverware out of the dishwasher and put it away. (Remove knives and breakable dishes first.)

 

All of these tasks being delegated frees you up to get a meal plan ready for when Grandma and Grandpa visit, or fold that load of laundry that has been in the basket all day waiting for you!

 

Tip 6: Set up simple activities for the kids so you can focus

You may run out of things that the kids can help you do. They will make new messes if you do not keep them focused on an activity, and you may need some focused time to finish up. I use these when I am finishing up my prep for people coming over.

Set up some simple learning activities at the table like busy bags or puzzles.

Pop in a book recorded to CD and let the kids read together.

Use the shredded paper created when you de-cluttered for a sensory activity.

Put the shredded paper in a bathtub to create a sensory bin. (No water, just the paper.) My shredder has a drawer for easy removal of the shredded paper, so it is easy to set up a sensory bin quickly.

shredder drawer

First I plug the drain. I add small toys, and pour in the shredded paper. The kids played long enough for me to get the laundry put away!

SENSORY PLAY

My Fellowes 79Ci shredder can handle up to 16 pieces of paper with one pass, so I can create a fun shredded paper sensory bin quickly! It has a jam-proof and Energy Savings System that maximizes shredder energy efficiency 100% of the time – both in use and out of use, I know my shredder is running efficiently. SilentShred™ Technology that offers ultra-quiet shredder performance means I can shred even when the kids are taking a nap. That is prime time to get stuff done! The Fellowes 79Ci is available at Amazon.com and Office Superstores with a suggested retail price of $239.99.

Shredded paper sensory bins are a go-to activity for rainy day indoor play too. The bulk of the paper shreds are easily picked up by hand and the rest vacuums up easily.

When you need to get organized FAST this holiday season, remember these simple ways to get the house organized. You can get organized fast to stay as stress-free as possible and enjoy more time with your family.

get organized fast vertical

Visit Sponsors Site

Successful Mom Daily Checklist to help you gain balance between housework and play time with the kids. Get more done, and feel more successful as a mom and homemaker.

Enjoy your time at home!

Your Name

Filed Under: motivation, organization Tagged With: Holiday Guide

Trackbacks

  1. Overcome Holiday Stress | The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide says:
    October 28, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    […] of focusing on the many, many things you want to do, try picking a set number of things that are important to you to accomplish over the holiday season. Things you can’t imagine not doing or family […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me on Instagram!

sahmsg_jaimi

They were posing nicely, but I said make some funn They were posing nicely, but I said make some funny faces. They did. 🤣🤣

#motherhoodjourney
#faithblogger
#momentsinmotherhood
#momssupportingmoms
#familytimeisthebesttime
#mommytime
#familymoments
#momlifestyle
#lovemyhome
#momproblems
#thisismotherhood
#familymatters
#momlifebelike
#stayathomemom
#motherhoodunplugged
#momlife
#familytime
#amomentinmotherhood
#momsonamission
#stayathomemama
#momswhoinspire
#mominspiration
#familyactivity
#familyqualitytime
#familytimeisqualitytime
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
All troubles in life can be solved with more Jesus All troubles in life can be solved with more Jesus. 

He is risen! ☀️ 

Happy Easter / Resurrection Sunday from the Erickson clan. 💕 

I pray each of you seek the ultimate truth and know God is working through you. You are significant, loved and appreciated. 🤗 

#faithlife
#amomentinmotherhood
#momsonamission
#stayathomemama
#instafamilytime
#homemakerlife
#momlifeisbestlife
#momlifeinspo
#homeschoolmomma
#momlifeunplugged
#spendingqualitytime
#homeschoolblogger
#stayathomemomma
#familytimeisqualitytime
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
#realmoms
#lifeasamama
#momlifebestlife
#joyfulmama
#momsunite
#lovefamilytime
#mamatribe
#lifewithlittles
#momsofinsta
#mamahood
#honestlymothering
I pictured myself as a mom of boys before having m I pictured myself as a mom of boys before having my babies. I have learned so much from all my children but having my girls is a blessing I never knew I needed. 

Want to eliminate mean girls? Raise daughters to do the opposite.

Want to teach women to better communicate with each other? Raise daughters to listen and articulate.

They are my own little girl group and I am grateful for it. They love me on my bad days and give me compliments I do not even deserve. 

I do love being the mom of girls (and boys). They both teach me so much. 

What are the top lessons you wish girls would learn before becoming adults? 

#homeschoollife
#homeschoolmom
#momlifebelike
#stayathomemom
#sahm
#motherhoodunplugged
#momlife
#familytime
#mommytime
#familymoments
#momlifestyle
#thisismotherhood
#familymatters
#momtime
#thatmomlife
#stayathomemomlife
#motherhoodalive
#homeschoolfamily
#momswhoblog
#motherhoodthroughig
#mymamahood
#realmoms
#lifeasamama
#momlifebestlife
#joyfulmama
#momsunite
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#joyfulmotherhood
Will you be spending time with family for Easter? Will you be spending time with family for Easter? 

My husband’s parents have arrived - adding one more big dog to our house and lots of crafts and fun. We have not seen them since June. Everyone is excited to spend time together.

Both of my big kids have birthdays and we will all get to spend time at the beach this month. Our school work will morph into field trips so we soak up every day we can being present with family. 

I am looking forward to making memories, soaking in time together and celebrating two milestone birthdays - one happening tomorrow. 💛 

#motherhoodjourney
#faithblogger
#momentsinmotherhood
#momssupportingmoms
#familytimeisthebesttime
#mommytime
#familymoments
#momlifestyle
#lovemyhome
#momproblems
#thisismotherhood
#familymatters
#momlifebelike
#stayathomemom
#motherhoodunplugged
#momlife
#familytime
#amomentinmotherhood
#momsonamission
#stayathomemama
#momswhoinspire
#mominspiration
#familyactivity
#familyqualitytime
#familytimeisqualitytime
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
“Never underestimate the healing of a quiet mome “Never underestimate the healing of a quiet moment in the garden.” 
-Unknown

#momlifestyleblogger
#homeschoolingmoms
#organizingexpert
#gardenerslife 
#homemakerlife
#gardeningismytherapy 
#momlifeinspo
#homeschoolmomma
#momlifeunplugged
#spendingqualitytime
#homeschoolblogger
#stayathomemomma
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
#homeschooladventures
#tidyhousetidymind
#unfilteredmotherhood
#decoratingtips
#joyfulmotherhood
#tidyingup
#homeschoolingmom
#homeschoolmama
#homestyledecor
#busymoms
#housedecoration
#momhacks
#simplymamahood
#realmomlife
#homeidea
🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all t 🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all the kids actually goes well!!! 🌟 

Ice cream after helped of course. 😂

All prepped for my in-laws coming to visit us after not seeing them since our move last summer. Looking forward to some fun events ahead that will make my kids think they are on spring break but they will technically be field trip days. Check, check. 

Are you guys on spring break this week? What do you have planned?

#momlifestyleblogger #stayathomemommylife #momlifeisbestlife #momlifeunplugged #sahmlifestyle #momlife101 #momsofmultiples #stayathomemama #momswhoinspire #momswithgoals #mommotivation #aintnohoodlikemotherhood #stayathomemommy #momlifeunfiltered #motherhoodlife #momhood #honestmommin #realmoms #lifeasamama #joyfulmama #mommymode #momtime #lifeasmama #justmomlife #motherhoodthroughig #momsofinsta #mamahood #momentsinmotherhood #thisismotherhood #momlifebelike
Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, fill your mind with encouragement and just keep moving forward. 

Recovery days are not just for working out. They are for the mental state we walk around with too. Yesterday felt heavy. My God is a power lifter and takes the burden away. 

Today will be better.

Today we will rest and refocus.

Hooray for comfy jeans, motivational graphics and the Word to focus on through it all. 

(Faith fashion: @choseninchrist use code Jaimi to save.)

#faithmama #faithmamas #intentionalmotherhood #inspiredmotherhood #homemakerlife #homeschoolmoms #thisismotherhood #mindsetiseverything #faithiseverything #faithblogger #momblogger
🌟That Face!!🌟 That little boy is soon to t 🌟That Face!!🌟 

That little boy is soon to turn 13, guys! I mean in a few weeks. 😅

This is a throwback but brings back so many fun memories. 

—————————————

I love creating activities and crafts on the fly. Always have even before my kids were here.

I noticed that my son did not have a lot of little toy people to play with while he was pretending one day. We have a few cylinder blocks in a set. We never used them when we built. I thought we could turn them into little DIY toy people. 

They were so cute and easy to make. It was a preschool art project for him. We made them together.

If you don’t have wooden cylindrical blocks at home, you can use pieces of wood dowel or even a few square blocks glued together. You can even make DIY toy people out of toilet paper tubes. 

🌟Full details through Blog link in bio 🌟

——————————————

I am so excited and yet in complete shock by how fast these little lives grow. I have never missed moments and I am so so grateful especially as we approach the teen years in my house. 💛 Soak up even the hard days of being a mom. TOTALLY worth it. 

#preciousmomentsathome #stayathomemomlife #sahmlife #momofboys #myheartisfull #homeschoolgrace #familytime #motherhoodrealities #kidsactivities #kids #blogger #bloggerlife #blogging #momlife
👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out the 👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out there. I try to ignore a lot of them. 😂 

My kids stay up later than most recommend, but so did I when I was a kid. 

She loves to read. She loves to write. Abby writes plays, journal entries, songs and on a bad day she will write her feelings about it all, in depth, no holds barred. 

This night she was trying to finish up a play - setting, character details, order of lines - for a play she made for her younger sister. 

I am so thankful that we can count her love of writing in her free time as school work. I am so thankful that how we do school allows this passion and talent to thrive. She has stacks of drawings, plays and writing blurbs. They are all precious to her.

There are days I question whether this choice or that choice is right or “approved,” but it does not matter when I see my children dive deep into the things they love. 

#realschool #teachermom #homeschool #homeschoollife #lifeisgood #findjoy #teachthemyoung #teachyourchildrenwell #neverstoplearning #parenting #parentingopinions #motherhoodinspired #inspiredhomeschool #unschooling
Give me my people any day. Family time this Sund Give me my people any day. 

Family time this Sunday was a 5k fundraiser race. We helped raise 💵 for the spouses’ club scholarship fund. Scholarships will be awarded for post secondary education to military kids and spouses. 

If you can choose any action in life, choose to help others. Side bonus when it involves fun family time together.

Best day yet. 💛💛💛

#sundayfunday #sunday #sundaywiththefam #raceday #5k #runwalk #familylife #familyfirst #homeschool #homesweethome #homeschooling #hometime #fundraising #fundraiser #osc #camplejeune #closc #eastnc #easternnc #optoutside #adventuretime #outdoorfun #foracause
💛 Friday Introductions💛 It has been a while 💛 Friday Introductions💛

It has been a while since I did a good run-down here to give ya the cliffs notes (are those still a thing) version of me. 👋 

💛 Detroit-born a few blocks from where Eminem lived. The city is still my hometown despite moving away as a kid.

💛 I am a big believer in traditional values, but with a modern woman twist. My husband drives his career and I drive this household.

💛 We live in eastern NC 30 mins from the beach. I want to stay here forever, truly, but military life will come to an end some day...still don’t know specifically when that will be.

💛Born and raised to be a planner, Type A personality, having 4 kids beat that out of me 🤣 and I am very “day at a time” now. 

💛I was a teacher turned stay at home mom turned blogger turned entrepreneur that had to set it all on the back burner a bit to focus on homeschooling my kids. I can only have so much on my plate and complete it successfully. (When we listen, God guides and is loud and clear with His direction. 💛)

💛I believe I can be humble and confident; I can be fully present with my kids and make space to rest and rejuvenate; I believe the biggest successes I will achieve in life will not have a paycheck as its valuation. 

💛I believe that true peace, value and love all come from Jesus. 

You will find me sharing the ups AND the downs of motherhood, wife life, homeschooling and being a Christian woman with the modern day pull to fight what that can mean. (There is def a force trying to convince us to push those values aside, my friends.)

👌What is the cliffs notes version of you? What do you want people to know/realize most of all?

#happyfriday #fridayintroductions #thisisme #gardenathome #homeschooling #naturalliving #motherhoodjourney #stayathomemoms #militarylife #Faithmamas #cliffsnotes #motherhoodsocial
🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟 Often our c 🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟

Often our children learn hard lessons when they have to move to a new state or school. 

My kids have become all too familiar with this through military life. Every three years they have to make new friends.

It is not always simple.

As a child, my family moved a lot. We were not military, but in junior high I moved to a new state and had to make all new friends.

This was a challenging and even to some extent a traumatic time of life.

Being the new kid, is a humbling experience. Suddenly you are hoping that your peers will want to get to know you and like you. It creates some self-consciousness.

Reading is such a beneficial way to teach children about life lessons. It teaches much more than that. It teaches self esteem through the cuddle time. It teaches language skills, and it teaches children to use their minds to be creative.

As they have grown and navigated more friendships, books are a resource for us to discuss tough challenges. I have found a great series of books that present friendship challenges and help children learn to navigate them.

It just so happens that the author is my neighbor too! How cool is that?! Moms are amazing.

These books will be treasured by your family for their quality values. The @stingrayjelly series teach children how to make friends and navigate friendships to love others well and support them through shared similarities and recognized differences.

Author, Lauren Giannella is a military wife and my neighbor! Anna Perdue is the illustrator and also a military child. 

Read my blog post for details on each book and links to purchase through @barnesandnoble 

We love our military community and all they do to give back.

What are your favorite children’s books that teach children how to make friends or help them maneuver through tough life challenges?

#books #booksforkids #militaryspouse #militaryspouses #militarywife #militarylife #militarykids #teachingkids #goodbooks #readtokids #readingtime #homeschoolreading #homeschoolmoms #eastnc #usmclife #marinecorpsfamily #motherhoodsocial
Follow on Instagram





Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in



©2018 The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide – Jaimi Erickson

HOME | ABOUT | DISCLOSURE/PRIVACY | SPONSORSHIP

Facebook | Pinterest | Email