This Home Holiday Checklist will help save you stress this December.

This is our final cleaning and organizing post for the year, I hope it has helped you get some things in order and taken some stress off you. We are going to finish up strong and enjoy the end of this year and look forward to a new year! We are working on Christmas preparation for your home (or the holiday you celebrate)  You can repeat these daily quick cleaning and organizing tips again this next year to keep on top of those tasks that are sometimes forgotten!

Take it one small task at a time throughout the year with our series and you can tackle it all easily! We want to help you clean and organize your home the way that works best for you! We have been working on getting ready for the holidays that last few months and these final daily tasks should help you have less stress this holiday season.

Most tasks should take 15 – 30 minutes. If it works for you do each task on the corresponding date, if not just use it as a list of tasks, some days you may get more than one done. You may wish to take off the weekend and double up on weekdays or vice versa. I want you to be successful so do what works best for you. We only gave you 25 tasks this month so you can catch up if need be.

My friend’s over at Grove Collective made a special cleaning offer for my readers.

You can items FREE from Grove Collaborative when you place your first order of $20 using my link.

New customers will get the holiday set

• Free Mrs. Meyer’s holiday hand soap
• Free Mrs. Meyer’s holiday dish soap
• Free Mrs. Meyer’s holiday multi-surface spray
• Grove Collaborative red caddy
• Grove Collaborative walnut scrubber sponges

Plus, if you spend $39, you’ll also receive a free Grove stoneware tray to beautifully display your new holiday soaps.

Existing customers will get free Grove walnut scrubber sponges, which are perfect for all your cleaning needs.

Check out this special cleaning offer

It is so handy to have cleaning products come right to your doorstep and they make it easy to cancel auto shipments so you can just order whenever you want or you can easily cancel.

Sign up a the end of this article to get your free Clean and Organize List for Every Month This Year

December Savvy Cleaning and Organizing – Home Holiday Checklist

1. Launder and put away fall linens and dishes– if you didn’t already at the end of November finish putting away out of season items.
2. Make your list and check it twice– Maybe you are already done Christmas shopping, good for you! Take today off, if not make a list of what you have bought and what still needs to be picked up. Need gift ideas? Check out the list of gift ideas for all ages. You might want to pin this too since these gift ideas are great for birthdays and other holidays.
3. Start a file for Christmas receipts– Doing this will help you keep track of your spending, make returns/exchanges easier, and keep your counter and desk clean.
4. Dust off and polish the mantle– Let’s get it ready for those stockings and other decor items that will set the holiday mood.
5. Sort through holiday decorations– As you bring out ornaments and other decor instead of repacking items you have not used in years set them aside for donations. Only keep those items you love and use.
6. Wrap gifts as you bring them home– Doing this simple thing will keep your holiday from overwhelming you and keep your shopping and wrapping organized. If you have other items not wrapped yet, catch up today.
7. Thin out your movie collection– While you’re bringing out the Christmas movies make sure all your dvds have case, toss the empty cases and scratched movies. Donate or place unloved ones in a yard sale box.
8. Make a batch of holiday stove potpourri– Make up a mason jar of holiday scent to keep your house smelling festive throughout the entire season. Just grab distilled water and whatever you have on hand- orange or lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, vanilla, cloves, allspice, etc… Mix it up in the jar and keep it on hand. To use: pour some in a pot and simmer on low on the stove.
9. Empty out your purse– Switch to a new winter color or wipe down the outside and inside with a damp cloth. Spray with cleaner and allow to air out overnight. Reorganize the contents.
10. Purge in the kids’ rooms– Help the kids spend 15 minutes sorting toys- toss broken items choose at least 5 things to donate.
11. Create your holiday dinner menu– Make a list of all items you need for the store, spend 15 minutes tidying up the pantry while you check off items on your shopping list.
12. Water the Christmas Tree– If you haven’t been doing so, water the tree well. This will help keep pine needle droppings to a minimum and cut back on your work. Have an artificial tree, spend 15 minutes tidying a hot spot in your home.
13. Create a Christmas morning basket– Batteries, tape, trash bags for wrapping paper, scissors, and tuck your camera in also so you are not scrambling for it last minute! If you don’t have extra batteries or trash bags on hand. Order them today so you don’t have to run out later.
14. Stock the guest bathroom with plenty of fresh towels, toilet paper, and spray– Be sure that your bathroom is guest ready for any entertaining that you might do. Did you know that Amazon will deliver toilet paper right to your home and at a great price?
15. Go through kitchen towels and pot holders– Toss worn out hand towels, pot holders, and rags. Pick up a pretty new set or two for the holidays.
16. Freshen up the couch and chairs– Before holiday entertaining begins give your sitting areas a freshening up. Vacuum out under the cushion well and saturate cushions and throw pillows with fabric refresher.
17. Wash all throw rugs throughout the house– Right before your holiday gatherings, washing them will add to the fresh clean smell in your home.
18. Dust shelves, knick-knacks, books– Give all surfaces a quick but thorough dusting.
19. Empty the fridge of leftovers, wipe down shelves– You are gonna have it stocked soon with all baking, leftovers, holiday drinks and more. Get it ready now!
20. Add fresh flowers/greenery and candles to freshen up your decor– Not only do they add a wonderful scent but they are a simple way to make your home inviting and festive.
21. Spend 20 minutes decluttering – Hit areas like kitchen counters, dressers, and other surfaces that seem to be a magnet for clutter.
22. Freshen up the entryway– Welcome your guests with clean, bright, and festive entryway. Keep clutter to a minimum and add a touch of holiday decor.
23. Clean out the oven, scrub off the stove top– Spray the oven and let it sit overnight, wipe it out well the next morning. Be sure to clean the top just as well.
24. Clean and stock up the coffee/cocoa bar- Wipe down the coffee pot, stock up on creamers and coffee, and tidy it all up. Add a piece or two of holiday decor.
25. Enjoy your holiday!

Hopefully by tackling a few things each day throughout the month. It will help make your home run more smoothly and help you enjoy your holidays more. It is amazing how just 15 minutes a day can make a HUGE impact! Don’t forget to sign up and we will email you free tasks lists for each month.

Be sure to check out more great info here to help with daily cleaning

Simple Steps to Help Keep Your House Clean 

Routines to Help you Get Your Home Organized 

Get Organized with a Nightime Routine

These tips will help you get personalized holiday cards made and mailed this holiday season. 

I absolutely love receiving personalized holiday cards even in this age of Facebook and Instagram. It is so wonderful to receive an update from friends and family and pictures from their lives this year. Finding the perfect photo and card and addressing and mailing the cards can sometimes feel like just one more thing on the to-do list during the busy holiday season. There are a few things though that you can do now to make sure you save yourself some time and stress and help you send an amazing holiday card your friends and family will love. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Think About the Photo Now

I know it seems early but go through your pictures now if you like to use a snapshot from the year. If you like to have professional photos taken, make the appointment now. Here is some inspiration for coordinating outfits for the whole family for Holiday Photos.

We were lucky enough to have photos taken by the talented Evan Willingham of  Evan Willingham Photography before we left Germany. I plan on using these photos for our holiday cards this year.

Once you find your favorite photo or photos Minted makes it easy to see what they would look like on each card. They have a “find it fast” feature that will show your photo on all the available cards. It was easy for me to see which cards would not work with our photo. You can filter by the type of card and the number of photos as well.

I love to get a little update from friends about their lives this year. I wanted to share a little something on our card as well. I was able to add another picture and a personal paragraph to the back of our card. I love this feature! They even include a few sample paragraphs to get you started.

Get Your Envelopes Addressed for Free

Minted will even address your envelopes for free and they even have cute fonts that match your card. This is a HUGE time saver. I was able to upload a spreadsheet with all my addresses which made the process super easy.

Premium Quality & Craftmanship

The holiday cards at Minted are printed on high-quality paper. Without an extra fee, they are printed on a thick and luxurious stock in an off-white hue with a creamy cotton texture, usually reserved for fine stationery. There are also options for foil pressed and letter pressed cards. Many of the designs are by independent artists and are picked as part of design challenges. This makes it easy to find a card in a style you love. 

Get A Proof of Your Personalized Holiday Cards

Are you worried you might make a typo when you make your card? Each card is reviewed by a real person for mistakes and a proof is sent to you for review. If you are in a hurry, you can skip the proof, save $5 and receive your cards two days faster.

I hope that this post inspires you to send out holiday cards this year. I promise that Minted will make it easy for you!

Looking for easy stem activities for elementary and middle school kids? Check out these stem projects and stem subscription boxes for kids.

As a parent, you want the best for your kids, and that includes teaching them the skills they will need to survive in the world! Did you know that by the year 2020, nearly 100% of new jobs will be in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics? With these statistics, it is more important than ever before to encourage STEM learning at home.

What is Stem?

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It also includes teaching skills and subjects in a way that resembles real life. Part of the STEM learning approach, is that kids learn science better when they are actively involved. Learning like this can be done in a school setting but also can be done at home.

Here’s your guide to the best easy stem activities that can be done at home.

Complete Science Experiments

Science is all around us; in the food we eat, the plants we see, and the physical world we live in. Here are a few great science experiments you can do at home.

Work on Observations with fruits and veggies.

What happens as a fruit or vegetable starts to decay? What does it look like, smell like? Answering questions about real-world items puts science into a perspective they can understand. These are great stem activities for preschoolers and elementary students

Make Volcanoes

This is one of the most fun for kids. They can create a realistic volcano and watch it erupt. This teaches them chemical reactions as well as gives a real-world example of how volcanoes erupt as the pressure builds up.

Here are directions for a simple volcano for preschoolers.

Here are directions for a more in-depth volcano experiment for elementary and middle school children.

Make your own rock candy

That’s right, there is science behind candy. And, if you thought candy was all hardened sugar, you were right. All you need is water, sugar, a pan, a stove, and a glass jar. My daughter did this with her brownie troop and loved it.

Here are easy directions to make your own rock candy

Utilize Your Technology – Best STEM apps

In this day of digital natives, kids love technology. Though you may not want your kids looking at a screen all day, technology is a key component of the STEM learning, and there are many apps that incorporate science, technology, math, and engineering without your children knowing they are learning. Here are some of the best STEM apps.

SkEye Astronomy: A great app to see what’s in the sky. If you are interested in viewing the heavens above with your telescope, try the SkEye : Astronomy app. SkEye is an advanced sky mapping application that doubles as a PUSHTO guide for telescopes. It works by using your phone’s sensors as a guide for telescopes. All you need to do is briefly strap the phone onto the telescope’s optical tubes; from there, you can navigate the night-sky with your telescope.

Toca Lab: Chemistry has never been so fun with Toca Lab. Explore the colorful and electrifying world of science and meet all 118 of the elements from the periodic table. Discover elements by experimenting with the lab tools!

Crazy Gears – Are you ready to watch your child kick their learning into high-gear? Crazy Gears is a new-aged digital puzzle game, designed with a real mechanical engine and with children’s critical thinking skills in mind! Hours of fun guaranteed for everyone who is up for the challenge, yes, even you Mom & Dad!

Hopscotch – Coding For Kids – Learn to code and make your own games with Hopscotch. Easy-to-use visual tool makes programming fun and social.

Get a STEM Subscription Box

Subscription boxes are very popular these days, and why wouldn’t they be? Everyone loves getting something with their name on it in the mail (except when its a bill). Now, you can bring the fun of science, technology, math, and engineering right to your doorstep on a monthly basis. Here are some of the best STEM subscription boxes that include fun stem activities and stem projects for kids.

Green Kids Crafts

With a new theme every month, you get 4-8 science, technology art and math kits per month for kids ages 2-10. Looking for educational toys, science kits, STEM subscription, monthly subscriptions for kids, monthly crafts for kids, a monthly science box, monthly craft box or kids craft subscription? Green Kid Crafts, maker of award-winning science and arts and craft subscription boxes, has you covered!

You can now take 50% off the first month of a Junior Discovery Box Subscription (ages 2-4) or a Discovery Box Subscription (ages 5-10+). Green Kid Crafts’ award-winning Discovery Boxes pack a lot of fun and learning into convenient packages. Each monthly box contains up to 8 STEAM Science and Art Kits including a free 12-page kids magazine and bonus extension activities. Sibling and literary add-on options are available, too. Offer expires midnight October 31, 2018. Use code STEAM50

Learn more about Green Kids Crafts Here

Genius Box

Genius Box provides a creative hands-on approach to learning science, math, technology, and engineering. Genius Box provides a creative, hands- on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and math concepts that engages curious kids in the world around them. Genius Box is recommended for kids ages 8-12.

Click here to learn more about Genius Box

Tinker Crate

For ages 9-16, the Tinker crate gives your child the tools to create and explore engineering in a whole new way. Get 30% of Your First Month’s Order with code SHARE30.

Each month you get:

• Materials to create a creative, innovative STEM project
• Detailed step-by-step instruction
• Tinker Zine,
• Additional science experiments and activities
• Online tutorials with tips and tricks

Learn More about Tinker Crate Here

What other ways have you found to incorporate STEM learning in your home? Share your STEM projects in the comments below!

These meal planning tools will help you be successful at meal planning for your family.

When you begin meal planning for your family, it’s important to have great tools on hand that keep this task easy and effective. Meal planning should be a way to save time, and most of all help you stick within your grocery budget easily. Adding in a few easy tools to your kitchen will help you to make sure you are staying on task with little frustration.

10 Must-Have Meal Planning Tools

1. A Functional Calendar and a Weekly Meal Planner

This is going to vary for every individual family. You need to check your calendar before you create your meal plan and have some way of posting the weekly family meal plan. You want to make sure that you plan meals that meet your schedule. You may want to make meals in the slow cooker or instant pot on nights you have little time. Some like to use a written or printed calendar with their menu each week. Others prefer to utilize something like a Google Calendar app, or even use a dry erase board to organize their weekly calendar. Whatever you choose, it needs to be functional for you and your family to stay on track. If you create meal plans but never use them, it is a waste of your time and money.

Wondering what I use? Sign up for my meal planning tips and you will even receive a special offer for meal planning printables to make your own meal planning and recipe binder.

2. Detailed Lists for Meal Preparation.

If you are doing a large amount of freezer meals for your meal planning, you know you need detailed lists of ingredients. You will also need a detailed list of preparation needs. For each recipe, you’ll be preparing meats and vegetables in different ways. Making a detailed list that tells you how much meat should be chopped, braised, broiled, or grilled can help you to easily and effectively manage your meal plan and save time doing things over and over again. Doing all of a particular type of prep at one time will save you time and frustration in the long term.

You can learn more about turning your favorite recipes into freezer meals here. 

3. Quality Knives and Utensils.

Have you ever tried to cut multiple pieces of meat or vegetables with a dull knife? If so, you know how frustrating it can be to manage. Quality utensils are really important for meal planning as they will save you time and frustration. Grabbing a good set of knifes along with a sharpener is a must. You will also want sturdy wooden spoons, spatulas, and a ladle for assembling items, as well as cooking. I am a huge fan of this starter Henckels knife set made in Germany. The knives with the twins logo are higher quality and made in Germany not China.

4. Cutting Boards

I say boards because you really need to have at least one cutting board that is used ideally just for raw meat preparation. Having multiple cutting boards when meal planning will keep things safe, orderly, and sanitary. You want to have one that is used just for vegetables, one for meats, and possibly one clean cutting board to use for cutting things like breads, tortillas, or other items needed in recipes. These cutting boards look neat and even remind you what you are supposed to cut on them.

5. Measuring cups and spoons

If you are doing a large meal planning event, you will definitely need to have measuring cups and spoons on hand. I much prefer glass measuring cups for liquids, but I love my stainless steel cups and spoons for dry ingredients. If you can afford two sets of each, it will be nice to have on hand so you don’t have to worry about washing a lot between uses when preparing multiple meals at once.

6. Food Saver Vacuum Seal Storage System

If freezer meals are a part of your meal planning system, then one tool I highly recommend is a Food Saver. This vacuum sealing system will help keep your meals tasting fresher for longer periods of time. This is important to those who may be taking advantage of meat sales, seasonal produce, or even just want to do a month or longer of meal prep at once. A Food Saver is a great investment that can keep food fresh much longer in your freezer.

7. Freezer Bag Stands

If you prefer to use gallon Ziploc bags for your freezer meal preparation, freezer bag stands are a great investment. These little plastic stands allow you to hold your freezer bags upright while you fill them with ingredients. It keeps them clean and sanitary, and makes it a much faster process of preparation.

8. Crockpot and Instant Pot

Whether you are meal planning for your freezer or just trying to keep up a weekly plan, a Crockpot is an ultimate helper. Being able to toss foods in before you go out for the day and come home to a fully prepared meal is a huge time saver and makes meal planning much more useful to busy families. They are also great for making things like homemade stock, homemade marinara sauce, and even cooking dried beans for use in all of your recipes. This makes your meal planning efforts even healthier and more budget-friendly. I also love my Instant Pot that makes cooking foods very quick and easy. Have an Instant Pot but not sure how to use it? This free Instant Pot Class can help. It even includes a free Instant Potmeal plan!

I recommend at least one large 5-6 quart Crockpot as well as one smaller 3-quart option. They are nice to use for parties and buffets to keep food to temperature, but also great for making side dishes and full meals.

9. Freezer Storage Containers

Another alternative to using freezer bags are quality glass freezer storage containers. I love the Pyrex freezer containers that come in various sizes. They are ideal for stacking in a freezer, and even allow you to build things like casseroles that can be thawed, brought to room temperature, and then put directly into the oven saving you dishes needing to be washed. They can be pricey up front, but in comparison to the other vacuum seal or Ziploc storage bag options, they are cost-effective over the long term.

10. Meal plans that your family will eat

Aside from these tools for meal planning ease, you need to actually have meal plans your family will eat. Meal planning saves a ton of time and money, but not if you are feeding your family foods they won’t enjoy. You can build your own menu plan around family favorites, or invest in some of the many meal plan options online that fit your family needs. It’s not just about having tools in your kitchen, but about having meals that will fit your family and make your meal planning efforts worthwhile. If you are looking for meal plans already made for you, I personally am a huge fan of the Eat at Home Meal Plans.  These include 4 different meal plans each week for one low price and they include freezer meals.

These are what I feel are the must-have tools for meal planning. Creating a functional meal plan for your family isn’t as hard as it sounds. It simply includes a bit of time up front and consistency in your daily routine to build a plan everyone will love and you will find saves you time and money in the long run.

Don’t forget to sign up to get more meal planning tips and a special offer for my meal planning and recipe binder printables.

A few days ago I got an email from a reader who answered my question about what she needed help with and she said this…..

Two things – what to cook every night and what to wear to work every day! I’d like to look put together without having to put much effort in 🙂

I think many of us feel this way. Meal planning and looking good without ton of effort can be a challenge but having a plan and system helps. The reality is, we can all use a little help along the way, from women who have strengths in areas where we struggle, or who are a little further down the road than we are.

What if you could learn organizing and decluttering methods to keep your household running smoothly most of the time?

What if you could find strategies for balancing all the roles you need to fill – without going crazy and without compromising what’s most important to you?

What if you had meal planning help, and could serve your family quick & healthy meals ?

What if you had simple outfit ideas to help you get dressed every morning?

What if you found ideas to improve your relationships – your faith, your marriage, and your parenting?

And what if you could find the support you need to create an intentional home and life – one that falls in line with your values and dreams?

Well, you can.

I’m so excited to tell you about a digital library of resources and tools to help you in all these areas and more!

It includes products like eBooks, online courses, printables and planners, audio files, membership sites and more, crammed into one unbelievable collection, for a ridiculously low price. Ultimate Bundles creates a lot of different bundles, but this particular one has been running for 6 years (with brand new products each year!), it’s their most popular bundle EVER and over 100,000 women have picked one up since 2013.

I love working with this family-run company because they care so much about the value and quality of each bundle and their customer service is amazing.

This year’s edition is the biggest and most valuable yet! It includes 62 ebooks, 30 videos, audios, & eCourses, 34 printables & workbooks, 2 videos, and 3 membership sites.

There’s only one catch: It’s available for just six days only.

That’s how they convince all these amazing bloggers and product creators to include their products for so little!

For way less than the cost of an “oops” Target shopping trip, you’ll get a complete library to help you:

• Achieve better balance and manage your schedule more efficiently
• Declutter your home (and actually keep it that way!)
• Create 100 frugal recipes with a pantry of just 26 ingredients
• Conquer screen-time battles, and help kids learn coping strategies for stress, anxiety
  & anger
• Print out gorgeous planners so you can stay organized in style
• Rekindle the romance with a plan for everyday passion in your marriage
• Refresh your wardrobe with 64 days of mix-and-match outfit ideas for every season of the year
• and so much more!

Plus, I am offering my new Meal Planning Made Simple System as a FREE bonus with Meal Planning Printables to make your own Meal Planning and Recipe Binder and an ebook to make the system work for you! This offer is only available if you purchase through a link in this post. This is a special offer since I value you all so much! I do make a small commission on the sale when you purchase through my link and that is what enables me to offer you the Meal Planning Made Simple System for FREE!

After you purchase, just fill out this form with your name, email and receipt number and I will send you your Meal Planning Made Simple bonus by April 23. (I am still putting the finishing touches on the product and it is not even available yet for sale!)

Besides being packed with so much great stuff, one of the things I like best about the bundle is the price.

By offering it for a short time only, they’re able to give you access to over 129 digital products worth $3,680 — for just $29.97 ! (Nope, I’m not kidding. Can you believe it?)

Here’s how it works:

1. Visit their website, take a quick look at all the goodness that comes in this package, then click the “Get my copy now!” button to go through their simple and secure 3-step checkout process.
2. You’ll receive an email with a login to their online access portal, where you’ll begin downloading your eBooks, signing up for your eCourses, and redeeming your free bonus offers.
3. Use their Getting Started Guide to pick the topic you want to tackle first and start your stress-less homemaking journey!

The most important detail, though, is this bundle is available for just six days! After Monday night, April 16th, the sale ends and you’d have to buy all of these products individually.

I’d hate for you to miss out, so click HERE to learn more or buy the bundle.

It’s even backed by a 100% happiness guarantee, so you can make sure it’s right for you. Creating a home and life you love is not out of reach.

Learn more or get your bundle HERE

As a special bonus,  if you buy by the end of the day on April 12, you also get a FREE Style Challenge from Get Your Pretty On. Here’s how the GYPO Style Challenges work: Depending on which challenge you choose, you’ll get up to 64 mix-and-match, on-trend outfits that will make you feel like a million bucks.

Once you have purchased, don’t forget to fill out this form with your name, email and receipt number to get your Meal Planning Made Simple Bonus!