It’s that time of year again; the holiday season is rapidly approaching along with a seemingly endless list of things to do, presents to buy, and parties to plan. If you entertain friends and family in your home, you want it to look its absolute best. I recently sat down with Paintzen, an online service that makes painting your home simple, to discuss how you can prepare your home for the holidays. You don’t need to go overboard. Instead, focus on the four key areas that will be most visible to guests: the entryway, bathroom, kitchen, and living room.
Resourceful Consultants clients can use code “RC100” to get up to $100 off of their first paint project with Paintzen! Here’s to a Happy 2019 from Paintzen and Resourceful Consultants.
Every year, clients ask me how to avoid last minute chaos when they host a holiday. Here is a comprehensive list of to-dos for Thanksgiving STARTING NOW:
3 Weeks Before Thanksgiving
• Deep clean your house and purge excess clutter.
• Polish silver.
• Invite your guests. Consider using Paperless Post if you’re having a large group.
• Give specific assignments to guests who ask what they can bring.
• Prepare a dinner menu including wine, liquor, and soda.
• Prepare a grocery list based on the dinner menu.
• Think about table décor (e.g., flower arrangement(s), votives, small bud vases).
• Order the turkey.
• If you don’t have proper roasting tools (pan, rack, thermometer, basting tools, carving knife), buy them now.
• Order any favorite dessert items from your bakery (non-refrigerated items are best).
• Take an inventory of your serving pieces, dishes, silverware and glasses. If additional items are needed, purchase them now or contact a rental company to reserve. Don’t forget to include rental tables, chairs or linens, if needed. Continue reading “Thanksgiving Countdown” »
The time between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve can be the most festive, but also the most stressful time of the year. Between holiday parties, work events, shopping for gifts, eating too much and spending too much, sometimes we wish we could skip the entire season. But since that’s not an option, here are some guidelines to help you feel more in control this holiday season.
Say no. You don’t need to attend every party to which you’re invited. If you don’t go, you don’t need to find a babysitter, pay a babysitter, find something to wear, or purchase a hostess gift. Think of all the time you save.
Buy multiples of the same gift for as many people on your list as possible.
Have hostess gifts on hand. Whether it’s a bottle of wine, a candle, or chocolate, prepare in advance.
Purge your playroom. You have more leverage now than at any other time during the year. Tell your children you can’t buy them any new toys if there’s no space on those playroom shelves. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to donate what your children truly don’t use.
Get gift cards in a variety of dollar amounts. These take up almost no space, and are great for when you forgot about a last minute gift you might need.
Plan a go to outfit that you can wear to multiple parties. A simple black dress and a pair of black slacks and heels can take you through a variety of parties from business casual to more formal.
Breathe deeply and engage in some form of mindfulness each day.
Between agitating over the perennial what to wear, where to go, what to buy, how to pay, and why you ate so much, the time between Thanksgiving and New’s Year can be filled with high-octane stress.
However, there are safe ways to self-medicate that have nothing to do with booze, pills or acute psychotherapy. Here, I’ve streamlined some of the easiest to swallow, tackle and take effect organizing tips that will leave you feeling calmer, more in control and believe it or not — more festive this holiday season.
Clean out your underwear drawer. Anything ripped or saggy goes straight in the trash. Then, move the sassy to the front, and you might end up wearing them!
Throw out any and all pens or markers in your house that are out of ink. If you have kids, make it a game for them to hunt, peck and test out the goods. Once you’ve grouped them together, you’ll likely to find that you DON’T need to restock anytime soon.
Don’t just look in that medicine cabinet — throw out every prescription or medication that has outlived its expiration date. Not only will you have more room for great creams (go ahead, buy yourself a new one now that you have room!), but your skin may be more luminous for having invested this time.
Audit your electronics. Loose wires, old chargers and extra remotes do not make for lovely object d’art. Chuck with bravado. The odds that you will need them again, are the odds that Kim Kardashian married for love.
Clean out your fridge and pantry. Expired goods, crusty-almost-done jelly jars, anything unrecognizable —out! You may not actually lose weight in doing this — but your kitchen sure as heck will.
Bid adieu to all of your mismatched socks. They’ve been hanging around all year waiting for their sole mate. If a sock’s mate hasn’t appeared yet, it’s gone for good.
Commit to just a few of these, and I promise you’ll feel more in control and less overwhelmed! Happy holiday!
