With the holidays quickly approaching you may find that you are overwhelmed with tasks to complete. To help you delegate these tasks to those in our household, print out and use our free Communication Made Easy Board.

You’ll find this 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper has six boxes with a blank list inside each. Designate one box for each family member by writing their name on the blank line at the top of the box.  Now assign tasks to each family member by filling in the lists under each person’s name. Follow the same procedure when you are preparing for a party or hosting a holiday dinner.

 Once you have your tasks assigned on paper you might want to photocopy this master list. The photocopy has a dual purpose. Once you have a copy you can cut the original list into small individual lists to handout to each person. By keeping a copy of the original master list you can make sure everyone is on track with their tasks. Secondly, you may want to photocopy the master list to keep as a plan for next year. Perhaps you may want to start a holiday binder to include planning and ideas for next year.

Happy holiday planning!

On Wednesday, October 7th  I was thrilled to be part of WFMZ-TV’s Sunrise Show with the lovely and talented news anchor, Eve Tannery. Now that school has been back in session for almost five weeks it was the perfect time for me to provde some tips and tricks to make life a little easier for moms. I shared with Eve and the viewers tips on how to:

Remove Ink Marks

Organize School Snacks

Find Lunch Money Easily

Meal Deal for Kids

Get the Kids to Complete Chores

Cut School Pictures in a Snap

Clear Pockets to Label Boxes

Label School & Household Items

Store School Papers/Keepsakes

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When your children bring home their school pictures this year, don’t put off the task of “processing” them. The cutting of pictures can be quickly completed with little effort and to perfection. You can process the pictures in about a tenth of the time than you did before. Don’t waste time cutting the sheets of pictures with scissors. Instead, use a desktop paper cutter. You know, the old fashioned style paper cutter, the type you see at schools with the long blade on the long handle.

Cutting pictures will be effortless, straight-edged, and quick. If you want to make the process faster, print small labels with your child’s name and information for the back of the pictures. This will save you from repetitive handwriting.

Don’t have a paper cutter at home? Put one on your birthday or holiday wish list. A paper cutter usually costs somewhere in the thirty-dollar range. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t use my paper cutter – photos, school projects, and papers for home or work.

Happy school picture processing!

Fresh ink stains (ones that have not been laundered) are easy to remove with hairspray. Liquid pump hairspray (as opposed to aerosol) works best. Just spray the hairspray right on the pen mark. Let it soak a minute. Rub the fabric together and rinse under cold water. Be sure to first test the hairspray on an unnoticeable area of the fabric.

I use my daughter’s Garnier Fructis hairspray when my children come home from school with pen marks on their school clothes.

Hope this tip helps with your laundry dilemmas!

Are you always scrambling to find lunch money for your child in the morning? End the stress by making a habit of asking for twenty one-dollar bills and roll of quarters (or whatever denominations are appropriate) every time you cash a paycheck. Keep the dollar bills and quarters in a special jar or container that is only used for lunch money. If your paycheck is directly deposited into your bank account each pay period, then write a check to yourself every two weeks on the day you get paid and cash it in order to accomplish the same task.

Happy lunch money finding!

Simple organization of school snacks can save time and stress for you and your child. Take your bag of boxed raisins, the package of cheese and crackers, the box of fruit snacks, and the box of granola bars, and dump them into one, clear shoebox size container. Now you only need to show your child one container for him or her to make a selection from as all the choices will be easy to see. This will also alleviate the problem of not being able to tell when you are running low on snacks that come in a solid box or container such as granola bars. Consider using a container with a lid so you can stack another container on top to maximize the use of your cabinet or pantry space.

Happy snack finding!