It's officially holiday season with Thanksgiving around the corner and then Navidad, it's very easy to get overwhelmed as mamás because let's face it, who else does the cooking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping, Christmas card writing, decorating, while doing everything else we already do?! I'm not saying our significant others or kids don't help, because they do, but generally the mother load is typically on us. So, I want to offer you some personal tips and lists, because I absolutely love lists to get you organized and ready to tackle this season without going loca.
First let me say, these list are not beautiful Pinterest works of art. They are simply functional to get the job done. That is the goal here.
1) Get your decorating organized.
Every holiday season I have a different color theme in my home. I'll use an accent color like Pink (as you can see below with Hope), Purple, or even Black to keep things fresh and fun. I'll go to the stores and SEE what the newest colored decorations are but I won't buy anything until I'm organized. Once you have an idea of what colors and items you'd like to buy you have to know what you already have. I suggest taking a couple of hours and going through your decorating items (the kids will love to help) and separating the items/bins/boxes that you want to use. Once you know what you have, where you are headed decoration wise, then you can create your shopping list.
I create my shopping lists in Excel. It helps for future shopping to have things documented like the dimensions of my windows or what I gave my sister 2 years ago. You can also print this out. Whatever works for you.
I created 1 file to download that has ALL of these lists as separate worksheets without the watermark. You can download it Free here:
2. Get your Thanksgiving & Christmas Invitados (Guests) in Order
So whether you are throwing a big Thanksgiving or Fiesta Navideña or hosting a handful of family and friends. Planning ahead for your guests is not only thoughtful but will save you headache and drama when you have nothing for that 1 Vegan friend. It will also help you in getting your decorating list in order and if you are sending invites it will help you keep all of the addresses in one spot. You can download here: https://www.milegasi.com/collections/free-downloads/products/free-get-organized-for-the-holidays-lists
3. Tackle that Thanksgiving Shopping List like a Pro!
Shopping to me is fun when I have the time and it becomes a day event with my mami and sister (below). However, during a normal crazy busy week, I HATE shopping. I like to go in and out, have my list organized by section and by recipe so I don't have multiple sheets and am not running around como una loca. I promise you that when you spend a little more time getting organized at home before you go to the store, you will cut your time in half at the grocery store, and when you have a 2 year old every minute counts!
4. Don't Stress with the Easiest Holiday Shopping List
I start my holiday shopping list now in early November. You don't have to exactly know what you are getting everyone but having a general idea of what people like really helps and having an estimated overall budget helps keep your pockets in check. It also keeps you focused once you are in the store so you can avoid endless, "¿Que le compro?" (What do I buy?) and added stress. These are MY essentials for keeping it together but what's great about these excel worksheets is that you can customize it to suit YOUR needs. You have a great starting point.
5. End of Year Limpieza (Cleaning). Out with the Old in With the New!
Don't be a crazy mamá like this one, though very funny, when it's you in real life, there's nothing to laugh about.
End of the year is a very busy time but starting the new year fresh, clean, and organized gives you an extra boost of confidence and positive outlook for a new year. Plus we receive so many new things that we have to make room for. The goal is to do it in increments and not all at the last minute to save yourself from exhaustion. It's also a great way to teach your children about giving to others, donating, and recycling.
I suggest that you save the actual CLEANING to the pros. Hire a cleaning service and save yourself the headache. They can't tackle going through your child's 10 bins of toys, though, so prioritize the areas or rooms you would like to focus on. Set specific days, times, or "15 minute power sessions" to sift through the stuff. Have an hour to watch la novela? Multi-task so you can make the best use of your time! And don't worry if you can't get through everything. There are many days, weekends, and evenings in the New Year. Writing your goal is the first step.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Yes, you will have alot of things to do over the next couple of months. Remember to take time out for yourself mamá and not get lost in the madness. Enjoy the moments and traditions with your familia today you will treasure them tomorrow. Laugh at the nonsense and don't sweat it, You got this chica!
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