January 17 is the last day to recycle your Christmas tree with the Chicago Park District. You can take your tree to any of the following locations. For questions, call the Department of Environment at 312-744-7606.

Chicago Christmas Tree Recycling Sites:

Bessemer Park: 8930 S. Muskegon Ave.

Clark Park: 3400 N. Rockwell Ave.

Forestry Site: 900 E. 103rd St.

Garfield Park: 100 N. Central Park Ave.

Grant Park: 900 S. Columbus Dr.

Humboldt Park Boathouse: 1369 N. Sacramento Blvd.

Jackson Park: 6300 S. Cornell Ave.

Kennedy Park: 11320 S. Western Ave.

Kelvyn Park: 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave.

Lake Meadows Park: 3117 S. Rhodes Ave.

Lincoln Park: Cannon Dr. at Fullerton Ave., parking lot east of Cannon Dr.

Margate Park: 4921 N. Marine Dr.

Marquette Park: 6700 S. Kedzie Ave.

McKinley Park: 2210 W. Pershing Rd.

Mt. Greenwood Park: 3721 W. 111th St.

North Park Village: 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.

Norwood Park: 5801 N. Natoma Ave.

Portage Park: 4100 N. Long Ave.

Riis Park: 6100 W. Fullerton Ave.

Rowan Park: 11546 S. Avenue L

Sheridan Park: 910 S. Aberdeen St.

Warren Park: 6601 N. Western Ave.

Wentworth Park: 5625 S. Mobile Ave.

Happy New Year Everyone! Its officially 2012 and most of us have made our News Years resolutions. Let us all make 2012 the year we achieve our goals by starting out with something small and attainable. Whether your are planning on getting healthy, saving money or getting organized it is important to begin with a manageable task. Organize a single drawer. In 20 minutes you could be on your way to a more organized home. Make your own coffee everyday instead of going out. In just days you will be saving your hard earned money. Add some healthier food choices to your daily meals. Remember the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Are you even getting a single serving of fruit in your diet? What do YOU need to do to get healthier? It is important that you put in the extra effort for your goals this year. You can't push a button for instant results. Do something each day because it takes 21 days to form a habit. By the end of January you should be on your way to progressing towards your goal.

It is hard to believe Thanksgiving is this week. It is officially Holiday Season everyone! No messing around, time to get serious with shopping, eating and fun! Do yourself a favor before all of the excitement. Sit down, take a big deep breath and figure out how you will enjoy the holidays but also stay organized with daily life. It can be easy to overlook your current bills, healthy goals and entertainment budget when you are distracted by all the shiny things. Prioritize your calenders for the final months of 2011 so you can kick off the new year with ease.

Your organizing task for today: start clearing out your home of unwanted items you no longer need or want. Donate clothes, toys and food to clothing drives, churches or a shelter.

Halloween was a week ago and we still have some reminders of the holiday. The candy is almost gone, the "Happy Halloween" decorations are put away but the pumpkins and squash are still out on display and will stay there until Thanksgiving. The great thing about these fall decorations is they are colorful, hearty and you can eat them when the holiday is over...bonus! These are the best decorations because you don't have to re organize and store them after the holiday. But you have to be sure to monitor the live decorations just to make sure they are still decorations and don't become "experiments" and ruin your furniture. We had a little issue this year it was the rotting pumpkin. We live in a high rise and carved our 1st pumpkin! It was a wonderful experience. Finding the pumpkin, scooping out the seeds and making a silly design. The problem was we faced the pumpkin towards the sunny window where you could see from the outside but not the inside. Wow was I surprised when I turned that pumpkin around to see how it was doing...Yuck! Next year I will be adding a "throw away" date immediatly after carving next years pumpkin.

How many pounds of candy will enter your home today? If you are handing out candy be sure not to go overboard with every type of bite sized candy. Get a few bags of popular candy and once it is gone it is gone. If your little ones bring home several bags of candy be sure you have a back up plan. Other wise you will have a lot of leftover candy just taking up space in your kitchen eventually going stale and uneaten. Go through candy when it first comes home to be sure that it is safe and check for candy's containing peanuts when food allergies are present. Divide up your candy and organize it for future consumption! Why not? Here are a few ideas for the extras.

#1 Freeze some of your favorites to use in recipes like Reece's or Junior mints

#2 Keep some of the sugary items like suckers or skittles in the car or work bag

#3 Let someone else enjoy the holiday by donating it

Happy Halloween!

As the leaves change, we search for our sweaters and we realize summer is over. Next thing you know we are eating pumpkin pie and opening presents. Get ready the holidays are coming it's time to get organized! I am not just talking about the stuff but the actual dates. A few years ago I was walking downtown Chicago and witnessed the collision of holidays. Too many holidays at one time. It was an unseasonably warm Halloween no jackets required. I looked around to see a variety of costumes and thought how fun! I love when everyone gets into the holiday spirit . Unfortunately my happiness quickly turned to confusion when I saw store windows advertising Thanksgiving specials. I get it, Thanksgiving is the next holiday. Its hard enough to see the Halloween candy filling the isle before Labor Day. But as I continued further down the street...Eeek! One of the major department stores was putting up the Christmas decorations!! Oh my, i was caught is a vortex of holidays I just wasn't ready for. What to do? A hot day with Halloween costumes, turkeys and Christmas decorations. It was confusing. I realize we can not do anything about the stores preparations because they play by different rules. But at least we can control what is going on at home and our own decorations. Keep the holiday decorations organized and labeled in separate containers. And if it helps add your own date for displaying. Maybe the 1st day of October you put out your fall decorations and so on.

Kids birthday parties are exciting! They can also be a little overwhelming for kids and parents. Especially when they receive all those new toys. In a blink of an eye the guests arrive, sing happy birthday, eat cake and ice cream and open gifts. And before you know it junior has opened up the toy packages before you have a moment to inspect. Its a lot to keep organized but with good planning and a few extra hands you can keep it all together. Remember some toys are not age appropriate and your kids wont be ready for them for few months or a even a couple of years. Some toys have many parts and pieces and often need assembly. And Finally you have the messy ones. Try to organize current toys before the party so you can see what you already have. If someone asks you what you need...tell them! Its ok to let people know what you want and some stores even have wishlists that you can update. This makes it easier for everyone to shop. Once the party is over make sure you want to keep all the toys. Return any duplicate toys or toys you cannot use. Make is easier on yourself and limit the amount of toys your kids have to choose from. Put away some of the new toys and pull them out on the next rainy day to beat old toy boredom.

If you don't like mixing your holidays get organized now for the new year and put away the Christmas decorations! Heres a few quick tips on storing decorations. First take pictures of all the areas where you placed decorations and ornaments. Group items together like entertaining pieces, ornaments or display. Get even more detailed by labeling small pieces like silk flowers or garland with masking tape or label tape. Finally get rid of broken ornaments, non working lights and anything you didn't use this year. Happy organizing and Happy New Year!

As you brave this years extreme holiday shopping its important to be prepared for the experience. The crowds and long lines are just a few things you will encounter. If you want to achieve your shopping goals its important to get organized before you head out the door. Make a list of what you need and where you need to go. Be sure to have any additional details about what you need. Do you clothing or shoe sizes, favorite color or any other specifics details? Are you setting a table and need dimensions for the tablecloth? Gather everything before heading out so you don't have to make a 2ND trip for returns. And hopefully your recipient will not have to return your gift either.

Dont spend a lot of money on tissue paper to fill your holiday gift boxes. Instead use the unwanted shredded paper from your shredder basket. First you have to do some organizing with your home or office paperwork. Shred unwanted documents and reuse the shredded paper as you would tissue paper. If you want to get creative, toss a few sheets of colored paper in to brighten it up.

Holiday visits with family and friends and such a joyful time. Especially when you are able to connect the internet. Nobody wants to tinker for hours trying to get connected online. Do your house guests a big big favor and be sure to have your wifi ssid and password so they can connect. Fresh towels and chocolates are great but getting online to check email over the holidays is priceless!

The holidays are here again. I know because I see all the Christmas decorations for sale in the stores. So, run to your kitchen and start organizing the pantry and refrigerator! If you are preparing meals at home or you will be bringing a dish to family or friends start taking stock. Do you still have cans of pumpkin that you didn't use last year or the year before? Before you decide to use it check the expiration date. What about those spices? How old are they? A quick tip is to write the date opened on the top of the spices. How much is still in the container? If you opened several years ago its probably losing its flavor. If you don't use much of the spice other than for seasonal cooking and baking, next time buy only a small amount in bulk at a spice store. And watch those sales of large quantities, if you haven't used it up by now you won't use in the next year.

Happy kitchen organizing!

Got a lot of art work and pictures frames that need to be hung but your too afraid to put nail holes in the wall? Get your pictures organized once and for all and try Command Strips picture hanging strips. Attach the hanging strips to the back of your pictures and wall then press together. No nails required! The best part is if you make a mistake just adjust your artwork on the wall. So, get those decorative items out of storage and start hanging!

Its never too early to get organized for a Halloween even if it is 6 months away! Halloween is the 2nd highest grossing holiday next to Christmas so you most likely to spend some money this year. If possible try renting your costume so you can wear it once, return it and you don't have a pile up of purple wigs and goofy glasses. Unless you will be the same character year after year. Where else are you going to wear these costumes?

Its never too early to get organized for a Halloween even if it is 6 months away! Halloween is the 2nd highest grossing holiday next to Christmas so you most likely to spend some money this year. If possible try renting your costume so you can wear it once, return it and you don't have a pile up of purple wigs and goofy glasses. Unless you will be the same character year after year. Where else are you going to wear these costumes?

Can't keep up with sending out your holiday cards, birthday cards or sharing photos? Check out Smilebox.com from Hallmark. I think its the best site for creating and sharing your memorable moments. It has templates for every occasion, just upload pics and send. Not finished with your card? Just save it and Hallmark reminds you about your project. So start your Christmas letter now and add throughout the year! Its fun, its easy and a great way to keep your pictures organized. Of course my favorite part about Smilebox...its free!

What do you do with the bouquet of flowers hostess gift? You can't leave them wrapped up in plastic they need water...stat!  Make sure you have a vase ready for long stems.  This way you dont have to leave your guests to scramble in the basement or dig through your cabinets to find the right vase.  If you have a moment cut the stems down so they fit the vase.  If you dont have a place to display the flowers, put them in the guest bathroom so everyone has a chance to see them.
Heres the bonus tip!  If you are going to a dinner party and would like to give flowers.  Pick up the flowers ahead of time and arrange them in a vase you no longer use.

Are you spending too much time organizing a group gift for a friend or family member then having to collect all the money for the gift? This can be very difficult! Let Edivvy to it! It is a website that helps you create and event, find gifts, then invite your friends and family to contribute to the gift. The gifts are then shipped from store to the recipient. If contributions are not enough to purchase the gift, Edivvy sends a Visa Gift card instead. Best part about this service is its free.

After helping your house guests get settled be sure to give them a tour of your home so they know where to find things like extra blankets and towels. Find their favorite T.V programs and show them how to navigate your TV remote controls. Finally give your guests a coffee maker demonstration and show them where you keep the coffee, cream, sugar and cups. This is extremely helpful if they wake before you or you are not home and it will make your guest feel more at home.

Have you ever scrambled at the last minute preparing your home for a dinner party? Make sure your table is picture perfect with these simple tips for getting your table ready.
Set your table the night before from the napkins, silver ware, place cards, dishes to the serving pieces and utensils. Add a note to each serving piece with the food going into the dish. You will know exactly what pieces your will be using and gives any helpers easy direction.
If you have a small space, clear out and organize a kitchen cabinet for after dinner items like dessert dishes, serving utensils, coffee cups, tea and sugar. This will make your transition to dessert and coffee much easier. Everything is in one place and you can counter tops will stay clear.
Finally clean out and organize the refrigerator so that at least one shelf is designated for the party. Its easier to see and access everything and if guests brings something that needs to be chilled there is open space.