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.

My son is at the age where he wants everything he sees in a store. There is no filter. A recent trip to the pharmacy lead us to a basket full of cheaply made toys, handfuls of greeting cards, a broom and several packages of of "D" batteries. None of which we needed. It was clear to me he just wanted everything he saw and that this was just the "thrill" of the shopping experience. I knew going in everything would be distracting. There are balloons on top of the isles, flashy signs and lots of other things that make getting through the store a challenge. In order for us to get in and out of the store quickly and without spending a lot of money I set a spending and time limit before even stepping foot in a store. I do not want to organize stuff at home that we do not need in the first place. So, I do a quick scan of the toys before I leave home to see what we are missing. Most of the stores have seasonal items out on the shelves which makes it easy to grab a go. Finding something we actually need is priceless. This also makes it easier to cancel out items in the basket that he thought we just had to have. Now if we could only make it past the candy at the check out!

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.

Quick tip for kids toys. Kids accumulate a lot of toys and those toys come with many accessories. From tiny microscopic pieces to odd shaped extras making organizing a challenge! If the tiny pieces do not get much attention or the only attention they get is from your vacuum cleaner separate them from the toy bin. Store the pieces in a plastic bag or bin and add a label with the name and description. If the toys are used without the little extra pieces you might be able to get rid of them for good. But if they are a major part of the activity save for a later date.

Do your kids have too many stuffed animals? Does organizing these little lovies get harder and harder because the they continue to multiply over the years? A great way to solve the overcrowding of toys is to purge and give them away to other kids who would be thrilled to have a new friend. If your kids have a favorite toy take a picture of the two of them together and then say goodbye. Classic Kids Photography in Chicago is having a special event where they will take a photo of your favorite toy then donate the toy to The Primo Center for Women and Children

The holidays may have left your toy room busting at the seems. A whole new level of games, toys and activities may have just changed the room and the way it gets used. Its time to shift some toys around to make the room work again. Heres a quick organizing tip for making decisions about which toys to keep and which ones to give away.
Dont keep more than one toy that does the same thing. Two toys that have buttons with the alphabet calling the letter and object are the same. Pick the toy you think will work best and give away the other.
If you now have the new or more advanced version of a toy keep the new one out and give away the other. Its sort of like your new cell phone, why do you need the old one if your new one has all the latest and greatest features?
Try to keep in mind, too many toys can be overwhelming for your kids and your toy room shelves.
If you have have twins or siblings close in age you may have to keep 2 of the exact same or similar toys but if you have a 3rd and 4th that are similar give it away. I'm very familiar with this idea because one of my sisters is 17 months older then me and we had two of everything to keep the peace.