Cynthia Ewer's Blog, page 59

Challenge Day 12: Clean Out the Coat Closet

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 16, 2014

In the Northern Hemisphere, January brings the year's coldest weather--and puts new demands on the family coat closet.

How do you store the family's outerwear during blustery weather?

Today in the Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge, it's time to take a peek inside the coat closet. Is is free from clutter and ready for use?

Today's Assignment:
Clean Out the Coat Closet

Winter weather brings new prominence to outerwear storage. Umbrellas and galoshes, jackets and...

Challenge Day 11: Stop Dirt at the Door

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 15, 2014

Friends and family members aren't the only guests that enter the house through the entryway.

Less desirable visitors hitch a ride inside, too: dirt, dust and dander carried into the house through the front door.

Today in the Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge, get tips to stop dirt at door in your organized home.

Today's Challenge:
Stop Dirt at the Door

Dirt! It's hitching a ride inside on shoes, paws and open breezes. This week, we're deep-cleaning the entrywa...

Challenge Day 3: Clean Out the Refrigerator!

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 7, 2014

A week into January, it's easy to spot our New Year's resolutions going adrift. No matter how earnestly we make them, it's hard for resolutions to survive the rapids of daily life.

Time, money and energy seem in short supply in early January, so how to keep the progress going toward that new and more organized life?

Today, take 20 minutes to recharge most New Year's Resolutions: clean out the refrigerator.

Yes, I said, "Clean out the refrigerator!" Wheth...

Challenge Day 2: Haul Away the Holidays

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 6, 2014

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the holiday season.

Is the Ghost of Christmas Past still haunting your house?

Even if decorations have been boxed and banished until next year, holiday stragglers can still circle the house for weeks to come. We've got a tip to tame these last few holiday hold-outs!

It's time to haul off the holidays, and prepare for the new year on Day 2 of the Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge!

Today's Assignment:
Plan...

Challenge Day 1: It's Preview Week!

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 5, 2014

Ready to clean house for the New Year? It's Preview Week at the 2014 Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge!

Our 14-week Challenge kicks off with a transitional week, designed to put the holidays to bed and prepare for the organizing and cleaning projects ahead.

During Preview Week, we'll get the Challenge rolling, banish the Ghost of Christmas Past, and review the basic elements of an organized life.

Be it resolved: in 2014, it's time to live clean and serene .....

Get Organized: Tap the Power of Planners

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 2, 2014

Imagine a genie, a butler, a secret servant at your fingertips.

Someone who remembers everything: when your kindergartner got his last round of immunizations, the name and number of that other Mom in the soccer carpool, what your second cousin named her latest baby.

Every home manager needs this informational paragon, but no one has to scour deserted beaches for a jeweled bottle.

This secret servant is called a planner--and every home manager worth her...

New Year, New You: Tips to Keep New Year's Resolutions

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on December 30, 2013

It's the magic night: a new decade dawns at midnight!

Along with the balloons and streamers come the New Years' Resolutions--it's as much a part of the celebration as the noisemakers! Will you resolve to get organized, lose weight, bring order to your home?

This year, resolve to keep those resolutions, not just make them! Try these tips from sister site Organized Christmasto make New Years' Resolutions a vehicle for real personal change:

New Year, New...

2014 New Year Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on December 28, 2013

Christmas has come and gone ... and left a mess behind. Looking around, you wonder how you'll ever dig out in time for Spring!

Solution? Take the Challenge!

Roar into the New Year and clean house fast with the New Year Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge from OrganizedHome.Com.

Based on Katie Leckey's Cleaning Grand Plan, Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge kicks off the new year with a 14-week plan to clean and organize a spring-clean house for the New Year.

Worki...

Holiday Clean Up: Clutter Cutting Ideas for Year's End

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on December 18, 2013

Christmas Week is here, and New Year's Eve is on the horizon!

Even in the midst of holiday cheer, it's time to look ahead to a clean and organized New Year--past the clutter of Christmas Past!

Ready to swing into the coming year from a clutter-free home?

Try these year-end tips to cut clutter and start the New Year on an organized note.

Santa's Rule: Get One, Toss Two

Try this simple idea to pack a powerful clutter-cutting punch as you put away new holi...

Party Time: Four Steps To Easy Entertaining

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on December 16, 2013

Shhh! Don't look now, but the holidays are right around the corner. Will you be ready to offer hospitality in your home?

Busy home managers have many reasons to dread entertaining, whether it's drop-in visitors or a large party. Entertaining can be costly, in time and in money. Our homes may not measure up to the standard touted in glossy furniture store ads. Often, we're unsure of ourselves in the role of hostess. Many of us didn't learn the knack at...