Cynthia Ewer's Blog, page 60

Freezer Cooking Guide: How To Cook Once, Eat For A Month

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on November 11, 2013

Are you ready to cook once, eat for a month? Time to try freezer cooking!

The concept of freezer cooking goes by many names. Once-a-month cooking. Frozen assets. OAMC. Meal assembly. Each describes the practice of assembling partially-prepared entrees in bulk for freezer storage.

Made in multiple and needing only reheating or final preparations, freezer meals are an easy way to feed the family fast ... and cheap.

Because you make several meals at once,...

Ready for Christmas with the Christmas Countdown

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on October 22, 2013

Ready or not, here it comes: the 2013 Organized Christmas Countdown begins on Sunday, October 27.

This six-week holiday planning countdown from sister site OrganizedChristmas.com is fun, it's free--and is designed to help you get ready for Christmas in good time for the celebration.

Led by author and organizing expert Cynthia Ewer, we'll work together to create a calm, stress-free holiday season for ourselves and our families. By breaking down Christma...

Habit: The Household Wonder Worker

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on October 21, 2013

Imagine the television pitch:

"Special offer! Not sold in stores! The amazing Household Wonder Worker will take your house from chaos to castle in only 21 days. It'll speed your cleaning, calm your chaos and cut your clutter. Don't wait! Get it today--and put our 21-day Household Wonder Worker to work for you!"

You say you have the phone in one hand and a credit card in the other? Sounds that good, does it?

Sorry, television viewers. Yes, the Amazing Ho...

Declutter 101: How To Cut Clutter At Home

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on October 7, 2013

Here at OrganizedHome.Com, we hear the cry every week: "Help! I'm drowning in clutter and don't know where to begin!"

Whether it's due to poor habits, a packrat spouse, or an advanced case of affluenza, too many home managers struggle under the burden of household clutter.

Clutter can clog the smooth workings of any home, imposing heavy costs on the household.

Each day, time is lost searching for missing keys, phones or permission slips. A cluttered desk...

What's Your Clutter Personality Type?

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on October 2, 2013

It's silent. It's sneaky. It creeps about in corners: clutter! When the state of the house aggravates you to your last nerve, it's tempting to launch an all-out battle in the war against clutter.

First, though, know your enemy!

There are as many reasons for household clutter as there are clutterers. As Pogo says, "We have seen the enemy, and he is us!"

Take aim on your household's clutter problem by going to the root of the problem: your own thinking.

Wh...

Seasonal Clothing Declutter: Who's Living In Your Closet?

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on September 25, 2013

Once again, I mark the coming of autumn with a clothing closet declutter.

I wade into the closet and find the boxes of out-of-season clothing. Try everything on, skin itching at the touch of wool when the temperature's 80 degrees.

Sort the summer's keepers from items to donate. Look for "holes" and orphans in my autumn wardrobe. Count the upcoming dinners and holiday events, and divide them by the number of my party dresses. Try, for the 900th time,...

Magic Minimum: Cleaning Secret of Organized Families

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on September 16, 2013

Is it time to clean? Not for today's busy families!

Between work, children's activities, and vacation plans, even the most leisurely days don't seem long enough to get everything done at home.

There's a solution for busy times! Just as your body needs a "minimum daily allowance" of vitamins and minerals, an organized home needs a minimum of maintenance and attention to keep running smoothly.

Think of this as a Magic Minimum: a short list of essential h...

My Child, My Home, My Country: A Marine Mom Speaks

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on September 11, 2013

The following essay, written shortly after the collapse of the Twin Towers, has been this writer's most-read piece of work.

Written on September 14, 2001, it was the cry of my heart as the mother of a United States Marine, a son who had been called to alert in response to the attacks on our country.

Each year on September 11, I re-read this essay. And remember ...

I wasn't terribly happy the day my 17-year-old son told me that he wanted to join the U...

Get Ready for Christmas with a Holiday Plan

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 28, 2013

Labor Day weekend ahead! School bells are ringing, football fills the airwaves and September looms. Will the holidays be far behind?

Sure, you're dreaming of the perfect Christmas--then you open your eyes to reality. Looking around the house, it's hard to imagine how to cut the clutter, manage fall cleaning and prepare for Christmas all at once.

How will you bring the current state of domestic chaos into holiday readiness: clean, organized, prepared? Yo...

Hit the Sack: Gear Up for School Lunches

Back-to-School Countdown Day 12

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on August 22, 2013

Will you add "pack school lunches" to your to-do list when school starts? Time to get organized!

School-day mornings veer to frazzled in a heartbeat, and never more so than when trying to pack lunches while locating laundry, overseeing homework and calling children to breakfast.

Give yourself a break, and take time now to prepare for the school lunch routine. With nine months of lunch duty ahead, planning school lunch menus...