Canada Day, previously know as Dominion Day has been celebrated “from far and wide” here in Canada since 1867 when the British Colonies came together to become this great country we call CANADA. For most of us it will be a day of beach parties, barbeques, community fairs and fireworks. A real kick off to the summer months.

For this months Watercooler I will be taking you across Canada to introduce some amazing Canadians who have helped shape the Organizing industry and have been a big influence on my life. They are all Silver Leaf members of Professional Organizers in Canada and I consider all if them friends.

British Columbia

Elinor Warkentin of Goodbye Clutter is one of the reasons that I am actually in this industry. Back in 2003 I read the most interesting article about a gal from BC who grew up in a Mennonite community. Her story made me think of all the organizing I had done as a child and to this day I look forward to seeing Elinor’s beautiful smile at conferences. Take a minute to check out her site and to follow her on twitter.

Alberta

Shelly Morrison of Clutter Cutter is  Western Canada’s first Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization. That is no small feat, it has taken Shelly years of education and hands on work to achieve this designation. With this specialized training she works with Hoarders which you have probably seen on the recent shows about hoarding. Not an issue to be taken lightly and people like Shelly are there to help…bravo to you! Shelly is someone I can look at eye to eye if you know what I mean….we are both vertically challenged and I like that about her

Manitoba

Morva Bowman of  Masters of Time and Space has been organizing Winnipeg since 2001. We met at my first organizing conference in 2004 and I immediately fell in love with Morva’s sense of fun. I look  forward to seeing what color hair Morva will be sporting each year at conference. I also had the pleasure of sitting on our National Board together in 2004-05.  Morva has been a mentor and an inspiration to me over the past 7 years.

Ontario

Jane Woolsey of  Professional Organizers.com is the Past President of  Professional Organizers in Canada as well as the 2009 winner of the Harold Taylor Award . Jane is a leader, a mentor, a teacher and a friend. I received my introduction to the world of professional organizing with a 3 day training program that Jane and former business partner Debra Milne offered. It was the foundation for my career and thankfully Jane is still offering this amazing opportunity to others who want to enter the professional organizing industry.

Hellen Buttigieg of We organize U is someone who I have admired from afar for many years. Hellen has been inspiring people to conquer clutter since 2003 as the host of the Gemini nominated show neat and with her recent book launch. Hellen is a busy mom with lots on the go and manages to maintain balance…I think this is why busy mom’s connect with her because they know she has walked a mile in their shoes…thanks for paving a path for the rest of us.

Clare Kumar of Streamlife inspires me with her energy, ideas and creativity. I had the pleasure of a lovely lunch with Clare and another pal Marlo Nikkila on a recent trip to the big city…yes that would be Toronto. Clare is a busy gal with her hands in many organizing pots. She has been on the talk Show Stephen & Chris to share her organizing tips.  She writes for Staples and Canadian Tire and has made her Shopping channel debut. Clare is on my list of Organizers to Watch for 2010.

Nova Scotia

Colette Robicheau of Organizing Anything is my good friend and conference buddy. In 2006 we shared a room, some crackers and lots of giggles at the NAPO conference in Boston. In 2007 we shared a room in Johannesburg South Africa where we both had the pleasure of speaking at the POAA conference. Wow…I still can’t believe that we travelled halfway across the world and had the pleasure of speaking to our peers at the Professional Organizers Association of Africa  Conference. We tried new foods, drank some South African wine and met the most amazing people that opened their homes and hearts to the  Canadian girls.

And last but certainly not least Kim Eagles….my business partner and friend. In 2007 we embarked on a journey to bring affordable organizing help to the market. Through our professionally produced Home Organizing Videos we did just that. With over 60 minutes of How-to videos and 70 pages of worksheets and e-book tips we have created a product that is affordable, easy to follow and available instantly as a download. Want to preview it now

I hope that you find the people I have introduced to be as interesting and informative as I have found them to be.

Happy Canada Day from the Shannon and the Eagles families…enjoy!

May is traditionally the unofficial start to summer. The time when we can get out into the garden and nurture relationships with plants we have not seen for months. When lazy days on the golf course and backyard bonfires become more than just a distant dream.

For most of us the end of the school year is a busy time with wrap up activities – dance performances, NB Music Festival, recitals…. How can you even think of the lazy days of summer when you are on a schedule like this? You really have to; once the spring activities are over the summer activities are right there in front of you. Summer is a special time of year and our Eastern Canadian ones are so short. You don’t want to miss out on all the fun things that you can do and see because you didn’t get organized and plan ahead of time.

Here are some helpful tips to get a jump start on organizing and planning your summer activities;

• Start with the big picture. Grab your June – September calendar and determine what time you have available to enjoy 2010 summer.

• Next you need to time block. What weeks have you booked for vacations? What weeks are the children booked for summer camps? Oops, have I opened a can of worms. If you haven’t booked the summer camps yet you need to do this sooner rather than later. The popular camps fill up early and you don’t want to be looking at last minute alternatives.

• Have a family meeting and ask the important question. What do you want to do this summer? What if Sara wants to play soccer and Brad wants to play baseball, but they both practice on Tuesday night—at different ends of town. Do you want to be running all over town all summer? Is car pooling a possibility? Make a plan.

• What about the actual summer vacation? Was there something that you wanted to do last year and just didn’t get around to it? Plan as a family, do some research online and make this a real family event from start to finish.

• Have you thought about summer childcare for when the wee ones are not in school? Are they under 12 and need all day supervision or are you going to be dealing with bored teenagers? There are many options from day camps to volunteer activities and summer jobs that can be investigated.

• Do you have a summer budget? This time of year can be a very costly yet with proper planning you will be able to manage your money as well as the expectations of your family. Take into account the cost of entertaining, special gatherings, summer camps and the overall cost of the Family Vacation.

Lastly, remember that Organizing Today Saves Time Tomorrow...it could also save you some money and add peace of mind this summer.

The following are a few tips for Un-Decorating this year:
• Take the time this year to put decorations away carefully. A few extra minutes this year can save you hours next year.
• Take pictures before you un-decorate and keep them in your Christmas journal for reference next year.
• Decide on a location to store seasonal decorations, large Rubbermaid containers store lots of decorations and can be stacked to use vertical space.
• Store decorations by room/category- e.g. living room décor, living room tree; Kitchen décor, Christmas baking supplies; Christmas entertaining; Outdoor décor, Outdoor lights.
• LABEL all your boxes, the more detailed the label the better.
• Store individual light sets in plastic bags to keep them from tangling together. This works well for beads and garland as well.
• Store candles in socks or nylons to prevent scratching
• When putting tree ornaments away ensure they are carefully wrapped to prevent breakage. They can be layered in boxes with heavier ones on bottom. If they are very fragile consider storing them in the boxes they came in or invest in Christmas ornament boxes, they are little more money but will safeguard those antique ornaments of your grandmothers that are priceless.
• Store Christmas music with your seasonal stuff, I always make sure the music is on top and easy to access as it is the first thing that come out (Kenny and Dolly are always the first CD to be played while decorating).

Happy Un-Decorating and if you have any suggestions or tips that help you stay organized while Un-Deocrating please leave a comment and share with us.

Kim

Hope this helps,

5  Weeks till Christmas (Sample Planner)

Week 1 (November 21-27)
• Make master gift list and holiday budget.
• Take inventory of gift closet and match gifts with giving list.
• Set up Calendar- include events, entertaining, house guests, travel, babysitters needed.
• Set up Christmas planner.
• Quick de-cluttering of toys and clothes that are out of date.
• Make master list of card recipients and purchase cards/stamps.
• Make any online or catalogue purchases.
• Decorate outdoors.

Week 2 (November 28-December 4)
• Prepare menu for holiday entertaining.
• Start Christmas baking if you do any.
• Prepare one group of cards (ones that will be sent farthest away).
• Purchase gifts for recipients farthest away.
• Wrap and post gifts that are being sent by mail.
• Purchase major gift items.
• Decorate main living area.
• Send out invitations for entertaining plans.
• Make menu for holiday week.

Week 3 (December 5-11)
• Finalize any entertaining plans
• Pre-purchase any supplies for entertaining.
• Precook items that can be frozen and continue Christmas baking.
• Shop for teachers, paperboy, co-workers, hostess gift etc.
• Prepare another set of cards.

Week 4 (December 12-18)
• Purchase stocking stuffers and any other gift left on list.
• Wrap major gift items.
• Purchase non perishables items needed for holiday menu.
• Prepare for drop in visitors
• Prepare rest of card, for people that are local.

Week 5 (December 19-24)
• Last minute plans for entertaining.
• Wrap remaining gifts
• Shop for Perishables

Week 6 HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Week 7 Un-Decorating week- stay tuned for info on one of the most important parts of having an organized Christmas- the Un-decorating plan.

Happy Planning,

Kim

Christmas Baking