Thanksgiving is meant to be a time of remembrance, family and thanks, not a holiday

of stress and chaos. Here are 9 easy ways to stay organized for an enjoyable, stress-free Thanksgiving Day:

1. LEAVE COOKING AND CLEANING BEHIND. These days, many people opt to go out for Thanksgiving, instead of cooking and cleaning at home. If you're an extremely busy person, this may also work for you. If you don't want to miss the feeling of being at home, perhaps you might have the main course at a restaurant, and later have pie and coffee at home. In addition, lots of supermarkets and restaurants offer fully cooked Thanksgiving dinners. You simply pick everything up and place it on your table ready to be served, and if you must add a personal touch, make one special dish of your own.

2. PREPARE FOR TRAVELING. If you're traveling this Thanksgiving, be sure to make your packing list well ahead of time. Check items off as you're putting them into your luggage. Bring this list with you and use it to repack when you're ready to return home. By the way, I usually suggest that you travel a few days before Thanksgiving and come back a few days after the Thanksgiving rush. Otherwise, you're going to spend a lot of time in airports, on the road, in line, etc.

3. LET'S TALK TURKEY. First, determine how much room you have in your freezer and refrigerator, and how many people you will be serving. Then, order your turkey. If you need more storage space, perhaps a neighbor or relative can help you out. Rather than defrosting a frozen turkey in water on Thanksgiving Day, defrost it a few days ahead in your refrigerator instead. This saves tons of time!

4. INVITE GUESTS IN A SNAP. If you haven't already sent out invitations, you may consider simply calling possible guests instead. You won't have to spend a ton of time writing and mailing, and you usually get an RSVP immediately.

5. CHECK YOUR INVENTORY. Check your supply of chairs, tables, dishes, glasses, pots, pans, serving plates and utensils. Arrange to buy, rent or borrow anything you don't have.

6. PLAN YOUR MEAL. Plan your meal from appetizers to dessert on a piece of paper. Make a list of all ingredients needed. Bring your list when you go shopping and check items off as you put them in your cart.

7. COOK AHEAD. Make any meals that you can well ahead of time, and freeze them. On Thanksgiving Day, just defrost, heat and serve. You will save tons of time, plus you'll be able to join in the festivities without being stuck in the kitchen.

8. GET READY THE NIGHT BEFORE. You'll be happy you took care of a few things the night before. Set the table. Get the good silverware out of storage. Lay out your wardrobe--and your kids' wardrobes.

9. DON'T FORGET THE IMPORTANT STUFF. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to be thankful for health, family, friends and all that life has to offer. Some people choose to say grace. Others prefer to simply have a moment of silence before dinner and football. Still others like to make time to read a Thanksgiving Story or a poem. Make a list of the things you want to do to make the day a special one and reference your list so you don't forget them.

{Originally submitted to The Mommies Network Blog by CharlotteMommies}

A common complaint of many mothers is the daily struggle of what to wear. Most mothers express exasperation that they dress too casually, and some say, sloppily. Many mothers do not have the time in their busy schedules to devote to finding appropriate and attractive clothing.
Help can be found with a wardrobe consultant who will review your closet, assist you in determining your clothing needs, provide shopping assistance, and organize your closet.


If you find that you stand in front of your closet full of clothes and have nothing to wear, I recommend that you find someone to watch the children for a half day and devote it to reviewing
the clothing in your closet. Put on some music of your choice and pop open a Diet Coke or have a glass of wine if you're feeling more adventuresome. You'll need to try on everything, unless by sight you find that an item is too worn, stained, or a size that you haven't seen for awhile.

Once you try on the remaining clothing ask yourself the following questions:
1. Does it fit?
2. Does the color suit me?
3. When was the last time I wore this?
4. Does this fit into my current life situation? (i.e. a stay-at-home mom doesn't need a closet full
of power suits);and,
5. Do I like it? (can I run into an old boyfriend and feel attractive?).

Items that don't meet the above criteria can be donated to a charity. Please make sure that the item is in good condition; the rule is to only donate what you would consider buying. Items with tags still attached can be sold on eBay or at a consignment shop. The balance of the items can be
tossed or recycled for your "rag bag."

Most women need the following for a casual winter wardrobe:
1. Jeans in a darker wash;
2. A pair of black pants. The current style recalling Audrey Hepburn looks good on most women
and can be dressed up or down. I recommend that you have several pairs so that when one pair is
in the wash, you have another to wear;
3. A pair of corduroy pants in a boot cut style;
4. A few sweaters in a classic style. I happen to like the J Crew Wesley cable style in the v-neck
so you can layer a blouse or t-shirt under. Plus, they are really soft and wear well;
5. A pair of short boots to wear under your jeans and pants;
6. A pair of flat shoes to wear with your black pants. Try black or an animal print for more style;
7. T-shirts in white and other colors that you like. The Old Navy ones are a terrific value;
8. A sweater coat - a Fair Isle type weave will add pop to your pants and jeans. Also, it doesn't
get that cold in Richmond, and, since we spend most of our days in cars, a heavy coat isn't needed for most days; and,
9. A "real" winter coat for colder days.

That's all you need. I find that the more choices women have, the harder it is to decide what to wear. Pare down and you'll find that you are more confident and ready to face the world!
The best part of the above list is that you can order these by catalog or on the internet. This is my favorite way to shop because I can try the clothing on at my own pace and match them to my existing pieces. No need to drag a 2 and 4 year old through the mall!
Now you need to organize your closet. Take out anything that isn't clothing related. Find a new place for Christmas paper, sport equipment, and toys. When you're doing this it's a great time to streamline your home. Make sure that you are using the same style of hanger; it takes up less rod space. I like the plastic "jewel" style hanger that you find in department stores. You should also buy a few shoe boxes and some baskets to put belts and scarves in. You can get these items at Target for a reasonable price.

Originally posted on RichmondMommies

I love "do it yourself" projects. I think I get it from my father who taught me how to fix cars and fish for food as a child. To this day, it's hard for me to buy fresh fish from a supermarket when I know I can put a hook and worm in the water and get it myself. So, when our dining room chairs needed reupholstering, I figured, "It can't be that hard," plus I had my trusty helper: RJ!

First, RJ, myself and my mother visited a local fabric store and selected a print we loved made of outdoor material. The fabric we chose is waterproof and allows for easy clean up when soiled. Perfect for a home with a 3.5 year old toddler and infant just learning to eat solids!

First step: Remove the padded seats from the chair base. Four screws and they were off!


Next: Remove the old seat covers. They were simply stapled on so it was easy to separate the fabric. Pull and tug! Watch the staples RJ!


Once the old fabric was removed we measured the new material and cut it to fit. Children's rounded tip scissors didn't seem to work on the fabric. Go figure!

Are you like me and do you find yourself eating out a lot with the family? We don't do it that often, but in this summer heat and the crazy busy weekends we tend to have we find ourselves picking stuff up out and about more often than we normally would.

So while sometimes I make sure to hit the grocery store for a full and complete shopping trip, recipes planned for the week ahead and all (because honestly there's nothing easier than tacos and frozen pizza - sometimes!), there are other days where I find the money sliding out of my account more quickly than I can imagine.

And I am always looking for ways to save, so I figured I'd share some ideas with all of you ...

First and foremost, it's essential to look for those Kids Eat Free deals. It's not always the place you feel like eating at, but if you can do it - DO IT. Chick-fil-a on Tuesdays has kids eating free, and did you know that if you trade in your kids' meal toy they get an ice cream? And it's not just a small tiny scoop, either. It's the real deal. Last time we went kiddo got her choice of toppings. I mean, seriously? How can you beat that?

I know that places like Moe's also have free kids night, as do Backyard Burger (newly advertised!), and Twisted Fork has kids eat free after 4pm on Sundays! And oh my goodness, for those weeknights when it's just too danged hot to cook? Torero's Mexican Restaurants have kids eat free Monday through Thursday nights! What? That's insane. But totally amazing news!

Fat Daddy's has a great 99c kids' meal which is large enough to feed an adult, honestly. And most of these places usually have child-friendly entertainment at their locations, as well, to keep the kids busy while mom and dad eat their dinner.

Another way that I tend to save money is my trusty CitiPass book. There are loads of coupons in there, and there are also plenty that I don't use. So I try to approach local moms (especially on TriangleMommies) and we do lots of coupon swaps. So if there is a restaurant in Holly Springs I likely won't get to, and there's one closer to me you won't see, either, we can make an excellent trade and I'm going to happily go there and get one entree for free after I purchase the first one!

This next suggestion might not work for some places, but I have the best find in buying myself a kids' meal at Pei Wei. They have no problem with my purchasing the kids' chicken lo mein, which actually tastes better than the adult one (less odd spices, I guess) and is way cheaper. It's a smaller serving, but it suits me just fine, and I recommend considering it for yourself, as well. Places like Cracker Barrel will also serve adults off the kids' menu, for no extra charge. What a steal!

And an option for those who might want a smaller serving and find themselves not in the mood for leftovers is to ask if you can order a half order/plate. I do that at IHOP all the time as I'm usually not going to get myself four large pancakes for breakfast. And pancakes don't reheat all that well after hanging out on the plate for a bit. And if a half-serving doesn't work, why not check out the a la carte menu? Restaurants like Bob Evans have that available and you can order that way any time of the day.

Now I know some of these places may be local to me, but there have to be opportunities to save this way by you, too. Just look into the details. Don't be afraid to ASK questions. These restaurants want you to take advantage of these deals, because it's going to bring you back and have you ordering your grown up meals for yourself, and maybe even a drink or two!

So head on out ... and be sure to report back on your findings and experience. It's info we absolutely NEED to share with one another. Because seriously -- in this heat -- who really wants to turn the oven on every night?

-- NOT ME!

Andrea blogs regularly over at http://goodgirlgoneredneck.blogspot.com - she is a SAHM who enjoys reading, writing and lots and lots of ice cream! You can also find her on twitter @goodgirlgonered.