Here come the small stuff!  This week in the Houseworks Holiday Plan, our hearts are close to home as we tackle the children's rooms.  Empty nest or child-free?  We'll use this week to deal with any bonus rooms or areas in our home.

This is also the week we bring a little bit of reality to our dreams of a holiday house, with the Seasonal Spruce-Up exercise.  Designed to get our head out of the clouds and our pocketbooks firmly anchored, the exercise cuts through Furniture Flyer Fog and brings sanity to preparing the house for the season.

Finally, in holiday prep, we'll start on stocking stuffers, plan Halloween costumes, and begin working on Christmas cards or letters this week.

This Week's Focus: Kid's Room or Bonus Room
Reading Assignments from Houseworks:

• Decluttering a Child's Room - page 208
  Using the STOP clutter method--and a child's eye view--get to the bottom of kid-room clutter..
• Top Tips for Organizing Children's Rooms - page 210
  Keep 'em contained and happy with these tips to organize kids' rooms.

Inspiration from the Web:

• 8 Simple Tips to Organize Kids' Rooms 
• Seasonal Spruce-Up Exercise
• Make Room for Santa: Pre-Season Toy Declutter
• Gifts From Your Printer: Silly Stocking Stuffers

This Week's Houseworks Checklist

• Declutter, clean and organize children's rooms. A pre-season toy declutter will make room for gifts to come--and with fall's cooler weather at hand, children will need space for indoor play and homework.

  Once the room is decluttered and cleaned, work with your child to create efficient storage for pared-down possessions.

  No children in your household? Tackle any bonus room or area this week.

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist

• Seasonal Spruce-Up exercise.  Complete the seasonal spruce-up exercise to plan any pre-holiday home improvements. Make a realistic list of home improvement chores to complete before the holiday season.
• Declutter children's toys.  Work with your child to reduce clutter in the toy closet.  Assessing the remaining toys will help you make a good gift list.
• Begin collecting stocking stuffers.  Use a Stocking Stuffers inventory form to remind you about stocking gifts on hand.
• Hit the back-to-school clearance sales.  After-season sales are a great source for stocking stuffers and crafts supplies.  Don't forget to load up on tape and scissors at bargain prices!
• Consult the kids and decide on Halloween costumes.  Schedule any sewing sessions in good time to be completed by October 10.
• Plan family Advent celebrations.  Look for creative ways to make the season come alive at the library or on the Web.  Order any day-by-day materials or Advent calendars now.
• Divide the Christmas card list into five sections.  Complete one section this week.  Goal:  to be finished writing, signing and addressing cards by November 1.

This Week's Christmas Planner Pages to Print:

Spruce-Up Checklist Stocking StuffersBirthday Planner