Organizer's blog digest: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is now less than a week away. I'm calling upon the fantastic community of professional organizers with blogs to give you some helpful tips for coping with the holiday in an organized fashion. For me, Thanksgiving has always been a wonderful day full of sharing time in the kitchen, and then the table, with family. Since my family is pretty easy going, I've never felt stressed about having the "perfect" holiday, which allows us to enjoy the simple pleasures of cooking and eating together. This will be the first Thanksgiving with our newest addition to the family, my niece, who is just four months old!

Mrs. Organized, the organize.com blog, shares a thorough set of tips for Thanksgiving prep two days before through day of, as well as a post on setting a Thanksgiving table with flair.

Krista Colvin of Organize in Style shares some great tips to keep Thanksgiving "simple and sane," including making a "why yes you can help me" bowl with a bunch of little tasks written on pieces of paper for kids or guests to draw from. Cute idea!

Mary Frances Ballard, author of Orderly Places, has the awesome tip of keeping records of your Thanksgiving planning, so you'll be able to remember things like exactly what recipe you used and if there was enough stuffing to go around. That will come in handy when you start planning next year!

Finally, Ellen, a Houston-based professional organizer, reminds us that during the holidays it is really important to take care of yourself first, by getting enough sleep, nutrition and exercise so you can enjoy the holidays rather than simply endure them.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com