Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Dallas-Fort Worth Area, TX

The new year is all about starting fresh. For some reason, the holidays and winter months cast a spell on us and we feel comforted by the clutter that has gathered all around us. With most schools kicking back into gear this week, this is the time to take inventory, clean house, and plan ahead - giving yourself a fresh breath of air to get the year off to a great healthy start.

1. Organize. Label. Store. If you must keep it, organize it. Get plastic bins [now on sale at retailers] and label them. Organize your holiday decor before you store them. Lights, ornaments, ribbons, Christmas cards... they all should have a clear and specific home of their own. This will avoid the urge to buy anymore than you need in the after sales. And make life so much easier on you when the holidays roll around again.

2. Declutter - Clean out your children's closets and donate their outgrown clothes and shoes. If you know someone who would want them, give them a call. Or drop them off at a consignment shop to collect some cash to be used for new clothes. If there's a great sale, consider buying a size bigger - they will be wearing them before you know it. And of course... don't forget to do this to yours too... if you are holding onto a shelf full of mismatched socks [like me] because you think you'll find that missing pair of sock one of these days... go ahead and let it go. You'll free a shelf space and no longer have to wonder what ever happened...

3. Take inventory of linens, towels, blankets. Organize these cabinents and donate those you haven't used often or are worn out. Be creative - cut up towels to be used as rags, or transform blankets into tents for the kids.

4. Sort your hobbies. Throughout the year, we amass several items of the same thing. From cd's to books, several are bound to have never been touched. Sort through these and eliminate those you don't use. Drop them off at Half-Price books and earn some cash back. We did this with books I found in the attic and got back $25 - of which we spent buying new [used] books for the kids' library.

5. Re-evaluate. Now is the time to put the pencil to the math. Shop around for better rates. Are you really paying for what you are using? From insurance to cable bills... cell phone plans to interest rates... there's a competitor out there waiting for the opportunity to bid lower. My Mom recently did this with her home and car insurance agent and discovered she was over paying by $48 a month. Do this with every outgoing expense and you may find yourself saving a lot more than you thought.

6. Update. Before throwing away your xmas card envelopes, check them against your addressbook and make sure you have their most recent info. Delete unfamiliar contacts from email accounts, and unsubscribe to sites you don't frequent or need. 

7. Plan ahead. Classes for all age groups are getting started for winter/spring. Swimming lessons? Soccer? Ballet? Art? What ever the interest, there's a relevant course or event happening soon. Jot down these dates on your new 2009 calendar and plan ahead by enrolling your child before they fill up. Also, don't forget about story times at libraries, art activities at the museum or free admissions to local hot spots on particular days of each month. All of this info is available on websites. By noting it on the calendar, you are more apt to actually getting to it this time.

This is just a quick list to get help you get started. If you have any family ideas on how to get 2009 off to a fresh start - please post them here.

Happy New Year!