Homemaking Experts – Holiday Panel – Introductions

Ahh, the holidays.

There’s so much to do. So many people to visit. Countless traditions to keep up with. A whole stack of favorite recipes to bake.

And suddenly, what was supposed to be a family-focused time to be grateful for the important things in our lives has turned into a stressful, complicated circus.

It doesn’t have to be so crazy though.

Instead of only sharing what I’ve learned about the holidays through the years, I’ve invited another 10 homemaking experts to help uncover exactly how to make the holidays the beautiful time of year they should be.

Meet the Homemaking Experts

…and keep an eye out for a whole bunch of insight-filled posts coming up in the next few weeks. I’ll link to each post on this page as they go live, too.

Q&A 1: How to Prepare for the Holidays (Without Losing Your Mind)

Q&A 2: Prepare for the Holidays by doing this ONE thing Well Ahead of Time

Q&A 3: Holiday Preparation – Are You Making This Mistake? 

Q&A 4: How to Stay Focused on Family During the Holidays

Q&A 5: How to Manage the Holiday Gift Influx

Q&A 6: Homemaking Experts: Top Gifts to Give (& Their Wish Lists)

Emily Chapelle –

Hey there! You might already know me, since you’re reading this on my blog, but if this is your first visit, welcome! I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and we’re about to make our seventh move and set up home number eight, so I’m no stranger to setting up and organizing a household – quickly. I’m also the lucky mother of the two coolest kids who ever slapped on squeaker shoes and ran through Target. Here on So Damn Domestic, I help busy and motivated women transform their homes from chaos to calm, 15 minutes at a time. Why? So we can focus on the things that truly matter.

Laura Wittmann –

Hello!  I’m Laura, a Professional Organizing Blogger, living in Alberta, Canada with my husband and three great kids.  I’m an addict of all things organizing, especially containers!  I love the high that comes with living a life of order and simplicity and am always looking for my next “fix”. I blog regularly at I’m an Organizing Junkie, and am the author of, Clutter Rehab: 101 Organizing Tips & Tricks to Become an Organization Junkie and Love It!. I also have an organizing app available to help people stay on track.

Joshua Becker –

My name is Joshua Becker. I am the Founder and Editor of Becoming Minimalist  a website dedicated to helping others find more life by owning less. My journey toward minimalism began six years on a Saturday morning while cleaning my garage as my 5-year old son played alone in the backyard. I was overwhelmed with the realization that everything I owned was not adding to my happiness. In fact, even worse, it was distracting me from the very things that did.

Courtney Carver –

I write about simplicity in life and work. I left a 20 year career in sales and marketing and created Be More With Less and minimalist fashion challenge Project 333, featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. I teach my clients to focus on what matters most by eliminating what doesn’t matter at all. Best of all, I have overcome health challenges by living simply and choosing to make making life count with my husband, daughter, and our 3-legged dog, Guinness, in 750 sq ft in downtown Salt Lake City.

Becky Rapinchuk –

I’m Becky, a cleaning and homekeeping expert and author, a wife and mom to three little ones, a business owner (Clean Mama Printables), and a former art teacher.  I write to help readers discover new ways to do the mundane tasks of homekeeping and to bring a little more fun into the process.  I created the website Clean Mama in 2009 to chronicle my cleaning endeavors and it’s been an adventure ever since.  How do I keep it ‘all’ together? I don’t. But I’ve found that a couple great lists and lots of coffee really help!

Jen Jones –

Hello!  Jen here, author and DIY’er over at IHeart Organizing.  I married my high school sweetheart 13 years ago and together we have three busy little guys.  I have always loved to organize, but after leaving the corporate world to be home with my kids, I really found a love for streamlining our systems and putting a pretty spin behind every cabinet door.  Thus, the blog IHeart Organizing was born and it has been my happy place to share our projects big and small for the past five years!

Andrew Mellen –

I am an organizational expert, speaker, trainer, and the #1 best-selling author of Unstuff Your Life!  The media calls me “The Most Organized Man in America.” I write about simplifying your life everywhere from Real Simple to O, The Oprah Magazine and my clients include American Express, Time, Inc. and the US Depts. of Education and Homeland Security. I am the founder of Unstuff U®–offering live and virtual classes, webinars and other resources to get and stay organized–for good. I can be found at  AndrewMellen.com.

Rachel Maser –

I am a recovering refined sugar & Crisco baking addict. My most valued role is Mother to 4 young children. In pursuit of fitness & health for my family, I stumbled upon a talent for creatively sharing & creating REAL FOOD ideas & recipes. My ideas & inspirations are followed by more than a hundred thousand people all over the globe (@cleanfoodcrush on instagram & on Facebook) I’m enjoying meeting new people & sharing ideas over on my new clean eating website, Clean Food Crush, and hosting a highly anticipated Clean Eating cooking show, Cleaneating.tv.

Danielle Smith –

I’m a digital correspondent, a lifestyle entrepreneur, a spokesperson, media personality and author. I founded parenting and lifestyle website, Extraordinary Mommy nearly eight years ago and have been thrilled to watch it grow. I added a media site, DanielleSmithMedia, just a few years ago and have been lucky enough to co-author two books:  Mom, Incorporated: A Guide to Business + Baby and most recently Social Media Engagement for Dummies. I’m a California girl, living in St. Louis with my family – my small people – Delaney and Cooper are my motivation for everything.

Beau Coffron –

Hi! Some people know me as “The Lunchbox Dad.” I started lunchboxdad.com in 2012 to help parents make lunch time fun and also show them products that will make their busy lives easier. Each week on Lunchbox Dad I share creative recipes, parenting product reviews, and funny and engaging thoughts on parenting. I have appeared on NBC’s The Steve Harvey Show and has been featured on ABCNews.com, CNN.com, The Huffington Post, Yahoo.com, E! Online, Fox News, and in People Magazine. I also blog about being a dad for The Huffington Post and LifeofDad.com.

Jen Hadfield –

I’m Jen. I blog at Tatertots & Jello, where I love to share creative tutorials and inspiration every day. I’m a busy mom of 4, and you can usually find me knee-deep in my latest project. I love to do anything creative. I like trying new things. I love making something beautiful out of nothing. I love remaking things into something better. I love looking at something and seeing the possibilities. I love my family – thanks to them I am able to work on Tatertots & Jello! I love meeting new friends. I love encouraging other people to develop their creative side. Anyone can be creative!

What’s coming up?

Over the next three weeks, this incredible group of homemaking, organizing, and decor experts will share their advice about and experiences with how to have a truly enjoyable holiday season (without losing your mind). Be sure you don’t miss anything by signing up for updates.