Winterizing my Garden

I woke up this morning and there was frost on the ground. As I looked out my window I realized that my garden is starting to look a little pathetic. Everything is dying and wilting and I know I need to get it ready for winter...but I don't know exactly what to do since this is my first year. So I did what all seasoned gardeners do...I Googled, "preparing a garden for winter."
First, I need to tear out all the dead stuff so it doesn't harbor bug eggs all winter...I can handle this!
Second, I need to spread a thick layer of mulch to keep the soil temp even all winter, so when it freezes it stays frozen. I can either use the mulch I used in my flower beds in the spring or I can use leaves. I'm thinking I'm going to try the leaves since I can probably get the kids to help with that. The only problem is that our big oak in the backyard was uprooted a few years ago by hurricane Ike so all the leaves are now in the front yard. Looks like it's time to put that Jeep Powerwheel to work! And it looks like that's pretty much it! I can do this! I'm not sure why I thought this garden was going to be so much more work than it was. This all seems to be manageable stuff. Now I just need to start thinking about what to plant next year!