Please Everyone!!

HAHA time saving / sanity saving ?!?!?! we are mommy's right? lol

I spend only 15 minutes picking up / cleaning each room everyday. If I can't get it done in 15 minutes is doesn't get done til the next day - then I don't stress about not getting it done cause I know what I have to do tomorrow.

Sanity??? The minute he falls asleep - I TAKE A HOT BATH, SHAVE MY LEGS AND THEN TAKE A NAP!!! I feel like a whole new woman by the time he wakes up.

Crock pot cooking is amazing! If nothing else I take a meat out of the freezer first thing in the am so that it's completely thawed and ready to be cooked for dinner. I steam veggies by the pounds! fill up little snack size baggies and have instant munchie foods for the week!

I thought being a mommy was going to be so much work but I am finding out that as long as I make time for myself EVERYDAY, things are so much easier!
K., Tempe, mommy to a 15 mo. old little man

My guitar lessons, putting my two year old in a daycare 5 days a week 8 am-3 pm to get my life back a little, hanging out with a friend for lunch, needlepointing. I truly thing it is absolutely important that we moms have our time and a lot of it. I feel no guilt, because if I am overwhelmed, my kids feel it, they feel like a burden, and they get the message that life is one big overwhelming burden. They deserve the fun part of me, which is lost when I don't take care of myself first. I struggled with that for awhile, guilt, guilt, guilt for doing anything for me. Now I know I am more balanced and a significantly better parent when I take care of me first.

housework if for the people that live in the house... all of them.
for my sanity i brush my horses. when i have a bad day, boy do they know it, they run from me becasue i brush and brush and groom. don't be afraid to escape for a few hours.. do what you have to do to get out. when you come back you will be a better person. laundry- a load every night as soon as i get back from work and another when i get up, that way it doesnt pile up.i used to have carpet but got rid of it so now i sweep i damp mop before going to my bath, then to bed. about the bath, everyone goes to bed, fill up the tub, light a few candles, cup of hot tea or glass of wine on nights i dont have to go to work, and a few chapters from my book, no interruptions, unless of course my husband decides to join me. That is my nightly ritual. everyone knows it and i get a lot of cool bath stuff for holidays birthdays etc. be selfish with your mom time. even when my kids were little they all had chores. i washed dishes until they were old enough (5), vacumming or sweeping and mopping before bed etc. on saturday mornings we all get up and watch 1 hr of cartoons ( yes we still do even though my boys are 28 and 16, then i make a big breakfast and we all spend the morning cleaning, dusting, and only after chores are done, are we allowed to go anywhere. so you bet it gets done fast. sundays are free. i started doing this with my kids at a very young age, it gives us time together and time to bicker and barter. my husband hates cleaning the bathroom so that room is mine. i hate dishes so he does them. no one will eat his cooking so i do the cooking. my son hates to sweep and mop so he does the dusting and thats good cause both my hubby and i hate it. one saturday a month or as needed we all do yard work. and all this includes friends who stay overnight. this was a good way to weed out some lazy friends cause as soon as i get them going with housework they have to leave. the good ones really enjoy our time together.

Hi!
Join a MOMS Club in your area. Check www.momsclub.org and click on Chapter Links. It has definitely saved my sanity. If you need support, occasional free babysitting, meal support if you had a loss, just moved to the area, just had a baby, etc (depends on the chapter, I think for rules), and definitely activities to do.

Breakfast - eat more or less the same thing with my son, 3.
Lunch/Dinner - yikes..my kid is a total pasta, bread and fruit boy and hardly will eat anything else. V8 Fusion 100% juices right now is working for his vegetable intake.

Shower - definitely shower with myself or husband.

If you do daycare, try morning only or at least 8am-2pm or 9-3pm, it is worth it for the money. We did One month afternoons from 2-6:30pm. So not worth it and they don't do much for you and your kid either especially for the first hour and the last hour due to waking up from nap or parents pick up. Definitely watch for expression and verbal cues from your kid to find out what is wrong and ask the teacher every day. Do lots of research and drop ins at places to find out about the daycare.

My son has mild autism and he started preschool last Tues 3x/week and is doing great. Attention is 3 teachers to 12 kids and it's better than the 3 teachers to 24 kids ratio and some daycare centers.

I think for Heidi - her favorite time saving trick is me :) !

Kurt

Hire a cleaning company/maid service to come in twice a week and do a thorough cleaning. Whatever the cost, I swear on the life of my child that it's worth it. GREAT sanity saver.

Crock-pot cooking!
Have the kid's bathe together!
Getting out of the house with the kids (like to a park) helps - no one's home to mess up the house anymore than it already is - and even better: put in a crock-pot meal before you leave!
Clean house only during naps & after they go to bed (no need to clean what will continually be messy).
Any amount of maid service is wonderful!
Have grandma take the kids to church while you stay home (and do for yourself!) When they're old enough - have them spend the night with grandma - then you get date time with your husband!

Im not sure I have any yet but I would love some!!! If you get any great ideas e mail me at ____@____.com! Thanks!! My son is almost 3!!!

Hi A.,

To help my sanity I've found taking my little girl for long walks is wonderful for both her and I. It is relatively cheap and I crave the fresh air and sunshine. I'm also fortunate to have her grandparents close by for a few hours of freedom -- even if they make me a little crazy, their help watching my daughter is so great! Her dad and I also enjoy cooking together to help stimulate creativity and learn new things.

As for time saving, I'm still trying to work on that myself ;) Again I'm fortunate to have my boyfriend's unending support with house work and baby duties. I do know that his mom raised her sons on her own and had a few friends that would come to the house to help with chores and sitting.

Personally I think one of the greatest things about life is knowing that it is constantly changing. I'm not concentrating on organizing it all per se, I'm more interested in doing the best I can to bring happiness into my life.

Best of luck to you!

Crock pot cooking! There are a lot of great recipe books out there for healthy meals from a crock pot. There is a little prep time for cutting up veggies or meat, but I do it at night after the kids are in bed. I put it in the fridge at night and wake up the next morning and throw it all in the crockpot. Works great and everyone loves the taste.

Paper Products! Not the best for the environment, but what a time saver!

Baskets! I have baskets in every room of my house. They hold anything shoes, toys, clean clothes, dirty clothes, etc. For example, we have a family shoe basket in the living room and all shoes go in the basket. No more going to each person's room to put shoes away. When guests come over you can stow the basket away in a closet or leave it out! Works great if you are constantly looking for the other matching shoe or if you have a husband that leaves his work shoes at the door, his running shoes by the back door and his sandals in the bathroom!

Shower together. Doesn't quite work if you are not too keen on your children seeing you in the nude, but a wonderful time saver. We actually have a separate tub and shower and my kids are old enough to be in the bathtub while I am showering. Works like a charm-I get a shower long enough to shave my legs!

Sanity? What's that? Right now my only sanity is walking 2.5 miles, three days a week. I haven't quite found my favorite hobby, but on nights when the kids go down early, I love to read!

Time savers -
I love my Crock-Pot! 5-10 minute prep in the morning and you have dinner ready on time ;)

Sanity savers
My husband does the dishes and I sneak off to a hot bath. It only last for about 5 minutes before someone comes barreling in to ask me somethink but ooohhhh those 5 minutes are quiet!
I also try to get out alone if only for an hour or two on the weekends even if its just to go groc. shopping or another errand, my husband works 7 days a week usually so that does not happen much. Another sanity saver for me is I keep my bedroom very clean. So if I am feeling like I am being taken over by kids stuff I go to my nice clean room ( no toys aloud) and just sit :) It sounds silly but it works for me :)