Saving Time

My advise is to take a minute and relax. What exactly do you think is going to happen if you have to sit and fold laundry.
I believe we spend too much time trying to save time and we forget to enjoy the moments we have.
sorry I don't have any advise on how to save time, but over the years of raising kids, work and everything else in life, I have found that the moments I enjoy the most are the ones when I sit and fold laundry, doing the dishes, sitting and paying bills, why you ask... because those have always been the times when my kids came and sat with me, I taught them about money, I taught them about laundry and I taught them about life... try it, you won't lose anything, you might find that you actually get things done more effectively and you might find you children learning some really good habits

store things where you need them so you don't waste time walking around to gather things. i keep a drawer of diapers and wipes in the nursery, my bedroom, and downstairs in the tv room, along with all the children's pj's- they all get ready in the same room so i don't have to chase them around upstairs. i have a laundry basket downstairs that they then toss their clothes into and i carry it upstairs once a week to sort and wash.

i keep cleaning products in every bathroom so that if i ever have a spare 3 minutes (potty training, kids in bath), i can stand there and wipe down the mirror/counter etc.

i keep kids cups in a low kitchen drawer so they can help themselves to water, help set the table, or empty the dishwasher. afternoon snacks are kept in the "snack box" in the pantry and they can help themselves to an item when you say ok (granola bars, 100 calorie packs etc)

teach kids to buckle younger siblings into car seats for you, how to throw dirty clothes in hamper and put away piles of clean clothes (make sure their seasonal clothes are in the bottom drawers where they can reach), clear off their dishes from the dinner table, put away silverwear from the DW, etc. the more they can do for themselves the less work on you. and if you are standing there working right next to them, then that is QUALITY TIME :)

good luck!

I recommend the flylady, she has great time saving ideas. Go to flylady.com and navigate around the website. I concentrated my cleaning days and often still follow her advice. Good luck!!

I don't have much experience with this and only have a 15 month old so I'd love tips, too. The only things I know to do so I can save time, are things like washing or even just rinsing off all the dishes we use directly after I've used them so that I don't spend time hand washing a ton of stuck on food later on. I have a dishwasher for the first time and it's been a lifesaver for my kitchen! I also have my son sort-of help me out. We make a game of putting away his toys, even doing the laundry. He hands me the clothes and I fold them and put them away. He loves it. Do your kids help you with anything? Making things a game seems to really work with my son already so I'm hoping I can keep doing that as he gets older and we add more kids! Good luck!

I'd go to Flylady.net. There's some great organizational tips/routines to help better manage time/tasks. It seems to be designed more for SAHM's than working moms - and I'm a working mom, but there are a lot of tips on there for working moms too!

Good luck!

I learned to save the heavy cleaning, etc., until when the husband was off and we did it together. I had a dishwasher so it was a quick rinse and into the washer, don't have one anymore so it is a rinse and stack in the sink until after dinner. It is actually easier to put away the toys we aren't using immediately before getting out something else.
All clothes can be washed in cold water which makes sorting not necessary. No knick-knacks since they require dusting unless you have a glass case to display them and even then they need dusted once a month. I did away with blinds and went back to curtins because it is easier to wash the curtins once every several months than it is to clean blinds several times a week.

I see it's already been recommended to you, but I'll say it too anyways..check out flylady
www.flylady.com her program is free and it works if you're willing to give it a try!
S.

I throw the socks in a laundry bag, they don't get lost and are quick to grab from the dryer and take to the room the kids are in. When cooking, make more then needed and store and freeze for a quick meal another day. When loading the dish washer, sort the utensils into the different compartments so you can put them away faster. I pick up the kids' bathroom while my daughter takes a bath and my shower when I am taking a shower. After it gets hung on the fridge I save the art work/school work in a bin labeled with the school year and name, anything else not worth saving gets thrown away. One paper replaces another so their is only one pic per child on the fridge.

Good luck, it seams like an up hill climb!