If you have some mom hacks that make your life a little easier, please share! Here are some of mine!
Socks:
I buy the same colored socks. My three year old has white socks, all the same brand. My two year old has gray socks, all the same brand. I do not match socks anymore. I have a basket that I put the socks in. I know what socks belong to who, zero matching and just stick it in a basket in their dresser drawers! We never have an issue with socks.
Laundry:
One load a day. This is if I have time. If I know I have a busy day, I do not do a load. By doing one load a day, or one load a day that I know I can do the washing, drying and folding in one day, laundry does not become too overwhelming. However, the putting away always seems to get neglected, but I eventually get to it. I don't have a designated laundry day like I used to. I despised laundry day especially after becoming a mom. Keeping the mindset of only doing one a day has helped the stress of laundry.
Meal Planning:
As most of you already know, I like to meal plan dinner a month in advance. By doing that, it makes shopping and prepping dinner each week so easy. What I started doing recently is meal planning my lunch. That has been a game changer! I make sure every day I have a decent protein/nutrient packed lunch. I plan one week at a time, and plan over the weekend so when I grocery shop on Sundays, I order the food I need for a good lunch each day during the week. I never have to guess what I'm making. I feel so much better during the day when I have a good lunch. So this has become a priority for me and it has saved me time!
Instacart or Walmart Groceries:
This is my favorite time saving hack! Before kids, I grocery shopped. Right before the pandemic, I started doing grocery pick up. I would order the night before and pick up the next day after work. Now, I get the groceries delivered to my door. I order the day before or early morning and get it delivered the next morning. I used to do Walmart+ where k used to live, but where I live now, there isn't a Walmart nearby. So I do Instacart and the grocery shoppers communicate with me during the time shopping my order, let me know if something is out of stock and share the options to replace or refund an item. It is wonderful. I can't remember the last time I went grocery shopping. I know some people enjoy grocery shopping. I do not, never have, never will. Doing it this way, I can still do what I need to do in a day and the groceries come to me. It is wonderful and so convenient.
Hairties:
I put two hair ties in the doorknob of my girls bathroom door. That way when it is bath time and I'm not washing their hair, the hair tie is always conveniently there to grab quickly. I also put it back right after bath so it's there the next time I need it!
Timer:
I often use a timer. Whether it's to let girls know that bath time is over, or to practice taking turns when the girls start to argue over a toy, a timer is often used. It has helped manage fights and it has helped with transition time! I have a specific timer for the bathroom where the girls take their bath. I use our google homes or my phone in other rooms. Timers is a game changer for smooth transitions!
Closet Toys:
We rotate toys when we can but I also created a closet on our main level that keeps all the toys in baskets, laid out organized on the shelves. We organize it that the girls can choose one toy from the closet, we call it "closet toys". They then pick their toy. If they want a new toy, they have to put the toy they currently have away first. It has been a wonderful thing that the toys do not go all over the place in the main room, the girls are learning to put things away when they're done with it. I also put a little sign on the door, that when they open it I can hear it and know they are going in that closet to get a toy. I do have to monitor it, but with each day I take a step back more and more. It has really helped with managing the toy mess.
Cereal Cup:
The toddler years are a "I do it myself" phase. Pouring cereal from our container and pouring the gallon milk is always a mess because my toddlers want to do it themselves. So a cup is used as the middle man. We pour the amount of cereal we want our child to have in the cup. Then give the cup to our child. They then dump that cereal in their bowl or toddler plate. We do the same thing with the milk in the same cup after they dumped their cereal. They then pour the milk over their cereal. This not only avoids mess, but we can still control the portion, and our girls feel like they are still "doing it themselves". It has been a wonderful change we made and the girls absolutely love doing it!
If you try any of these hacks, let me know! Or if you have some good ones, I'd love to know!
Thank you for Reading!
Susana
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