Time Savers

With two very demanding little girls I have made it a priority to double task and find quicker ways of doing things. I thought I'd share some of my findings, and please if you have tricks, do share!

1. crock pot - i cannot brag on my crock pot enough. dinner started in the morning when I'm already in the kitchen waiting on Charli to eat breakfast and everyone hasn't turned into their evil alter egos. (including me!)

2. set the timer and race yourself. I often set the timer in my kitchen for 5-10 minutes and do as much as possible. I figured this out from microwaving a lean cuisine. I had 6 minutes waiting and I started laundry, loaded the breakfast/lunch dished in the dishwasher, lysol-ed the counters/table and took out the trash. What momentarily overwhelmed me was quickly solved.

3. plan on making phone calls in the car while driving. I always make my calls when I'm driving. My kids are pretty good in the car, especially if they have their songs on so I take advantage. BUT DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE!

4. give a bath to the bigger kids and clean the bathroom at the same time. Charli loves to play in the tub, so while she's occupied I can clean the sink, toilet, and floors while she plays.

5. I usually fold laundry while watching TV at night. I like being productive and still enjoy my shows.

6. Putting the laundry away while kids pick up their room. When it's clean-up time (before we leave the house, before naps or before dinner/bedtime) I supervise and encourage Charli and also put away the her clean laundry- since I fold it while she's asleep I often have a basket to put away the next day.

7. Set out clothes the night before for everyone, prepare snacks for the next day, and get diaper bags, purses, etc. in the car. This amazingly can save a lot of time on a hectic morning. I have a feeling the bigger the family is the more it would be essential.

8. Meal Plan, Grocery Plan, Sort coupons and list according to sections of the store in the order you walk through. Because I try to be super thrifty I actually shop at 3 stores for all of our groceries. (Aldi, Kroger, and Target) This is not a time saver- bc i have 3 stores I hit at least 1 time each every 2 weeks BUT when I'm already prepared when I go there we can get in and out quick.

9. Shop without kids when necessary, if possible. I can go twice as fast alone, so I usually make at least one trip a week to the store after the kids go to bed. The other time saver is go to the store with the kids when they are happy, not hungry or tired, and have something to occupy them. For Charli a snack and a pencil and piece of paper will thrill her for a whole trip- and distract from the cookie/candy/toy aisles.

10. While pumping gas clean out the car. I used to keep an incredibly clean car. Now I have a 2 year old. This is a quick way to find lost food, wrappers, and other general trash and messes and keep the craziness in check.