There’s no question about it—whether you work in an office or stay home with your kids, being a mom is a tough job. Here are a few hints and tips to ease the burden.
Establish a Morning Routine
- Put out the next day’s clothes (for yourself and children too young to dress themselves)
- Get a coffee maker with a timer—set it to have hot water or coffee ready when you get out of bed. A warm drink in the morning makes waking up easier.
Speed Up Time in the Kitchen
- Make a weekly or monthly meal plan before you go to the grocery store and buy only ingredients that you need. This saves time planning and shopping.
- Use refrigerated, frozen, or packaged foods to speed up meal preparation. Fresh foods come in “convenience” versions too—prewashed bagged salad mixes, baby carrots, baby spinach and pre-sliced mushrooms are a few examples. Just pop ‘em in the salad bowl or sauté pan.
- Get other family members involved in food preparation and cooking. Pick one night a week when your spouse or oldest child gets to be the chef.
- Freeze chicken, pork or beef in marinade, so it will marinate as it defrosts.
- Make double portions of favorite dishes and freeze the remainder in individual or meal-sized portions.
Organize Your Home
- Put photos into photo albums right away.
- Make a special place for mail and always put it there, so you won’t have to waste time hunting for important letters or bills.
- Buy a filing cabinet and file everything so it will be there when you need it. Make folders for each member of the family; bills; receipts; tax information; medical and dental records; school information; legal records; financial records; travel information; address lists; special correspondence/cards; recipes.
- Group kids’ toys in baskets or large plastic containers. Pick up your children’s bedrooms or playroom every night by tossing the toys into containers.