Ten time-savings tips

With running two businesses (three, really with my blogs) and being a mom and wife, I really need to find ways to make my life easier. I've learned with time what works and what doesn't.
I've listed ten time-saving tips to share for all you busy moms out there:

Tip one:

When it's school season, try to get things ready the night before. Make lunches if they take a cold lunch. Lay out clothes for next day, etc.

Tip two:

Get a chalk board for your kitchen. Writing out the schedule for the week is not only time-saving, it keeps you organized. The two go hand-in-hand to help you out.

Tip three:

Speaking of writing down schedules. Assign chores to your children-and husband. Us moms have a tendency to do it all ourselves. Ask for help if you need it. Reward everyone with a trip to the zoo with the free Saturday you end up having.

Tip four:

Shop once a month instead of weekly. Stock up on supplies and buy in bulk. This will help free up lots of time. Who really likes grocery shopping anyway? This way, you eliminate three trips!

Tip five:

Shop early for holidays. Start getting xmas gifts throughout the year. Then, around Xmas time, you will be able to sit back while others are running around.

Tip six:

Carpool with other moms. If your kids are in a lot of sports, ask other moms to share with driving.

Tip seven:

Make dinners ahead of time. Start on a Monday and make your dinners for the week and freeze them. This is an awesome time-saving tip!! You can finds lots of freezable dinner recipes online on food blogs and sites.

Tip eight:

Pick one day to do laundry. Believe it or not, some moms do laundry three or four times a week. Don't do it! Tell everyone to have their baskets in their rooms and that you will only be doing laundry on Sunday, or Monday, etc. -and stick to it!

Tip nine:

Check emails in the early morning (or, late night) when things are calm. You will find that you can answer them more quickly if you aren't being bothered by "mom stuff".


Tip ten:

Have one big party instead of many. This tip works if you have several birthdays, holidays, ect. in one month. Invite the whole family over at one time and make it a big birthday bash. This is for those big families as well. We all know how busy they must be!


"I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

10 Tips for Keep your family safe on the road

Do you ever think about safety when on the road? Families have a tendency to think more about their destination then the trip to there.

Keeping your family safe during a road trip can mean the difference between a pleasant trip and a disasterous one.

Have you ever thought about your windshield when planning a trip? Windshields can cause major accidents and families could have avoided it by simply checking their windows for small cracks.

Here are some facts about car windshield safety:

A chip could turn into a crack at any time, often when you are least expecting it. Windshield repair is often a safe and economical alternative to a full windshield replacement.


Scheduling a windshield chip repair is easy! Companies like Safelite AutoGlass provide mobile service – wherever your car is – often within 24 hours of your initial call.


Safelite AutoGlass brings you peace of mind by emailing you a Technician Profile before your appointment, showing you a photograph and credentials of the technician coming to your home or place of business.

So what can you do to stay safe during a road trip (or any time)?

Rest
- Make sure you are well rested before taking a trip if you are the one driving.
Stay clear
-Keep your mind clear and focused on your driving to avoid going off the road.
Make stops
-Allow enough time for plenty of stops to refresh yourself.
Bring plenty of things to do
-Bring toys and things for youngsters to do to avoid fights and distractions.
Two drivers
-If you can, have two drivers to take turns to avoid falling asleep at the wheel.
Check car
-Before you go on your trip, have your car checked for low tires, chips in windshield, etc.
Bring plenty of water
-Staying well hydrated will keep you more alert.
Bring emergency supplies
-Always have emergency road service supplies in trunk in case of emergency.
Bring a cell phone
-Have a phone in case of emergency and have your insurance number and emergency contact handy.

Do a last minute check

Check your car over right before you leave to make sure tires are safe and there are no chips in your windows.

What ideas do you have to make a road trip safe?
Leave a comment and let me know!
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Safelite blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Little switches can make a difference in your life!

Sometimes, life can get a bit boring. Even if you have the perfect marriage, you are the perfect mom, and your job is your dream job. Yes, sometimes you have to "switch it up" to keep things exciting! That's why I try to change things up a bit from time to time. Here are a few things I do in our family life.
Bringing back date night. My husband and I try to go out on date night, but not just eat out like we used to. We are trying new things together (nothing kinky, dont worry!) . We never go to the movies because we think the prices are crazy, but we just recently went to a Mystery Dinner! It was a blast!

Surprise trip. We also like to plan a trip (close to home)- I mean we DONT plan it. Sometimes, it's exciting to just get in the car and go. We have map quest on our phones so we dont get lost and we look up something nearby. We ended up turning a trip to fix a phone into a shopping day and I still think about how much fun we had. A trip doesnt have to cost a lot of money. Think of something thats cheap or even free and surprise your family!


Order in. We like to try different types of food other then the normal ordering pizza, so once in awhile, we get brave and order something we've never tried before.
Going out-alone. Yes, sometimes getting away from each other can switch things up. going out shopping alone refreshes things for me.
Taking the kids. Switching things by TAKING the kids on a date night. We can have fun with the kids coming too. Let them pick what you do for a change.
Family night. We dont have too many chances for family night, so planning a game night helps keep everyone updated on whats going on.
Taking kids out by themselves. I like to surprise the kids by taking them out by themselves and letting them pick where to go. They really love this and they can be a little more nicer and willing to help out more when I do this.
What do you do to switch things up in your life? SocialMoms and Cottonelle want to know and they are giving away a $25 gift card! Stop by and find out how you can win at: http://littleswitches.socialmoms.com/about .
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” http://littleswitches.socialmoms.com/about