I'll Tell You Mine If You Tell Me Yours

So here we are at the cusp of a new week and I've got a major case of the Mondays.  This past weekend was one of those none stop fun filled, jam packed kinda weekends.   Don't get me wrong, it was a blast but now I'm left feeling like I need another weekend so I can recoup! 

As I sit here looking around I wish there was a way to bibbidi bobbidi boo and everything that needs to be done would get done.  But that's not reality.  But it got me thinking.  Is there an easier way?

So I was thinking maybe us Mama's could help each other out.  If I tell you my short cut secrets that save me time, will you tell me  yours? 

Deal!

Laundry:

  

My nemesis is laundry.  Try as I may, I can never seem to get ahead in the laundry department.  Awhile ago I came across this poem by an anonymous writer.  I swear whoever wrote it stole the words right out of my mouth.

My Laundry...

I am so sorry.

Yet another stain.

I know I feel your pain.

My son filled his diaper and peed right thru.

I am sorry he let it get to you.

You are now soaked and stink and no one wants you  near.

I am so sorry... can you see my tear?

Now I must wash you and make you fade some more.

Oh you were so beautiful when I bought you at the store.

Now you have experienced poo and pee.

For the KoolAide stain I am truly sorry.

Now hold your breath as I spray you with this stuff.

It will remove the stain... it won't be too rough.

To my laundry I am so sorry.

What the heck am I saying?!  You are laundry, my biggest headache!

Na na na na na you got another stain!

Now sit in that basket you big ole pain.

Ok here's my first one.  See that hook there on the left?  My Handsome Hubby put it in for me.  My girls have a ridiculous amount of clothes.  So many that the hangers were forever getting lost.  Then the hook came into our lives and made it so much easier.  As soon as I take something off of a hanger it goes right on the hook.  There's no more searching for hangers.  It makes life so pleasant. 

I love it so much that I had Brian put one in our closet too!

Another great thing my Hubby (and my Father In Love) did is put a second bar in my girls closet.  They share a room and there is NO WAY we could fit both girls in one closet without it.  I put Ava's clothes on the top and Brooke's on the bottom so she can reach them.

Oh and see those pink bins on the top?  Those are full of clothes that Brooke has outgrown.  We're saving them for Ava.  It's nice to have it handy there since we all know kids grow like weeds.

Days of the Week Closet Organizer

Another thing I do to make our lives simpler in the morning is every night I get the kids clothes ready for the next day.  This has revolutionized out mornings.  Before it always seemed like we were rushed and it would take me 10 years to decide what I wanted them to wear.  But now when they are done eating they know to just go in and grab their clothes and get dressed.  

It helps eliminate the fights too.  Usually they just know that those outfits are already out so there's no negotiating. 

I really wish I had those hanging bins though.  They're on my to do list.  I would love to be able to do it for the whole week at one time! 

Ok so what I need help with is: Getting the laundry folded and put away.  What's your secret girls?

I am usually running all day long.  When I am home I usually just have time to grab a bite to eat and switch the laundry.  Then I am left with 5 baskets FULL of clean laundry.  That usually leaves me having to force myself to stay home and fold and iron for day.  By the time I get it all put away, it's time to do it all over again!

Help please!

 Oh and here's one little secret.  I was just talking with some friends about this the other day.  Sometimes when Ava outgrows a dress I will save it for Brooke to wear as a shirt.  The picture above shows an example of that.  It's a size 18 month dress but it fits my 4 year old perfectly as a shirt.  It's super cute to pair it with a pair of skinny jeans or some sassy leggings.

Dinner:

Or any other meal of the day for that matter.  What tips or tricks do you have in this area?

These are the ones I use:

1. Never underestimate the power of a pizza cutter.  

We use that baby for everything.  When you have three kids that need their food cut up at every meal you know how important it is to get that food to them ASAP.  That's where the pizza cutter comes in.  We use it to cut tons of things like waffles, hamburgers, lasagna, sandwiches, our toe nails... ok not that last one but you get the point.  You can use it on just about anything.

2. Cooking up ground beef or turkey ahead of time.  

I'm a bulk shopper.  I buy huge packs of ground beef and turkey at Costco and when we get home I fry it all up and put in baggies or Tupperware.  Each bag or Tupperware I put enough for a full meal.  After the meat has cooled I put it in the freezer.  That way when I decide I am going to make a meal with ground beef or turkey, all I have to do is put it in the fridge the night before to defrost, or zap it in the microwave.  It saves me a lot of time and money since I buy it all in bulk.

3. Getting kids to eat their dinner.

My trick for this actually comes from my friend Cindy.  For awhile Ava went through a phase where she did not want to eat any of her dinner.  Cindy has 4 kids so I figured she was a good resource to go to on this subject.  She said when her kids did this she would wrap it up and save it for them to eat for breakfast in the morning. 

Genius!

After about two days of having her dinner for breakfast, Ava decided it was better to just eat her dinner the first time.  Worked like a charm.  Thanks Cindy!

Ok that's about all I can think of right now.  What about you?  What are  your tips for dealing with these things and other things such as dishes and keeping your car clean?

Oh and if you have any tips for keeping getting the kids to stay in bed once you've put them down for the night.  My girls are horrible at this.  I swear 501 times a night they are forever getting up saying they need to go potty- even though they just went, showing me their hang nails, needing to blow their noses and what ever other excuse they can drum up.

What's a Mama to do?!