Ok, so it’s been a long time since my last post. A recent
family illness, among other things, took precedence over blogging. For that, I
apologize to my probably non-existent fan base (who I truly appreciate).
Moving on, life
gets busy. This is a fact whether you are single with work and a social
life or a SAH mom with kids and schedules. This post may be titled Tricks of Busy Moms, but don’t let that
fool you. Everyone can benefit from some EASY organization that makes
getting out the door in the morning more efficient-therefore EASY.
In this post, I am going to share some of my most valued,
and some new, tricks that help me survive this thing called parenting.
Item One: Bath Time:
Ok, so kids love love love bath toys. But bath toys and
products are annoying. First, the toys usually end up lying in soapy bubble
scum at the bottom of the tub. Second, they get gross and need cleaned. Third,
where to put all those cleaning necessities? Please look to your left for how to
organize cleaning products (read: shampoo, conditioner, soap, scrubby poofs,
and washcloths). As for those bath time toys: buy or use a strainer (or any
basket with holes on the bottom).
This helps the toys dry out completely between bath times and makes cleaning
them even easier. 
To clean with ease and quickly, simply pick up the basket or
strainer (toys included-obviously our toy basket is a tad full right now), and dip into a sink of bleach or lavender water. If
bleaching, do a quick rinse by dunking in a sink of plain water. Place back
into tub. DONE! I use the same kind of storage for toothbrushes, except not
dunking in bleach but in warm lavender water and follow with a rinse.
Item Two: Mornings
Ok, getting a kid ready for school in the morning is a pain
in the tush. Seriously, starting to curse my M-F mornings. To make this easier
(and for those of you without kids, aka people with social lives) I made a
place for ALL the necessary leaving house items (purses, backpacks, motorcycle
vest, gym bag, etc.). To do: use or buy cheap three shelf and invest in some command
strips (some heavy duty to withstand backpack weights). Take out the shelves,
command strip away, and place baskets on top for important things. For my
family this means hair ties and bows which eliminates hunting them down when I
am trying to get my poor daughter’s hair from ‘homeless’ to ‘pinterest-approved’.
Coming into the home, shoes go into shoe bins directly next
to door (separate kids/parents shoes), keys go on key hook by door (no more
searching for these), and bags go back to the shelf.
School books are organized as well: Non-fiction on top of
the going-out shelf, and fiction go on another shelf. The rest of the fiction books go into a bin in the kids room.
Now notice the table. All the tools needed for homework and
storing important school info is set in one corner of the table. And that is where
it stays. Speaking of school, I keep a jar with scissors in the kitchen for
saving those boxtops!!! Please also
note the table cloth.
Did I say table cloth? I meant fabric shower curtain. That’s
right. SO SO SO easy to clean. Trust me. Another use for fabric shower
curtains? How about in a pre-packed beach bag? Sand does not stick to them,
they can get wet, and are easy to clean! Not to mention you can buy them in so
many cute patterns & colors, talk about personalization!!!
Item Four: Beach Days (or Pool days) 
And speaking of beach bags (or pool bags) this is how I keep
mine ready: One container of vinegar (in
case of beach stings which, yes, is in a margarita mix bottle...), sunscreen, fabric shower curtain, baby powder (for
removing sand, IT REALLY WORKS!!), plastic
bag for wet towels/clothes, and water proof bag of beach toys. Notice these all
go into another water proof tote.
Those are all the tricks I am sharing for now, but many moms
have great systems that deserve to be shared and noted. Feel free to share your
own in the comments!! I hope to add more
tips and tricks to help make routines and getting in &out less painful and
much faster!
Again, if you enjoyed or know someone who needs this, please pin, share, and talk about it! :)
Yours truly,
Isabelle
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