Ten time-saving tips for the busy mom

Considering my last post was back in, oh, November, I tend to think I can sometimes fall into the "crazy, busy" category. And yes, the thought of coffee can be quite the motivator. (Yes, my goal of giving up caffeine has been postponed, probably for a very, very long time. Let's say when the girls are maybe 18.) Besides having twin toddlers, I'm no expert in anything, but I've certainly had to manage my time a lot more since the little people showed up. I've claimed on several occasions having twins was payback for anytime I ever muttered "I'm bored."

#1. Lists can be your friend. I'm not talking about grocery or shopping lists (well, yes those can work too) but a general "to do" list. I have one for work and for home. Besides the fact writing things down tends to help get them off my mind, and less chance keeping me awake at night, there's a satisfacation in crossing things off. My memory is nowhere near what is used to be (ahem, girls) so putting things down on paper is a must if they are ever to be accomplished.

#2. Use your idle time. Now, this may not work for everyone, but if you have blocks of time that are seemingly useless, they don't have to be. For me, it's in the car as I don't drive to work. Hah, so there are benefits to working with your spouse. I can pay bills, check e-mails, and plus a lot more on our nice forty minute commute. (This comes from someone who was very unhappy to find out flip-phones have gone the way of the dinosaur, but I do love my little Android now) Okay, so some of my commute may be devoted to facebook and Angry Birds. We're working on that. Speaking of apps, for the coffee lover, here's another.

#3. Shop off hours. This is a huge one for us. Besides dealing with having to navigate crowded grocery stores and the like, if we have the girls with us, it can take forever with people stopping to talk to the girls, ask us questions, and so forth.

#4. The freezer / fridge combo. So not everything works for everyone. We're just not crockpot people I guess. Well, okay, hubby isn't, as to be fair, I can't really comment as I am not the cook. What he likes to do is buy meats in bulk when they're on sale, split them up into smaller portions and then into the freezer bags they go. Before we leave in the mornings, one goes into the fridge to thaw, and by dinner time he's come up with what he wants to do. Case and point, it was chicken this morning.

#5 Give and take. This might seem like a bizarre example, but as we are big into grilling when the weather's nice, I'm sticking with it. Both hubby and I prefer the good old charcoal style. However, throw in two hungry, fussy toddlers and two hungry, tired of the fussing parents, sometimes there's just not time to wait for the fire. Problem solved: having no other thoughts last year for his birthday, hubby went for a gas grill. I could say I can taste a difference, and I can, but the time savings makes up for that. I am currently obsessed with grilled stuffed peppers. Did I say how nice it is to have a husband who cooks?

#6. Have a backup. We have twins, and either by coincidence or having so much going on, neither of us has a working memory that you'd want to rely on. We have easily left without a diaper bag on enough occasions that I'd run out of fingers trying to count them all. Solution was to keep a mini-bag with at least a few diapers and wipes (and a spare Allie pacifier) that stays in the car.

#7. Utilize the no kid time. Yeah, I love them, but the girls can kind of slow you down in getting things done. While there comes a point I like to just chill for a moment, once they're asleep is prime time for cleaning up the kitchen, getting some laundry done, cutting the grass, you name it. I also find it to be less frustrating in general. We get home fairly close to their bedtime, so it's nice to try and really interact with the girls versus trying to fold laundry and keep them entertained.

#8. You're the parent. This probably means you're also the bad guy on a lot of fronts, but somebody has to do it, right? The girls are the happiest with us if we stick to a schedule. If this means leaving functions early, showing up only after they've had a nap, or just saying no, then so be it. Less stress is always better if you're already feeling like you're running on empty. I'd probably say this also includes turning down donations if you really don't need them. Less clutter is also a huge plus.

#9. Take a break. While I have a perfectionist train of thought (and fail completely) I can honestly say sometimes just wave the white flag. This especially pertains to social media, and why I took a nice little stint from blogging. If you're really feeling overwhelmed, it might not hurt to take a temporary break from certain activities. DVRs are great for this purpose as well versus trying to make sure you're around to catch every new "True Blood" episode. (Then again, the new season does start this Sunday so that might be one I'll make the time to watch and my segue to #10)

#10. Schedule in free time. Otherwise, you might as well commit yourself. Well, okay I'm being a bit overdramatic, but running full tilt from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep is asking for problems, insomnia especially. "Winding down" time is a must. While I have a few tv shows I like, I have found listening to music or reading a book takes my mind off the clock for awhile the best. This goes hand in hand with number 7. I allot a certain amount of time once the girls are asleep to knock out a few tasks, but when we get to about an hour from my hopeful bedtime, I say the day is done.

So hopefully a few, if not more, of those will help some overly stressed parent. I've found feeling too busy greatly interferes with my sleep and that's not good so I'm trying to really get things in a nice routine, as "boring" as that sounds, because things just run smoother that way. Morning coffees fit in there somewhere, I'm pretty sure, and for that, I have toddlers who equate anything coffee related to "mommy." Sadly, they also have picked up on the fact Starbucks sells cookies.

Disclosure: 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 particiapate, click here.