3 top things that make life a bit easier!

[VAM24]

Full time working mum to a toddler and just interested in little things that have made your lives a bit more convenient in getting every day jobs done that I can start doing too! (in the absence of being able to afford a full time cook/cleaner/gardener!). Could be something you've bought/ something you do etc.

For example (and this is mega basic) but getting my DDs nursery outfits for the whole week sorted on a Sunday makes my mornings much less frantic and I am considering getting a hive connected to our boiler so I can more easily control our hot water and heating around our lives.

Looking for inspiration! X

Corral the crap. Realise where things land and put something there to corral it. I like glass and baskets so have various ones for keys, tv controls, mobile phones, scarves, hats, glasses etc in different rooms.

Fill the kettle the night before.
Put dishwasher on overnight, empty while kettle boils in the morning.
Washer on overnight on timer to finish in the morning.
Laundry on a sheila's maid airer overnight.

I iron while watching tv. During the advert break I do jobs away from the ironing, so a quick hoover of a small area, feather dust one room, swish over a bathroom or toilet. I race the advert break to get it done then back to the ironing.

What made a big difference for me was putting washing basket in each persons room.

Doing their washing (in one go) when the basket was full meant zero sorting.

I do separate shirts, bedding, towels and whites washes. Only full loads. I use my bath to store until I have full load. Whites have their own basket in the bathroom.

I love this thread OP, I'm always looking for ways to make life a bit easier. I think mine are a bit generic but here goes

• I get everything in the kitchen ready for the next morning and it saves so much time and stress

• when I cook I make too much and then freeze some in portioned containers so some nights when it's all to much we still have a healthy meal for dinner

• I got a car caddy so I can change up the books my daughter has in the car. Keeps her happy and quiet. Keeps everything neat and it's easy to get all of her bits in and out the car because the caddy has handles

• I online shop every week and I meal plan every week, I plan every meal including snacks. Lunches are made the night before.

• batch cook pinwheels and porridge bars for the freezer so I always have a healthy snack available. Also get my DD 2 to help, so it's an activity for her as well.

• we have a charity shop bag and we try to take bits to the charity shop probably once every couple of months. These could be anything from outgrown toys or books or clothes or puzzles. I desperately don't want my house to get taken over by toys

• I rotate toys every few weeks (aka whenever I remember) so my DD doesn't get bored, I find when she does all her toys end up chucked all over the room.

• use a tuff tray for any sorting games/puzzles/messy play to contain mess and make the tidy up easier

Carpet sweeper. Lighter than the hoover.

Also, on the advice of my hairdresser I started washing my hair less (every 4/5 days rather than 2) and I often share a bath with my DD. Maybe not for everyone but it saves me so much time.

One one tip here and it will make SUCH a difference to your life if you do it…

Make sure if you’re working full time that your other half shares ALL the domestic duties with you. No excuses, if you both work full time then you both should do half of the childcare and cleaning/ shopping etc. Do NOT shoulder the majority of this on your own, it’s too much.

Do this for your own mental health and for your relationship. Start as you mean to go on!

Nag over 😊

@RedRobyn2021 please tell us more about your porridge bars!

Meal plan and grocery shop at weekend for the coming week.

calendar in the kitchen with allllll the dates, consult weekly for the week ahead.

school uniforms hung up with trousers, shirt and jumper- makes it easy to lift one hanger each morning.

have a stack of generic birthday cards and gifts stashed somewhere.

Do your washing little and often.
Chuck it on the bed once dry so you're forced to put it away before getting into bed.

Also…organised mum method!

I use her cleaning routines which I love but my favourite thing is her saying ‘be your future friend!’. Anything you can prep the weekend or night before, do it- your future self will thank you for it! Today when I had 40 minutes to unpack the shopping then get my kid to a party, I knew I’d bought and wrapped the present last week so it just had to be lifted at the front door!

www.sneakyveg.com/blueberry-and-banana-porridge-bars/

My DD has been having them since 8 months and they are so easy to make and freeze well.

Doing an oven load of jacket potatos on Sunday to last the week for quick healthy lunches or dinners.

Grab and go healthy snacks to stop me getting weak and keep toddler going: bananas, satsumas, mixed nuts (for me), yogurt, avocado (cut with a knife and scoop contents out with a spoon so can eat it like a yogurt), always cook extra pasta and leave in fridge to mix with tinned fish and tinned tomatoes for a more substantial meal.

Online exercise classes that I can do 20 minutes here and there.

A dishwasher.

• A divorce
• A really good cleaner
• Running the dishwasher every night, full or not

Things are very much easier than they used to be with that method 😂

Sorry OP that's 4+ top tips!

If you have girls buy huge numbers of hair elastics, clips and grips. Keep pots of them upstairs and down. I also have a hair brush attached with cord to a hoop on the inside of the console table in the hall. It's saved a hell of a lot of frantic searches when you are trying to get out the door.
I also have jars for £1 coins and 50ps which comes in handy for cake sales at school and the like.
Agree with the poster who said baskets for everything. So Brownie basket which Brownie draw string bag goes in as soon as it comes in the house and uniform added when it comes out the wash. Another basket for swim gear.
I always have a collection of cards for birthdays etc.

Touch it once for household admin.

Dishwasher

Sometimes I only wash & blow dry the top of my head! In my defence I have LOADS of very thick hair.

Frozen veg - I have mixed peppers, mushrooms, onions, butternut squash cubes etc. Can use just the amount you need and pop back in the freezer. No waste from gone off veg not used in time.

Cook really quickly on the hob and blitz into tinned tomatoes for an easy hidden veg sauce. I freeze portions of the sauce. An easy base for bolognese, chilli, lasagna etc.

This is either absolute madness or sheer genius, I can't work out which!

Wouldn't work for me. If my hair's dirty I usually feel it most underneath and it itches like crazy.

This is boring as hell but I have a sheet of paper on my freezer with a list of what's in the freezer, as otherwise chicken breasts, sausages, bacon etc wrapped in foil just seem to disappear into a black hole and it's a pain to sort through what's in there. You have to get into the habit of adding/ crossing out whatever you put in or remove (keep a magnet pen on the fridge door) but it's so much easier to glance at the list rather than scramble though every drawer thinking "i know i had some beef mince in here somewhere". Staples like peas I don't bother writing down but anything that's not obvious goes on the list. It means stuff gets used up efficiently too.

😂😂😂😂

The generic cards/presents is also a great one. Would save so much last minute pre party panic!

Apart from the divorce and the werid hair drying I agree with ALL of the above.

Only buy your kids clothes online from one shop. They out grow clothes at the same
time so no sorting out. One big order per season/big size. Stamptastic for labelling.

Slow cooker with those sachet things.

Online food shopping, same day/time every week. Keep a physical list of things you buy every week so you want check against it while the app is open on your phone, alexa for things running out of and a list of meal idea for meal planning.