Share with Intel how you juggle modern family life - £300 Argos voucher to be won!

[EllieMumsnet]

A big part of being a parent is being flexible and spinning several plates at the same time... there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do every task individually! Have you always been someone who can juggle multiple things at once or has parenting taught you the art of being flexible, Intel® would love to hear your best multi-tasking moments, as well as any tips and tricks for managing modern family life.

Here’s what Intel® have to say: “A thin and light Modern PC with an Intel® processor has great features that make it more flexible to use, so you can be more creative, productive and entertained. Cortana lets you use your voice instead of the keyboard and Windows Hello* lets you log in with your face not a password – perfect for when you already have your hands full with the children.”

Did you manage to book a holiday while you fed and bathed your children? Perhaps you helped one child with homework while breastfeeding your baby, being on Skype to your mum and eating your dinner all at the same time?

Whatever your tips or your best multi-tasking moment, share it on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher from Argos.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

* Cortana available in select markets; experience may vary by region and device.
** Requires specialized hardware, including fingerprint reader, illuminated IR sensor or other biometric sensors and capable devices.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

I do the ironing whilst cooking dinner for the family. Have to remember when to iron and when to stir!

Online shopping is a dream. Also getting to work early and coming home before the kids helps.

I multi task what mum doesn't i put a load of washing on wash up while making every ones toast . I commute to work so all my emails and a lot of marking is done on the train to ease up time at home. I call my mum and mother in law on my mobile and tidy while i talk to them.

My husband appreciates time in the evenings just watching tv together so I use this time to sew on Brownie badges, research on my phone or tablet, iron, etc.
I used to live combining walking the dog with running errands but now she is old this is more of a time-waster than saver!

Yes I am one of those people who can juggle several things at once and I usually do this at mealtimes with my toddler; if I sit with him while he's eating then he does often eat less so if I'm doing other things but still in the same room I find he does eat more of his lunch, win win!

We've got our own business so frequently I am at work dealing with customers, whilst supervising DC doing homework/drawing/reading/arguing if we can't get childcare on a Saturday.

If at work and it's quiet I do my online food shop, I order ready prepped veg, frozen onions etc to make cooking easy. Otherwise I order it when I wake up (usually awake at 5am) for same day delivery.

Organisation is key when working 6 days a week.

On a "we are bored" day, make up a day plan for the children. Keeps them occupied, keeps them from fighting, usually means l can give attention to one of them while doing food prep etc.

And small housework tasks for them are in the day plan, then rewarded by a treat such as some "screen time" (eg 30 minutes) TV or computer access.

They are happy and loads gets done!

My husband works 7-3 two days a week so he can pick the kids up. I work 3.5 days a week so I can pick them up the other times. We have taught out children to make their own pack lunches, and they all have jobs at home. Family means everyone helps out and although the standard of clearing the table / sweeping the floor etc may not be as high as I'd like. I hope I'm setting good foundations for the future!

Like many people, my smart phone helps me multi task. Any 5 min spare I can do our online food shop, write lists, check where I need to be with our shared calendar option, check and send a few emails or just check in with the rest of the world with Facebook or BBC news.

I use my phone for much more these days. I used to prefer shopping online on my laptop, with a bigger screen and keyboard, but having my phone with me all the time and being able to use it one-handed is really useful when breastfeeding! Using timers makes it much easier to multi-task as well - I can set the washing to come on in the morning, or leave the dinner cooking without worrying about not being able to rush to turn it off at the right time.

Get siblings to do the same hobbies concurrently if possible.
If doing separately, use the waiting around time to do homework.

If you have the answer, please let me know!!
Basically it's really hard. Planning is key - there are times when I am so fruatrated by the need to plan, but regret it when I don't get round to it.

Shopping physically whilst using my phone to complete online activities

I use my phone to order the food shop online, order any random items there and then from a online company, apps for lists of errands, calendar for school commitments etc.
My phone keeps me organised and sane!
Also the time delay on my washer/dryer is very useful!

Coordinate diaries, meal planning and shopping lists can all be done over breakfast. Get things ordered and planned for the day.

I'm actually trying to cut down on multi-tasking as I'm finding that I end up doing loads of things but not doing them very well, or forgetting things because I'm not focused on the task. My new mantra is "do less but do it better!"
We are looking at signing up to an online calendar so we can share everything that's going on instead of relying on us both keeping things in our diaries AND the kitchen calendar and having to duplicate work.
Batch cooking for the freezer which saves a lot of time; we have dinners, puddings and cakes/flapjacks in there to try and cut down on the panic of mid-week cooking when I'm tired and DS is starving.
I try to deal with as much home admin/personal emails as possible while I'm at work; eg if I'm waiting 3 minutes for a report to load I walk around the building and make a phone call; or send an email on my phone.
I do the food shopping in my lunch hour so it doesn't take time out of the evenings or weekends.
Overall though, whatever I think I need to get done during the day, I force myself to take one thing off the list; I want to end the feeling of being constantly rushing and hurrying DS up all the time.

Synced calendar if it's not on the calendar it's not happening. Book bags, emptied by the kids as soon as they get in and dealt with. Washing on every night and hung out in the morning.

Since having a Google Home Assistant, I just shout through stuff to add to my shopping list while cooking dinner or putting stuff away. It helps make the online shop really quick too as I don't have to go through the cupboards (see below...)

I used to do online shopping while sat next to my son's bed. He's just stopped holding my hand to go to sleep, but when he did, I'd be holding his hand with one of mine and then doing an online grocery shop or Amazon Subscribe and Save with with other. Can be slow going if I'm doing it all left handed, but no wasted time sat in a dark bedroom!!

We use a shared online diary and put things in as soon as we get them. As others have said, organisation and planning is important. I’ll lay out next days clothes, and check pe kits, instruments etc the night before so no nasty surprises in the morning when it’s too busy to be searching for lost items.

We have a planner in kitchen with each of the 4 DC on and myself and my husband. We also have online calendar and meal plan and batch cook

Another vote for online grocery shopping while playing (or nap time!).

I have 3 children so planning and being organised is the key. While breastfeeding the youngest I do reading with older child. While coocking in the kitchen I will talk and discuss with my husband or children. When I am eating on my own I will phone my mum and my sister. Always keep truck of what need to be done with my phone. Note everything imidietly on my phone, so there is no surprises about anything.

I meal plan EVERYTHING, and only buy exactly what we need. Usually Morrison’s online using the saver delivery pass, sometimes Ocado if I can get a good deal, sometimes physically going into Morrison’s with the kids and using it as a ‘treat’ experience!
Me and dh work full time, so rota household tasks, I do drop offs, he does pick ups.
I do laundry bi-daily using the timer on the washer so it’s ready when I get back. I also get all outfits ready and hung over the landing banister ready for the morning, and do a lot of food prep on a weekend to make it easier through the week. I also almost exclusively shop online for everything else!

We learn our times tables whilst I’m driving. We either chant them together, or I quiz them. Plus, it stops them squabbling and distracting me, and I find the chanting soothing as I drive.

I eat my dinner while I'm breastfeeding. Okay, some food inevitably lands on DS, but he doesn't seem to mind....x