Survival Tips for Working Moms

Working moms work too much ...

I'm a full-time teacher in a school and as you might know, when I get home I don't have much time to clean. Besides, being my little ones 4 and 2 years old, I feel they need me those three or four hours before putting them to sleep. However, there are several tricks that I find really useful:

Prepare in advance: I never go to bed without having prepared all the breakfast stuff and the next day's clothes, not just mine, but also my kids (especially my kids')(http://www.organisedandhappy.com/2015/11/5-night-habits-that-will-ease-your-mornings/). I know it may be a bit of a mess seeing all backpacks at the door, but really it helps a lot! and if I could, I would put them in the car the night before...

Keep a to-do list: I have an old planner, a plain notebook where I've added a calendar and other printables I find useful. Regular planners sometimes don't have enough space for each day and they don't include a page for monthly or weekly goals, so I prefer to customize my own notebook.

I write everything I have to do, but I don't do it all everyday; I prioritize the most important things because, to be true, I hardly ever accomplish all items in my list; indeed, sometimes it takes me two or three days to complete some tasks. Make sure you do the important and urgent things first.

Establish a daily routine based on morning chores, night chores and weekly chores. Don't burden yourself with too much to do; it's impossible to do everything everyday. For example, in the mornings http://www.organisedandhappy.com/2015/10/3-habits-that-will-make-your-day/, I make beds, put dishes away and tidy up fast.

If you can't afford a housekeeper, don't panic. Just do a little everyday, use a timer if it helps you (don't spend more than 30 - 45 min), get your hubby involved in some of the tasks, and plan in advance. I organise weekly chores in a ciclical way, so that the house is completely cleaned every two weeks, and I start again.

• Mon: dust
• Tu: laundry 1
• Wed: wash floors 1
• Th: wash floors 2
• Fr: laundry 2
• **************
• Mon: wash bathroom 1
• Tu: laundry 1
• Wed: doors, windows, corners, etc
• Th: Kitchen
• Fr: laundry 2

As you can see, I haven't included weekends because it's when I plan and organise the menu and house chores; I also budget and check bank accounts on Saturdays. For me, these are minor tasks that leave me plenty of time to spend with my family. On Sundays I do nothing!!!

There are some tasks that take me a lot of time and I've split them in two (washing floors and bathrooms); that's why I write 1 and 2 next to them.

I do the laundry twice a week, and my husband helps me,or I would never finish! I know most of people do one load of laundry everyday but I hate laundry and ironing, so as long as I can keep it this way, I will.

Although I haven't written it, I vacuum everyday to keep dust and floor dirt "in order", but I try to be superfast (no more than ten minutes). I'm lucky to have wooden floors so I can't wash them very often, even if I wanted!

Let go of perfection: it's impossible to have a perfect house unless you don't have kids or you've hired a housekeeper.

It's impossible not to do anything at home unless you don't have kids or you've hired a housekeeper: however, you won't live day-to-day if you keep a to-do list and plan in advance. Besides, knowing the immediate things have already been done will provide you with  more quality time to spend with your family, relax, watch your favourite TV serie, or read a book.

To finish with, just say that if you want to know more about my daily routines, check http://www.organisedandhappy.com/2015/10/3-habits-that-will-make-your-day/ and http://www.organisedandhappy.com/2015/11/5-night-habits-that-will-ease-your-mornings/ . I hope I might help you!

1 Simple Trick that will Ease your Mornings

Every day I come into my class and all eyes are on me; I wish those teenagers would look at the blackboard or their books, but no...I know they're checking on my clothes! They have an account of all my outfits, they know when I repeat them, if I wear skirts on Mondays and jeans on Tuesdays, every time I put on something new, they know it and talk about it...and this happens everyday, six times a day, five days a week.; I remember that during my first years of teaching I wore a lab coat; I really looked odd, but I was young and that made me feel better. Although I must admit that I've got used to it, I know that I have to be careful with my clothes, and there are things I can't wear on a school day, or match together.

The thing is that I've always prepared my clothes the night before and it took me a while (well, not every day, but almost every day....); I sat in front of the wardrobe thinking how to match this sweater with that skirt and that necklace...it was a waste of energy! When my first son came home, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even think about clothes; besides, my son slept in our bedroom, so if I didn't  choose clothes before I put him to sleep I couldn't do it till morning, which was a complete mess. So I thought picking my outfits once a week would save so much time...and it really did!

I realised that my evenings were smoother, I mean, I could do other things like reading a story to my kids or playing with them without feeling guilty for not having things prepared for the next day.

As I do it every Friday (that's when I do the ironing) I've got plenty of time to think of new outfits, or just put together the things I know that fit me. I keep them in my wardrobe and every morning I only have to grab the hanger and get dressed.

As you can see in the picture, I take the whole outfit, except for the underwear and complements, which I choose the night before (I'm a bit special about complements ... often my choice depends on how I feel, and change them at the last minute).

So I hope you give it a try and you'll see how much time you save every day. If you do so, let me know! or maybe you have another trick you'd like to share with us...! leave all your comments below. See you!

1 Simple Trick To Keep your Car Clean

If you're a busy mom, your car might be the last thing you think of cleaning... you always plan for it, but when the day comes, you always find a more important task to do.  If you don't like driving, you probably hate cleaning your car when you could be playing with your little ones.  However, with this simple trick, you'll be able to keep your car clean longer.

My poor old Volkswagen is sometimes more like a barn than a place for people; and when you have kids, it's even worse... I often find toys in places I would never imagine...snacks,coins, pencils, breadcrumbs, pieces of papers, plastic...even socks?! it sounds awful, doesn't it? But yes, I must admit my car is a mess; however, there's something that has helped me a lot for a couple of months and I hope it will help you too. And it is a bag. Yes. A bag.

Just by having a bag in your car where you throw all the garbage away, you'll see your car is kept clean longer.  I've been using a plain plastic bag, which I've changed when full, and finally I've decided to make a fabric cover because it's something I think I'll be doing forever and I don't want a plastic stuff that makes my car look even older.

This is a really easy and cheap project; in fact, it took me 15 minutes, and I haven't bought any fabric; I've used a piece I already had at home. Its size depends on how you like it,  but I wouldn't recommend a big one (mine is 20 cm x 20 cm) as it'll lay on the passenger's place and might become a piece of junk instead of an organizing item.

So I hope you try it and, if you do, share your pictures!

3 Reasons to Vacuum Everyday

Vacuum floors is a chore that's always in my daily to-do list.

One of the things that make me feel more comfortable at home is seeing no dust on floors and carpets. I'm lucky to own a little house and it takes me less than fifteen minutes to do it, which is probably one of the reasons I can do it everyday.

Along the years I've tried different cleaning habits; at the beginning, I used to sweep, which was fine, but it was quite discouraging to see dust again two seconds later. So I decided to try a vacuum cleaner and I bought one of the cheapest in the shop. It made a lot of noise, but it's been one of the best purchases I've ever made as there haven't been fluffs or dust on the floors since then!

Last year I decided to invest more money in a good one, and I bought a bagless and cordless vacuum cleaner; it doesn't make much noise, which is great because my eldest son is quite sensitive to loud noises, and besides I can vacuum early in the morning or in the evening, without disturbing the neighbours.

There are three reasons why vacuum is always in my to-do list

1. Clean carpets and floors make the house look cleaner. One of the worst things I can think of is getting into a room with dust on the floor.
2. There's less dust on the furniture, which means you don't have to do the dusting so often. You know dust goes from one place to another, and that's exactly the reason why I vacuum instead of mopping: when you mop, dust changes its place but it's still there, at least part of it.
3. It doesn't take long. You can spend 20 minutes(if you have time) or 10 (if you do what I call "fast vacuum" those days when you are really busy) .

How to Stay Organised on Sundays

Stay organised... on Sundays??? I've always thought Sunday is that wonderful day to do nothing but sleep and go out with friends; that has often led me to awful Mondays when I wake up stressed out because I can't find my clothes, my kids' backpack, the house is a mess and I have to spend more time cleaning.

When you have kids, you have to plan a lot and prepare for the unexpected. Every Monday, they need their school clothes and their breakfast ready. On the other hand, if you work, like me, you can't grab the first pair of jeans in your wardrobe, you must dress properly (well, I suppose it depends on your job). Last minute surprises are the worst thing on Sunday evening when you're tired and you realised you haven't washed your kids' sport clothes.

We often go out on Sundays, as we like going to our parent's to have lunch and have a walk with friends in the afternoons; however, knowing everything at home was a mess and thinking of all I had to do when I got home didn't let me enjoy those moments. that's why I decided to start a quick morning routine on Sundays to help me stay organised.

# 1 Fast vacuum: if you've read my post  http://www.organisedandhappy.com/2015/12/3-reasons-vacuum-everyday/ you know I'm a big fan of vacuuming. If your house is not big, like mine, you can do it in ten minutes, and this simple chore will make your house look clean.

# 2 Declutter: if it's part of your morning or night chores, it won't take much time. decluttering is also the best way to fake a clean house when you don't have time to clean.

# 3 Prepare tomorrow's clothes: This might seem a silly thing to do on a Sunday morning, but having everybody's clothes ready in the morning will release you from 'Sunday evening stress'; I mean, that overwhelming feeling that flourishes when you get home after a great day with friends or family and you think of all the things you have to do because tomorrow is Monday.

I do the laundry on Tuesdays and on Fridays (if you want to see how I organise my daily chores, you can have a look at my post  http://www.organisedandhappy.com/2015/11/survival-tips-for-working-moms/) so, at least, my kids' clothes will be dry and ready by Sunday. I organise my clothes by outfits, so I only have to take the hanger.

I hope these ideas will be useful and help you stay organised. I know you all have different cleaning routines: what do you do on Sundays? nothing at all? or is it the day you do all the cleaning? Please, leave your comments below!

3 Tasks that will Change your Life: Budget, Meal Plan, Cleaning

Month after month I've developed a simple routine that has changed my life completely: at the end of each month I plan for the next one. I know things can change as days go by, but having lived a complete disorganised life in the past, I can say that it's good for the family and the house maintenance to have a plan and stick to it as much as possible. And when I say "plan", I mean three main areas: budget, meal plan, and cleaning.

Here I am, everybody is sleeping and I'm enjoying those few moments alone. I've just finished budgeting for January, which has been quite of a mess, after the Christmas gifts, and all those extra expenses I always forget to set money aside for. When I finish this post, I'm going to organise January's meal plan, as I want to buy everything I need to start cooking and freezing meals for the next month.

# Budget: set aside money for the main categories: mortgage, taxes, insurances, etc. There are lots of apps you can use to plan your expenses, but I prefer to use an excel template because I've always done it this way and I find it easy to deal with.  Probably you'll have to do this with your husband; in my case, I'm in charge of the finances (my hubby hates it!).

# Meal plan: super important!!!! you can do this weekly; lots of bloggers publish their weekly meal plan and you can get ideas from them: www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com has several weekly menus.

Personally, I do it every month because working outside the home I don't have much time and, besides, I don't like cooking...

I cook (some dishes like lentils chick,peas, pasta,etc.  can be cooked and preserved in the freezer) and prepare meals at the beginning of each month; for some other dishes I prefer to put all the ingredients in a freezer bag, freeze them, take them the night before and cook them in the slow- cooker, which I think is a must in a kitchen, especially if you work outside the home. It has a timer and has meals ready whenever you need; this way I don't have to be worried about cooking.

To save time and energy, I use the same meal plan for three months, but I check it every month as there are always meals the kids didn't like and I usually have to make changes. After three months, I plan a complete different one.

# House chores: Well, to be true, I only review my 10-day plan, and my morning and night routines, as this system works very well; however, sometimes I can't follow it because of my work, and I have to organise it in a different way; for example, I usually wipe down bathrooms before going to bed, but I already know that January is a really busy month at school (we have lots of meetings, and papers to assign and correct), this basically means I'll have a lot to do once the kids are in bed, and I know I'll be too tired to wipe down the bathrooms before going to bed. I'll have to change it in my planner and do it in the morning, when I'll probably feel much better.

And this is it! My three key tasks to do at the end of each month. Why don't you try this month? write your plan for January and stick to it  (just planning isn't enough, you have to put into action what's on paper); then, let me know! you'll see your life changes for the better.

I hope I might help you, and if you want to comment something or talk about your routines,  please do it!!!!

Save money recycling your old jumpers

We all have jumpers we never wear but don't want to get rid of; at least, I have lots of them...and I'm tired of seeing them everytime I open my closet so I've decided to use them for a better purpose. Although there are thousands of different things you can do with them, what I really want is to have a pair of socks for my boots.

The first thing you have to do is cutting the sleeves:

 After cutting the sleeves, you have to sew them.

 And this is the final result:

 With the body of the pink jumper I've made a dress for my niece  (no need to say she loves pink above all...)

But, you can try other different things like a hat or mittens, a scarf, a purse, Christmas stockings...