Pre-planning helps with Chaos and Routines.

If I can find a way to save time or nonsense in my day I am willing to try it. The evenings and bedtime for our little toddlers can get quite hectic in our household. Our mornings can be crazy too, if we have appointments or errands to run with the kids. So I try to find ways to save time, be better organized with routines, and eliminate chaos in our lives.

Here are a few things that keep me sane.

1) Set out Pajamas in the morning for the night time.

2) Before bath time, put PJ's and fresh diapers on the bed.

3) Before bedtime, select clothes for the next morning.

4) Fill sippy cups after bedtime, put in fridge for the morning.

5) Have a basket of snacks in Ziploc snack bags to grab and go.

6) Keep a few snack bags of crackers or cereal in van or diaper bag for hunger or meltdowns.

7) Have a few books, learning or activity toys in the van for quiet time or crankiness.

8) Have the kids help pick up their rooms and/or family room before nap time and bedtime.

9) Have my teenager do the dinner dishes to give me a break in the evenings.

10) Keep a family calendar in site to help keep us all on schedule with events or appointments.

11)I have a dry erase board on my fridge for items that I have run out of and need to replace.

12) Meal plan- On my fridge I have a weekly meal plan to help me stay organized and stay with in a budget.

13) I am the only one that administers medicine or vitamins. So we don't double medicate.

14) I hire a helper/teenager (once or twice a month) to help with the deep cleaning or yard work.

15) Make ahead meals and freeze for quick and easy dinners, for those hectic days.

Some of these things saves us time, eliminates chaos, saves us money or keeps us organized. Pre-planning creates good habits and routines and we have more time to spend as a family.

If you have any other ideas or advice please do share.

Little Black Book

A little black address book. You have one don't you? I do. Well mine is actually navy blue, but oh well. I'm not talking about the dirty secret little black book, I'm talking about the very important address book that we all need to have and keep in a safe place.

Let me explain... My husband and I have tons of websites and blogs that we visit and have made them our favorites on our computer. Not all of them have the same Access Id codes, passwords etc.. So the big question is "If my computer crashed or was stolen do I have any backup documentation to all the sites, blogs, passwords, access Id's, e-mail addresses to those places or contacts?" If you do, good for you! You think ahead. If you don't well it is not too late to get one started.

We have a vinyl spiral bound address book that is about 5 inches by 8 inches. Not little, but big enough to actually read and write information in. In alphabetical order we write down the name of the website, the URL, the password, and some have a registration number. About twice a year we print out our contact e-mail addresses since we are with Yahoo, and keep it folded inside the little black book. That way we can refer to the little black book, if we crash or forget our passwords etc.. It comes in real handy. Remember to keep it in a safe place. We keep ours in a fire proof safe.