7 Life Hacks for Busy Parents

Whether you’re a stay at home parent or a working one, getting everyone on the same page and out the door on time in the morning is half the battle. Here are 7 life hacks for busy parents who are juggling home, work and kids. 

Crumpled Clothes

Put crumpled work clothes in the dryer with a damp face cloth for 3-5 minutes while you do your makeup. The steam will flatten out any creases. If your collars are crooked, quickly run your hair iron down them to stiffen them up. A quick tip if you are already straightening your hair anyway.

If your child hasn’t got a pristine clean uniform, don’t worry. Pre-teen children don’t have body odour and a paint stain or bit of dirt isn’t going to hurt for one day. Give it good shake, wipe off any really obvious dirty marks and get the children dressed.

Getting your children changed every afternoon into play clothes will help keep their school clothes or uniforms in great condition.

No Lunch Life Hacks

We all have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to thinking about being organised when school lunches haven’t been made.

Weekly or monthly baking days of muffins, cookies and slices all popped into the freezer can really help on these busy mornings. Even better is baking savoury options like muffins, fritters, etc with grated vegetables, ham, bacon and/or cheese. These are a great alternative to sandwiches.

Here is a handy FREE guide to stick on the fridge to give you ideas for school lunches so you can always keep a supply of everything you need.

Freezing sandwiches ahead of time is another way to be prepared in the morning.

If your school has a canteen, once a month, write up a couple of brown paper bags per child with the correct money to grab on those rushed days you know might happen.  If your school doesn’t have tuckshop open every day or only online ordering, pre-fill some paper bags with packaged snacks (for example muesli bar, chips, boxed fruit juice, muffin, dried fruit etc) and hide them in the back of the pantry.

When all else fails and you have nothing prepared or a back up in the freezer, make yourself aware of what the local stores have available on the way to school drop off. Not that I’ve ever had to do it (but know it’s available if I need to) but our local corner store has a lunch pack you can buy with a sandwich, cheese/cracker snack, muesli bar and boxed fruit juice for less than $10. A lifesaver on those busy mornings.

Create a Drop Zone

One of the best habits I got into, right from the moment my children started Kindergarten, was to create an area close to where they walk into the house after school that had a hook for their backpack, a basket for their school notes plus a noticeboard for a chore chart and step by step process in the mornings.

Getting your child used to a morning routine and helping them to know this is where all of that daily school stuff goes, helps you and everyone else to grab it all from there in the mornings.

This can include umbrellas, swim bags, music equipment, sports uniforms or other essentials that might need for the school week.

Dressing Toddlers

Put toddlers and children who’ll be staying home with you to bed in the clothes they are wearing the next day. An absolute lifesaver for those who have toddlers that tantrum about wardrobe changes. 

A toddler dressed in their pyjamas at school drop isn’t going to mean the end of the world either.

Lost Shoes

If mornings are always hard, try to remember to put children’s socks and shoes in the car the night before and they can put them on during the drive to school.

Makeup Life Hacks

Invest in tinted moisturiser, coloured lip gloss and mascara. This will take you only 1 to 2 minutes to apply and will make your face look fresh and natural. 

This quick makeup routine can be applied on the bus or train on the way to work or in the car before you get out. A lip gloss or lipstick in your bag, when all else fails, can sometimes be enough to get you through the day.

Quick Breakfast Ideas

Buy a bottle of fresh juice or squeeze your own and make ice blocks and freeze on the weekend.  One orange fills one mold. The kids will love having ice blocks before school and you will know they are getting their Vitamin C every day.  

A muffin or muesli bar, toast or even a sandwich in the car on the way to school is better than nothing. Use leftover or uneaten cereal in your next baking day to create homemade breakfast treats.

Breakfast style bacon and egg muffins or burritos can also be pre-made and frozen then re-heated in the microwave or sandwich toaster while you’re waiting on everyone to get ready.

These are the things that used to work for me, so I hope this helps you. At the very least it may help you to know that you are not the only one struggling.  Being prepared as much as you can the night before is a life saver. You’ll thank yourself in the morning and it will be your contingency plan when your precious cargo are being at their most difficult.

7 Life Hacks for Busy Parents

How to get organised in your home no matter what stage of life you're at

When I say who I mean whether you’re a mother, single, married no kids, married empty nesters, with babies or toddlers, with older children, working out of the home, female or male. There is a way to get things done in your home so you can enjoy more freedom doing what you love. Here’s how to get things done in your home no matter who you are.

As humans, we’re always evolving. From the moment we’re born and growing up in our parent’s home, to the time we move into our own place, our home life is always changing.

We study, we work, we move in with someone, we have children, the children grow through various stages, they leave home, etc, etc.

As does everything about who is living in our home changes, so should our expectations and standards of home organisation.

Establish a daily routine

Right from the start, you should establish a daily routine. This will set you up for a lifetime of success in staying on top of your home and keeping it tidy.

Just like brushing your teeth, having a shower or having breakfast, establishing a daily housework routine of no more than 5 chores that take no longer than 30 minutes will allow you to have a tidy home that you’re happy with.

These chores can be anything you find irritating or frustrated if they’re not done like making the bed, clearing the breakfast dishes, getting a load of laundry on or whatever. I call this the Roadmap to Routine.

First time living out of home

It’s our first time out of our parental home. We’ve got the opportunity to set up house exactly the way we want. We can choose to live in a mess or keep it tidy.

I know when I first left home, I had everything set up just the way I wanted it. I respected Mum’s and Dad’s home and kept things where they wanted it but once I got my own place, I had the opportunity to play house and kept things really neat and tidy.

Your first flat mate

This could be your first share accommodation or when you first move in with someone. it’s going to be a learning curve and you’re going to have to respect each other’s property and space.

One person might be really organised and the other may not. From the start is a great opportunity to set up ground rules on what each other’s expectations are.

When baby arrives

You may have already experienced living with your partner, getting married or just deciding to start a family. When baby comes along it’s time to lower all of your expectations.

Even before baby comes is a great time to really give your home a good declutter. Even if you don’t get rid of stuff but put it into storage it will mean that you won’t have as much dusting or tidying to do.

Keep your possessions to a minimum. From my first hand experience in raising 2 children, they are going to take up the majority of your time.

Even if you do have help from friends or family, getting into a regular routine right from the start with your baby will help you.

Establish regular nap and feeding times. When the baby sleeps, you sleep. While the baby is having some tummy time, grab a coffee and practice some deep breathing or other forms of self care. Get out of the house and go for a walk. Whatever it is, this is the time when your child needs you the most so concentrate on the essentials of homemaking like eating, doing the laundry and self care, along with caring for the baby of course.

The toddler years

You can’t wait for your baby to sit up, start solids, crawl, walk etc but once the toddler years start, you wonder what happened to that fully dependent little baby. A toddler has just found their independence and will be in to everything. You’ll be run off your feet.

Still keep everything to a minimum in your home. Don’t worry about buying too many toys. You’ll only have more to tidy up and to find storage for. A couple toys in a toy box, rotated regularly is more than enough.

Encourage your child to seek out nature, play in the mud, run barefoot on the grass and splash in the water. It will develop a sense of creativity in your child.

Again, keep to the bare minimum of housework. Worry only about food, laundry and self care. Fit self care in whenever you can.

The school years

You can’t wait for your child to start school because you’re going to get so much done. This might be the case but you’ll probably find you’ll be asked to volunteer for so many things at your child’s school, that free time is still elusive.

You will, however, have a bit more time on your hands during the day, depending on if you still have younger children at home and this is the time when you can take a bit of extra time around the home to factor in more chores into your day.

Maybe take up an old hobby or pursue a new one. Join the local gym or tennis club. Make some new friends with other school parents and catch up for regular coffees.

Working out of the home

When your children start school you might want to return to part time or full time work, if not before they start school. I’ve tried this a couple times and it’s just too hard. I did manage though but it’s a hard slog just to do the basics.

Try to get the whole household on board with taking part in the upkeep of the home. Try to get up early or stay up that bit later to do a few chores and make meal times easy with tray bakes, easy to throw together salads or other quick and easy meals.

Use the commute to and from work or your lunch break to practice self care.

When the children have gone

I can’t write this from a parent’s perspective but thinking about my own mother (my father passed away before he was of retirement age), she wanted to start enjoying life. She was passionate about her hobbies and travel so didn’t want to be tied to the house doing housework all the time.

Keep your possessions to a minimum, keep up your daily routine and enjoy plenty of time pursuing your dreams. It is definitely your time if you haven’t already made those previous years a priority for yourself.

Conclusion

I’m currently at the teenage years so still have a few more years to go until they leave home but the point is, no matter what stage you’re at in your personal life, you adapt your home life to suit.

What you used to do before baby arrived is hard to upkeep unless you pay for or get help from family and friends. Adjust your standards and level of expectations. The time will come again when you can have your home exactly the way you want. The house will be a lot quieter and you’ll wonder where the years went.

Remember, it’s not about what is in your home but who.

Life Hacks 101: Become More Productive

Busy lives mean a huge to-do list. For most people, the to-do list has turned into a mountain of important tasks. But finding the right time to accomplish them without another important task distracting us is quite a hassle. So, for this reason, drum roll please enter Life Hacks 101: become more productive with these life hacks that have been tested and experimented to save the day.

The Top Life Hacks To Help You

The following is a list of impactful life hacks that have proven to make life easier for most people.  This life hacks 101 is sure to help you do more!

Wake up at 4:30 am

Some just by reading the subtitle have already jumped to the next life hack. But it would be surprising the amount of work you can accomplish before other people require your attention. Yes, I know it can be difficult to wake up at this time if you are not a morning person. But it is a step by step process. Train yourself to wake up 30 minutes earlier every week then you will reach the end goal.

Use a wrist vibration to wake up

When the alarm jolts early for us to wake up, it can be annoying. Sometimes one has to go physically to turn it off, and it is a disturbance to other household partners. However, wrist alarms such as Fitbit’s will wake you up more subtle and calmly.

Avoid checking your phone during the first part of your morning

The first hour of your working is likely to be the most productive. So avoid reading texts or answering calls. If you wake up at 4 am it is unlikely that people will call you at that time.

Limit social media use to 15 minutes per day

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all other social media sites are running our lives. It is no lie that we want to update our posts or check out the latest tweet from our favourite celebrity. But without a doubt, social media is a time waster. It is advisable to set limits and block your social media sites to avoid being distracted. This will give you long hours to stay focused thus a productive work time.

Hide your email inbox

Keeping your email out of sight will maintain your focus to working. Installing Chrome extension will hide your inbox while still giving you an opportunity to write and receive email.

Have a to-do list app

With a To-do list, your day is bound to be productive since you will be doing things in a more organized manner. Updating your to-do list every morning ensure that you do not only the easy and interesting jobs but also hard projects.

Take a cold shower

You might be surprised that cold showers are quite beneficial. If the first thing in the morning when you wake at 4:30 am is taking a cold shower, it is an assurance that you will be alert for the whole day. Moreover, it strengthens your immune system and burns fat.

Singing in the shower

We all sing in the shower most of the time, let us agree on that. Yes, the singing is not of high quality, but it is fun. So you might be asking yourself how does it make us more productive?  Well, science proves that singing in the shower has mental and health benefits. People who sing in the shower have less stress, reduced anxiety and even relieved chronic pain.

7 ways to improve your home life

Social media has a lot to answer for these days. Sure. It has it’s positives but it’s got it’s negatives too, in a big way. It’s affecting how we live and how we perceive we should live our lives. We, as humans, have lost our ability to think for ourselves, be happy with what we have and are so influenced by bright shiny objects on social media. If you’re in a rut and sick of trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses’, here are 7 ways to improve your home life.

If you’re unhappy with your current home or the situation you’re in, then with a change in mindset you’ll soon start to love the home you’re in and start enjoying your home life more. I hear people say that they hate the house they live in, it’s not big enough, “I’ll just go and buy ‘xyz’ from KMart” and it will improve it. Buying stuff, cluttering your home and spending money unnecessarily will only add to your grief and it creates a spiral of out of control debt and consumerism. 

There is another way and it’s so easy. 

There is joy to be found in missing out

You may have heard of FOMO (the fear of missing out). Well, there’s also JOMO, the joy of missing out. 

Learn to be happy within your four walls. Learn to be happy with your life by not worrying what she’s having. There was a time when we lived our lives. When we discovered what it was that we wanted to do when we left school. We’d find partners, buy or rent a property and live together.  We’d decorate our homes based on things we liked not how other people did it.

Sure, we may have got inspiration from the current magazines or borrowing a book from the library but not how we are so influenced by people on social media today. The fact that I’m not influenced by anyone on social media I am at ease and confident with my own tastes.

Really, the only inspiration I’ve had is from my mother and grandmother. I learnt how to decorate, for example, like they did. It wasn’t even about having new furniture or the latest homewares. It was more about making do with what you already had, making over an old piece of furniture purchased secondhand or just go without until you could afford something you really wanted, or should I say, needed.

It’s actually quite a relief to be an individual and not follow what everyone else is doing. There is no stress that I can’t find it or have to spend money to buy it. I’d rather have a comfortable, clean, cosy home than one that is filled to the brim with decorator items because someone posted a picture on social media that it was their latest hack from KMart.

Unfollow

As simple as that. Unfollow those people who you envy on social media who seem to have it all together. Those people who have all the designer clothes and shoes and immaculate homes. Why spend your days worrying about what you can’t have and worry about what you already do have?

Discover yourself and your likes and dislikes and run with it. You’ll feel so much better that you have implemented your personal tastes in your home and for yourself.

A picture really doesn’t tell the true story. An image posted on social media really is only a snippet into people’s lives that very minute of that day. You never know what’s going on behind the scenes. The image might look nice and appealing but is it making you feel better or useless, unworthy or a failure? 

Just click unfollow and, if you must, follow people who are more your style. In fact, have a good social media detox. Step away from it for a while and learn what it is that really makes you tick as a person.

Be grateful

I bang on about this all the time but, for me, identifying everything I need in my life comes from three basic needs, food, clothing or shelter. I’m not talking about my emotional needs here (although food, clothing and shelter still do have a part to play in enhancing your emotional needs) but rather my immediate physical needs.

If it doesn’t fall into food, clothing or shelter and I don’t need it, I don’t get it. I’m grateful every day for my current life. Life certainly has thrown me some curve balls over the years but I’m grateful for where I ended up.

I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in the cupboard. 

As far as my emotional and spiritual needs go, I’m extremely grateful for where the Universe has gotten me to. I went through a lot to finish up with the most wonderful man by my side, my two children and my pets. I’m still working on my self esteem but getting there and I’m extremely grateful for where I am in my life today.

Find beauty in the simple things

All too often we get caught in a trance, rolling through our Facebook or Instagram feed at everyone else’s sunset pictures we forget to take a look outside at the sunset that is right outside our door.

Remember what it was like to run barefoot through the grass? To smell that summer rain after a hot day? To pull out a batch of freshly baked cookies from the oven? No amount of social media influence can provide you with the joy these simple pleasures gives you.

Whether it’s holding your teenager’s hand, reminding you of when they were a toddler relying on you for guidance and help or listening to your partner after their bad day at work, find joy in the simple things in life that help you realise that you’re helping someone else which in turn will make you feel better.

Put your mobile device down and find your own joy in your own world. Don’t be envious of other people’s holiday snaps to a lovely beach location. Go out and make your own fun and live your own adventures.

Recycle, reuse and DIY

Before you even think about going to the store to buy something you need for your home, do you have something already that would work, can you recycle or reuse something already in your home or can you make it yourself.

I’m not what you would call a ‘greenie’ at all but something that I learnt from my parents and grandparents was that if you can make do with what you’ve already got, you’re winning in so many ways. You’re saving money and the environment but you’re finding joy in making something yourself.

Recycling helps protect the environment. It reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials. All of these create substantial air and water pollution. As recycling saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change. (Source)

Hand crocheted flower arrangement circa early 1900s, Australia. Women took great pride in creating items to decorate their homes. On display at Wolston Farmhouse, Wacol, Queensland

With so many tutorials and information available to us now, it’s near impossible not to be able to learn how to DIY a project. Whether that’s sanding an old piece of furniture and painting it, reusing or repurposing previously loved linen or creating a brand new piece from scratch like a hand crocheted rug in the exact colour you want or making your own clothes.

You’ll feel proud that you made it yourself and it will bring joy to your home life. You will look at it fondly and it will be an original. You won’t be copying what anyone else has done or bought from a discount store which has been mass produced. Even though it might be a bargain, really, is there a better way you could fill the need in your home? No amount of shopping, spending or copying others is going to bring you true joy to your home life.

Making Do

This isn’t a term I hear a lot of lately but it’s one I grew up with. I can remember moving into my own apartment after coming out of a bad relationship. I was in a new job so not a lot in savings. My sister gave me a bright orange vinyl dining set, an old 1970’s style day bed for my lounge and I think I had an old cardboard box with a tablecloth on it to hold my television.

Did I mind? No. I was extremely grateful for my sister giving me these things. I didn’t want to rush out and go into debt just so I could furnish my apartment. I was extremely happy because I had what I needed for free.

After a while, Mum was going to throw an old timber dining table that she had used for planting pot plants and I said I’d take it. I sanded it back (having never picked up a sander before) and varnished the timber. I eventually bought 4 dining chairs and a “baker’s stand” to match. The old day bed stayed and I think I got a small TV cabinet for my TV. 

Storage baskets in my laundry area. Many years old. None of them match. Have been reused and repurposed for so many different projects in my home. They are doing the job.

Everything worked and it worked well. You know the old saying “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”? Well, that’s how I live my life and it brings me great joy. I feel exhausted thinking about how young people today are in too much of a hurry to go out and buy a whole house full of furniture, plus decor items just to set themselves up. I’m not saying all young people do it. There seems to be a movement in recycling and upcyling, which is great, but there is still a lot of people who live with the thought that they need these things to improve their home life. You don’t.

Make do with what you’ve got until you can afford what you need. This applies to all areas of your home life from cooking to home decor.

Stop Comparing

My husband and I were only discussing the other night about how we all compare our lives to others. My children (he is their step father) are great kids and very grateful but they take some things for granted. My daughter is extremely lazy and untidy and I told my husband that most teenage girls are like this. We got talking about it and thought it doesn’t have to be. We have the right to run our household the way we want to and if my daughter doesn’t conform nor respect our property, there will be consequences. We started looking at comparing in another light.

I think it’s human nature to compare your life with others. I look at women who are naturally slim, who have had a baby and they probably only put the weight of the baby on while they were pregnant and you wouldn’t have even thought she’d had a baby. WRONG! Why would I compare my pregnancy to hers? She was probably 20 years younger than me. She may have had the worst pregnancy with all sorts of complications, who am I to know? Did she walk in my shoes or me in hers? No. Comparing is one of the worst things you can do to make you feel sad about your life and, in particular, your home life.

It’s like comparing oranges to apples. No two people have walked the same steps in life. Develop your own tastes. Find your own style. Once you have, you won’t need to worry about what other people have or are doing. 

Endless Summer Days

On this official last day of summer here in Australia (I only just got in – thank goodness for a leap year), I was reflecting on, how in the past, I would be sad at the thought of the last day of summer. We’re pretty blessed here where I live in Queensland that the weather is pretty mild all year round, except for about 3 months in winter time. Normally, the days start to get shorter, the nights cooler, no more humidity (thank goodness) and no more beach days, swimming, cool icy treats and fun outside. But lately I have felt like every day is summer to me.

My husband with his late Mum, circa 1970’s

We didn’t start out this summer very well losing my dear mother-in-law in early December to cancer. Being without her for my husband’s birthday on the 23rd of December and Christmas was really sad. We did however soldier on and celebrate those events as best we could. It was my daughter’s first year of not believing in Santa but she was still pretty excited with her haul of Christmas presents. January was busy with school holidays and managing children, study, the household and looking for a job. I was successful in scoring a little part time job but in early February we were rocked with the news of the death of a really dear friend to my husband. I met him a couple of times but my husband had known him for quite a few years and although they didn’t catch up all the time, they were very near and dear.

Photo Credit & Story

This man and what I knew about him had a very exciting life. He was born in the UK with an older sister and lived a very full and adventurous life. He didn’t start out that well as a baby suffering illnesses which led him to develop epilepsy which would contribute to troubles in his life and maybe his subsequent death. He was an accomplished doctor, singer, violin player, gym junkie, health nut, lover of all music especially heavy metal and an avid lover of sports especially those involving the water. One of his greatest loves was kite boarding where you use a surfboard to stand on and a large kite-like sail to capture the wind to ‘drag’ you over and above the waves. He was very good at it and couldn’t wait for a windy day to get out on the water. Even though he had surgery to repair his epilepsy many years before, it came out that he still had mild seizures. He drowned back on the 9th of February while kite boarding, probably suffering a mild seizure.

Why I’m mentioning it here is because I have never met someone who had overcome so many obstacles and hurdles in his life (other than my darling husband, of which he had a few), who went on to achieve great things. He was truly an asset to the world and a person that will be sorely missed.

As I reflect on this last day of summer and think about all the things I’m going to be missing, I’m grateful for so many things and don’t think I’m missing out on anything. Never in my life have I met a man I’m so in love with that is my husband. I feel pretty much that every day is like summer with him. I got the nicest surprise on Friday. A dear friend of mine messaged me and said that she happened to be our local corner store a week ago and she heard this man’s voice at the counter. He was saying how sick his wife was and how buying this tub of ice cream would hopefully cheer her up. When my friend looked, it was my husband. She said how lucky I was to have someone like that who cared so deeply for me and how I truly deserved it. It really made my husband’s and my day.

It’s not only things like that. He is so affectionate and caring. In nearly 2 years we’ve never said a bad word to each other. We just don’t need to. We know that we can speak openly to each other without fearing retribution and we truly care about each other’s feelings. He really is so precious and I’m so glad I met him. 

Besides that, my children are so dear to me. As they get older and become more independent, time is quickly ticking away and those cute days of cuddles and joking around are coming to an end. I try to cuddle my son, who is 9 years old, as much as I can as I know he won’t want me to for much longer. My daughter and I still cuddle and joke but she is becoming more serious and growing up at 11 years of age. Their quirky little ways bring so much joy to my heart and I treasure every moment I have them.

My two elderly dogs still bring me a lot of joy as well. There’s no slowing down for my 15 year old Mini Fox Terrier. She’s still as spritely as ever and and has such a personality. It sure will be a sad day when they pass. They’ve enriched my life so much. I don’t think about it too much but rather enjoy every day I have them.

So, as far as Autumn (Fall) and Winter goes for me this year, they’re just like endless summer days to me. I’m taking a leaf out of my husband’s friend’s book and grabbing life with both hands and enjoying every moment of it. We have so much we want to do, my husband and I, as both a couple and a family and we’re striving towards it but taking each day as it comes. Life is really good for me at the moment, no matter what the season.