These home Management tips are part of a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pampers at Sam’s Club. The opinions and text are all my own. For more information, see my disclosure policy.
Remember that pre-mommy thinking? You know, the thinking our brains thought before we were moms.
The thinking that had us having those deceiving, pastel-tinged visions of happy babies who never projectile pee or puke, of always cooperative kids, and of long toddler naps that let us get the housework done with time left over for a little me-time, too.
Yep. That thinking!
And now, here we are. Current mom reality. Instead of thinking sweet thoughts of happy babies and clean houses, our brains are frantically trying to remember the new pediatrician’s name before this morning’s appointment while tying a toddler’s shoes, yelling for the big kids to quit arguing and hurry up, oh, and don’t forget that diaper bag!
I think it’s safe to say, most of us moms were just a little surprised by all the extras that came along with “momming.” Not only is parenting more challenging than our stinkin’ pre-mommy thinkin’ had us believing, but then we learn we have home management to deal with, too!
From organizing the influx of baby stuff and quickly-outgrown clothes, to doing the meal planning, grocery shopping, and actually cooking instead of ordering pizza.
It’s hard to be a busy mom and run a household, too! So, I’ve gathered up home management tips and tricks from my own experience (often learned the hard way) and from some blogging friends, too. Let’s check ’em out…
The 8 BEST Home Management Tips for Busy Moms
- Stay On Top of Products – Isn’t it incredible how many products a family goes through?! We are a family of 5 and the number of rolls of toilet paper we go through is unbelievable. (Too much information?) One home management tip I have is: When something runs out, write it on a list immediately. I know; simple, right? But it’s so hard to make a habit of. So make it easy for yourself. Put a dry erase board in a central spot or hang a little magnetic notepad on the fridge to keep your running list on. Or keep a list in the notes app on your phone. Whatever works for you, but do it immediately, then you know what to buy when you go shopping.
- Buy in Bulk = Shop Less! – This is probably my favorite tip for running a household. Why? Because I really, really dislike shopping with my children! Ha! So the less I have to do it, the better. We’ve always bought groceries, household products, and baby products in bulk at Sam’s Club. That way we have more on hand and have to go to the store less often. And they have great deals, too! Right now, you can get an instant $10 off when you buy 2 Pampers products at Sam’s Club (like Pampers Swaddlers Diapers, Pampers Cruisers Diapers, or Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes), so you can keep those babies comfortable and dry. I don’t have any babies anymore, but I grabbed some Pampers Cruisers Diapers and Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes for my sweet foster nephews. I couldn’t pass them up with that instant savings!
- Get Big Kids Helping – I realized toward the end of last year when I was in a state of high stress just how relaxed my kids were. Not that they should be stressed, but I had let their responsibilities and chores slide and subsequently had taken on more stress myself. So we got clear on the chore front. Check this list of age-appropriate chores if you need inspiration. We kept it simple by just listing the kids’ chores on a dry erase board, but these printable chore charts over on Pretty Providence are pretty cool, too.
- Plan Those Meals, Mama – This is a “Do as I say, not as I do” home management tip. I’m going to get back to meal planning because I know how much of a positive impact it makes on the family and my stress level! There’s nothing like going an entire afternoon without wondering what you’re going to cook for dinner. Plus, meal planning helps us save money and eat more family meals around the table together, too. I think I’m going to try this awesome meal planning printable and system from my friend Kate over at Picklebums this time.
- Use a Shared Calendar App & Set Reminders for Appointments – Keeping a shared calendar on our smartphones has been super helpful for my husband and me to stay on top of our busy family schedule. Of course, it only works when the other partner actually uses it… (Ahem, Clifford. Sometimes he needs a little reminder to check the calendar.) But it’s pretty cool when I get an instant notification after he puts a new appointment in. Or I when I actually get to most appointments on time now because my calendar app reminds me to go! Ha! Here’s a family calendar app to try.
- Declutter, Declutter, Declutter, and DONATE! – When I get overwhelmed with housekeeping and home organization, I know it’s time to do some major decluttering. Which is often! And while it sounds great to make some extra cash with our extra stuff by having a yard sale or re-selling online, who has time? Not this mom! Don’t add more to your schedule if you don’t have the time, either. Just donate it! I keep a donate bag or bin ready at all times to toss things into. Then load it into the car when it’s full to drop off at the donation center. My friend Laura, over at Sunny Day Family, has a great free printable Decluttering Checklist that might help.
- Tame School Paper Clutter – If you have kids in school you know the craziness of school papers. It’s almost like the papers populate themselves right there on the tables and surfaces in the house! Becky, of Your Modern Family, has a great system for dealing with school papers and organizing the “keepers”.
- Think Outside the [Dresser] & Do What’s Best for YOU – This tip for family and home management actually has nothing to do with dressers. But it was laundry, clothes, and dressers that led me to this most-important-tip-of-all. You see… My three kids have upstairs bedrooms. And we don’t have a laundry room in our home; just a washer and dryer in the basement. Clean clothes get brought up to the first-floor living room where they are folded and put awa… wait… hold up. That part never seemed to be happening. Between mom’s back pain and kids’ bedrooms and dressers out of sight, clothes never got put away. And anytime I had the kids (ages 6, 9, and 11) put their own clothes away in their dressers upstairs, they rarely remained folded or even fit into the drawers. So we set up some open bins in our first-floor hallway. Is it an eyesore for guests? Maybe. But entertaining guests in our home doesn’t happen too often. Whereas having the bins easily accessible for the kids to help put their clothes away helps up every single day! So guess what? Clothes bins in the hallway for the win! So that’s how dressers taught me one of the very best home management tips of all:
Think outside the [enter your home/family issue here] and do what’s best for your family!
Don’t forget, you can get a jump on your home management game right now by taking advantage of the instant $10 off you’ll get when you buy 2 Pampers products at Sam’s Club (like Pampers Swaddlers Diapers, Pampers Cruisers Diapers, or Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes)!
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pampers at Sam’s Club. The opinions and text are all my own.
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