Good Find #3!

I'm finding all sorts of helpful tips today!

From http://www.rookiemoms.com:

Kerry and her husband Rob, are the authors of the new book, How to Have Your Second Child First: 100 Things That Are Good to Know… the First Time Around (Chronicle Books).

When our mutual friend Lisa introduced us, I told Kerry that I am frankly too lazy to review her book since it’s no longer possible for me to have my “second child first”, but that I would like to know if she could share some advice with some actual rookies. “How about what to pack your diaper bag, or what a new mom should stock in her car?”

Here’s what she said:

Stock Up

It’s a classic new parent moment: You open your diaper bag at a restaurant, and realize it’s got a thousand things in it—but not one actual diaper. Or you drive to your old office to show off your newborn, and realize you have spit-up (or worse) on your shirt. These are but a couple of examples of why you should keep your car stocked! By keeping a few things in a cardboard box on the floor of your trunk, you have a constant insurance policy….and you don’t have to pack a bunch of stuff every time you leave the house. Want to stay longer than expected at a friend’s place but it’s almost baby’s meal time? No problem. Breasts leaking on your way to a job interview? You’re covered. Here’s what experienced parents advise keeping in your box at all times (and don’t forget to restock!) I guarantee it will save you more than once.

• Five diapers
• Full-size pack of wipes (to clean hands, faces, and clothing, as well as bottoms)
• Hand sanitizer
• Bottle of water (for drinking, dealing with messes, or mixing formula)
• Baby blanket (for warmth or to use as a changing pad)
• Nonperishable snack (if baby’s on solids), such as a couple of wrapped teething biscuits or zwieback toast
• Nonperishable snack for you (like an energy bar or trail mix)
• Sustenance for one meal if your baby is not breast-feeding exclusively (i.e., bottle and dry formula and/or one jar baby food with spoon and bib)
• Change of clothes for baby (make sure it’s size- and season-appropriate as the months pass)
• Change of shirt for you (and spare breast pads if nursing)
• Towel (for any number of things, from drying off playground swings to mopping up spit up; this is a great way to recycle your ratty dishtowels)
• Extra pacifier, if your baby uses one
• Extra favorite toy, book, or lovey, to pull out in a pinch

Going out on foot with your stroller? Don’t lug that huge diaper bag around with you. Keep two diapers, a zip-top bag of wipes, a blankie and/or small folding changing pad, and an emergency five-dollar-bill (in case you need coffee or a cookie) in the stroller basket at all times, so you can head out in a flash—without feeling like a pack mule.

Before Bed Tips

I found this list on another site, planningwithkids.com. I don't have 5 kids yet and my life though busy at home isn't busy outside of the home yet either but I think this could be a good reference in several years. I do have a list of things I do before I "turn out the lights" for the day, I clean up the kitchen table, the kitchen counters, sweep kitchen floor, clean high chairs and pick up toys. That does seem to help me start out fresh the next day or at least not feel swamped as soon as I get out of bed! Anyway here's this list for reference.

1. Set Table For Breakfast.

We set out the place mats, bowls, spoons, glasses, cereal boxes so all that is required in the morning is for the juice and milk to be taken out of the fridge. This means that everyone can serve themselves as they get up.

2. Prepare Lunch Boxes.

This is by far much easier to the night before than in the morning. You can see my process in detail here at Preparing School Lunches.

3. Complete Notices.

The children have a folder where they place any notices from school when they arrive home. I will fill them in as required and place them in their lunchbox for collection. It is their responsibility to then see that it makes its way to school.

4. Ensure Clean and Available Uniforms/Clothes.

We don’t actually put the clothes out for the school kids, but Mr I and I will will make sure that their uniforms are in the right spot for the children to get them. I will work with the preschooler to lay out clothes for the next day. He is at a stage where he is very particular about what he will and won’t wear. Having them organised the night before means that if he wants to wear his “motorbike t-shirt” that I have the time to calmly find it for him. If I leave this to the morning, I find that this sort of demand more frustrating and time consuming and it starts to build up stress in the house if it takes me some time to locate the desired t-shirt.

5. Un-stack Dishwasher.

Depending on what I have cooked and who we have had to visit, our dishwasher can do 2 -3 cycles in a day. Almost always we put the dishwasher on after dinner and Mr I then empties it before bed. As one of the kids jobs is to stack the dishwasher in the morning, it is so much easier if it is emptied.

6. General Tidy.

With 5 children, I have realistic expectations about the tidiness of our house. One thing I find really helps is to try and start each day with a relatively tidy house. This doesn’t mean perfection, but means all things back in their place, so when the toddler makes his way into the lounge room for the first time in the morning and starts tipping out the blocks, it is just one layer of toys on the floor!

7. Empty The Bin/s.

We have three small bins inside: rubbish, recycling and compost. It is most likely that one of these will need to be emptied and Mr I does a check of these at night. Having them emptied means less running around for me the next day.

8. Check The Calendar.

As dates for events come in, they all go up on the family calendar. Checking it regularly means that I have a better idea of what is coming up and can then make the appropriate plans.

9. Make To Do List.

I find that once I have written down my to do list, I automatically feel more in control of what I have to do the next (few) day/s. It also means that I can plan the best way to prioritise the activities that need to be completed and reduce the level of running around that I do.

10. Wind Down.

This is a new one for me. I am now trying to turn the computer of 30 minutes before I want to go to bed and having time to just potter around, read etc, before I hop into bed. This should mean that I go to bed calmer and feeling more relaxed.

What is your night time routine? What things do you do, to help make mornings easier?

More Structure?

I'm not big on keeping to a schedule, well, I'd love to have one, but I've found they haven't really worked for my girls. I outline MY day more or less, what I have to do, what we'll eat, but I don't really have a schedule for the girls. I'm wondering if a little more "structured playtime" will help with the meltdowns and clingies Lily has throughout the day. I've been so behind on laundry, etc that I tend to work work work while the girls are up. They play well alone and together in the mornings but as the day goes on Lily gets crankier (tired I'm sure). We have a routine, eating, snacking at the same times and getting ready for bed, I just wonder if making more of a point to take 30-45 mins once or twice a day to play or craft with her will give her more definition for the day and help ease her clinginess.

I also want to make a point to put her in her crib for 30 mins to an hour everyday at the same time either to play or nap. She's gotten bad about not napping, then being Meany Molly by supper time. I've done this a couple times this week and she has NOT liked it. She cries for 20-30 mins then actually falls asleep so I'll keep at it. I certainly need the "down time"! Something about our days has to change, it just doesn't seem to be working very well as it is right now. Maybe we just need to be able to get OUTSIDE!!!

Time Saving.

I came across this today:

Moms everywhere seem to share the same problem: There's not enough time to get everything done, let alone do it well and quickly. Meanwhile, we're tripping over piles of toys and can't find anything in our closet because we never have time to organize it.

Our families are counting on us, too, which means more pressure to whip through all our duties, from grocery shopping to scrubbing bathtubs. "Moms are always on call," says Susan Newman, mother of five and author of The Book of No: 250 Ways to Say It — and Mean It — and Stop People-Pleasing Forever.

"You're on call with your cell phone. You're on call with e-mail. You're on call 24 hours a day. You're on call when the baby wakes up in the middle of the night."

When we add our regular on-call status to our already long to-do list, we're left exhausted, wishing we had more time just to be with our families instead of running errands.

Some "Time Saving" tips:

6. Skip ironing and get wrinkles out of a shirt or pair of trousers by putting them in the dryer for 15 minutes with a damp hand towel.
7. Stop wasting time looking for things you use often, like scissors, reading glasses, or baby wipes. Stock up and keep duplicates in the rooms where you spend the most time.
8. Designate 30 minutes after dinner for cleaning —
9. Organize your favorite articles, parenting information, and recipes so you can find them more quickly. Place pages from online sites, magazines, and newspapers in page protectors and stash them in a three-ring binder.
10. Shop for holiday and birthday gifts year-round. Whenever you see a great gift for someone you love, buy it and set it aside for giving later.
11. Set the table the night before and put items like bowls, utensils, cereal, fruit, toaster, and bread out to avoid a morning rush.
12. Limit personal e-mail and computer time to twice a day.
13. Hire a babysitter for a couple of hours on the weekend so you can tackle household duties and errands without kids in tow.
14. Chop all your vegetables, fruits, and herbs for the week's meals at one time so everything will be ready for cooking.
15. dd important appointments and activities to a master calendar in your e-mail in-box and set up reminders for up to one week ahead.
16. Sort belongings into clear, labeled bins that can be stacked and stowed so your child can easily find things like DVDs and toys without your help. Use brightly colored labels and picture labels for toddlers and preschoolers who can't read.
17. Keep disinfecting and glass wipes in the bathroom for quick cleanups around toilets, sinks, and mirrors. You could even do a speedy wipe-down while you bathe the kids.
18. Keep cardboard boxes labeled "donate," "trash," or "consign" in the garage or storage closet to routinely rid your house of unused items and clutter.
19. Designate a cabinet in your kitchen for medicine so you'll have easy access to everything from pain reliever to bandages when and where you need them. Make sure it's secured with a child-safe lock.
20. Sort medicine into small, labeled storage bins — one bin for children's medications, one for adult cough and cold remedies, one for first-aid supplies, and so on, and keep them in the locked cabinet.
21. Keep a pack of thank-you cards in the glove box of your car or in your daily planner so you can write notes while sitting in the car or waiting for a doctor to see you.
22. Keep an assortment of greeting cards on hand, filed by occasion. You'll save time on trips to the store, and you can quickly take care of an unexpected birthday or send off a heartfelt condolence.
23. Forget sorting laundry. Wash everything in cold water.
24. Soak before you wash. Fill your sink or a bucket with soapy water and place dirty dishes, bottles, and other cooking and eating items in there. When you get around to them, they'll be much easier to clean