Tips for The Working Mom: Chores

by Jennifer Worthington Lower

In a household where both parents work full time, it has become necessary to divvy up the chores in a way that works best for our schedules. I am fortunate enough to have a husband who does the bulk of our down-and-dirty scrubbing each week. I supplement with the daily wipe downs and tidying up.

My least favorite of these jobs is the bathroom wipe down. Even though we share a bathroom with two kids (one of which is potty training), we aren’t messy people. I think it is just the idea of the toilet that really freaks me out. I am a compulsive hand washe,r so the toilet is my nemesis.

My favorite way to tackle my least favorite chore is to do a shower-time scrub. Just before I get into the shower at night (that’s when I usually shower, but it really doesn’t matter when you do it…) I grab the scrub or disinfectant wipes and literally strip down to nothing (we also keep a hamper in the bathroom). I feel liberated not having to worry about getting anything on my clothes and I know that as soon as I finish disinfecting the toilet I can immediately hop into the shower!

While stripping isn’t always an option, I do everything in my power to lump dirty tasks together. Composting, trash, cleaning an animal crate or cat litter…these all fall into the “leave-it-’til-shower time” category. I am much more likely to get them done before bed and I do them much quicker knowing the end is in site.

How do you motivate yourself to get chores done?

Jen is Wife to a wonderful man who has been the love of her life since she was 15 years old, Mother to two adorable munchkins under the age of two and an Entrepreneur who spends her free time writing. You can hear more from Jen at MamaZen, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Tips for Busy Moms: Power Naps

by Jennifer Worthington Lower  

Everyday we rush around doing, doing, doing for everyone but ourselves.  It becomes exhausting and I know for a fact that we could all use a nap.  I have tried the 1-2 hour nap with my kids in the middle of the day, but you wake up groggy and you have wasted precious time that could have been using to cross off things on your to-do list.  I am an advocate for the 20 minute Power Nap. 

According to Jennifer Soong and Michael J. Breus PhD at WebMD,

 “Napping regularly may reduce stress and even decrease your risk of heart disease, according to research from the Harvard School of Public Health and University of Athens Medical School in Greece. To get the most out of a power nap, follow these quick tips from sleep expert Sara C. Mednick, PhD:

• Be regular. Keep a regular nap schedule. Prime napping time falls in the middle of the day, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.falls in the middle of the day, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• Make it quick. Set your cell phone alarm for 30 minutes or less if
• you don’t want to wake up groggy.
• Go dark. Nap in a dark room or wear an eye mask. Blocking out light helps you fall asleep faster.
• Stay warm. Stash a blanket nearby to put over you because your body temperature drops while you snooze.”

You get that boost you need to make it through the rest of the day and you are still productive.  Don’t freak out.  I don’t suggest that you do this everyday, but by all means, if you can? DO IT. 

On the weekends when I am home with the kids, I lay down to recharge for (what I hope is) the first half of nap time and then take the rest to get a few things done without the little ones on my heals.  During the work week, I try to steal a few minutes to myself in my car on my lunch break.  It looks/seems desperate.  But who would I be kidding if I said I wasn’t?  I value sleep, at all costs.

So, if you find yourself with a few extra minutes to rest your eyes this week, take advantage.  You deserve it!

Source:

WebMD.”The Secret (and surprising) Power of Naps.” (accessed May 13,2011)

More about the author: Jen is a 20-something wife and mother of two under two living in Chester County. She and her husband were born and raised in the Philadelphia area, and with the exception of attending and graduating form Shippensburg University, they have no intentions of leaving. Jen spends her days working in an office and trying to find ways to spend more time at home with her family. To get more of Jen and what life is throwing at her, take a look at her blog, MamaZenblog.com

Monday Tips for Busy Moms: Organizing for Daily Life

by Jennifer Worthington Lower

As you can imagine, I’m sure, I love to read organization books and magazines to get ideas for my own life, to help others and to share with readers. I have been in spring cleaning mode which sends organization into overdrive and I like to organize, not only my home, but my life as well. With all of the time I spend trying to think ahead and multitask, I somehow run out of steam when it comes to a “night before” routine. I get to it sometimes, but I usually get involved in things after the kids go to bed and before I know it I’m up way past my bedtime.

Sleep is a huge priority and I am a much nicer person when I get adequate rest, so off to bed I will go.

I have been reading about various tips and systems to implement to make getting out the door in the morning easier and I thought I would share them with you here. Basically, you want to get anything done that can be done ahead of time- Lunches packed, clothes laid out, bags together and maybe even a breakfast table set up.

One system that has come back to me a few times is the daily bin or shelf idea. It is recommended to set up a series of bins (or whatever would work for you and your family) for each day of the week. This gives everything that comes through the door with a deadline a home. Soccer practice on Thursday? Cleats and shin guards are in the bin. Piano lessons on Tuesday? Books and sheet music are ready to go. Something that I am terrible at is unloading my own stuff and sorting it. I will make sure my husband and kids are set and then I will let just wing it when it comes to my things. I figure, at least everyone else is going to be fine, and it will be my own fault if I forget my own stuff. I should not feel that way, but it happens. If I were to implement the bin system, I would save myself the trouble and sore shoulder from lugging unneeded junk around with me everyday.

I have also heard that some families successfully use a folder system or pockets on the refrigerator to keep organized. One folder per family member contains their schedules, forms, assignments, etc…. Everything is in one central location so Mom and Dad can keep track while each child is ultimately responsible for their own things. This would work well for school aged children. Mine are young so we don’t have much paper accumulation yet, but we will. One last thing that I will mention is the master schedule. This can be a hardcopy, paper and pen type calendar or you online calendars synced on your computer and smart phone. Everyone’s assignments and appointments are written in one place and all birthdays, holidays and special events are recorded. I like to have an online and paper copy of this. I always have my phone with me and it would seem to be the most convenient, but I like to write things down. The act of writing it seems to stick with me better than typing it on a key pad. I try to keep my online calendars up to date with my hard copy so there are no mistakes and everyone has a copy at their disposal.

I hope this can inspire you to try something new to make your days run smoothly. What do you do already that helps you organize your life?

Monday Tips for the Working Mom

Any parent can tell you, whether they work full time or are a stay-at-home parent, laundry is never ending. As a working Mommy, I tend to have very little time to do much about the mounds that accumulate at an alarming rate during the week. Yes, I may throw a load in here and there, but that still doesn’t get folded or put away until the weekend when I do the bulk of it. I have a few things that I do to eliminate extra work for myself. I like to look into the world of others to see how they do things, so here’s a look into mine.
The first thing that I keep in mind at all times is not to waste trips up and down the stairs. I make sure that if I have a free hand (or maybe even two) I am taking dirty laundry down the stairs with me so they will make it into the laundry room. I try to keep things separated into color categories by putting all of the lights in one basket and all of the darks in another. I wash all of my clothing in cold water so the temperature doesn’t add additional load separations. I keep stain treatments upstairs and down so that I can treat something on the spot. In the laundry room there is a shelf with detergent (hypoallergenic and fragrance and dye free), stain treatments, a bucket for soaking, baking soda, dye catcher sheets and hangers. I also have two separate baskets in the laundry room so that whatever I have brought downstairs (or stripped off children in the kitchen after a pasta dinner) are always separated and in reach in case I have a few minutes to throw a load in. If you like scented laundry and/or fabric softener, there are brands that have the bars of softener that you can attach to the inside of the dryer so you don’t have to worry about that every time you do the wash. Another option is to keep a few of those socks you can’t match up on top of the dryer and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Pop them into the dryer with your wet clothing and you’ve got some beautifully smelling laundry!
I try hard to keep up on getting things switched from washer to dryer and so on so that the washer is empty for the next time I have a minute. The hangers are there so that anything that cannot be put in the dryer is hung up immediately. I know that some people consider dry cleaning a time saver, but it’s not for me. I don’t consider having to make at least one extra stop each week a saver of time or money. I have to dress appropriately for an office setting during the week, and I do have a few things that need dry cleaning, but they are few and far between. I like to have everything “in house.”
When it comes to folding and putting everything away-I’m lazy. No way around that. If something is inside out when it goes into the wash, that’s probably how it’s getting put away. My husband and kids dig through the drawers and wrinkle everything anyway, why am I going to waste time making sure the stuff is perfect going into the drawer? I know this makes some of you cringe. I have seen the look on faces of people I have told about this, but it works for me. It conserves time and energy and I know I am not the only one low on those things. Who knows? Maybe someone out there needs a nudge to let things be a little less perfect and my “conservationism” (or laziness…) has shown them that it is ok.