Keep things where you need them: As your kids get older, the "important" things they need for their daily activities will change.
As infants, they always need baby wipes, formula, and diapers. But, as my children are getting older and heavily into sports, I seem to always require Band-Aids, ice packs, power bars, and a change of clothes. Regardless of the items they need, or their age, the principle remains the same: keep things where you need them.
For example, I have two plastic bins in my car. The first bin usually has some snacks--you can never have enough (no matter what age), baby wipes (another ageless product for quick clean-ups), and paper towels. In the second bin, I keep a set of clothes for each of my children. These bins are always in the trunk of my car and they have saved us more times than I can count.
In the same light, keep all your bath items in a basket near the tub. Parker always has his bath toys and swimming goggles (yes, it is true--he wears them in his bath every night). By having this bath bin, I am never tempted to leave him alone should I realize I am missing something.
Keep a family calendar: In our home, we call our calendar "command central." It lists everything--where everyone is going, at what time, and it extends for a full year. We keep it next to our phone and check it every night to be sure we know what is planned for the next day.
Our calendar has to be in pencil because we know we can't commit anything to pen, but I am not opposed to color highlights by family member.
In addition to my old-school approach of writing it down, there are also many great tools available online to help manage family time and resources. Refer to the "Resources" section at the end of this book for additional ideas.
Create a weekly schedule: In our home, we know that Saturday we pick up the dry cleaning and Sunday we pay the bills.
A great way to establish a clear routine is to have a written household schedule. To start, make a list of everything you need accomplished on a weekly basis. These items should include many of the obvious culprits: grocery shopping, bill paying, getting the mail, dog walking, and filling the cars with gas. Then, assign each activity to a day of the week.
Of course, all of these activities should not be done only by you (refer back to the chapter on "Build a Real Partnership"). By splitting time-consuming tasks and assigning them planned days of the week, you will be better able to keep your chores manageable.
Remember to also keep your older children involved in the schedule. Megan and Emily know they are responsible for keeping their rooms clean, making their beds, and emptying the dishwasher--every day. This alleviates the work my husband and I need to do at home, and also gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Samantha Knowles is the author of Working Mom Reviews. Are You looking for a scientifically proven program, backed by university research that will get you perfectly cut, ripped abs? Check out MI40x To know about how to harness them through telekinesis, materialization check out Miracle Mastery
