What are you doing for mommy dearest this Mother’s Day? Gone is the stereotype that all mothers are “just” homemakers bound to slaving over hot stoves and cleaning up after children. Moms are so much more than that and they’re busier than ever. As a tribute to all the mommies in the audience, we here at Futurelooks would like to provide this guide for busy moms. By taking advantage of these time-saving strategies, they just may be able to find a little more “me” time and a little more time to relax.
Automate the Allowance Process
You have enough things on your mind that have you worried. You have those monthly mortgage payments. You have to deal with getting the lunches ready for the children. You have to deal with the office politics at your job. You don’t want to “waste” time on the kids’ allowances. Instead of having little Sally and young Timmy pester you each week for their allowances, set them up with a basic checking account at your local bank.
Most financial institutions have free accounts for children and, when they reach a certain age, you can entrust them with a debit card of their own. This can help teach them about responsibility and saving, but more importantly, it will allow you to automate the allowance process. Get your bank to set up weekly transfers from your account to the kid’s account. Depending on your plan, these transfers should be free of fees. Timmy and Sally get their money and you have one fewer item on your to-do list.
Use the App for Fun Recipe Ideas
As much as Chuck enjoys your Mac and Cheese, he doesn’t want to eat it every night. Dinner options can be a little more varied in your home and you don’t have to waste time buying cookbooks and printing out online recipes. If you happen to have an Apple iPhone or an iPod touch, you can grab the DinnerSpinner app from the good folks at Allrecipes.com.
You’ve probably used a few of their recipes already, but now you have a super portable version to use. All you need is a simple iPhone stand of some kind and you can have all sorts of recipes close at hand. They let you search by ingredient, read nutritional information, and see selected recipe ratings and reviews. The basic DinnerSpinner app is free or you can upgrade to DinnerSpinnerPro for even more features for a fee through iTunes.
Expedite Your Coin Sorting
Many families have change jars. These jugs of pennies, nickels, and dimes can amount to quite a bit of money, but they can take a long time to sort and roll. Make the process so much easier with the Magnif Digital Coin Counter and Sorter.
This handy cool lets you dump in all of those coins and it will automatically sort them, preparing them for your rolling pleasure. The digital display keeps you updated on how much cash you have too. If you can’t get this particular Magnif model, several others like it are available at many online and offline retailers too. Amazon is a good place to try.
Send Email and Text Messages Instead
In case you haven’t noticed, that teenage babysitter doesn’t spend too much talking on the phone anymore. Instead, she much prefers to send text messages to her friends and keep them updated on Twitter. You need to adjust your communication methods accordingly.
When you are out for the night and want to check in on the children, send a quick text message to the babysitter rather than call her. You’re more likely to get a prompt reply and you know that she’ll get the message (she might not pick up your home phone).
The concept of using text messages and e-mail to communicate can extend to your own kids too. It can be hard to keep track of all those soccer practices, dentist appointments, and family excursions. By using text messages and email, you leave a (virtual) paper trail that can easily be referenced. Does this de-humanize the human interaction element? Perhaps, but it sure makes life a little more efficient.
Cozi Up Your Grocery Shopping List
We’ve all been there. You come back from the grocery store with bags full of purchases, only to realize that you forgot to buy item A or product B. It’s a pain when you have an incomplete shopping list.
The first part of this tip is to keep a notepad in the kitchen somewhere, preferably stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. When you run out of something, write it down on this notepad right away. Tell everyone in the family to do this. By doing so, you’ll be sure to note everything that needs to be purchased.
The second part of this tip is to use a tool like the one offered by Cozi. It’s free and you can send a text message to your account to automatically add something to your shopping list. You can even call in to get your list read to you or, better yet, access the mobile site to read the list on the go.
Organize Events with Google Calendar
Are you planning a small get-together? Maybe you’re hosting a birthday party or a baby shower? The old fashioned way would have you calling each of the potential attendees to supply the necessary details and to collect RSVPs, but we’re in the 21st century now.
You could use the Facebook Events utility, but that could be a little too public for some people’s tastes. You could use a service like Evite, that’s very “standalone” in nature. Instead, you can set up the event using Google Calendar instead.
In addition to organizing your own appointments, Google Calendar allows you to invite guests, track RSVPs, and allow attendees to leave comments. This is all integrated back into Google, so it means you can sync it with your smartphone quickly and easily.
Time Dinner with Rice Cookers and Crock Pots
If you’re a working mom, time is probably not on your side. After fighting through the rush hour commute to come home after a hard day at the office, the last thing you want to do is prepare dinner from scratch.
While it’d probably be easier if you can convince your significant other or the kids to handle this task, there is another way that you make dinner easier on you. Use timers. Many rice cookers, for example, have small computers that let you set when you want the rice to be cooked. Set it in the morning and come home to a ready meal.
Another great option is a crock pot or slow cooker. These can be prepared in the morning (or even the night before), letting a stew slowly cook over the course of the day. When you come home, the food is ready to be served. No mess, no delay. Shop for these at your local kitchen appliance store or snag one online.
Let Roomba Clean the Room
Not a fan of the vacuum? Again, it’s probably best if you can delegate this task to someone else in the house, but it could mean that you’ll have to do some nagging. Thankfully, gadgets and electronic devices rarely talk back. Leave the job up to a Roomba instead because he was born to suck!
Instead of having to push around the Hoover on your own, which can be infuriating and back breaking, especially in those low spaces, Roomba doesn’t have a back and he only has one purpose. You can let the Roomba make its way around the living room, den, and bedrooms on its own. Many models are good with carpet, tile, and hardwood floors too. The best part about Roomba is how he can get into those low down places like underneath beds and cabinets. There’s a model for every need and every budget it seems.
Combine the Washer and Dryer
The fewer tasks you have to manage, the better. When it comes to the laundry, several steps are usually involved. So, if you can eliminate some of these tasks, your life could be just a smidge easier.
When you have a separate washer and dryer, you have to transfer the load of clothes from one to the other. Thankfully, many manufacturers — like LG — are now making washer-dryer combinations that are all-in-one units. So, you still have to load up the machine with your dirty clothes, but you don’t have to transfer to a dryer. It’ll do both. Unfortunately they aren’t cheap.
You may have also heard about the new Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets. These contain the detergent, softener, and anti-static “in powerful sheet.” The Purex sheets simplify the laundry process even further, freeing your hands and attention for other tasks. Thankfully these are cheap and mom would appreciate them.
Be Thankful You Don’t Have “Plus Eight” or “Nineteen”
Moms of all ages are very busy people. They take on many different roles with the different people in their lives, so any way that they can find to save some time can be incredibly valuable. The tips described in this article should help in that regard. As busy of a mom as you may be, it’s unlikely that you have to deal with a cheating husband and take care of eight growing children. Yes, be thankful that you’re not Kate Gosselin or, worse yet, Nadya “Octomom” Suleman. Happy Mother’s Day!
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