If I invited you over to my house during the week, you could be forgiven for thinking I was slightly bonkers (or time challenged).
You see, there’s a very good chance the table would be laid and the food partially served for the next meal. Breakfast prepared before bed, plates laid for dinner before the kids come home from school. But I am not completely out of kilter. I am just doing what I can to be super organised.
You see like all mums I am busy, and bringing up three kids as a single Mum, and working would be practically impossible without some form of structure. It is the only way I can get through the week.
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So here are my top tips for organising the chaos.
Tip #1
School uniforms are on before breakfast, including socks and shoes. Try and get them to lay them out the night before so they jump straight into them when they wake up.
Tip #2
Ban TV in the morning. It sounds like hard work but it actually keeps things running smoother. The kids don’t get distracted and they actually respond when you tell them to “get dressed and put on that shoe now!” The only warning is that the noise level is a little higher.
Tip #3
Lunchboxes – they are hard work, aren’t they? Force yourself to unpack them as soon as the kids walk in the door (or get the kids to unpack them) and then repack the majority of it while the kids are being fed. Leave the sandwiches till the morning but you can easily pack their crackers, cut up the fruit, put in some yoghurt or smoothies and throw the whole thing in the fridge ready for just a fresh sandwich in the morning.
Tip #4
Snack foods are a godsend. There is such a misconception that snack foods are a no-no for “good mothers”. Let’s get real here. They are not all bad. Make your choices wisely and you will never look back. It saves wastage – if the kids don’t want something in their lunchbox you can just transfer it to tomorrow’s lunch. It is so easy to throw a few smoothies, some yoghurt tubs and some pre-packed packets of rice crackers into a bag for those afternoon activities. Life is hard enough for us already, why make it tougher?
Tip #5
Laundry: don’t let it pile up. Get it done, get it folded and get it away. A tsunami of clean clothes tumbling through the laundry is never helpful. Some people swear by having three labeled laundry baskets so the kids can put their dirty clothes straight into the “whites”, “colours” or “delicate” baskets. (With two boys in my house we need a “heavy duty” basket too!)
Tip #6
Pack their bags the night before and have them ready to go so you are not scrambling around looking for that all important loom band or pencil case the next day.
Tip #7
Use the weekends wisely – this is the time I organise the cupboard with lots of ziplock bags filled with crackers, pretzels, sultanas and dried fruit. They are easy to grab on the way out the door during the week or to throw in a lunch box. Pre-cook as many meals as possible and do double – then whack them in the freezer.
What are your top tips for keeping organised?
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Top Comments
Is this Andrea Moss lol!
Here goes Kids 101.
Baths at night, everyone to get into uniforms including shoes as soon as they get out of bed, TV allowed only after breakfast finished by everyone and children are ready with schoolbags on their backs - it's amazing how quick and cooperative kids are when they want to be.
Afternoon, bags unpacked - including notes and lunchboxes brought to kitchen and repacked except sandwich next morning - children who do all the right things, get a lunch order on Friday, a treat for all. Everyone changes into play clothes/after school sports gear before after-school snack.
Everyone, including adults have their own dirty clothes bins, which are brought to the laundry on Friday evening, children have enough shirts, shorts/tunics, sox to last all week - thereby only having to wash once a week per person, this means there is no sorting of clothes - into the washer, into the dryer or on to the clothes line in their section, when dry into a laundry basket and back to their own bedroom. Important note - avoid red/burgundy clothes as they can run and spoil a load - if this is unavoidable use RUNAWAY in load. There is no ironing as clothes are folded straight out of the dryer or of the line and there is no sorting as every bodies stuff stays separate, all washing is done and dry and put away by Saturday night .
All children have a chest of drawers with exactly the same clothes in each draw i.e., top draw sox and undies, next t-shirts and shorts etc. This means all children and husband know where everything is and the older children can help the younger ones and everyone knows where their clean clothes go.
All children from age 3 - about the time they start kindy, do all above (its amazing how keen little kids are).
Breakfast a choice of cereal, toast and fresh fruit. Dinner 14 day rotation menu, easy to shop, cook and freeze double recipes of suitable dishes i.e., bolognese, chilli, curry, soup. Children friendly recipes kept for weekends - the sooner they learn to cook, the better for all.
Everyone keeps their room tidy, on Sundays anything left on floor goes into a box and children have to pay to get their stuff back - the fine depends on how much pocket money they get - according to their age. Pocket money is paid after possessions are paid for - a big incentive not to leave stuff on floor or out of place.
This may sound very regimented, however it was a survival tactic when I was diagnosed with cancer and and was going for chemo and radiation every day for 6 weeks, also not feeling too great.
Years later this has kept the family in good stead and all the children are very capable of looking after themselves.
I like the bit about having to pay to get your toys back! My three year old occasionally throws her toys in the baby's playpen, so now if I find one in there she loses it for a whole week and she knows it. Ditto if she throws something on the floor in a strop. If she brings artwork or handmade cards home from family daycare, great, it goes on display, but if she decides to grab it, play with it and ultimately rip and crumple it, it goes straight in the bin. After all, bits of ripped up cardboard are rubbish, right? Our house is too small to be hoarding stacks of that stuff. If it's good and lasts a couple of weeks without getting ruined I'll store it somewhere safe.
Copying and pasting your whole post so I can refer to it when schooldays come around.
Hi cj74, I'm glad you could use some of the ideas. The more of the mundane everyday stuff is on automatic, the more time you all have for family and fun. If you're a working mum you want to enjoy the time you have with your husband and children and not spend your precious time as a drudge.