If you are new, start here! Our goal is to Make ONE Mother’s Day with some time-saving tips or sanity-saving tips that might be basic to you – but could be genius to another mom. Let’s help each other out!
Today’s Tip 5 is by Joy T of Team Tall Thomas
by Joy
Here is our recycling bin with my children’s school papers going into it! Horrors! Yes! This is really what i do! Don’t tell me you do not have forty thousand precious examples of your child’s writing or artwork. And times three for three kids. You? Keep only THE BEST. 1 of every 10 (or 20!). That one goes into a plastic bin for that child. You will not remember it once it’s in the bin and you will breathe relief when you can blissfully reminisce on kids’ creative and academic achievements as well as easily store it. Protected and Precious and Minimal. Check.
Joy Thomas has started no businesses, has no dreams of blogging or inventing or doing something very new. Her mind just does not think that way. What she is – is a good follower of wherever God leads her to be and do. Currently, that is an elementary school art teacher, a wife of 14 years and a mom of three and a content, humble follower of Jesus.
Joy is a treasured friend of Courtney, a contributor of this blog a fierce competitor in the annual Family Olympics. I know she is training.
Today’s Tip 6 is by Susan Merrill of iMOM
by Susan
I don’t give a lot of practical household advice because I am not the queen of clean! But we were sharing a few tips during an iMOM content brainstorm and I realized I have a couple good ones that came to me out of desperation. With 5 kids I had to develop a laundry strategy out of self defense!
My laundry solution is to keep a fine tipped squeeze bottle filled with bleach on the washer. As I load the washer with whites anything that needs a dot of bleach gets it directly. Then it goes right into the washer and voila! The load is white, bright and spotless and there are no leftover drops in the machine that leak onto the next load of laundry.
My second laundry tip comes from an over load of wrinkled laundry. With the 5 kid run around I am constantly throwing clothes in the dryer but I am rarely home or available when the dryer cycle completes. So clothes cool in a very wrinkled position. And ironing?! That takes even longer. My friend, Michelle, taught me this one. Take a fine spray bottle of water. As you hang clothes up give them a spritz and just smooth the shirt (or pants) with your hands and let it hang dry. So easy! This doesn’t smooth out all fabrics but it works well enough on most knits and heavy cottons to cut down the ironing load. See more tips and ideas at my site or iMOM anytime. Courtney and I love to build up moms!
Susan is the world’s sweetest, cutest mom of 5. I don’t even remember how we first met – the Chick-fil-A connections, dotMOM world or blogosphere but we made fast friends. We share a passion for motherhood and how to support this community well. I absolutely love how she works with her husband Mark and his endeaveavors on Family First and All Pro Dad. She was also so kind to help spread the joy on Light Em Up last year and invite me to Tampa to her regular TV spot. Love you Susan! Oh – and don’t forget to check out her book Passionate Mom!
Catch up on the other tips we are sharing leading up to Mother’s Day!
Tip 1 – Bathing kids together to save sanity
Tip 2 – Painting nails in a way to survive kids and last longer than 4 minutes
Tip 3 – Saving time with trash bag placement
Tip 4 – Setting up activity center so play time is more efficient
Make a Mother’s Day – Tip 3 and 4