By: Melody Ann Wallace
Let’s face it, we are really busy people. We are constantly working; at our jobs, on our educations, on our homes, at making our bodies trimmer, and at being better spouses and parents. Sometimes, however, we get so wrapped up in all of the others that the latter seems to be the one that suffers. According to Julie Watson Smith, author of Mommyhood Diaries: Living the Chaos One Day at a Time, “When we multitask we are dividing our attention and focus, so we’re not as effective in our roles.” It has often been said to “work smarter, not harder.” With a few practical tips and twists you can maximize your family time while still tackling your To Do list, creating a win-win for the entire family.
Plan and Prepare
Be Practical
You obviously can’t do everything in one day, but sometimes the feeling of having too much to do can overwhelm you to the point where you get very little accomplished at all. Anything is manageable in small chunks. If you find that a task is too daunting, break it down into half-hour or one-hour chunks of time, checking off each item as it is accomplished.
Lean on Location
List all of your errands and pick-ups in order of location. Whether it’s picking up the kids or running to the bank or grocery, if you take the path of least resistance, you will find that you have saved a little gas, a little time, and a little sanity.
Have a Central Calendar and Color Code
Establish a main family calendar that can be hung in proximity to where you enter and exit the home each day. Use a board that can be maintained with dry or wet erase markers and assign different color markers to each family member and their specific activities.
Pinterest-inspired idea: Hang a large manila envelope behind your wall calendar to hold invitations and papers detailing school events; this way they can immediately be marked on the calendar and then dropped into the envelope for easy access later, with no need for searching.
Power Down
According to the Huffington Post, “Adults in the U.S. will spend more than 5 hours each day on ‘non-voice’ mobile activities,” such as iPads, smart phones, computers, Facebook, and the internet.
Set a Timer
If you find that your internet use is absorbing too much of your time, set a one hour timer on your phone to hold you accountable and prevent you from getting “caught in the web” for too long.
Let Your Children be Your Guide
Check email, surf the internet, Facebook, and Pinterest first thing in the morning before the children are up, or in the evening after they have gone to bed. Take urgent and important tasks as they arrive, but do your best not to allow the two to vie for your attention.
Tech-free Tuesday (or any other day)
Choose a night, or weekend morning, where everyone commits to go gadget free and enjoy time together as a family.
Make Technology Work For You
Keeping Up With the Kids
Used wisely and in moderation, technology can offer several benefits to family organization. By signing up for conferences and receiving your child’s school newsletter online, you can save time and unnecessary paper stacks.
Digitize Your Calendar
Free apps like Cozi and Jibidee, offer shared family calendars that you can manage online and from the convenience of your smart phone. Cozi allows you to enter events for each family member, assign them each a specific color, and sends alerts of the event to each member. It also offers grocery shopping and “To Do” lists, as well as a Journal that displays photos and writing somewhat like an extended Instagram entry. Visit m.cozi.com online, or take a look at a sample on your smart phone at the App Store or Google Play Store.
Simplify Meals
With everything you have to accomplish in one day, there is sometimes little time to prepare or even think about what you are going to feed everyone for dinner.
Make More for Later
Buy the family size package (3 lbs or larger) of the one meat ingredient your family eats most (ground beef, chicken, pork). Cook it all on the day of the week that is most convenient and freeze the rest in meal-sized portions. By cooking and separating three pounds of ground beef on Sunday, you will have the perfect addition for tacos, spaghetti sauce, or beef and macaroni.
Take Two
Sometimes picking up dinner seems easiest, but you don’t want to sacrifice money and nutrition. Pick up a large rotisserie chicken and prepared sides at the grocery store for Day 1. When serving or cleaning up, shred the rest of the chicken and put into a container for Day 2. Use the shredded chicken to create a yummy chicken salad or to make Cheesy Chicken Taco Bites with the family.
Cheesy Chicken Taco Bites
2 cups shredded chicken (you can also use 1 lb of the ground beef you prepared earlier)
1 package of wonton wrappers
10 oz enchilada sauce
15 oz can refried beans (optional)
8 oz Mexican blend shredded cheese
Salsa and sour cream for serving
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and place wrappers in tin according to package directions.
3. If using refried beans, combine beans with half can of the enchilada sauce in separate pan and heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Mix remaining enchilada sauce with chicken in another small pan, just long enough to heat.
5. Spoon beans into wonton wrappers first, then top with chicken mixture.
6. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
7. Bake in oven 8-10 minutes, or until wrappers are crispy and cheese is melted.
8. Top with salsa and sour cream, as desired.
Get the Kids Involved
“Divvying up the household chores builds responsibility and self-esteem, which helps children become more successful adults.”
Divide and Conquer Lunches
After returning from the grocery store, have the kids open up and divide snacks into individual portions for the week, placing them in designated baskets (in the fridge or pantry), so that they can easily help pack lunches each evening.
Laundry
For younger children, and smaller families, simply have two different colored baskets, one for dark colored clothes and one for white and lighter colors. Show children how to separate the clothes by color before dropping into the basket.
For larger families, and children ages six and up, give each child their own basket. This way clothes can be washed separately and then returned to their owner for folding and putting away.
DIY Kids
Take the time to show your child how to properly set or clear the table for dinner. This can save you valuable time and anxiety each evening before or after dinner.
For a fun and easy twist, have a Make Your Own Pizza (or taco) Night once a week. It is easy to prepare and set up on the kitchen counter or stove top, and offers children the opportunity to be more independent by serving themselves.
Traditions That Fit Your Family
The most important thing that you can do to make sure that you spend quality time with your family is to remember that this is your family, and that time should be arranged in a way that works best for you, not what conforms to some ideal.
On the Go
If you must pick up dinner one night a week, make it a night that works best with your busy schedule. If Mondays or Wednesdays are filled with activities, pick up dinner and sit together at the ballpark a few minutes early and talk about the day.
Switch it Up
So many parents work off-shifts and odd hours in order to provide for their families, this can affect the time and waking hours that they have to share with their children. Try something different, like making a big breakfast on Saturday morning and then watching a movie or playing a board game together.
Remember, these moments pass quickly…enjoy them!