Everyday Organizing for Busy Moms {Stay on top of it!}

 

We survived the first week of August which around here means the first week of school! I'm jealous of the people who get a few more weeks of summer, because our kids started back on Monday! It's going to take a little while to get back into the groove of getting up early, but so far we are off to a great start.  It's time for this month's post in the Everyday Organizing for Busy Moms series. 

This month's topic is how to stay on top of it all! Three different school schedules and multiple fall sports makes our fall extremely busy. One week in and I already feel like I have filled out a million forms, gotten a ton of school emails, added hundreds of things to my to-do list, and my sports scheduling app notifications haven't stopped. It's enough to make your head spin and certainly easy to feel like you are drowning in the overload of information. Staying on top of it all is more important than ever at the start of the school year so I thought I would share some tips!

Avoid Procrastination 

My first and most important tip for staying on top of it all is to avoid procrastination!  If you have an email or alert come through asking you to sign an online form, make a payment, RSVP to an event, etc....do it right away.  It might not be convenient to stop what you are doing, but I promise taking two minutes to take care of that task is going to save you feeling like you are drowning in the overload of to-do's in a few days.  

Write it down right away!

Can't take care of something right away?  At least write it down right away.  Add it to your to-do list so you can be reminded of it later. 

When you get a notification from one of the many sports apps we all use for various teams, add it to your calendar right away.  

Thinking to yourself, "I'll do that later when I get home" will likely not happen and it will end up causing more stress and confusion in the long run. 

Manage Emails 

A lot of people have their own ideas and systems for managing their emails, but after talking to a friend the other day I realized not everyone does! A lot of information comes through email and it can be overwhelming to sort through it all. 

If I read an email and know that it requires something of me that I can't do right at that moment I mark the email as unread. That way I know to go back to it later and it won't get buried in my inbox. When I finally sit down at my computer or look on my phone later in the day that little blue dot beside the unread emails easily shows me something I need to read or take care of.  

I am also an email saver.  I know some people like to delete and be done with it, but I save anything that I think might be handy info down the road and it aways proves to be helpful! I have folders in my inbox for so many things...each kid's school year, every sports team, house stuff, etc. 

I recently needed to call the air conditioning repair company and couldn't find the number, but I knew I had saved the invoice he sent me from the last time so I was able to quickly find it.  

I needed to check the time for a meeting at the school and because I saved the newsletter I was able to pull it up quickly instead of having to try to navigate the website to search for it. 

It just makes it so much easier to go back and quickly find what I need! 

I'm sure there are lots of other tips for staying on top of it all during back to school time, but those are the ones that work best for me. Managing multiple kids' school and sports things, along with everything for the house is a lot of work, but I promise staying on top of it will help make it more manageable. Hope everyone has a great start to their school year! 

EVERYDAY ORGANIZING FOR BUSY MOMS 

January {Keep a Family Calendar}

February {To-Do Lists} 

March {Time Pockets}

April {Declutter}

May {Laundry & Dishes}

June {Meal Planning & Grocery Lists}

July {Paper Planners}

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Nice 'n CLEAN Fun

Kids are messy. There's no way around it. For someone who tends to feel a certain level of anxiety when it comes to mess, I've somehow managed to embrace my tiny messy humans. In fact, I've learned the messier the situation, the happier kids seem to be.

Sometimes that's a good thing...and sometimes it sends my inner OCD for a major loop.

For example, supervised finger painting - messy, but fun messy. Unsupervised attempt at making pancakes, with syrup, not so fun messy. That kind of messy requires a date with a shop vac, wipes, and a large glass of wine.

But really, when aren't wipes a good idea? Seriously. I use them for everything. I have them stashed in almost every room of the house. I also keep them in my diaper bag (obviously), my car, my gym bag, the kids sports bags...

You get the idea. I use them anywhere for everything.

Wipes are just so much more effective at cleaning messy little hands and battling germs. When it comes to sanitizing, wipes can remove dirt and soil in one quick swipe. Not something a sanitizing gel can do. I like the reassurance of knowing that I'm really getting everything clean - especially when wipes kill 99.9% of germs and about 80% of common infections are spread by hands. And guess who gets those yucky germs after a tiny cute little set of hands touches them? The mom. The mom always manages to get those germs. So long live the wipe!

My favorite all purpose wipes are these Nice 'n CLEAN Antibacterial Hand Wipes. I usually stock up on the 5x20ct. Family Value Pack at CVS. They are available at a lot of major retailers, but they are located in the allergy section of CVS so I can quickly grab a box or two when stocking up on our allergy meds or on our way to pick up our prescriptions.

I also love that Nice 'n CLEAN wipes are natural. For the last 61 years, Nice-Pak, has worked on being the leader in the wipes market, and they created Nice 'n CLEAN wipes with TENCEL, a 100% plant-based fiber, and gentle formulas.  So I can wipe as often as I like knowing they are safe to use on the sensitive skin of my precious little messes.

Not to mention, I think it's amazing that the Nice 'n Clean wipes have been proven to be 99.9% effective in cleaning peanut residue from hands and hard surfaces. They've partnered with FARE (Food Allergy Research Association) to donate 1% off all proceeds to support their mission of allergy safety and inclusion. We have so many friends with children that have peanut allergies, and almost every year in school there's been at least one fellow student with the allergy. It is reassuring to know that we can use the wipes knowing we are helping in some small way to protect those sweet little ones.

CLEAN FUN CARE KITS

I've shared before that one of my favorite mom-hacks is having little prep kits stashed everywhere. Whether the kids and I are traveling, headed to the park, or hosting a playdate I always have a special "clean fun" kit with me.

The kit is so simple to put together. I grab those mini zipper cosmetic pouches I always seem to accumulate (they are so easy to throw in a diaper bag or purse!), and put all my essentials for battling any sort of mess or germ that might occur during playtime. The Nice 'n CLEAN wipes are my number one addition. Not only do they have superior antibacterial capabilities, but they are the perfect little size to easily throw in the kits.

In addition to the wipes, the kit contains:

• A stain pen - If you've ever been to a playground or have eaten with a child you know this is a must! 
• Disposable gloves - Because sometimes it's a code red mess.
• Hair ties - To keep hair back out of paint, mud, etc.
• A travel size baby powder - To keep the sand in the sandbox! Sprinkle on your little ones skin and it makes sand clean-up so much easier!
• A gallon sized baggie - A multi-purpose essential. It can either hold special treasures your little one finds on the playground, or store wet socks and shoes from an impromptu puddle jumping session. 
• Tissues - These need no explanation, but they tend to also serve a multi-purpose function. 

While I would love to have a germ-free perfectly clean little world, I know that my messy care-free and oh so cute world is one I am much happier to live in. There's so much more joy in letting kids be kids and embracing all that comes with it. With my kit as my back-up, I can quickly wipe away all the mess, but know those joyous giggles and sweet memories will remain.

Now learn more about Nice 'n CLEAN Antibacterial Hand Wipes and see how you can get prepped for all that messy fun headed your way mamas! 

What would be the number one item in your "Clean Fun" kit? 

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NicePak, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #nicencleanwipes  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV