Save at least 2 hours!

Part 2!
Cooking.
     Most of the time you devote to making meals is actually spent juggling all the interruptions. Cut back your prep time by waiting until the kids have gone to bed, like preparing pancake batter the night before. It only takes about 5 minutes to make, put in the fridge, and set out the syrup, skillet, and spatula you'll need. Small tricks like this can shave up to 20 minutes the next morning. Also look at how you have arranged your kitchen. Simply storing your cooking utensils close to the stove will save you significant time over the course of a year. To shave even more minutes, prepare meals such as chili and stews ahead of time and freeze them.

Cleaning and Organizing.
     Create a portable cleaning caddy with cleansers, paper towels, and sponges. Work your way around one room, one wall at a time, helps you stay focused and avoids running back and forth to the kitchen. This approach typically saves you 50% of cleaning time. To get your kids to help keep the house neat, create a system such as "Jail n' Bail". If they don't put their stuff away, it goes in the jail box, and they have to pay 5 cents to bail it out, or do an extra job. It easily saves you 30 minutes a day.

Who wouldn't want or need 2 more blissful hours per week or per day!?!

Making Time For You!

Try these timesaving ideas to streamline your day, stay better organized, and win back lost time for yourself and your family. This will be a 4-week strategic plan, so stay tuned!
Save at least 1 hour!

Grocery Shopping.

• Avoid shopping during the peak hours of 11a.m. to 1p.m. or 5p.m. to 7p.m. weekdays and you'll cut your shopping trip in half.
• Sort coupons according to aisle in the grocery store and adding to your list how many to grab.
• Stockpile groceries in advance when deals are hot.  If you keep a supply of such products as paper goods, soaps, cereals, crackers, and canned soups, you'll save time by not running back to the store for that one necessary item you always forget to buy.
• Put your groceries through the checkout in categories and have them bagged that way. Once you get home, the putting away is much quicker because they are already sorted.

Laundry.

• Doing 1 load of laundry a day or every other day, saves from wasting a whole Saturday you could be enjoying with your family.

Bills.

• Pay bills online while waiting for an appointment at the doctor, dentist, or beauty shop, maximizing those minutes.

Getting out the door.

• Hang your keys on a peg near the door.
• Have kids help make their lunches and pick out school clothes the night before.
• Put everything you need in the morning in one place before you go to bed at night.

Remember, you deserve even a little bit of bliss!

Toys 4 Tots!

Does your child's bedroom or toyroom look like this?

It looks quite a bit overwhelming to the point you just want to close the door and not think about it.  The kids don't even want to or can't play in there, so they drag random things out to your living room. With just a few hours and maybe some help from the kiddos this Fall Break week, you could turn this room around to a functioning playroom again, and be able to also reclaim your livingroom. Now, is a great time, with Christmas right around the corner, to throw away broken parts, match up lost pieces, donate cleaned up stuffed animals to local hospitals, grown out baby toys to nursery's , or even set-up a mommy-time lunch trade (for easy and cheap Christmas shopping).

 Start with totes or boxes out in the hallway for give-away, not to get mixed up with the toys to be kept, and a huge black garbage bag for garbage. Disclaimer: get rid of these toys ASAP, so those cute little hands don't trickle them back in. Out-of-sight, out-of-mind! Also, using designated totes for like items.

AAHHH!!! Beautiful space for playing! Now comes the consistent part of making sure they keep it that way. Picking up whatever they are done playing with, before getting something else out, is the key. Try creating a reward system, like 10 beans in a baby food jar everytime they clean up, when full they can pick out a treasure from the chest, or go on a one-on-one date with you, an ice-cream cone, or whatever motivates your child. If it gets overwhelming again, try setting a timer for 5 minutes then getting a treat, or have a competition with 2 or more children seeing who can pick up the most. Also helping from day-to-day messes, have certain pick-up times, like right before lunch and right before dinner, making indoor winter-time playing and cleaning alot more blissful!

Yard Smarts

Tackling outdoor chores doesn't have to be a weekend-long project. Here are some tips and tricks to make it more blissful.

1. Put down the rake, simply mow over all those leaves, giving you a healthier lawn come next spring. The cut leaves fertilize your lawn as they decompose.

2. Properly store tools to make them last longer. Keeping small spades and hoes in a bucket of sand helps seal out the moisture, preventing the oxidation that can lead to rust.

3. Pull weeds after it rains. We all know that the damp dirt allows it easier to pull the entire plant shaft out of the ground instead of just the top of the weed.

4. Pick plants and flowers wrapped in eco-wrap rather than plasic pots, cutting down on planting time and waste. Choose plants wrapped in eco-wrap similar to egg-carton cardboard.

5. Keep the hose handy. Keeping the trees and shrubs hydrated through late November helps them recover from the summer heat. Try poking a pencil into the surrounding soil; if it comes up clean, it's time to water.

Take it Down!

Those who know me well, know that every Monday, yes every Monday without fail, (unless govt. holiday, because my hubby is home) I wash sheets and catch up on all laundry. Today, or sometime this week, (whenever your laundry day may be), take down your curtains and wash them. While they are down, go ahead and wash the windows and blinds as well with a slightly damp microfiber cloth. Not to forget both sides of the blinds and the window sill, especially if you've had those windows open.

If you haven't started your blissful Fall Cleaning, this is a great jumping off point. (Yes, go ahead and jump up and down on the bed when you are done, to celebrate!)