Read items 1-5 and 6-10 here.
11) A calendar system that works for you. You have to be organized. I repeat. You have to be organized. I am working on this, because there are 11,000 little bits of information that I need to be able to recall on a daily basis. Am I the snack mom today? How many kids are in his class? 13? 14? Are they allowed to drink red juice? Doesn’t my daughter get out of school early today? Did I schedule their annual doctor’s appointment? When is it? Where’s that form…? I use my Google calendar to keep me organized. EVERYTHING goes on there, with its own alert (big items get two alerts) to keep me from forgetting the big and little things that keep our house running smoothly.
12) A smartphone. Is this a true necessity? Only if you can afford it. I didn’t have a smartphone until Christmas 2011. I was making it work with my old 2007 Samsung slider phone. Then I got an iPhone for Christmas and my world changed, literally. My Google calendar is always at my fingertips, I have an asthma journal to help me keep track of my daughter’s flare-ups, and I can’t tell you how much I love it for keeping my son busy when I have to take him along to an advisor appointment.
13) Something to organize the toys. I haven’t bought my kids toys in over a year. But if you came to my house, you wouldn’t be able to tell because there is crap everywhere. We bought two big bins to put their toys in and of course they overflowed. So I began to purge so only the toys that fit in there would stay. Problem solved. I’m not tripping over puzzle pieces and Legos and they don’t have to hear me fuss about why their toys aren’t put away. Win-win.
14) A savings account just for “me-time” stuff. We find ourselves at the bottom of the list so often, particularly in those first five years of motherhood because we’re still figuring everything out. Will the baby be okay if we go out on a date? What am I supposed to wear—none of my clothes fit? When was the last time I showered? If we don’t make ourselves a priority, we run the risk of becoming bitter and resentful. After all, we give so much of ourselves to our families, when is it going to be our turn? This savings account doesn’t have to be anything official – it could just be the coin jar you keep your loose change in and take to a Coinstar machine once it gets full.
15) Easy access to washer and dryer. My friend Melissa suggested this one and it’s so true! I’ve been lucky enough to have a washer and dryer in each of the apartments I lived in and there is no telling how much it saved me from having to lug a toddler and a baby across town to the landromat. Don’t underestimate the amount of dirty laundry babies can make.
I love this list you have been making. I was a type A organized person before and I definitely am now. I bought a 4 drawer cart for my sons toys. He can reach open a draw and pull out puzzles, blocks, etc. There are still toys out of course, but it looks a lot better.