With every passing day, our lives grow busier and busier. Some months pass in the blink of an eye. One minute it’s the beginning of the month. And the next we find ourselves scratching our heads because we don’t know where the time went.
To say we are an active family would be an understatement. We love to spend time together, doing various kinds of activities. Some new and some old.
My husband and I also actively support our kids and the sports and activities they take part in, many of which are outside, which can get rough for me, even though I love the spending time outside.
Because our lives are so incredibly busy, it can be hard to keep our lives running smoothly. And if we aren’t careful, we can easily forget where we’re supposed to be or do. (It’s happened before.)
I’m not one who likes to leave things to chance. My husband either. We like to be prepared for anything that comes our way. Because we’re proactive and try to think and plan ahead, we have come out with a list of ways to manage your busy life and have fun that we’d like to share with you.
- Write everything in a big 8.5″ x 11″ planner. Why this size, you ask? I’ve tried the small pocket calenders and the ones that hang on the wall, and they just aren’t big enough. With four kids’ schedules to juggle, plus our own tasks, we need a large planner that allows us to write detailed notes about upcoming events, like tae kwon do testings, parents’ nights at school, award ceremonies, etc. (This also comes in handy if you are a blended family and have to keep track of when you have the kids, especially if you frequently take your kids early on agreed upon custody days or extra days that aren’t typically yours, like we do. It helps keep everything flowing smoothly. Everything is always marked down.
- Plan your meals out ahead of time. I always have our meals planned out one to two weeks in advance, sometimes longer, depending on what the kids’ schedules look like. I make sure to plan easier meals on the days we have a lot going on because on those days I don’t usually have a lot of prep time. Different types of sandwiches or crockpot meals are my friends on those days. Also, I make sure to write down the recipes for new meals in my recipe journals so I don’t have to search for them the day of. It can be a pain to find the one you liked the looks of when you’re a compulsive pinner like me.
- Keep first aid supplies in your vehicle. With four kids to watch over comes a lot of bumps, bruises and cuts. Many times we’ve been out and about when one of the kids will get hurt and ask for a bandage or some kind of pain reliever. Or in my case, contact cleaner, eye drops and allergy meds to help deal with my HORRIBLE allergies. Nothing can make dealing with the kids’ activities hard than having bad allergy attack to something. And this Spring has been ROUGH, to say the least. My eyes and skin start itching within minutes of being outside, which is frustrating since I spent the whole Winter wishing for Spring and Summer.
- Keep snacks and drinks in the car. Our kids always get hungry and thirsty when we’re out, so instead of wasting money at the store, we try to keep some snacks and drinks with us at all times just in case. We also keep extras in there in case one of their friends needs something.
- Use all® free clear for those with sensitivities. Out of the six of us, three of us have skin issues. My son started his when he was little. We’ve since found out that he has eczema on various parts of his body, which get irritated by harsh irritants and perfumes. As for my stepdaughter, she gets little flesh-colored bumps on her back that often itch like crazy. Awhile back we started washing her clothes with all® free clear, and when she’s with us, her skin doesn’t itch. And then there’s me. I’ve had allergies to various things for as long as I can remember. As I’ve grown older, they’ve gotten worse, and I now deal with itchy skin due to irritants in laundry detergent. That leads to a lot of scratching and dry skin, which is no fun. all® free clear makes it so we are #FreeToBe us…to be active…to spend time outdoors…to live in the moment and enjoy what is going on around us. And I love that. (My personal favorite is the all® free clear Mighty Pacs. I love that I don’t have to measure out any liquid. I can just dropped a Mighty Pac in and it’s good to go.
Do you have any other tips you’d like to share because my husband and I are always looking for ways to make our lives run more efficiently.
About all® free clear products®®
- 100% hypoallergenic and 100% free of dyes and perfumes
- Contains 9 ingredients
- Can be used in both standard and HE (high efficiency) washing machines
Is the #1 recommended laundry detergent brand by dermatologists, allergists and pediatricians for those with sensitive skin.- Received the National Eczema Association (NEA) Sea of Acceptance™, which means the all® free clear line of products (liquid and mighty pacs), fabric softener and dryer sheets are free of certain chemicals, dyes, perfumes and residues that are known to cause adverse reactions in those with eczema or sensitive skin.
Where to buy:
You can purchase all® free clear products online and in stores.