Friday, September 10, 2010

At Least I Fed the Kids

There are gazillions of websites, blogs, books and articles on how to "do it all". I bet if you ask your mail carrier, you'd even get an opinion. I am writing, of course, because I think my ideas are better (why else are people posting ideas??). And to avoid doing laundry. I am a wife and mother of three young girls (ages 5,7 and 9). I am a family physician by trade, but work as a hospitalist so I can have more time to spend with my kids. That's the upside. The downside is that I now am the Laundry Doer, the Healthy Meal Planner, the Organizer of Finances, Activity Director, and official Cleaner of All Spills. I am the one who notices (and is thereby responsible for handling) pee accidents in underwear shoved back into a drawer, and other things of the sort. I actually do similar activities at work, it's just sounds a lot more glamorous.
I am one of those people who are ambitious enough (or just plain stupid!) to try to do it all. There's no nanny, no housekeeper, no personal chef or personal trainer- just me. I do my best at work, do my best at home, and rejoice at my successes or collapse in a heap from exhaustion. Over the years, I have progressed from being a totally disorganized person to what usually passes for "scattered". In doing so, I have many tips I feel are worth sharing with anyone who is interested. Life can be overwhelming, and those of us in the trenches tend to stick together, so I hope someone out there can benefit from my mistakes and experiences.
Many of us are on a budget these days, regardless of profession. I always like to save money and save time where possible, so here is a list of my favorite websites in my journey through life.

1. FlyLady. She rocks. How to organize your day, your house, your cleaning (possibly your life).
2. Evernote. Forget the lost receipts, the lists, the scraps you wrote that one piece of important information on. You can save it all on this virtual cloud.
3. I Heart Quotations. Who doesn't need a pick-me-up with a great quote?
4. Pandora. I always wanted my very own radio station!
5. Grocery shopping on line. Pick your groceries out when the kids are napping or in school, drive to the store, and they will actually put them in your car if you want them to. Totally worth the extra $12.
6. Netflix. Save money on expensive dish networks, amuse the kids.
7. SmartTutor.com. If you are an anal parent like me, you can help your kids brush up on math and reading. There are a lot of sites out there, this one is great.
8. I tunes Podcasts. Keep up on continuing education, learn about Evernote, or just about anything you want. Listen while you fold your laundry!

"I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today."
By William Allen White.