Things I've stolen from friends

Now before all my friends start searching their homes to see what's missing or blame me for that time they lost a biro, I would like to point out that I'm talking about stealing their good ideas. I suppose I'm not really stealing as they were shared, but my title wouldn't have been half as interesting had it read, 'that time my friends shared an idea and I thought it was so good I'd do it myself!'

I have a wonderful group of friends who are supportive, happy, kind and most important- enthusiastic gin drinkers. (you know who you are!) We are all mums and over the time we have known each other have shared some tips and ideas which make the mayhem of our everyday lives a little more easy, so I thought I'd share some of these ideas with you...

• Tired of your Tweenies and Teens constantly asking "Muu-uum, what's for tea?"? quickly followed by "Arrr, but can't we have...?"

Then the most brilliant yet simple solution, comes from Helen. She has a chalk board and once a week she writes down what the family will be eating each evening for the next 7 days. Everyone has the opportunity to moan if they want different, but they rarely do. It could be they have gotten so used to it, they don't check or perhaps they do and just like the meals on offer. Then you do your shop. If any complaints are raised after, you my simply reply, in a singy song voice "It is on the board my little hell beasts, (cough) ...darlings, you did have chance to mention before, but you chose not to, so this is dinner!"

I have taken this idea and used a variation for my own meal planning, which I'll be posting about soon.

• Have a small army to manage and have trouble with piles of mounting clean laundry for sorting and putting away?

This is the the solution for you- Laura has fabric covered laundry boxes. She bought them from Matalan, they are cheap, but as they are covered they look very nice, so if you, like I, have limited space and have nowhere but the dining room table to sort and fold, then these at least look smart while they're out (which in our house is all the time!). Also they are a great size for kids to carry them too. Each member of the family gets a basket and you may want a couple of extras for towels and sheets. Write each child's name or where the fresh laundry is going, on to the boxes with some nice gold or silver fabric paint. This way, even when sorting similar items, you will remember whose belongings you put where.

I still use this idea. Three of our children are old enough now to carry their clothes up to their bedrooms and sensibly put things away. I'll also be doing a post about age related chores for children soon (I'm going to be busy!)

• Time getting away from you? Suddenly scrabbling to find your keys, while panic sets in that it's school pick up time and you only have one shoe on and half brushed hair?

Niccy, has a super simple solution- By putting an alarm on your phone 15 mins before you have to leave, you can start to pull yourself together and you won't be left feeling a chaotic mess at pick up time.

I used to be terrible for this when my oldest were infant age, but now with this easy solution I'm always on time and looking a little (very little) less harassed. I have even added extra alarms! One goes off fifteen minutes before I have to leave and one when It's time to go, might seem ridiculous but I'm always ready to go and on time.

• Mum at home with preschool children and your days are flying by? Feeling like you should do more with them or have a bit more of a structure.

Kate, as a childminder, has to plan her week ahead. She has a very simple template, (I'll include a blank printable on the 'Easy Living' Tab) which has boxes on for the week, meaning she can breakdown all the days into sections.

I'm not a childminder, but found this really helpful being a stay at home mum. For a little while there every day was blending into the next and I felt like I should be doing more. So, every Sunday I would sit and plan what the wee man and I would get up to on the week days ahead, while the other boys would be at school. If you choose not to stick completely to it, it doesn't matter. I used it as more of a guide than a set arrangement, but it certainly gave me somethings to aim for.

• Have so many people to care for you miss appointments or are late? Forgetting the little things you need to do each week?

Now this is the easiest and may seem the most obvious to a lot of people, (probably the smug ones, already using it!) but Laura started me on family calendars many years ago and honestly, I think I'd have gone bonkers by now if she hadn't. I had other calendars before, but a family calendar gives everyone in the house their own column, so you aren't all crowded together in one section and can easily see where everyone needs to be.

There are some great family calendars about, depending on the format you want. We use a week per page style, but some people may prefer to see the whole month. They also range in size, so even a family of six can find one to suit. Even the best of us have missed something off our calendars when life gets hectic, but this should make it a rare occurrence.

I think these solutions are very straight forward, anyone can use them, but not everyone may have thought of them. I hope you found my friends as helpful as I do.

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