Mom Hacks
We all have our tricks and hard earned methods of doing the #momlife. These are some of the things that I love that make that life a little smoother.
Labels!
I remember the very first time I was sending Cameron to day care and they recommended that we label all of his stuff. I just thought, "how exactly is this going to work?" I bought some iron on labels and they peeled off within a few washings. I got some labels for his shoes and they faded within a month.
Around this time Etsy was just becoming big so I found some on Etsy and never looked back. This Etsy shop sells labels that do not come off. I have ironed labels on some clothing that belonged to Cameron more than five years ago and the labels are still going strong.
I ironed this on FIVE years ago. One of the most worn shirts of Cameron and now Madeline wears it.
My favorite thing is their clothing tag labels. You just peel them off the paper and stick them on the tag of the clothing and they DO NOT come off in the laundry. When you spend money to buy your kids clothes because they are growing every time you turn around, you don't want them to just be losing things left and right.
I use these on all of their coats and jackets, and for any time that they are wearing something and going to be changing their clothes. It just helps your stuff find its way back to you when it gets left places.
Their shoe labels are also awesome. Unlike some of the other ones I tried that rubbed right off, they actually stay on. You can see on the photo of Madeline's shoe below. She has had this shoe since late summer last year and the inside is kind of dirty from daily wear. The shoe label sticker is in there and there is a plastic layer that goes over the top of it. It got dirty right around that plastic layer but you can see the shoe label perfectly.
There are indispensable. Kids take their shoes off all the time and they ditch them any old place, especially when they are at someone else's house. Shoes can be pricey, especially when they grow out of them so darn fast! It is the most annoying thing to lose a shoe. These at least help when they are losing them outside of your house. I can't help when they lose it within your own home!
OPI Infinite Shine nail polish
My entire life I have really never done anything special to my nails. I have tiny fingernail bed and really flimsy fingernails. Polish chips in like a day for me normally because I am washing sippy cups and plastic dishes all the time at home. I can't roll into my life as a lawyer with chipped nail polish because it looks really unprofessional, so I just did not wear nail polish at all.
Then I was introduced to the "gel manicure." I loved it because it stayed on, but hated that I had to head back to the salon to take it off. Plus who has that kind of extra money to spend getting their nails done all the time?
So on the recommendation of the manicurist at the salon, I tried the "hybrid" of regular nail polish and the gel manicure. I love it! Now I do my nails usually on Saturday and they stay nice for work all week. I can take it off at home and it's easy. I save the gel manicures for special occasions or trips. Plus I can get it online. That is exactly where I got this pink one. I take full advantage of free shipping ALWAYS.
I always use the base coat and top coat - found here. I really notice a difference when I skip these steps. I also swab my nails with rubbing alcohol before I put it on to dry them out and make the polish really stick.
You can see in the above photos my sad nail situation and this stuff holds up to #momlife.
Picking all outfits ahead of time
I am too foggy headed to think about what everyone should wear before my coffee has kicked in. My kids have also reached an age where they actually have opinions on what they wear. To cut down on my foggy headed self trying to reason with them and figure out what matches when I am in the middle of crunch time in the morning, I pick out everything for everyone the night before.
Cameron is easy. His only concern is comfort. I get his input about what he likes, whether he has a gym day or art, and we lay them out. That way if I am busy in the morning Terry has no problem getting him dressed. Terry is great and all but picking out clothes was never his strongest characteristic.
Madeline is more difficult. She wants to wear summer dresses when it's 20 degrees outside and Christmas dresses to play at the park. We have ALLLLL the conversations about weather and what matches or does not match the night before. That way when she is a crab cake in the morning (and she is CRABBY in the mornings) we have already had this conversation. I also pick out a hair accessory so I don't have to hunt for one in the morning. I got a huge bag of bows for her online, because of course I did. I just bought these bigger ones today.
I do the same thing for myself. I would fall back on the same black skirt every day if I didn't plan ahead. I just can't figure it all out in the morning when I am focused on what I have to do during the day. I think about client meetings in the shower, not my clothes.
This method works so well that even Terry has started to use it. He hangs up a suit and tie (and occasionally I let him know it does not match) the night before.
Dry shampoo
I was very late to this whole concept of dry shampoo. I read articles about how it is bad for your scalp and makes your hair fall out. I honestly found the whole concept a little gross. I have oily skin and an oily scalp and I reasoned that this stuff was just not for me and I that I need to wash my hair every morning before work. No one wants a lawyer who looks like she combed her hair with a pork chop.
Then one of my dear friends told me that she uses it like hairspray. Instead of a thick, sticky hold it (somehow) keep it soft and allows the curls to naturally fall a little when you spray it. So I bought some.
I went for some of the nicer stuff because I didn't want my hair to fall out. I found this online. And guess what? I love it. I still have oily skin and I still have to wash at least once a day (yes, I know I shouldn't but I am OILY trust me) but I can wash before bed and throw it in a bun or pony while I sleep and it dries just enough to curl it the next day.
If it's a work day I still get up and shower, but I don't have to spend time drying my hair. If it is a weekend I can just spray my roots and go. I first tried the small bottle (always the skeptic) and then ordered a larger bottle. I just ordered a two pack of small ones so I can take one on a weekend trip away.
The photo below is a picture of me using it on a work day. You can see (kind of) that it sprays on white and powdery. You wait a minute or so, I do some of my makeup while I wait, and then you rub it around a little. That's it. Don't judge the pink walls. Our bedroom and bathroom is the last room to get our DIY makeover attention.
You can see the white around the corners of my face. And that is day five of the nail polish by the way.
To be honest, sometimes even when I wash my hair, since I am THAT oily, I spray the corners of my hair line around my face. That way I don't get oily pieces by 4pm. When I was younger I used to actually wash my hair AGAIN before going out at night. Insanity. I wish I would have had this in my 20's.
Second day hair
These are just a few of the little tricks that make my daily life easier. How about you? Know any good tricks for me? We are all in this #momlife together.
