Life-Hacks from Med Mommas

OK, I recently joined an online discussion forum for physician mothers and it's like being in a virtual sorority! I LOVE it. We chat about everything from complex medical cases at work to the best dry shampoos on the market. I really can't get enough.

There have been some fantastic threads formed and I'm looking to compile the best contributions so as to have an easy-access reference moving forward. I will start out with the "life-hacks" that have proven to be invaluable. -- And that should say a lot seeing as how most of these women are working way over 40hrs a week and have a family.

Source

Without further ado, I present the can't-live-without life-hacks for medical mommas:

Tech

1. Wemo. A gadget that allows you to control your electronics from anywhere. 
2. Shutterfly iPhone app 
3. Wunderlist "to do" app
4. Audible.com for listening to books while doing other tasks
5. Roku (consolidates TV viewing)
6. Xfinity
7. Amazon Prime (BIG winner)
8. Out of Milk app (for groceries)
9. Baby Monitor app
10. Personal Cap app for budgeting
11. Teamup.com calendar
12. Mint.com for personal finances
13. Google calendars
14. Apple TV

Cooking/Dieting

1. Hamilton Beach 6qt. slow cooker
2. Stash of nuts at the work desk to avoid binging
3. Jura coffee maker
4. Blendtek
5. Vitamix
6. Immersion blender
7. Le Creuset (another big winner)
8. Ina Garten cookbook 
9. Sancerre wine
10. Hello Fresh
11. Cuisinart food processor
12. Henckels professional knives
13. Tiger rice cooker
14. Caphalon grill pan
15. Hamilton mini-personal blender
16. Breville espresso maker
17. Parchment paper
18. Cooks Illustrated
19. The Science of Good Cooking
20. Farmfreshtoyou.com

Cleaning

1. Dyson cordless vacuum
2. Roomba (including industrial strength for pet hair)
3. Laundry sorter
4. Braava hardwood floor robot
5. Clorox bleach tablets for toilet bowl

Clothes

1. Stitch Fix

Beauty, Fitness, & Hygiene

1. Microplane foot file
2. 30min or less Beach Body workouts
3. Living Proof shampoo and conditioner
4. Bikram yoga
5. Argan oil 
6. Shiseido eyelash curler
7. Yogaglo.com quick workouts
8. Dry shampoo
9. Clarisonic face brush
10. L'Occitane almond shower oil
11. Armani face cream
12. Gel manicure
13. T25/P90X3/Piyo
14. Deva Curl products
15. Skinceuticals
16. ReTress
17. Bath and Body Works Stress Relief 
18. Lasik eye surgery
19. Laser hair removal
20. Neutrogena healthy lengths mascara
21. Eyelash extensions
22. Microfiber hair towel
23. Origins On the Spot Relief
24. Pure Barre Workouts
25. TNS essential serum

Kids

1. Baby Bjorn plastic bib to contain mess
2. Clip-on highchair
3. Pump adapters for milk to go directly into bottle
4. Lotus travel crib
5. Go-go-babyz for travel
6. Snap N Go Stroller
7. InchBug juice box holder
8. Puddle jumper floaties for the pool
9. Mommy hook attachment for stroller

Organization and Other

1. Label maker
2. Container Store Elfa system
3. 3 basket hamper, each piece removable
4. Retailmenot.com for coupons
5. Merchandise tags for organization & simple gift cards

Entryway

Or foyer, if you're fancy like that.

This is what we started out with. Yes, this is the first thing guests saw upon entering our home. OK, OK, I'd pick up a bit beforehand, but having to battle this mess each day was weighing on me. Keeping our keys and sunglasses on that tray where Homegirl could reach everything was also not doing our family any favors.

I wasn't sure what to do about the situation, but I had an idea. I knew I needed a dresser, but I couldn't find something modern that fit the space and was functional. Then I stumbled upon this dresser. . .

I'd been eyeing it for some time, and then those magical words arrived: SALE

If you know anything about Mormon temples, you'll understand why I attribute my interest in this piece to my time spent there. This dresser is very traditional, even formal with that burled wood. Surely it had no place in my modern home, right? Well, here's the thing. Lately I've been noticing that I like an eclectic look. I'm starting to feel that when everything is styled from a certain time period it becomes gimmicky. So I told myself to branch out, try mixing things up for once.

I'm really glad I did, because here's the beautiful after:

Not too shabby, right? At the very least it's a major improvement from what we had going on before. The next steps, besides getting some flowers for that vase, are to carpet over those brown tiles and find a chair to go either side of the dresser. I'm thinking wood, black, simple lines. Now that I've freed myself from a few design restrictions I feel liberated, but also a bit scared. It was safe to go with one thing. What if I go into these uncharted waters and choose the wrong chair? You know I don't like to waste money, and since I buy stuff on sale, often times it's non-refundable. I definitely won't be rushing into any decisions here.

As for the shoes, this genius right here realized she needed to get a shoe rack and stick that in the entry closet. Voila. Funny how taking pictures of problem areas really forces you to look for solutions, many of them obvious.

Hooray for design blogging!

Do or Die List

I don't mean that as a threat. I'm about to outline the things that, if not taken care of, will cause great sorrow and gnashing of teeth.

• Laundry
  Why: Stinky clothes piling up everywhere. And when you do decide to tackle it, the result is overwhelming: Mounds of clothes that need to be folded and hung in their proper place.
  Solution: Do a load each day. Period. End of story.
• Bedrooms
  Why: A messy room is a harbinger of disorganization for the rest of the home. It's much more peaceful to sleep somewhere that's put together.
  Solution: Change into PJs as soon as possible! If you're tired, you'll toss your clothes on the ground and that's how it starts. Ask the kids to put things away before bedtime. If there are sets of things with multiple pieces, put them in single containers on a high shelf and do not bring it down until everything else is off the floor. --That my friends, is my greatest tip.
• Shoe storage
  Why: More than just being an eyesore when scores are scattered about, when you can't find a shoe mate and you have to be somewhere at a certain time is maddening.
  Solution: Purchased a shoe rack for the entry closet. Put shoes there. Done.
• Pills
  Why: I hate taking my medicine. If I have to sort through bottles and boxes to get to it, I just won't do it. (Even though it's important for my health.)
  Solution: Keep it organized with bins and labels. 
• Messy cars
  Why: This is something that spins out of control very quickly. Half of the time when I can't find something, it's because it got sucked into the void of our mini-van.
  Solution: Keep at least THREE bags in the car. One for regular trash, the other for gooey stuff (like banana peels), the third for things that need to be brought inside. (In an ideal world, we wouldn't eat in the car(s), but that's just not happening.)
• Receipts
  Why: Receipts have this magical power to always be there when you don't want them, and NEVER there when you absolutely need them.
  Solution: I made a receipt dossier for each car and organized them by the store from which they came. I think this will work.  
• House Projects
  Why: Keeping track of all the things that need to get done and the order in which they are to take place is too much for my mommy brain.
  Solution: Making a list, reviewing it with the hubby, and tackling it in a piecemeal way is better for our sanity. 
• Menus
  Why: Because we have to eat three times a day and if an ingredient is missing we don't eat well. Plus, hunger makes for a cranky family.
  Solution: Write a weekly menu, make an ingredient list, and shop for groceries routinely.
• Commitments
  Why: As if raising kids weren't enough, we sign up for other things or have some assigned deadlines to meet. Not being able to keep promises or make good on commitments feels awful.
  Solution: At least once a week (ideally twice or more) have a family business meeting with the calendars at hand. When something comes up, write it on the calendar immediately, and make a note to self (on the phone, or in a personal notepad).
• Paperwork
  Why: It's a beast. We get mail daily, bring home stuff from work and church, and sometimes this stuff just appears.
  Solution: Sort the mail immediately. Shred and toss often. Go through it at aforementioned family business meetings. This has to become second nature or all is lost. 
• Mornings
  Why: Get up late without a plan and NOTHING gets done.
  Solution: Get up earlier and keep to a routine.
• Sundays
  Why: This is supposed to be a day of rest from the cares of the world. A time to focus on heavenly things. Without some pre-planning, it can instead be hellish.
  Solution: Crock-pot those Sunday meals. Get as much stuff done BEFORE the weekend.

Pack it Up, Pack it In

She's an older, independent woman these days. 

We had a lot of birthdays all at once around here. I ended up combining birthdays parties (more on that later) to make life easy on everyone, or at least that was the goal. At the end of it, we had new gifts for the kiddos and had to make room for them. The old stuff that was in good condition, but past its utility here, got bagged up to go to AMVETS. The rest was cleaned, sorted, and packed up as you see below. 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Not gonna lie, I get a little choked up at moments like this. There, in just two containers, lies a segment of our family life about to be tucked away. Every cliche' of parenthood is true, it does fly by too fast.