Whether you work or stay at home, whether you do everything yourself or have a maid, we all want to find ways to simplify life so that we can spend more time with our kids (teaching them, playing with them, doing art with them, and so forth).
What products or services make your life easier?
My top three are
Roomba - robotic vacuum. It really does work and it makes me feel so much better about not having time to vacuum myself.
FLYlady website and message board to help me plan all the chores. I can’t figure it out on my own sometimes!
Crock pot and Simmons Steamer to cook dinner for me when I simply don’t have the time (note-always).
My local launderette - They are just across the street from me, they wash my clothes, dry them, fold them, and deliver them back to me! All I have to do is bring a basket of clothes over once a week Saves so much time!
Wikipedia - an online encyclopaedia that caters for all the little questions that would otherwise niggle at me all day long… What exactly is foie gras? Where did the term “fair dinkum” originate from? And what nationality was Nikola Tesla, I thought he was Russian? :blink:
Memo whiteboard - if I didn’t mark down all my tasks on my little whiteboard at home, I would never remember to do anything!
A big sheet - I have my boys play on it (Legos, Knex, Playmobile, anything with little pieces). When they are done it is a lot easier to garther the corners and pour the pieces into their box.
My pressure cooker. It makes unsoaked beans in 45 minutes and meats are done (like they were cooked in the crockpot) in 30-50 minutes.
My boys. (I have 4 that can help) We do short clean-up sessions (15 min. timed with a timer like Flylady says). A room gets cleaned up pretty quickly that way. :laugh:
My baby carriers - (Angelpack LX and Calyx)… LOVE THEM! They settle my daughter when she is fussy and make it possible for me to shop more easily or go to the zoo or a fair without having to navigate around with a stroller. I have said multiple times that I don’t know what I’d do without them!
High-speed internet - I don’t know if I have the patience or time to be on the internet without my Verizon FiOS (it’s fiber-optic internet, much like, but faster than, cable internet)! Our internet at work is super slow and it drives me crazy because I feel like I can’t get any work done. Plus, if I have to use the internet with my daughter around, it better be quick!
I have to agree about the crock pot too! I’m too tired to think of what else… :closedeyes:
My mobile. It allows me to be connected while still on the go - so I can monitor our forums, my work emails, surf the internet, make calls, send messages, and well, do virtually everything I need to do.
I agree with ksomom about the high-speed internet. Seeing as there’s just so many things to do in a small amount of time, I need something that is reliably quick.
Can’t imagine life without my desktop either. Laptops can be very convenient to lug around, but nothing beats the power of a desktop which is very easy to modify and add to when you need higher specs. Since I’m also doing a little graphics intensive stuff like imaging and video editing, I need something that can take all the programs I need on and running at the same time.
And lastly, there’s the water heater. lol I know we don’t think about this appliance too often because it’s always there, but seriously there’s nothing like the water heater during winter to help you clean your dishes efficiently (ever tried washing oily plates, pots and pans with cold water?)
Every Friday I have help with the ironing - it’s always a mad rush on Thursday to get all the laundry into the washing machine.
My washing machine and drier - it was the first two things we bought when we discovered I was pregnant. We were in debt for three months and lived on vegetables only, but I’d do it again and again if I had to…
The car - having your own transport is a big plus here. We are far from town - 30mins and there is no transportation, unless you’d like to walk?
MOM. When my Mom is here, she does everything, cooking, cleaning, laundry… I am very happy to have a Mom like her. She is just amazing. Can’t say eough of her.
A good vacuum - I gotta say that a good vacuum makes a big difference. We’ve had some that didn’t clean well or was hard to push, and my vacuum now has self-propulsion and really “sucks” well. lol
Non-stick cookware - I know there is controversy over how safe this type of cookware is, and we do use stainless cookware when we can, but there are times when I would be scrubbing a pot forever if I didn’t have my non-stick stuff.
My file cabinet - My paperwork, bills, etc. would all just be in one big pile and I’d never find anything if it weren’t for my file cabinet.
And along the same lines as the water heater… indoor plumbing and my bathroom, lol! My grandparents had an outhouse because there were a lot of people in the family and they only had one bathroom… it wasn’t cool to have to go out in the outhouse! Not too mention trying to do dishes or laundry or take a bath would be a pain in the tush if there weren’t indoor plumbing! And electricity… since I always miss it when the power goes out, even if I do like candles!
My husband helps me with at least one set of dishes a day!!! It is wonderful, especially if it’s the breakfast dishes as then I can get on with other stuff sooner…
Having 3 children with special needs, I really appreciate it when the professionalists like the school staff and therapists co-operate with me and my kids. This definitely make my life easier!!! :wacko:
The internet and computers. It is so much easier to do research online rather than go to a library. There is endless info; so much more than any library has. I also love shopping online. You can compare prices, find better prices than stores, and you never have to leave your house. The internet makes life so much easier when you have a small child!
Saves so much time!
(I have 4 that can help) We do short clean-up sessions (15 min. timed with a timer like Flylady says). A room gets cleaned up pretty quickly that way. :laugh: