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Shortcuts for Moms

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Mott’s via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Mott’s.

 

As parents, we all have our shortcuts we take, for good and for bad.  Our confessionals can be the cause of many a laughter-filled gathering.  I’ll even share one of mine- one that we got “away” with for 9 years…

 

We told the kids when the ice cream truck plays music, it means they are all sold out.  No more ice cream treats to buy.

This actually didn’t backfire until last spring when we were at a soccer game and parents on the other team had asked the truck driver to come back around when the game was to end.  (We’re in a fairly rural area, so trucks aren’t frequently around). Normally when kids ran to the truck, my kids would be like “they will be so sad there isn’t ice cream left,” and we’d be leaving already and not see.  And it isn’t that we didn’t want the kids to have ice cream (and honestly, often we did at home later… it’s just that we live on a busy road and we were afraid the kids would run to an ice cream truck and not stop to think about the road and the fib started as a way to keep them safe… but we didn’t ever correct it).

 

Thankfully, the kids were laughing at us being “busted” and all 3 enjoyed from the ice cream truck that day.

 

Confessions of parents. Real life parents who aren’t perfect. And realizing we don’t need to be, our kids don’t want us to be.

 

Shortcuts for Moms

shortcuts-moms

 

#1 A favorite– and it’s a big one- SEMI HOMEMADE.

I prefer most of our meals to be from scratch.  In a dream world, they’d be all natural and all organic, sourced from a local farmer.

But we don’t live in a dream world. We live in Connecticut. With the schedule we have, I’m all about balance. Are you making a soup?  Frozen veggies cook up in no time at all.

 

Need cupcakes for the bake sale? I’ve even bought cupcakes from the store and just done the icing and decorations myself. Homemade is nice but isn’t always practical.  Prioritize and figure out what works best for you.

 

#2 Cleaning doesn’t have to happen all at once.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  It just has to happen.  My kids actually LIKE to help clean (when we ALL clean)…. But they’ve all been handed a cloth or baby wipe since they were toddlers to help out.  Our kids rinse the sink when they brush their teeth.  They understand that if they don’t, they’ll be cleaning the entire sink and counter later… so they get it.  A little effort now saves you more work later.

 

Let the cleaners work while you are away.  This is especially great for toilets, and even extra especially great if you have people in your house like I do that don’t seem to be able to get all of their body fluids to fit inside the hole in the toilet lid.

 

I usually squirt cleaner in the toilets right before I shower, and then don’t flush it down- whoever uses the bathroom next can flush.  That means within an hour or two, the bathroom smells pretty fresh and clean- AND you know the bowl had a good soak.

 

#3 Clean the tub/shower before and during your shower.  Yea, I said it.  I’m totally serious.  (This may not work if you are a bleach cleaner).  A typical shower time for me is like this:

Go in bathroom

Spray shower and tub with cleaner

Use toilet, flush

Squirt cleaner into toilet bowl, give a few good brush swirls, close lid.

Get in shower, wipe down walls and tub

Proceed with shower as normal

 

Now, you’ve gotten your bathroom “biggies” done and spent maybe 3 extra minutes doing it.

 

#4 If your kids really, really, really want to make cookies and you promised them but you aren’t feeling well and just.want.to.nap on the couch… pop into the store and grab the premade dough.  This way, you can give the kids (most of) the rein of making cookies, but in half the time, and you can get your head on the pillow that much sooner.  Everyone wins.

 

#5 Don’t go it alone.  Obviously if you have infants, they cannot help you to cut fruits or veggies and bag them.  But older kids?  Even little ones can put cut foods into baggies or containers with you, which means grab and go is simpler on busy mornings.

 

As the kids get older, teach them to use peelers and knives.  Obviously, supervise younger kids, but they are going to need to learn these life skills at some point, why not teach them while they are young and eager to help YOU?

 

#6 Prepackaged food is NOT the enemy. One of my secret weapons that’s almost always in my bag and/or van are applesauce pouches.

We make a lot of applesauce here. It’s mostly so food doesn’t waste, because we have apple trees, with apples= need to use it up.

motts

But my kids love Mott’s® Snack & Go applesauce pouches.  I’ve learned the hard way at least 11 times that whatever containers we own or will find in a store just don’t store applesauce well and it WILL explode all over the kid who brought it.  Maybe their neighbor.
So we do the fun pouches.  The kids think it’s just easy to open.  I know better.  It’s less mess for me to clean up. They don’t pop in a bag, they don’t explode when you open them.  It’s a universal win! They can be eaten at any temp (well, frozen is a tough one…) but you know they are having a healthy snack.  Period. Plus, they are an excellent source of Vitamin C.  That’s a win for all of us.

 

 

PS applesauce pouches are GREAT for camping. You can use them for baking and you can snack on them!

What are your mom or dad  shortcuts?! 

About Brett

I'm a 40 something lifestyle blogger living in Connecticut with my husband and our 3 kids, plus our two rescue pups. We love to hike, travel, play games, watch movies, and just be outside together! Having 3 active kids makes for a hectic schedule and I try to share content, recipes and other things that can help to make today's busy family life simpler, easier, or just plain more fun!

I started working full time at a local middle school in fall 2021 and some of my students are insistent that I am mean.

Comments

  4. Carissa Pelletier says

    Too funny! I love the part in the video where the rice animal falls apart and she punches a hole in the seaweed! I would love to try it, but I know my kids would choose the Mott’s over the artsy lunch any day!

  7. Shell says

    Prepackaged food is definitely not the enemy! I try to make healthier choices with it, but there’s some great options out there.

  9. Rosey says

    That’s hilarious about the ice cream truck. I do the same trick you mentioned with the toilet bowl cleaner. And I agree, pre-packaged food is not always the enemy, in fact in some cases it can be your best friend. 😉

  15. Ora Lee Gurr says

    I’m still laughing over the tale you told to the kids about the ice cream truck music. We owned an ice cream truck in Southern CA for a few years. It was fun, but like you, we always worried about the kids crossing the road. Mott’s Snack & Go applesauce pouches sounds perfect for our drive to Las Vegas next month. We always have plenty of liquids, food, and snacks.

  18. Chrystal @ YUM eating says

    I clean a little at a time. It is just easier on my body. Too much pain if I try to do it all in one day. I am also big on shortcuts when cooking from scratch. I will do everything I can to make what I can myself, but sometimes I’m worn out and need some time off from the kitchen. Frozen vegetables and even canned ones are perfect for that.

  19. Rachelle J says

    My daughter loves those applesauce pouches! My mom short cut is to add a little baking soda to your onions when you are trying to brown them and it will cut your time in half!

  21. breanna says

    Just bought some of these for the kids and they love them. They enjoy all the different flavor options and what not. I love the convince of the quick and easy snack for around the house or on the go!

  23. Fi Ní Neachtáin says

    Those pouches are so handy to have when out and about with little ones. I always have some on hand for my boy 🙂

  25. Catherine S says

    These are all great shortcuts. I also clean my shower while I am taking a shower. My biggest shortcut is that Publix does all of my baking.

  27. Jaime says

    My son once believed the ice cream truck was just a “music truck.” It was the best. We love the applesauce pouches. I keep them in my purse at all times for emergency snacktime!

  29. Marcie W. says

    These are all awesome shortcuts. I tend to clean when I am doing something in that particular area of the house, for example, I wipe down the bathroom counters before putting on my makeup.

  33. Terri Ramsey Beavers says

    Thank you so much for your shortcut tips and ideas. I am going to stock up on the Mott’s snacks and the kids will thank you for it. I love baking from scratch, even been known to make my own applesauce, but sometimes, I just want to sit and do nothing.

  34. Jeanine says

    I agree with these! I tidy during the day but really clean when my kids are in bed. I cook things earlier in the day for dinner and I just try to make things as easy as possible on myself!

  36. Tami says

    We recently discovered the portable applesauce. My toddler loves the taste. I love the way I can just throw it in his bag — AND GO!

  39. Digna says

    I’ll try to keep these in mind. For me, it is usually all at one time. Very maniacal at times. LOL Like the idea of cleaning shower before you shower.

  41. Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says

    I clean a little a time. I wish it was done all at once, but who has time for that?

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