We're back!

If you're wondering why you haven't heard from us in a while, it's because we were together! Kelly and her kids made the trek east (2 toddlers on a looong plane ride, sans husband. I really should have met her at the airport with a glass of sangria. Or excedrin. Or both.) They stayed for a good chunk of August. It was SO AMAZING to have an old friend nearby. You know the kind. You don't see each other for years, barely talk on the phone, but are able to pick right up where you left off. That's Kelly. And it was such a pleasure getting to know her 2 little ones. Sweet,  adorable and hilarious pretty much sums it up.

So now she's back in CA (sniff) and even though we're currently on opposite coasts, somehow we're all suffering from what I like to call the "Fall Cold."  So once we're all feeling human again, we'll write a blog about our time together. But in the meantime....  make way for a new Guest Blogger!  Cathy Johnson, currently lives just outside of Philly. Cathy is one of our oldest and dearest friends. We love her, and we hate her because she is So. Darn. Organized. So how does she do it all? Read below for some of her tips!

When are things going to return to normal? Not. For. A. Long. Time. With a toddler aged daughter, Westie dog, full-time job, and a husband who travels, I’ve accepted that crazy busy is the new normal. However, crazy busy doesn’t have to mean stressed. Here are a few things I do to stay on top of everything. I’m not perfect, but this system really helps. My whole family is happier when the household is running smoothly, and we have more time to enjoy the things we love. And we spend so much less time worrying about things like running out of toilet paper, last minute trips to the store because we’re out of milk, etc.

Getting organized:

· Inventory management – keep a master list of all inventory items, and once a week go through the list to see how much is on hand vs. what is needed. This includes toiletries (razor blades, shampoo, body wash, cosmetics, and prescriptions), household (toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, cleaning items), pantry items, perishables, dog food, poop bags, diapers, wipes, etc. Since I currently have a patchwork system of procurement (i.e. I buy certain things at Target, Whole Foods, Farmers Markets, Trader Joe’s, Rite Aid, etc.) it really helps to plan ahead since usually my shopping list can contain items from multiple sources.

· Household tasks– make a plan for all household tasks, such as: food shopping, dry cleaning, polishing shoes, car (gas, wash, and maintenance), laundry, changing sheets, cleaning house, mowing grass, weeding, planting flowers, paying bills, preparing taxes, etc.

· Meals – every week make a plan for the menu, shop ahead for at least a few days, and keep staples on hand for favorite breakfasts and lunches. In summer, we go to the farmers market first, and then plan our menu around what is available. The main goal is to minimize last minute trips to the store because we have nothing on hand for dinner or ordering take-out because we didn’t plan ahead.

· Clear the clutter – East Coast Mom recently wrote an awesome post about this. Having less stuff and keeping things organized makes the house feel so much more orderly. After we moved in March, we put everything we don’t use often in the basement. That is my next project!

Maximizing our time:

· Manage the task list –We are constantly looking at what we have time for and figuring out other ways to get the rest done. First, is it really necessary? Can it be outsourced? Is there a more efficient way to do it? My husband likes freshly polished shoes, but doesn’t have time to do it. So I found a great little shoe repair place that does it for $6. Perfect!

· Make time for what is important – prioritize things that are most important, like family, friends, reading to my daughter, eating properly, etc.

· Exercise – why do I always make excuses? Yesterday I went for a run with my husband and daughter in the jogging stroller. We all had a great time. What about a quick hike or push-ups at home? Turns out, my daughter loves doing these things too. I am able to be active every day AND be a good role model for my daughter. So I need to stop making excuses and just do it.

· Ask for help – Why is asking for help so difficult?

· Say no – this one is also hard. After having my daughter, I’ve slowly backed out of unnecessary activities that add to my stress level. For example, while I loved my volunteer work before my daughter was born, I just don’t have enough time to do it all now, so I don’t. We are not going to a wedding in Maine this summer that we would really love to attend. I wish we could do everything, but we can’t.

· Screen time – limit screen time, not just for my daughter, but also for me. I will not admit how many hours I have spent on FaceBook, Pinterest and various other blogs this year. It is not productive – so now I spend less time online and more time doing other things.

· Evaluate work/life balance – my husband works a very demanding job and travels extensively. So I need to balance my work schedule to meet our family needs. I work from home most days, have a full-time nanny, and this equation has worked well for us these past few years. But with my daughter starting school in the fall, we are evaluating my work schedule again. The work-life equation is different for every family, and it changes through different stages (newborn vs. toddler, having another baby, starting school, etc.)

· Take a break – The last few years we have taken a Caribbean vacation in the fall, and then my husband doesn’t take a single day off for many, many months. So we’ve decided to try to take a break once per quarter to recharge our batteries. We’ll still take a big trip once a year, but other times it may be a long weekend getaway or staycation. Having some down-time will prevent burnout. And will make it easier to get back to work.

So this is how I attempt to balance everything. I would LOVE to hear some tips on how other busy Mamas balance it all!

-Cathy