I often wonder what I did with all my time before Emma. Every minute is now consumed by something ... even when she is asleep. In fact the moment she goes to sleep, I start running around getting things done that require two hands or my full attention. I've joked with other moms that it feels like the race is on to see how much I can get done while she is napping on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Long gone are the lazy Sundays binge watching a show on Netflix.

For one hour (or more) after Emma goes to sleep at night and every weekend when she takes her afternoon nap, that is my time to get things done. This leaves more of the weekends and time when she is awake for playtime (admittedly we turn emptying the dishwasher and changing the laundry load into playtime too, pushing those buttons and turning the machines on are just too much fun for Emma to miss).

Of course, there are still things to get done on the weekends, but less of it by getting most of the chores done during the week.

I've shared how I do meal prep at night when Emma goes to sleep, I also use that time to weed the gardens, harvest the veggies, do laundry, and other chores ... the list goes on. You know all the things that are easier to get done with two hands.

Getting Stuff Done

Laundry.

I laughed when we bought our washer a few years ago and it had a delay cycle, wondering why that was necessary. Why wouldn't you want to start the laundry load when you put everything in the machine? Now I rely on that delay cycle. I put a load in the washer in the morning, set the delay for 10 hours (or 20 hours if I put them in before I go to bed) and know that when I get home I can put the clothes in the dryer without the fear of them having soured being left sitting in a wet pile for hours (or days, lets be real). After Emma goes to bed, I then have a dry load of laundry ready to be folded ... while catching up on TV shows and movies from the DVR or Netflix.

Cleaning the house.

It is an amazing challenge to clean with one hand and hold baby with the other. Cleaning counters, no problem ... cleaning a toilet gets a little more interesting. Before Emma was mobile, it was easy to put the rock-n-play or a blanket down with some toys in whatever room I was cleaning and run around to get things done. Mobility changed all of that. Now if I try to clean a toilet, Emma wants to look inside and touch EVERYTHING!

Cleaning is Mark's least favorite thing to help with, which isn't new. Ever since Mark and I started living together, we have gotten help with cleaning by hiring someone to clean about once a month (admittedly more frequently since Emma was born). Just because he doesn't want to do it, doesn't mean he wants me spending all of my time doing it either. Getting help with cleaning the house gives me a break, and now more than ever I really appreciate coming home to a clean house (that I didn't have to clean).

I'm a stickler for a clean house, so getting help doesn't mean I'm not cleaning. Every night I pick up toys, wipe down the counters, make sure all the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher, wipe down Emma's highchair (and the floor underneath it). I still run the vacuum in the living room to pick up behind Emma (and Ariel and Gizmo). I'm happier and more productive when everything is clean and organized, so doing a little at a time as I go makes it easier to keep up with ... plus knowing I have help doing deeper cleans.

Bills.

I'm that crazy organizer that has spreadsheets and lists of everything, even my home bills. I keep a spreadsheet with our budgets that also serves as a reminder of what bills have to be paid yet that month. Once a week, I bring my laptop to work and at lunch I balance our checkbooks, pay our bills, and update our budget sheets. Mark laughs when I call him to say hi on my lunch break, and my answer to what am I doing is paying our bills, not exactly a break, but it works for me.

I've also become a fan of online bill pay. For example, Emma's school accepts cash and checks so instead of having to write and remember to deliver a check each week, I use my bank's online bill pay to automatically send them a check every week, and I can schedule the day it arrives. I've found myself doing this more and more instead of remembering to have stamps on hand, using the online bill pay tool mails the checks for no additional fee.

Grocery shopping.

Admittedly this is mainly a weekend chore. Emma loves riding in the cart and it makes for a fun outing. Mark also helps out in the middle of the week on his day off.

I recently discovered Lowes Food To Go. I always thought grocery shopping services were an extra fancy thing that I didn't need and would end up costing more money. More and more grocery stores are adding services like this, and I was hearing from friends and co-workers how much it helped them save time and money. Much to my surprise I tried it twice in the last month and spent less on both of those grocery trips then some of my normal trips, even with the $5 fee for the personal shopper. I was able to see the total for the trip as I added things to my "cart" online and shop the sales even more so than normal by clicking through the circular to add items to my cart. Saved me time and money, so this is something I'm definitely going to repeat!

I am also a fan of Amazon Subscribe and Save partnered with Amazon Mom. Diapers, wipes, granola bars, dishwasher pods, vitamins, paper towels, toilet paper, and more is shipped to my house on a monthly recurring basis. Less trips to the store and saving money by agreeing to have it arrive on a specific day of the month instead of shipping for free in 2 days. The more items you have in your Subscribe and Save order the more you can save, and I even get email reminders to confirm what I want to get that month, so I can skip something if I don't need it. Win, win!

To keep track of what we need from the store I use the Any List app. I love that as I add bananas, ginger ale, honey nut chex, spinach and other items to the list, it sorts the items into categories that match how the grocery store is organized (e.g., beverages, cooking & baking, frozen foods, health & personal care, produce). Makes it easy not to miss something as you are going through the store, and even easier to click share and text or email the list to Mark.

Yard work.

I've come to enjoy working in the garden, particularly growing vegetables. Suprisingly I don't mind pulling weeds either (I fought this chore hard growing up). There is something satisfying about digging in the dirt, and seeing everything grow. This year we are growing zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, and lots of herbs.

When it comes to mowing the lawn we run into a challenge. It is something that requires two hands and your full attention. Mark and I work very opposite schedules, and having a day or evening off together, let alone during daylight hours is rare. So Mark handles the lawn on his days off, and about once a month or so (or when the lawn mower is broken like it currently is) he gets a break and we hire someone to mow the lawn ... and try to keep up. 

Checklists.

Mommy brain is real. I need help remembering to do things and so I LOVE Wunderlist. I keep a variety of to do lists for work and home (including a list of weekly and monthly chores). Reminders of things to discuss with Mark, laundry to do, even a reminder to clean up the dog poop from the backyard. Wunderlist has apps for your phone, tablet, and computer so whereever I am I also have it handy to remember things for me.

Call Me Weird ... I Like to Organize

I like organizing. It keeps me sane. I'm more productive if my house or desk is clean. So finding ways to organize and keep up with everything works for me. I didn't discover these things over night, they each came in their own time. For months, weekends were a rat race to get all the chores done, and I've slowly picked up more ways to earn back more of my weekends by spending an hour each night (and some of my lunch breaks) getting more done.

I hope I keep discovering more ways to save time and earn more time to spend with Emma and Mark ... and with me. I enjoy doing craft projects. So one night a week, I don't do any chores, I do a project. In all fairness, the projects often still have something to do with Emma, like writing this blog, refinishing a chalkboard to hang in her room, making a growth chart to hang in the hallway, organizing craft supplies, or baking some veggies bites. And the projects often taken longer than I would expect, doing them in little chunks of time.

I like being creative! I'm happier, healthier, (more patient) and a better mom when I find time to have creative outlets or do something just for fun. I strongly believe that spending an hour doing something you love will make you a happier person. I hope some of these tips will help you find that time.