10 Life Hacks for Busy Moms

I love a good life hack. You know, taking something and using it differently than it was intended, and as a result, MAGIC! Even better, a life hack for moms, or a “mack,” if you will. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. Hanging shoe organizer. By far, this is my best and favorite hack! I ordered one with 21 spots for shoes and hung it inside the door of my pantry. All of the family water bottles fit in there, out of the cabinets and out of the way. I put the kid bottles on the bottom so they can get them themselves. It worked so great I ordered two more and put one on the back of the laundry room door. This one holds all sorts of random things like wipes, sunscreen, extra parts for toys, and other things that usually land in the junk drawer. The third organizer is hanging on the wall of my daughter’s closet full of shoes. The great thing about this one is I can put her fancy shoes at the top, and she can’t reach them yet.

2. Cabinet doors. Since our laundry room is between the kitchen and garage, it’s a high-traffic area. I spent a lot of time looking ways to maximize that space. The first thing I did was take the doors off the cabinets above the washer and dryer. The kids’ crayons and paper are in there, along with the extra light bulbs and batteries, vases and cleaning supplies. If I were trying to earn mom bonus points, I’d put some cute contact paper on the shelves or hang some curtains. No points for me — it’s a mess.Wrapping Paper

3. Wire racks. Another laundry room hack that you could really do anywhere. I bought one of these wire racks made for aluminum foil and cling wrap and it didn’t fit right in my kitchen cabinet. So, I put it high up on the wall in the laundry room and put the wrapping paper in it. Now the paper is out of the way and easy to find when I need it.

4. Muffin cups. I was skeptical when I started seeing folks putting silicon muffin cups in their cup holders. I thought they would get filthy just like the cup holders. But they work great! I’ve had mine in for months and they are still clean. Plus they are cheerful colors, which can spark up the dull minivan interior. Another great gift for moms!

5. Mom’s secret stash. My other car hack, which seems pretty obvious – a pack of wipes in the driver’s side door, next to the little bag of candy for mom.

6. Labels that stick. A great hack for school kids who have to put their names on everything. These Avery labels are washable and meant to go on kids’ clothes, but you can put them everywhere. They come in different sizes and just stick on to whatever needs a name.

7. Plastic cups. A hack stolen from my brother-in-law, who ordered a bunch of plastic cups and lids of different sizes. These things come in handy all the time and it’s probably time for me to order some of my own. The little cups with lids can be used for salad dressing, ketchup, syrup, yogurt, or anything else. The drink-size cups and lids are handy at parties for keeping things covered and labeled. They aren’t too expensive to stock up.Dusting

8. Car duster. This is my second favorite hack! I have pretty much given up trying to keep the kid part of the car clean. But I have figured out how to keep my part in the front looking clean. I keep a small Swiffer duster in the console between the front seats and dust at red lights or when I have to wait somewhere. I can’t stand a dusty console, so this is a real life saver. They make good gifts for fellow moms, too!

9. Family rotation. Another hack from my sister and her family involves avoiding fights about who gets to go first. They have three kids and have made a schedule that gives the kids a fight-free order for each day. It’s just a spreadsheet with the date and the first letter of each kids’ name in the order for that day. For example, Day 1 = R, J, H; Day 2 = J, H, R; Day 3 = H, R, J. And over and over and so on.

10. Grocery delivery. I was wrong when I said the other hacks were my favorite. This is the best by far. It helps to know what you need, so you don’t waste hours scrolling through products on the website. But if you were wondering if you can order ice cream and have it come to your house still froze, order on, it works great. This is truly a life saver if you have been out of town and need to stock up. Or if you are like me and can’t stand taking the kids to the grocery store.

What are your favorite hacks, fellow moms?

michellem
Michelle is the lucky mom to a young son and daughter, both adopted from Haiti. A KC-native, Michelle left for college in Iowa and then headed to Africa to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. She ended up in Washington DC, traveling to places like Botwsana and Nigeria for a company that improves the lives of people in developing countries. After earning her master's degree in PR and Corporate Communications from Georgetown (Hoya Saxa!), she moved home to KC to raise her kids near family. Still working for the same company, just from her Overland Park basement now, the best part of her day is picking up her kids from pre-school and hearing them holler "mom."