How I Do It ALL

Okay I get asked "how do you do it all?" I am going to share a few secrets. I am including a few bonuses too.

I am up at 4:30am, yes it is still dark out. If it is a week day my sitter is at my house by 5:10 am, if it is a weekend me and the girls are in the car by 4:50am. I have my clothes for work ready the night before and their bag packed.

I am home from work between 9 and 10 am, I have the whole day ahead of me. Today I grabbed the slow cooker and started dinner. First is the most important step line the slow cooker with a Reynolds Slow Cooker liner, this will save you scrubbing and time later. Next is the food, HIGHLY complicated recipe!!!

Southwest Pot Roast
4-6 Red Potatoes (as many as you need for the people you are feeding)
1 bag of pre peeled Carrots (I buy the 16oz bag)
1 Chuck Roast (again as much as you need for the people you are feeding)
some flour
1 16oz jar of Salsa (I use Pace medium)

Dump your potatoes and carrot in the slow cooker. Flour your pot roast and plop it on the veggies. Last dump the salsa on top of the meat. Cook on low for 8 hours.

This dinner takes me less than 5 minutes. If I feel like it I might even bust open a roll of Pillsbury biscuits. Home cooking at it's finest.

While I do this I toast up a bagel for Delaney too. Multitasking is the key to my day! I run laundry all day one day a week. Delaney has to help sort her laundry into my laundry. Daphne's gets done separate. Delaney and I load the wash together. I only switch laundry when I get up for a Diet Pepsi or Bathroom break. I have 5 laundry baskets, one for each of us and one for the house. Clean stuff goes into them and I fold one at a time while I am on the phone. Whole basket goes to the room it needs to be put away in.

Another key to my day is I DO NOT WATCH TV! I can't believe how much time that frees up. Yes I have a tv in my sewing space. I use it for dvd's only. I will play Dallas for the noise or a workout dvd when I feel like it.

All of this leaves me tons of time to sew. I keep projects together in bags or boxes. I make sure the fabric, pattern, thread, notions, ect is all their. That way I can grab something and sew. I keep a list of project that need to be done each week. I also keep a list of what I want to get done in the month. If I start a project and have to put it away I put a note in the box with where I left off. I NEVER LEAVE OFF I THE MIDDLE OF A STEP!

I have to stay organized. I have my bag out that I take to the guild meeting. As I finish stuff that has to go to the meeting in the bag it goes. I have 2 large storage boxes in my sewing space too. One is for gifts I make, as I finish a gift it goes into the box with a paper of who it is for. I also mark on my calendar that I have made a gift for that person on the month they are to receive it. Example I have made something for my sister, her birthday is in August, in the empty space on the August page of my calendar I noted that I have made her gift already. That way I know to go look in the box. The second box is for stuff I am putting in the guild's boutique. As I come across fabric, patterns, notions, ect I no longer want I toss them into the box. Then when it is time for the show I just have to price stuff.

While I feed Daphne I will read a pattern. That way I am ahead of the game when I go to sew. I also can pre plan any changes I want to make.

The biggest things for me is having a plan, being organized, and using every minute of my time to the most.