Daily foot pain from stepping on Legos, endless spaghetti-stained dishes in the sink, and laundry for days are just a few things that describe a mom of three. Let’s be real. Once you lose your man-to-man defense, managing more kids in the zone defense has its own obstacles. Don’t get me wrong. Life is full of hilarious fart jokes, elaborate fort-making while destroying the couch, and the best hugs from my three little dudes. But, as much as I despise the older lady at the grocery store telling me, “You have your hands full,” basically every time I venture out with all three boys ages six and under, I can’t stop myself from thinking or wanting to say back, “you’re right.”
As a full-time working mom, I feel I have had enough time under my belt to learn from my mistakes and build upon my successes. I have started to learn some hacks in life that make our daily living just a little bit easier. I am always trying to find ways to cut corners to save 15 minutes here and there to have a few extra moments to relax or spend time with my family away from the hustle and bustle of the work week.
Hack #1: Delayed Start on the Washer
My husband and I are switching off what seems like every day to complete a cycle of laundry. We all know the challenge that can be, as it feels like winning a gold medal to be able to complete the wash, dry, fold, and put away routine in one evening. While I can’t say that I have given a hack to solve that challenge, I have started relying on the “delayed start” button on my washing machine. At night, we try to get a load through the wash/dry cycle while we are doing our nightly activities with our kids. But right before bed, I put one last load in the washing machine, but then I delay the start by six or so hours. This is just enough time for the washing to start an hour before I get up. That way, when it is time to come downstairs to get ready for work, the clothes are ready to be put in the dryer. This is a huge timer saver, and you’re saving yourself the dreadful realization that you left the clothes in the washing machine for the last two days.
Hack #2: Join the Robotic Vacuum Club
Before you think I’m too bougie, hear me out. I recently got our robot vacuum from our local Buy Nothing Group on Facebook. We are cheap, but if this thing ever quits, I think I’ll find the money to replace it. It has not only vacuumed for me daily over the last few months, but it also forces my kids to pick up their toys. It especially helps with those tiny Legos that are strung across the playroom. If not, “DJ Vac” will come and eat them. I am one of those people who need to go to bed with things semi-picked up, or it just starts the following day off feeling overwhelmed, defeated, and the plate fully loaded again. It’s worth the quick pick-up on the main level so I can leave the less desirable activity of sweeping up sticky rice to the robot.
Hack #3: Vegetable Prep on Sundays
I know many people spend their Sundays prepping vegetables or other meals to make their lives easier throughout the workweek. I aspire to do better in this area, as I know I could prepare a few more meals or breakfasts on Sunday, but at a minimum, I cut up all the fresh vegetables I have on hand. Instead of putting them into bags, I bought a big plastic vegetable platter with dividers and a lid. I cut up all of my vegetables and place them in there. This makes for easy access for my kids to get a healthy snack, add it to their lunch or dinner, or even throw them in a stir fry.
Hack #4: Free Ice Packs
Does anyone else have an embarrassing amount of individual ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise packets that they have saved as a “just in case we run out” type situation? Just me? Well, I started saving mine on purpose and freezing them. Once they freeze, they are still flexible, which allows them to mold onto tiny fingers and knees when your kids get hurt. They don’t get too cold to where it makes it unbearable to keep the pack on the bump. We use these a ridiculous amount, as someone around here is always trying the next cool ninja move or jumping off some structure. Bumps and bruises are bound to happen, so we are now prepared for free!
Life is full of adventure with three boys, and I wouldn’t change my life with my three miracle babies at all. But, as a mom of multiples, you know it truly does take the entire village along with all the mom hacks TikTok and Pinterest can provide. Now, fellow moms of three or more kids, leave your own hacks down in the comments to share your wisdom and knowledge so we can all benefit from a few extra minutes to ourselves.
