How to Get the Cooking, Cleaning, Laundry and Kid-care Done All at Once!

Multi-Tasking for the Working Parent

Today's world demands that we wear about five hats all at once! Multi-tasking is an essential skill. So here is a guide for parents who need to be in several places and do several things all at the same time!

A note of caution, however, it is not healthy emotionally or physically to be 'on jump' all the time. If you run in high gear all of the time, your engine is gonna quit much sooner. So know the times when you need to multi-task and be prepared. But make sure to carve out some low gear or even idle time!

Two of the busiest times for most parents are: Before work (say 6-8:30 am give or take) and after work and school (3-8:30 pm). I have aimed my strategies for those periods.

Before work/school: Get up and wake the kids up. I have a time chart for everyone: what needs to be done and how long it should take. I wake the baby up last, so I can get stuff done first. If he's awake, I change him and put him in his high chair with some dry cereal and his drink.

I start the coffee, the internet (dial up) and my curling iron (or hot rollers). I throw in a load of laundry (usually towels and wash cloths, that we always need and I don't have to sort. I check our daily calendar for things I may need to remember.

I set out the cereal, medicines or vitamins and pour the juice. I pour the milk when they come downstairs. I am calling reminders to kids as I go: make beds, remember homework, etc. I gather up the bowls and cups and rinse out so they won't be sticky! I put them in the dishwasher.

I put the seasonings, meat, potatoes and a little water in the slow cooker on low. A ham, pork roast, chicken or turkey will simmer nicely all day and be ready at 5:00pm

As I get my make-up on and wash up, I wipe up the bathroom as I go, gather up dirty laundry and towels and do kind of a walk through tidy up, picking things up as I go and tossing them where they go. I don't get dressed until I've washed the little ones up and gotten them dressed.