Is the day getting away from you?
Lets face it, moms are busy. Between the kids, the house, work, and everything else we've got a lot on our plates. Our goal when creating Today's Blueprint was to capture all of the many tasks in mom's day in a convenient and easy to use form. So in addition to using Today's Blueprint here are some suggestions to help you regain control of your day!

• Try not to wing it. Give some thought (in advance) to the things you need to do, when you need to do them, and where you need to do them. Nothing is worse than wasting your time. Do you get to the dry cleaners or the library before they've opened? Adding wasted time with a repeat visit? Do you remember to lump errands that are located together...together? This will save time and gas money!
• Prep the night before. Get your clothes lined up, ironed, and ready to go. Dropping things off? Leave them by the door or better yet, put them in the car the day before. Prepare lunches the night before. Do as much as you can the night before and on the weekend to make the weekday mornings smoother and less stressful. Have your kids pick out their clothes for the week on Sunday.
• Use time wisely. Do as many errands as you can during non-peak times. Obviously, this will depend on your schedule...if you are a stay at home mom, do your grocery shopping during the week and anything else that takes you to places that tend to be mobbed during the weekend. If you work, try to take advantage of Friday evenings, they are slow times for kids hair cuts, grocery shopping, and lots of others.
• Get help! Most large grocery stores now offer a delivery service, Peapod by Giant or Grocery Delivery by Safeway are examples. Both offer coupons for first time orders and even free delivery on orders over a certain amount. Search online also for promotional discounts. Run through your to do list, ask your spouse to do some of what's on your list. Read our article on how to get more help around the house for more tips.
• Get your kids on a routine. Things will run much smoother when everyone is on a routine. This will also give you more free time. If you need getting your household on a schedule read Caryn Forbes' article Establishing Routines.
• Telework. If you work, talk to your boss about telework. Telework can help you avoid peak rush hour traffic, allow you to be home to see your kids off to school, and permit you to have more non-weekend time to accomplish errands and other personal business because you will be eliminating your commute.

Weekends present their own challenges. Try out our free Weekend Blueprint to help you get a handle on your weekend. This blueprint was designed just for weekends and factors in all that there is to accomplish before Monday!