Happy Mom Tip: Stop Doing What You Dislike

Happy Mom Tips

By Rivka Caroline 

Get rid of it. Or find ways to make the loathsome chore pleasant! 

Happy Mom Tip #10

Stop Doing What You Dislike Doing...IMMEDIATELY! 

We know the famous Mishneh about not doing something we don't like to some-one else. In addition to this stellar advice I'd also like to cut the sentence to fit this blog namely : Do not do something YOU don't like. Period. 

Seriously, define what is loathsome to you and commit to get rid of it, outsource it or do it differently. 

Life is too short to be spent doing things that drain you. 

Is ironing boring you to tears? Barter with a neighbor. Still no luck? Call local ironing services and eat macaroni and cheese for an extra night if budgeting is tight. 

Doing things differently involves paring something really fun during the boring task or immediately after. So if scrubbing down the shower is horrific be sure to blast some awesome music or treat yourself to a Skype session with a good friend overseas.

The main point is to identify what is unpleasant and to make it go away...or at the very least be creative in ways to make it pleasant!

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Rivka Caroline is an Efficiency Coach that helps moms, individuals and companies be more productive. She lives with her husband and seven kids in Key Biscayne, FL.  Visit her site www.sobeorganized.com for more great solutions on exporting stress and importing fun! 

Happy Mom Tips: Coupons: Friend of Foe?

Happy Mom Tips

By Rivka Caroline

Happy Mom Tip #9

COUPONS: FRIEND OF FOE? 

Here are my golden rules for using coupons effectively:

1) Only clip coupons for items you already buy. 

2) Don't waste time by dividing them into coupon holders; simply keep them in a ziploc bag.

3) Keep your coupons in your car (not on your desk!) and quickly look them through before you jump out of the car (rather than as you shop).

4) Discard expired coupons as you wait online.

Night Owl or Early Bird?

Happy Mom Tips 

By Rivka Caroline

Happy Mom Tip #8

NIGHT OWL OR EARLY BIRD 

Are you a Night Owl or An Early Bird?

Play to your strengths and do the bulk of your thinking work during the times where you get the most accomplished. Have your priorities outlined ahead of time. If you're a night owl, set a timer if you are worried that you will get carried away and work too late at night.

Happy Mom Tip #7: Matching Sole-Mates

Happy Mom Tips

By Rivka Caroline 

Happy Mom Tip #7

MATCHING SOLE-MATES 

Here's my advice for the week in two words : sock locks. If I could rewind my decades of laundry cycles and change one thing it would be the implementation of sock locks. I guesstimate I have wasted infinite time and dollars searching for the elusive "other sock." These nifty contraptions secure your sole-mates from laundry bin all the way through the dryer.  

They're a "must-have" for all those interested in ending sole searching!

Happy Mom Tip #6: Manage Your Interruptions

Happy Mom Tips

By Rivka Caroline

 It's going to take more than pressing a button...

Happy Mom Tip # 6

MANAGE YOUR INTERRUPTIONS

When you finally get baby down and are ready to get some tasks done, here's a way to get more done: watch your interruptions. It takes a full ELEVEN minutes to get back to what you were focused on after answering a text or caving in to any other distraction.

So when you are focused on getting work done, maximize your time silencing your phone and turning off the internet. Set a timer. Your concentration and productivity will benefit tremendously!

The "To Don't" list

Happy Mom Tips

By Rivka Caroline

Happy Mom Tip #5

The "To Don't" List

What's on your "To Don't" list? 

With all the focus on writing your "To Do" list, don't forget to write all the things not to do! Why? To remind yourself that it's not about doing it all - it's about doing it most. Think through the day's priorities and give up some of your non-essential commitments. This way, you'll free up more time and energy for the essential items.

Happy Mom Tip #4

Happy Mom Tips

By Rivka Caroline 

 

Happy Mom Tip #4

Streamlined Baby Gift Giving

You know the scenario already: Your friend/cousin/ neighbor gives birth. You want to get her something special, practical and personal. Not sure where to get the perfect item, you wait a little. And a little longer. And then you cringe when you realize it's the baby's first birthday and you still owe that newborn gift!

We've all been there and, in retrospect, it's way too many decisions to make!

It makes sense, then, to streamline the process and bypass the decision-making center in our brains and reduce GBGGA (Global Baby Gift Giving Anxiety). 

Here's how:

Simply decide on the one item that you love that also fits your budget. Then either stock up on them or always have the website handy and - voila! - you'll be delivering the gift before the mom has time to deliver the baby.

Happy Mom Tip #3: Don't Drop the Friendship Ball

Happy Mom Tip #3

Don't Drop the Friendship Ball

By Rivka Caroline

Would you love to have lunch with friends but don't have the time? Don't deny yourself. These are essential elements for a balanced life. Be creative how to work it into your schedule. Consider combining work and fun by working out together. Or take the children out. Consider hiring a babysitter to visit with single friends. Don't think that you'll save time by minimizing fun with old friends - you're only human and human beings need old friends who knew us before our shoulders had spit up on them.

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Come back to LadyMama.org for Rivka's weekly 

tips on exporting stress and importing fun! 
Read more about Rivka on the author page! 

Happy Mom Tip #2

Happy Mom Tip #2

Steps To A Happy Car

By Rivka Caroline

1) Keep a pack of babywipes within arms reach.

2) Keep old plastic bags in the passenger side door and use as garbage bags

3) Discipline yourself to do a clean out as you fill gas.

4) Teach yourself and your passengers of all ages to never leave the car empty handed (unless they are still in diapers).

5) Do a thorough cleaning every Sunday.

6) Keep a staple of almonds or granola bars in the glove compartment for emergency munchies.

7) If you're a parent, keep a few diapers and a change of outfit in a hidden spot.

8) Keep a pen and paper handy in the glove compartment in the unlikely case of a fender bender when your fingers will be shaking too hard to fiddle with your blackberry.

9) Most importantly, realize that you have the potential to be a hero in your child's/ grandchild's/ niece's/nephew's eyes if you take them for a whiz through a drive-through car wash. A small price to pay for instantly becoming someone's favorite person of the week!

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Come back to LadyMama.org for Rivka's weekly tips on 
exporting stress and importing fun! 
Read more about Rivka on the author page! 

Happy Mom Tip #1

Happy Mom Tips

It's about balancing our lives to find our shoulders soft and relaxed...

By Rivka Caroline

Come back to LadyMama.org for Rivka's weekly tips on 
exporting stress and importing fun! 
Read more about Rivka on the author page! 

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Happy Mom Tip #1 

Things to Give / Throw Away Now

1) Any white shirt that is yellow under the arms

2) Any book that makes you feel badly about yourself when you look at it

4) Packages of flour, sugar, pasta or anything that's been open for longer than three months

5) Last year's spices

6) Clothing that makes you feel bad about your body or your life

7) Shoes that hurt

8) Old mismatched towels that you're keeping 'just in case'

9) Those 28 tiny bottles of body lotion you swiped from hotels and have never gotten around to using

10) The gifts you disliked as soon as you opened them but have felt too guilty to get rid of

13) The wrapping paper from said gifts

14) Any broken lamp or appliance that would cost more to fix than to replace

16) Anything you use occasionally - pliers, staple remover, apple corer - that you have more than one of

17) Any photograph you don't want your grandchildren to remember you by!