How I "Get it all Done" // Day Designer

Mother's day is just around the corner and I want to share with you a few products that help improve my mom-life. Because  life can be crazy. My life gets crazy. Sometimes too crazy. I've worked full-time as an ER RN, Part-time nurse/part time mom and now full-time mom. Honestly, full-time mom has been my busiest!! People say all the time.. how do you handle having kids, food blogging, working, and still have time for everyday things like laundry or reading to your kids?! Well my friends, I have a secret. I use a planner. Yep, I use a planner and plan out my days, my meals and get things organized. Every one of us girls that blogs on this blog puts in a fair amount of work to keep this baby running. We manage the emails, advertising, product collaborations, SEO, recipe developing, food photography, multiple social media accounts (which can be the most time consuming!) and so much more! Blogging takes time.

We have all said that if it takes away from the quality of our lives and the time with our family then it is not worth it. That's not what this blog was meant for. We love food and we love sharing our recipes with you, but our babies are so important to us. SO! Today I'm going to give you a peak into my life to how I 'get it all done.'

I should preface by saying that my laundry goes undone somedays. Somedays we grab take-out. Other days I don't shower! ha! Something always has to give because we all know no matter how much we want to appear like super mom.. and we are pretty super just we are all still mom with not enough time. It really all comes down to time.This last year we moved from California to Idaho. My husband started his own Pediatric Optometry office- literally started it from scratch. His first open day was two weeks after we had our 4th child. Meanwhile kids are in dance, soccer, piano and life still goes on. We have had so much going on, it seriously was so hard to keep track of everything needing to be done. If you have ever started a business you know what I mean. My saving grace has been my planner. I've always been a planner user and even save all my old planners. They are almost a journal of sorts for me.

When my husband started getting overloaded with his business, guess what I bought him? Yep, a planner. (I even taught him how to "to-do list"!) As he was getting overwhelmed he needed to prioritize and plan. Which is exactly why I use a planner. Right now I am majorly crushing on my new Day Designer. This planner is the cadillac of all planners. Beautifully designed and thought through. Pages to help you set goals and organize your thoughts. Plan out your year, then month, week and lastly your day. If you really want to reach a goal or accomplish a major project that is how it is done.

Using a planner helps me process my week. (Also, when I write things down, I'm less likely to forget them!) I think through what needs to be done when and what days are more free for playtime with the kids. My goal isn't to have every hour of every day fill with something... far from that. My goal is to figure out what has to be done and what needs to be done. Then prioritize those things and organize them amongst the week. Planning like this helps not only helps me see how busy each day is, it helps me meal plan! So I know that Tuesday we have soccer until 6:30 so I should probably plan for a simple crockpot meal that day.

This planner even has a spot to write in your meal!! Meal planning is what I live for!

 Day Designer has really helped me take that organization to the next level. Having a to-do list helps me process what needs to be done. Some of those things I can put into time slots, but most of all it helps me prioritize. On the top left of every page is a "Top Three" section. I love this. I can always think of a million items to put on my to-do list, but the top three section helps me narrow down what really needs to be done. Then as I go about my day, my activities are more focused and I utilize my time better. You might think that this is an exhaustive process, but I assure you it's not. I actually helps me free up my time! I find I am spent time on things that don't really matter or drain away the minutes. When I get rid of those things, accomplish the things I actually need to, then I have so much more time to physically and mentally relax with my kids.

Getting life organized is a big deal for me. My brain needs to be organized or it gets overwhelmed. Every day doesn't go always as planned but having a goal helps direct those days. Tomorrow.. I'm going to show you a few other products that I love and help my life. Because being a mom is busy and hard work!