Wow. A little preparation goes a long way.

RomeRomance06

OK, I'll admit I've never been a very organized person. I'm a procrastinator, I know. I'll hit the snooze on my alarm numerous times and then rush around like a maniac trying to get everything together in the morning that I could've done the night before. Since DD though I'm realizing that I need to be more organized or I'm just an exhausted mess before I even get to work. By the time nighttime rolls around I don't want to do anything else except relax and then I don't prep for the next day... you get it - it's a vicious cycle. Last night I willed myself off the couch - prepped everything for a crockpot meal, packed my lunch and this morning I woke up early enough to feed DD, get everything in the crockpot, and I was out the door and at work on time (!!). I even had time to stop at Starbucks to get a delicious dark roast and enjoy it at my desk before pumping.

I say this here because I was always in awe of all you super organized Bumpies/Nesties and wishing I could be like you guys and now I'm thinking I might be a convert. I'm in a much better mood this morning even though I got up a little earlier than I normally do. The best part is - no dinner to cook when I get home and hardly any dishes! Yay!

DCtoLowcountry

Congrats! I heart the crockpot and evening prep. Don't feel bad - I think it takes at least six months to get back on your feet!

WinesNot Whines

Prepping things the night before is a pain, but it really makes life so much easier. Hooray for getting to work on time!

Sofka

I force myself to do everything the night before even though it means I have very little downtime.  But it's definitely worth it; when it's cold enough, I will even leave food in the car overnight sometimes (my lunch, DS's milk, etc).  I also eat breakfast at work and don't drink coffee. But all food is prepped for the kids the night before, all milk is in its cups, all clothes put out. I'll even put the toothpaste on the toothbrush before I go in to get DS in the mornings.

 

vtkgirl77

Yay for you! That's wonderful.

I actually have a rule for myself that I do not sit down to relax until after all of my "chores" are done. I used to tell myself that I could watch some TV and then prep for the next day afterwards but I would also be way too tired. So, I just try to get everything done after dinner so that once it's time to relax, I can actually relax. It's hard though. Sometimes it's so tempting to say "I'll worry about that in the morning" but it never turns out well.

VARedhead

Yeah, prepositioning stuff takes some forethought, but is totally worth it. We started doing it even when DD was an infant and we needed to give her bottles in the middle of the night. We'd fill the bottles with the right amount of water, and put the formula in dixie cups (measured out) in the bathroom closest to her room. It was a pain, but way better than messing with that stuff at 3 am.

RomeRomance06

vtkendra:

Yay for you! That's wonderful.

I actually have a rule for myself that I do not sit down to relax until after all of my "chores" are done. I used to tell myself that I could watch some TV and then prep for the next day afterwards but I would also be way too tired. So, I just try to get everything done after dinner so that once it's time to relax, I can actually relax. It's hard though. Sometimes it's so tempting to say "I'll worry about that in the morning" but it never turns out well.

Yes, this is good advice because it was REALLY hard to pry myself off the couch last night. The problem is, DH likes to eat dinner in front of the TV - DD is already in bed. I've tried to get him to eat at the dinner table and maybe I will try that some more because I think it'll make it easier to move right into the kitchen to get everything ready.

hsbbride

vtkendra:

Yay for you! That's wonderful.

I actually have a rule for myself that I do not sit down to relax until after all of my "chores" are done. I used to tell myself that I could watch some TV and then prep for the next day afterwards but I would also be way too tired. So, I just try to get everything done after dinner so that once it's time to relax, I can actually relax. It's hard though. Sometimes it's so tempting to say "I'll worry about that in the morning" but it never turns out well.

This is me as well. Once my butt hits the couch, it is game over.

Artslvr

I love this post because I'm sitting here nodding.  I lay the girls' outfits out the night before - down to the pony tail holders - to prevent morning arguments about what they're going to wear. I also run the dishwasher while we're watching post-dinner TV, and while it's a total pain, I do empty the dishwasher right before I go to bed so we can have a clean slate and put breakfast dishes in the next morning.  I haaaate emptying that damn dishwasher at night, but boy do I hate doing it in the morning even more.  The one thing I should do but for some reason I don't is make DS's bottles the night before for daycare.  But - I usually let that fall to DH in the mornings while I'm brushing hair and putting in ponytails.  I'd rather do hairdos than make bottles. 

DoubleTeam

YAY! YAY! YAY! What inspiration! Although my little one isn't here yet, I'm trying to prep myself for this time to come by doing more prep work at night.

Hang in there!!!