6 Useful Life Hacks for Busy Parents

Parenthood could be both rewarding and exhausting. This is especially the case for parents who have to go to work and still have to worry about chores before and after leaving the house. Busy moms and dads are left with little time to bond with their children.

But a working mom like you has to do it anyway. It is a sacrifice that has to be made to give your kids a brighter financial future.

If you're a busy mom or dad who needs some parenting hacks to aid your parenthood duties, or a stay-at-home mom who is simply, understandably overwhelmed by house chores that are exacerbated by your kids' hyperactivity, this article prepared by Lumina Homes aims to help you to lessen your load with these six life hacks for busy parents like you.

1. Keep a family calendar

Being organized is extremely important if you are a parent. This means managing and tracking your financial expenses, scheduling days for specific tasks to accomplish, and more. Keeping a family calendar, both paper calendars to hang on your wall and online apps like Google Calendar, can help the entire family to be aware of tasks that need to be done and important events to remember.

On an online app, you can see your family schedule so you can check on your kids at home and whether they are aware of it. This is a basic life hack that many households tend to overlook, but it legitimately helps keep the entire family on track.

2. Prep meals in advance

The sheer process of cooking meals for the family each day is arguably the most time-consuming activity for all parents, especially mothers. What could have been spent on the more important things, such as bonding with the kids and your partner, is lost in hours of preparing and cooking food.

But this is not to say that cooking is an inessential activity. Rather, it's to highlight how it consumes so much time. For busy parents, it's an issue that could be solved by mastering prep meals to save time and plan for the week ahead. This means buying all the ingredients for an entire week's worth of meals.

Pre-cooked meals could then be put in a large airtight container or a ziplock, and then stored in the fridge. The next day, you won't have to worry about waking up early to prepare another meal before you head to work, because you already have something to simply reheat in the oven or a slow cooker.

In addition, you can also choose easy-to-cook and easy-to-prepare dinner and breakfast meals like fish sticks, which your kids will surely love. Hence, this will eliminate the need to cook every single day and be instead channeled toward catching up with your kids about their days at school and having some little quality time with your spouse.

Aside from meals, it is worth including in your grocery list some snacks to spoil your kids. Don't forget to buy fruits, such as apples and bananas, to make sure they have a balanced diet after spoiling them with their favorite food and snacks.

3. Keep your children busy with fun activities at home

Whether you're out for your office job or working remotely from home, keeping your children busy and entertained will save your day and free you from worries. Now, it may be tempting to hand out a gadget and have them play all day long in online games, but do not give in to this tactic as much as possible.

Instead, opt for physical, small toys for your younger kids. For mental development, buy them colorful and attractive puzzles. If you shop from Lazada or Shoppee, you will see puzzles of dinosaurs, which is extremely popular among kids. What is more, children who are intensely interested in dinosaurs tend to be smarter, according to a study.

Aside from dinosaurs, there is a smorgasbord of puzzle toys that you can shop online, including a kid-friendly outer space depiction, and a farm full of different animals. Finally, you can also consider buying other intellectually stimulating board games, such as Chess, Scrabble, and Monopoly, as well as Jenga and other card games as fun indoor activities for the entire family.

4. Teach your kids to do chores, and reward them for their service

Don't have time to do all the chores? Your young ones can help. More accurately, you could get them to help and teach a lesson or two about discipline, organization, and a sense of responsibility at a young age. You don't have to force them, but chances are high that they will cooperate if you will reward them after doing house chores.

With this, you are practically targeting two goals — a cleaner house that will not require your labor, and the prospect of teaching a lesson to your kids about the importance of helping and being of service to your own family and to others.

5. Do your groceries only once or twice a month

Reduce your grocery trips by doing it only twice a month, and even just once if you can. Not only does it save time, but also money. Make a complete list of items you need for the entire month, and you will never have to do it again once or twice a week.

If you take your kids or if your kids insist on coming with you to the grocery store every time, it's another reason to do your groceries once a month. We bet that every single time you head to a grocery shop, your kids will ask for something that is not originally on your grocery list, like snacks and toys. Inevitably you will give in to their demands; otherwise, they will throw a tantrum and mortify you in front of many people in the store.

A once-a-month grocery means giving in to your young kids' wants only once, instead of succumbing to their cravings more than a few times! This means saving up more money and unhampering yourself from the stress of taking your kids to the supermarket repeatedly.

Once you start doing this, it will also help you keep track of and assess your monthly expenses, eventually master the deed, and heading to the supermarket will no longer feel as burdensome compared to doing it every once in a while.

6. Hire a helper

When things become a little too overwhelming, asking for help won't hurt. Sure, compensating a helper is an added expense, but it's a necessity to make daily life easier for busy parents who are working hard to make ends meet and save up for their children's future.

If you plan to seal an investment in an affordable house and lot for sale, Lumina Homes is an excellent choice to sustain family life in an accessible community and friendly neighborhood. Doing your groceries will not be a pain as all Lumina communities nationwide are near essential establishments, such as supermarkets, hospitals, schools, and places of worship. Commuting and driving your own car will not be a hassle as major roads are also present.

An affordable house and lot with Lumina Homes are designed for Filipino families. Its affordability is paired with quality house features, home models, and lifestyle amenities that will surely satisfy prospective homebuyers like you. Get your own Lumina house and lot in the Philippines and contact us today!