Questionable Choices in Parenting

Laughing at life as a parent so they don't commit me

3 Hack to Quickly Cool Down Your Car

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Hot weather is perfect for a day at the pool and lounging at the beach. However, when temperatures go up, it can become sweltering inside your car and that’s not nearly as fun as a hot pool or beach day. On those hot days, we all know that simply blasting the AC never seems to work fast enough to cool down the hot temperatures in your vehicle. So instead of just climbing into your car and trying not to melt or burn yourself on the hot seatbelts, here are a few hacks to quickly cool down your car even on the hottest days of the year.
Hack #1 – For this car cooling hack, start by rolling down all the windows in your car. Next, turn the air conditioning on to the coldest setting. Be sure to use the fresh air setting and not the recirculate the air feature since this just slows down the process. While you are driving, keep the windows down for a few minutes. When the air in the car begins to cool, switch from the fresh air setting to the recirculated air setting. Since you have to drive with the windows down for a few minutes, this technique might be difficult if you are traveling with kids or pets.

Back to School Hacks and DIYS

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It’s back to school time and this year we are starting the school year with a few hacks that will make life a little easier, more organized, and letting our kiddos personal style shine. Here’s my latest segment from Good Morning Washington!

Smartphone Hacks Every On-The-Go-Parent Needs to Know

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Where would we be without our smartphones? They really do make every part of our daily lives easier, and if you are a busy parent-on-the-go, you know that not having a fully charged phone can put a real damper on your day. So charge up that phone and check out a few of these creative smartphone hacks. From saving your battery to never forgetting what you need at the grocery store again here’s a few of my favorite smartphone hacks.
  • If you have a weak signal or poor internet connection, switch your phone to airplane mode for a few seconds. When you turn the phone back onto the regular mode, you’ll see that your phone has a stronger connection and signal.
  • Before you head to the store, snap a quick picture of your fridge and pantry. This will help you when you get to the store so that you never have to wonder “Do I already have this at home?”
  • Screenshot travel directions before you leave your home. This way you can turn off the GPS and save your precious battery!

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5 Ways On-the-Go Parents Can Save Time

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As a busy parent, have you every wished there were more hours in the day? Me too. But until we can squeeze 27 or 28 hours into each and every day, we are going to need to save time a few different ways. From your most time consuming chores to the time of day you shower, here are five ways busy moms can save time every day.

Order Your Groceries Online and/or Have them Delivered

A trip to the grocery store can be relaxing if you have the time to walk up and down the aisles, but if you are a busy mom, finding time to make your grocery list, head to the store, shop, and then put the groceries away? It’s all too much. So instead, find the stores in your area that offer online ordering and delivery and make ordering your groceries a weekly event.

Meal Plan for the Week

On Sunday night, plan your meals for the entire week. While this might seem a bit daunting, taking the time to plan dinner for each night of the week will save you time during the week because you won’t have to search for recipes or head to the grocery store over and over. Plus this gives you the option to prep meals earlier in the week. Try planning meals you can toss in the crock pot or meals you can double. This way you can cook once and eat twice because you can freeze half the portion.

Separate Your Cleaning Supplies

Rather than keep all of your cleaning supplies in one place, use smaller bottles to store all of your favorite cleaning supplies in multiple places in your house – like all of your bathrooms. This way you can do small power cleaning sessions whenever you have time instead of carrying a huge container of cleaning supplies throughout the entire house.

 

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Keep Your Kids Happy and Entertained on Car Rides With a Cookie Sheet!

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Sometimes we have to get creative when it comes to entertaining our kids in the car, but that doesn’t mean we have to spend a small fortune on toys and activities. So before your next long road trip or short drive on a few errands, don’t leave home before you grab an inexpensive cookie sheet and a few games and activities. It may sound crazy but you’ll love these ideas for instant fun with a few things you already have around the house.
1. The Perfect Coloring Surface – If your kids love to color, then you have to try this trick with a cookie sheet! Start by packing up small coloring books or coloring sheets as well as crayons and makers, and give your kids the cookie sheet as a flat surface to doodle and draw.
2. Puzzles for the Longer Car Rides – Grab a few puzzles from the Dollar Store. Stay away from the really difficult puzzles, just grab the ones with just a few pieces. Attach magnetic strips from the craft store to the back of the pieces. Put the pieces in a plastic baggie and pass them back to your kids with the cookie sheet. The magnetic strips let your kids put all the pieces on the cookie sheet and they have a flat surface to work!

3 Car Apps for Vehicle Maintenance Every Mom Needs

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We rely on our cars to get us and our family where we need go and we need our car to run efficiently. That means we need to keep track of our car’s oil, tire pressure, fuel efficiency, and check up on every strange sound our car makes. But when we have a million things on our to-do list every day, car care might drop to the bottom of our priorities. So to make the task of taking care of your car a little easier, here are three car care apps to help you.
 
Gas Cubby – Gas Cubby is an app that helps you track your car’s fuel economy and offers maintenance reminder for service. These reminders are perfect for making sure your car is running smoothly for a long time. You can set a reminder for when you need to rotate your tires or even get your oil changed. While Gas Cubby offers a free version with limited features, go ahead and splurge for the $1.99 version to access all of the addition premium features.

Car Pool Hacks

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As your kids get older and their days and evenings schedules begin to fill up with school, clubs, sports, and after school activates, you may find yourself spending a lot of time in your car as you shuffle your kids to and from each activity. It’s no wonder carpools are so popular with busy moms! If you can take their kid to one activity and the next time they bring your kid home, everyone’s life is a little easier. So if you are in the trenches of carpooling, here are a few hacks to make getting there a little easier.
Grab a few hooks with suction cups on the back and attach them to the car windows. Just be sure to place the hooks low on the window so the driver’s view is not obstructed. This way kids can hang their bookbags on the hooks and can keep them off the floor. This hack is perfect for a little extra room, especially if kids are carrying multiple backs or the weather outside is wet and messy. Now the kids’ bags will stay dry and clean.
Make sure you are never late for your carpool duty by setting alarms on your phone to remind you when you’ll need to leave each day. I set alarms for just about everything, and believe me, they have saved me more times than I can count. Even if you are busy or distracted, when the alarm on the phone goes off, you know it’s time to leave.

Best Apps for Multi-tasking Parents

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If you’re a multi-tasking parent that is always on-the-go, you probably have a smartphone on you at all times. So you need apps that are working for you to make life a little easier. From feeding your kids to saving money and finding the best place for kids to play, here are apps every single multi-tasking mom needs to download today.
Cozi: This app will quickly become one of your favorites. Cozi allows multi-tasking moms to manage everything from school schedules to grocery lists, meal planning, to-do lists, and more. You can even give each member of your family access so they can see calendar, shopping lists, to do lists, and leave reminders. Perfect when you need your partner to pick up the kids or run to the grocery store for you.
Mom Maps: There are tons of apps that will shows you maps and give your directions, but Mom Maps is an app designed to help you find kid-friendly locations where ever you go. Mom Maps can help you find kid-friendly areas such as parks, museums, restaurants, play places, and more. So the next time you need a place for play date, use Mom Maps. The best part is the app has more then 28,000 locations, and provides reviews, contact information, directions, and kids play guides, so you know what places are mom approved.

Dorm Room Hacks

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Fun Fact: Most dorm rooms are less than 200 square feet! So if you have a kid in college you are probably looking for ways to help them maximize space in their home away from home,  but you don’t have to shell out the cash to maximize their space. From making their dorm personal but not damaging the walls to keeping their closest organized, here’s my latest segment on Good Morning Washington where I’m sharing my favorite dorm room hacks.