Hey y'all!
Ok mamas, let's get real for a minute! I know why you clicked this post... you know why you clicked this post. We are busy and we need simple hacks that make our lives easier. Plus, if it can keep our house running smoothly and efficiently then that's a huge bonus! Having 4 kids means my time is precious and keeping on track or making my life "less chaotic" is a top priority!

Between random Facebook posts or Pinterest posts, I'm sure you see a ton of different "Life Hacks" and they all seem great. But do they really work? I have tried many, many hacks and while some seem simple, they don't really make life easier. So, I decided to compile a quick list of some of my favorites!



Frozen PB&J- As a mom on the go, I try to stay loaded with lunches or snacks incase errand running takes longer than planned. Also, every now and then we decide to take our learning out of the house and head to the library so lunches are a requirement! One way to cut down on not only our grocery bill but also make packing lunches a snap, I make our own "Uncrustables". I am a true believer in Aldi's grocery store so these prices may vary depending on where you live. One 10 count pack  of Uncrustables at Walmart cost $6.48 ( without tax). To make sure that my kiddos are set for at least a week and a half, I would have to buy 2 boxes. So $6.48 x 2= $12.96. 10 come in a box and if we get two, that would make them $0.64 a sandwich. When I make them my self they are merely half the cost! I purchase 1 large jar of peanut butter, 1 jar of jelly and 2 loaves of bread. I usually purchase all of these items from Aldi but every now and then the Dollar Tree in our area has some of our favorite breads that are normally close to $3.00 for only $1.00! So that can actually make it cheaper! Any way, if I were to purchase all of these items from Aldi it would cost around $7.25. Using two loaves (except for the 4 end pieces) will make a total of 21 sandwiches making them roughly $0.34 each! Not only am I saving money on these sandwiches, but once I wrap them tightly and pop them in the freezer, the kids have sandwiches for almost 2 weeks! Talk about a time saver when we are heading out the door!
**Pro tip** Peanut butter is oil based and jelly is water based, so, to avoid soggy bread, add a layer of peanut butter on both pieces of bread then a layer of jelly on one slice!



Sole Mate Bag- A "Sole" mate bag has made my life so much easier! Now, you are probably thinking.. "what is that?!". Well a "sole" mate bag is for those pesky socks that always seem to end up missing their mate. I have 4 kids and a total of 12 feet in this house, so you can imagine how many socks we have in this house lol. For this hack I simply grabbed a mesh laundry bag ( I think Dollar Tree) and strung it up on a hanger in the laundry area. Whenever I am done folding the clothes, all the socks that are missing a mate go in the "sole" mate bag until they meet their mate! I love using this method because it allows me to keep those socks in a place where EVERYONE can check!



Popsicle Drip Guard- Popsicles are fun but the mess they leave behind is not! I can't count how many sticky fingers I have had to clean up and everything that has gotten in their way lol. I would always cut the bottom off of a cup like the one above to catch all the drips. However, I recently discovered a better way to do it is by using silicone cupcake liners! This way I can reuse them and create less waste! Soon as summer hits, I am breaking those bad boys out and putting them to use!



WiFi Picture- When you have a gazillion electronics in your house and guests coming over, it's good to have a few items available at the drop of a dime. WiFi is one! I am terrible with remembering logins, passwords and codes! So, I created this Wifi picture that hangs in our hall! I know this may not seem like a "mom hack" but trust me, this comes in handy when the kids are on the laptop, tablet or phone and they accidently disconnect from WiFi! Plus, when a guest comes over, it is one of the first frames they see so they can easily connect without having to ask you and then you spend 20 minutes looking for the code!





Dresser Labels- Not gonna lie, this hack may be a little costly in the beginning but it works like a charm! Phoenix and I made dresser labels for everyone, this way they can all easily remember what goes where! I used in my opinion, the best creative tool out there, Canva! The basic version which is very good is free and you can create all kinds of templates! We used some of our favorite photos and added them to these cool designs Phoenix came up with! Once we made them, I had them printed and laminated at Office Max. For these labels, I used the notecard template to make sure they were the right size for their dresser drawers. Then, I used clear tape to keep it nice and clean when sticking them on!


These are some of my favorite tried and true hacks! Each of these have made my house run smoother, my day less "messy" or really just one less thing I need to think about! I plan to keep adding more hacks to this post so keep checking this post from time to time! Also, if you have a hack I HAVE TO TRY, let me know in the comments below!

So guess what, huge spoiler alert... THAT IS VERY TRUE! My husband is in his 30's and I will be 30 on March 29th and we are still trying to figure out the path that we are supposed to wander. We are finally deciding to put permanent roots down in Texas and further our education in something we enjoy! Sorry folks, can't tell you what that is just yet! But we are just starting to put all these pieces together.. at THIS time in our life.

Now, I have figured out quite a few aspects of my life these past 29 years, so believe me... these are tried and true life lessons!

1. You are never to old to try something new, who knows what will lie ahead. You may try something that will completely change your life! Give it a try and see what it could bring to your life.
2. God comes first! This is a no brainer. God has been by my side from the very beginning. Why would I want to put anything above my creator? He has done more for me than everyone on this earth combined. He will always be first.
3. Family is second. Yes, my family comes after God because with out God, I would have no family! After miscarriages, health scares and one child nearly dying... it's safe to say they are right there next in line.
4. You won't remember everything! Give- it - up! It is physically impossible to remember everything so stop worrying about what your child said 3 years ago after their 2nd birthday. It's ok! I would stress out reading all these posts in my mom groups about what their child did 18 years ago. I mean hey, don't get me wrong that is awesome that you have those memories.... but come on, I can barely keep my days straight since we started homeschooling lol.
5. It's ok to copy the right cat. There are so many blogs and "Professional Moms" out there. Usually they are all perfect and Pinterest ready 24/7 yet they tell you, " Be yourself", "Don't compare yourself to other moms" & " We all do things our own way". OK, yes.. we do and I am all for that! No mom-shaming over here people! But what is wrong with admiring some of those moms that put in the hard work? The ones who's house is always clean and has a hack for everything? Or what about the ones that have amazing recipes for clean, gluten free, vegan, biodegradable, sugar free, 100% nutrition snacks? I mean, I want to be one of those moms! I want my house to look like Chip & Jo did a total reno on it! So don't be afraid to copy someone you admire, obviously they are doing something right!
6. People of the past won't always be around in the future. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you try to relive the
good 'ol days", just face the fact that they are gone and they may never come back. Honestly, this took me a long time to accept. There are many people in my life that I never thought I would lose. But you know what.. it's all good! I will always cheer for them, I will always be proud and support them. No love lost... people change and their paths change with them. I had to learn that it is ok to let people go.




Which brings me to ....

7. Find your tribe and cherish them! New people are going to come in and out of your life. Find those that have been there no matter what, support you no matter what and are honest with you no matter what! Find them and cherish them! Do everything you can to return the love back to them!
8. Always talk it out & pick your battles. Being married so young was actually one of the best things I could have ever imagined. My marriage has been though ups and downs but being able to see each other at our worst and grow together has been one of the biggest blessings in my life!
10. Not only mommy knows best. As hard as it is to believe, dads know a thing or two about their kids! I had to learn very early that my kiddos' dad knew just as much as I did in the child rearing department.
11. It's just a number (age, weight). Over the years, I have learned that the number on the scale and the number of years I have lived are just numbers. They don't mean that I am wiser or healthier. TBH, there was a point in time were I lost a lot of weight but I was SOOOO unhealthy! But that is for another time. Letting go of numbers and focusing on the end result have taken off so much pressure!
12.Laughter is medicine and it really makes you feel good! Being married to my husband for so long I have learned to really let my hair down and laugh more! Laughter really does a body good!
13. Not everything will go as planned. One thing I have accepted and am trying to change is my constant need to control everything! If I could have a super power, it would most likely be being able to control time. I have learned that no matter how much I prep, plan and schedule.. something will derail something at one point or another. Knowing that and accepting that as a possibility has allowed me to be more easy going.
14. Keep the love present. Between homeschooling, raising 4 kids, wifely duties, blogging and everything else,I play many roles in my day to day life. Remembering to keep the role as a mom and unconditional love present for my entire family is what really matters.
15. Support others the way you want to be supported. I have done several things throughout my life that were huge deals for me. A lot of those times, I only had my husband there to support me. That feeling of not having a support system is the worst! After I started blogging and my business, I knew that going the extra mile to share a post, Like a business page on Facebook or even just show up to an event was huge factor in supporting others. After one of my very personal and special blog posts had no support from a lot of people I knew or worked with in the past, I now make it my mission to like every post or leave a comment or tag someone. I know I am only one person, but support from one can go a long way.
16. Take a risk. I have taken many risks throughout my life and they have't always paid off. But the thing about taking risks is you always learn a lesson. You learn ways to improve, things to keep doing or things to NEVER DO AGAIN!
17. Relax and enjoy the moments. Honestly, these past years have been such a big blur that there are moments I wish I would have soaked in a lot more. Instead of enjoying the moment, I was worried about kids getting messy, the house getting demolished or the fact that whatever we were enjoying now, I would have to clean or deal with later.  Learning to enjoy the moment has created more opportunities to create more memories.
18. Don't put it off, just do it! Waiting until the time is right is a waste of time ( in most cases). When you have the time to do something, just do it then! I still struggle with this from time to time because honestly, I just want to sleep during those "down moments".
19. Don't let others change you! Over the past several years, I have realized that a lot of people only look out for themselves.They do sneaky and vindictive things... but I have learned to rise above..DON'T LET THEM CHANGE YOU!
20. Never stop learning. Don't be afraid of doing research or trying something new. When I started my second go round in blogging, I looked up everything I could to learn how to be successful. While I feel I still have a ways to go, I am still learning and asking questions.
21. Not every opportunity is golden. Sometimes, a great opportunity will come your way and by all means, GO FOR IT! But just because one is presented to you doesn't mean that it will work for you, in reality, there is a possibility it can work against you.
22. Trust more. If there was one thing I held onto from my past it was lack of trust. When people hurt you and fall short of their promises, you start to realize you can only trust yourself. The past several years have really shown me that living in the past can ruin all that the future has to offer!
23. Wine is a requirement! Need I say more lol. Yes, wine is definitely in my #MomLife survival kit! Seriously though, if wine isn't your thing, something that helps you unwind is necessary!
24.  Social Media is fake (majority of the time). When scrolling though social media, don't forget that in most cases, they are posed photos. I had to remember that behind every photo there is a reality and to not let that affect mine.
25. Self care is the foundation of sanity. When I think about my day to day life, I am completely booked from the time I wake up until the time I close my eyes. Making sure I take a day to my self every now and then doesn't happen very often. So, I make sure to take at least one moment a week to do something that is for me!
26. Forgive others and yourself. We are humans. We make mistakes. Learning to forgive others is one of the most important things you can do. Forgiving yourself is just as important. Sometimes we hold things against ourselves that really only hold us back.
27. Self affirmation is needed once in a while. Just like self care, self affirmation is important for your overall well being. It's ok to tell yourself "hey, you got this!" or "you are a great mom!".
28. Pace yourself. Not everything needs to be done in 30 minutes or less. I had to learn that with homeschooling, cleaning, working on my self esteem or whatever else.. it takes time! I had to accept the fact that I would't be a pro over night.
29.Your 30's are just the beginning! I am very excited to see what this next chapter of my life has to offer!


I am so thankful for of these life lessons I have learned over the years! They may not have always been the smoothest or happiest, but they have molded me into who I am and who I am becoming!
So here is to 30 and all it has to offer!

What's one thing you learned over your lifetime that has allowed you to be a better person? Let me know in the comments below!