American Mothers, Inc.

Melanie Henstrom was the 2009 Oregon Young Mother.  She has 6 beautiful children and a wonderful husband, William Henstrom.  In her "free" time, she enjoys reading, scrapbooking and yoga.  Her favorite saying is, "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all". 

Do you ever feel like there is not enough time in the day?  What I would give to not be tired or simply have 2 extra hours in the day?   I remember the day my twins were born.  I really didn't know how I was going to do the basic things.  At the time I had 5 children under the age of six.  The twin babies would have been enough to keep track of, but to have a 6, 4, and 2 year old potty training, with the twin babies was beyond overwhelming.  So, out if necessity I came up with a few tricks that helped me survive.  

Most people laugh at the first time saving trick. At night, after my husband and I gave the children a bath, we would put our young ones in the clean clothes they would wear the next day.  It saved on laundry and the cost of pajamas.  On Saturday night it was a special treat to sleep in pajamas, because we certainly did not want to put them in church clothes.  As my children have gotten older, and can dress themselves, some of them still put on their clean clothes for the next day, and others choose pajamas.  It makes mornings a lot less hectic and anytime I have less laundry to do, I am happy. 

The next trick I learned came as my children were old enough to do their own laundry.  Each room had their own dirty clothes hamper.  When it was full, the entire content went into the washing machine, then into the dryer, then back up to the room where it originated.  The children knew when they arrived home from school and their clothes were on the floor, that they were expected to put them away. Consequently, I never had to sort or fold the piles of clothes, except my own. This literally saved me hours.  I may not have had the whitest whites in town, but I certainly had more free time. 

My favorite way to cook is with the crock pot.  I don't know how people do without one.  There are so many great recipes that can be converted to the crock pot.  I love having dinner simmering and ready whenever I need it.  If you are not a crock pot cooker, may I suggest you give it a try.  It is perfect for those nights that you are busy and it allows you to spend more time with your children when they get home from school. 

 One last helpful hint that I have learned from having a child with food intolerances.  There are some amazing muffin mixes that are gluten free put out by "The Craving Place".  I purchase them in bulk at amazon.com.   I have learned that you can freeze just about anything that you make and pull it out for future use.  These muffins are perfect for my son who cannot have gluten and I make up a few different flavors and freeze them.  Each day I take out a different flavor for him for his lunch and it is as fresh as the day I made it. 

 Last, but most importantly, I have to say I have found it crucial to put Jesus Christ first in my life.  If mom isn't taking care of herself, then the whole family starts to fall apart.  If I take time to study the scriptures and pray daily, I seem to find more time to do the things I need to do, and want to do.  The Savior is my guide, and when things are tough and life is too busy, I pray for help.  These time saving tricks came as inspiration when there was simply no extra time and helped me make it through the most busy and exhausting time of my life.  I hope they can help some of you too.