Quick Tips for Looking Competent

I am not always the most put-together mother, but I have a few things that work really well for me.

1.  I buy cute trays on dead-end clearance for less than a buck once in a while.  They go to cookie exhanges and potlucks loaded with goodies, and if they don't come back to me, it's not like I just lost my wedding china.  I also get to play Fairy Godmother if someone admires the tray--it goes home with them!

2.  Along the same lines, I have curated a collection of clear glass and silver stuff for entertaining.  I can dress it up for fancy stuff, dress it down for kids' parties, and it all goes together, even though it doesn't technically match.  I used this same idea for our wedding reception, using white tablecloths and clear glass and allowing the flowers to add the color.  It meant that we didn't have to worry about matching shades of red, and it gave the room a simple feeling, allowing the guests to focus on each other instead of table decor.  My mother hit up garage sales for the glassware (yay, Mom!), and it meant that the whole reception was done with real dishes for less than rentals and paper plates would have cost.  It also meant that my mother became the neighborhood dealer for punch bowls and wine glasses for a while.

3.  Fels-Naptha bars and Dawn dish soap will take out just about any stain.  Dawn is especially good for grease stains and makeup, and I have been using Fels-Naptha for Tiny's stains from (ahem) both ends of the process.  A FN bar will set you back about a dollar at most grocery-style stores, or you can order it from the natural living-type catalogs, as some folks use it for making their own laundry soap.  You get your stain wet, then rub the bar on the stain, then rub the fabric together.  After a few minutes, your pretreated item is ready for the washer.  For the big-bad stains, I soak the stained garments in for a few hours.  It takes about fifteen minutes before doing laundry now that Tiny is eating solid food (bibs!  Bibs everywhere!), but it's totally worth it.  I am at the end of the FN bar I bought in 2013, if that tells you anything about bang for your buck.  (Pro-tip: rinse out as much Dawn as you can before you hit the washer, and if you've treated several things, do not put more soap in the washer.  Tons of freshman lab students can tell the tale.)

4.  I utilize the garbage bins at the gas station while I fill up the tank.  I need something to do with my time, and with my commute, there are almost always a few wrappers, zippy bags, and paper cups floating around my front seat.  Almost no effort, and a really nice feeling as I drive away in a better situation.

5.  I swipe the next grade's supply list for Kiddo's school, and shop for a good portion of it at the clearance sales.  As long as I put them away and locate them again (it's shaky some years), I come out smelling like a rose the next year.  I also pick up classic toys like basic models of Barbie dolls and board games when they go on heavy clearance, then tuck them away for the toy drives at the holidays.  It means I can be more generous, even during the times I feel like I'm hemorrhaging money.  There's also a bin in my bedroom assigned to Christmas and birthdays (why, yes, I am turning into my mother) that receives items all year as I travel and shop.  Today, I had to run through a store to refill the diaper bag in a hurry (Fuzzy is very sorry), and there was a display of gorgeous red plaid dresses for $3.  Tiny and Kiddo will be matching in the holiday pictures again this year for a grand expenditure of $6, a distinct improvement on last year's $30 layout.

6.  I utilize Hoopla and Overdrive/Libby (online services from the library) to fuel my audiobook habit.  When I finish a book and don't have time to get to the library, I pull up the app on my phone and instantly borrow another.  It also makes it so easy to listen to a book while I'm at work, even though I don't have a CD player there.  The future is here, and it brought the new Lauren Willig.  For free!

7.  I installed cheap over-the-door hooks on the closet doors in my hallway.  The door next to the kitchen has aprons on a hook, while the door facing the front door has Fuzzy's hoodies, and the door across from the sewing room holds the dress bag full of this week's alteration projects for Pink Depford Design.  I stole this idea from a friend, and it has made my life a bunch easier.

There you go.  You can be a hot mess like me, but with a bunch of things that make you look smoooooth.