Being a parent is like being a professional driver, activity liaison, educator, entertainer, chef, scheduling coordinator, and superhero all at the same time. Unfortunately, none of it comes with an instruction manual. So if you’re looking for a few new tricks to save time (and headaches), we have some great ideas just for you. Check out our top mom hacks and Shutterfly hacks below to help you be the best parent you can.
Top Mom Hacks
From mommy calling cards to a mobile “mess-up” kit, we’ve compiled all of our top mom hacks for you below. These tips are great for staying organized at school and on-the-go, and we’ve also included some excellent activities you can do to keep the kids engaged at home. For many of these hacks, you might just need the items that are already at your home, but Shutterfly’s personalized gifts will also make many of these ideas more fun and easier to put together.
1. School Gear Organization
Struggling to get the kids out the door in the morning? Make sure everything is lined up and ready to go with a custom wall hook organizer that can hold everything in one place once you’ve herded the kids to the front door. It’s strong enough to hold backpacks, coats, and other supplies and helps make school mornings just a little bit easier.
2. Store Home Videos Safely
Since the popularization of smartphones, capturing home videos has never been easier. But we often don’t think about storing those videos somewhere safe where they won’t be lost or forgotten. Make sure your videos are preserved for years to come by uploading them to your Shutterfly account. We promise they’ll never be deleted. Every Shutterfly account offers free unlimited photo storage, but you can also upgrade your account to include video storage. Simply upload and organize your videos so you can view them in one place and use them to create home movies with your memories.
3. Mommy Calling Cards
Smoothly coordinate playdates with the use of mommy calling cards. These business cards for moms hold all your contact information to help you plan playdates, carpools, and more with other parents. You can also keep a few in your child’s backpack for emergencies.
4. Keep Track of School Milestones
Make sure you keep track of your child’s most important milestones by regularly printing those special photos for safekeeping. By creating a personalized photo book, you can be sure that none of those memories will be lost and forgotten. Create a photo book for each year that you can customize with beautiful backgrounds and layouts. If you don’t want to spend too much time customizing, you can also opt for an Instant Book that puts together the book automatically in seconds after you upload your photos.
5. Use Mason Jars for Fresh Herbs
If you struggle with cooking fresh, healthy meals for the family, you’re not alone! Finding recipes the whole family will like while taking the time to cook is difficult for any parent. With Shutterfly’s custom mason jars, you can make weeknight dinners a little easier and much more flavorful by turning them into small herb planters. As long as you leave them by a sunny window, most of your herbs won’t need too much care and can last much longer there than they would in the fridge. With fresh herbs on hand, you can incorporate more variety in your meals and even get the kids involved with cooking by asking them to care for the herbs and pick them off the stems for eating.
6. Allergy Tag
If your child has severe allergies to foods or medications, consider turning a personalized luggage tag into a medical alert. List any major allergies on the tag along with their photo, name, emergency instruction, and your contact information. Then simply attach the tag to their backpack. An allergy tag is great to use for traveling as a family just in case you’re away from them in an emergency. You can also use them for school trips where the chaperones would need to know about their allergies.
7. Writing Supplies Storage
Keep your child’s space more organized by customizing a photo mug as a designated pencil/pen holder. Not only will it keep any writing utensils from rolling off the table, but it also contributes to the decor for your child’s room.
8. Chore Reminders
Need help reminding the kids about chores or new routines? Use customized sticky notes in the bathroom, bedroom, and playroom to remind them what needs to get done. Whether it’s to get in the habit of personal hygiene or remind them how to put away certain toys, sticky notes can help provide instructions when you’re not there.
9. Clean/Dirty Magnets
Do the kids need help figuring out when to load and unload the dishwasher? Take the headache away from dirty dishes by introducing a magnet system. Simply customize a set of photo magnets with labels or directions to let the kids know exactly when the dishwasher is full of clean or dirty dishes.
10. Turn Kids’ Artwork into Gifts
Is your kids’ artwork is piling up and taking up too much space, but you’d feel terrible getting rid of it? Just upload the art to your Shutterfly account and reprint it on photo books or other personalized gifts. Turning your kids’ artwork into gifts is a great way to save space without getting rid of their hard work.
11. Use Aprons for Craft Time
Every mom knows just how messy crafting can get. Paint is a danger to the house, and you swear glitter is your worst enemy. But by keeping a set of kids aprons just for craft time can help make sure that their outfits stay clean.
12. Photo Organization
One of the hazards of being a modern mom is having hundreds or thousands of digital photos on your computer and phone. Organizing those photos might seem like a daunting task. But by uploading photos to Shutterfly, you can easily organize, store, and print them. The best part? You get unlimited storage and we promise to never delete them.
13. Kid’s Case in Purse
Are you constantly digging around your purse for kids’ supplies such as snacks, tissues, markers, and more? If so, you may feel like your favorite purses have become over-cluttered and disorganized. So here’s a simple life hack for moms: include a designated pencil case or pouch in your bag whenever you’re on the go for just the kids’ stuff. You can personalize the pencil case to say Essentials or other fun messages to make the kit look stylish.
14. School Lunch Prep
Making a school lunch every day can feel repetitive and time-consuming. With Shutterfly’s personalized lunch boxes, you can make lunch time more fun for you and the kids. Especially if you have more than one child, personalizing lunchboxes will give them each a fun way to show their personality and make it easier for you to pack different lunches.
15. Buy Gifts in Advance
Buying gifts in advance of holidays and birthdays help ensure that you’re not scrambling at the last minute for a present. And if you buy the gifts during promotions or sales, you’re saving money in the long run. Check out our special offers for gift ideas that won’t break the bank.
16. Keep a Written Schedule
Written schedule help keep your day and the kids’ routines on track. Maintaining that schedule is proven to help cut down on frustration and planning headaches. For help organizing your schedule, consider buying a personalized notepad with space or appointments, notes, and a grocery list.
17. Creating a Calm First Day of School
If your child is prone to separation anxiety or if the first day of school is often a struggle you may be looking for ways to help ease them into the school routine. Our mom hack? Create a positive first day of school experience by starting the morning on a relaxing note. Before getting out of bed to start the day, read them a personalized story book and walk them through what to expect and what to be excited about at school.
18. Mobile Mess-up Kit
For all those “oops” moments, have a mess-up kit ready in your car. Fill an overnight bag with stain remover, a change of clothes, snacks, water, disinfectant wipes, flashlights, and disposable trash bags. Then store the bag in the back of your car so you’ll be ready for anything life (or your kid) throws at you.
19. Use Stickers to Label Meals
If you often find yourself unsure of expiration dates of groceries or pre-made meals, use custom stickers to mark the purchase or prepared date. This is also a great idea for meal prep throughout the week, especially if you do most of your bulk cooking in one day.
20. Don’t Forget Your Coffee!
And for what might be our most important mom hack: stay caffeinated! Get ready to take on the day by having your favorite tea or coffee as ready to go as you are. Our custom travel mugs are well insulated and personalized with all your favorite photos.
21. Use a Custom Photo Recipe Book
With Shutterfly’s photo books, you can create a personalized recipe book that includes all your favorite recipes, whether they’re old family secrets or recipes you’ve bookmarked online. Having all your recipes in one place will make meal prep and cooking so much easier since you don’t have to search for your family’s favorite meals. A personalized photo book will also look great – you can customize the cover with beautiful designs to make sure it’s also a lovely display inside the kitchen.
22. Turn Photo Prints Into Wall Decor
Finally put all the photos in your camera roll to use by ordering photo prints that you can use for wall decor. Turning your digital photos into decorations is a great way to relive memories and have an easy way to fresh the home. If you’re looking to refresh your kids’ rooms or any other spots in the home, your own prints are a great way to re-imagine the space without breaking your budget. Experiment with a photo print collage or put up the prints in fun shapes like hearts.
23. Kitchen Towel Gift Wrap
Give a gift that just keeps on giving by wrapping your present in an personalized kitchen towel. As your gift recipient uses the gift inside, they will be able to use the kitchen towel wrap for their every day needs. Personalize this kitchen towel to include different images, initials and designs that will match any person you are giving your gift to. Wrap gifts in cylinder shapes like wine bottles and more.
Resources Related to Shutterfly Life Hacks
Use Shutterfly products to make your life more easier and more stylish! We have nearly everything you need to send the kids off to school well prepared and keep them busy when they get home. For busy moms, many of our personalized gifts can also make life easier while you’re on the go. Browse some of these additional resources that can help make day-to-day life better:
