The MomSpeak

Mommy Track’d is your guide to organized chaos. It is our mission to help time-crunched moms tackle the daily demands of their multi-dimensional lives. We are opposed to judgment and the fruitless quest for parental perfection and strongly believe in giving ourselves a break, learning to drop a ball every now and then and to just say no when we need to.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be sharing our survival strategies and suggestions on how to get organized, shortcut your endless to-do list, save time and money, and even treat yourself from time to time. How’s that for multi-tasking?

Let’s begin with the present problem. Have you ever woken up on a Saturday morning, looked at your calendar only to find you’ve rsvp’d yes to back to back birthday parties, but have somehow forgotten to shop for gifts? And if your child’s school has a policy that every classmate needs to be invited to every party, you could just about go broke buying stomp rockets for six year olds. What follows are some very simple, practical ways to avoid running around like a headless chicken every time a gift-worthy occasion arises.

We are convinced that a busy mom’s best bet for avoiding the stress of the last minute gift scramble is to assemble a closet, shelf, drawer or box of pre-wrapped gifts. While this exercise may seem a bit contrived and impersonal, the rewards are well worth it. You will actually find that you spend less, get more and end up with far more thoughtful gifts than had you followed your old mad dash routine. How compulsive you are will determine whether our Type A or Type B plan of action is best suited for you.

The Type A Route: Making A List & Checking It Twice.

The first step is to make a comprehensive list of everyone you know you will need to buy presents for and for which events in the next six to twelve months. Your nephew, for instance, will probably get something for his birthday and for the holidays. Include your mother-in-law, the teachers at your children’s school and your favorite babysitter. Once your list is complete, you’re ready to stock the closet. Of course the best times to shop for gifts are after major holidays, like Christmas, or other traditional sales dates like Mother’s Day and back to school. If you are too busy to brave the stores, shop online. Take your gift list to Amazon.com or another online retailer during your next lunch break and point and click your way to a pre-wrapped gift closet. And when and if you travel, why not take an hour or two to peruse the town you’re visiting for a few notable gifts? Plus most stores are happy to ship goods directly to your home. You might even save some on sales tax while you’re at it.

Type B Route: Kill Two Birds With One Stone.

If you can’t even pause long enough to entertain the idea of strategically planning and purchasing inventory for your gift closet, you can at least try to remember to stock up on the fly. Find a great scented candle? Buy five and the next time you are invited to a friend’s house for dinner, you’ll have a hostess gift. Are lego sets on sale at Toy’s R Us? Buy a few and you’ll be set for the five-year-old birthday party circuit. Trust us. The upfront costs are well worth knowing you’ll never have to do the eleventh hour gift run again.