When I was about six months pregnant, a coworker of mine told me a story about visiting her sister and newborn niece. In this story, it took five hours to leave the house for a grocery run. "Five hours?" I recall saying, incredulous. "Yup- I couldn't believe it, but it was that hard to just leave the house. She kept needing to do everything over and over again, and we just never could leave."

I decided right then that I would not be like that. I would not be a person that took a long time to leave the house with a baby. And so after my son was born I put a lot of thought into how to leave the house- the amount of time it takes, the supplies that are really required, and how to somehow make it easier.

Lately a very good friend who's baby is due next week has been asking for my efficiently-leaving-the-house technique. So here it is: Plan, pack, feed, diaper, and go!

Stop and think about what you need to bring. If it is a bunch of stuff, make a checklist and use it to stay focused. If nothing else: Diaper bag, snacks, phone, keys and wallet.

Pack the car/stroller/bike trailer with everything you need, except for the baby. This is made far easier if baby is in a sling, wrap, or soft carrier!

Feed the baby, or at least offer food. If the baby refuses, take baby for a walk around your living room and then try again. If the baby refuses to eat again, baby is probably not hungry, so go to the next step.

Change the baby's diaper (and clothing, if baby spat up). You know the drill.

Leave! Now! Decisively! If the baby screams, check the obvious (neck skin pinched by car seat straps?) and quickly fix, as needed. Do not let a fussy baby stop you. If there is no immediately fixable cause to screaming, just take some deep breaths and leave with fussy baby in tow.

The reason that you can just leave is that you know your beloved child is actually fine. You know the child is fine because you've just, right then, taken care of all its most important needs. The screaming is simply due to some disruption or stress from the act of leaving, and thus, trying to calm the baby will only result in another screaming bout when you try to leave a second time. By just doing it - leaving! - the baby learns that the hubbub and frustration goes away quickly, that the parent is remaining calm, and that screaming doesn't actually help. With practice, the screaming and fussing during leaving time will subside, and pretty soon you'll have a much, much easier time leaving the house.

I can't say that this will work for every parent and child out there, but it works really well for our household. I can proudly say that it has never taken me more than 45 minutes to leave the house (and about 35 minutes of that time is usually spent breastfeeding) and I almost always make it on time to lunch dates, appointments, and other time commitments. So remember: Plan, pack, feed, diaper, and then go! - Leigh G.

When my twins were born, I was suddenly thrust into the world of being a stay-at-home mom. Naively, I had never pictured what my life would be like once I had children. When the option was available for me to stay home, I knew that was the best choice for us, but I had no idea how to manage our day-to-day. How does one go about making the change from being career-focused to being in charge of running a home and family?

I was thrilled when I discovered Simple Mom, a blog written by Tsh Oxenreider. Tsh’s writing has been an inspiration to me, and her blog’s motto, “Live simply, stay sane. Life hacks for home managers,” is right up my alley.

Tsh recently wrote a fantastic blog post called 20 Tips for Finding Your Routine With Kids. This post is a great overview about learning the ins and outs of being a stay-at-home mom. Not only does she provide the promised 20 tips on getting through your day while taking care of your home and your children, she also discusses getting into a routine and ideas about setting a schedule that is good for your family. This is exactly the post I could have used when I was learning to be a stay-at-home mom. Honestly, even three years later, I am still learning to find my groove and this post gave me some great ideas. Maybe it can provide you with some ideas and inspiration on ways to streamline the management of your family! - Sara I.

As the new year begins, so many of us make new year's resolutions. Usually, everything from losing weight to spending less (especially this year) is fair game. As you note all of the things you would like to work on in the next year, you may want to consider family resolutions as well.

Whether your family is just beginning its journey together or well on its way, think of how you would like to see your family. What are your hopes and dreams for your family, for your relationships with each other. My bet is that all of your wishes don't cost a penny.You can reach them all with one simple gift to each other: Time.

Think of your favorite memories as a child, and consider this - I doubt many of them involve toys or money, but rather time spent together. When I think back to my time growing up, some of my favorite memories are snuggling up with my family watching movies, playing board games together, going fishing with my dad, playing in the sprinkler in the yard with my sister, and making family trips to the back yard to pick strawberries from our garden. All of my favorite times are tied to moments when I felt the warmth of my family's love. I want my kids to feel my love, too, to know that I love them not from the toys they have but from the times we spend together.

So this year, our family is resolving to spend more time together. Not just time in the same house, but time actively enjoying each other's company, without distractions and uninterrupted. I am going to let the laundry go more often, and learn to ignore the garbage under the kitchen table a little more. My babies are only babies once, and I want to be sure they grow up knowing how much they are loved. - Sara I.

When I was pregnant with my first child I had books about what to expect, lists for what to buy and websites for answers to my questions since I could never remember them during my check-ups. I would’ve loved having everything in one place, and though I did a little less research my next few pregnancies I still would have benefited from a little prenatal organization.

The Essential Pregnancy Organizer is an easy-to-use organizer for every stage of pregnancy. Its stylish cover hides a wealth of prenatal tools: a detailed pregnancy calendar, suggested interview questions for caregivers, prenatal check-up pages and even questions to help you formulate a birth plan. You’ll also find a practical - "practical" being the keyword - baby shopping list for parents, gift tracker, feeding and diapering records and a handy pocket for paperwork.

The Essential Pregnancy Organizer fits nicely in your handbag or purse so you can easily take it from bedside to office waiting room. With a little extra space for answering questions about your pregnancy and your baby’s birth, this little organizer turns into a journal of your pregnancy, childbirth and early weeks as a new mom. That is something I wish I had way back when. Those 40+ weeks will be over sooner than you think and it’s not always easy to remember the little things that made it so wonderful. You can purchase The Essential Pregnancy Organizer for about $14 from Amazon.com. - Emily H.