Picture This… Your family is in need of groceries. You have six month old twins and a toddler. The the twins just woke up from their first nap and if you’re going to hit the store, this is the time to do it. You have a 2 hour window. Bottles are warming for the twins. The toddler wants a snack. The twins are hungry and screaming. You run the bottles to the living room, hand the toddler his gold fish, pick up the twins one at a time and set them on their feeding pillow. Ahhhh, the crying stops. Okay, after they eat you just need to change diapers, put shoes on the toddler, put the girls in their car seats and grab the diaper bag. Easy enough. The girls are done eating. You change the twins diapers. The twins onesies are soaked with drool from teething. You run up real quick to get a fresh set of clothes for them. Okay they are dressed. It’s the toddlers turn for a diaper. He screams “NOOOOO” and starts to run. You think to yourself, okay let’s make this a game. “I’m going to get you,” you say as you chase him around the kitchen. Can’t end the chase too soon or he will be reluctant still. Several laps later you grab him and say “I got you” and he laughs and agrees to change his diaper. Bullet dodged. You ask the toddler to pick out his shoes while you get the girls in their car seats. You pack everything you might need in the diaper bag. Diapers, snacks, wipes, teething toys, more snacks, extra clothes for the girls. Okay diaper bag is packed. You grab your grocery list. The toddler needs help with his shoes. “No me do it,” he demands as you reach down to help him. You try to be patient but you know your window is closing. After what seems like days, you finally convince him to let you help. Okay shoes are on, we are ready! You grab your keys, reach down to grab the carseats. Wait, what is that smell? One of the twins pooped. FORGET IT!
I’m sure this scene is all too familiar to a lot of us, especially if you have multiples. As a mom of only one I planned outings almost every day. It was fun and easy to run to target for “diapers,” go inside and sit at Starbucks, grab groceries, hit the mall for an hour or two. Now that I have three, it is a lot of work to leave the house! I have to really be going stir crazy at home to wrestle up the energy to take them anywhere by myself. So what has made my life easier as a mom of three? Let’s get into it.
Instacart
Instacart is a grocery delivery service. All you have to do is download the app, enter your address and the stores available in your area will appear. Most local grocery stores support the Instacart service, even Costco and Target. You then pick your store, fill your cart with your groceries and check out. A couple hours later your groceries arrive to your door. I mean, does it get any easier? I do opt to pay a small monthly fee of $10 and with that I receive free delivery on every order. This usually pays for itself after 1-2 deliveries per month. In the app, Instacart gives you an estimated running total of the hours you have saved by using them. I have been using Instacart consistently for about a year now and it estimates that I have saved 244 hours. Thats 10 full days of not having to go to a grocery store! In addition to the time you save by using Instacart, another huge advantage is being able to do a Costco and grocery store order at the same time every week. There is always some things I need at both but if I’m going to the store myself I rarely have time for one, let alone both. Use this link to get $10 off and free delivery on your first order.
Home Chef
After having the twins, everyone was so eager to help us out and bring us dinner while we settled into life as a family of five. We were so grateful to not have to worry about dinner those first few weeks of being home but we knew all good things must come to an end and we would have to figure out how we were going to juggle it all. Home Chef is a meal delivery service that delivers all the ingredients you need to cook healthy dinners for the week, straight to your door. All you have to do is download the app, pick your plan and dietary preferences, then choose the dinners you want to cook. No scrolling through recipes on Pinterest or digging for ingredients in your pantry. They have so many options every week, we never get bored of them. I usually get one that I think the kids will like and 3 for Derek and I, leaving the rest of the days open for take out. I honestly use to hate making dinner until I tried Home Chef. Now I enjoy it so much. I love that they give you exactly the right amount of each ingredient for the number of people you are feeding as I’m not a huge fan of leftovers and I hate wasting food. They also make it super easy to skip a week if you’re going to be out of town or just need a break. With everything else you are constantly worrying about as a mom, why not take the worry of what to cook for dinner every night off your shoulders. Use this link to sign up for Home Chef and get $35 off your first delivery!
Honest Diaper Subscription
While we were in the hospital waiting for the twins to make their appearance, my husband Derek estimated that we were going to need roughly 750 diapers for all three kids the first month we were home. 750! The Honest company has a diaper subscription available on their website, shipping diapers, wipes and other essentials straight to your door whenever you need them. The bundle includes 7 packs of diapers and 4 packs of wipes. They offer the bundle at 17% off of their individual prices and give you the option to add any additional items to your subscription for 15% off. I typically add their baby wash and lotion sets, additional wipes and night time diapers to my order every month. They even have household items like laundry soap and disinfectant spray you can add that also qualifies for the 15% off. Another great perk, they come in the cutest prints! I know they are just diapers but if your going to have to change 20-30 diapers a day, it helps that they are cute. Honest also offers an additional 20% off your first subscription, just use code Firstbundle20 when you sign up here.
Juggling life with multiples is challenging and I’ve learned that we have to get help anyway we can! These three companies have helped make every day mom life just a little less hectic and I am so thankful that these services are available to all us moms.
