We seem to always be crunched for time around here. Like most families, trying to get two little ones out the door for school in the morning can be a mad dash. Some tips that have really helped out in our house over the years include: laying out school clothes the night before, getting the kids dressed and fed as soon as they get up, having them bring their own breakfast dishes to the sink, and asking them to pick out their own socks and brush their teeth while I wash dishes. This routine helps us leave the house in a semi-clean condition and usually gets us out the door on time for school. I also found the following time saving tips interesting and helpful:

Recently, HealthyWomen ( http://www.healthywomen.org) conducted a survey of over 1000 women to uncover their busiest hours as well as tips to help cope with the crunch. Their survey revealed that most women feel pressed for time in both the early morning hours when trying to get everyone out the door for school and work and also in the evening, when many families are preparing for and eating dinner, as well as finishing up tasks from the day.

With the help of survey respondents, HealthyWomen compiled a list of the top 12 time- saving tips. They include:

Household Duties
1. Make Fridays left over night – this way you can clean out the fridge while saving time and money.
2. Use commercial breaks to squeeze in some of the end-of-day chores – sort laundry, start the washer, vacuum a room, unload the dishwasher, organize the kitchen counter.
3. Sign up for free automatic bill-paying services for all recurring bills such as utility bills, etc. Then set up an online bank account for free, one-click payment of all other bills – saves time, postage, and gas!

Running Errands
4. Combine as many errands as you can into one outing – grouping them by location and reducing travel time.
5. Ask for help! Keep a list of your errands and an ear open in case your spouse, relative or friend is headed to the same place.
6. Ride your bike, walk or run to run local errands – eliminating the need to take time to exercise later.

Communicating with Others
7. Set a schedule and establish boundaries throughout the day. For example, at the beginning of each conversation, tell others how much time you have available. It’s as easy as saying, “I’m glad you called, but I’ve only got about 10 minutes to chat…”
8. Make email more efficient – spending the time to unsubscribe for all the junk emails will give you an inbox with just the information you want, and less time deleting the stuff you don’t.
9. Take public transportation to work, and use that time to read, update your to-do list, or answer personal emails.

Health and Beauty
10. Reconsider your definition of clean and don’t shampoo every day – your hair will be healthier and shinier and your shower will be shorter. 11.   Keep your period light – at least packing for it.  Wear a menstrual cup all day and save time packing up other protection.
12. Tried and true – set your clothes out the night before. Women who don’t can waste time trying on different outfits or having to iron at the busiest time of the day.

What about you? What are your favorite time saving tips?

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of HealthyWomen and Softcup and received a $30 gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Last weekend we went to the Petitti’s in Strongsville and Kora and Logan had a blast. They posed wonderfully for a fall photo, played in a corn pit, got their faces painted, enjoyed popcorn, and had caricatures of themselves drawn.

We were all amazed at the talent of caricature artist, Scott Hall. He would ask each child what they liked and then draw them in relation to what they said. He drew little boys in race cars, as Luke Skywalker and one of the Mario Bros. All the little girls requested to be drawn as fairies, mermaids, and princess. It was incredible and free! They only asked for donations to Camp Cheerful. So fun!

Here’s a few photos of the event, including Kora & Logan’s caricatures.

Each Saturday from mid-September through the weekend before Halloween, Petiti Garden Centers in Oakwood, Strongsville, Avon, and Bainbridge offer different fall related activities each weekend.

Some of the events offered this year included pony rides, a magic show, balloon creations, a caricature artist, scarecrow making, a pet parade, and a kids costume parade. Events vary at each center. All four of the garden centers also have inflatables, a corn pit, goodies and more.

We enjoyed Petitti Garden Center Fall Fest so much that Kora & Logan’s Grandma, cousin, and aunt are all going to take them there again tomorrow for the costume parade. They’re going to have so much fun!

For more information about the Fall Fest please visit Petitti Garden Center’s website. If you’re in the area and have a chance to make it up there today, we highly recommend it. If you missed it this year, definitely keep it in mind for next. It’s a wonderful way to welcome in fall for the whole family!

Nothing was received for this review except for a good time had by all.

And The Winner Is…

Congrats Teresa! You have email!

Thank you to everyone who entered and good luck next time!

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While I was walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure®, some of the best gadgets I made sure to always have with me were my Energizer^® portable phone chargers. The chargers allowed me to charge my phone at any time. I could use them while walking, while eating, and even while sleeping in my tent. They were so easy to use and it was wonderful knowing my phone battery would last the entire 60 miles.

WIN IT!

I enjoyed my portable chargers so much on the 3-Day for the Cure® that I’m happy to announce that one reader of 2 Wired 2 Tired will win an Energizer^® AP1000 iPhone Case with Built-in Battery with a $50 value.

Simply leave a comment below telling me you would like to win. Be sure to leave your email address in the comment if it’s not in your profile. EXTRA ENTRIES:

Mandatory – You Must Leave a Separate Comment for Each, Your Extra Entry Will Not Be Counted Otherwise (if you already do any of the following simply tell me so - in separate comments)

• For 2 Extra Entries: Follow me through Google Friend Connect.
• For 2 Extra Entries: Follow me on Twitter @2Wired2Tired.
• For 2 Extra Entries: Retweet the giveaway by using the Retweet Button at the top of the post once.
• For 3 Extra Entries: Leave a comment on any other post & let me know you did so below.
• For 3 Extra Entries: Subscribe by RSS or Email

Giveaway Rules: Giveaway ends Sunday, September 19th at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be chosen by the WordPress Plugin “And The Winner Is….”. Must have a valid email in blog profile or leave email in comments. I will notify the winner in a post and by email. If winner doesn’t respond in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to Energizer^® for providing the product for giveaway. No compensation was received.

In Part II of the series, “How to Make Money Blogging” I’d like to introduce you to WeReward. The program is not blogger-specific, anyone can use it – but it’s such a fun way to earn money I thought I would include it this new series.

WeReward is very similar to FourSquare, except you earn points not only for checking in at over 15 million places, but also for purchases and for performing tasks.

Each point is worth a penny and the more points you earn, the more money you make. Check-ins and tasks vary in amount and payout is through Paypal.

To start earning money first, you must download the app appropriate for your phone. You can find them here:

• WeReward for iPhone
• WeReward for Android

Next, connect your favorite social networking account either Twitter, Facebook, or  foursquare.

Finally, if you don’t have one already, set-up a Paypal account.

Once the app is loaded it ask you to fill out a very short registeration form simply asking your gender, birthdate, and zip code. After that, you are on your way. You can start searching for places nearby to check-in, you can view tasks and see how many points they are worth (one task today asked me to take a picture of myself unboxing a Freschetta pizza at home – easy enough, delicious too!).

WeReward is a fun way to earn money for visiting stores, restaurants, and businesses and it puts a little fun in your day by offering tasks as well. If you would like to learn more about WeReward visit the website at WeReward.com.

We had 21 entries in the EcoStore Giveaway. Random Number Generator selected #7 as the winner.

Congrats to Melanie! You have an e-mail with details.

Thanks to all who entered. If you didn’t win, good luck next time!