favor-“ette”: gimme five (sponsored post)

This post is sponsored by P&G. Save on NEW Gain Flings and Tide Pods at Target. Text CLEAN to Target (827438) for mobile coupons*.

With three kids and three jobs, I’m pretty much “running” all day long. And the biggest lesson I’ve learned over the 25+ years I’ve been doing this is:

Every minute counts.

If I can save 5 minutes here – gain 10 minutes there – life runs more smoothly, I get more done and I’m much less stressed in the process.

This philosophy comes in to play most often with meal planning and cooking. If I have even a few extra minutes I’ll conquer a small task NOW that will save me time and hassle LATER.

Here are my five favorite “do-aheads”:

* Prep: chop the veggies/crack the eggs/grate the cheese.
* Bread the chicken cutlets and stack them on a plate, separating the layers with wax paper.
* Marinate the chicken/steak.
* Wash and dry the salad greens; wrap in a paper towel and keep in the fridge.
* Make the vinaigrette; keep in a jar for a quick shake prior to using.

Knowing one (or more) of these tasks is completed makes me feel less harried, and has the bonus effect of making cooking dinner more enjoyable too.

So what does this have to do with laundry?

We have a joke around here that “Laundry Day” is any day with “y” in it. Seriously, I do laundry every day of the week. I would much rather do a little bit every day than face a mountain of it at the end of the week.  Knowing that little things like clean clothes are under control go a long way toward making me feel like the house is running smoothly. And my family will attest to the fact that I am serious about my laundry. Like, pre-treat/separate-the-colors/ironing-like-it’s-my-job serious.

We are also hard on our clothes. I cook, bake and garden. Chelsea and I run. Mike goes to the gym. Conor works for a caterer. And Noah? He’s five. ‘nough said.

Which is why I am a HUGE fan of Tide Pods and Gain Flings. These little guys are a triple threat – they clean, brighten AND fight stains (no more pre-treating? Holla!).  Since I do one to three loads of laundry every day, I love the convenience of being able to just toss a pac in the machine and forget it. Even my little helper has gotten in on the act – and he only needs one hand (now if only I can teach him to fold….)!

Convenience is all well and good, but would these work as well as my tried- and-true liquid? Yes indeed! I gave both a run for their money with a typical week’s worth of my family’s laundry. And everything came out bright, clean and smelling great (am I the only one who admits to loving how clothes smell out of the wash??).

Conor is headed off to college in the fall (sniffle) and these will be so convenient for him to use in his dorm (because he’s like, totally doing laundry at college, right? Right?).  And as Chelsea gears up to move out on her own I know she’ll appreciate not having to lug a bottle of detergent in and out of her apartment (more sniffles).

Anyone who knows me also knows my obsession with clothes. And I love that keeping that investment looking good – while saving some time – is just a little bit easier!

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