Lynette Hall
Age: 49.
Home: Santa Barbara, California.
Family: Married, to husband Paul, with two daughters — Jordan, 17, and Kendall, 11.
Job: Stay-at-home mom; trustee of the Marymount School, Santa Barbara; board member of the Susan Love Breast Cancer Foundation; executive-committee member of the Cade (School) Parent Organization.

Ten years ago, when I left my full-time job directing on-air promotions for ABC to be a full-time mom, I didn't think I would need a Filofax or to-do lists or even a desk at home. I thought it would be a snap. How hard could it be to manage a carpool? Hard! To get a handle on my children's hectic, homework-jammed evenings, I keep extras of everything they might need for projects: binders, construction paper, poster board, notebooks, pens, markers, glue sticks. I also make sure to have a stash of slice-and-bake cookie dough in the fridge and brownie mixes in the pantry. (It doesn't have to be gourmet or expensive.) That way I'm always prepared for bake sales and last-minute requests to take something special to their class. Nothing will ruin an evening faster than "Oh, Mom, I need two dozen cookies in the morning."

How I Switch Gears

Dinner is our transition time. The kids start homework in the kitchen while I'm cooking. On the nights we come in late from sports practice or other events, I make it really easy and fun. We have "breakfast as dinner" night and eat eggs, bacon, and toast. The kids love it.

Streamlining Secret No. 1

My life is a series of Post-it notes. The girls leave me messages everywhere: what they want for lunch the next day; if they need something for school, like a permission slip; and when they need birthday presents. I can never remember who wants what, so the notes relieve me of some of the burden of being Supermom.

Streamlining Secret No. 2

There are a gazillion birthdays. If I'm in a bookstore buying something for myself, I always stop by the children's section to buy an age-appropriate gift to have on hand for my children's friends. I do the same thing in music stores and bath stores. This minimizes after-dinner dashes to the mall.

Streamlining Secret No. 3

A lot of parents are anti-TV on school nights, but since I worked in television, I love it too much to forbid my kids to watch it. If there's something special on, like the Essence Awards, we TiVo it and watch it on a night when they get their homework done early.

My Perfect Night

Now that I have a teenage daughter, I have a built-in babysitter for my younger one. One night, when Paul was out of town, I decided to take advantage of that and do something I'd never done. The girls had already eaten and had their showers. It was 7:30, and they were doing their homework. The Paul Taylor Dance Company was performing at a local theater, and I hadn't seen them in years. A little voice inside of me said, "Do it." I bought a single ticket and went to the show alone. It was so wonderful.

Lynette's Night

6 P.M.: Start dinner while Kendall and Jordan start their homework.
7 P.M.: Dinner.
7:30 P.M.: More homework. I sit with Kendall if she needs help.
9 P.M.: Bedtime for Kendall. While I'm putting her to bed, Paul likes to talk to Jordan about what she's reading in school.
9:30 P.M.: This is my quiet time. I spend time with Paul, read a book, watch a favorite TV show that I've recorded, or catch up with a girlfriend on the phone. I like to have phone dates at least twice a week.