1. Set aside time for you.
This means sitting down and enjoying a coffee alone before the kids wake up, or have a bath alone without interruption, or finding daycare (or dad, or grandma, or arrange a drop off play date) to get your nails done, or hair. It can allow your sanity to return and although all you'll think out is your children you won't be disturbed with "Mom mom mom mom mom"
2. Learn to live with wrinkles.
No...I don't mean the crows feet creeping in at the corners of your eyes (although they are a sign of happiness, and isn't happy good?) I mean laundry wrinkles. You'll forget again and again the laundry in the dryer. And yes it's dry, but it's wrinkled. So either live with the wrinkles, remember to pull it out of the dryer in time, or throw a clean wet towel in the dryer and send it into tumble again.
3. Pick your battles.
Bath battles, food choices.... It's something we as parents need to learn to give into too. Hot dogs again for dinner won't do any harm, washing hair tomorrow instead of tonight too. Some things aren't as important as we think they are. Eating dinner IS important, eating it on a blanket on the floor like a picnic...NOT worth a fight about eating at the table (be happy they eat it)
4. Cook with your kids.
It will be a big mess, plenty of spills, they won't wait around to help you finish either. But they feel great pride in (thinking that they were) helping. I provide a cutting board and a plastic knife and encourage them to try to cut cheese, strawberries, etc, and when its all done they claim they made it and they feel pride in doing it.
5. Baby wipes are a must.
Carry them wherever you go! Put a pack in the car (remove in the winter because nothing's worse then reaching for a frozen block of wipes when you need it most). Put some in your purse, stroller, anywhere! Use the zip bag they came in, not the travel plastic case that came in the refill pack, they will dry out faster in those things. They are handy for EVERYTHING from runny noses, sticky fingers, spilled gas on your hands, grease from pumping air in your tires, to of course.....bums.