My secret weapons.

Behind every successful working mom are a few secret weapons. Her go-to sources, tips and tricks that keep the home/work/family operation moving, while keeping major operational disasters to a minimum. My own personal system definitely has some kinks. And some days I travel or don't feel like doing much more than vegging on the couch after the kids go to bed, so things temporarily get a little off keel. But there's nothing I love more than a system for doing things, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with y'all.

My#1 secret weapon is FlyLady. She inspires me to have a good attitude, keep things simple and not get overwhelmed by trying to do all and be all. She sells the most excellent calendar I have ever owned. Also, a subscription is completely FREE.

Another of my favorite secrets is the Six O'Clock Scramble. I get great recipes that are fast and easy to make. You can search by ingredients, create your own recipe box and also print out a grocery list based on the recipes you choose. The woman behind it all, Aviva Goldfarb, will actually answer email personally (which I know from my own experience), and she has a nice little blog attached to the site now, too. This one isn't free but it's pretty darn inexpensive and a great value for the money.

The newest addition to my personal weapons cache is the House Fairy. The House Fairy helps kids keep their rooms neat. Really. You can watch a couple of videos on the site before you subscribe (at an incredibly low price). The first time I showed the videos to the girls they could not get up to their rooms fast enough to do what the House Fairy said. (She is Santa's sister, by the way.)

When I need to get a grip on life, to step back and have some perspective, or just be completely enthralled by the human experience I check out PostSecret. This is a Web site started by a guy who asked people to send in their secrets – anonymously – on a postcard. It's turned into a series of books, a MySpace community, and one of the most moving things online, in my opinion. The secrets that are sent in are moving, funny, sometimes disturbing and always compelling. It makes you realize that we are more alike than we think and that it's okay to think and feel the things we do. I wonder what his mailman thinks?

If you have any great secret weapons to share please do. As the song goes, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

I promise none of these people have paid me to promote their businesses in any way. These are just a few sites I've discovered over the years that I come back to time and again.