Being a mom is hard work! Add maintaining a home and possibly working on top of your list, and you’ve got your hands full. When will you have time to take care of yourself? Many moms choose not to, never finding the time or investing in habits and gadgets that can simplify their lives and give them some freedom.
Choose a different path. Be the mom willing to let go of perfection just a little bit and find ways to make everyday mom life easier. This list will give you some ideas you can try out until you land on the perfect fit for your lifestyle and needs.
Meal Planning
Skip the nightly debate about what to have for dinner and create a plan on Sunday to follow all week. You’ll never wonder what you need to thaw or prep for the night, and you’ll spend less time wandering the grocery aisles, too. Win-win.
A Go-To Kitchen Appliance
While on the topic of food, do you have a kitchen appliance you just can’t live without? Every mom should have one. Something you can pop your ingredients in and forget about, saving you time and effort. Common favorites are a crockpot, Instapot, or air fryer.
Going Paperless
Why waste precious moments of your day sifting through endless mailers, catalogs, and bills? They take time to deal with and occupy valuable real estate in your home. Head online and sign up to go paperless for your bills and favorite companies. Unsubscribe from everything else you can.
Morning and Evening Routines
Morning and evening routines can become your steady anchor amidst the chaos of your home. You may have to adjust them occasionally — welcome to mom life — but they’ll help you set aside time for yourself. Wake up before the kids and get in a workout, read a book, or drink a whole cup of warm coffee. You should also take time to wind down effectively at night and get to sleep at a decent hour.
Saying “No” to Extra Commitments
Your schedule is probably busy enough as it is. Getting involved in your community and allowing your children to explore their interests is important. However, it’s all too easy to overextend yourselves. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with everything on your plate, talk with your family to see what can go and commit to saying no to new opportunities for a while.
Daily Affirmations
How you feel about yourself colors your entire day. It reflects in the way you handle work and home life. You can even see it ripple out to interactions with your family. Start each morning by looking in the mirror and complimenting yourself. Daily affirmations will get you in a positive and confident mindset for the rest of the day.
Building a Village
No one should have to mom alone. You need friends and family who’ll comfort you in the challenging moments, make you laugh when you need a pick me up and give you some tough love when you could use a kick in the pants. You can rely on them for emergency child care and an ear to bend. A supportive community is more fulfilling and makes being a mom a little bit easier.
A Robot Vacuum
Let’s be honest. Keeping your home clean with kids is a bit of a nightmare. Make your job less stressful by automating one of the most annoying cleaning tasks. Robot vacuums are less expensive than when they first hit the market and can save you oodles of time lugging your manual one around the house.
Comfortable Clothes
Yes, we all want to look cute, but sometimes our most adorable outfits aren’t all that comfortable or conducive to the throes of mom life. You need to find clothes to suit both needs at once. Athleisure is popular right now, with sales increasing by 80% in 2020 and growing as more people work from home. Why not join the ranks and try an outfit or two? Another option is to invest in other clothes that look nice but have great stretch and are machine washable.
Assigning Family Chores
Unfortunately, moms tend to be the default person responsible for most household tasks. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay-at-home mom or have a different job. Release some of the pressure by getting your family more involved. They likely won’t help without you asking, so make it easy and assign everyone responsibilities they can handle.
Grocery Delivery or Pickup
The grocery store is a major time suck. You walk in on a mission with list in hand, but somewhere along the way, you get derailed. A sale catches your eye, you stop to talk to a friend you haven’t seen in a while or your child throws a temper tantrum when you refuse to buy them a treat. Before you know it, you’ve been in the store for well over an hour. Make your life so much easier and save time by ordering groceries online and having them delivered or brought to you curbside at the store.
A Decluttered Home
Are you tired of stepping on Legos every darn day? Do pots and pans fall over every time you reach into your kitchen cabinets? All these little inconveniences stack up, leading to major stress. A more organized and decluttered home can give you peace of mind and save you time. You can spend less time cleaning and looking for things you need.
Do What Works for You, Mama
Have you tried some of these before, only to realize they didn’t work for you? Keep building new habits and testing new things. You’ll find something that improves your life, making mom life just a little bit easier and freeing up room for self-care and spending time with your loved ones.
p.s. Related posts:
My Parenting Philosophy: 3 Things I Focused On
I’m in the Boston Globe! Families share 4 lessons learned from pandemic parenting
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