With children, it's not long before our homes get trashed and our patience gets pushed to the limit.
I would think any mother would get tired of living in a zoo, surrounded by piles of clutter and out of control children. I struggled with this for years and was tired of picking up the same messes everyday from a thankless job. I've read articles, talked to friends and mentors to figure out how they handle being a stay at home mom and not go insane.
I've done my research and have come up with a plan to get you and your family organized, home running smoothly, increase energy, and feel like their is more to life than loading dishes and folding laundry. I have so many tips it may be overwhelming but will help you in so many ways.
The first main thing you need to do is ditch the schedule. There are too many unexpected things that happen in a day and hardly any freedom to be available to others, do something fun, or anything else if you are living by an hour by hour or min by min schedule. Instead create a Morning and Evening Routine and leave everything in between open. Here is an example of my daily morning routine:
6:00 AM Wake Up
Pray
Say 3 things you are grateful for
Motivational Quote, affirmation, uplifting music
Turn on Music
Turn on Lights
Make Bed
Tidy room
Yoga/ 7 Min Workout
Shower (I wash my hair at night,so in the morning i wear a shower cap) wash body,face
Get Completely Ready (teeth, makeup, hair, jewelry,clothes)
Wipe down bathroom (sinks,counters, toilets)
Take Laundry downstairs and start washer
Pets (feed, let dog out)
Drink Water
Take Vitamins/medications
Sweep
Check Calendar
Cuddle with Kids (wake them up, music, pray, lights on)
Have kids get dressed for school, make beds, brush teeth, hair, shoes
Unload Dishes while kids get dressed
Breakfast
Dishes to dishwasher
Wipe down Countertops and KitchenTable
Grab lunches and backpacks
Take Kids to School
Morning Tips:
1.I am not a morning person cause I like my sleep,but it is important that you wake up ATLEAST 15 min before everyone else. You want to make sure you get everything you can done that would make it harder or impossible to do when the kids wake up. it's easier if the kids wake up to a clean house because you can just concentrate on your kids and make sure they pick up their mess instead of trying to clean one room while your child destroys another. If you are a heavy sleeper, I recommend the Sonic Boom Alarm Clock. It vibrates your pillow and is loud to wake you up.Also the Nightstand App on iPad, and SleepTimezzz are also great apps you need to check out for yourself.
2. remind yourself how grateful you are every day. as soon as you wake up, list 3 things you are grateful for.
3. Avoid electronics till after you drop kids off at school. INSTEAD read inspirational material, quotes, affirmations, funny videos, to help with those good feeling endorphins. No news, tv, computer, phone which will get you hooked. Just wait till after the kids go to school. The first hour is the most important part of your day.
4. Music and lights will get you moving. if you are afraid of waking up someone then put headphones on.
5. Make Your Bed so you are not tempted to get back inside it and it makes your room look clean.
6. I got a Yoga app for ipad and 7 minute app for iPhone which is a quick easy way to get energy to your day.
7. Take care of your face and take pride in how you look. Skip the sweats, do your makeup and hair, brush your teeth. A study showed that women who wore make up 85% had their moods lifted.
8. On your way downstairs, take the laundry with you and start a load of laundry.
9. Stay Hydrated. use the daily water app on your iPad to keep track of how much water you drink which should be 8 glasses or more.
10. Take multivitamins or any other meds you need
11. check calendar to see today's events and MIT (most important tasks)
12. I love spending a minute cuddling with my boys and just enjoying their restfulness. slowly wake them up,,open curtains, say prayers with them, and turn on music to get them going. Give them 2 min warnings when it's time to leave.
13. Don't overload them with two many chores. making their bed and tiding their room is sufficient u til they get home.
14. Eat quick breakfast like cereal, grains, yogurt
15. have everyone put dishes into sink when they are done.
16. Clean up any spills, grab lunches, backpacks and take kids to school.
17. don't forget to say I love you and thank you if they were helpful and on time.
EVENING ROUTINE
1. Pick up the kids from school. I switch off with 2 other moms, carpooling kids to school so this is not a daily thing for me. But if you have time to walk them to school, it is great exercise and great bonding time together!
2. When your children get home from school, make sure they do their homework and help them when they need it. Have them take out all their paperwork from their backpack and hang it up in a designated area so it is not laying on the floor or have a hard time finding it in the morning. I check all his paperwork for any submission slips or flyers for things going on at the school that they might forget to tell you about. I check his homework and make sure it is completed and correct and then have them put it in their backpack and sign any paperwork.
3. I let them play for a little bit before doing their chores since it can be exhausting after just doing homework. While they play, I switch over the laundry.
4. Chores for Kids. There are a few great ways to motivate kids to do chores. Some chores they need to do no matter what, like making their bed, putting toys away before bed, brushing their teeth and cleaning their room. You can have a jar of chores they can pick from to pick a few extra chores to do each day that they can choose. Then you can have harder chores that maybe you dont want to do, where they can earn money and save. If they leave toys out before bed, I pick them up and put them in a bin where they cant reach them and they have to do a chore of my choosing to get it back the next day. Any toys that are left in the bin after a week, get donated.
5. Playtime after chores for kids and then make sure they pick up toys before dinner.
6. I cook dinner while they play. I LOVE Emeals!! you can sign up for it, i did it with groupon, and they send you a years worth of meals, one week at a time based on the sales going on at the grocery store you shop at and the food is amazing and easy to make. We love the different variety and have loved every meal. it takes out all the work of making a grocery list or planning meals for the week.
7. Have family help set the table and eat dinner together at the table so you can have time together and talk about your day and learn what kids are doing in school or learn more about them.
8. After dinner, dishes go straight in the dishwasher. Everyone puts their own dishes in the sink. Anything left over, you can switch days on who does the dishes.
9. We take about 15-30 min to relax before we all go on a family walk. Great bonding time and exercise.
10. Kids take a bath, brush teeth, hair, go potty, and get their pajamas on. If the kids are old enough they can set out their clothes for tomorrow themselves, otherwise you can set out the clothes for them to make it easier and faster in the morning.
11. Read 3 books, sing 2 songs, and then say prayers with my boys before tucking them in and kissing them goodnight and of course the last thing i say is i love you. Then lights are out.
12. Now that the kids are in bed, I go around the house and tidy up, pack lunches, and start the dishwasher. No dishes should be left in the sink or clothes in the washer over night.
13. Write MIT (most important tasks) for tomorrow and kids chores, write a quote on a white board on kitchen or front door so they have something to think about during the day.
14. Budget your money for the day, and check calendar and forecast for the next day.
15. Write in a journal or (our child) app about what you did that day and add picks to remember.
16. Read Scriptures
17. Take a shower, blow dry hair, wash face, take out contacts and pick out clothes for tomorrow.
18. Tidy room
19. Open blinds to help wake you up in the morning using natural light
20. Set alarms
21. Think about atleast 3 things you were grateful for that day.
22. Say prayers and go to sleep
