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Calm House equals Calm Mommy

Let us be honest.  When your daily routine feels like a mess, you are more stressed.

 

One of the biggest challenges for us moms is how to keep the household running smoothly, keep it neat and tidy and having a calm space all whilst working full time, being a partner and being a mother.  It gets to be A LOT.  It is exhausting.

 

   

For me, this a daily challenge.  I am constantly trying out new ways and methods to keep my household running smoothly and making our home a place of peace.  After all, it is our safe space.  So, if our routines do not add to our stress, we can be calmer and therefore be better mommies and partners.  Just remember, you are not alone in this.  You do not live alone in your home.  Get those little monsters and hubby helping too.

 

Here are some techniques that I use in my own home:

 

The Night Before:

Mornings are crazy in my house.  My daughter always wants some or other complicated hairdo for the day and my son is not a morning person.  It takes him ages to be awake enough to function at all.  And then every now and then my bonus child joins us in the chaos.  So, for my own sanity, there are a few things that I do the night before to make the school mornings a little bit easier.

 

1. Make the school lunches the night before and keep it in the fridge.  In the morning you just grab-and-go.  I promise you that sandwich is still fresh by break time.

2. Get the kids to pack any sport gear or whatever they need for extracurricular activities for the next day. No running around trying to find matching hockey socks in the morning.

3. Set out their uniform for the next day.  There is nothing more frustrating than a child complaining in the morning that their shirt is not ironed.  By setting out the clothes at night these mistakes can be eliminated.

4. Mom and Dad can also set out their outfit for the following day.  It saves time and I can sleep a few minutes longer.

5. For the older kiddos; they can pack their school cases with the correct books for the following day.

6. Put all the school cases and bags close to the door.  If you are like us and always a few minutes late out the door, this will help you to not forget anything and have to turn back to get the assignment that was due today.

7. Put the coffee cups and breakfast things ready for the morning.  When the kids want to eat breakfast, everything is already on the table.  They can just take the milk out of the fridge for their cereal.

 

           

           

 

 

The Evening Routine:

When you have already done all the things to get ready for the following day, and everyone is done with homework, you can focus on the now.  Evenings with the family should be calm.  There are a few things we can do to make it easier on mommy.

 

1.  Let the kids take turns to help with making dinner, setting the table, and washing up afterward.

2. Spend some time together as a family to talk about everyone’s day, what was good about the day and what was bad.  Dinnertime in our house is the time we catch up on each other lives.  What happened at school, what funny thing did a teacher say, what interesting thing happened today?

3. If you allow your children to spend time on devices, make sure to enforce a cut off time and get them to bed at a decent time.  Or else they will be little monsters the next morning…

 

 

The Morning Routine:

In our home we follow all the above and I have to say it makes the mornings just so much easier.  My only struggle is to get my son to wake up, he really is not a morning person.  But you know what, that is fine by me.  Because we are already ready for the day.  The only other thing I do in the mornings, is I make sure to wake up at least half an hour before I wake the kids.  That way, I get to enjoy my morning coffee and shower in peace, with no distractions.  Pure bliss!

 

Other things I do to keep my sanity:

 

1. I like to unwind at night by reading before bedtime, but always ensure I go to sleep early enough to get my 7 to 8 hours

2. I always have extra craft paper and art supplies for those days that the kids come home and say: “Oh mom, I forgot I have an assignment due tomorrow.”

3. I keep all the lunch bags and sports equipment in one place, no running around looking for stuff.

4. I keep all the school snacks like dried fruit, peanuts, and biscuits in one place, easier for the kids to choose what they want to pack.  Now if only I can get my partner to stop eating these!

5. When cooking dinner, I will sometimes double the recipe.  If I am making mince for a pasta, I will double the mince and keep the leftovers in the fridge.  This is helpful for those days we get home late.  We can use that leftover mince and eat it on toast or a baked potato.  It just saves time.

6. I also love to use my slow cooker.  Chuck everything in the morning before you leave and come home to a ready meal.  Just do not forget to turn it on before you leave!

7. Plan your week or even your month ahead.  Between the three kids in my household there is a lot of stuff happening.  I have a magnetic, dry erase calendar on my fridge.  Everything goes on there. Sports practices, dance recitals, school events, birthday parties, you name it.  It goes on the calendar.  I also use the Google calendar on my phone so I always have it with me.  And if there is something I need to remember, I use Google Tasks.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having a routine that suits your family can help you lower your stress levels and anxiety and make you feel more relaxed.  If you are feeling overwhelmed it can lead to burnout.  Look, being a mom is hard, but we must find ways to make the challenges easier on ourselves and our family.  I am constantly looking for ways to make my life easier.  I would love to hear what you are doing in your home to simplify your days.