Tell me if this sounds familiar. You get up, take care of the kids, put on your at home clothes, do some chores, take care of the kids some more, make dinner, put kids to bed, watch some TV, then you go to bed, wondering what happened to your day. You wonder if this is all there is to life. You, my friend, are in a stay at home mom rut. We’ve all been there. But how do you get out of it? Try these different ways to bring life back into your life and get out of your stay at home mom rut.
Get dressed
Yes, you have heard this one many times before. It’s because it’s true! They days I get dressed in at least jeans and a t-shirt I am far more productive and feel more with it than the days I wear lounging clothes. I notice a big different difference in my attitude as well. Sure, there are still days where yoga pants are the way to go but when I start to feel “blah” most the time, it’s time to dress up a little more. Try it for a week and see how much better you feel.
Get out of the house just for you
I was hitting rut pretty bad after baby #2 was born. Then I started take a Zumba class. Huge difference in my attitude. As a home body, I wasn’t sure that going out and doing something, especially something that cost money, was really going to be worth it. It really was! When the Zumba class that I had been taking through the adult ed program, I followed my instructor to the new gym where she started working.
Then two months later I started taking a second class a week since it was the same monthly fee no matter how many classes you take. That’s two nights a week I get to go do something just for me. It’s amazing! Look for something in your budget that you can do just for you. Could be an exercise class, crafting class, an hour at the coffee shop, whatever works for you.
Make a routine
Not a schedule but a routine. A schedule is more strict and time based. A routine is more a general plan for the day. I find that if both the kids and I know how things normally go in a day, the better the day goes. It really cuts down on the whole end of day daze. It adds a sense of purpose to your day instead of just going through it blindly. This isn’t to say that every day has the same routine. Every day is going to be a little bit different. That’s just life. But having a bit of a routine goes a long way to helping get out of your rut.
In a stay at home mom rut? Try these five tips to get out of it! #sahm Click To TweetGet up before the kids
Yup. You’ve seen this one before too. The big deal with this one is that it doesn’t have to be an hour before they wake up. Those of you with kids that wake up at 5:30am are breathing a sigh of relief at that one. I can hear it. 😉 This is just about getting grounded before you have to be “on” for the day. It could be an hour, if that’s what you want. But just 10-15 minutes can be a big help. I don’t always even get out of bed for those 10 minutes. I might just stay in my bed and check Facebook while I wake up. Or I might get up and do a little work if I get up half an hour before the kids.
This time looks like however you want. Some women find reading the Bible first thing in the morning helps them get prepared for the day. Other women want silence and a cup of coffee. Others find some exercise is helpful. This is just about getting yourself prepared to “mom” before you are thrown into it. Waking up when the kids wake you up definitely gets you thrown into your day.
Change it up
Yes, I did say have a routine and now I’m saying change it up. No, I’m not crazy. As important as it is to have a rough plan for your days, it is also important to do something different sometimes. Most kids love fun surprises. So take them sledding, out for ice cream, to a special day at the library, shopping (my preschooler loves Hobby Lobby). You might be doing it for them but you are doing it for you too. Sometimes the stay at home mom rut comes from doing the same thing over and over again. So change it up with something fun every so often! You don’t even have to leave the house. You could do a special craft, bake some cookies, play a new game, anything you don’t normally do would work.
Have you ever been in a stay at home mom? Next time it happens, try one or all of these five tips. Ruts are no fun and it’s time to get out of yours!
Yes, and yes! I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately, and I’ve been making a conscious effort to build in a little more time for myself to truly relax and rejuvenate as well as planning some real quality time with my kids to do something OUT of the ordinary. It’s really helped for me, so good tips!
It does sometimes have to be really intentional.