I can’t be the only stay at home mom who sometimes feels like they are holding on to sanity by a thin thread. Some days are so great. The kids don’t fight (much). You get your chores done. You even drink your coffee while it’s still hot. Then other days are just the opposite. The kids fight the entire day. You don’t even know what you got done during the day, if you did anything. It’s 3pm and you realize you’ve heated your coffee up four times and still haven’t finished it. You feel like if one more person talks to you or touches you, you are going to explode.
It’s those days that make you wonder if it’s all worth it. I can tell you that it is. But just because it is worth it, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make it a little bit easier to keep out sanity. To help you with that, follow these stay at home mom tips to stay sane.
Make a schedule/routine
This is huge no matter how old your kids are. Knowing how the day is going to go can really help you not just spin your wheels or feel like you are losing it. It doesn’t have to be super detailed. Just knowing “in the mornings we do this, in the afternoons we do this, on this day we do errands, etc.” can be incredibly helpful. Eventually even the kids will figure it out and there will be a whole lot less asking what is going on that day or asking what they can do now.
Take time for yourself
This can be so many different things from making sure you shower and do your hair every day to getting time of not actively mothering. Even just taking the time to paint your toenails can be part of this. It should be more than one thing. For example, I take exercise classes 1-2 nights a week. I also keep my toenails painted (I do it myself). I wear real clothes every day. My husband will take the girls and go to his parents’ house a couple times a year so I can have the whole day to myself. Every once in awhile a friend and I will go shopping without the kids.
This doesn’t have to be big and elaborate. Just taking some time to watch your favorite show or setting aside time to read can be part of self-care. I know you have probably heard it other places, but self-care becomes even more important after we become moms. We tend to take care of everyone else but forget ourselves. This comes under the whole “put on your own oxygen mask first” thing. If you aren’t taking care of you, you aren’t going to have anything left for anyone else.
It’s also important to take this time to help us stay at home moms not lose our sense of self. As great it is to be “mom,” we still need things that make us, us.
Encourage help
Not only is teaching your kids to take care of their things and the house good for them to know, it’s great for you! When kids are little and we are doing everything for them, it can be so tiring. As they get older and can start doing more for themselves, it really feels freeing. My 5 year old now has her daily and weekly chores. Feeding the cats? Her job. Scooping out the litter box? Her job. Those little things may not feel like much but they really add up. Encourage your kids to do the tasks that they can do. It may just start out as putting the toys in the toy box but even that is helpful.
Tips to help you stay sane as a stay at home mom. Yes, it's possible!! Click To TweetEnjoy your kids
A lot of us chose to become stay at home moms for financial reasons. But many also decided it was the best choice for their family. It can be so easy to get caught up in the to do list and keeping the kids alive (and not killing each other) that we forget to enjoy our kids for them. Take the time to watch them play in the backyard. Sit down and read books together. I’m not saying to ignore the to do list. Your family still appreciates clean underwear and dinner, but it’s okay to put it off for a little while to enjoy your kids while they are still kids. They grow up so fast. Even if you just take 30-60 minutes each day to do nothing but be with them, it will make a difference. It will help you remember why you wanted to be a stay at home mom and a mom in general.
Utilize tools
The sky can be the limit on this one. There are so many tools that can make a stay at home mom’s life so much easier. Maybe it’s your Keurig so you can have a quick cup of coffee. Maybe it’s Amazon Subscribe and Save so you never have to remember to diapers or snacks or even toilet paper. It could even be something like LOLA so your feminie hygiene products get delievered right to your door (this has been one of the best things I have done). Whatever the tools are, make sure you use them.
I love Subscribe and Save and LOLA to help take some of the thinking and remembering out of the mix. Plus, Subscribe & Save saves me enough money to afford the organic tampons delivery that’s so much better for my body. (If you can put it in the budget, I highly recommend it. Use code ‘jtaylor19’ to save $5 off your first order.)
It could even be something free like the library. My library is part of a network that allows you download ebooks and audiobooks right from your phone or tablet. Total win! We still visit the library twice a month to get picture books and kid movies. The kids love the library and that helps with my sanity level too.
Being a stay at home mom can be a blessing for sure. It can be amazing to see our children every minute of the day and have a flexible schedule. However, it can also be a bit frustrating and mind numbing. These stay at home mom tips will help keep your sanity in tack and maybe even be a bit happier.
Other posts you may enjoy:
Get Out of Your Stay at Home Mom Rut
Real Life Ways to Make Time for Yourself as a Busy Mom
Taking a Day of Rest- A Mom’s Best Defense
Great tips! We used to have a schedule for my oldest two when they were little. I had more time then so I laminated strips of paper that said things like “get ready to go” “snack time” “reading time” “play by yourself time” with pictures and stuck velcro on the back so I could customize it for what we were doing that day. It helped them know what to do and helped me structure the day for myself!
#happynowlinkup
Thank you for the reminders. I’ve been a stay at home/work from home parent for years and it’s always been challenging. Most of the time, it is the “me time” that tends to get ignored. In fact, the mommy guilt often comes too.
Me time can be really, really hard sometimes.