Like most moms I’ve met, I seem to be juggling many different hats, yet I still only have one head. With that said we want to make sure that our children are doing well in school, producing stellar learning outcomes, able to have a social life, and of course eating healthy meals. How does one mom get all of this done with limited hours?
Mom Guilt
This is a very realistic thing for moms. Working moms, stay at home moms, moms who co-parent, single moms, just being a mom you are bound to feel mom guilt at some point. That nagging feeling to call and check-in when you are out doing some “me time”. A saddened feeling when you can’t get that time off of work, or be at every single event. That anxious feeling when you have to rely on someone to help. Mom guilt can feel like a number of things, and many other moms can honestly relate. The truth of the matter is, when you are doing your very best at momming that is ALL that matters. Easier said than done, it’s a learnt process to relinquish this feeling.
Lean On Your Tribe
Have you ever said to yourself “I’ve got this handled” “thanks for the offer but I’m ok” ? I never deemed myself as a supermom, but being as though I developed self-reliance with minimal support I always found myself running to three different sporting events, helping with all of my children’s homework, cooking dinner, and having to get my own work done at the same time. I never felt as if I needed to ask for any assistance. Matter of fact I was able to handle all of these demands, but often found myself exhausted. I had to take a step back and realize that it was time to take a piece of humble pie out and it’s devour a huge bite. I had let my survival patterns, and the way that I thought I should handle things as a single mom, control my life. In a sense, yes I was full of pride. Relinquishing some tasks And reaching out to whatever support system that I had was a big help. After all, I didn’t want to rely on my older children helping with my younger children because I wanted them to have a life of their own. I didn’t want them to experience being the built-in babysitter. I wanted all of my children to be able to experience the different things that they were/are interested in.
Meal Prepping A hot trend, but a task that can save time, energy and money. Pick a day to tackle shooing and prepping. You can choose to prep breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinners, or all of the mentioned. You can even make this a family task, giving each family member a job in the prep. Grabbing school lunches will be a breeze you just throw them in the lunch box. The age old what’s for dinner question answered. When running to sports practice during dinner time, and remembering him wow or you can pop your prepped dinner in the oven or crockpot.
Boom! Instant time saver.
Car pooling See if your school or child’s sports team has a car pool. If they don’t creat one! Chances are, you aren’t the only one wondering about this.
Family Calendar
This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I love a color coded approach, but in all fairness that’s not what makes the board every week. You can do a weekly or monthly calendar, whichever fits your families needs. Appointments, sporting practice and events, menu, special occasions, events, etc. listing them all in one place will help everyone stay organized. Moreover, you are teaching organization habits to your youngsters. Structure and routine will not only save time, but sanity as well.
You time
How in the world do you suppose I’ll fit some me time in when I’m asking how to juggle my mile long to do list? I know sounds crazy. However, You cannot pour from an empty cup. This meantime Mimi and waking up 30 minutes earlier every day and having a cup of tea or journaling. This meantime may mean a nail date with a friend. Anything where you can take quiet time for yourself, and do something that you enjoy to rejuvenate yourself is me time. Fill your cup up for the busy week ahead, and it will refresh your perspective and offer you a little bit more Patience for your ever-growing list of demands. My sister recently watch out overwhelmed and in need of some me time. My suggestion to her, which I know may not work for all of us, was a personal staycation. Leave the kids with dad, and go check yourself into a local hotel room. Turning off all devices, taking a book that you like, even just having some bubble bath is a great addition to focusing on YOU!
Transparency
A lot of these things are easy to write, easy to read, and easy to think about. I understand, firsthand, that they are not as easy to implement. Trust me I wasn’t always organized nor did I always think ahead. A lot of days I found myself being mom on a whim. I’ve went to pick up children from the wrong sporting practice at the wrong time. I’ve ordered takeout many nights. And I surely wasn’t filling my cup for a long time. If I could suggest starting somewhere, it would be Planning your week out in advance and using a family calendar. As a teacher I learned early on that a well planned lesson and well planned day would save my sanity. I carried the same concept over into the momming life. It truly takes a village, but more over it takes a moment to know she is doing her very best!