Daily Structure for Stay-at-Home Moms
Posted in Your Home on 03. Oct, 2009
As a mom, do you ever feel like your day is a bit disorganized? One day the kids are dressed and you’re running errands at 9am, while the next day you can’t manage to leave the house – or even take a shower.
When I first started staying at home with my daughter, I wasn’t quite sure how to go about my day. Sure, I was busy caring for my newborn, but the days seemed to blur into each other without much structure. I’m one of those people who crave being in a routine, so this really bugged me. I was used being at work, and being at home all day was a big adjustment.
Little by little, I figured out ways to make my day feel like it had rhythm to it. I talked to friends, read various articles, and experimented with different ways to organize my life so it felt routine again. Through plenty of trial and error, I’ve managed to get into a good routine with my kids. It’s great to feel like we have the structure we need to enjoy the day.
Here are some tips I’ve come up with – these things have worked for us, so hopefully they will be helpful for you!
- Use a daily planner. I would be lost without mine. I not only write down appointments in it, but I use it for to-do-lists, menu planning, etc. Each day I’ll write down one place I plan to go out to (a play date, the grocery store, the library, a walk downtown, etc) so I can plan to get us out of the house. I’ll also write down a list of things I need to do that day (laundry, shower, write, pay bills, etc). Having it all written down in front of me is a huge help, and I feel a big sense of accomplishment when I check things off. There are also plenty of electronic planners out there if you’d rather go paperless, such as Google calendar or www.rememberthemilk.com .
- Menu plan. Don’t you hate it when it’s 5pm and you don’t know what you’re doing for dinner? That drives me nuts. Menu planning is such a time-saver. Grocery shopping is easier, and when 5pm rolls around you just pull out what you need for dinner. You can also space out meals to avoid eating the same things over and over again, like pasta or chicken three nights in a row. I also recommend crock-pot meals, which you can prepare in the morning or at naptime.
- Set your priorities and then schedule them. What’s the most important thing you can do to feel like yourself? If it’s taking a shower, make a plan that you’ll take a shower at the same time each day, and do what you can to stick to it. Personally, I put the kids down for a nap and head straight to the computer to write. It’s nice to know that I’ll have a few minute to myself every day, doing something I love, at the same time each day. Decide what the most important things are, and make it a priority to work them into the day.
- Divide your day into segments. For us, morning is the time to go out somewhere. Sometimes it’s a place we need to go (like preschool or Bible study), while other days it’s a random errand (like Costco or the mall). Then we come home, have lunch, and the kids go down for naps. From that point, I know I have about two hours to myself, and I go to my daily planner and see what I’ve written down for that day. (I also write down “relax” on my planner, which is a priority!) Afternoons are spent doing an activity at the house, like riding the bicycle and tricycle outside or coloring in the playroom. This not only helps the kids, but it will benefit you as well.
- Assign household chores to different days. This is helpful for a lot of reasons. First of all, it helps distinguish Monday from Wednesday, even if it’s just a little thing. Assigning different tasks to each weekday not only helps you stay organized with maintaining your home, but it is an easy way to add some routine. Monday for laundry, Tuesday for cleaning out the fridge, Wednesday for bathrooms, etc.
It’s also important to remember that just because you have a routine doesn’t mean it’s always going to work out. I love having structure in my day, but I also know that things come up and I need to go with the flow. For instance, yesterday I had a big list at naptime to knock out. As soon as I had the kids in bed, a friend of mine called and wanted to swing by for an hour with her son. Although I had a messy kitchen, writing to be done, and hadn’t showered, I was thrilled to see her and very glad she stopped by. My list could wait – relationships are more important. The main thing is to enjoy the benefits that come with adding some structure to your life, but still remain flexible.
- Grace
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