How to Keep Your SANITY as a Stay At Home Mom
- Sep 8, 2021
- 4 min read
When I say keep your sanity let’s be real, I mean keep any of the sanity you have left.
This post is for the stay at home moms, work from home moms, or if the shoe fits, the go-to-office work moms. This is geared more towards the ones who’s children are over one year old. We all know that every phase of motherhood is hard but I feel like when your child starts walking, talking, running, and being a fearless explorer, life gets a little more hectic. And hectic isn’t being used as a derogatory word in this case.
I LOVE this phase of motherhood, but I also LOVE my alone time and peace & quiet. Let’s start by talking about the first few hours of your day. I know many of us work from home or some , like me, are still in school. When our kids first wake up they are full of energy and ready to take on the day. Not to mention they’re probably hungry. So every morning I wake up, I first open my sons windows to let in the sunshine, and then go downstairs to get him some water and breakfast.
How to keep your sanity during mealtime:
I know many of us like to have a clean house. I mean come on, no one WANTS to have food everywhere and laundry piled up to the ceiling.
But this is life and we’re living it.
When we first started baby led weaning, I wiped my sons mouth after every bite. I didn’t want food getting everywhere, and I tried my hardest to not get it all over his clothes.
Long story short: DONT.
Let your kids eat, let the food fall on the floor, let them smash their fruit and feel all the textures. I promise you will drive yourself crazy trying to clean after every bite. Let them enjoy the experience and at the end do one big clean up. The less you try to control the happier you will be. I promise. From a woman who has been there done that, it is so much easier to let go and get dirty rather than being a helicopter mom with wet wipes and napkins. Here are some of my favorite utensils, bibs, and accessories for meal time.
Once meal time is done, what do you do with the rest of your day?
Our kids are exploring non-stop which means they get bored from the same old things easily. This is why I started doing toy rotation.
Toy rotation is essentially letting your child choose a set # of toys and only keeping those ones out. I like to keep out about 10 toys of Gavin’s choosing. Once he gets tired of them I bring out his other toys, let him choose, then put away all the other ones. This keeps them engaged and it seems to them like they are getting new toys every few weeks.
Also, don’t think you have to buy toys for your child to have fun. Let them stick magnets on the fridge, tape something to windows and let them pull them off. Ask them to help you unload the dishwasher by asking them to hand you things.
My son who is 18 months loves being a helper. He always wants to know what I’m doing. Even when I’m in the kitchen and cooking, i will give him a bowl and wooden spoon to help me “stir”. I promise mamas, kids don’t need toys. They just need stimulation and attention. Besides the basic household items that my son likes to play with like: wooden spoons, straws, books, rugs, tape, and carrying baskets, here are some of our favorite toys.
Another way to keep your sanity while staying home is NAP TIME. Ahhh good ole nap time. The seemingly fleeting hours of the day where you can get some things done for you.
One of the best things I’ve done is keep a routine for my son in terms of his sleep. We have a strict schedule that him and I have both benefited from it. I’m that mom who will turn down plans because it’s nap time and I have no shame.
It’s so important for my son to stay on a schedule and for me as well. I know it’s hard to keep it at the same exact time every single day, but always keeping it within the same general time frame i have found is the best thing for your schedule and sanity. It allows you to plan ahead and it allows for your child to know when nap time is coming up. Here are a few of our napping essentials. All the way from when he was little, to now:
Another thing us moms have to think about is dinner. I know for me, half the time by the end of the day all i want to do is go pick up Taco Bell and soak in a big deep bath. But let’s be real, If i always did what i wanted for dinner, i would cook maybe once a week. 😂 maybe! So i like to think ahead for our dinners.
I’m going to tell you one word that will change your life: CROCKPOT. And with a Crockpot it doesn’t always have to be shredded chicken. There are so many recipes you can do. The best part is you throw it in in the morning and by the end of the day, with a few stirs throughout the day, its ready. Also, more often than not you will have leftovers for the next day. Listed below are some of my favorite crockpot recipes for my family.
Remember that you’ve got this. Being a stay at home mom is one of the most difficult, magical, rewarding jobs we will ever have. And know that Taco Bell never hurt anyone. 😉
I hope these tips and recipes help make your day run a little smoother. Until next time! Xx
Hannah Grenz
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