- Cut yourself some slack. Please mom, you've got to do this. I know it sounds cliche but the easiest thing to do when you are a new mom is to become critical of yourself to the point of depression. There will be days when you're too tired to make a five course meal all while folding 10 loads of laundry. It's ok. Hormones, jobs, stress, small children... take a breath. Never forget that your home belongs to you and you have nothing to prove to anyone. You don't have to strive for someone else's standard of perfection.
*Gasp*Yep, I said it. We'd all love to keep an immaculate home all week long. But if you've just finished an all nighter with an aggressive stomach flu and then completed 8 hours in the office, it's highly unlikely your home will be spotless. And it's ok. You're not a bad mom because you haven't reorganized the pantry yet. The children are bathed, fed, and loved. Sounds like a successful day to me! Most working moms have more time during the weekends. Save the heavy, time consuming chores like mopping and organization for the weekends. Keep the lighter chores such as vacuuming and washing dishes for weekdays.
3. Keep the main thing the main thing. This can tie in with #2. It's easy to get overwhelmed by a to-do list, but make sure at the top of that list is "Family". You've finished all your tasks but didn't have time to read a bedtime story or spend some hugs and cuddle time with your children. What's really most important?
4. Make time to take care of YOURSELF! If you have multiple children and even if you don't, it's easy to schedule everyone else's appointments but your own. Mommy needs care too. Take care of yourself. Make sure your own prescriptions are filled and your doctor visits are up to date. Your children need you healthy and strong! Maybe you don't have time to join a gym. There's nothing wrong with taking a regular stroll around the neighborhood with the children or making a few visits to the park with them per week. The physical activity is good for everyone, plus gives you great quality time with your children.
5. Keep meals simple, easy and healthy. At one time I felt that I wasn't doing the best job at preparing a variety of meals for my family. But small children are often picky so what's wrong with doing an encore of their favorite healthy meal in the same week? A favorite in my house is turkey tacos. Normally, I wouldn't recommend having tacos more than once a week. However, by substituting ground turkey for ground beef, there's nothing wrong with letting a family favorite grace the dinner table more than once a week. Dinner's ready in less than 30 minutes and everyone's happy and well fed.
What are some tips that you use to help things run a little more smoothly in your home?
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