I can’t count how many times someone has said to me, “Wow, you have your hands full!” or “How do you DO it?!”. Sure, having three children and working full-time from home seems kind of crazy sometimes (and it is, I won’t sugarcoat). Yes, the laundry isn’t always caught up, the dishes might pile up or the mail doesn’t even get brought inside. It happens.
What’s more important than that stuff is that I always put being a mom first. Who cares about the mail when there’s a little one wanting to play? Who cares about the laundry when I’ve got school papers to review and homework to help with?
There’s a balance – and for some, you’ll want both the job and the clean house. But me? I want happy.
To achieve that happiness, I’ve started sacrificing “relaxing weekends” for weekends of cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, to-do lists and projects. Instead of being able to lounge and watch movies and play all weekend (I won’t lie, a relaxing weekend does sound pretty nice), I use my weekends to stay on top of things so my weeks aren’t hectic. Getting caught up on the laundry means no last-minute, “Hey honey, did you wash my pants yet?”. Getting the dishes done and an empty sink means we have plates and bowls and the sink is shiny. The “shiny sink” feeling of things being clean and organized is a little reward for the hard work I do.
So how exactly do I manage the weekday stuff?
Apps. One with an interactive to-do list that I can use on my computer or on my iPhone and the changes automatically sync. I can add “projects” – so for me, Moms.com is one, another would be this blog, another would be household – and I can organize my to-do list by project. I can add due dates and really set up a schedule for myself and my work.
I also like to keep a steady routine. From 6:30am to 8am is getting kids up and ready for school, breakfast, the first cup of coffee, and some quick chore like a load of laundry if needed or emptying the dishwasher. Lunch is always 12-1, and after 5:30 I am done for the day. That means after 5:30 I can be found in the kitchen getting dinner ready, vacuuming, playing with kids, and having family time before bed. If you need help creating your own routine/schedule, check out this post I did, 10 Ways to Help Organize Your WAHM Schedule.
If you want more tips on how you can make your days successful, be sure to check out more tips for #greatstarts at
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