As you know, I am expecting my first child. This can be so overwhelming and I know that other first time moms probably feel the same. I have so many questions and would love to hear the opinions of moms who have already been through this a time or two before. Because of this, I hosted a weekly series to try and get some answers to some of the most common questions.It has been a great series and today marks the last topic we will be covering. I encourage you to look back through pasts posts, as they were a huge help to me and other moms!
How To Be A Happy & Productive Stay At Home Mom:
Hi Everyone! My name is Whitney and I blog at Mama and Mister. I am a mom of a 14 month old baby boy and I am a happy wife of 6 years.Being able to stay at home with your kids is such a great blessing and so rewarding. It is also a hard job! Sometimes you find yourself stressed, exhausted and unorganized. Here are a few tips to help with the adventure of being a full time mama!
1. Get on a schedule and routine. Scheduling even just your day to day routines can make for a more organized home, which means a happy mama. Schedule wake up time, nap time, bath time, lunch time etc and make them a routine daily. This makes for easy planning of things you need to do during the day like grocery shopping. No one wants to walk around the store with a kid throwing a fit because they have missed their nap, am I right?? I will also schedule my week and plan activities, chores, meals and errands that need to be done each day of the week. This also leaves time for mama and daddy to have their own time. Instead of the parents having to struggle until 11pm to get their child to bed, they have a steady routine of an 8pm bedtime, the rest of the night is for the parents! You can also plan an activity routine for your kids. A family movie night or craft day each week gives them something to look forward to. 2. Wake up before your kids. work out, shower, get ready for the day, drink some coffee and have some alone quiet time. I know what your thinking...you want me to get up at 6am, get dressed and do my makeup instead of getting my rest until the madness begins?? Just try it! I live for my quiet mornings. Nightime routines are busy and hectic, as soon as my head hits the pillow im out! So getting up early gives you quiet relaxed time to get prepared for the day. And if you dont get ready in the morning, as the day goes on you probably wont get ready at all!
3. Connect & communicate with your spouse. This one is very important. Let your spouse know when you are overwhelmed, need help, or just need an adult conversation. Right after I had our baby this was hard for me. I didn't want to burden my husband and ask him for help or even let him know that I was feeling overwhelmed with our new baby. He let me know that we are a team and were in this together. Your husband is there to help you so make sure you utilize him! Also, Set aside time when the kids are asleep to just talk with your husband. And dont forget date night!4. Get out of the house. Cabin fever is no joke, kids are climbing the walls and mom is ripping out her hair. Doing little activites out of the house will help save your sanity. Going for a walk, to the park, or just sitting on your front porch watching your kids play are just a few things you can do each day.
5. Have your own hobby. Schedule time for yourself and do what you love. Go for a run, do a craft, scrapbook or have a girls night. Your job is to take care of your family but you need to make sure you still do things for yourself. "you time" is so important.
6. Let your child play independently. For some reason this one was hard for me. If my baby was on the floor playing, I felt like I had to be playing with him too at all times. If I wasn't right there with him I felt like I was neglecting him. It is good for kids to learn how to play by themselves, they will let you know when they need your attention. With that being said, this does not mean ignore your children all day long. Obviously they need your attention and bonding time. But it is okay to let them play by themselves while you get a few things done.7. Clean a little each day. The worst thing ever is walking down the stairs in the morning to a messy house! Seriously, ruins my day. Make it apart of your routine to clean a little each day. Have your kids help clean up their toys before bed, do dirty dishes, wipe counters etc. No body wants to wake up to that! Make a schedule at the beginning of the week of the cleaning that needs to be done each day and voila! the weekend comes, the house is clean and you can enjoy yourself!
8. Have quiet time with your kids. Screaming kids running around can be a little nerving. Taking time out from the day to sit with your kids to read a book, color, cuddle, crafting or just have a conversation brings the stress level down and also lets you connect with your kids. For me, it also gives me a minute to remind myself just how blessed I am to have this little babe in my life.Now obviously this list is endless, and some people have different ways of how they do things. But through trial and error I have found these tips to be the most helpful for me and I hope it does the same for you.
xoxo - Whitney
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