Today I wanted to share some simple things I’ve implemented that help me tremendously with the kids! They shouldn’t add work to your life but they should smooth out some bumps in our routine – here are some everyday mom hacks:
Prep the Night Before
If I’m going somewhere in the early morning (like before 9), I set everything out the night before. That includes outfits and shoes for the entire family – my husband is on his own haha. I also pack my purse and have everything sitting by the back door. It saves me time and stress in the morning and allows me to get organized when I’m not running around chasing two kids!
Midday Cleanup
We have always cleaned after dinner and before bedtime, but the last month or so I’ve implemented a pre-naptime cleanup! So we pick up all our toys and “reset” the house after lunch and before naps. I had noticed that frequently I was picking up during naptime, which isn’t something I should waste my time doing – I want my kids to learn they need to help. And honestly they are great helpers I just needed to include them. Plus, when we clean all toys, frequently they play with different toys in the afternoon and the same things don’t come back out. It’s almost like a forced toy rotation by cleaning everything up. The midday cleanup helps my house from getting totally crazy by the end of the day!
Write Down Breakfast and Lunch Ideas
Dinner meal prep is very common but honestly I get stumped on what to serve for breakfast and lunch. So I keep a list in my planner each week with breakfast and lunch options based on what we have in the house. It just makes those mealtimes easier for me.
When in Doubt, GO OUTSIDE!
If our day is just not feeling great or everyone is in a bad mood, the stroller seems to always help. Walking around the block or walking to the park just is a great forced reset to a bad mood. I seriously cannot recommend our Double BOB Stroller enough for walks!!!
None of these ideas are revolutionary but they do help with all the tasks I need to get done each day. Plus removing some of the extra stress can help my house run smoother and feel calmer. Let me know any of your top tips in the comments!
