11 Daily Habits for Mom

It’s easy to avoid the dishes, not do the laundry and not maintain the house on a daily basis.

Sometimes I want to just wake up, go downstairs in my pajamas and sit on my phone or computer and do nothing. I want to let the kids run around or put them a movie so that they don’t bother me.

The problem with this is that eventually all of those things that I put off will need to be done. When the time comes, not only will I be overwhelmed and not know where to start, but the kids will want attention.

This is the breaking point where I yell at the kids and blame them that the house is a mess, I get annoyed with my husband because he “never helps out” even though he was at work all day, and I end up eating a large piece of cake over the sink when no one is looking because I’m starving and have no food in the fridge.

The reality is that if I would have followed some simple, daily organizational habits, I could “have my cake and eat it to.” So to speak since I brought up cake in the previous paragraph.

I’ve done the above scenario one to many times and have learned that it’s a bad way to manage my day.

By following a few daily habits, I can have a clean house, happy kids and husband AND still have time for myself.

Have a set bedtime for your kids

This is my biggest daily habit. My kids go to bed at the exact same time every night unless we are out late.

We have the same bedtime routine for both kids which includes a bath, books and bedtime. The kids already know the routine and are used to the time so they go straight to bed. They know what to expect so bedtime is never a battle.

If my kids were awake all evening until I go to bed, when would I have time to tidy up the house or have alone time with Jason?

Jason is at work all day and the evenings are when we spend the best times together – while the kids are sleeping.

We put the kids to bed at 7:30-8:00pm and that gives us several hours to ourselves.

Prepare the night before

A good morning starts with preparation the night before.

I always tidy up the house before going to bed and this includes always leaving the kitchen clean (empty the dishwasher, do all the dishes, put everything away, and clean the counters).

I put all toys away, fold any laundry and put things back where they go.

I usually do this right after the kids go to bed and once the house is in order, I sit down and relax with Jason.

If the kids are in bed and the house is clean, I can truly relax and rest for the evening knowing that I don’t have a big to-do list in the morning.

Get yourself ready first

Because I always prepare the night before and leave the house clean, I have time to wake up and get myself ready first. I like to wake up, make the bed and if I don’t workout in the morning, I shower and get dressed for the day.

This way no matter what we have planned that day, at least I am ready to go.

Make the bed

I love making my bed in the morning. It instantly makes the room look clean and put together and if anyone comes over, I don’t have to scramble to make the bed and put things away.

Quiet time

On Friday we had our family Christmas photos and so it was a really busy morning.

When we got home, the kids were so tired I put them both down for naps, made myself a hot cup of coffee, and literally sat in silence. I didn’t clean or work on anything. I didn’t even watch tv! It was pretty amazing.

Life with kids is noisy and just taking a few quiet moments a day to myself helps me recharge and not get overwhelmed.

Sometimes if I run an errand alone, I will even sit in the car before going in the house just because it is quiet and it gives me a few moments of being alone.

One load of laundry a day

On the days that I work, we have a nanny that helps with laundry which is aaaamaaazzziiinnng. I wish someone would do our laundry every day of the week 😉

When I am home though, I make it a point to do one load of laundry a day. This way we never run out of towels or necessities and the laundry pile doesn’t grow overwhelmingly big.

Give responsibilities to the kids

I used to take all of the responsibilities of the home on myself until one day I said “enough is enough!” these kids need to help me. They are old enough to help out.

I found a really cute song on YouTube called “The Cleanup Song” and I play it anytime I need the kids to clean.

They love the song and it actually puts them in a cleaning mood! I play the song on my phone and make them pickup all of their toys. You can find the song here. Try it!

Meal Plan

This is how I stay sane and how I keep from gaining 100 pounds in one year, I meal plan.

If I didn’t meal plan I would probably eat out all the time because it is so easy and convenient.

When I became a mom, I made a pledge to change the way I eat to promote a healthy lifestyle for my kids and family.

This is where I began meal planning and it’s been the best thing I’ve done for my family.

Each week I plan meals out in my head. I take a quick inventory of my fridge and see what I already have and what I can make with those items. I then buy anything else I need and I’m set for the week.

I also cook and make enough for leftovers for one or two more days.

No matter what, I always have some sort of homemade food in the fridge. For example, at this very moment I have homemade vegetable soup, cooked chicken skewers, cooked rice and some roasted potatoes.

If anyone in our house is hungry, they can easily open the fridge and choose a few different healthy options to simply warm up.

Weekly date night

I look forward to our weekly date night. I love my kids but I also love my husband and I love spending one on one time with him. We spend time together every evening but it’s fun to get dressed and get out of the house alone.

Sometimes we go to the golf driving range with friends and other times we just do dinner alone. No matter where we choose to go, it’s something I get excited about each week.

Be thankful

Over the years I’ve learned that being negative, pessimistic and a complainer only made me more miserable. I’m generally a positive person as it is but I feel like the positivity comes easier and easier when I focus on things that I am thankful for rather than on things that I don’t like.

When I look at all of the blessings in my life, I realize that my problems are so small and often times are not problems, but selfish little complaints that don’t matter in the big picture. So, I can just let them go.

Every night before bed I say a pray of just thanksgiving. I have more than I could have ever asked for in my life and I think it is important to stay grounded and be aware of this. Life is a blessing and I never want to take it for granted.

So there you have it, some ways that I stay sane and have time to do things that I love like blogging. Just remember to prioritize, be disciplined about how much time you are spending on social media or the internet or tv, and don’t procrastinate 🙂