- Always have the diaper bag ready – Whenever I get home, I make sure the kids are content then take five minutes to restock the diaper bag. The next time I am getting ready to leave the house with the kids, I have one less thing to prepare.
- Always prepare more – When getting ready for an outing, I always bring 2x the number of diapers, 2x the number of snacks, and assume it will take 2x the amount of time it usually does. What usually happens is I go through all the diapers and all the snacks and arrive home after being out twice as long as planned. I avoid a lot of stress by just preparing for more than what I expect.
- Keep a list of household tasks that take 2-3 minutes – As I aim to keep the kids happy throughout the day, moving from room to room, I’m usually not able to get an entire task done. By keeping a mental list of smaller tasks, I can work on accomplishing the larger task in steps. (Examples: sorting laundry and taking each person’s laundry into their room. Later, when we are in their room I can take a few minutes to fold the laundry. The next time, I can put the clothes away.)
- Shower every morning – I find that a shower is a great way to start the day out fresh. It’s a nice time to slowly wake up and mentally get ready for the day. It feels good to accomplish something first thing in the day, too.
- Prepare crockpot meals – Before our second child was born, I was able to get 16 meals in the freezer for the crockpot. They have been a huge help; I don’t have to think about what is for supper every night, grocery shopping is minimalized, clean-up is easy. Crockpot meals do take time to prepare, but it is well worth it!
- Meet with other moms – While you may enjoy staying home with your new baby, at some point you will need to get out of the house. It may take time to adjust to another child to get ready to go out, but you will get used to it, and you might as well meet with other moms to have adult conversation and find encouragement from them.
- Plan your week – I usually only plan for one outing a day to keep my stress level down. By planning my week, I can prioritize what needs to get done and plan longer outings for the days when the kids should be the most rested.
- Shop in bulk – Whether it’s diapers, meat, canned goods, or frozen goods, buying in bulk allows for fewer trips out to the store. By having the staple foods on hand, I only need to grocery shop for fresh items week to week.
- Get some fresh air – It’s great for the kids and great for mom! I find getting outside during the day makes me feel calmer.
- Set only one to two goals per day – I used to set more goals for each day, but at the end of the day would feel disappointed when none of them got done. By only having one or two goals, I can focus any “non-child” energy on accomplishing my goal, thus seeing more success.
5 Ingredients in the Recipe to Surviving Pregnancy
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