Getting back into the swing of Things

hey there hi there ho there!

Last Thursday, my husband went back to work as a teacher after a glorious 48 days off. He teaches 3rd grade, and we are so blessed that he can be with us during the summer + Christmas breaks! The transition of him going back to work is a little challenging. I always brace myself for the extremely hard, and usually it ends up being not *quite* as hard as I expected. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, as over the summer I had two extra hands helping me with literally *everything* (because my husband is amazing). I also was l a z y this summer and let stuff go + didn't worry quite as much about cleaning, etc... Which is something I'm trying to take with me as we transition back into fall/school season.

As a first time mom + a stay at home mom, there has been a lot of learning in this new role. A lot of figuring things out, finding the right balance between things that bring me joy and help me stay *me* and making sure my home and family are well taken care of. In the past month it has definitely gotten easier, as the boys' routine is more set in stone and it shouldn't change much until they are over a year old. Whereas previously, their routine had to be adjusted about every month as their wake windows stretched. They have also recently started crawling and being able to entertain themselves and each other a little more. About a month and a half ago, they were in an extremely clingy + needy phase and when they were awake I needed to be with them, focused on playing with them the entire time. Now I can manage to tackle a few things on my to do list while they are awake. I've found a few ways to help me get into a routine that allows me to do things I enjoy, have interactive play with my boys, and keep my house in *somewhat* of an order without feeling too overwhelmed. I thought I would share these things that help me stay sane and productive with you just in case you are also in the throes of mothering littles and maybe pulling out your hair a little bit.

Here are a few things I'm doing as I am getting back into the swing of things as a stay at home mom!

1 // Dedicate Certain Days to Certain Tasks

At the beginning of this stay-at-home-mom gig, I tried to do a little bit of everything every day. That resulted in getting parts of a lot of tasks done and not actually completing many on them. So I switched gears where I only focus on one category per day, and it's a lot more productive and I feel so much better about the day. My current break down is:

-Monday + Tuesday: Cleaning

I try to get as much cleaning done these days as possible, as well as pick up our grocery order for the week.

-Wednesday + Thursday: Hobby Days/Writing Days

My hobbies are currently writing (here on my blog + a project I'm working on) and creating content for Instagram. On Wednesdays + Thursdays during naptime I focus on doing these things, things I enjoy and that make me feel sane. Obviously there's always a little cleaning to be done, but my focus is on these things.

-Friday: Baking/Outing

My goal for the rest of the year is to bake every Friday (why? because I love baking! I'm also going to perfect homemade cinnamon rolls before Christmas morning). Fridays are also the day that I go out if I want to. Maybe its a trip to Hobby Lobby for fun or to The Dollar Tree for sensory supplies, but I do it on Friday.

-Saturday + Sunday: Make-up Days/Family Days

The weekends are make up days, if I didn't get something cleaned that I wanted to, or I didn't get to writing a blog post, I'll do it on Saturday. Also, just relax and spend lots of time with my family!

This has helped me so much, because as a mom you feel like you have ADD and you are always multitasking and thinking of a multitude of things to do. If you are forced to focus on only one thing for the day you get a lot more done!

2 // Maintaining + Finding Hobbies

As I prepared for motherhood, I read about so many women who felt like they got lost in motherhood and were no longer themselves. I read a lot about women with postpartum depression who said that doing the things they enjoyed outside of just being a mom really helped, so I made it a priority to maintain my hobbies even in the challenges of momming. I think it's so important for our mental health as moms to do stuff we enjoy, whether its crochet or write or play tennis or sleep. Your hobby doesn't have to exclude your kids either--maybe you enjoy sewing clothes for your children, or you enjoy creating crafts for your kids to do. If you enjoy it, DO IT. It will make you feel like yourself. I mean, you can only clean your kitchen and vacuum the floor so many times before you go insane!

3 // To Do Lists

This one is more personal preference, but to do lists save. my. life. After having kids I feel like my brain feel out of my head, got stepped on, and someone only put part of it back in my head. If I don't write it down, I will forget that it needs to be done! They help me actually be productive, I couldn't live without them!

4 // Limiting What's on Your To Do List

...while to do lists save my life, I found that having like, 25 things to do in one day is overwhelming and nearly impossible. What I've done to mitigate my feelings of overwhelm is to limit my to do list to only 3-5 main things. This helps me visualize my priorities and focus on the things I truly feel need to be done that day. I also try to divide them by categories (house, blog, personal, etc..). If you feel overwhelmed with your to do list, I recommend switching to just putting 3 things on it to get done! If and when you get those 3 done, you can tackle some more. But if you have a rough day and ONLY get those three things done, at least you crossed everything off your to do list!

5 // Find Awake Time Tasks

This has been a challenge for me as a new mom. Well, to give myself SOME grace, the first like, 6 months, when the boys were awake they truly demanded all of my attention. Now they are getting more independent and playing together, and don't need me to see with me for 3.5 hours straight. I have found a few different tasks that I can accomplish while they are awake, like fold laundry, dust the living room, get dressed, do a 10 minute clean up in the kitchen. This helps me get smaller tasks done so that naptime can be focused on the bigger tasks like mopping and scrubbing the bathroom. My house feels cleaner and I feel less overwhelmed.

6 // Meal Planning + Grocery Pick Up

Weekly meal planning makes life 1000x easier. Every Sunday we sit down and decide what meals we want to eat that week. Having an idea of what we want to eat makes actually cooking dinner easier. I can take out meat, prep ingredients, and be prepared. After we decide what we want to eat, I compile the grocery list and put in an order at Walmart to be picked up on Monday. Shopping with two babies is CHALLENGING, I usually have to take the double stroller when I am alone and can only fit so much inside of it. This definitely helps us not fall back on eating out, which saves us lots of money!

7 // Planned Activities with Your Kids

If we're all being honest, sometimes playing with kids can get boring. We aren't kids! I have found that having 1-2 things planned every week to do with the boys helps the day go by a little easier AND I get good, focused, quality time with them! It doesn't have to be complex or fancy, just planned.

8 // Getting Out of the House + Moving My Body

Getting out of the house is SO vital if you are a stay at home mom. It's good for you and your kids, too. Whether it's just a walk around the neighborhood (my favorite + easiest) or a trip to the park or a walk through the mall, it is so important to just get out of the house throughout the week. Intentionally moving your body, a change of scenery, and fresh air, will renew you and get you out of a funk.

Those are a few things I'm doing now that I'm back into solo parenting through-out the day. What's something that you make apart of your daily routine that makes life easier? Let me know in the comments!