Before we had our son 11 months ago (!!!), I had grandiose ideas of what being a stay-at-home mom would be like. I was going to read a ton of books! I was going to try a boatload of new recipes for dinner every night! I was going to redecorate the house!
Fast forward 11 months. My stay-at-home-mom gig has turned in to a work-at-home-mom gig as I've joined (and LOVE) helping people tell their stories with KEEP Collective. But even before joining KEEP, the thought of having time to read and make dinner and redecorate is laughable.
I'm sure there are many, mythical babies out there who take regular naps daily, but our sweet son is not one of them. Some days, I get a long nap out of him in the morning. Some days, it's in the afternoon. Some days, it's not at all. So some days, I'm highly productive. And other days... we just get through the day.
But as a type-A mom, I still need some sort of semblance in our day. I need to feel like I have a bit of a schedule, even if there's chaos and changes and unbalance. So here are my tips for making it through the day (or most days) with your sanity.
Make some sort of schedule. For me, this is a load of laundry and coffee every morning. I know how trivial that might sound. But getting a load of laundry in first thing in the morning makes me feel like no matter what else happens during the day, I at least got a load of laundry done. Something gets accomplished every day! And the coffee is clearly just survival for momma.
And while I never know what the day will bring, we do try to accomplish the same activities on the same days every week. We grocery shop on Mondays or Tuesdays. We go to a class on Thursdays. We try to plan a play date or errand on Wednesdays and Fridays. It's not hugely structured, but it's a structure of sorts, and that makes me feel like we have it a bit more together.
Focus on the did-dos. This is an idea I took from another blog months ago. Stop focusing on what you're not getting done, and focus on what you do get done every day. I played with the baby! We read a lot of books! We had three meals and two snacks! That laundry got folded and put away! I made our grocery list!
Get out of the house. There's something incredibly draining about being in the same place all day. There are only so many times we can read books, play with blocks, chase our wind up cars, crawl race down the hall, etc. We NEED some variety. And for us, that's trying to get out of the house (at least, when weather allows!). It doesn't have to be anything huge. A trip to the post office. A Target run for supplies. A visit to the library. SOMETHING to get us out and entertained! Getting out of the house breaks up the monotony and gives me something to look forward to. Plus, we usually get errands accomplished (bonus!)!
Don't get caught up in the little things. I try hard to do other things during the day. Organize the toy room during naps. Get a few emails sent. Fold said laundry I washed in the morning. It doesn't always happen. But when it doesn't, I try really hard not to beat myself up about it. First and foremost, my most important job is taking care of Henry. Everything else can wait.
Being a stay-at-home-Type-A mom: A survival guide
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