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7 Simple Living Tips for Moms To Stay Sane

May 25, 2012 by 37 Comments

Guest post by Jenny Reyes

Being a Mom is overwhelming, not to mention all the other roles that we play: wives, daughters, sisters, working moms, bosses, entrepreneurs, confidants, friends, bloggers and so much more.

All these roles are important to us, yes, but they also keep us frantically preoccupied.  As such we moms are the busiest and most tired bunch on earth.

If there is one thing I have learned in the four years of being a mom here in Chapel Hill, it’s to simplify.

Simple Living

Here are some of the tips & tricks that can help you maintain sanity:

1. Prioritize and Focus

Remember the days BC (BC = Before Children)? You could do anything, be anywhere and sleep anytime.  That’s not so much the case anymore AD (AD = After Descendants).

Therefore it is important to prioritize time and energy, and focus on the urgent and important things that need to be done daily.  As my father-in-law loves to say, “You’re no spring chicken!”  Let everything else that’s not as important or urgent fall into the background.

The other side to this is making your priorities clear to those around you so they recognize a) where they stand in terms of your priorities, and b) can support you in your efforts.

2. Limit the Choices

Don’t try to fill your days and hours with activities, be it for you or for your kids.  It could potentially drive you crazy.

Space your days out such that you are only committing to one thing for a blocked time period.  Moving around with kids will definitely slow you down.  Not to mention, there is a high probability that anyone below 5 will throw a wrench into your jam-packed day and rescheduling may be frustrating.

Here’s what I do:  Monday is when we go to Target, Tuesday is when we have a playgroup, and Wednesday is music class.  There is no way that all three activities will happen all in one day.

3. Make a List, Check it Twice

Following the first two items, put down necessary to do’s on a calendar or in a list.  Tick off items as they get done.  The list helps you remember and focus on the important things first.

4. Build a Routine and Stick to It

Predictability and consistency is every Mom’s best friend.  When toddlers can predict what will happen next, there are less meltdowns, tantrums, interruptions and less stress for mom.

5. Allocate Specific Days for Specific Tasks

If you don’t cook everyday (Like me!), make three or four different meals on the days that you do, so that you have viand variety until your next “cooking day.”

With laundry, consider investing in enough beddings, towels and clothes that will take you through 2 washings a week instead of every other day.

6. Invest in Helpful Tools and Gadgets

Washing machines and dustbusters were invented for a reason.  Kidswitches allow independent children to use the bathroom by themselves.

Sometimes having less people help out and more gadgets to get the job done makes stress-levels more manageable.

7. Take Time Everyday (or every week) to Just Breathe

Sit and do nothing while there is still so much to get done?  Most definitely.  We need these moments to be able to keep going for the long haul.

We live in a fast-paced complicated world.  Simplifying and slowing things down could actually do us all some good.

Do we get less done over a given time period?  Most likely.  But we are also happier people because of it.

Author Bio:
Jenny Reyes  pens the blog, My Mommyology which is our featured blog of the month.  She currently lives in Chapel Hill North Carolina, where she is a full-time student of the science of motherhood, with her two little girls as her prime teachers. She also moonlights as one of the partners in the marketing consultancy firm called Your Brand Story. Among other things, Jenny enjoys reading, traveling and scuba-diving.

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Comments

  1. michi says:
    May 25, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    glad to know that i’m doing the right thing. but there are still crazy moments. hehe!
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  2. Pamela / Pamela's Heavenly Treats says:
    May 25, 2012 at 7:07 pm

    Oh Anne this really hit home, I tell you it seems like I never sit down, and when i do I am exhausted. I have to put limits on myself for certain things, I am going to start writing things down for myself, a check list of what has to be done each day and dont do anymore. This post was really meant for me.
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  3. Kenya G. Johnson says:
    May 25, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    I love that BC & AD. I am going to have to borrow that sometime. I enjoyed your article. I am sort of following it. However some weeks throw things off. I never returned to my Monday laundry folding now its really piled up. I missed doing something yesterday that I have to do today and its my preference to stay home on Fridays while Christopher is in school. My #3 is sticky notes in my pocket – sometimes they get washed and that’s bad ;-)
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    • Anne Mercado says:
      May 25, 2012 at 7:30 pm

      Poor defenseless sticky notes!! Haha, but kidding aside, like what I told Michi several boxes above, no matter how much we try to organize our lives, there will still be crazy days. Hopefully, not as much, but they’ll still be there.

      And yes, love the BC & AD; Jenny is clever :D

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  4. Sarah says:
    May 25, 2012 at 9:21 pm

    Great advise. :) I laughed at the “BC and AD” haha Cute!
    Seems like we are doing pretty good, except laundry. I always seem to space that. And here I want to get into cloth diapering possibly. haha If I can’t keep up with laundry I think that will be a problem. ;)
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  5. Mom-Friday says:
    May 25, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    Agree with everything here! :) ))
    I’ve written a similar post on how I keep sane as a SAHM over at Dainty Mom, we all learn to cope with our unique situation and it’s really nice to know that a lot of moms understand each other in this area! :)
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  6. mymommyology says:
    May 25, 2012 at 10:12 pm

    I must drop by and read that post! It’s great that we can understand and still learn from one another too! :)
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    • Anne Mercado says:
      May 25, 2012 at 10:35 pm

      That’s the beauty of blogging… we can learn so much by sharing and reading about each of our experiences.

      Reply
  7. FamilyTravelsonaBudget says:
    May 25, 2012 at 10:20 pm

    The hardest thing for me is sticking to that routine. My daughter thrives on routine. I prefer to let the day unfold (most of the time). There’s a happy balance somewhere in the middle, I’m sure. Maybe this summer, we’ll find it!
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  8. Momfever says:
    May 25, 2012 at 11:52 pm

    I totally agree, but how do you cope with the endless demands school puts on you?! I try to stick to my routine, but then the kids’ school wants me to do something again.
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  9. Hezzi-D says:
    May 26, 2012 at 6:14 am

    These are perfect tips. I definitely make lists and triple check them to be sure! Prioritizing is a hard one but definitely important.
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  10. Courtney~Mommy LaDy Club says:
    May 26, 2012 at 7:48 am

    Really great article, and I love the new look here!
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  11. mymommyology says:
    May 26, 2012 at 10:51 am

    Thanks for stopping by!
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  12. The Pepperrific Life says:
    May 26, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    It really is more important to be happy than to accomplish things- at least that’s what I think :) . I agree with simplifying things. We must get rid of the things (and people!) which give us undue stress.
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  13. ceemee says:
    May 27, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    Golly! Things could really get crazy with little children. And sometimes I wonder if I have given each of them enough attention, especially to our middle child. And so many things make me feel guilty.
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    • Anne Mercado says:
      May 28, 2012 at 1:22 am

      There are really a lot of things we worry about as parents. One is finding quality time with each child.

      But Cym, I’m sure you’re trying your best to be with your kids. Breathe in. Breathe out :) No need to feel guilty.

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  14. Sara says:
    June 1, 2012 at 10:21 am

    So true, without our daily routines life at my house would be chaos! Sure we stray every now and then but the basic routines are always there and it makes all the difference! =)
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