Mom, It's All About Balance!
Having a family is a big deal, especially when you’ve got more than one child under your feet at home. Trying to find the balance between having happy children, a relatively tidy home and keeping hold of your sanity – which let’s face it, is already hanging by a thread – is not always easy. You have to learn how to be organised when you’ve got to balance the kids and the house, because it’s not always possible to have a clean house and happy kids at the same time.
The best piece of advice I can give you, though, is that it’s all about balance. There is going to be immense pressure on you to have it all: the content and tidy children, the clean and trendy home and a calm air. This pressure on you? It’s coming from you! You’re the person who will put that pressure on you, because only you can choose to listen to the soccer moms at the school yard or the articles telling you that you’re not doing enough unless you’re a PTA member who runs camp and all the extra-curricular activities while also raising a family. They key to having it all is organisation, and this blog post can tell you all about a happy home. Trying to achieve a happy and clean house while the kids are also happy isn’t always possible, though. If you’re a task-oriented person, then you will already know that writing things down is going to make life easy for you. You could have lists coming out of your ears, but unless you stick to those lists you’re not going to get anywhere. Purchasing planners can really help you out and keeping calendars in the rooms that you frequent can also keep you organised.
Taking advantage of nap time is going to help you keep a balance with the kids. Routine is so important for children, but when you get it right it’s also important for you. You can squeeze so much in during the time your children nap, whether that’s working from home or cleaning the kitchen and putting a load of laundry in the washer. You don’t have to sit around on Pinterest if you have housework to get done, especially as your evening can be free for browsing on Facebook and nap time can be there to get the chores done. It’s about balance, though, so set yourself a browsing time limit – say a half hour – and then use the rest of the time productively and get things done in the house. You’ll thank yourself later on!
Sometimes, you need to ask for help, Mom. You’re not doing everything alone, even if you are a single parent. Get some friends and family to help you out and if you are lucky enough to have the budget, get cleaners and gardeners in to assist you with the housework that you may not always have the time to manage. You’re a mother, your kids are going to be your focus, but you also need to stay sane while raising them! Ask for help where you can.