Hi friends!
I often get messages on Instagram asking how “I do it all.” I laugh because a glimpse on Instagram is very very deceiving. I do NOT do it all! In fact, I wrote a whole post about all the things I do not do (and do not feel guilty about). It’s just not possible when you have young kids (in my case, 4 and 2). I always remind myself that this is a season and it is fleeting. The house will not always be littered with toys and there won’t be half-eaten snacks on the counters or laundry piles waiting to be folded or little hand and lip smudges all over my mirrors. And to be honest, while that all sounds wonderful in this moment, I am 100% sure I am going to miss this mess! So I just embrace it!
But I do have a little arsenal of sanity-saving habits that work for me. I wanted to share them with you guys today in hopes that it could help even a fraction of the chaos in your wonderfully messy and lively home. These are the things that keep my household running as smooth as smooth can be (LOL).
1. Clean as you go. The little things, not the major things. After making breakfast and lunch, I clean/wipe off the counters and put dishes in the dishwasher immediately. Same goes for baking/cooking. If I see loose socks on the floor, I grab them and add to the basket on the stairs to take up into the laundry bin. If we do a craft together, we clean up as soon as they are ready to move on. If we go outside and they have coats on, they get hung up immediately and shoes go back in the closet. Little things like this add up as the day goes on and keeps the mess from getting out of hand. The only thing I do not clean until end of day is the toy explosions because they are in the middle of playing and it will only get messy again (and also, I don’t wanna interrupt their process, for example, a block tower that might be standing).
2. Implement quiet time. Fiona still naps but Willow does not, so she has quiet time. This is the 60-90 minutes following our homeschool one-on-one time. She is allowed to choose if she wants to play quietly, go outside, watch a show, or play Reading Eggs/Mathseeds for a half hour. But whatever she chooses to do, she knows that Mom is busy working or taking quiet time to read. The 60-90 minutes to myself helps me to recharge and be ready and patient for the rest of the day. It is amazing how much easier it is to tackle the evening when you have had a moment to yourself – you know!!
3. Shop for groceries online. This is something we just started doing not too long ago and it has made a WORLD OF A DIFFERENCE. No more rushing out on the weekend to do it and spending precious time in the stores. It’s just not ideal when you have small kids, never mind a pandemic. I place an order online and my husband picks everything up on the way home from work (aka they place in his trunk… he doesn’t even have to get out). It is glorious and has freed up so much mental space.
4. Visit the library. It’s free. It has books. It gets us out of the house. It is literally a 5-minute drive for us. It is THE BEST!! If you need to get out with small kids, the library is a breath of fresh air for everyone. If your library has story time, even better.
5. Meal plan. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with shopping online because I always meal plan before placing our order so I know exactly what I need. It keeps costs in check and makes the entire week run smooth because there is no guessing what I should make each day. I have it all laid out and ready! I spend not even 30 minutes doing this (usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays so my husband can get the groceries on Friday).
6. Establish a bedtime routine. Our nights run the same. exact. way. every. night. It is so routine that my kids never argue about bedtime or put up a fight. They just know… this is it. First we clean up the toys together as a family. When it’s time to go up and get ready for bed, they go right up, bath, pajamas, stories, cuddles, lights out. If your routine is sporadic, I highly suggest you start with this. It is very rare that I am not in my pajamas on the couch with a good book by 7:45. Just the way I like it.
7. Put breakfast on autopilot. I have a few breakfasts that I pretty much rotate at this point so I am never scrambling around the kitchen wondering what to serve. Autopilot for us looks like this: leftover frozen pancakes (that I make in a large batch over the weekend), oatmeal, toast or bagel with nut butter/jam/earth balance, or cereal. Side of fruit and a glass of non-dairy milk. The very occasional tofu scramble happens if I’m feeling extra fancy but other than that, autopilot. Here’s a list of my favorite easy breakfasts for kids.
8. Keep lunch simple with a master list. Like breakfast, this feels like another auto-pilot move. I have shared my master lunch list here. I choose 5 for the weekdays and there we go. Lunch is decided and easy to pull together. The goal is to not make a million decisions each day. Having these kinds of lists helps with that!
9. Clean up and run dishwasher before bed. While my husband spends time with kids after work, I am able to put on a podcast and clean the kitchen after dinner. Cleaning isn’t fun but the podcast helps and it feels nice to just breathe. Sometimes we all have a dance party, which is also fun. But I never ever ever go to bed with a messy kitchen. Everything is wiped down, put away, and ready for tomorrow. Dishwasher is running overnight so we can unload first thing and be ready for the next day.
10. Get outside at least once a day. At LEAST once a day but even more is better – especially if the weather is cooperating! When it is over 50 degrees, we are outside at least 2-3 hours a day. First thing in the morning and always in the afternoon before dinner. If it is raining but still warm, we go out and jump in puddles. If it is snowing, we declare snow day and bundle up. Doesn’t matter the season. You need the right gear to protect yourself against whatever elements and then you do it. It is good for your kids and for you. Trust me. I have never regretted being outside! The best thing now is that my kids are at great ages where they run off and play independently (finally) outside. This gives me time to read, write, plan, or listen to a podcast. Fresh air and me time… SIGN ME UP.
11. Schedule a standing play date. We are fortunate to have a few play dates each week but even just one on the calendar is enough for everyone. The kids are happy to play and socialize and you get to hang with a friend. Win-win.
12. Keep art supplies within reach. This won’t work with really little ones, but it has for my girls at 4 and 2. I keep out scrap paper, notebooks, drawing pads, crayons, and colored pencils. Having these within reach allows the girls to meander over and create whenever they want without me having to get them set up. It has been a game changer.
