9 Ways to Survive as a Stay at Home Mom

1)    Get up before your child(ren)

a.    Even 5 minutes!

b.    30 minutes changes my world

c.    I am NOT a morning person… and therefore waking up earlier helps me – Momma needs a minute

2)    Do something productive every morning

a.    Even if it is just making scrambled eggs for breakfast

b.    Throw something in the washing machine

c.    Work out to a DVD

d.    Make your grocery list

3)    Get out of the house every day

a.    Grocery store – I buy our groceries in small amounts purposely so I have a reason to get out of the house more.

b.    Target – just go walk around and look at things!

4)    Put on real clothes

a.    Even if it is yoga pants and a t shirt, change from what you normally sleep in

b.    And change into “sleep clothes” before you go to bed

c.    Wear make-up – even if it’s just mascara

d.    Do your hair – a messy bun counts!

5)    Listen to music

a.    I like to play things I used to listen to in high school or college – it makes me feel young and upbeat!

b.    Listen to current popular music – stay up with the trends

c.    Listen to some classical music – it enhances learning, and it will widen your children’s appreciation for music (and maybe yours, too!)

d.    It gives you a grove to move to!

e.    Your kids will give you priceless looks as you dance to your old favorites J

6)    Shut off the TV

a.    Now, maybe TV is for you what music is for me – to each her own.  However, I find that TV typically distracts me to the point of unproductiveness.

b.    Spend time talking to and noticing your kids – that’s why you have this job!

c.    Kids need to move around and explore, not watch the TV – let ‘em move!

7)    Keep up with the news and current events

a.    I end up getting sucked into TV because I want to watch the morning news, but I’m working on other ways to stay current

b.    The Skimm – This is a great company that emails you a skimmed version of the news every morning.  They include links to articles if you want to read more on a particular topic.  If you want to sign up you can use my link here: theskimm.com/?r=cc84a92e

c.    Radio or public radio

d.    Social media

e.    Newspapers -  We get one every once and a while; I like to read some interesting local news and let my baby play with the rest of it.

8)     Invest in community

a.    Find your PEOPLE! Honestly, this is how we survive without going insane!

b.    I have a theory that when women only took care of the home and children (back in the day) they were not isolated in big houses far away from their friends.  I think they all lived close by and helped each other out.  You know the saying it takes a village? I think it’s because it probably did!

c.    So, you don’t live in a close-knit village? Find places to make friends

                                               i.     Church

                                             ii.     Library story time

                                            iii.     Play dates (are for mom’s too)

                                           iv.     Mom/ girl nights out (yes, leave the kids!)

                                             v.     Book club/ book swap

                                           vi.     Volunteer

                                          vii.     MOPS or a similar mom’s group

9)    Make time for your marriage

a.    You got into this baby making business with him in the first place!  Don’t forget him!

b.    Love will keep you alive (cheesy, but true)

c.    He’s the other adult you live with – have adult conversations, watch adult TV (not that kind of adult TV! Just things kids can’t watch: Game of Thrones, Jimmy Fallon, etc), tell him about the news you learned today

d.    Have sex

e.    Talk to each other

f.     Help each other out

g.     Go on dates

Do you do anything on this list?  What other secrets do you have for surviving as a stay at home mom?

Hannah