My motherhood season is full of so many diaper blowouts, errands, extracurricular activities, and keeping little people fed, happy, and thriving. It can be A LOT! Aside from taking care of the kids, I also need to make sure the bills are paid, clean the house, and get a workout, and (if I’m really lucky) take a shower. I remember a friend giving me advice early in my motherhood days to get things done when kids are napping or sleeping. So I did… and I hated it -- I was working hard while the kids were awake, and busting out tons of other tasks while they were sleeping. It was exhausting. I decided it mattered that I get rest and breaks in order to have a good day.
Here are a few things that I did in our everyday life that helped me meet the challenges of getting things done with my kids around.
Tip 1: Choose what really matters.
I consider myself a person who likes things done, but done my way. I'll have a huge pile of laundry to fold and put away, and I want to do it without any help. WHY? Because I needed each towel to be folded my way. Being so particular about the way things were done created more work for myself and limited how much others could help. Finally I decided that maybe my way of doing things doesn't always matter so much. The day I changed that perception of what really mattered helped me so much--I found that I liked having things done quickly just as much as I liked having them done my way. And it made much less work for me!
Tip 2: Feel the satisfaction of checking off the list.
Make a list of your to-do's -- I don't mean a huge list of a hundred things you hope to do today; that is not realistic, and it can stress you out if you don't check everything off that huge list by the end of the day. You DON’T need that stress added into your life. I am talking about a manageable list of a few things that matter to you that day. When you can see those things written out and can actually draw a line through them once accomplished, it feels so satisfying! And I find that having a visual list of my to-do's helps me stay on track!
Tip 3: Get things done with your kids.
This is my favorite tip! And, honestly, the thing I needed to be a little bit better about as a mom. I won't lie--getting things done with kids at home is hard. I workout every day with kids at home, and at first I felt defeated so many times as I started and stopped to help a child with something. BUT the more I did, the more they all got use to it, so for that hour they workout with me, they play around me, they dance to music. The same goes with paying bills or cleaning. I have the kids help in ways that they can! Dishes need to be done? I rinse and my daughter (4) can stick them in the dishwasher.
Sometimes it takes much longer than if I just got it done by myself, but I think they are learning and forming good habits that they can take into their adult life.
Tip 4) Make it fun.
I find this time to be special. Sometimes it's one-on-one with my child and we can have fun conversations with just us, or we can reminisce about stories while folding and sorting laundry. We can turn up music and take turns picking songs while doing dishes or mopping the floors! My kids love to take turns picking the song and making up a dance move and then we all take turns. Chore time can really be a lot of fun for them and me!