Mom-life can be absolutely hectic. Your hands are moving at the speed of light but they’re still not fast enough to get the Go-Gurt open before there’s a meltdown. Your mind is racing with a to-do list that’s constantly reshuffling in order of importance. And most infamously, you always need to answer the million-dollar question, “What’s for dinner?”
Cut through the drama of busy days by incorporating a few simple but practical changes to your routine. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without them!
1. A Good Old-Fashioned Wall Calendar
Yup, some things never go out of style. While phone calendars are essential for on-the-go reminders, sometimes that reminder-ding doesn’t give you much head’s up. Having a wall calendar in easy view helps you remember those important meetings without even needing to pull out your phone.
Not only does a wall calendar improve your own memory, it also keeps every family member—even kids—in the loop. Everyone can see when appointments, baseball games, and extra work days happen so you can plan ahead easily.
2. Always Be Prepared with a Car Emergency Bag
The day will come when you’re out of the house and have a mini-crisis: the kid that’s been potty-trained for years has an accident; the car breaks down in rush-hour traffic and everyone is hangry; who knew that it was going to be below freezing in the middle of September?!
Having a car emergency bag will save you from a variety of headache situations. Always keep a bag in the trunk of your car with “emergency” items, like a change of clothes (yourself included!), extra diapers and wipes, snacks and water, a spare blanket, plastic grocery bags, and other items depending on your climate and age of your family members. Bonus points for necessities like jumper cables, car oil, a first aid kit, and a windshield scraper.
3. Meal Plan
Don’t let this one scare you! While it can be slightly challenging to develop a system that works for your family, once you have a good system, meal planning solves many problems:
- It saves money – because you’ll get all ingredients during one shopping trip and aren’t tempted to grab unnecessary items mid-week.
- It saves you from junk food – cravings, running behind, and satisfying whining kids leads to poor resolve to choose healthy options. Ready-to-go healthy ingredients keep you accountable!
- It saves your sanity – you’ll always know what’s for dinner! Bonus tip: buy a board to write out dinners for the week to keep your family from asking you every five minutes.
Meal planning is made easy through many methods:
- The List Method – keep a list of 15-30 staple meals and choose from the list. You can also have a list for new recipes to try, side dishes, desserts, and snacks.
- The Pinterest Method – Pinterest is a mom’s best friend for many reasons, and meal planning is one of them. Search for dinner ideas using the suggested keywords for more accurate results, or simply search for meal plans and take all the head work out of meal planning!
- The Ultra-Planner Method – if you have the time and drive to do it, you can plan for more than one week at a time—try two weeks or even a month! Canned and frozen goods are your best friend for this method, but allow a quick run for fresh produce once a week.
A Little Sanity
Life with children will always be a whirlwind, but adding a dash of structure gives you some relief and predictability. These methods are cheap and easy to implement but bring a little sanity back to your home life!