Yep. We’re still rocking Halloween pajamas at our house. And yes…at least one room in our house, usually two, look like a bomb went off.
The other day a friend of mine called me supermom and I just laughed. I am no where near supermom status. I work full time. I write this blog. I have a baby who sleeps through the night maybe twice a week.
I am exhausted.
I’ve discovered that I need little goals to help this former control-freak cope with all of the mess and stress that comes with having a baby. So here are my “supermom” stay-sane goals, in no particular order:
1. Make our bed every day.
2. Clean up the kitchen each night before going to bed. (this happens most nights! go me!)
3. Put away all of the toys each night.
4. Stay on top of the constant laundry. (this one is HARD)
5. Get out of bed 20 minutes early so I have time to do my hair. This one is kind of important to my sanity.
I’ve had to learn to let things go. Our fridge is never fully stocked. I always forget to buy at least three things from the grocery store. We are usually out of soap in either the kitchen, laundry room, or bathroom. Sometimes all three. But such is life as a mom. I know it won’t always be like this. So I have my 5 little goals to help me stay sane. Oh, and I hired a house cleaner….TOTAL GAME CHANGER.
What do you do to keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed?
Haha – I feel this way pretty much to a T!! And when we lived in our old house, hiring a house cleaner was for sure a game changer for me because I'm in grad school at night 3 times a week too. For sure have to celebrate the little victories (like cleaning the kitchen each night)! My "win" is having meals planned out with the supplies at the beginning of the week – makes me feel SO much better about the week ahead for some reason.
PS Charlie wore halloween PJs to bed last night too!!
Making the bed is something I try to do every day too – I really just don't feel like my day is off on the right foot if the bed isn't made! As working moms, I really do think it's important to do like you've done and make a list of goals that we know we can achieve. And then let the rest go. Because we run ourselves ragged otherwise, and then no one's happy – it's like that saying, 'If mom's not happy, no one's happy!'
PS: I would give my left arm for a house cleaner. I agree – it would be a TOTAL game changer!!!
Every mom deserves a house cleaner, best decision I made! Enjoy!
My goals are similar – clean kitchen, pick up toys, put makeup imams try to do laundry as much as I can. I too have recently gotten someone to clean my house and it definitely has relieved some stress. It's not easy being a mom and taking care of everything – it's exhausting!!
I have similar goals- clean the kitchen, pick up toys (this one hardly ever happens), and keep up with laundry. Ugh. The laundry!! How is it that three people can produce so much? I don't know where it all comes from! I bet it's a huge stress reliever having someone come and help with the cleaning, that will definitely bring you peace!
Your life is my life to a "t!" I work full-time, have a two-year old son and feel like we're always falling behind in some aspect 🙂 Oh and we've been rocking Christmas pjs since July. I would love a house cleaner – how often do you have yours come?
I think if both parents work full time a cleaning lady is a must! Good for you! Having a small child makes you reevaluate what has to get done and what is just extras. Your list seems very reasonable!
I completely relate to the feeling of exhaustion. Our Maddy, for the most part, is still not sleeping through the night so it can make for some interesting mornings to say the least. To make things easier for us, I always make sure to have outfits picked out, lunches made, and bags ready to go for the next day. It doesn't fix everything but it certainly minimizes the crazy…a little bit. 🙂
those goals are a complete and total necessity at our casa. i just FEEL better when the house is tidy. its impossible to squash the inner control freak. SO let your flag fly and make that bed 🙂
I feel this way so much. SO much. I had no idea Hudson wasn't sleeping through the night! Are you trying anything to get him to? We did Ferber method sleep training and it's been amazing – Abbie only occasionally wakes up and puts herself back to sleep 95% of the time (the rest she just needs me to give her the pacifier and she'll go back). Let me know if you're interested in it at all – it was a lifesaver for us!
Great post! I can 100% totally relate and it's nice to know others feel the same. I have work full-time. Like you, my goals are to clean kitchen every night (even if the whole house is a disaster, a clean kitchen feels good), pickup the house, laundry. I also always have a running grocery list that I'm constantly adding to and a weekly meal planner has really helped. We have a house cleaner come every other week and that majorly helps. Have a great week!
I need to do these without having a babe to chase around! Great goals though!! It's amazing how keeping just a few things in order or on track can help so immensely though!!
I feel the same way! It's the little things that get you through the day. Keep up the good work mama!
Awesome goals! Mine are very similar…but working on cleaning the kitchen each night is one that needs work for me! One I would have to add to the list is being everything from the car inside after each trip!
You're doing an awesome job…seriously, you push me to be a better mom! Great list…staying sane is so important! Keep it up!! xo
So, I know a tidy house is not the most important thing in the world, but it always makes me feel better. When things are out of order and not running smoothly I feel uptight and easily irritated. Having those little goals of picking up the house for 10 minutes every morning, vacuuming the family room, cleaning the kitchen each night before bed and emptying the dishwasher help me keep my sanity too. Glad you got a cleaning lady!!! You'll feel much much less stressed!
We are in the same boat…we have little goals for each day in order to make the NEXT day easier! Without going to bed with a semi-picked up house (dishes, toys and laundry), I wake up already dreading the chores!
PS You ARE supermom!! 🙂
I don't even have kids yet and I still feel like an exhausted failure many nights a week! It keeps me sane to clean the kitchen every night. I can't stand stuff left in there or dishes in the sink. So even if laundry is piled to the ceiling (and most times it is!!) at least my kitchen is ready to go!
One of my stay sane goals is to make sure all the dishes are done every night before bed so that I can get up and make breakfast and coffee without having to stress about a mess! I like these little goals though and might need to adopt all of them.
A warm bath, tea, a glass of wine, a walk with a friend…etc. It's so crazy trying to balance everything! You're doing great!
I always try to get up earlier than my girls or stay up a little later. It gives me time to focus on me things like my blog, bible study, working out, etc….. I've discovered I have a much happier day when I do this.
Loved your post. As a working mom of two – trying to find time for anything else is virtually impossible. I had been asking around to a few other working mom's saying "how do you do it?" Most of them replied they were faking in – they were not super mom and they just took it one day at a time and did what they could do each day!! Thank you for sharing – its nice to know there are more of us out there who don't always have it all together!!
We're besties for sure after reading this! I too am/used to be a super ocd clean freak but Sofia had other plans in store!
I find that making it a point to look cute everyday is a total game changer…even if it's looking cute in yoga pants, I take that extra second to throw on some lipstick and make sure my top knot is exta fierce! 😉
xo
Megan
Hello Newlywed Life Blog
Thank you for keeping it real! I'm in the same boat – work full time, blog (sometimes) and this morning my 2.5 year old came into our room at 4:00 for cuddles. Oh, and I'm 25 weeks pregnant with twins. Exhaustion is my middle name! My "stay sane" goals – make a 'to-do' list in my planner every night before bed, put the toys away, put the laundry away, and sweep the kitchen. If I can do those 4 things, I feel like I can tackle the next day! Oh… and we're still wearing Halloween jammies, too!
Yes…the house cleaner….best thing ever for the working mama! It makes such a difference when you DO get to be home because you don't feel like you should be cleaning the toilets or dusting or anything like that!
And I'm the same way about my kitchen being clean and the toys being put (at least mostly) away at night before bed. I can't say I am a bed-maker, and I put off the laundry til the weekend for the most part, but I'm a stickler about the kitchen!
Great list! I do all of these things, too! Especially the end of the day kitchen clean up and the bed making. It really does make a world of difference! We are currently out of paper towels, too. Ha! 🙂 I'm substitute teaching now very part time and another thing that has helped me is putting out my clothes the night before so it's one less thing to think about in the morning. -Andrea 🙂
WINE. LOTS OF WINE. I kid. I don't know about all the other working moms but I feel like I'm always seconds away from losing my mind. Too much to do and it's never done. I find myself doing things at the strangest times just to get them done. I've scrubbed bath tubs at 6am, swept at midnight – whenever I can get a second to tackle a chore and regain a little order and sanity. A clean kitchen is good for the soul. Even better when my husband does it. 🙂
I do the same things! I also make sure to get a workout in at least a few days a week, and I make lists. Lists always make me feel like I'm in control of life.
TOTALLY hired a house cleaner too! it's my dirty (clean?) little secret. i don't even work full time and there is still no way i can get that done. i'm super impressed that you blog AND work AND have a baby!
totally agree with this list and we do similar things, I always laugh at the "supermom" comments, I mean, who really is supermom??
… off topic, but the ad at the bottom of this post… do you have the bloggers contact information. The image is using a portion of my old banner (color, font, the works) I hope she didn't pay for it. 🙁
I loved this so much! I totally agree with you on the hair – it makes me feel like I can take on the day. I make our bed too – makes me feel like I at least did something!