5 Ways to Simplify Your Mom Life

 I wish I could say that I’ve got it all together, but I don’t. Ever. I leave my keys in conspicuous places, forget my child’s backpack, and always seem to be rushing yet getting nowhere fast. As I thought about my goals for this new year, I realized the one thing I want to focus on most is simplicity. Below are the 5 strategies I’m implementing to simplify my life in 2016:

Meal Plan

This one is tough because I hate to cook, but meal planning has been a game changer. I used to go to the store and buy whatever I thought we needed, and barely looked at my grocery list. I would end up returning to the store at least two more times during the week, which wasted so much time! I now sit down Sunday evenings and create a detailed meal plan, including everyone’s lunches/snacks, and planning which nights we are eating out. This has saved time, money, and dragging my children to the store by bribing them with a cookie (or two) from the bakery.

Train My Children

My husband grew up in a large family and learned at a young age how do things for himself, because his parents couldn’t do everything for five children. I’ll admit, oftentimes I do more for my boys than I should, especially when it comes to helping out around the house or teaching them to be more self-sufficient. I realized that I am spending way too much time finding shoes, putting toothpaste on tooth brushes, and taking plates to the sink. I have begun to require my children to take on more age-appropriate household chores as well as teaching them (instead of doing it for them) how to perform basic day-to-day duties, i.e. brushing teeth, finding their clothes, keeping their shoes in the cubbies, etc. At first my boys were somewhat shocked that they had to start “doing so much stuff”, but now we’re settling into routines, which has saved a great deal of time.

Stop Worrying About Others

“Did you see what so-and-so posted on Facebook?” How many of my conversations begin with that phrase? Too many. While I love social media, I am trying to not worry so much about others and focus on myself and my family. This has been particularly helpful because I often compare my kids, my life, my you-name-it to everyone else’s – which is completely unhealthy! From now on, I’ll do my best to compare myself only to myself, and focus on whether I am being the best mom, wife, daughter, and sister that I can be.

Organize

Oh, organization, how I wish you were my forté. When I taught first grade,  I was completely organized – labels-on-everything organized! For some reason as a SAHM I cannot get my act together. I try to organize toys, pantries, and my kids’ rooms but end up overwhelmed and more stressed than when I began. I’ve decided to take my house one room at a time. Starting small and finishing one room at a time, I gain a sense of accomplishment and see immediate rewards.

Just Say No

For the life of me I cannot understand why it is so hard to say no to others. I’m a people-pleaser by nature, and there’s something about me that cringes at the thought of letting others down! Here’s the deal though: if I have so much on my plate that I begin to let my family or friends down, then I am already at fault. This year I am aiming to learn how to say no graciously and not feel the need defend my choice. Whenever an opportunity to serve or help arises, I ask myself, “How does this affect me? My family?” Bottom line: it’s OK to say no and understand my limits.

Life can be overwhelming at times, but if I’m honest, I think a lot of my trouble is self-inflicted. However,  by implementing these new strategies, I am hoping to make this year less stressful!

How do you simplify your mom life?