8 Tips to Help You Adjust to Having Your Children Home All Day
How many cups of coffee are you on today? How many glasses of wine did you drink after the kids went to bed? I’m not judging. I’m simply asking because man, I get it sometimes. Life is upside down for us all and we are all just trying to stay afloat.
Right now in the wake of this quaratine madness, so many families have been put into a new routine that looks vastly different than their usual. Mothers are now experiencing that stay at home mama life, parents are educating their children, some are working from home while their kids are around all day and you’re just wondering how the heck do you make this whole shin-dig work.
Well, I wish I had the magic answer for you. Unfortunately I don’t but if you need a few good tips — go back to paragraph one where we discussed coffee and wine. Add in some ice cream and some chocolate and you may just survive this.
What I can give you though is some advice from a veteran stay at home mama, a mama who works from home and who has maybe a few tricks up her sleeve. None of what I will share with you is some grand secret, but maybe it’s something that can help make life a little easier right now!
Make your children get dressed every day. I know PJ days are fun and I think they are great for the weekends, but honestly we just all function better if beds are made and pjs are put on. And have your kids make their beds! Around age 3-4, they can easily start this task daily.
Instill a quiet/nap time. I don’t care how old your kids are — there should always be a quiet hour to help you get some clarity and function. Perhaps this can be a time where you can get some good work done for your job, watch a show, take a nap, start dinner or just fold clothes in peace. Even if your children aren’t “nappers,” make it a quiet time that is designated to their room where they have to play, rest or read. This cuts back on the electronic usage (which allows you to use it at other times) and gets your kids actually playing with their toys or reading a book. It takes some practice for them to understand that it’s not a time to come out of the room and chit chat, ask you to dress all of their Barbies or color a picture. It’s their time while you have your time! You’ll thank me for it!
Have a power hour. I talk about a power hour in one of my other posts, but basically this is a time where you hustle to get some housework done. This is a great time to allow screen time or give the kids something to occupy themselves. During the power hour you can run around and tackle some laundry, dusting, toilets and so on. Complete what you can and then move on to something fun like taking the kids outside, snack time or going run errands.
Instill clean up periods. Generally in our home, before we can go outside to play the messes have to be cleaned up. So if earlier in the morning the kids had fun playing Barbies or trucks but have now decided to go play outside, then it’s their job to clean up the rooms before they can head outside. Your children just watched TV and now have blankets and pillows everywhere? Tidy up the living space before heading outside so when you walk inside, you don’t feel overwhelmed. Cleaning up before the next activity says us mamas that feeling of overwhelm.
Wake up before the kids. Right now many of us don’t have set schedules and may be taking advantage of the time to sleep in (don’t worry, I have too). However I can always say that the best day is one where I woke up early enough to have some me time. Whether it’s to read, pray, make breakfast, get some work done or just sit in the silence, it’s a good start to your day!
Make a snack tray. This idea is fun for families with multiple children. Take an empty six size muffin pan and fill each muffin opening with a variety of snacks. Make some of the fruits, proteins like cheese or pepperoni and then other fun snacks like cookies and chips. This presents a variety to them and may get them eating MORE nutritional stuff rather than just a bag of cookies. But it’s still fun to have days to enjoy some ice cream on the porch or bake a cake!
Stick to the normal routine, especially at night. It can be tempting to not stick as much to a routine when there’s no alarm clocks set for the next day. But just as we do during the summer time, we should somewhat stick to a similar schedule that keeps our children well rested and comfortable.
Cut yourself some slack. Seriously. Even the most put together mamas on Instagram and Facebook DON’T have it together. Somewhere outside of the square image you see, there’s a mess. Somewhere there is a toddler freaking out because you cut his sandwich incorrectly and somewhere there is a strong willed girl pouting in the corner. Motherhood is messy, homes are messy and life is messy. Don’t be afraid of messy. Just figure out how to help organize the mess and embrace the chaos. Posting negative things on Facebook doesn’t solve anything, but chocolate…that can fix a bit. That and some prayer and good emotional oils! ;)
Embrace this new season you are in for what it is worth. We are all able to have more time together right now to embrace what really matters. It’s not about going out on the weekends, dining at the best restaurants, shopping for new clothes or having a cookout with the neighbors. While those things are all wonderful, right now we are able to focus in on what’s residing within the walls of our home. It’ll never be perfect, but with the right attitude and a good routine, you can feel a little more sanity during it.
Your children won’t remember if you had Pinterest worthy homeschool crafts or if there was a homemade breakfast every morning, but what they will remember is the togetherness. So let’s make sure the togetherness is joyful, not resentful and peaceful, not chaotic. Let’s leave them with the best memories they can have during this unknown, and somewhat scary season of life. Their light and their joy can trump our fear each and every day!
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