Five things I started doing as a SAHM
I want to share five things that I started doing as a stay at home mom that have made our day to day happier. I subconsciously started doing these things, and found that the days I prioritized them, our days were just better. I have always been someone who functions better in a cleaned up environment. I mentally prepared myself for how this ability would change in parenthood, and what I have realized is that the difficulty only comes in consecutive time completing a task, not the task itself. I have worked through this challenge by breaking down tasks into many smaller, more attainable tasks- instead of the task of cleaning the bathroom, I set the task of cleaning the sink and wiping down the vanity. I find that I get frustrated with the feeling of constantly being pulled away from a task without finishing it. When I realized this frustration, breaking down tasks into feasible tasks that can be completed in 5 minutes or less, I then felt accomplished instead of defeated.
this simple mental adjustment changed everything for me.
This might surprise you, but most days, our house actually looks like this.
Let’s dive in: five things that I started doing as a SAHM that made our days happier
Vacuum every day
I recognized that the build up of dog hair was a trigger of stress for me, and running through the house with the vacuum once a day in the morning keeps it manageable. I started to encourage Lillian to push her baby stroller with me as I vacuum, and she now runs with excitement when I pull out the vacuum. I am able to include her in the task, but keep the dog hair under control too. It is a win-win.
Minimum of one load of laundry/day
Laundry is a big cause for overwhelm for all parents. It feels so daunting when the laundry builds up, and there are quite literally one thousand pieces of little clothing to fold and put away. Ever since I started doing one smaller load of laundry every single morning, it is no longer an overwhelming task. Once a week I do a sheets load and towel load too- but all parents know the excitement in realizing it is a towels only load to finish.
Run/walk daily
We all need fresh air, and a run or walk every single morning is truly a key to happiness. I started telling Lily to take a deep breath of fresh air at the start of every walk, and I love that she does it on her own now without prompting. Sometimes we all just need a deep breath and a little movement to help all of the emotions.
Cleaning up toys at night
I do not worry about the toy mess during the day- kids need to be able to play freely without feeling like they are constantly being cleaned up after. And there is something to say about letting go of that stress during the day for parents too. We always pick up all of the toys at night before bed, and now that our daughter is older, we include her in picking up the toys before bedtime. She finishes and says “night night playroom”. This is one of the best practices to be in for kiddos to learn that we clean up at the end of the fun day too.
Putting the house to sleep
I notice the biggest difference on the days that we neglect “putting the house to sleep”. A quick house clean up right before bed allows you to wake up in the morning with a fresh start instead of the feeling of overwhelm. B and I tag team this clean up to do all of the dishes, run the dishwasher, get the coffee ready for the morning, put away miscellaneous items that piled up on the counters, wipe down the counters/highchairs, etc.
We are very mindful of the things that we are bringing into our house- less is more. A simple home in which everything has a place is much easier to keep tidy. The combination of all of these simple practices in our routine allows our house to stay picked up and free from clutter everyday. And especially as a mom of two now (currently in the newborn fog), managing the physical clutter helps manage my cluttered mind.
… but I likely will still forget to respond to your text message for a few days.
thankfully mom’s understand.
