Lately I have been feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day! I mean I just can’t get everything done and in most cases I feel like a chicken without its head.  I wake up early, I go to bed late and I still feel unproductive.  I mean, I’m home all day right? Shouldn’t my house be spotless and my life be in tip top shape? NOT! I am a stay-at-home-mom, but that doesn’t mean that everything is perfect like many want to assume.  It’s tough.  Ultimately it’s never ending.  So is there a solution? I think so and I believe that it all has to do with you and how you organize your time.  Planning and organizing your day as a stay-at-home-mom is imperative if you want to have a successful day.  At least in my case.  If you’re a visual person you will really get use from some of my ideas, I am all about writing stuff down, labeling, and documenting things with paper and pen.  My husband says, “you know there’s an APP for that, right?” I understand that through technology we can use APPS and electronic calendars.  Uh-Uh, not this girl.  I’m old fashioned and proud, with my day timer and pens!

            First things first, get organized.

photo courtesy of daytimer.com

 If you do in fact prefer to use digital calendars through your phone or computer, great.  If not then go to Target, Wal-Mart, or any other store and get an organizer.  It can be small medium, or large depending on what you feel most comfortable with.  I personally like mine to be medium sized.  In this day timer, I have insurance cards, contact information, doctor/pediatrician information, you name it.  It’s my lifeline.  Without it I’m lost.  It also allows me to plan my week accordingly.

          I am not a spontaneous person.  I like to plan in advance so I am prepared for it.  I am not the type of person to get up and go without a diaper bag! Crazy right? So keeping this organizer or day timer really helps me to keep my days/nights organized. I know many of you are thinking, you’re a stay-at-home-mom, what do you need all this scheduling for? That’s a great question, thanks for that! Well even stay-at-home-moms need this to stay organized.  Actually I think we need it more.  Before I had kids and was in the workplace I didn’t even use an organizer.  I didn’t need it.  I was able to do things as I pleased and it was easier for me.  Now I have doctor appointments, dentists, play-dates, and that’s on top of all the day-to-day stuff. 

            Second thing, get your house in order.

My husband doesn’t often cook, but when he does, he does it on a day when my refrigerator is a mess! He was picking and complaining about what a mess I had.  I really hate cleaning the fridge by the way.  But he said something to me that I think is true, “you need to get your kitchen and house in order”.  At first I was angry then I realized he had a point.  I mean I’m here and he’s at work, I need to make sure my house is on point.  I know that it gets overwhelming, especially if you live in a small house. 

            So what did I do? I started getting rid of things I didn’t need any more.  I didn’t realize how much of a hoarder I really am until I found things under my sink (empty) and my closets.  What I started doing to make space is placing cereal, cookies, crackers, and other snacks in plastic snap containers.  I also labeled them so that they are easy to find. If your interested in this method of organization, take a look at Dymo label printer from  labelcity.com, inc.  A friend of mine on Face Book mentioned that she chops up fruits and veggies and puts them in containers for her kids to grab.  I thought that was genius. So I have started to do that, and it makes things easier for me too. 

            Third; Plan ahead

My “teacher” agenda for my son helps me plan ahead for the entire week. Bought this book at Target in the dollar section

I home-school my son, go to the gym, send him to a playgroup three times a week (Monday-Wednesday), and everything in between.  My day has to be planned the night before.  What does this mean? Well I have a Lesson plan book, where I keep my son’s daily schedule.  It has subjects that range from numbers, shapes and colors, letters, and comprehension.  Seems like a lot of work for a three year old? Not really.  I sort it out throughout the day, so he doesn’t feel trapped with being glued to his desk.  He has a busy day there’s no doubt about that.  But he’s energetic and I need to enhance that by keeping him “entertained”.  At the end of the day, I mark off what we completed and then plan the next day. 

            For my chores and stuff around the house, I have a

white board where I write down a daily schedule.  How many of you feel like you’re cleaning every day? ME!! It’s non-stop.  So I have a schedule that allows me to keep my house clean and I just pick up daily.  So Monday I clean the bathroom, Tuesday I dust and vacuum, Wednesday I do laundry and grocery shop, Thursday I organize fridge and closets, Friday I vacuum ( I have two kids need to vacuum more than once a week), and the weekends I take off from cleaning and spend time with the family.  My day starts at around 6:30 and the kids wake up around 8:30.  We go to the gym, and from there we start our day.  Whew! I’m exhausted already.  From 6:30 to 8:30 I do a few loads of laundry and work on my blog.  It’s a great time for me to enjoy my cup of coffee without the kids.         

            Fourth; creating a routine

Sometimes we get tired of the same old routine day in and day out.  But it’s so necessary for you and your kids.  Even once they start school, they will need a routine and schedule.  I made a schedule (by hand) and have it posted up on the wall for everyone in the house to see.  This way there is no confusion as to what time is lunch or dinner.  Everything happens at the same time. Every day. 

            Usually Fridays are the only days where I break routine and we do something fun.  I implement a lot of learning time for my son, but we also do table activities, Sensory bins, and nature walks.  It’s fun for him and I think that he actually learns more that way. 

            I did not create this overnight.  When my daughter was born things were difficult for me and I couldn’t get into a routine that fit her needs right away.  Now that she’s already a year old, I finally got it down.  I get tons of ideas from Pinterest and from other moms.  SO remember that it takes time and you will find through trial and error what works best for you.  It’s not easy, but it’s doable and you will notice the changes almost immediately and ultimately you will finish the day feeling productive!

            Thanks for stopping by mommies, hope you all found my tips helpful.  Remember to keep sharing my blog and voting for me, so together we will strive for mommy success!

Photo Courtesy of Babble.Com

XOXO,

Reina