We mamas handle a LOT. We work round the clock, do we not? Even when everyone is asleep, our mama-radars are always on, listening for the sounds, the sniffles, the coughing and the calling.
Bare Essence by Katie m. Berggren ~ snag prints here
We get up and make breakfast, we pack lunches, we clean the kitchen, transfer the laundry, pick crumbs off the carpet. We work all day at that which (hopefully) energizes us and gives us a sense of purpose ~ whether that work is inside or outside the home; with or without children at our heels. We take care of school backpacks, stay on top of homework and scads of worksheets and flying paper. We are on top of that missing book ~ we know where to find it ~ and the toy or blanky, too.
So, how DO we hold it all together? We’ve all got our secrets, our little tricks of the trade, our time-tested techniques. I hope that you might share a few of your tidbits with us, you are in good hands, you are in good company, and your thoughts are appreciated here.
Here are a couple of mine:
In the morning, before the blood starts moving, start a load of laundry, clean the most-often-used bathroom quickly, and take care of any little hot-spot mess piles that are starting to build up. This takes only 10 minutes or so.
Mid-day, take 5-15 minutes to put stuff away. Never go up the stairs without something that belongs upstairs. Rarely come downstairs without something that BELONGS downstairs!
Schedule and prioritize. If you know that you do the baking on Sunday, that takes baking-stress away from the other 6 days. If you know that you strip the beds on Tuesdays, that takes bed-stripping-stress away from the other 6 days.
Remove junk and gunk from the day, the house and the to-do list. If you haven’t used it in awhile, put it in the donation bag. If it is an article of clothing that doesn’t make you feel good or fit your bod the way it should, pass it off. If there is something on your list that truly doesn’t HAVE to be done, or is there for some dumb odd reason, scratch it off altogether (or delegate it if you must).
Keep a ‘give-back’ basket near a door. Drop all things that go back to someone or somewhere else in it. Such as library books, magazines borrowed from friends, Tupperware dishes borrowed from mom the last time you had a family dinner and she sent you home with some of her delectable chocolate cake or apple bars.
Keep a list of who you are waiting to hear from, what you are waiting to receive in the mail, and open loops that need to be done. These details no longer have to be ON your mind!
Open loops include framing a picture that is leaning against a wall that you walk past every day; returning a phone call to the dentist, scheduling an appointment, finishing something you promised to someone else, doing a spec of touch-up paint on the wall.
The list goes and goes. I look forward to the opportunity to hear some of your secrets. It is so fun, like a puzzle piece fitting into place, when we figure something out that serves us. And ever-so-wonderful when we hear an idea from another mother that seems perfect for us!
Share with us on the Facebook Page ~ come on over and share your secrets and techniques ~ you have NO idea what a blessing you may be to a mama in need, a mama in overwhelm.
Have a WONDERFUL week!
Love & Sincerely, Katie