10 Daily Survival Tips for Mums
#5 Have fun playing together!
1. Start the day with a hot shower. In the secret world of mums I’ve discovered that most of us only average a shower every second day!
2. Eat breakfast. We would never let our kids skip the most important meal of the day, but we justify forgoing our own nutritional needs because by 7am we’re already too busy.
3. Have a plan for the day. You don’t need to have a minute-by-minute timetable written up, but some idea of how the jobs to be achieved and appointments to be kept will fit in the with the kids’ routines for the day certainly makes life easier. Toddlers often cope better with the day too if they know what to expect.
4. Take time out in the middle of the day. Even if your kids are too old for a daytime sleep, you can insist on a mandatory “rest” time. This allows kids to have some quiet time with reduced stimulus, and allows mums to take a sanity break. Put the tv on, read a mag, close your eyes for a quick kip, have an unhurried cuppa…. give yourself the chance to reset for the afternoon.
5. Have fun playing together. Sometimes I find I’ve been so busy catching up on everything that needs doing that I haven’t actually played with my kids. They might have played beside me, but it’s not the same as playing with me. Give your kids your undivided attention for a block of time during the day doing what they want to do, and you’ll reap the rewards for it.
6. Get dinner ready ahead of time, or plan for a meal with low prep time. Go for one pot meals in winter (slow cookers are great for this) and simple salads in summer.
7. Always have the number of at least one other mum-friend on speed dial. And always, always, always call them when you need to. Call if you need another mum’s advice, call if you’ve lost it with your kids and you need to calm down, call if you aren’t coping for whatever reason. If you don’t call them when you need help, they won’t call you when they are at their wit’s end either. You don’t have to be alone as a mum. If you don’t have someone to call, email me!
8. Drink coffee – lots of coffee.
9. Read and pray with your kids at bedtime. It’s a nice way to finish the day, regardless of how trying things may have been. Tuck them in, kiss them and tell them you love them (even if you haven’t liked the way they’ve behaved…) then shut the door and breathe a sigh of relief.
10. Get to bed with your husband before you’re completely exhausted (oops… sorry Honey – will make it up to you tomorrow night).
Do you have another tip to add? Leave a comment on what gets you through your mothering day below:
Just popping over from the 31 day challenge! Great list post! I’m not a mom but I am browsing lists and think you did a great job!
I love the Duck hat.
3:30 walk to the park 20 mins there, 20 mins play, 20 mins home. It is peaceful, not to hot, mozzies are not out yet. Riley will have a nap if he needs it and I get to have a chat to Zoe. It gets me ready for the rush hour (or few) when we get home.
Thanks Kendall… just hoping I can keep up with the pace of the challenge!!! Will check out your blog too
So true! This is such a useful list – and I find that the morning shower is always the hardest thing to achieve.
Thanks for sharing,
H
Hi, also found you via 31 day challenge. As a new mom I really like your tips, especially the hot shower(!) I also find I feel best after even a little exercise each day…just posted some 5-minute workouts on my site to sneak in our day. http://www.feasiblyfitmom.com/2009/04/top-5-five-minute-workouts.html
Wonderful list! I’m so glad you stopped by my blog, because I will enjoy browsing yours. I do about half of these things. I agree on the shower being tough to get. To add to the list: organize play dates, field trips, etc. with other moms. It makes me feel so much more refreshed and patient after having been with other moms, and my little guy sleeps SO well afterwards!
Lynn from Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile
http://infantbibliophile.blogspot.com
Great tips for moms! I’m grandma to 9 now, but still remember those days, probably because I’m enjoying helping up close with 4 and long distance with 5 adorables
My favorite suggestions were always 3, 4,5, and 9. Naptime was never an option til they were in school. Since we homeschooled for several years, they just kept having their quiet rest time and so did I
I still have fun playing with my grandkids whenever we are together. One of my daily goals whenever we are together is to combine fun times with learning times. In addition to dinosaur tag and playing cards, I have fun adding in Bible memory learning for Awanas, counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s while playing hide-n-seek, and reading books that teach about God and His love for them. Just having that as a set goal keeps me remembering to do it, even when things get a tad crazy
Be seeing you again at the 30 day challenge
I love this list! I also love your site. (Squiggles is a strangely satisfying word!)
I found you via the 31 day challenge and by your generosity in visiting my site.
Best wishes.
Thanks to my new friends from the 31DBBB challenge for stopping by! I’ve visited all of your blogs and been so encouraged by them. All the best.
Hi, what a great list! I agree with every single thing, especially number 5, it is so easy to forget this! I am also from the 31DBBB challenge!
FANTASTIC ADVICE. SO SIMPLE – and yet so difficult to follow! I’ll have to print it out as a reminder. BREAKFAST – something you eat BEFORE 2 PM, right?
Great post! These are all the tips that get my by too