How do mums juggle it all? I often become overwhelmed by the shear amount of little jobs that always need doing, tidying, cleaning, washing, ironing. throw into the mix of working full time and 2 little ones at school and nursery. I very often don't sit down until 9! By which time I need to walk the dogs and get to bed!
So what simple tricks do I do to help have a stress free week.
No.1 Plan meals
On a Friday night I will plan our evening meals for the week. I then shop on a Saturday morning buying the ingredients. I find this saves so much time when I get in from work at 5.30 in the evening, I just look at the plan, get the ingredients out and cook. For instance this weeks menu includes Cowboy hotpot, halloumi wraps and mixed bean chilli. I like to cook everything from fresh and at this time of year I can pop into the garden and pick some added extras to bulk out the meal. I also plan breakfasts and lunches for me and Rich to ensure we are eating healthily.
No.2 Write lists
I will always write a list of what I need to do when I get up in the morning. Just the simplest of things. I get a kick out of ticking them all off! And when I say the simplest of things I mean the things I have to do - walk the dogs, prep lunch, hang the washing. By doing this means I already have a sense of achievement and success before the day has properly started. I always write a shopping list to ensure I only get what I need. I list what I need to pack for holiday normally months in advance, what Christmas presents to get and days out for school holidays. It helps to give me a focus, saves money and again gives a sense of achievement.
No.3 Meditate
I have only started doing this, this year and have found I am more chilled at work. It frees up headspace and subconsciously reminds me that everything's ok. After completing my list in the morning I will meditate for 10 minutes before getting ready for work. I tend to search through Spotify for ones that I can relate too and like the sound of. One thing I dislike about the internet is the amount of American videos there are and the American accent just grates on me! When work is getting to me I will just take a couple of really long deep breaths and reset. Also if I am restless at night I will do a couple of rounds of box breathing which helps me drift back off to sleep
No.4 Routine
I remember when I had Emmi, everyone went on about getting into a routine. At 19 I was like what the hell is a routine, how do I do that. I didn't have a clue what they meant. Fast forward 20 years and I live by routine. I must admit the routine for the younger 2 is far more liberal - shall we say- than it was with the older 3. The older ones often comment ' it was never like that when we were that age!' However as far as routine goes now, for how my life is, I cannot live without it. I set an alarm for 5am on weekdays and on weekends let the dogs wake me which is normally about 6am, I find it sets me up for work properly in that I get shit done first thing, then I don't have to worry about it when I get home. Tick off my list and leave for work at 6.45. Even the girls have started getting organised the night before. Marnie will often lay her clothes out on the floor after she has had a bath, which she has learnt from me as I always sort my clothes the night before, little things like that help.
No.5 Cook extra
I don't like to say I batch cook as that would mean I am super organised - which I certainly am not i refer to myself as the most disorganised organiser of all! What I will do is cook a large amount at meal time in the evening. The girls will then have the same the following night and anything left goes in the freezer. I tend to find that we eat well at the beginning of the month after pay day and by the last week we are on 'If it' meals out of the freezer. 'If it's there you can have it, if it ent - you've had it.' This is when the freezer stock reduces but I am grateful for cooking extra earlier in the month. I am a feeder and love cooking which helps, I also hate waste so will freeze everything to save it.
No.6 Date Nights
Its so so important to find time for yourself. Whether you are in a relationship or not. Always make time to for you. Rich and I will often have date night on the weekend. Either he will cook a curry and 'gubbings' (poppadoms, nann and samosas) or a dine in for 2 meal from Tesco. Just to have time to enjoy food and bottle of wine or 2. Go out to the cinema or drinks with friends. Do not feel guilty for doing this. If you are happy and chilled your children will be too. We also try and get away for the night every couple of months. Nothing extravagant and often use Clubcard vouchers, deals and the train to get there. Grandparents or big sisters help out with child and animal care. For sanity reasons its good to have time away, change of scenery and proper rest.
No.7 Bulk washing
I save all my laundry for the weekend. Just so that the utility room is only rammed for one day, this then relieves the pressure on weekdays of adding more to the list. I am not one to do anything in dribs and drabs I like to attack a job all in one go so I will sort the laundry and wash on a Saturday, then iron on a Sunday ready for the week ahead. Its not so bad in the summer when everything goes out on the washing line, but in the winter I use indoor airers and radiators which is quite tricky to get everything dry. Sometimes finishing it off in the tumble drier to get the creases out and save on the ironing.
No.8 Housework days
I hate housework with a passion. I think its because as I said above I don't like to do things here and there and when I start something I have to properly exhaust it. So when I clean the house its very often a major full on day of sorting everything out, moving furniture and proper blitzing it. As you can imagine working full time I very rarely get the opportunity to do this - so my house is not the cleanliest. It pisses me off all these instagramers who do the reels of 10 minute tidy, and tap to tidy shit. I bet there houses are shit tips the majority of the time, they just never show us the evidence of those days! In essence, do what you can when you can. Don't put yourself under pressure to have a show home house. Live it, there are more important things to do than maintain a pristine house.
No.9 Read, relax and journal
Again something new for me this year. I have never been a big reader but I am making a concerted effort to read more books. I am not one for fiction and romance, my head is to busy to be whisked away in some fantasy. I enjoy self help books, autobiographies and cook books. Cooking helps me to relax, its my escapism too. To relax; I love a long hot bath or a dip in the hot tub. I find it so calming and it definitely relaxes the muscles. Finally journaling. I was always one to keep a diary when I was younger, a lot of what I wrote back then was rather exaggerated! Nowadays I find it helps me to process things, good days and bad days. I reflect on the WWW and EBI ( What Went Well and Even Better If) and always add what I am grateful for. The smallest of things - the smell of flowers or cut grass, the warm weather. There is always something to be grateful for, the more you look for things the more you will find.
No.10 Don't beat yourself up
If you don't manage to tick something off your list one day make it the first on the list for the next. When something doesn't go your way look for the positives - what can you learn. Society applies so much pressure for Mums to have their shit together and be superwoman 24/7 that we often feel a failure before getting out of bed. Just remember the small things, do you have a roof over your head? Food in the fridge? Clothes to wear? Children are so more resilient than we give them credit for that they wont know or worry that that their hair hasn't been washed for 3 days or that beans on toast is all their is for tea one night because your to tired to cook. Its ok to not be ok and have off days. When things get on top of me I very often become quite insular and retreat to not going out of the house for a few days because I cant be bothered to style my hair or put a bra on. Its ok to have those days. They help you to reset and evaluate what is actually important and more often than not its the simple things that are important - time spent with loved ones doing nothing is sometimes just the therapy we need.
Love Gianna x
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