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Being a mom is a tough job. But when you’re a mom with a full-time job outside of the home, it’s even tougher. But these working mom tips will make being a working mother so much easier.
Being a mom is not something you can just turn off. You can’t say, “I’m done for the day,” clock out and go home. And running a household has the same responsibility.
It’s a lot of work. It takes a lot of time and effort. Not to mention, life can be really unpredictable with kids.
That’s where these working mom tips come in. They will save you time, money, stress and headache.
They will literally SAVE YOUR SANITY.
So if you’re looking for some tips to help you get organized, stay on top of household responsibilities and keep your family in line, then these survival tips are perfect for you and your working mom lifestyle.
Top 11 Working Mom Survival Tips
Meal Plan Weekly
Meal planning might sound like a lot of work, but in reality, it can save you so much time, money and stress.
You see, if you take just a few minutes, one day out of the week to sit down and write out your family meals for the week, you won’t have to stop and think about what’s for dinner each day after work.
When you get off work, you’ll already know what’s for dinner. You could even hang a menu in the kitchen or post it on the fridge for everyone to see.
Because if you have kids like mine, the second you walk through the door, they’re asking “Mom, what’s for dinner??”
Knowing what you’re going to cook or prep for the week also makes grocery shopping that much easier. You just make a list based on the ingredients you know you’ll be using in your meals.
If you’re tired of scrolling through Pinterest and FB looking for dinner ideas, you should check out the $5 Meal Plan. You will be emailed a simple meal plan AND shopping list every single week for just $5 a month.
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Use Grocery Pickup
Why did it take us so long to come up with grocery pickup? I love it, and I’ve been doing it for months now with great results.
One day or night of the weekend, I sit down with my Kroger App and add all the things on my grocery list to my cart. I can even see their current sales ad and add digital coupons on the app.
I save so much money just by not physically going into the store and picking up all the things I don’t need. The digital coupons are an added bonus.
Then, when it’s time for me to pick up my groceries, I pull into the grocery pickup spot and let them know I’m there. They bring the bagged groceries out to my car and load them for me. It’s great!
A Load of Laundry A Day
If you absolutely despise laundry, the best thing for you to do it get into the habit of washing a load a day or every other day (depending on your family size).
We are a family of 5, so we can seriously wash a load a day.
I’ve tried doing laundry all in one day on the weekend, but then I feel like I’ve spent my entire time off on chores. Honestly, I usually end up having loads left in baskets or on the couch and we end up tossing them back in the dryer before wearing if I do it all in one day.
I mean, who wants to spend their weekend doing laundry?? Not me.
If you start doing a load a day, you’ll get into a routine. And if you think about it, one load is easy to wash, dry and put away before bed.
Chore Chart for the Kids
Chores are a great way to teach kids responsibility. They’re also a great way for you to get help with household stuff without having to outsource.
Yea, kids never enjoy doing chores. But hey, neither do we. We know it has to be done, so we do it.
The best thing to do is to make a list of chores that you feel comfortable letting the kids do. Like, taking out the trash, washing dishes or sweeping the floors.
At our house, each day my older two children rotate chores. The daily chores are to put away clean dishes, load dishwasher, take out the trash and sweep the floors.
It’s really not a lot to ask between the two of them. They can be done in 10-15 minutes and go about their business.
The reward is that you don’t have to do it all yourself when you get home. You can focus on dinner, help the kids with homework or just relax.
Create a Cleaning Schedule
Similar to doing a load of laundry a day, having a cleaning schedule breaks down all the cleaning tasks into smaller chunks, so you don’t have to spend an entire weekend on chores.
To make a cleaning schedule, write down each cleaning task that you do on a weekly basis, daily basis and monthly basis. Then, list out all the days of the week. Divide your list up between the days of the week to make a routine.
For instance, Monday – Dust & vacuum; Tuesday – Mop; Wednesday – Clean toilets; Thursday – Clean showers/tubs; Friday – clean out refrigerator.
Once you do it a couple weeks, you’ll get into a routine with it, and it’ll be like second nature. I usually take Sundays off to rest. Pick whatever day works best for you.
Keep a Family Calendar
Family calendars are wonderful. They help everyone in the house stay on the same page about what’s going on. This way there aren’t any assumptions about drop offs and pick ups or overlapping appointments.
You should really check out this family calendar on Amazon. It’s perfect to hang in a central location in your home. It fits in naturally with most decor.
Your kids can write in any events they have coming up for school. You can add any doctors appointments. You could even use it to leave cutesy little notes for the fam.
If you’re interested in a family calendar to keep your family on the same page, check out this one on Amazon. It’s cute and just the right size.
Keep a Planner for Bills & Birthdays
I don’t know what I’d do without my planner. I would probably never pay my bills on time and forget everyone’s birthdays.
Seriously, having a planner I can keep with me with everything mapped out for the month, makes my life so much easier.
I feel like I’m always running and therefore, always forgetting something. When I get worried, I just open my calendar, and there is exactly what needs to be paid or what events are coming up. Stress relief at it’s finest.
I actually created my own calendar and planner and turned it into a Work-life Balance Planner Toolkit. It has a ton of planner pages that help me stay organized and plan for the week and month, including a meal plan template, a to-do list, a monthly action plan, a grocery list and so much more.
The Work-life Balance Planner Toolkit includes 15 planner pages to make your life easier. You will get organized and stay on top of things with this awesome toolkit. And you won’t find this anywhere else!
It even includes my own morning & evening routines and cleaning schedule that I use daily. Plus, get a list of 20 amazingly fun family activities the whole family will love.
Grab your planner toolkit on sale here.
Use the Calendar App on Your Phone
I love the calendar app. Any time I receive a text appointment reminder, I add it to my calendar app. I set it up to alert me the day before and an hour or so before. This way, if I get busy, I’ll get that reminder that it’s time to go.
Seriously, what did we do before apps? They make life so much more convenient.
I also do this for hair appointments or any tasks I’ve promised to do. We live in such a busy, time sensitive world. It’s easy to forget things. So if you’re the forgetful one, know you’re not alone.
Bank Online
Online banking can be a life saver. Especially, when you’re cutting it down to the wire on paying those monthly bills.
Having the ability to login online and transfer money or pay a bill in seconds could be the 2 second difference that could have your lights cut off when you get home.
Being able to check your balance any time is another great feature. Especially for those that live paycheck to paycheck. It helps you stay on budget and prevents overdrafts.
Wake Up Before the Kids
Maybe you’re not a morning person, but you can learn to be. The benefits of waking up before the kids is much more beneficial to me than an extra 30 minutes of sleep on most days.
I usually wake up an hour before I wake the kids during the week. This allows me time to get myself ready, make coffee, and sip it while I journal and think in silence.
It helps me get my thoughts together before the kids wake up and the chaos begins.
You know we don’t get much quiet time when the kids are awake. So it’s good to take advantage of the morning hours.
Take Care of Yourself
This might just be the most important working mom survival tip I can give you. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of your loved ones the way they deserve to be taken care of?
If you’re tired, burnt out and always feeling frustrated, you feel bad and they’ll feel bad. When people live in a household together, it’s easy for their attitudes and moods to reflect one another’s. You spend so much time together, you’re bound to rub off on each other.
Take care of you, Momma. You deserve to feel good and be happy just like your kids do.
Remember you are teaching them how to take care of their own minds and bodies. Teach them well.
Plus, you will feel more confident in yourself and your abilities when you’re refreshed and your mind and body are taken care of.
Trust me, “If you don’t take care of your health and well-being, you’ll be forced to take care of your illness.”
How to Manage Being a Full-time Working Mom
Being a working mother is probably one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. You get to work and have your own “thing” outside of the home, and you get to enjoy your beautiful kids as well. But it’s also exhausting at times.
If you follow these practical tips for working moms they’ll make balancing work and motherhood so much easier for you.
It might take some adjusting at first. Choose one new thing to add to your plate to get started. Remember, this will not only be a change for you, but for your family as well. Be patient while they adapt to their new way of doing things.
I have all the confidence in the world that you are capable of making it happen. I did, and I’m so glad I made these adjustments. Life isn’t perfect, but it flows so much easier with these working mom tips.
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