The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

Getting Organized for Back to School

 

Every summer the same thing happens; I let go of our routines slightly, get a bit unorganized, allow the house to be more “lived in” and messy and just enjoy.

 

But there is something magical about the start of the school year.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.


back to school organization

 

It feels just like the start of a New Year to me. Everything seems brand new, I want to work harder on my goals and finishing the year strong and we start to get used to our new routines and schedules. And this year, on top of my stepson going into middle school and that adjustment, my 2.5 year old is starting PRESCHOOL!

 

I know, I know… cue the tears!

 

She’ll be going 3x a week from 9 am-12 pm which means adjusting our normal schedule where we’d normally go on playdates or run errands, praying my 11 month old keeps his current 2 nap schedule for a bit (which means he’ll nap 9:30-11:30!! Imagine the possibilities with 6 extra ‘kid-free’ hours a week!)

 

Speaking of my 11 month old, we’ll also be starting Tot School at home in September which means figuring that routine out and when we’ll not only do activities but having to plan them out. (We use ABC Jesus Loves Me for our ‘curriculum’ and love the flexibility it gives while providing structure to make it easy for moms)

 

With my stepson staying at the same school, not much changes for his schedule but now  it’s time to add in more sports, clubs and activities and it’s a recipe for disaster when it comes to remembering everything and just feeling on top of life.

Using Trello to Get Organized

Enter Trello!

If you’ve been hanging on my page at all lately, you know I am OBSESSED with Trello, heck I even teamed up with my girl Elisa from Meal Planning Blueprints to make an entire COURSE  around how it can help moms!

organize your life with trello

Trello is going to be a mom’s best friend for back to school and I’m so pumped to be able to use it for the first time this entire school year. Trello eliminates having to have papers everywhere, forgetting dates and to-dos and losing things you know you need.

Trello will also allow you to share your Back to School lists and to-dos with other family members so if you have older kids, it’s a great way to communicate and if you need your spouse to pick them up from practice or your mother in law to attend a school event, you can keep it all streamlined!

Trello allows you to make BOARDS that you can organize with various lists and tasks. And because I know you don’t have a ton of time to do things, I’ve set up a Trello board just for you to copy for FREE!

 

Just click the link below and you can snag my Back to School board (you’re welcome!) Just COPY it to your account and it’s yours to edit. If you don’t have Trello, just go here and get a free account! Between the website and the app, you’ll be in your Mom Organization Glory! 

 

trello for prayer requests

 

If you’re not sure about Trello or want to see how I organize my board, I did a video for you to give you all the tips on making this board work for you and your family! You can watch that or check out the step by step ideas below!

 

How to Copy Boards On Trello

 

If you want to copy the board, you’ll need a Trello account to do so but it’s free so that rocks. Once you log in go on over to the right where it says SHOW MENU. Next, hit the MORE button and hit COPY BOARD. When you copy the board, you can decide if you want to rename it and where you want it to go. Feel free to use it as a template, to get ideas, and customize however you want!

 

 How to Create a Back to School Board on Trello

 

Step #1 Create Lists on Trello

 

You’ll want to start with making lists for all the things you want to remember, Look at these as your categories. My board has lists that include;

 

IMPORTANT

SUPPLY LIST

SCHOOL LUNCHES

THINGS TO BUY
IMPORTANT DATES
IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ROUTINES

HOMEWORK STATION

 

You can add as many as you want and even organize this board by kid or month.

 

 

Step #2 Customize Cards on Trello

 

Now that you’ve created your lists, go though and customize each card.

 

Some of my favorite ways to do this is to add links of ideas I see on Pinterest  (because we all know we’ll pin a ton of things and forget to do them all) , link to my meal planning boards, and create master shopping lists.

 

You can do this with multiple checklists on each card, adding in important dates, sales you see, organization ideas or adding attachments with specific links!

 

 

Step #3 Add members to Trello

 

I think one of the best features of a back to school Trello board is adding members so that you can all be on the same page. You can add your spouse, babysitter or whoever and if you want them to be responsible for a task or just let the, know of a date, use the @ sign and add their name. This way they’ll get a notification!

 

 

There are limitless possibilities when it comes to Trello for back to school and know that you can be a less stressed mom ASAP! Now go grab this FREE back to school board, copy it and start to customize it for your family!

 

 

Did this help you out??? Make sure you share it to your facebook or PIN it to go back to later!

Simple steps to make your mornings a little easier

Simple steps to make your mornings a little easier

Getting out the door will be a breeze with these tips

 

Guest Post by Kimberly Poteat of Happy Mommy, Tired Mommy.

 

It is back to school season. Early mornings and late nights for parents and maybe some kids. Depending on their homework load. I have gathered some quick tips for parents and children to make getting ready the next day and getting out the door on time a little easier.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 morning routine

Kids organization

 

A week worth of Clothes

 

Lay your clothes out for the whole week. This saves a bunch of time with getting ready. Sometimes it takes time to find the perfect outfit. If you get it ready ahead of time though you won’t spend half the morning just on your outfit, or the kids won’t either.

 

The Night Before

 

Have their backpacks ready so they don’t forget their homework.

 

Put Shoes and backpacks by the door. If they are by the door, you pass them on your way out so there is no forgetting backpacks or shoes.

 

Bathroom

 

Bathrooms can get chaotic in the mornings. Why not set everything out like their toothbrush, hairbrush, anything else they might need.

Parents 

 

Of course, the parents have a longer list of ideas than kids. We have a lot more responsibilities. Do not forget the milk!

 

Make a weekly list and reminders

 

If you cannot remind your kids to get their clothes out for the whole week on Sunday, write yourself a note or put it in your phone as an alarm reminder. There are a ton of list apps out there where you can set a time a date to alert you.

 

Prepare breakfast and lunches the night before

 

If you are having cereal, set the box out on the table and bowls then in the morning all you have to do is grab the milk. If you want a little more substance to your meals, you could make a breakfast casserole and stick it in the fridge and bake it right when you get up. When everyone is getting ready it will be done in time so everyone can have a nice breakfast together.

Kids Sticky Notes

 

 

Write out a calendar and set reminders of special events or kids activities to stay up to date with them.

 

You can have some fun with your calendar make it color coded or get stickers to match your events like footballs for little league or ballet shoes.

 

 

Get coffee ready for in the morning

 

Set a timer on your coffee machine so you can have it ready by the time you get up. Or make it at night if you like iced coffee. Stick it in the fridge for later.

 

Get up a little earlier so everyone does not feel rushed

 

Set an alarm 10 minutes before you want to get up give you time to wake up before heading off to do your daily tasks. I know most people dread getting up early even earlier than they are used to.  It can change how your morning goes tremendously. It is amazing how much you can get done with an extra hour or thirty minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kim is a mommy blogger at Happy Mommy, Tired Mommy where she blogs about Self Care and Children Activities. 

 

How to Get Your Kids Ready for Back to School

How to Get Your Kids Ready for Back to School

5 Tips to Get Your Kids Ready for a School Schedule and Routine. 

 

With summer coming to an end it’s important to create a back to school routine that you can slowly ease your family into. Depending on your kids ages and grades, this will look different in every home but no matter what, I believe it’s so key to have a routine.

 

Summer can mean later bedtimes, loosened schedules and ice pops for lunch… (what? just in my house) and the transition back to structured days, early wake ups, and responsibility can be hard.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

back to school routines

 

In my home, we are starting the back to school routine transition for my 11 year old stepson (who is with us every other week) and has a 40 minute commute to school each day. For him, this means waking up pretty early (around 5:30 am) and getting homework done in the car or on the way to sports practices.

 

This year, my 2.5 year old daughter is also starting preschool (eep!!!). She’ll be going to school 3 days a week for 3 hours and it’s most definitely going to be an adjustment. Luckily, my 11 month old still naps 2x a day and, fingers crossed, will keep his 9:30-11:30 nap so that I can have those hours free to work on my blog or do some housework. Her going to school also means moving nap time a bit and only having time to run errands on the days she’s not at school.

 

With my baby boy turning 1 in September, I also plan to start Tot School with him! We use the incredible curriculum from ABC Jesus Loves Me that lays out a flexible learning schedule that is age appropriate. I’ll be remaking out routines to make sure that me and him get some 1:1 time to do his ‘school activities’ too.

Tips to Help Your Kids Sleep Better

The #1 routine and adjustment that most of us will have to make with our kids is bedtime. Even for my littles, we’re more flexible on bedtime (maybe an hour later if we have an event) because of all of the fun things going on. My stepson is allowed to set his bedtime in the summer and the weekends and typically is in bed by 10:30. (We allowed him to do this because it gave him some responsibility and freedom but we all knew he couldn’t hang that late so it worked out for us!)

Tip #1 Slowly Adjust Bedtime and Wake Up Times

I would start transitioning your kids 2-3 weeks before school goes back in session. You’ll want to start with pushing their bedtimes up a bit. If you start early enough, you don’t need to do anything drastic. Figure out what time they are going to bed now and what time you want to them to go to bed (in our case it’s going from 10:30 in the summer to 9:30 during the school year) and maybe push bedtime up 5 minutes.

Do that for two nights and then push it up 5 minutes more (so 10 minutes altogether). If you are doing a slow transition like this your kids might not even notice, and if they do they probably won’t freak out because ‘it’s only 5 minutes earlier than yesterday!” and you can slowly start to get them ready for their school bedtime.

You can do the exact same system with wake up time. If you’re like us that you most likely don’t wake them up at a certain time (though some mornings he does a camp and has to be up by 8. In this house we are all early birds, so it is rare anyone is still sleeping by 8 am).

Start by waking them up 5 minutes earlier, wait 2 days and then 5 minutes earlier than that. If you give yourself 2-3 weeks before school starts, the transition can be painless!

Tip #2 Lessen the amount of electronic time at night

Before bed tends to be our heaviest tech time. Everyone is pretty burnt out from the day and myself and my husband like to decompress with the kids in front of the TV. I also work at night after the little kids go to bed (normally I work from 8:30 – 10:30 or later) so I tend to be in front of my computer and not setting the best example.

Studies have shown that decreasing your electronic use before bed really does help you sleep better and fall asleep faster! Start to limit the amount of technology that you are all using to help get everyone’s brain ready to sleep.

You can do this by either picking a few days a week where there is no tech from dinner until bedtime or slowly scaffolding back the time like we did with bedtime. Start with no tech 10 minutes before bed and then move to 20 and 30. Ideally if you can have everyone off technology at least 1 hour before bed, you’ll really be setting them up for a good night’s sleep!

So what can you be doing during those few hours?


Find something that tires them out and keeps them active. Go for a family walk or do a workout at home, play a game in the backyard or visit a playground together.

 

One thing we’ve just started doing is having game or puzzle time after bed. My husband loves puzzles and my toddler is following in his footsteps (she’s already up to doing 54 pieces with a little help!).

 

Since it takes her a LONG time to finish a puzzle, we can sit together and complete it and she’s forgotten about watching any tv at all! It’s harder to find activities my 11 year old likes so we try to play a game or have that be family reading time. He’s been really into comic books lately so we’re trying to encourage as much reading time as possible and before bed is a great time!

Tip #3 Avoid Sugar and Caffeine Before Bed.

 

This tip is one that I need to listen to better. I am a coffee addict and probably have my last cup at 5pm. Granted, I’m up until somewhere between 11pm – 12am but still, that 5pm cup doesn’t need to happen. My plan now is to switch that cup to decaf for a while, then go down to a smaller coffee cup, then to herbal tea, and then just eliminate that need for a beverage completely!


You can do the same thing with your kids! If you can have a good 3 hour gap between caffeine and sugar and bedtime, you’ll really be setting everyone up for success.

 

This means that you need to do an inventory of what everyone is drinking at dinner. We don’t drink soda but, my 11 year old will either have a cup of juice or sparkling water at dinner so it’s time to get rid of the juice completely. You can do a slow transition (have you noticed a theme here with changing habits??) and go from soda to juices to sparkling water to regular water over the remaining weeks of summer.

 

You should also do the same thing with post dinner snacks. I grew up as a ‘we always have dessert after dinner’ family and I know that is a bad habit that I am working to change as an adult. I’ve been following the 2B Mindset program for 2 months (and down 13 pounds oh yea!) and it’s helped me be ‘dinner and done’. I want this habit for my kids as well so it’s up to me to enforce it.

 

Start by changing what they are eating for dessert first. If they are snacking on ice cream or cookies an hour before bed, they’ll struggle to fall asleep. You can limit their choices to fruit, veggies and dip, or crackers to start with. After that becomes the ‘new habit’, start to make dessert a ‘few times a week treat’ so that you can help them have healthier habits too.

 

Remember, if you don’t buy it THEY CAN’T HAVE IT. I work with so many moms who will say things about tantrums and how their kids won’t drink water and I have to gently remind them that they are the parent, they buy the food, and they CAN help shape and change poor eating habits for their family (and themselves).

 

Don’t try to change everything over night or you’ll have a rebellion on your hands but, decide which habits you want to change (either sweet desserts or dinner time beverages) and do them one at a time. If you don’t make a big deal about it, your kids might not even notice!

 

 

Creating a back to school routine doesn’t have to mean that summer fun is all gone or that everyone struggles to wake up when school starts again.

 

You can create a great routine that helps them get ready for school, without any crazy drastic changes, and sets them (and you!) up for success!

 

Did these tips help???

 

Make sure you share it on your Facebook page with other mamas and PIN IT for later!

 

How to Set up Your Week To Be More Productive

How to Set up Your Week To Be More Productive

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How to Set Up Your Week for Productivity

I intentionally take one day off a week. I started this practice 2 months ago and am so thankful that I did. Prior to this, I was just go, go, go and didn’t rest, felt pulled by my to-do list, and was starting to burn out again. I knew the feelings of burn out, I had been there before. 5 years ago, I left teaching to become a full-time entrepreneur and work at home mom because I felt the same feelings start to creep in. Now that I’m running my own business and family, I decided I needed some preventative measures to make sure that I was still taking care of me.

 

Hence… my Saturday’s off. I decided to take Saturday ‘off’ so that I could really just do what matters. The only work that I do on Saturday is what I just feel like doing, no pressure or to do list. On Saturdays, if I don’t want to do laundry, house cleaning, or other ‘mom duties’, I don’t. I don’t really make too many plans unless it’s something we really want to do. Oh… and I take a nap.

 

I really love my Saturday nap.

 

But in order to make my Saturday rest day really work for me, I needed to make sure that I had a system for being very productive the rest of the week so I could relax, guilt-free. And once I decided that I was going to schedule out a day of rest, it became so freeing. The week started to go more smoothly because I knew that I had a day to chill coming up, I didn’t feel guilty anymore about letting myself decompress, and I just started to laugh and enjoy our family time more.

 

productive mom

 

I chose to have my rest day on Saturday rather than Sunday for a few reasons. Sundays, since we go to church, still have us on a schedule to make sure we get out of the house on time. My husband delivers the newspaper as a side job right now so, he works Sunday mornings and I want to make sure I can give him rest time when get gets back at 6 am before we go to church. Sundays are also my day to set my week up for success. I may do some grocery shopping (though I often like to do that on Saturdays. I actually really like grocery shopping because I love to coupon and it’s a hobby for me and on Saturdays I get to go without kids!), I’ll meal prep so that I can save time during the week, and I’ll work on organizing my week, my planner, and other work tasks that I need to have a super successful and productive week.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

There are a few things that I like to do on Sundays to make sure that my week goes as smoothly as possible and I am going to share my system and routine with you! I think that if you spend some time on Sunday (or whatever day you choose to set up your day) preparing for the week then, the rest of the week CAN be more productive and run smoother. I find on the weeks that we are away or I don’t take the time to do this system, the week is much harder. Things fall through the cracks, I feel more stressed and I start the week feeling behind and having to play catch up on Monday (which then sets my whole week back)

Creating a Sunday Routine

Meal Prep

The #1 thing that I suggest you start your Sunday with is meal planning and preparation. I actually have a system where I make the meal plan on Friday, shop on Saturday and cook on Sunday so that I don’t do it all on one day.

However you decide to do it, make sure you plan out your meals for the week. We keep it pretty basic and have a rotation of 2-3 breakfast, lunch and dinner options each week. My husband doesn’t mind eating the same thing each day and it’s easy to be predictable with the kids.

I’ll spend some time doing some basic preparation like cutting up fruits and veggies, making salads, cooking up rice, steaming veggies, browning some ground turkey for quick lunches, and boiling some eggs.

I then make sure that I have listed out what’s for dinner each week so that I can check the fridge and see what I still need to get at the store. I try my best to make our plan from what we already have to save money and not have to go to the store as much.

I suggest even packing out as many salads for lunches in Tupperware as much as possible (even if you stay home) because then you can grab and go instead of preparing things. This helps a ton if we decide last minute to go to the park, or meet up with friends because the food is ready to go. It also prevents me from running out of what we need or knowing what i have to stop for.

Cleaning and Organizing

 I have a cleaning system where I do a little cleaning each day so that it doesn’t pile up but that doesn’t mean I don’t do anything on the weekends. Often after my Saturdays off, my house needs a little more TLC since I probably didn’t do as many dishes or pick up as much. And what I have now just come to accept as a mom is that my house will probably always be covered in stuff, things will be out of place, and everything will just be sticky.

 But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to make it just a little cleaner. I also find that when the clutter builds up, my anxiety peaks and for me ‘outer order leads to inner calm’ so taking time on Sundays to clean up really helps.

 My suggested Sunday system includes laundry (I do 1-2 loads each day so that it’s easy to put away so my Sunday laundry is normally the same), sweep and mop the floors, vacuuming the playroom, and doing a Zone clean up.

 We do a Zone Clean Up as a family after church on Sundays where everyone is in charge of a room or area (My 11 year old or husband normally does a zone with my toddler). I put on a 15 minute timer and everyone is in charge of putting away things that don’t belong in their zone. This really helps all of the out of place items to find their way back home and means that I”m not the only one picking up the books that have been on the floor for 2 days and everyone walks around (you know what I’m saying!)

 Before I go to bed on Sunday, I make sure that I’ve done my typical evening routine and an additional 15 minute clean up. There is nothing more exciting for me (I know this is going to sound really nerdy haha) than waking up on a Monday morning where there are no dishes in the sink, my kitchen table is cleaned up, and the clutter is gone. It’s really my favorite way to start the week.

 

Organize Your Weekly Calendar and To Do List

 

The last thing that I do to set my week up for success is to make sure I have a plan in place. Often, people ask me how I can be so productive and get so much done and, while I have some hacks that help, one of the things that helps is that I always take the time to plan.

 I took a training with the Franklin/Covey system once that really changed the way that I planned. I learned all about the power of weekly and nightly planning and have since been implementing it for years. It’s what I do in my life, what I teach the moms that I coach and what I teach in my e-book and course; Design Your Day; Time Management for the Busy Woman.

 

On Sundays, I take out my planner (I use a mix of a paper planner from Erin Condren, google calendar, and Trello) and look at my week ahead.

 I start with putting in all the dates of things that I cannot change like doctor appointments or meetings. We use a family calendar in the kitchen so these things always get written on their first and then transferred to my digital system.

 After those dates are in, I then plan out what tasks I want to accomplish that week. I create a list of personal items, business items, and projects (around the house and for work) that I want to complete. I break them down into 20 minute tasks so that I know they are manageable and easily can be accomplished in a day, rather than overplanning myself and getting frustrated when it doesn’t get done. 

Next, I go into my planner and actually assign 3-5 tasks for each day. I split them up so that I Pick 1 personal task (call grandma, put pictures in frames etc….), 3 work tasks (write a blog post, create images, email clients….) and 1 project task (brainstorm ideas for a birthday party, work on mother’s day scrapbook etc….).

 Assigning those things to a day BEFORE the week starts allows me to know what is going to happen and have a plan. This way, when it’s nap time and I get to work, or I have free time after dinner and want to work on a project, I’m not wasting time thinking about what to do, I can just take action.

 

 Trust me when I say that if you set up your week for success you WILL be able to get more done, feel more accomplished and actually take a day off to rest and not feel the mom guilt!

 I challenge you to start using this system (or one that works for you) to take more control in your life!

If these tips helped, make sure you share on your social media and PIN them for later!!

 

How to Fit Self Care into Your Day

How to Fit Self Care into Your Day

Self Care Ideas for Moms 

The term ‘self care’ has most definitely become a buzzword recently. And while it sounds like it’s mostly spa days and taking naps, self care is so much more. Self care means realizing that you need to ‘fill your cup’ or you are no good to those who need you. Self care is taking time for self love and being proud of yourself for doing so. Self care is doing the things that make you feel less stressed, set yourself up for success, and living a more enjoyable life.

But the thing is, most moms don’t spend much time with self care.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

 

Why Moms Don’t Do Self-Care

 

One of the top reasons that the moms I work with don’t spend time on themselves is that they feel they are too busy to do so.

I mean here is the thing… we’re all pretty dang busy. There are NOT enough hours in the day to do everything we need to get done and, life can get pretty crazy.

But that doesn’t mean we should neglect ourselves.

I make sure to take time daily for tiny forms of self care from reading for 10 minutes, to exercising, to simply decompressing with a cup of tea at the end of the night. You don’t need to take a weekend to go to a quiet retreat (though it would be nice) to do self care and, so often as moms, if we can’t do things ‘perfectly’ we don’t do them at all.

We find time to do things that are priorities to us. The things that we think are important are the ones that get done during the day. And self care, like anything else, isn’t about ‘having the time’, it’s about ‘making the time’. You need to prioritize YOU, find pockets, schedule dates with yourself, and make yourself a priority.

 

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The second reason I hear from moms for not doing your self care, and the one that honestly can trip me up too, is MOM GUILT.

Ugh the dreaded mom guilt. I have it a few times a day and it often rears it’s ugly head when I’m about to do something that I want to do. It’s that voice that always just pops up when I am about to take 60 minutes to get work done in the office while my mother in law stays with the kids, the one that tells me to take a quicker shower, and the voice that makes me feel bad that I let my kids watch an episode of Daniel Tiger while I workout.

But mamas… we gotta shut that dang voice up.

We deserve to take some time during the day to center ourselves and do what makes us happy. So often moms lose themself in ‘being mom’ and eventually can get grumpy, bitter, and unhappy. It’s so important that we take time for us becuase, we set the mood for our homes.

How many times have you snapped or been in a bad mood and all of a sudden you can see everyone elses’s shoulders lower just a little bit? Have you ever been cranky and can feel everyone else get cranky too? As mom, it’s up to use to set the tone and mood for our homes and, when we feel good, confident, and happy… that radiates to our family.

It is also up to us to be the example for our children. If all your children see is a mom who takes on everything, neer gets help, takes breaks, and is stressed out then, that is the image of ‘mom’ that gets ingrained in their brains. That might be the type of mom they are when they get older or the way that they treat their future wife.

Decided to change the tone in your home, decide that you matter enough for some ‘me time’, and decide that it’s time to prioritize you!

Now… how the heck do you do that?

What is Self Care?

 

Self care comes in many forms and can look differently for every person. Like I mentioned above, it can totally be a massage or a trip to the spa but it can also be as simple as a phone call with a friend that fuels your soul.

Here is a list of my favorite ways you can get self care in your day. Think about which ones you love to do and make it a goal to hit at least one of them each day. I find that I am able to fit many of them into my day and they really become great routines that I look forward to!

 

 Self Care Ideas to Get You Started.

 

15 Minutes or Less 

  • Read
  • Sit outside
  • Call a friend
  • Color
  • Listen to Music
  • Buy yourself some flowers or something you’ve been wanting
  • Draw
  • Journal
  • Meditate
  • Enjoy a cup of coffee, tea or glass of wine ALONE
  • Paint your nails
  • Put on a face mask
  • Have a dance party
  • Listen to a podcast or audiobook 
  • Read a magazine
  • Indulge in a treat
  • Stretch or do yoga 
  • Read positive affirmations 
  • Cuddle your pets
  • Braindump goals and dreams
  • Look at old photos
  • Aromatherapy
  • Spend time planning out meals or activities
  • Practice gratitude and text someone something you love about them

 

30 minutes or more

  • Get a manicure and pedicure
  • Take a bubble bath
  • Declutter
  • Go to your favorite store alone and walk around
  • Enjoy a long shower
  • Watch a movie
  • Enjoy a lunch date with your spouse or friend
  • Create a vision board
  • Volunteer
  • Grab a massage
  • Take yourself out shopping
  • Take a nap
  • Do a craft you enjoy
  • Exercise 
  • Have a girls night
  • Enjoy a meal alone
  • Bake or cook
  • Go for a long run

 

Why Schedule Self Care?

 

Self care doesn’t need to be complicated but, I find that it does need to be scheduled. If I don’t create routines around my self care, such as daily exercise, reading, or even when I’ll shower, it won’t happen. If I don’t text a friend and actually put a date on the calendar for a coffee date, we won’t see each other for 6 months or longer. It’s just the way life and human behavior is.

 My suggestion is to make sure you put in your planner ONE THING you can do each day that fuels you. If you check out the above list, you can certainly find something that takes 15 minutes or less just to feel like you again. The most common form of self care in my home is listening to worship music and singing. All day long, we have worship going on our Echo Dot and, if I notice I’m a little snippy, I can typically pinpoint it to the fact that our music is off.

 Once a month, schedule out a self care habit that is 30 minutes or longer, let your spouse know you’re taking some time to do whatever it is and ENJOY. Let go of the guilt, go to groupon and find something you want to do, and just be YOU again.

 It’ll make you a better and more cheerful mom and bring much more fun into your life! And I know what you’re saying … ‘well that’s nice for you, but I can’t take a long bubble bath everyday’.

Well neither can I! And on those days, I say some affirmations, or make sure to enjoy my end of day tea and realize that is just the season I am in.

But I’ll tell you what… I’ve never regretted treating myself well. I’ve never regretted doing something that I know will make me happier for myself, my family and my kids. And when I do take care of myself, I am reminded how valuable and loved I am.

And guess what… so are you!

So grab a positive podcast, stare at some clouds, or spend time planning your meals for the next week so that you have less stress in the next few days. They are all important forms of self care and you deserve it!

If you need some accountability and a little push, go and grab my 30 day self care challenge! Print the chart out and do the task listed! Each task takes 15 minutes or less and I bet you can find 15 minutes of your day to prioritize you. Make it a goal for yourself to not mindlessly watch a show or scroll facebook for 15 minutes (unless that’s part of your self care !) so that you can get the task done! And make sure to share this on your social media to help other mamas and PIN it for later!

 

How to Schedule Your day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Schedule Your day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Get Work Done as a Work at Home Mom

 

Being a work at home mom has become my dream job. Prior to being a WAHM, I was a school teacher and loved it. I would have stayed teaching forever except for one big problem… I was burnt out. After 8yearsr, I was having major anxiety going into work, putting in so many hours I barely saw my family, and really had lost myself. And 4 years ago, I decided that enough for enough.

I got into entrepreneurship through network marketing because I had found a product I loved and couldn’t stop talking about (and wanted a great discount) and it was a catalyst for me. I started to believe in myself, to believe that I didn’t have to feel so burnt out all the time, to believe that I could do things that lit my fire and that I loved, and to believe that I could stay home with my kids.

Over the past 4 years since I’ve been a full time entrepreneur, I’ve shifted my focus from primarily helping women with their health and fitness to being what I call a ‘mom empowerment coach’. I help women create systems and routines to decrease their stress, feel more in control and design a life they love. I get to do this via this blog, e-books and e-courses, virtual conferences, mentoring, coaching and more! 

And boy do I love it… but dang it can be hard to create time to work when you’re home with the kids.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commision. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

Why it’s hard to work from home when you have kids.

As much as being home and working around the kiddos is my dream job, it can be so tough to do. You need to prioritize time with them, not always been on your phone or computer, make sure you’re still working your business, do the home chores, and stay focused.

It took me a while to come up with a routine and system that allows me to be the most productive but, I’m excited to say I have found a good groove!

And even though I find myself often moving and grooving with my routine, I still know to give myself grace. Kids need you, someone gets sick, naps get messed up and life happens. Working from home is very different than leaving to go someplace each day. Your hours are less predictable, you have to make adjustments and you need to give yourself grace when things don’t go as well.

You also need to make sure you have realistic expectations. Because here is the thing, mama, you CAN have everything… just maybe not at the same time. My husband and I have had many conversations about roles and responsibilities and he understands, while the children are my numero uno, I also am running a business. That means that sometimes, some of the house stuff may get a little neglected, gourmet dinners don’t happen that often, and I’ll need a little help, support and if possible, a few times each month where I take 3-5 hours on a Saturday to work at Starbucks and get things done.

work at home mom schedule

Creating a Schedule that Works 

 

While crafting a workable schedule for yourself, realize that your season and my season of life may be very different. I currently am responsible for my 11 year old step son who is with us every other week and goes to school 45 minutes away. While my husband luckily works right by his school, there are still times I am in charge of the commute, attending school events, and all of his friends and sports are in that area. I also have 2 small kiddos at home (currently a 10 month old and a 2.5 year old).

Your children may be school age so you have more time during the day, or you may be a new mom with a newborn working in the fringe hours when you are up nursing… whatever your situation is, you need to create and adapt your schedule to fit your needs.

But no matter what… you NEED a routine and schedule. I don’t believe you have to live your life by the minute but I use power pockets and chunking to make our day run a little bit more seamlessly.

Depending on your work at home job, you may have required hours that you have to work so you’re schedule is more rigid. This might require you to get a mother’s helper during that time, a babysitter, or utilize daycare. I think a mother’s helper is a great idea if you can find one! Mother’s helpers are often junior high or high school students who will come and play with your kiddos while you do things around the house like work or clean. Because you’re home, you can often pay them a really reasonable rate as well! They are easier to find in the summer or over school vacations and breaks.

If you currently aren’t working at home but are interested in ways that you can make money, check out my fav ways to make money, that isn’t just doing a million surveys and getting $3 each month! 

Sample Schedule for a Work at Home Mom

 

Below is a copy and description of my current routine that really works for our family. It allows me to feel more ‘balanced’ and get more done. It’s taken us some time, and we’ll have to adjust again in September because my 2.5 year old will be starting preschool (eeep!!!) so I’ll have more time from 9am-12pm each day … and I CANNOT wait!

 You’ll see that I break up our day into sections called power pockets. I never say, “At exactly 9:33, Isaiah will sleep” but we use a round-about time and chunk out what actions will happen during that time. My goal is also to be as present as possible with my kids (I mean they are the reason WHY I do this, right?) but there are times where you do activities that allow me to get small bits of work done. There are also times, like as I am typing this blog post, that I have a busier work season and maybe am launching a product so I may have my mother in law come by so I can work more or the TV helps us out a bit. I do my best each day to make sure though, that she watches limited TV (because she turns into a gremlin if she watches too much), we do intentional play, I have 1:1 time with each of the kids for even just a few minutes, we add in reading and some fun learning, and aim to let them play independently.

 Does it happen beautifully everyday?

Nope.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t try!

 As for reference below, I’m going to show you a typical day when it’s just me and the littles. My stepson is with us every other week and things change a bit, but for this example, Arianna is my 2.5 year old and Isaiah is my 10 month old. I will also write down what I am doing and put down what the kids are doing at that time in {brackets} to differentiate the tasks.

 I also have learned when I work best and have created a schedule around that. I know my brain is best for writing in the early morning or midday. During my evening work time, I don’t even bother to put out quality unless I have to because I’m fried. I try to do more rote tasks than that I could do easily or even when watching a show with my husband.

 

 

Power Pocket 1: Morning

 

5:00 – 5:30 Wake up, Quiet Reflection, Bible and Prayer and Morning Routine.

5:30- 6:30  Work Time (write blog post or emails)

6:30 – 9:30 Kids Up

  • Nurse baby (answer emails, messages + DMs while nursing) + Breakfast
  • Bible Reading with Kids
  • Clean Up Breakfast, Start Laundry, Quick Sweep of Floors, Dishes {kids play in playroom independently}
  • Workout in Playroom {kids watch a show and play}

9:30-11:30 {Isaiah Nap}

  • Shower {Arianna either jumps in with me or keeps watching her show. This is a very quick ‘mom shower’ + dress. Often, after I get out of the shower, I’ll let her play in the bathtub while I get dressed}
  • 20-30 minutes 1:1 time with Arianna where we do some tot school activities, puzzles, or intentional play
  • 20 minutes of manual pinning {Arianna has snack and does a craft, puzzle or colors}
  • Daily cleaning tasks (check out my cleaning routines and systems here).
  • Put laundry in the dryer.
  • Eat lunch (I purposely try to eat lunch before Isaiah wakes up so I can get their lunch ready and done without worrying about me).

schedule for work at home mom

 

Power Pocket #2 Afternoon

11:30- 2:00 {Both Kids Awake… Mom hat ON!}

  • Nurse Isaiah (get back to those messages and emails)
  • 20-30 minutes where kids play in their bedroom. I sometimes use this time to scroll my phone for blog post ideas, connect with people on social media, clean up their room or put away laundry upstairs.
  • Run and errands or a play date. I HATE car naps so unfortunately, we only have about 60-90 minutes a day where neither of them is sleeping and we leave the house. I’m okay with that but, do try to get out of the house each day, even if just for a small Target run. I go a little crazy staying in each day and like to split our errands up throughout the week)
  • Lunch
  • Clean up lunch, dishes, sweep up floors, fold laundry straighten up. This is a great time for me to listen to podcasts or audiobooks and get some personal growth and learning in. {Ari might play outside or watch a show and play in the playroom}

 

Power Pocket #3 Late Afternoon

 2:00 – 5:00 pm {Yay! We made it to nap time!}

  • Hopefully they go down easily between 2-2:30. My kids share a room so it’s been interesting finding nap routines that work but, fingers crossed, they keep it up! They are both pretty good nappers and I know I’m lucky there.
  • After I put them down, I sit on my bed to listen for them to stop talking to each other and read a personal growth book for 10 minutes. This helps me stop, slow down, feel gratitude, and get my head in the right place. Would I love to get moving, pee, eat, and conquer my to-do list? Sure. But I found that if I don’t do this than I am not as productive and my self-care matters too.
  • This is my best time to write so I use this time to get a snack, grab my coffee, curl up on my couch where I love to write and get going. During this work blog I work on blog posts, write emails, continue any project tasks that I need to do and have previously determined needed to get done that day. I use Trello to organize all of my tasks so, when I sit down to work, I never wonder what to do, I can just get started.
  • Isaiah will wake up between 3:30-4:00 so I use this time to nurse him (check social media + messages) and then have 1:1 playtime with him.
  • Arianna will stay asleep until around 4:30-5:00 pm or when I drag her out of bed.

 

Power Pocket #4 Evening

 

5:00 – 11:00 pm 

  • Make dinner {kids play in playroom, Ari asks me for a snack a million times and I let her watch a show while she wakes up and stops being grumpy}
  • My husband comes home between 5:30-6 (which is such a blessing because at his last job, he wasn’t home until almost 8pm) so we have a tech free dinner and I get to sit down and breathe a little.
  • Clean up dinner, take out trash, do dishes, fold and put away today’s laundry (okay.. This might happen haha. Often I’m folding yesterday’s laundry because it was in the way when I went to put today’s in the dryer), make lunches. {Kids are playing outside or in playroom with daddy}
  • We then get about an hour or so of family time which might include outdoor play, a walk, a movie or just all hang out in the playroom.
  • My kids go to bed at 8:00 pm and I then promptly toss myself in my bed so I can have some alone time and center myself again. I literally just sit there for 20 minutes and mindlessly scoll social media (no shame in my game!)
  • I start my final work block around 8:30-9 pm. Like I said before, I’m not all that productive at this time so the tasks I normally do include; creating images or freebies for my site, scheduling social media posts, putting together outlines or workflows or getting on calls with my Beachbody Team, coaching clients or accountability buddies.
  • I try to shut my brain off around 10:30 so I put on some terrible reality TV, scroll social media, and decompress, heading up to bed around 11. Some days, I am up much later finishing work and some days, I’m so fried that I don’t work at all.

 

Then I get up and do it again! I love routine and our system really seems to work for us. There are always curve balls being thrown my way and adjustments that need to be made.

Currently it’s summer break so when my stepson is home, I work less during nap so that we can have 1:1 time together. If my kids don’t sleep through the night or someone is sick, I make adjustments. I follow this schedule Monday through Friday, take Saturday completely off to rest and relax (and nap!), and use Sunday for church, to complete grocery shopping and meal prepping, organize my calendars or work tasks and set my week up for success.

On average, I work on my blog and business somewhere between 20-30 hours a week. Some weeks are less and some weeks are more. I love what I do so much though that the time often just flies by and I wish I had more hours. I also try to go ‘off site’ 2-4 times a month and take a few hours to get extra work time in while hubby or my mother in law stays with the kids.

Get Organized and Focused 

 

While it can be super hard to get things done at home, it’s completely possible. No, I don’t get everything done but I do feel that I am much more productive with a routine than without. I do allow my schedule to get flexible once and awhile, and that’s the best part of being a WAHM. If I want to take the day to visit a friend or go to my sister’s, I totally can. I just change up my schedule, move things around and go for it! Knowing my plan for the week allows me to do those things without guilt, spend more time cuddling or playing some days, and still run a business.

 

I recommend getting as organized as you can so that when you do sit down to work, you have limited distractions and waste minimal time. Your time is so precious when you are trying to be a WAHM and handle it all that it’s silly to spend time trying to remember what blog post or email you have to write instead of just writing. I can waste 20 minutes ‘deciding’ what to do and that could be 20 minutes I use for my business.


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