Motherhood Monday: Positive Habits for SAHM

Good morning and happy Tuesday! I don’t mean to trip you out, but I’m going to share two posts today – one, Motherhood Monday (on a Tuesday) because I didn’t get to it and the second involves my cleaning checklist I still LOVE and use to this day!

Both posts go hand in hand in a way, so if you’re a new stay at home Mom or a working Mom who is looking for some habits to implement that won’t completely overwhelm you after a long day at work, I hope this read helps you!

I am going on my 7th year of being a stay at home Mom (WHAT?!!). Writing that is crazy to me. Over the past couple years, I feel like I’ve really found my groove. Could it be the kids are getting older and more independent – I’m sure that has something to do with it, but I feel I’ve discovered a system that works for me.

What is this “system” you speak of?!

Well, it’s not really a system it is more so positive habit implementation. These habits allow a natural flow or rhythm to my day. I found, with a structured routine, I was destined to fail everyday. My stress level was through the roof as I loaded my plate with way too much just because I was a stay at home Mom and “had the time”. I watched myself spend countless hours cleaning to feel like the house was right back where I started within hours.

I expected way too much of myself in this homemaking role and felt I was always falling short until I understood my role and actually sat down to see why I was struggling.

Here are some of the habits I’ve implemented for being a “successful” stay at home Mom/homemaker:

GIVE YOURSELF GRACE. For.the.people.in.the.back. Be kind to yourself, especially if you are a new stay at home Mom. Don’t believe the internet that you need to be doing ALL THE THINGS. Be kind to yourself in your role.
Take into account your personality type and find what works for you. I love achieving tasks, but also get sidetracked easily. Whether it is ADHD or too much multitasking, I find myself getting bogged down in “big” jobs/tasks. It either takes me a whole day to finish the job (OCD of having it done right) or I bail on the task because I need to get to other things that naturally occur in my day’s schedule. I need smaller tasks broken out in the day that will make a difference in the long run…leading to the next point…
Set a daily list of 2-3 “bigger” house cleaning goals in one area of the house. The bigger house cleaning goals are not the normal areas I touch on a daily basis, for instance, every day I do laundry, dishes, etc. Today’s blog post My Cleaning Checklist, allows me to do just that. I focus on ONE AREA for the day. It has worked really well for me and gives me one less thing to think about as I work on autopilot.
Identify problem points in the house and give time to solve them. Keep a running list of big jobs/organization projects. These are areas of the house that have been bogged down over the year and need a better solution to function better. I keep a running list in my phone, pick whichever one I’m in the mood for and allow myself a week to get it done!
Find your daily RHYTHM. Emphasizing the word, rhythm! This was big for me. Anytime I created a ROUTINE, I would fall short. Again, is it my personality type? Maybe, but the daily rhythm allows me flexibility and more achievable outcomes. Everyday is different from the next, so why should I expect to do the same things at the same time every single day. Here is an example of my daily rhythm:
- Wake up – coffee, schedule/sanity saver worksheets(linked here), prayer, task to get ahead on the day (lunches, blog work, etc.)
- Dishwasher, laundry, make beds, get out dinner
- Cleaning Checklist task
- After school work, kid time, laundry
- Dinner, family time, load dishwasher
Change your expectations. Because I’ve been home for a decent amount of time, I realize modern homemaking is a little different from “back in the day”. There are more things needing our attention, more Instagram pages feeding you unrealistic expectations of your home, more information on what we should be doing with our kids, what we’re doing wrong, how we should be feeding them…the list goes on and on. What I can say is, you are doing great. Don’t expect a perfect house. Don’t expect perfection. You won’t get it. Your house is lived in, loved by your family and they feel at HOME there. Do the best you can!
Nothing is set in stone! Modify your rhythm with what works for you! I thrive with little daily goals that make me feel accomplished. Just because I stay home, doesn’t mean I need to be cleaning all the things 24/7. The beauty of this role is that you can make it work for you!

I hope this is helpful for any stay at home Moms/homemakers out there. I would love any other pieces of advice from fellow SAHMs, feel free to comment below! Hope you have a great day!

Oh, last thing – if you are interested in my Sanity Saver worksheets! The download is here below! I use these EVERY SINGLE WEEK!

My heroes. Saving the world before bedtime 🌙🌃

Welcome to the fam sweet Nellie girl 💜We love our floofs!

D I Y family Christmas photos didn’t turn out SO bad 🥺

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