I’m overwhelmed! You’re overwhelmed! We are all overwhelmed! Yup, that is pretty much the mom life. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a mom who works, life with littles can definitely feel overwhelming at times. Over the years, I have developed some mom hacks to help me survive to mom another day!
Morning Hacks
Mornings can be dreadfully stressful.
I move so much during the morning, my smartwatch always thinks I am working out. Once we are in the vehicle, I receive the notification, “That was a great workout.” Getting three kids up, dressed, fed, and out the door is indeed a workout — running up and down the steps to find socks, homework, and whatever random item I forgot to set out the night before.
Then there are the days when everything goes amazingly smoothly and we are out the door on time. Only when I get to my final destination do I see that I have breakfast all over my clothes. Oh, and then there was the day I walked into the office with a bib attached to my bum.
I have developed a few of my own hacks to help get through the mornings. To help keep the oatmeal and yogurt off my clothes, I use my robe. I wake and dress myself before the kids wake in the morning. Then I throw my three-quarter length robe with the long sleeves over my clothes. I am able to get kids dressed and fed while staying clean, and nothing with velcro will attach to my clothes.
One of the hardest adjustments to mothering has been loss of timeliness. Yes, I was the person who practiced the motto “early is on time, and on time is late.” Unfortunately, my boys have absolutely zero respect for that notion.
What helped (not all the time) were the alarms on my cell phone. Running to and fro, I always lose track of the time. So we have multiple alarms in the morning. These are the alarms I have: Get up, get dressed, finish breakfast, wake boys, have all boys dressed, and leave house. The best part is that by doing this for a while, my kids know what each alarm means and where we should be in the morning routine.
Cleaning Hacks
Sometimes I literally ask myself, “Why do I even bother to clean?” I often wonder if my boys think I really LOVE to clean, so they make messes to make me happy. These kids must really LOVE their momma, because they can wreak havoc on a clean house.
To help keep the house in a fairly decent order — or sometimes the appearance of order — I have learned a few tricks. First off, I absolutely loathe the glass shower door. (With all of the technological advances humanity has made, why is there no better invention than that?) I read somewhere that a dyer sheet can clean the glass shower door. Tried it, and it was a fail. Okay, next try was lemon and sugar . . . it was a no-go. Maybe the shower door had too much soap scum for these to work.
What worked wonders was CLR®. I sprayed it on and then cleaned the rest of the bathroom. A few minutes later, I used a squeegee and I was able to see right through that door! Now, if you are trying not to use chemicals, this may not be an option, but it definitely works. There are times I am not able to clean the door as often as I would like. So I learned to cover it up. We have a garden tub and a stand-up shower in the master bathroom. I got a tension rod and hung up a curtain in front of the glass shower door. It buys me a little time in between cleanings.
Next up, the kitchen. It is by far the most used room in our home and the one I spend the most time cleaning. We have a splatter cover for the microwave, but apparently I am the only person who knows that. The hack I use to clean the microwave is one cup of vinegar and three cups of water in a bowl, microwaved for five minutes. When it is done, you can use a sponge or washcloth to wipe away and clean off the remnants of breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Speaking of sponges, those things hold so many germs and bacteria. Pop the sponge — or whatever object used to clean dishes or counters — in your clean microwave for up to one minute.
These are just a few of the hacks used to keep our home running (somewhat) smoothly. What are some of your favorite ones? Paper clips in the pantry as chip clips? Steam mop the walls and ceiling?
What has or has not worked for you? Let’s share in the comments and help each other out.
Hello good morning,
it is great to know that I am not the only one going through this every morning. Wow when you mentioned the “I often wonder if my boys think I really LOVE to clean, so they make messes to make me happy.” I never could word it best like you did thank you, I really enjoyed it.