The circus of Motherhood: Simplify

image courtesy of Renjth Krishnan/freedigitalphotos

Ever feel like you are juggling 10 balls at once? If you drop one then they all will fall. I often associate motherhood as a balancing act. It’s bout like you’re in the circus (picture yourself as a clown if you want) on the tight rope walk being as deliberate as possible with every move you make to get to other side in one piece. One false move and your on your face, or feel like you are anyway.

In no way am I an expert when it comes to balancing priorities, or anything for that matter. But I do ask for God’s help and learn from others how to simplify life to keep all the juggling balls in the air and get across the tight rope.

Bath time

I know all my germaphobe friends are going to pass out on this one but I DO NOT bathe my kids every night. Three times a week or so is our normal…most of the time;) You would be amazed at the dirt a baby wipe can get off on those in between days. Perhaps I’m lazy or smart.. but the time and energy it saves is a huge headache reliever. Besides, we are saving water and not drying out their skin:)

Clothes

I lay out everyone’s clothes the night before and put them in the corner of their room. I used to let the kids run around in pajamas all day unless we had something planned. I have found that there is almost always an unexpected visitor coming or a quick errand that needs to be ran. In the middle of our day I would have to stop, pick out clothes, and get everyone dressed. This can become quite aggravating if you’re in a hurry. Lesson learned. (Notice I didn’t mention getting myself dressed!)

Diaper bag

Keep that thing loaded and ready at all times. You just have to remember to grab it when your walking out the door. Keep it near your car keys.

Food/Meals

Every Saturday I write out our menu plan for the week to have it ready when I grocery shop on Monday. I write it our so that at 5pm I’m not looking through the pantry and giving them cereal once again. Another time saver for the actual menu planning is trying to keep the same pattern every week. Example: Monday- Mexican style food, Tuesday- crock pot meal, Wednesday- pasta/italian, Thursday- soup/salad, Friday- pizza, Saturday- leftovers.

Shoes

All kiddos keep their shoes in a big plastic bin in our coat closet by the front door. They know when they take their shoes off to stick them in there. Whenever we leave they should be able to find them…most of the time anyway.

 Home School

I can’t speak for Mommas with older children. I can say that with a 1, 3, and 4-year-old simple is best. I consider it a great home school day when we read the Bible together,  pray, and list out the things we are thankful for. The day is even better when they can run outside and be there wild and crazy selves. When I’m trying to be an extra good Momma we read book at the end of the night. (I’m working on reading to them more.)

Outside your home

This is a big one. Each season of life provides different opportunities to get out and do some stuff with your kids. If you’re not careful the opportunities can turn into distractions. I have fallen into this many times. I try to remind myself to schedule around nap times and when we are most productive in our home. The outside world includes computers and TV. Don’t let this rob your time. It’s sneaky. Set boundaries and draw the line.

Probably one of the greatest things I have learned and am trying to put into practice is to let go of unrealistic expectations of myself. When I fail, then I have guilt, then I eat… not good!

I would love to hear others ideas on how they do what they do. Any tricks on getting to other side of your tight rope?