After having my baby I felt overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done on a daily basis. I would forget to pay bills, my house started looking messy, I felt frumpy, and just out of control. So, at that point I could either accept my new tornado like life, or I could take control over it. This is when I decided to sit down and write down everything that needed to be done. I created a master list. I prioritized the things that needed to be done on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis. After breaking this list down, I realized that I could take control of my life. I just needed to create and stick to a very specific schedule.
I put together my own personal binder of mom schedules! This binder included my babies learning schedule, feeding schedule, sleeping schedule, cleaning schedule, meal prep schedule, fitness schedule, personal beauty schedule, family time schedule, couple time schedule, bible devotion schedule, and bill pay schedules. The first week is always the toughest. It is easy to get distracted with the number activities that tend to need the attention of a new mother, but I found that some things just need to wait. As a mom that has zero baby help, I had to decide what activities could wait. For example, I could live without having a perfectly vacuumed car on a daily basis, but I could not live with a giant pile of dishes. I could live without dusting the windowsill every day, but I could not live with a full kitchen trashcan. Once I prioritized the chores that needed to be done it was easy to create a day to day cleaning schedule.
I hate feeling frumpy. Beauty and mom pampering time can sometimes be a challenge. Since, going to the beauty salon with a baby is not ideal, I had to buy my time. I chose a low maintenance hair color, which would allow me to get away with spending a little less time at the salon and more time with my baby. I became pretty good at doing my own manis and pedis. Now, if you can get away for a bit of a spa day go for it! But, in my case I lacked a sitter ,so I had to do these at home as a time saver. The gym is my place of stress release. I am fortunate to have a trainer that doesn’t mind holding my baby while I train. However, if this is not an option for you I would suggests finding a gym that offers childcare. In my experience gym time is always time well spent.
It is not the most romantic thought to schedule couple time, but it is necessary. Date nights use to be spur of the moment, but now our lives revolve around the needs of a sweet little baby. So, if you don’t have a sitter improvise. We do a lot of home date nights, or we plan a date around his nap time. This gives us a chance to spend some quality couple time.
Life will never be the same, but that’s not a bad thing. Being a mother can feel overwhelming. Some days I am so frustrated I cry, but that’s okay. I do my best to prioritize and stick to my schedule. I found that this particular system works for me. However, I also know that sometimes you just got to roll with whatever the day brings. Like most new moms I’m learning as I go. Mom life is tough but I wouldn’t change it for the world!