stay at home mom Archives - The Motherly Heap

Cleaning Routine for a Stay-At-Home Mom That You Actually Can Stick To

Jordan N. — Fri, 28 May 2021 22:34:37 +0000

As a stay-at-home mom, managing the household with a disorganized cleaning routine can get stressful and exhausting. I believe that every mom has a routine that suits her life and schedule. One mom equals a cleaning schedule that works specifically for her homemaking. Although the time opportunity to use in my homemaking has extended now that I’m a stay-at-home homemaker, I actually feel that an efficient cleaning routine will get me the most bang for my time! After deciding to stay at home last year, I had to reset my cleaning schedule. This time it’s different from the cleaning routine I followed back when I was a full-time working mama. Staying organized with the tasks each day is a priority. Using a checklist can aid you in tracking each cleaning goal. For some moms, cleaning is therapeutic. For the most, it’s a never-ending loop. Whichever group you belong to, I want you to know I understand if you ever felt trapped in the cycle of cleaning. Regardless if you’re a working or a stay-at-home mom, it all comes down to the same denominator – CLEANING is a must in every home. Everything falls into place when you have a clean house, and you get to spend more beautiful time with the people in your home. You reap the benefits of having a clear mind because the house isn’t cluttered. Your stress level decreases because you have more time to enjoy your family besides doing chores all the time. Your children will remember the time you get to play more and do family activities. My husband has his cleaning routine as well, even if he works full-time. In homemaking, I truly believe in the word partnership. That includes teaming up to keep the home running and family cared for. The responsibility to manage the home doesn’t fall only on moms but also on dads. I’m grateful for what my husband does to help me at home. It’s a lot easier and smoother every day when we both do our fair share of chores. Time has gone when only the wife is expected to pitch in. Welcome to the new homemaking era! Without further ado, I’m sharing what my cleaning routine looks like as a stay-at-home mom. There’ll be an opportunity for you to download the FREE Cleaning Routine Checklists at the end of this post. Are you ready to run with me in this cleaning schedule? Let’s go! Stay-at-home Mom Cleaning Routine: My Weekly Cleaning Routine: I divided my Cleaning Zones into days of the week; so I don’t go hopping every room and zero in my cleaning responsibilities. Each day of the week pretty much explains what is on the to-do list. Bathroom: Monday Kitchen: Tuesday Living Room: Wednesday **I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Read more details on this disclosure.** Check these E-Cloth Rugs to add to your cleaning supply. Look into the variety of packs or specific sets for your cleaning needs. Dining Area: Thursday Bedrooms: Friday Laundry: Saturday Pantry/Fridge: Sunday P.S. Noticed why I put the bathroom on Monday and the kitchen on Tuesday? These are high-traffic areas in the house that can get chaotic every week. Tackle them on the first 2 days of the week, so it’s out of the way. Daily Cleaning Hacks: In my everyday homemaking, I do these 5 daily tasks to keep everything streamlined as much as possible and not get stressed. These menial tasks changed my cleaning habits and helped me get peace of mind. As far as these daily tasks, it doesn’t take me long to finish them. They are tasks that only take as short as 3 minutes to 10 minutes. What better way to get things done quickly than with a short burst of easily achievable chores. Mama, find your daily rhythm in your home management. Your tasks depend on what you definitely need to be completed in no time. These are my daily chores: Cleaning Hack: Quick pick-ups save the day! It doesn’t take long to bring things back to where they belong. Who hasn’t done anything like when you’re walking down the hallway and see a couple of toys; you pick them up and drop them into the toy bin nearby. Quick, right? You might also like: Homemaking – The Ultimate Overview for Today’s New Homemakers Spring Clean Your Bathroom: Spring Clean Series Gift Ideas for Homemakers for Kitchen Use My Monthly Cleaning Tasks: Now, these cleaning tasks can be done monthly and anytime there’s downtime between your weeks. Warning: DO NOT do these tasks all in ONE DAY. Space it out in weeks, or combine two tasks ONLY if you’re up to it. Keep track of when these tasks were completed. Using a cleaning checklist will help you get reminded of when they’re next due to be done. Additional Quarterly Cleaning Chores: There you have it. A rundown of my Stay-At-Home Mom: Cleaning Routine. This system helps me get my home in order. If you want to tackle your mattress with a good deep cleaning, check out this article below. Recommended Post: How to Deep Clean Your Mattress Quickly and Easily by Goodhousekeeping.com Final Thoughts on sticking to a Cleaning Schedule: Get yourself organized in your cleaning routine. Mama, it doesn’t have to be exhausting all the time. Some days you’ll complete your to-do cleaning list; some days are missed. That’s okay too. The above cleaning routine is what’s working for me, being a stay-at-home mom. A challenge for you, try it out for a month and see if it’s a good fit for you. Tweak the days to your preference. However, if you have your cleaning rhythm already and it’s working for you – stick to it. Check out the FREE – Cleaning Routine Sheets. This will help you streamline your cleaning schedule at home. Stay on top of your daily chores, keep every room in your home clean, and be reminded to do the monthly tasks specific to your homemaking. Get the Cleaning Routine! Signup for news and special offers! You can unsubscribe anytime. For more details, review our Privacy Policy. Subscribe Loading… Thank you! Download your Blank Cleaning Routine Checklist! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. How do you keep your home clean? Do you follow a strict cleaning routine? If so, please share a cleaning hack that’s life-changing for you. Share this post. Pin this post on your Pinterest board and follow me on Pinterest.

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How to transition from working mom to stay-at-home mom?

Jordan N. — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 18:53:38 +0000

Staying home wasn’t in the plan. But now, you have decided to leave your job and become a stay-at-home mom. What can you do to avoid getting overwhelmed as you shift yourself around it? Whether you are coming from a career that you’ve worked hard for, you are just shy of completing a short maternity leave from work and decided to stay home. You’re on the right post. Welcome to your ocean! You must be wondering how I am going to do this. If you were working before, then you know the struggles of juggling both work life and family. You must be feeling ran down and exhausted to the core going back and forth. Now it feels like a challenge has come knocking at your front door. It could be a resemblance of a work folder handed right straight at your desk with force, or it could be a new ER admission first thing on your 12-hr shift. You are not prepared to swim across. To make this transition go smoothly for you to begin with. So let’s dive into it. As you become a stay-at-home mom, here are six things you can do. 1. Re-affirm your decision with yourself and your spouse. Leaving a job that you are thriving well that you’ve had for a long time is not a walk in the park. I am assuming that you and your spouse had talked about this extensively ahead of time. Are you both on the same page? Besides, this decision is not taken lightly. This decision is a life-changing choice for you and your family. Multiple times, you asked why I am choosing to stay home. Maybe you are second-guessing yourself. It is good to re-affirm your why. Ultimately, the reasons have to come from you and not anyone else’s. Why is that important? You are the one leaving your job and going to be the one staying home. You are the main lead on this ocean. Of course, with your spouse’s support as well. Be it because of personal explanations of sending your child/children to daycare or the huge money constraints that go with it. It could be you are a mom who wants to spend time with a newborn or be there for your growing children. Finally, it could be due to this Covid pandemic that made you leave your job to stay home with the family. Whatever the case, stand by your WHY and make peace with it. The heavy burden will follow you around if you don’t acknowledge it. Trust me! I’ve been there myself, and I’m sure many others too. Do what YOU think is best for you and the rest of your family. You don’t need to explain to anyone else why you chose this path now. Your immediate family is the only one directly affected by this decision, and it stays within the circle. Sometimes, we forget that our children can see/hear/know what is going on in the household more than we think they can. If they are of an age where they can understand in simple terms – why Mommy is not going to work anymore, they would want to know. For one, they might push it aside or ask more about it. And two, the children are going to be thrilled to have you around 24/7. So that will be another article to talk about later on. 2. Revise your budget. Now, the household runs in a one-income family. This is the time to revamp your finances and adjust your budget accordingly to your family’s needs. This is the time to sit down and have the financial spreadsheets wide open. You or your spouse is the one handling the family’s finances, and the other is there for support. Do this together so both can assess where to distribute the resources accordingly. Make a list of what you NEED and ESSENTIAL for your family. The lists are personal – the things that you prioritize as MUST haves. Groceries, house mortgage, car payments, health insurances, power/water bills, taxes, savings, and whatever you deemed essential to you. Your list is may be different from mine. So, take a closer look at what is necessary for your family to be living sustainably. Then you can scan the things you/your family WANT to spend on. We all need something to relax or get entertained by at the end of the day. You do not want to be swimming and not have the proper gear to survive in the vast ocean. So, budget checked! 3. Adjust into your new role. As a stay-at-home mom modify your expectations. You have been balancing your work life and family already in the past. But, now, taking a big step to be home with your children comes with expectations. Now let’s see if your expectations are set course for the shore. Having all the time in the world to do stuff and take care of your family More relaxing days since you are home all the time Less stress as you are not working anymore and so on Maybe you are right, and sure those are achievable expectations. However, let’s be honest. There’s a lot more than what’s on the surface of this stay-at-home ocean. Yes, you need to know how to swim primarily. But, importantly, learning how to swim efficiently will be favorable as your energy won’t burn out that quickly, and you’ll be able to reach the shore safely. The demands of your energy are going to be high and continuous as you navigate your role. Your children depend on you every single day. The people and things around the house will be calling out your name. So you need a solid plan and an efficient strategy. 4. Make schedules and lists for guidance. Here comes the planning part. Schedules and to-do lists can do wonders as you go through the day. It anchors how your day will go steadily. Flexibility is the key to a less stressful day as a stay-at-home mom. You can have a planned day, but you need to adjust as the need arises. Here are some examples: Mark 3 High Priority Tasks (errands, chores, etc.) Flextime blocked for (bonding, quiet time, tantrums erupting, etc.) Meals prepping and dragging meal times (so familiar with these) Play and outdoor time Schoolwork/homeschooling or Appointments You can also download a free sample of Mom’s Checklist. 5. Take time for yourself as a stay-at-home mom. Given that you have taken care of everybody at home. Now is the time for YOU. Mama, you need it, and you deserve it. But, of course, easier said than done, right? How? By carving even a short 5 minutes to coveted 20 minutes all to yourself is impossible! With all hands and cries calling for your ultimate attention, it’s just not promising. Wait, it can be possible. You can put it as a priority, why you need YOU time. Devoting time to yourself can recharge you significantly. You can give more when your cup is full. Therefore creating a time block solely for you is another way to boost your energy. Do it to calm yourself internally so that way you are ready to tackle the day. YOU are important. Self-care is essential, especially knowing you’ll be spending the majority of your time tending to everyone. Not only can you do it early in the morning, but also any time there is a quick pause in your day. 6. Continue to stay updated with your profession and keep the bridge open. Now, wait a minute! Why is this even here? I am here because I want to be a stay-at-home mom. I want to transition smoothly into it. That is my goal. Hear me out, Mama. Your decision to become a stay-at-home mom may be only temporary for the time being. Maybe it is a pause from your career to raise beautiful children. Or you are caring for a sick child or an ailing parent. The circumstances are unique to each of us and ever-changing. When your children go to school, you may be looking at getting a prn job or a part-time hustle on the side. Or even the option of working from home comes to mind, especially with the Covid pandemic hovering longer than anticipated. In this situation, do keep up with the updates on your profession. Read articles, take professional-based education online, anything that relates to your job to enrich yourself with knowledge and important trends. Keep your licenses and certificates active. It’s like putting on a life jacket for yourself. It’s there when you need it to stay afloat when swimming for long periods. These efforts can save you during those work gaps. Stay in touch with your friends at work and colleagues. Don’t leave all behind just because you hanged your stethoscope up, closed your work computer, or packed all your teaching supplies. These work relationships and knowledge searching are essential to bridge the gap when you are ready to go back to work someday. Besides, you can still stay connected with them as friends and as your mentors. Anyhow, it is good to leave the job on a good note. In sum, all these will facilitate making your transition as smooth as possible. Stick to your why. Visit the family’s budget. Ease in your new role. Create a flexible daily list. YOU time. Stay current and keep connections. Remember to stay true to what your why is, what your goals are, and how you’re going to accomplish them. Also, I am hoping that these words can resonate with you in whatever stage you’re in. Finally, being in this unfamiliar ocean, having a concrete plan, swimming efficiently, using all the proper gear, and wearing your life jacket; will not be a tedious trip to face. As you dig your toes in the sand, look back and reflect on it. What went through your mind when you decided to become a stay-at-home mom? If you are still weighing in if you will leap, what’s keeping you from it? If you are already there, what definitely helped you transition into this new role? Have you decided to become a stay-at-home mom? Comment below to share your thoughts. Share this post.

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