Being a stay-at-home mom may be the hardest job in the world. Use these 7 tips to master being a stay-at-home-mom so you can enjoy your time with your family.
It feels so comforting to know that you get to be home with your babies. The value of being a stay-at-home mom is truly immeasurable. But it isn’t easy.
Developing a stay-at-home mom schedule or routine is a necessary sanity saver. There are a few things you can do to make the most of your time at home with your children so that being a stay-at-home mom also means being a happy mom!
I’m not sure if people realize that being a SAHM Mom can be lonely and stressful. It’s frustrating when you feel like you are stuck in the house all day with no real schedule. You seemingly take on the role of the housekeeper and cook instead of being the Mom you always thought you would be if you were able to stay at home with your kids.
Without some guidelines, the tasks of being a stay-at-home mom seem endless and can take away from the reason you decided to stay at home in the first place.
Being stay-at-home should be the way you imaged it in your head. It’s not a punishment, it’s a gift. Let’s take back your SAHM dreams with these 7 steps to a Happy stay-at-home Mom.
P.S. This is especially true during summer break! If you are struggling to run a household, entertain children, and find time for family fun, there is help! Summer Survival for moms will help you have a low-stress summer making happy memories with your kids!
This post contains affiliate links to a retailer who compensate our site for referring customers (at no additional cost to the customer). If you would like to learn more, please check out our About or Legal page.
How to be a happy stay-at-home Mom
- Put on make-up and get dressed– First thing. Do it as soon as possible after you get up. You will feel much better if you take care of yourself first. Get up, brush your teeth, get dressed, put on make-up, fix your hair- whatever routine you have that makes you feel ready for the day. If you don’t do it first thing, the demands of kids and house start to pile up and grooming gets away from you. By getting up and putting yourself together first, you will feel prepared to start your day with confidence. You will also be ready for the unexpected (uh oh, we need to go to the store for milk or hey, is that a surprise visitor?)
- Make your bed- Getting motivated when you don’t have to do anything on a time schedule can be very difficult. One thing I started doing that changed how I approach my day is making the bed. Making your bed can give you a small sense of accomplishment that snowballs into a productive day.
This is such a huge one…
- Be the mommy not the maid– It is such a common misconception that stay-at-home Moms are responsible for all of the housework and cooking while they are home. I’m not saying don’t do any cleaning, but you are staying home to take care of your children, right? We all have an endless list of things we should/could/want to do around the house (regardless of our employment status). Things will get done in good time, just like houses without a SAHM. Prioritize, but don’t spend your whole day worrying about laundry and dinner. On that note…
Take the FREE 5-day declutter challenge!
- Use a slow cooker– I kept hearing Moms talk about throwing everything in the Crock Pot and having dinner ready when they got home. What a great idea! Was I the only one not using a slow cooker? Are you? I bought a slow cooker (here is the one I have: LINK
. It has a timer and automatically sets to warm when cooking is done! Be sure to pick up the liners for easy clean-up.) Then I searched Pinterest to find recipes. I pulled together a great list of ideas on my Crock Pot Board on Pinterest that I can use to plan my meals for the week. (The new Instant Pots cook dinner even faster!)
. It has a timer and automatically sets to warm when cooking is done! Be sure to
- Have a plan– Part of the beauty of staying home is not having a schedule. I like to have a routine instead. Routines follow the same general pattern every day but without the rigid time constraints of a schedule. Having a general routine makes it easier on Mom and her little ones. For example, everyone knows that after lunch it is storytime then naptime. Find a routine that works for you and try to stick with it! (Routine cards have helped us stay on task!)
And the biggest challenges of a stay-at-home-mom:
- Get out! Make getting out part of your routine. Take a class, go to the park, make play dates or find a playgroup, go to the library/zoo/museum. Maybe Tuesday is library day followed by lunch in the park! Grab some Busy Mom Trail Mix and go for a walk. Staying in the house all day every day is a surefire way to get SAHM burnout!
- Get away! From your kids that is. It is important to get out and have some time to yourself. You need to be able to breathe and not worry about addressing someone’s needs for an hour or two (or three…). It is good for your children to be able to function without you. I am admittedly being a hypocrite here because this is the hardest step for me. I am working on it because I know that my kids need me to be away from them so they are not overly dependent on my presence. If you don’t have family that can help with childcare, maybe some friends you made through your Mom groups can help. If they are old enough, you might enroll your kids in a class or team that would allow you even a short time to read, check your email, or nap while they are in class/practice.
We started with taking care of yourself and that is a good place to come full circle. The motto here is Happy Moms, Happy Kids. Having happy kids truly starts with a happy mom! Make the most of your time being at home with your kids. And don’t forget to take care of yourself!!!!
Ever thought about starting your own website or blog? Find out how: How to Make Money Starting a Website or Blog
There is one thing I miss though… you can read about it here: What I miss out on as a SAHM
Don’t let the responsibilities of motherhood and a lack of planning ruin your time as a stay-at-home Mom. With a little planning and a lot of patience being a stay-at-home mom can also mean being a happy mom!
Lisa @ Fun Money Mom says
Great post! I totally agree with all of these things…I’ve even recently bought a crock pot!!! Now I have to go put some make-up on 🙂
HappyPlace Mom says
Thank you! I have become dependent on my Crock Pot now! It really saves time! Sometime I don’t ever get to the make-up part 😉 If I can at least brush my teeth then it’s a win!
Brandi says
I try and do all the cleaning /cooking while my kiddo is asleep and do the fun stuff with him when he is awake 🙂
HappyPlace Mom says
Great idea! Now I just need to work on a sleep schedule… Lol! Thanks for sharing!