Life for any stay at home mom or SAHM will get stressful because it is hard work having to manage the kids, the home, and too many other responsibilities thrown at them. And that is why many of them end up burning out because they are tending the needs of their kids’, their partners’, and managing the home while they forget about themselves.
However, life for a SAHM does not have to be as stressful because there are simple hacks that they can utilize in order to make life easier. This way, they can also pay attention to their own needs and care for themselves. This will prevent burnout from happening, which means their kids, their partner’s and their homes will benefit. Let’s look at 101 habits that will make any SAHM’s life easier while breaking it down into the main categories that affect them:
Mental Health And Self Care
Unfortunately many SAHMs end up tending the needs of their kids, their partners and are too busy with caring for the home and other responsibilities. And this means that they frequently forget about their own needs. This leads to poor mental health and burnout. However, with these hacks below, SAHM’s can tackle their responsibilities while they no longer find a reason to put their needs on the back burner.
- Reduce time spent on social media as it can easily consume your life, and have a negative impact on you mentally. You may see your unmarried friends or older moms with older kids going on vacation and having the freedom to do what they want which will only make you feel like you are missing out.
- Always square in at least 15 minutes during the day in order to do something for yourself such as reading your favorite book, taking a bath, or anything else you enjoy. This will be your time that is meant to be not interrupted.
- Change up the to-do list as only set yourself to accomplish the things you can realistically do in a day. This means prioritizing.
- Delegate where you can and even if that means having to spend some extra money. For instance, if you are too busy to go grocery shopping, go order groceries online and have them delivered.
- Buy ready-made dinners or order in dinner if you are too overwhelmed in a day with other responsibilities.
- Always trust your intuition instead of listening to what others tell you to do in regards to the care of your kids that doesn’t sit well with you. It isn’t sitting well with you for a reason and that is because your intuition is telling you otherwise.
- Never compare yourself to other moms as they have a different set of challenges as well as styles of parenting. Remember if they appear to have it together on the surface, you don’t know what struggles they are facing behind the scenes.
- Never compare your children to other children because all kids have a different set of strengths and weaknesses and they are all unique.
- Don’t focus on snapping back to your pre-pregnancy body and accept that your body has changed for good after birthing children.
- Appreciate your body because you created life or lives and that takes a lot of work!
- Be sure to not just have time for yourself to do your favorite thing, but be sure to find some time to literally do nothing. That may mean to just chill and watch TV and allow your mind to unclutter itself.
- Make time to see a friend for coffee as it is important to have time to socialize. If you have to hire a professional babysitter, then invest in that time for you.
- Learn meditation and yoga.
- Take up a hobby or learn something new that interests you, such as a new language or how to paint.
- Be kind and gentle with yourself and remember that kids don’t come with instructions. If they are loved, fed, and taken care of, you are doing great and remind yourself of that.
- Be candid about the hard stuff about being a SAHM and don’t pretend that life is easy, because managing a home, marriage, and raising kids is hard work!
- Never let any other mom or anyone, in general, put you down for the choices you need to make for yourself and your family. Don’t let other people’s judgments affect you.
- If you are feeling abnormally depressed, anxious, and just not well mentally, see a doctor as soon as possible.
Physical Health And Fitness
While SAHMs often forget about their own needs to manage their mental health, they also neglect their physical health. And with these simple tips, they can keep their physical health up to par which also falls into the category of self-care.
- Choose healthier options when picking out ready-made meals or ordering in. For instance, if you are ordering a pizza, opt for thin whole-grain crust instead of the white regular crust.
- Keep a journal of what you are eating and drinking so you are more conscious of eating healthy foods.
- Add more walking into your schedule such as taking your kids on walks, or during the winter, take your kids to the mall.
- Play chasing games with kids if they are at an age where they can be chased around.
- Turn everyday chores into workouts because you are burning calories by vacuuming, dusting, and doing laundry.
- Include the kids during your workout sessions if they are old enough, such as giving them dumbbells that they can easily use. A bonus point with that is this exercise strengthens their fine and gross motor skills.
- Keep your workout clothes all day as it will remind you to stay active and makes working out easier.
- If you have stairs, run those stairs a few times a day.
- Stock up on fruits and vegetable snacks instead of high-carb snacks such as candies and potato chips.
- Create customized workouts that you feel are best suited for you as there are many apps that can help you create a gym within your home!
- Be sure to get as much sleep as possible, even if that means having to nap during the day if the kids keep you up at night. Getting enough sleep is important to keep you fit and healthy.
- Don’t forget to drink 6 to 10 glasses of water a day as being properly hydrated will keep you healthy and fit, especially during workouts or intense activity.
- Stay away from the latest diet fad because they are not healthy and you will not stick with it which will result in weight gain and poorer health later on.
- Plan out your meals for the next day the night before.
- Whatever you do, do not give into boredom eating. In fact, that is the time to do some chores or to take advantage of your own time if the kids are napping or playing on their own.
- Dance with your kids or dance by yourself!
Marriage
While many SAHMs neglect their own needs, their marriages end up suffering. However, it doesn’t have to with these tips below on how to keep their relationships alive and well even while they are bogged down with the responsibilities of caring for the kids and the home.
- Show your spouse appreciation, and vice versa.
- Talk to your spouse about something that is upsetting you instead of holding it in as communication is the key.
- Make sure your spouse is doing his part to help around the house and with the kids instead of doing it all yourself. That will only lead to resentment.
- Prepare to make compromises even if you don’t like it. For instance, if someone on his extended family is having an event, show up for it regardless of how you feel about his family.
- Make sure to spend time with your spouse, even if you have to create a date night at home. That means the kids will not be in the picture.
- Embrace the chaos and upheaval such as expecting everyone in the family to eat dinner at the same time at the table every evening. Especially on chaotic days.
- Be prepared to make some sacrifices such as a situation where your spouse has to work overtime and you have to do the chores that he normally does.
- Accept the fact that your spouse is not perfect. His habits will annoy you such as leaving clutter or he may smack his lips while eating.
- Take the time to talk about short-term and long-term goals with your spouse such as trips you want to go on just together which would be a long-term goal, especially if the kids are young.
- Be honest with your spouse, even if you made a mistake that could upset him such as overspending on something. He will likely not be happy but he will respect you more for telling him the truth other than finding out through another source which would cause him not to trust you.
- Express your needs and wishes to him and allow him to do the same.
- Allow your spouse some time to relax after a long day of work and don’t expect him to take care of the duties right after he comes home.
- If your spouse follows a different religion, be sure to respect that and make it known for him to respect your faith as well. And be sure to make an agreement on how to raise the kids in regards to religion.
- Never withhold sex from your spouse if you are angry with him. As was mentioned previously, talk to him about it first.
- Keep the intimate life exciting in the bedroom and even go to adult shops to buy some toys if you feel that will be helpful. Being home with the kids all day, and doing housework will dry up your spark.
Family And Parenting
Raising kids is tough and any mom whether they are SAHMs or working moms don’t need to be told that. However, the good news is that there are plenty of parenting hacks that these moms can take advantage of which will make their lives easier for kids of different ages.
- Prevent the kids from locking themselves in the bathroom by placing a rubber band around the knobs so the lever cannot come out and cause locking to happen.
- On hot days keep a water bottle in the car to spray hot seatbelts so that the kids do not burn their hands.
- When you are cutting your kids’ nails with a nail clipper, be sure to stick some tape inside of the clipper so that those nails can be caught.
- Give your kids cups with magnets at the back so they can hook them back on the fridge so they can easily find them when they are thirsty instead of asking you to get a drink for them if they are old enough.
- Get a Keep-It-Kleen Pacifier for your baby so that when it drops, it automatically closes up.
- Twist rubber bands around the soap pump nozzle so it limits how much soap comes out when your kids need to wash their hands so the soap isn’t wasted.
- When you go on vacation use a baby monitor app instead of having to take the one at home with you.
- Cut a sticker in half and place it on the insides of their shoes in order to get your kids to put their shoes on the correct feet.
- Buy a baby in-sight auto-mirror as it will allow you to see your baby on long drives and it can entertain your baby.
- When it comes to removing splinters, put baking soda and water on it and leave on for a few minutes as the splinter will come out easily and it won’t cause pain for the child.
- For creative kids, use a pizza box to be used for a canvas so they can paint to their heart’s content.
- Get WD-40 to remove crayon stains.
- Get instant Tide to Go in order to keep your kids’ clothes clean when you are all on the go so a stain does not set in.
- Get the Kilko travel mat so that your child can sleep on a clean mat during long trips.
- If you want to paint a grip on your toddler’s socks, use puffy paint as it does the job.
- Cover scratches on your kids’ shoes by using crayons.
- Clean permanent marker stains on wooden furniture or on a wooden floor by using toothpaste.
- Keep your baby’s pacifiers clean by placing them in sauce containers.
- Clean toys and shoes in the dishwasher!
Finances
While SAHMs are often stressed out from caring for their kids and managing their other responsibilities, they are also stressed about their finances. That is understandable since they are relying on their partner’s income. However, there are hacks as well that can help SAHMs manage their finances better so they are not struggling as much.
- Create a budget and stick to it each week whether it is for groceries or other items.
- Be on the lookout for sales on items you need through fliers or any ads you see online.
- Get into the habit of clipping coupons and use them on a regular basis as the savings do add up fast.
- Never shop for anything when you are bored as that will tempt you to overspend.
- Join sites such as Groupon to save money on entertainment or other items.
- Don’t dine out more than once a month to regular restaurants as meals these days are expensive.
- Look for low-cost options for going on family day trips, or even better yet, free such as museums, or going for an outing at a new park.
- It pays to join Amazon Prime and order bulk items as you will save money that way.
- Stick to shopping at thrift or discount stores and you’ll be amazed at the items you can get while saving money.
- Learn how to DIY as you can make your own furniture or other cool things instead of buying new ones.
- Ask friends and families if they have to hand me downs or extra baby gear as they will understand you are aiming to be frugal.
- Ditch cable and use Netflix or Amazon Prime to replace it as you will save a lot of money.
- Be sure to create a savings fund and make a vow to put some money into it each month.
- Only purchase items that are of high quality so they will last a long time.
- Always make sure that you pay your bills on time by setting reminders so you can avoid late fees which is an unnecessary expense which is bad for your credit as well.
- Look for legitimate work at home job or even start a side business such as freelancing to make money from home to make you financially more comfortable.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping is an area of stress for SAHMs for obvious reasons because there is always a mess to clean up. Especially while the little ones are contributing to it. However, when they take advantage of these hacks, they will find this area of their lives to become more manageable as well.
- Keep cleaning supplies in different rooms that are locked away in cabinets so you can access them right there instead of having to go and look for them.
- Use a Clorox wipe to clean the sink and that is all that is needed.
- Invest in 2 or 3 portable vacuums or dust busters in order to quickly clean up any dirt in any room instead of lugging the entire vacuum cleaner from another room.
- Invest in a Roomba as it will make life so much easier as it will clean the floors for you.
- Break down your chore list and only stick to doing the ones when the kids are sleeping, or when the kids are awake and can help you out, stick to doing those chores.
- Set a day, and a time to declutter and put it into your weekly schedule.
- Set aside a certain spot in a room and use it for certain items so nothing gets lost such as setting a spot in your kitchen cabinet for coffee mugs.
- Keep racks or baskets that have your kids’ items in it accessible to them so they can reach for what they need themselves.
- Create a cleaning routine that you can stick to which will work for you the best.
- Be consistent with keeping your surfaces clear of clutter which means to make a habit of putting items away that you don’t need or toss them out each and every time.
- Teach your kids how to clean their rooms which helps them become responsible and saves you extra work.
- Fold clothing the Kon Mari way which not only keeps drawers tidy and neat but will make the clothing easily seen folded up without having to look around for it which causes disorganization.
- Keep dumping temptations away from toddlers as that will save you a lot of work such as putting folded laundry in a basket that is too high for their reach.
- Buy paper plates during weeks that are too busy so you don’t have to wash as many dishes.
- Mix vinegar with warm water to clean carpet for furniture stains as it will remove the stains, and add baking soda as well to remove odors.
- Invest in a home organizer one time to help you organize your home if you need help.
- For extremely busy weeks, hire a cleaning service to clean your home if you really don’t have time which is why you need to put money aside each month as well (as noted in the finance section)
With these 101 tips for SAHM in all areas of their lives that they are focusing on, they have the tools to make their busy and stressful lives a lot more tolerable. That is as long as they are using these tips!