Many of us are struggling to find a new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a parent there are days I am being challenged, not only to find some normalcy, but also to provide some stability for my children. There’s a lot of pressure on households, and it’s falling particularly hard on the shoulders of women and mothers. Across the world, even before the pandemic, women do more housework and childcare and have less leisure time than their male partners. We are the household managers with brains always activated with planning, anticipating, and organizing. Here are some tips to staying healthy, happy and organized during these unforeseen times.
I would call myself a very organized person. Everything has a place, label, and there is always a "things to do" list attached to my clipboard following me around. I am a stay at home mom, full time content creator and a full time teacher since my kids are distance learning. Life is hard, but then again no one said it was going to be easy!
Start using a calendar! I literally just got this calendar from Girl Friday Home. I love it. I hung it in the kitchen since that is the most common place in the house where we spend the most time. I am able to add anything and everything the kids have going on like dance class, school quizzes and tests, birthdays, and more. There is even a spot for a things to do list and a menu for the week. That way the kids don't have to ask me several times what's for dinner. They can simply look at the calendar! It also teaches them to look and figure out the day of the week, what month it is currently and more. Organizing makes life better, so you might as well do it in style, and why not do it with Girl Friday Home?! This calendar is helpful, smart, transparent and very well made. My calendar is acrylic and I can just use an Expo wet erase marker on it and wipe with a wet towel to clean. I love it!
Plan out your meals! Blake goes to the grocery store once a week for us. I plan out all of our meals and everything I will need. I look over things from breakfast meals, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts, etc. Due to the pandemic, the kids and I have been nowhere since March. Only Blake leaves for work, grocery store runs, and Target. It is so easy to plan out your meals. Just get paper and write the days of the week, the meals next to each day, and then all the ingredients you will need for those meals. It really is so simple and once you start doing it, I promise you will get into a routine and it will become so easy.
Get on a routine! Our normal days are school from 8:30am until 12:00pm distance learning online, but then we always continue school work for a few more hours. We are usually done by 2 or 3 pm. In the afternoons we bake, play outside, play board games, etc. I start dinner by 5 pm and by 6:30 pm it is time for showers. At 7 pm the kids are allowed to watch a 30 min show. At 7:30 pm we are brushing teeth, in bed, reading, and saying our prayers. My kids are asleep by 8 pm and the alarm goes off at 7 am to do it all over again the next day. But I think a routine and structure is good for kids and adults.
A few other ways I stay organized is having a "things to do" list, set a designated cleaning day for the week, clean out closets every season, try to keep up on the laundry multiple times during the week and the ironing so that it does not all pile up, make beds right when you get up and get everyone ready for the day. These simple tasks will help you feel energized and ready to take on the day and week.
The most important part? Once you start organizing, don’t stop! Keep at it and you will see results. Bask in the little changes that can become life-changing habits.
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