Modern Mom Survival Guide

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At our house we have two working parents, a three-year-old, a one-year-old, one dog, one fish, one bearded dragon – and I’m only a little bit crazy. These are five things I have found that keep me sane during our crazy (but fun-filled and totally worth it) weeks.

 

Modern Mom Survival Guide | East Valley Moms Blog

Buy a cordless vacuum

Mine was a black Friday purchase in 2016 that my husband rolled his eyes a bit when I bought a $250 cordless vacuum, and I promised him “babe, I am going to use this all the time” and to be honest, I truly do use it most days. Without my cordless, I would freak when we come home from the park and my three-year-old dumps his shoes of sand in the middle of the entryway. We also have a goldendoodle who sheds a ton and loves to get into the trash only on the days when there are coffee grounds in there. Seriously. This thing is a lifesaver. I can vacuum most of my house one on charge and in less than 15 minutes. #momwin

When in doubt, drink more coffee

This one is an obvious one for a lot of Mamas out there, but I couldn’t create this post without giving coffee the attention it deserves. Coffee is a habit that helps me start my day, and I am a better mama when on Saturday morning when I have had some quiet time with my coffee before the tiny humans wake up.

Find an Auntie Megan

We don’t have family in the state, and some days that’s a struggle. Megan was my first friend when we moved to Arizona, and she’s my rock. When my three year old locked us out of the house without any shoes on? I called Auntie Megan. She’s come over when my husband was out of town and I was attacked by the stomach flu. And I’m 99% sure that she will be the one who teaches my son the f-word. (And I will still love her then, too). Having someone that I can lean on and ask for help for really helps – because as much as I would love to, I can’t do it all every day.

Prioritize Time Management & ME Time

There is a lot that needs to happen in a week between our work schedules, my husband’s consulting job, our attempt at a social life,and the household chores. The only way that I have found for us to get everything done is by focusing on time management and taking time to prep for each the week. I only do our grocery shopping on the weekends because it just won’t happen during the week. We plan ahead our dinners, we always meal prep our lunches (#IIFYM), and make sure we go through our game plan for the week.

Looking ahead allows my hubby and I to be on the same page, but it also ensures that I can build in some time for myself into the week. If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. With our schedules, that Me Time is usually 90-minutes at the gym every morning and I am so grateful for that time. This also helps us make sure we can get our “chores” done too so that we can set aside some playtime on the weekend. We love exploring Arizona and going off-roading in the desert.

Appreciate your teammate

My husband and I are a team and we both have to work hard to keep our home running. Without his support, I’d be lost, and without me, he would never have any clean clothes – so it works. 😉 Every day we both work at learning how to communicate better. I’ve also found it goes a long way to slow down, say thank you, and appreciate the crazy life we’ve built together.

The weeks go by so fast, and each week I try to focus on spending the most time on what’s most important. What keeps you going for the week? I’d love to hear your survival tips in the comments!

Photo Credit: Kylie Pond Photography

4 COMMENTS

  1. Cheers to a fantastic writer, a best friend, and an even better mama & wife! This is a great article! Thanks for sharing!

  2. What keeps me going: 1) Jesus 2) Coffee and Monsters 3) me time / gym time
    The vacuum… yessssss!!! It’s so true. The daily sand dumping got me less in a tizzy once that cordless vacuum was purchased. #gamechanger

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