Working Mom Sanity Savers: Tasks that Make the Work Week More Sane

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Let me start off by saying that I only have one 7 month old child and have only been back to work for four months.  At this point, I have no idea if my personal sanity savers will scale up to more children or if they will stand the test of time. But, I do know that I feel slightly more together when I have accomplished these few things that I am calling a working mom’s sanity savers. 

working mom sanity savers

Weekend Tasks

  1. Menu Planning: I like to eat good food; and having a menu plan helps us to eat well and gets me more excited about cooking.  It also helps to plan around the week’s events so we don’t over-buy groceries when we won’t be home as much as usual. For example, we always seem to have nighttime activities on Monday nights so I will often use the crock pot that day so we can eat as soon as we get home.
  2. Food Prepping: In light of eating good food, I try to make it as easy on myself as possible during the week. In addition to choosing quick and easy things to make, I will often prep ingredients on the weekend like chopping veggies for stir fries or getting meat out of the freezer to thaw.
  3. Dinner Back-up Plan: If I am really on top of things I’ll have a few dinners in the freezer that are pretty much ready to go, or things in the pantry to whip something up quick. That way we can still eat at home if all else fails.
  4. Plan Outfits: I am not a morning person, so whatever I can do to get my daughter and myself out the door with as little thought as possible is incredibly helpful.  I check the weather, my work calendar, and our family events calendar to determine what my kiddo and I will wear. While I may not plan every outfit, having an idea of the upcoming weather and what’s going on helps. I then know how many layers I’ll put on my little one and can look appropriate for work and outings. This also keeps me from depending on wearing something that isn’t going to make it out of the laundry on time.

Weeknight Tasks

  1. Diaper Bag Prep: I like to get my daughter’s diaper bag prepped for the next day as soon as she gets home with my husband. That way if all else fails, she and her dad can get out the door the next morning and she will have everything she needs.
  2. Laundry: If I can get one load of laundry done a day, I can spend some time away from the washer and dryer on the weekend.
  3. Lunch: Whether it’s leftovers or a salad, I like to have my lunch put together the night before. (Did I mention how much I would rather sleep in?)

Some weeks are way better than others when it comes to having it all together. If I were being graded on my ability to GET ALL THE THINGS DONE each week I’d only be a C student. But having accomplished more of these things than not, does help me to sleep as long as possible and usually gets me out the door with shoes instead of slippers on my feet.

What do you do to help your weeks run a little smoother as a working mom?

 

4 COMMENTS

  1. I love this, this list is exactly what I would try and accomplish after Tommy was born. It worked pretty well then… two kids and two jobs later, I just gave up. 🙂

  2. When I was working, and solo parenting, the crockpot was my lifesaver. Even better if I could prep it the night before and drop the crock in to the heater in the morning. Made life SO much easier!!
    And ALL bags had to be packed the night before. Lunch bags, backpacks, my work bag. I am NOT a morning person. There is no way I could count on remembering something in the morning!!
    Great tips!! 🙂

    • Kristin – YES! Love the crock pot. It gets used at least once a week. And yes to packing all. of. the. bags. So much stuff needs to make it out the door every day!

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