SWAY LIFE PLAY

Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than you need to, creating a buffer in your day.

Prep for your hectic morning the night before. Pack lunches, load the coffee maker, lay out kid’s clothes, etc.

Easy Dinners. Have a list of 3-5 go to slow-cooker meals that you can prep the night before and set and forget as you go about your day. (Make enough for a leftover night so you can skip a day of cooking)

Laundry Management. Get in a habit of throwing a load of laundry in at the end of the day, move to the dryer in the morning and fold after work so it doesn’t pile up over the weekend.

Two Words. Amazon Prime. There is nothing wrong with doing your shopping from your couch vs. trying to fit in a Target run.

Use timers. I use timers for everything. If you want to read for 20 minutes, give the kids 30 minutes of screen time, regulate your social media scrolling, etc. set an alarm or timer on your phone. When it goes off, you are done. It helps keep you on track. I also use the timer method with how long they have to clean their room, take a bath, get ready in the morning, and all the other tasks that kids love to drag out.

Netflix and Multitask. I get that we all have our binge worthy shows, but instead of doing your Netflix and Chill, this is a good time to do some Netflix and laundry or Netflix and mail sort.

Meal Plan. It does take time to do it. And for me, it sucks. I don’t look forward to it. However, I promise that if you take an hour once a week to schedule your meals out for the upcoming week and write out a grocery list, it will save you time and money.

Keep running lists on your phone. When something pops in your head in the moment, like dang we are running low on TP, put it on a list on your phone. That way you aren’t trying to remember all the things you have to buy when you get ready to go on your grocery run. (I’m a fan of OneNote)

Perfection shouldn’t be a goal. Toys don’t get put away one night? Who cares? Laundry doesn’t get done? That’s tomorrow’s problem. Be realistic and know that it is OK if not every meal is home cooked and balanced and if the house doesn’t look like it’s ready to be featured in Southern Living tomorrow. The Queen isn’t going to visit you, and your friends and family love you no matter what your house looks like.

Put YOU first. That’s right - your kids, your spouse, your friends all should come after YOU. That’s because if you aren’t taking care of yourself, how can you possibly take care of them? Do not feel guilty for leaving the house to go to the gym or even locking the bedroom door for an hour to take a bath or read a book. If you don’t take time to recharge, you will burn out and that doesn’t help anyone.

Everything doesn’t have to be Magical. This one is for the moms. I love me some Pinterest but I also HATE Pinterest. No disrespect for you Pinterest Moms out there - if it brings you joy, then keep doing you. But you know what, it’s ok if the Tooth Fairy just slips a regular dollar bill under the pillow. It doesn’t have to have a personalized letter to go along with it and covered in glitter. I have to remind myself daily that it is OK not to make a celebration for every holiday. I’m not Irish, so our family will make it if we don’t have green pancakes and a sneaky Leprechaun leaving surprises on St. Patty’s Day.

SLEEP is important. This is back to the putting YOU first category. You need at least 8 hours of sleep to be the best version of yourself. If you feel like you don’t have enough time in the day to get enough rest, see what shifts you can make. Can kids go to bed 30 minutes earlier? Do you end up spending a long time doing dishes after dinner? Maybe you need more one pot meals. Do you end up zoning out and watching more TV than you expected? Whatever the culprit is, figure it out and convert it to sleep time.

Learn how to say NO. You will not lose friends by turning down a kid’s birthday party or a fundraiser. It is ok to say you aren’t available, even if its just to stay home.

Outsource. Your time is money. Think about how much time various chores around the house take you and what you miss out because of it. If it is within your means, consider hiring a lawn service, monthly cleaning, delivered groceries, etc. You might need to trade off in another area financially to have these conveniences, but what you gain is more quality time with your family.

Ask for help. Do not be too proud to get help from friends and neighbors. Does one of your days on the weekend get taken up by kid practices or games? Ask another parent to rotate weekends with you. You do not need to be at every single practice and game to be a good parent. It’s ok to miss out on some and still celebrate with them afterwards.

Weekly Chore Chart. Everyone in your house needs to be involved and own things they can do to reduce the work on your end. Divide out the responsibilities where they can be completed in 30 minute or less increments Monday-Friday so that Saturday and Sundays are yours. (Or whatever days off you have.)

Take a Device Break. I know it isn’t realistic to turn off your work obligations for the full weekend. Especially in our Smart Phone age, people expect answers a lot quicker. We don’t work from 9-5, we are ‘On’ in many cases 24/7. So on the weekend, for at least a few hours each day, turn it off. Don’t look at your email, don’t answer the call, just don't do it. You can always call them back later, but you can’t get your weekend back.

Focus on relationships. Think about some dedicated time connecting with the people most important in your life. This doesn’t mean that you have to have an elaborate date night with your spouse, but it does mean focused attention. Think about it in advance. Something as simple as I am going to spend 30 minutes playing whatever game my kid wants to play. Or after the kids go to bed, my spouse and I are going to spend an hour on the patio with no devices and catch up with each other about our week.

Focus on YOU. It is hard to carve out me time every day of the week. (Although, I think you deserve at least 30 minutes of dedicated YOU time.) But on the weekend, try to do something that gives you peace and calm. Maybe its yoga, reading a book, pampering yourself, going for a run - whatever it is, make the time.

Do something FUN. You work hard every week. You get stressed. You have to think about your finances, your health, your kids well being, and many other stressers on a regular basis. What is it all for if you can’t have a little fun? Be present in the moment, take time to laugh and play and be silly. You can be your serious self later, but at least for a little while, do something that brings you JOY.

Prepare for the week ahead. In our house we call it Get Right Sunday. Get right with the Lord, get the house ready for the week, and really relax. It is vary rare that we make plans on a Sunday. I also don’t cook so I don’t have to clean up a mess. We turn down invitations, we don’t invite people over, we just keep things low key and slow before Monday morning hits us.