7 Mom Hacks for Surviving Motherhood

So motherhood, for me, has been an adjustment to say the least. I give kudos to all mommas everywhere. Organization is not my forte, so I needed, and still need, as many quick fixes for surviving motherhood as possible.

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Track season is tough.  I leave my home at 6AM and drive into my driveway in the evening at 6PM.  Mom hacks help me survive.  Homework, dinner, playtime, errands, practices, and any other life events are crammed into a two hour window.  I am constantly overwhelmed, but I refuse to walk around in a permanent state of tired. Thus, for all the mommas trying to stay away from tired, I present to you a mom hacks survival list that saved my sanity on many occasions.

Surviving Motherhood – Mom Hack 1

Snacks make everything better.

Whether you are a health fanatic or a potato chips junkie (like myself), snacks serve several useful purposes. I give them to my children when they come home “on green.”  I feed them snacks before going into the movies, the zoo, the aquarium, etc. to curb “I’m hungry” complaints.  At times I use snacks to get through church, graduation ceremonies, and other events where my kids must listen to adults speaking on topics that have nothing to do with them.  Snacks can also reward smiling for family photos, model behavior inside grocery stores, along with other experiences that necessitate incentives.  Snacks remind us that a little bribery and planning go a long way.

Surviving Motherhood – Mom Hack 2

Take the kids outside.

The noise does not bounce off the walls outside.  The stuff outside does not break as easily.  Children can throw baseballs and basketballs.  They can kick footballs and soccer balls.  They are free to be kids outside.  For a list 20 budget-friendly outdoor spring activities, click here.  Fresh air is good for the mind, body, soul, and sanity.

Surviving Motherhood – Mom Hack 3

You need girl time.

After having kids, I could not get up and go the way I used to get up and go.  I could not call a friend to meet up for a day of shopping starting 15 minutes from right now.  On top of not being able to go places with my friends as often, my husband and I moved.  My friends did not move with me so I stopped doing girl time.

I need girl time.  I need people who get me.  You need people who get you.  You need people who know who you are outside of being a mom and a wife.  You need to find a support system and to be a support system.  If you do not have a set of girl friends, then find a set of girl friends.  They give you just the something extra you need.

Surviving Motherhood – Mom Hack 4

There is power in music.

YouTube is your friend.  Pandora is your friend.  My kids can dance and sing for hours to Disney tunes and Bible songs. They know all the words to music from movies they have never seen. In the evening, I can search “kids Bible songs” on YouTube, press play on a 59-song playlist, and let the music take over. I often think the kids may get bored but they do not. They can listen to the same songs over and over again.  Music brings peace to my car.  Music brings peace to my house.  I actually smile at the joy I see in their faces as they sing the words loud and proud – right or wrong.  They are having fun.  Let the music play and do what you have to do until you stop the music.

Surviving Motherhood – Mom Hack 5

Reading is fundamental.

Sometimes the only one on one time I have with my children is when they go to the bookshelf, pick out a book, and plop themselves into my lap for me to read it to them.  Even better, they read it to me.  There is something magical about the simplicity of kids books.  My babies can pick out their favorite book every day and just listen as the story unfolds.

Five to ten minutes and you are done.  The kids are happy.  You are happy, and you feel like you have taken a moment to breathe.  You feel like you have given each child just a few seconds to enjoy mommy all to themselves.

Surviving Motherhood – Mom Hack 6

Self-care is a must.

You feel better overall when you feel good about yourself.  Maybe you give yourself a home pedicure, or maybe you splurge for a spa pedicure.  Maybe you and your daughter put on facial masks. (Use my code OEM15 to get 15% off the detox mask in the photo below at Teami Blends.)*  Maybe you indulge in a bubble bath, or a massage, or 30 minutes to an hour daily of uninterrupted “mommy-time.”

Whatever you do, you need time to just do you.  You need time just to be.  Period.  Self-care is not selfish.  If you need more self-care tips head over here for 6 self-care tips for moms.  Self-care is essential to surviving motherhood.

Surviving Motherhood – Mom Hack 7

Give yourself grace.

As my friend Ruthie points out, sometimes the dishes stay in the sink overnight. Sometimes the baseball uniforms do not get washed in time for the next game. Sometimes I am late for work after my last warning for tardies because I needed to stop for coffee.  Sometimes I yell too much.  Sometimes I ignore items that needs immediate attention.  Sometimes I do not do it because I just do not feel like it.

Then I wake up the next day, and I am angry at all the things I should have done or could have done.

Just when I feel my lowest, I hear that still small voice whispering, “Give yourself grace. You will not beat yourself up over this.  You will not obsess over all the things you are not.  You will not pick yourself apart.  You will forgive yourself.  You will get up.  You will dust yourself off.  You will adjust, and you will keep going.  But most of all, you will give yourself grace…because I have given you grace.”

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In general, as moms, our good moments outweigh our bad moments. At no point would we trade momlife for anything else in the world. We recognize the gift that motherhood has brought us.

However, surviving motherhood is all we can hope for in some instances. We would love to be “on” all the time.  We would love to thrive all the time. We would love to wake up ready and raring to go all the time. Yet when we cannot thrive, when we are not raring and ready to go, these are some ways to keep going – one foot in front of the other. And guess what? As my son’s teacher pointed out, as I sashayed into his student-teacher conference 15 minutes late for our 10 minute meeting after rushing from work to get there, even when you am simply surviving, “you are doing fine.”

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What are some mom hacks you suggest for surviving motherhood?

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