The thought of being a stay-at-home mom is one that most mothers entertain at one time or another. While the secret to happiness as a mom who stays home is different from one mom to the other, there’s no doubt that it can be an enjoyable time in your and your family’s life.
The biggest problem for many moms comes with the transition from working mom to staying at home. If you’re having a hard time with the transition, read on below to find a few tips that will help you along the way.
Make Your House A Home
While accepting the reality that your hours at home are about to increase tenfold, think about things around your house that would make it somewhere you actually want to be. For everyone, this could be something different. Do you want to be able to make meals from your own garden thanks to a backyard makeover? Would a refinished bathroom outside of your master suite make your days a little bit more pleasant? Maybe finding and hiring a professional window contractor to open up the natural light into the house makes it feel that much brighter and larger while your kids runabout? The point here is that few homes are perfect and even with small changes your home probably won’t be the one from your fantasies, but with a few improvements in areas where you spend most of your time it can really make a huge difference.
Always Remember Your New Job is a JOB
The first step to transitioning to your new life at home is to realize you’re still doing a job, an awesome and extremely important job at that. You’ve made the choice to stay at home to make sure your kids have the full childhood experience, and that is commendable no matter what anyone tells you. The fact that you’re not bringing in money doesn’t mean your job isn’t important. You’re impacting the lives of tiny humans and that’s the best job there is.
Set a Schedule and Stick to It
One of the hardest things to get used to if you’re used to a 9 to 5 is the fact that there is no set schedule when you stay home. While some things are essential, like feeding the kids and making sure they’re dressed, others like laundry, mopping, and other chores can quickly become overwhelming if you let them pile up and don’t have a schedule to get them completed in a timely manner. Create a reasonable schedule, stick to it, and you’ll find everything from housework to bathing the kids will be much easier.
Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself
It’s super easy when you’re home all day to devote yourself to the house and the kids. While this is a great thing to do, you still have to take time for yourself or you’ll experience burnout and staying home won’t be as much fun as it used to be. Take the time to pamper yourself, whether it’s a bubble bath with a good book or curling up on the couch to binge-watch Netflix while the kids are asleep. Remember, you can’t take care of your family if you don’t take care of yourself first.
Don’t Forget to Keep in Touch with Friends
Being a working mom kept you engaged. When you’re staying home, it’s easy to fall into the habit of having no one to talk to other than children. It’s important to stay social, however. Keep up with your friends from work, while forming friendships with other stay-at-home moms at the same time. Go out to lunch on occasion or take the kids to the park. It doesn’t matter how you stay social, as long as you do.
These are just a few tips to help you transition from working to staying at home with the children you love. Remember, while being a stay-at-home mom is awesome, you still need to take time for yourself to make it work.
