Today is the last post in the New Year, New Mama series, and honestly, I’m a little bit sad.

I’ve had so much fun writing posts you guys specifically requested, answering questions you wanted me to answer, and giving tips and advice about things you’re personally struggling with. I’ve never done a series like this and I’ve loved diving deep and really thinking about ways to solve these common problems.

This whole New Year, New Mama series has been about helping you improve and become the best mom you can be. You’re already doing a GREAT job, even if you don’t think you are, but there are always things we can get better at.

And now that you’ve read all the posts (right!?), it’s time to make some changes! Reading about how to change is great, but you have to actually take action for it to make any difference. As my favorite podcaster Alison Faulkner says, “Insight is cute, but action is drop dead gorgeous.”

And lucky for you, I’m making it super easy for you to start making changes. I’ve created a free worksheet to help you tackle each of the New Year, New Mama topics. It’s very simple, can be filled out fast, and will give you actionable items you can do now to start living your best mom life. Plus, it’s black and white so no color ink will be harmed in the printing of this download.

The free printable worksheet has a few lines under each topic that we’ve talked about. The idea is to pick one or two actionable things to work on. For “Saying Goodbye to Mom Guilt” it might be only checking social media once a day (to help eliminate comparison you might be unintentionally doing!). For “Getting (and Staying) Organized” it might be doing a declutter challenge. Whatever you think you can do to start making changes.

You don’t have to use up all the lines, and you don’t even have to fill out every topic, if you don’t feel like it’s something you struggle with. We’re all good at different things, whether it’s organizing, self-care, getting things done, or something completely different that I didn’t even address in the series!

Yes, you could just read all the posts in the series and think in your head what you can take away from them. But there’s power in actually writing things down and looking at them often. You’re a lot more likely to take action when you write down the things you want to do, whether it’s a small thing like organize the kids’ closet or a big thing like run a marathon.

Download it here!

Mamas, there’s no better day than today to start something new. I hope you take this seriously, print out this free worksheet, and fill it out, because it’s time to make some changes

Thanks for joining me for this fun series! You’ve got this, Mama!

Check out the rest of the posts in the New Year, New Mama series here:

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Taking Time for Yourself

Becoming a Fun Mom

The post New Year, New Mama: Time to Make Some Changes appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Being a fun mom is not something that comes naturally to me.

I’m good at managing my kids’ schedules, making sure they’re well-fed, clean, and kind to others, and helping them feel loved and cared for.

But fun? That one takes some effort.

Motherhood is so exhausting and it’s easy for us to get bogged down by all of our responsibilities. Motherhood can feel very routine, and sometimes it’s hard to relax and just enjoy our lives alongside our kids. It’s hard to let go of the structure and rules and be a fun mom.

I understand that being a fun mom might come naturally to some, and that’s fantastic. Way to go, you’re amazing, Mama! Please send me all your tips.

But if you’re like me and need some help becoming a fun mom, that’s okay, too! We’re all at different stages and have different personalities, and life would be boring if we were all the same.

Luckily, becoming a fun mom doesn’t have to take a ton of effort or a lot of planning, and it certainly doesn’t require spending a lot of money. You can be a fun mom overnight by implementing these few simple strategies.

Here are six tips to help you be a fun mom:

1. Do one simple, purposeful, meaningful thing a day. It doesn’t have to be big, just something you can do alongside your kid that will brighten their day. It might be reading an extra book before bed, telling them a funny story from when you were a kid, having a tickle fight, or even letting them pick out your outfit. Little things like this really add up, and even if your child doesn’t realize you’re doing all these fun things, you’ll be creating little moments every day that are fun and make both of you feel special.

2. Put your child to bed in a good mood. I know this one can be hard (we’ve had our fair share of fights about bedtime), but when your kid goes to bed in a good mood and ends the day feeling happy, they’ll feel more loved and you’ll feel more successful and like you’re doing a good job.

3. Be spontaneous. This can mean different things to different people, but doing things for your kids that are unexpected (like showing up at their school for lunch, making a blanket fort, or eating dinner on a blanket while watching a movie) can mean a lot to a kid. Kids don’t forget things easily, and they’ll appreciate the little things you do (even if they don’t seem like they do!).

4. Play with your kids. Mamas, this one is hard for me. I don’t like getting on the floor and playing stuffed animals or acting out Jurassic World. But when I do, oh man, it brings the biggest smiles to my kids’ faces. Even my toddler has more fun when I’m on the floor playing with him!

5. Get in the picture. AKA stop taking pictures and go experience things with your kids! Have you ever gotten home from somewhere and realized that all you did was take pictures of your kids doing things and didn’t try any of those things yourself? If you go to a waterpark, go down the slides with your kids. If you go to the park, get up and push your child on the swing instead of sitting on a bench scrolling through social media. Live in the moment and go have fun with your kids. They’ll love having you be a part of their fun!

6. Have a “yes day.” I plan on writing a post about this eventually, but one of my friends shared this idea about how every once in a while she has a “yes day” with her kids where she tries to say yes to as many things as she can. Yes to outings of their choosing, yes to letting them pick what they want at mealtimes, yes to playing horsey, yes to extra snuggles before bed or staying up a few minutes. It’s such a special way to treat your kids, and they’ll look forward to these fun days!

Becoming a fun mom isn’t as hard as you might think. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, you might have to be a little more intentional about it, but that’s fine! You’re in good company! Take it one day at a time, with one small thing at a time, and your kids will be calling you fun in no time! You’ve got this, Mama!

New Year, New Mama Posts Up So Far:

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Taking Time for Yourself

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: Becoming a Fun Mom appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Being a mom is a full time job. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No days off, no sick days, and oh yeah, you don’t get paid.

It’s wonderful, but it’s also hard. And if you don’t take time for yourself, you can get burned out pretty quick.

Self-care and taking time for yourself are two of the most important things you can do to avoid motherhood burnout. But unfortunately, they’re hard, too.

Another one of the things moms told me they struggle with in my Instagram survey was taking time for themselves. Moms reported having a hard time finding time for themselves, taking care of themselves, and feeling guilty about the fact that they’re taking time for themselves. Does that sound fair to you?

Oftentimes when we become mothers, we put our goals or dreams on hold for something better. Our children are incredible, wonderful blessings, and it’s a gift to be able to raise them. They fill us up and bring us joy and happiness like we’ve never felt before. But they don’t have to be the only things that fill us up. We are more than just mothers.

Becoming a mother doesn’t mean you have to give up on yourself. You don’t have to stop dreaming about writing a novel or becoming a great painter or getting your degree. You can still find time to take time for yourself and not feel guilty about it.

First of all, let’s tackle the guilt part.

I already wrote a whole post about not feeling mom guilt in this series, and I want to reiterate something. Mom guilt comes from an impossible standard that you have made up in your head from everything you “think” a mom should be. So if the thing you’re feeling guilty about is taking time for yourself, I think the reason is probably because one quality moms are “supposed” to have is selflessness.

But who says that being selfless means you can’t take time for yourself? Who says you have to give everything you have to your family? You can’t give them the best you unless you are taking care of yourself and are happy yourself, right? You can’t fill everyone else’s cups up if your cup is empty.

The guilt you feel is all in your head. You aren’t doing anything wrong when you take time for yourself, and therefore you have no reason to feel guilt other than for failing to meet some made up standard you created in your head. It’s best for everyone if you take time for yourself and you continue to improve yourself and do things you love outside of motherhood, because that, too, will fill you up and make you happier and able to give more of yourself to your family.

Make sense? Good. Let it sink in before you move on because the next part is important, too.

I did a lot of thinking about this topic, because I know it’s one that a lot of mamas struggle with. I thought about what it means to “take time for yourself” and how I could help you figure out how to do it. I’ve decided that taking time for yourself can be divided up into three categories: taking time for your passions, taking time for your dreams, and taking time for self-care. Now you don’t have to do something from each category every single day, but I do think it’s important to do at least one thing for yourself every day.

Taking time for your passions means taking time to do things you love. It might be watercolor painting, it might be cake decorating, it might be pilates, or it might be fixing up old furniture. We all have things we love, and finding time to do them helps us feel more fulfilled and remember that we are more than just moms. And if it’s been so long that you don’t even know what you’re passionate about anymore, try a few different things. You might not be very good at something, but if you like it, keep practicing and don’t give up.

Taking time for your dreams means taking time to do things you want to do. Your goals, your hopes, your aspirations. You don’t have to give up on these just because you have kids. You might go back to school and get or finish your degree. You might apply to be a monthly contributor for a journal or blog. You might start training for a marathon or American Ninja Warrior. You have dreams, whether you admit them out loud or not. It took me over a year to admit to myself that I wanted to write a book, and it took a lot of work, but I did, and it’s one of my proudest accomplishments and something that brought me great joy. You have dreams. You have goals and things you want to do. Sit down, break them into steps, and start working on them. Even if they take a long time, you’ll be glad you didn’t give up on them.

Taking time for self-care means taking time to unwind. Self-care looks different for everyone. For some it might be running, others it might be binge-watching Netflix. You might love reading or taking bubble baths or getting your nails done. You might relax by reading trashy celebrity gossip magazines or keeping up with the Kardashians. Just figure out what helps you relax and take your mind off of things and make sure you do those things more often. A relaxed mama is a happy mama.

“But Chelsea, I don’t have time!” you whine. Shut your beautiful mouth, Mama. You can find time. You can find time in the morning before your kids wake up, you can find time during nap time or while your kids are at school, or you can find time after your kids or husband go to bed. And if you really feel like your day is jam-packed, you or your husband are always working, and none of these times will work for you, I 100% support getting a babysitter and getting out of the house for a few hours by yourself. Don’t feel guilty about it, because it will make things a lot happier at home.

Taking time for yourself is one of the most important things you can do for yourself (obviously) and your family. It helps you feel more fulfilled, helps you remember that you are more than just a mom, and gives you more to look forward to than just bedtime each day.

Find a little bit of time every single day to do something for yourself. It can be something small, it can be something big, but I promise that taking time for yourself can change how you see yourself and bring your life more joy.

You’ve got this, Mama!

P.S. The goal worksheet in the photo above is from The Alison Show‘s incredible newsletter she sends out each week (sign up here)

Check out the rest of the New Year, New Mama series here:

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Becoming a Fun Mom

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: Taking Time For Yourself appeared first on Life With My Littles.

We all have things we want to organize: the kids’ old baby clothes, the pantry, the linen closet, the garage, the playroom, the kitchen cupboards, and on and on and on. The problem is that we often don’t know where to start. Sometimes we have so much we want to organize that we don’t even begin.

Organization is another one of the topics that was brought up when I asked my fellow mamas on Instagram about areas they wanted to improve. And I’ve seen about a billion posts on social media about the Marie Kondo Netflix series that just came out (which, honestly, I wasn’t super impressed with). Organization seems to be a common struggle!

Now I’m no professional organizer (which is actually a real thing, Google it), but I have managed to keep an organized house with a husband and three young kids.

So for today’s post, I thought it would be helpful to not only talk about how to get organized and some of the things I do in my home, but also how to stay organized after you’ve put in all that work. Having kids can definitely make it harder to stay organized, but mamas, it doesn’t have to prevent you from maintaining an organized home!

Also, a quick note, I know that when you scroll through Pinterest or Instagram and see gorgeous pictures of organized pantries and playrooms it can be disheartening. The amount of money some people spend on bins, boxes, and storage can be absurd. But I promise, organization doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. In fact, it can save you money because you’ll know what you have and where everything is and you won’t have to go buy something because you can’t find the one you used to have at home.

How to Get Organized

To start, let’s go over a few tips to help you get organized.

Make a list of things you want to organize. Get it all out there. Then decide to do one a week, one a month, or one every other month if it’s a big project that will take a while. Break it up so it’s more manageable, and then hold yourself accountable to get it done.

Go through things. As you go through those closets and clothes and toys, decide what to keep and what to get rid of. You can do it in a Marie Kondo does-it-bring-me-joy way or you can do it in a more practical way. Get rid of things that haven’t seen the light of day in years, things that don’t fit, toys your kids don’t play with, or things that are broken or overstocked. Decide what to donate, what to keep, and what to throw away.

Try a declutter challenge. If those first two tips seem too daunting, try a declutter challenge. It’s a good place to start if you have a lot of “stuff” and aren’t sure where to start. I did this one before we moved to Minnesota and it was awesome.

One thing at a time. Breathe. Organizing your home is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on one thing at a time, give it your all, and then move on to the next thing. You can’t do it all at once or you might literally explode.

Everything needs a place. Whether it’s a shelf, a basket, or a drawer, everything needs to have its own designated place. You want to keep like with like and make sure things have a place so you can put them away after using them. Like I said before, you don’t have to use bins or big storage tubs, but if you want them, check your dollar store, use these big cheap Ikea boxes, or for storage tubs, buy the buy the seasonally colored ones after the holidays are over (like orange and black the week after Halloween when they’ll be on sale).

Try using a central command station. If you’re thinking this is great and all, but you want to try and organize your life, too, try creating a central command station with a big calendar, a place for mail and keys, a menu board or grocery list, and anything else you think would help you stay on top of things.

I know these are simple tips, but if you follow them, you can make the job of organizing your home a lot more manageable and less intimidating.

How to Stay Organized

Great job! You’ve taken the time to get rid of things and find a place for the keepers. Give yourself a high-five. But now what? Sure you might’ve organized your home and put everything away, but how can it stay like that when you’re using those things and actually living in your home? Here’s what works for us:

Follow the same system as when you organized things. Regularly (maybe annually?) go through things and decide what you need and want and what can be trashed. We all know that just because a toy can be your kid’s favorite today doesn’t mean it will be his favorite in a year. And when that time comes, get rid of it. Otherwise your decluttering will have been for naught.

Put things away. When you use something, put it away. When you get something out, put it away. Instead of thinking “I’ll put it away later” (which we all know is a lie) put it away right after you use it.

Finish tasks. Sometimes we get things out to work on them and then end up spending weeks on them. Or we start putting away the kids’ laundry but then something else comes up and the laundry doesn’t get put away for three days. Little things like this will make you slip right back into that disorganized mess you just cleaned up! So finish what you start and don’t leave things laying around.

Don’t buy useless things. If you’re only going to use something once and then put it in a closet, don’t buy it. And if you do end up buying something you think you’ll use only to realize you hate it and it’s useless, either return it to the store or get rid of it.

When you get new things, get rid of old things. This applies to clothes, toys, dishes, towels, sheets, etc.

Only buy things you love. This is especially important for clothes and for decorating your home. One thing I personally do is everything I decorate my home with is something I love or have a personal connection to. A lot of our paintings, I’ve done. I collect stamps and instead of keeping them in a box in the closet, I display them. This really helps you live in a more minimalist way, which helps you stay organized and able to enjoy the things in your home.

Make sure everyone in the family knows what’s expected in terms of cleaning up. This is a big one with kids. We make our kids clean up their toys every single night before bed. They know to put their dishes in the sink when they’re done, and trash in the trash can when things are gone. We all help out (so mama doesn’t go crazy) and it helps us stay organized every day.

How are you feeling? Motivated? Ready to tackle those toys and closets? Me too! I think I need to go find something else in my home to organize! Getting and staying organized really is easier than you might think, as long as you break it down, don’t take on too much too fast, and implement a few simple strategies to maintain order in your home.

Now get to it! You’ve got this, Mama!

New Year, New Mama Posts Up So Far:

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Taking Time for Yourself

Becoming a Fun Mom

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: Getting (and Staying) Organized appeared first on Life With My Littles.

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If there’s one word I would use to describe moms, it’s “busy.” We are constantly on our feet doing things for our family, friends, and neighbors. We take care of our homes, we work, we buy groceries and cook dinners, we clean and do laundry, and we set up playdates, doctor’s appointments, and extracurricular activities for our kids. Moms are BUSY.

In my last New Year, New Mama post, I talked all about finding balance in motherhood, that you can’t do everything, and why it’s necessary to let some things go.

But what if you’ve accepted that, you’ve set your priorities and dropped a few things from your life, and you’re still struggling to keep up? What if you’re still having a hard time getting things done and staying on top of your schedule?

First of all, you’re not alone. So many of the responses I got to the questions I asked about what the hardest part of motherhood is and where you want to improve involved getting things done and time management. So many. This is a very common struggle among moms in all stages of motherhood. We’re all trying to manage everything we have going on in a way that works for us and our families. Luckily, the solution isn’t as complicated as you might think.

Getting things done and staying on top of your schedule really boils down to two things: writing things down and using a planner.

But Chelsea, how can it be that simple? I know, right? It sounds so easy, but these two little things have made all the difference in my life. (Mostly) gone are the days when I forget to do something my husband asks or I miss a doctor’s appointment because I didn’t know what day it was. Writing things down and using a planner have really changed how I manage my life.

Now I know that everybody is different. You might have tried one of these tips before and found it wasn’t for you. Well guess what? You’re going to try it again. Why? Because maybe the way you tried it before wasn’t for you, not the actual tip itself. Maybe you tried a digital planner and hated it. Maybe you tried using reminders on your phone and things never got done. Well lucky for you, there are as many ways to write things down and types of planners as there are kinds of people, so there’s really something for everyone (even if you aren’t the planning type!). So please keep reading, try something new, and I am positive you’ll find the best way for you personally to get things done and stay on top of your schedule!

Write Things Down

The key to getting things done is really quite simple. I’ve found that with my increasingly forgetful mommy brain, writing things down has been the only way that I can remember and feel motivated to check things off my to-do list. This is especially important for mamas with a lot to do (pretty much all of us, right?). Writing things down not only helps me calm my mind because I know I won’t forget something, but it helps me be able to focus on what’s in front of me (whether that be my family, work, or even an individual task I’m working on) and live a better life. And when I do sit down and look at my list, it helps me stay focused on what I need to do and helps me feel like I have a plan and there’s an end in sight. It’s clear what you need to do when you’ve written things down, and having those tasks or reminders written down in front of you will motivate you to get them done. Even if your list ends up being long, working through it one step at a time will help you get things done and achieve more.

Here are seven places to write things down:

1. The reminders app in your phone. I write things here all the time. It’s perfect for people who have their phone on them all the time or don’t like to physically write things down, or for people who like to physically write things down but aren’t near a pen and paper. I like to write things down in my reminders that pop into my head and then transfer them to my paper list later. Plus, it’s super easy to check them off!

2. This awesome Done is Fun notepad. One of my favorite boss babe geniuses is Alison Faulkner. If you don’t listen to her podcast, you’re missing out (and you should check it out here). Anyway, this notepad (pictured above) breaks down projects into tasks. It’s awesome for big jobs or projects or goals that you’re working on that have little steps within them. I use it to make sure I have everything ready for my blog posts!

3. A Scribble and Jot pocket notebook. Scribble and Jot is my favorite place to get notebooks (you can see a few of them here). They’re handmade, coptic stitch notebooks that are absolutely gorgeous. They lay flat and come in all different sizes. The pocket ones are 3 3/4″ x 5″ and are perfect for fitting into a diaper bag and not taking up much space. They are so high quality and if you’re a lover of notebooks, this is the way to go. You can break down your lists into daily tasks or just make general to-do lists in these little babies.

4. Sticky notes. Sticky notes are great because they’re super easy. You can stick them anywhere to remind you to do things, they come in all different sizes (depending on how big your lists are), and you can easily crumple them up and toss them in the trash when you’re done with them (which is very satisfying). I use sticky-notes for quick reminders of things I need to do the next day (like take chicken out of the freezer), and because they’re so bright and colorful, I don’t ever forget to do the things they tell me to!

5. Any kind of little notebook or notepad. I know I already mentioned the Scribble and Jot notebooks, but honestly any little boring notebook from Walmart or Target works, too. Spiral-bound notebooks, Moleskine notebooks, or lined, yellow notepads. You don’t have to get fancy or spend a lot of money. Just somewhere you can write things down that you’ll see every day. You get a lot more done when you write things down!

6. A small planner where you can write tasks for each day. If you like to break things up into daily tasks (for example Monday, groceries, Tuesday, laundry, Wednesday, clean bathrooms, etc.), a small planner with a few lines for each day is a great idea. Yes, you could use a regular, full-size planner for this, but I like to keep my schedule separate from little tasks like these. And maybe you will, too!

7. A dry-erase board or magnetic notepad on the fridge. Aren’t you almost always in the kitchen when you remember things you have to buy at the store? Instead of running around the house to write it down in your notebook every time, try keeping a dry-erase board or magnetic notepad on your refrigerator! If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this is also a good place to write things down.

When you write things down, it’s easy to see exactly what you need to spend your time on. You get more done because you’re focused, your tasks are clear, and you’ll do things you would’ve forgotten otherwise! Writing things down is the key to getting things done!

Use a Planner

Now let’s talk about staying on top of your schedule. Just like writing things down helps you get more done, using a planner helps you stay on top of your schedule. Managing your time can be hard without one because even though you think you know what you’ve got coming up, you can’t see it physically laid out in front of you. When you use a planner and schedule out your time (and include activities and appointments for your kids, your husband’s work schedule, and even meal planning), you can plan ahead, you’ll always know what’s going on and what’s coming up, and things won’t slip through the cracks.

Write down birthdays, highlight days your kids have off of school, schedule date nights and time at the gym, and mark upcoming deadlines or important dates you need to be aware of. If it’s something you need to know, putting it in your planner is going to help you stay on top of it!

Here are eleven planner ideas that I use or that were recommended to me by friends:

1. Erin Condren LifePlanner. This is what I use, and it’s incredible. There are like 100 covers to choose from, you get a monthly spread and weekly layouts (and you can choose between vertical, horizontal, or hourly like I have), and there are places for goals, inspirational quotes, note pages, and coordinating stickers in the back. I love it so much. There are also a bunch of cool add-ons you can get like the snap-in menu planner, bill tracker, fitness tracker, grocery list, to-do list, or even a party planning page. I am on my second LifePlanner, and it has literally helped me plan my life and stay on top of my schedule. It’s like the Cadillac of planners (people still say that, right?).

2. Erin Condren Monthly Deskpad. I know this is more of a calendar than a planner, but we have one on our fridge and it’s where I keep track of our family’s monthly schedule. It has dance class, doctor’s appointments, birthdays, my husband’s work schedule, and anything else that my husband and I both need to be aware of. It’s kind of our way of sharing our schedules with each other so we can be on the same page and nobody can use the excuse “well I didn’t know about that.” I put a magnet on the back and it works great on our fridge!

3. Passion Planner. I haven’t personally used these, but I’ve heard great things about them. There’s a spot in the beginning for you to map out your goals and how to achieve them, plus monthly and weekly layouts. Each week has an hourly layout, a space for both personal to-dos and work to-dos, the focus for the week, and a blank space for whatever you want. At the end of each month there’s a spot to reflect back and see your progress and how you can improve the next month. If you’re very goal oriented or you have something you want to work on throughout your year, this might be for you!

4. PowerSheets Intentional Goal Planner. Another goal-focused planner for those who have big dreams! I haven’t seen one of these in person but they have amazing reviews. I think they’re similar to the Passion Planners, but a lot more colorful and with more of a focus on achieving goals.

5. Day Designer for Blue Sky Planner. Several people recommended these to me (one friend said she’d been using them for three years, another for seven!), you can get them from Target or Amazon, and they look awesome! They’re more affordable than Erin Condren planners and they come in several different sizes. They also have a four-part goal setting section!

6. Google Calendar. Lots of people have recommended Google Calendar to me (including my husband), but I just have to have a hard copy of my schedule! If you want to sync your schedules with your husband or older kids, this is a great option. If you always have your phone on you and you’re tech-savvy, this might be the one for you!

7. Spaces Planner. These are great planners for list-makers. If I wasn’t so in love with my LifePlanner, I might try these out! They have 52 weekly layouts with boxed spaces for all your lists. There are seven pre-labeled spaces (personal, housework, errands, shopping list, notes, health goals, and relationships) and six empty spaces for you to fill in whatever else you want to write down (menu, priorities, appointments). If you want to combine your planner and your lists in one place, this is the planner for you.

8. Kate Spade Planner. These are beautiful and great for the diaper bag because they have a little stretchy band to keep them closed. They’re pretty simple, so if you’re a minimalist, check these out!

9. Bullet Journal. I tried bullet journaling when my third son was born and it wasn’t for me, but if you want to fully customize your planner, bullet journaling is great! When I was getting into it a lot of people recommended using a Moleskine notebook, so you can start there (and there are TONS of ideas on Instagram, too!).

10. Commit 30 Planner. The thing I like about these is that they’re small and they have one day per page. It has a few spots for to-do lists and one section per day titled “Today I commit to…” that you fill in each day. It looks like a great motivator!

11. Happy Planner. If you’re the creative type, this is the planner for you. There are several different layouts, they’re all super bright and colorful, and the stickers are just amazing! There are tons of add-ons and extension packs so you can fully customize your planner and make it exactly what you want. They’re also sold at an affordable price, too!

Using a planner will absolutely help you stay on top of your schedule. It’s so helpful to see your week or month planned out, and it’s a great way to manage your time and know what’s coming up. Using a planner is the key to staying on top of your schedule!

So now that you know the two almost-too-simple keys to getting things done and staying on top of your schedule, it’s time to take action! I challenge you to pick one of these from each list to try out this week. If you’re already writing things down and using a planner, AWESOME. Keep doing it. Try doing it even better and more often. It really will help you manage your time and feel a little more together in your busy, full life! You’ve got this, Mama, and you’re doing a great job!

New Year, New Mama Posts Up So Far:

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Taking Time for Yourself

Becoming a Fun Mom

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule appeared first on Life With My Littles.

As a married mom of three with a successful business I run from home, I’m often asked about finding balance in motherhood.

“How do you balance having three kids and finding time for yourself?”

“How do you balance staying-at-home and working-from-home?”

“How do you balance taking care of your family and your house?”

“How do you balance your relationship with your husband and being a mom?”

“How do you balance all the things!?”

Time, relationships, hobbies, work, to-do lists; there are a lot of things that moms try to “balance.” But before we get any further here, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

There is no such thing as balance. You can’t do it all.

GASP.

I know. It might be hard to believe, but nobody can successfully parent their children, maintain a romantic relationship with their spouse, keep a clean house, run a business, buy groceries and make dinner every night, and still find time to read or paint or go to school or exercise. You can’t do it all. There’s just not enough time.

And let me stop you before you give me that “we all have the same hours in a day” crap. Sure, Beyoncé has done incredible things with those same 24 hours in a day, but I’m 1000% sure that she has a nanny, a chef, a house cleaner, and a personal trainer. She’s not actually doing it all, either.

The actual word balance means having an even distribution, remaining upright and steady, or something in equal proportion. But in motherhood, that does not exist. You can try to have everything, do everything, and never say no to helping anyone, but at some point you’re going to start tipping and eventually things will come crashing down in a big heaping mess. You can’t spend even amounts of time parenting and working and cleaning, you aren’t always going to be at the top of your game, and you’re going to have moments when you wonder how you’re going to survive. That’s how motherhood works.

Mamas, there’s no such thing as balance in motherhood. I wish I had a better answer for you, but it’s true. It’s a little misleading to perpetuate the idea that there is such a thing as balance in motherhood. It leads to mamas feeling like they’re not doing enough, like they’re not measuring up, and like they’re failing. Nobody wants to feel that way.

Every season of motherhood comes with different challenges. The baby years require different things than toddler years, preschool years, elementary years, and definitely the teenage years. Oftentimes as soon as you find your stride and feel like you know what you’re doing, some new challenge will come along and mess up your routine. You have to constantly be adapting and changing and evolving.

So I propose that instead of trying to find balance in motherhood, we try to manage motherhood.

You’re going to have to let things go. Channel your inner Elsa, Mama. Sit down and think about (or write down!) what your priorities are. Figure out what you absolutely have to do and what matters most to you. You have to feed your children, but nobody said it has to be an organic, from-scratch meal every night. But then again if that’s important to you, make it a priority. I’ve made running a priority so I wake everyone up an hour early and we go to the gym before dropping my son off at kindergarten. My business is also important to me, so sometimes I stay up late after everyone has gone to bed to get work done. I can function fine with less sleep so I’ve had to let go of sleeping until 8 every day. You’re going to have to drop a few things, even things you enjoy, but remember that one day you’ll be able to pick them up again. Sometimes things are going to be a little messy. You might decide that helping your son with his homework is more important than doing the dishes or that reading a book to your toddler is more important than folding a load of laundry. That’s okay. Motherhood isn’t supposed to be neat and tidy all the time. Motherhood is messy from day one. Accept that you can’t do everything, decide where your priorities are, and let a few things go. It will help take a huge weight off your shoulders when you realize and accept that you don’t have to do it all.

Decide what you think success is. Not what your mom thinks is successful, not what Sally from mom’s club thinks is successful, but what success means to you. That’s where your game plan is going to come from. For example, let’s take cleaning. If having a clean home is important to you and makes you a successful mom, think about what clean means to you and focus on those things. When my floors are clean, my kitchen counters are cleared off, and my kids’ toys are picked up. I feel like my house is clean. So to be successful in having a clean home, I make sure those things are done at the end of the day. I don’t stress about having every inch of my house clean because mama ain’t got time for that, and neither do you. You define your own success.

Find shortcuts. Find small ways to save yourself time and energy. I’ve been using Walmart grocery pick-up for over two years and it has made grocery shopping so much easier (shopping with young kids is a no go) and saves me A LOT of time. My husband also bought me an iRobot to vacuum our floors and I love that thing like family. Once a day DJ Roomba vacuums our kitchen, dining, and entry area, and I don’t have to worry about the kids making a mess with their meals or sweeping every day. I also like to freeze big recipes so we can heat them up later and we don’t end up throwing away a bunch of leftover food. Find shortcuts that you can take in your life to help save time and energy so you have more to spend doing other things in your day.

Do what works for you, not other people. This sounds obvious, but we’ve all tried to make something work because some expert or celebrity swears by it, even though making it work is causing us more stress. I tried using a cleaning schedule but it stressed me out because I felt like it was just adding to my to-do list every day. Now I do things as needed and it works for me.  If getting a house cleaner once a week is going to help you, find a way to make room in your budget and do it. If eating out the three times a week your kids have after-school activities helps you stop stressing about dinner, do it. If folding laundry while babywearing helps your baby get in a good nap and keeps you feeling productive, go for it. It might take some trial and error to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t, but that’s okay. You’ll figure it out and each time you do, things will get a little simpler.

Instead of looking at what you didn’t accomplish in a day, look at what you did. This one is huge for me. I’m a big list person, and I make lots of to-do lists (I’m also forgetful so this helps me remember what I need to do!). But being a list person can be tough because if I don’t get a lot of things done, I feel unaccomplished (even if I did one big thing that took all day). What has helped me is changing my perspective. Instead of looking at what I didn’t do, I try to remember what I did do, especially things that weren’t on my list. I made lunch for my son before he left for school, I played hide-and-seek with my toddler, I cuddled up with my daughter and watched a TV show with her. Those things all matter, too. Sometimes you’ll feel like your to-do list will never end and like you didn’t get anything done at the end of the day, and it’s not a great feeling to have. But you’re not failing at being a mom if things are left undone. If your kids are alive at the end of the day and they went to bed knowing they’re loved, you’re golden.

Don’t let tasks seem like tasks. I recently heard someone mention something about not letting the little tasks of motherhood seem like tasks. Every day we feed our kids, do their laundry, clean up after them, and put them to bed, not to mention taking care of ourselves, working, exercising, meal planning, and spending quality time with our husbands. We have a lot going on. Motherhood involves a lot of doing the same thing over and over again, day after day. Sometimes it can be monotonous, but those little tasks are the things we’ll look back on and miss one day, so we should do our best to enjoy them. I know it might be hard to enjoy wiping bums or putting away laundry. Those things fall pretty low on the scale of glamorous living. But remember your why. Your kids need you to do things for them, they want you to help them, and they will always think you’re the best mom in the whole world (that’s a direct quote, I might add). You’ll be able to manage everything a little bit easier and with a lighter heart if you’re remembering that they won’t be little forever and this time goes by way too quickly.

We all have a lot on our plate. No matter what stage we’re in, we’re all just trying to learn how to manage it all. There’s a big learning curve in motherhood, and you’re not going to be able to do everything all the time. You’re not supposed to. You can’t expect to stack everything from the buffet on your plate and make it back to your table without spilling. So instead of trying to do everything and then find balance in motherhood, let a few things go. Assess your priorities, find shortcuts, do you, focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t, and try not to get bogged down by the routine of motherhood. You’re doing better than you think you are, and you’ve got this.

If you liked this post, check out the rest of the posts in my New Year, New Mama series here!

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Taking Time for Yourself

Becoming a Fun Mom

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: Finding Balance in Motherhood appeared first on Life With My Littles.

If you’re going to have the best year ever, you’ve got to start with one thing that all mamas struggle with: mom guilt.

We’ve all felt it. We tell ourselves we aren’t good enough, we’re not measuring up, we’re ruining our kids with all of our imperfections. Mom guilt weighs on us when we realize our kids haven’t had a single vegetable in three days, when we lose our temper and yell at our kids, when we go back to work and hire someone else to watch our babies during the day, and when we let our kids watch too much television. Stay-at-home moms feel it, moms with more than one kid feel it, working moms feel it. It means something different to everyone, but it’s so real. So real and so destructive.

Traditionally, people feel guilt when they do something wrong. You steal something, you feel guilty. You say something hurtful to someone, you feel guilty. You lie to get out of doing something, you feel guilty. The problem here is that 95% of the time we feel mom guilt, we’re not actually doing anything wrong.

It’s not wrong to give your child fast food or not to wash your hair for a week. It’s not wrong to leave dishes in the sink or to send your kid to school in pants they’ve already worn twice. It’s not wrong to let your kid watch a movie on TV so that you can clean the bathroom or take some time for yourself. It’s not wrong to work or stay home or feel overwhelmed by your children. You are not doing anything wrong.

So why do we feel mom guilt? Where does it come from? Why do we all go through periods where we feel it? And more importantly, how do we get rid of it?

We figure out what’s causing it.

As women, we are exceptionally hard on ourselves and kind to others. We lift others up but tear ourselves down. We think things look good on other people, but not on us. We see what we want to in other people and wish we had what they have. We hold ourselves up to an incredibly high standard, and when we of course can’t meet that unattainable standard (because nobody can), mom guilt sets in.

Perfection and comparison are at the root of mom guilt.

Did you miss that last bit? Let me say that again so it can really sink in.

Perfection and comparison are at the root of mom guilt.

We feel mom guilt because we see everything and everyone around us as better, more accomplished, more put-together, prettier, happier, more skilled, and then we compare ourselves to the best of everyone else, or who we “think” we should be. An impossible super mom who does it all, has it all, and never makes mistakes.

That’s where mom guilt comes from.

Think for a moment about something you feel mom guilt about. Think about the reason you feel that guilt. Is there a standard that you feel you just aren’t measuring up to? Are you doing something different from the way you think things “should” be done? Nobody has set that standard up except for yourself. And who gets to decide that there is one way things should be done? Nobody but you. It’s all in your head.

You’re not doing anything wrong, and therefore you have no reason to feel mom guilt other than for failing to meet some made up standard you created in your head.

Has mom guilt ever helped you? I’m willing to bet a pretty penny that it hasn’t. Mom guilt doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t help us change and it doesn’t help us feel better.  And if you think about it, there’s nothing that you need to change except for your perspective.

If we change our perspective and recognize that nobody is perfect, including ourselves, we can stop the cycle of mom guilt. No mom is “better” and no child is the same, so we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to each other. We all have different strengths and more importantly, different weaknesses.

Mom guilt is a self-limiting belief, and when you let go of it, when you let go of that longing for perfection that has come from comparing yourself to others, you are free to be you, to parent your way, to raise your kids the way you think is best, and to begin living your best mom life.

You may not ever be a perfect parent, but you’re the perfect parent for your child. Your children were sent to your home because God, the Universe, or whatever higher-up you believe in knew you could handle them, that you were the only one in the whole world who could raise them. You were made for them and they were made for you. You are the perfect parent for your child, and despite all the mom guilt you feel, they see you in that perfect light.

Whether you’re breastfeeding or formula feeding your baby, working or staying at home, head of the PTO or have never stepped foot inside your child’s classroom, feeding your baby greasy fries from McDonald’s or homemade, organically-grown-in-your-own-garden sweet potato fries, you’re doing a good job. You, reading this right now, are doing a good job.

Let go of that perfect, unattainable, impossible standard. You don’t need it. Stop comparing yourself to other people’s bests. Who cares what they’re doing. Stop with the mom guilt. You are incredible, wonderful, and amazing, and you are doing a good job.

Mama, you’ve got this.

If you liked this post, check out the rest of the posts in my New Year, New Mama series here!

How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Taking Time for Yourself

Becoming a Fun Mom

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Happy New Year, mamas!

I love the start of the new year because it’s all about fresh starts and goals and trying to be better than we were last year. It’s the perfect opportunity to assess where you’re at, where you want to be, and how you’re going to get there. It’s the time for losing bad habits, becoming more positive, and actively making choices to change. It’s a time to figure out how to live your best life!

I think the new year is especially important for moms. We are constantly helping our family and taking care of everything around us, and we often put ourselves on the backburner. We have goals and dreams, but over the course of a few years, months, weeks, or even days, life happens and those goals and dreams get put on hold. They become “later” goals and “someday” dreams, and sometimes we give up on them altogether.

I’ve been blogging for 5 1/2 years now, and the thing that has kept me going the most are comments from people telling me how much they needed to hear what I wrote or how helpful a post has been at their stage in life. That’s what I want to do with this series. I want to help you guys live your best mom lives by addressing some common struggles moms face.

A few months ago, I asked three questions on my Instagram stories. I asked what’s the hardest part of motherhood, what’s an area you want to improve on, and what’s the biggest stress in your life. I got A LOT of great answers. As I looked at them all written out together, I realized that they all fell under a few general topics. Every answer related to either organization, balance, getting things done, mom guilt, self-care, or being a better mom. I looked at those answers for a long time and tried to think about how I could help other moms with what I’ve learned in my short six years of motherhood. I’m no expert, but I also know that we can all help each other no matter where we’re at in our motherhood journey. After trying to come up with a way to address these topics effectively, I decided to write a series just for YOU!

New Year, New Mama is an eight part series that I’ll be doing all January long. One intro post (right here), one conclusion/goal-setting post, and six posts in between to give you ideas to help you live your best life. I’m going to talk about why we feel mom guilt and how to get rid of it, how to balance everything you have going on in your life, how to stay on top of your schedule and check things off of your to-do list, how to get and stay organized in your life and your home, why and how to take time for yourself, and how to be a “fun” mom for your kids.

I’ve been working on these posts for over a month now and I’m super excited. I really want to make a difference and inspire YOU to stop feeling overwhelmed and stressed and like you’re a bad mom (because you’re not!). At the start of this new year, right now, I want you to make a decision to make a change. I want you to be uplifted and realize that you can be the mama you want to be. You may have to let a few things go, but that’s okay. We can’t do it all, and we shouldn’t feel like we have to.

Mama, you’ve got this, and I can’t wait to help!

New Year, New Mama Posts:

Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt

Finding Balance in Motherhood

Getting Things Done and Staying On Top of Your Schedule

Getting (and Staying) Organized

Taking Time for Yourself

Becoming a Fun Mom

Time to Make Some Changes

The post New Year, New Mama: How to Start Living Your Best Mom Life appeared first on Life With My Littles.