Oh hey mama! Are you feeling as mega overwhelmed as I am with mom life and all of the chaos that goes along with it? I’m talking school, work, music class, gymnastics, sports, travel, hectic evenings, homework, early mornings, busy weekends, etc. If I allow my mind to take over, its almost crippling. I’ll be honest, organization is not my strong suit and we’ve headed into a major milestone life season in our family – kindergarten. Also, this mama is done with hectic mornings and evenings that end in yelling and stress. Done. Donezo. So I’m making a conscious effort in our lives to start simplifying for a happier family starting NOW. Do you feel the same? How do you plan on simplifying for a happier family? I’d really love to hear what your thoughts are and how you’ll have a less chaotic weekday schedule….I need all the help I can get. This is the internal monologue I’ve had with myself this past week.

Dinner

Don’t stress about dinner. If you can get some protein and produce on their plates, call it a win. Do not, I repeat, do not try to cook something that destroys 12 pans. Don’t do it. No matter how good it is, you’ll hate yourself afterward. Make it easy and don’t overcomplicate the darn thing. It’s dinner. Just make sure everybody washes their hands before they eat and try to get them to tell you about their day. If you can do that, it’s a win. Also, make one night of the week takeout and one night leftovers. Genius.

Bedtime

Move it on up….nine o’clock bedtimes aren’t going to cut it. Be ruthless with the bedtime routine. Get rid of the all the unnecessary steps and get the washed, dressed, read to, and snuggled. Then get ready for the next day. And don’t try to fool yourself that you’ll do it in the morning. You won’t.

Committments

Say ‘no’ way more than you say ‘yes’. You don’t need an explanation. Focus on the family and get rid of anything that stresses you guys out. Do the things that make you or the kids happy. Keep a bunch of ‘white space’ in the calendar. Don’t overcommit. It’s better to say ‘no’ from the beginning than to back out right before.

Clutter

Get rid of it. Don’t think about it. Less is more. You know it’s true. Get rid of the junk, the extras, the never use, the forgot abouts. Pass them along to someone who can use them. Declutter your space and declutter your mind. Don’t stress out about getting all done in a week but little by little. Just make steady progress.

Repeat after me: Say no. Keep it simple. Less is more. Go to sleep. Simplifying for a happier family is the name of the game. Join me in making our families (mamas included) the priority so we can limit the amount of stress we’re allowing in our lives.