By Vicki Little
Do you often find yourself wishing there were about five more hours in the day? When you see that first star at night, are you wishing for a clone to go to work for you or someone else to clean the house? Well, we’ve learned that we can’t do it all, all the time, so what should we do? Here is a list of 8 rules that happy mothers live by.
1. Breathe and be positive. Every morning when you wake up, you should start the day fresh, not focusing on what happened (or didn’t happen) yesterday. Take a deep breath, and think of something good that happened recently. Allow the natural smile to spread across your face, and be prepared to start the day on a positive note.
2. One good deed. Do one good thing for someone else every day — and don’t expect to get recognition for it. Go out of your way to say or do something kind for someone, such as helping the mom at the store whose cart is rolling away while her kids are crying. Grab a cup of coffee for your co-worker when you get yours. Let the person behind you in line go ahead of you. Hold the elevator for someone. You will be surprised at how happy this will make you. This feeds positivity into your mind, heart, and soul — and it is worth it!
3. Clean something. No one said that everything we should do every day is fun, but this will certainly make you feel more relaxed. Even if you only have time to wipe down the toilet seat, you will feel a bit better. Soon you will find that you are spending less time cleaning because you are keeping up with details by doing just one thing each day.
4. Give your children a hug. I know we intend to, but how often do we forget? How often is our kid running to school before the bell rings and all we get is a quick kiss on the cheek? Give your children a full squeeze, and tell them you love them while you’re at it!
5. Think about your partner. No, not the grumbly thoughts like, “Why didn’t he take out the trash like I asked?” Show him that you are thinking of him and care about him by doing something to make his day just a bit better. Clean up his side of the sink. Pick up his favorite candy bar, or make his favorite dinner. Or simply text him when you usually wouldn’t — just to say hi!
6. Spend some time by yourself. This is possibly both one of the most important and one of the least done on this list. It is so very important to just spend some time alone, doing whatever it is that you want to do. Notice that no one is talking to you or touching you. No one is asking you to do something or to fix their problems. Spend the time doing what you want, but do it by yourself.
7. Prepare for tomorrow. By the end of the day, you are dragging. Washing your face seems impossible, much less picking up. The next morning will go so much more smoothly, though, if you just spend five minutes getting ready for tomorrow. Wipe off the counters, and put shoes and backpacks by the door. Pull dinner out of the freezer to start thawing or put it in the crockpot in the fridge. Sign the permission slips. Five minutes you spend today is five minutes you can spare in the morning when the coffee hasn’t quite set in yet.
8. Let the little stuff go. It is impossible to get it all done in one day. Even when we think we do, we usually find ourselves in bed realizing something we forgot or missed along the way. Let the little stuff go. Don’t think about the floor that didn’t get mopped or the inbox that didn’t get emptied. It will not matter in a week or a year. If it’s not urgent, then don’t let the worries of today cause you to lose sleep. Rest easy, knowing you did what you needed to for that day.
Is there something you do every day that makes your life a little easier?
Vicki Little is a work-at-home mom with two young kids. A Colorado native, she is the Publisher and Editor of Macaroni Kid Aurora and Downtown Denver. When she isn’t writing or trying to keep up with her kids she can be found volunteering, reading, or enjoying a bottle of wine with friends.
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Chris
March 8, 2015 @ 9:33 pm
Good list, except #5 should say “partner.” Plenty of moms have a wife, or no spouse. I hope they, too, can be happy moms.
Vicki
March 9, 2015 @ 2:49 pm
Agreed! Thank you for pointing that out!
sangeetha menon
May 21, 2015 @ 10:30 pm
Agree with all your points.
At least 15 minutes a day all for yourself is the best reward we mothers can give to ourselves. And always try to find happiness in all those little things like wearing a new dress, having a chocolate bar or getting the dishes done.