The thing that sucks about being a working mom, is the simple fact that when you are at work, you are not spending time with your kid. (or kids) But I have learned to make the best of it, and I’m going to share 6 ‘Working Mom Hacks’ that will help you to maximize the amount of time you have with your children.
Stop grocery shopping on the weekends: I dread going grocery shopping, and for some reason I always ended up doing my shopping on Sunday morning. Sometimes I would bring the kids, sometimes I wouldn’t… but it wasn’t exactly what I would call fun, family time together. So I started going on weeknights. And it’s awesome. I usually go on Monday night, after the kids are asleep. The grocery stores are basically empty (no deli lines people!!) and I can actually think about what I need since I’m not throwing goldfish or iPhones at my children to keep them from terrorizing other customers. Try it out, you will never go back to weekend shopping.
Workout early: I like going to the gym. I try to go every other day, since my hubby & I take turns. It’s important to me and it makes me happy. So I wake up early, like 5am early, to go the gym. That way, I get my workout in and I’m home in time to wake up Hudson at 6:40 to start getting him ready for school. We like eating breakfast together, so both my husband and I make it a priority to workout early, so we can enjoy time as a family before we all head off work & school. I don’t feel any guilt taking the time for myself, since I know everyone at home is sleeping. Once you start waking up early, you get used to it. I promise.
Take advantage of your salon’s odd hours: I don’t get my haircut as often as I should, but when I do, I go on Thursday nights after work. That’s the ‘late night’ at my favorite salon. One night a week they stay open until 9pm so that’s when I go. I don’t like spending a Saturday at the salon. It was never my thing. This way, I miss one dinner, instead of missing an entire afternoon on a weekend. Many nail and hair salons have these odd hour nights, so take advantage of them. Also, if you have a person you go to regularly, there is a good chance that if you just ask, they will come in early or stay late to accommodate you.
Make a cleaning schedule: My husband and I do little things throughout the week, so we can have a ‘clean-free’ weekend. Find out which tasks take the most time for you and try to get them done during the week. For us, it’s our floors. We have tons of neighborhood kids over everyday and our entire house is light colored tile. (except the bedrooms) We realized it was taking FOREVER to clean the floors on the weekend. Now I try to do the floors a few times a week in the morning, after my hubby and son leave. The baby just follows me around, and the floors are clean (almost) all the time now, since we take care of them during the week instead of the weekend. We also do more laundry during the week to get that out of the way as well.
Technology helps in a pinch: Sometimes my husband and I work different hours. I occasionally work a split shift, which means I go in around noon and stay until 9pm. My husband has to work weekends every once in awhile when he is the manager on call. These are the times technology is awesome. Facetime is your friend. When I work late, I call the fam up on facetime after dinner to hear about everyone’s day and give them all good night ‘kisses’ through the phone. We will make videos of our activities on the weekend when my husband is at work to send to him. (while this technically isn’t spending time with your kids, but it’s still a working mom hack, so there.)
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| Small changes mean more FAMILY TIME! |
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So true– I get my hair done on Tuesdays… and I try to get my shopping done during the week. Love these tips!!!
We all need time savers! Weekend time is precious…
Genius – grocery shopping on the weekend takes up an entire morning and it sucks. Going during the week is a great idea. I'll be working that into my schedule this week. Also, so true about getting up early. When I do it I love it, need to make it a habit.
That has been the biggest change, once you try it… you will never go on the weekends! It also goes by so much quicker, since the store is SO empty!
GREAT tips, Lord knows I need more time!!! I do dread going out at night after I've come "home" for the day, but if we do the little errands during the week, then weekends will be free!!
It is hard sometimes to get out the door, when I really just want to sit on the couch and have my wine, but it is worth it! (at least for me at this point!) 😉
Thanks for sharing, I'm getting ready to go back to work and really stressing over maximizing family time during the week
Good luck on your transition back to work! It sucks, but there are ways to make the best of it! 😉
Great tips, even for a sahm 🙂
yes they could def work for SAHM's too!! 😉
These are some really good tips to implement to have more time with the family. I love the tips about going shopping during odd hours and getting the workout in early in the day.
Thanks Crystal!!
You have made me feel so much better about my son going down later than what would be considered 'normal' -I much prefer us all to eat as a family so we have dinner when my partner is in from work and he gets to spend time with my son before he's off to bed at 8.30(ish!)
This is a really great post!
Jenn
Photo-Jenn-ic
Well, I don't have kids, but some of these tips sound like great ideas for getting stuff done faster and getting more time with your spouse on the weekends. I already do the Thursday night hair appt, but I'm thinking of trying the grocery store hack. Genius! Happy SITS DAY!
Awesome tips! I work from home and I have adopted early rising to get things done. I'm pretty sure part of my family thinks I'm nuts but they realize I just want to maximize family time. Happy SITS day!
Love that you found ways to make time work for you! I used to stress about getting my baby to bed early and by a certain time everynight. Now I'm more relaxed and enjoy our evening routines instead of watching the clock. He goes to bed between 7:45-8:30 most nights, and having a wide range works for us!
I can't believe I missed this post about mom hacks! Fabulous tips!
I always workout early… actually, I do everything early… it's so nice to have quiet time and meet my needs before the kids are up and the day becomes a flurry of activity.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
These are all great ideas! I follow a few already, but am considering the others. Thanks! Happy SITS Day!
I love the title of this article. So many hacks tell us how to do it, but this article says why. It is because we want more time with our kids. Sharing this with other working moms at Affimity.
Great tips! A cleaning schedule is a must!! I love my 'clean-free' weekends 🙂
Oh you so rock!! These are amazingly simple but awesome tips! I am at home with my little guy, but I am working from home constantly and struggle how to balance it. Totally taking some of your tips and applying them to my life. Thanks!
These are great tips! It's so important for parents to get this struggle under control!
Working out early is my lifesaver! I don't think I'll ever be someone who enjoys exercising at night. Great tips:)
these are some really good tips!!
my working mom hack is dinners that I have premade and frozen, pulling them out of the freezer in the morning – coming home, throwing whatever it is in the oven, and heading right back outside to play with my sons.
It makes for a less stressful evening, plus I get to hang out with my boys and enjoy them.
We usually shop on Saturdays and there is always arguing, begging for treats/toys, and it takes up what seems to be our whole day. I think I'm going to switch my shopping day so we can have more family fun on the weekend. Thanks for these 6 tips!
Great tips! Working out early is def a must for me, even though I'm home with my kiddo
Great suggestions. I'm trying to get into the habit of working out in the morning…trying being the key word here. 🙂
I remember who hard it was balancing a family and work. I should have tried going grocery shopping at night. I would end up doing it Saturday or Sunday morning after church. 🙂
Great post!
We recently changed from always shopping on the weekends and it has made a huge difference! Great tips!
These are really great tips. I think being flexible helps the most and getting out of the idea that you have to do it a certain way or the kids' way as you said. Make your schedule work for the whole family, not adhering to some standard that is making everyone crazy.
These are great tips! I do all the same things, like doing groceries during the week or making beauty appointments on Wed nights! Loving it, since this is my only time ALONE when I can actually do my shopping/beauty style without being disturb by crying kidos!
One thing i do differently is that I work-out during my lunch time – but still its the same concept, so when I come home, I am mentally and physically there 🙂 I also have some household help, Yes, it is expensive, but I would rather pay to the cleaning lady than buy a new dress for myself. I love a clean house!
Hi. Probably way old here, but you get my two cents anyway.
I do my shopping during my Lunch break. But I’m a useless housewife so these tips are the proverbial shining light. Especially since I’m about to become a work from home mom. Which is pretty scary. But I have to keep a clean and tidy home as part of the proof that I can do this!!
Thanks.
Honestly I think it would be so much harder to get stuff done if I worked from home, since I stink at concentrating! You are going to do AWESOME though and congrats on your new gig! 😉
I really enjoyed this post. Being a working mom is way harder than I ever imagined! The more tips and tricks the better. Unfortunately, we can’t do it all!
My biggest struggle is when I put my daughter down at 745 ish, I can do one of three things, get out my laptop and do work, clean, or sit down with my husband and catch up. It is literally a struggle every day. Any ideas?
Thank you!
I split up what I have to do. If I were you I would plan nights to clean, nights to work and hubby nights. Like maybe Monday, Thursday you ONLY focus on cleaning. Then give your hubby two nights, work one or two nights then the other night or two do whatever you want. 🙂
This was so refreshing to see. It took me almost 6 years to figure all of these out (except I go grocery shopping on my lunch break…if I can squeeze the hour out).
It’s really nice to see these ideas shared with others though!
Great post idea, love it!
Oh it took me awhile to figure it out too! ha! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week 🙂
It’s interesting. ..until I was widowed last year, I never realized how many of these articles revolve around having a supportive and engaged spouse.
Great tips! I need to get in the habit of getting groceries during the week. I have used the ordering online and pick up service, bit I’m still waiting until the weekend to meal plan.
I just came across this post and it has been a blessing. It’s just what I needed. Thank you for taking the time to write this in a non-jugdemental way. I am printing and keeping it in my planner and home binder. God bless.