Sanity Savers for the Working Mama

Being a mama is HARD WORK!  When you add a “9-5” job to the mix, the juggling act {with flaming swords} begins! It can be super challenging and you can feel like you are constantly running around without a moment to sit down and rest, however, if you take some time to get organized, then things become a lot easier –almost {almost} seamless. These five “sanity savers” have helped me focus my time on my family.

Polyvore your closet!!!!

My mom use to make us kids layout our outfits the night before school to avoid the morning panic. It definitely helped.  So when I started back to work I figured I needed to do the same thing – except on a weekly basis. My Sunday goal is to spend 30 minutes to find 5 clean outfits for the workweek. I pick out my outfit, coordinating accessories and shoes and put them all together in my closet. Actually, it’s a lot of fun and you’ll quickly discover new outfits within your closet, or you might even justify buying a new accessory or black blazer (e.g. a black blazer could accompany at least 10 different outfits in my closet).

Don't judge me -- I have ZERO style!

Monthly menu planning.

I know, I know, I know… I talk frequently about monthly menu planning.  But I can’t help it, I’m a believer.  It takes a lot of stress off me just knowing what I am going to make for dinner. If monthly planning is too daunting, go weekly – then shoot for two weeks at a time, etc.

Invest in products that make you glow.

Okay, I don’t glow. But the following three items prevent me from looking like a zombie with a meth problem. I can’t speak enough about Philosophy’s Booster C Powder – it really worked to brighten my dull, very tired skin.  If you have dull skin, this product will work wonders!  Also, for my red, tired eyes, Visine saves the day. My point is that you need to invest some time and money into finding something that makes you look good, therefore making you feel good!

It's like heaven on my face.

Hire a cleaning company.

If you think about it, there are very few things in life that you can actually outsource – cleaning is one of them. The average cleaning company will charge between $80-$120 per cleaning…and it is worth every penny.  I now don’t have to spend my weekends deep cleaning the bathroom…instead; I put that time towards my family and that is the goal.

Frequently do laundry.

I use to get around to doing laundry on the weekends and it would take a good chunk of the day to wash, dry, fold and put away. Again, I don’t want to spend time away from my family doing chores! So, as much as I hate it, I do laundry frequently – folding the clothes as I take them from the dryer. I can handle 15 mins of laundry every other day; I cannot handle 15 loads of laundry every weekend.

What tips and tricks do you have for a busy mom?  What has made your life easier? What products make you look like you've slept 8 hours {or even 4 hours}?