Real Happy Mom

Practical tips and encouragement for moms

Routines and Home Management Systems to Simplify Your Life


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As we have seen over the last few weeks, life happens.

Even when we have plans, some things are unexpected that can throw our ideas entirely off.

The best way to handle life’s curveballs is to have routines and systems in place for your home.

My guest, Keyona from the Professional Momma, gives practical tips to getting your routines in order and developing a document in case of an emergency.

Check out the episode in the player above or the blog post below.

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This is why you need routines in the home

Research shows that babies and toddlers thrive when there is a routine that they can anticipate what’s about to happen.

It gives them more of a feeling of being in control, especially if they are not able to communicate with us well.

But when we create, these routines were talking in a language that they can understand.

And in a way, it’s a form of communication between our children and us.

Think about it from an adult perspective. Imagine if you wake up and go to work, and every day you got to work, you had no idea when your workday was going to start.

Or, when you were gonna get to go to lunch. Or worst, what time you’re gonna get to go home.

A lack of routine would cause you to be very stressed out.

And when you don’t have a system or routines in place, your life becomes very chaotic, and it becomes exceptionally stressful, and it breeds anxiety.

And so when you have routines in place, you’re able to better function.

When you have a routine at work, you can come home to your family and not be so snappy because there is a routine at home that frees you up when you have had a stressful day.

Your routines don’t have to be stringent.

Meaning dinner doesn’t have to happen at 6:15 sharp, or your routine is ruined.

Kids are not so much in tune with the time than they are with the routine.

The secret to a good morning routine

Now you see why it is important to have habits at home for not only the kids, but for you as well.

Many times I hear moms that are rushing out of bed to get the kids to dress and out the door for school.

The way they describe their mornings is chaotic.

Developing a morning and evening routine helps to eliminate the chaos in the house.

Keyona shared her secret to a good morning routine.

“I have a secret for you. The key to a good morning routine is actually to have an evening routine.”

If you have an evening routine in place, it minimizes what your responsibilities in the morning are because you’ve done the majority of it the night before.

So now the morning consists of just getting up, getting dressed, getting fed, and getting on the way to work/school.

It always helps to wake up even 10 minutes before the kids so that you have time to get your day started with a simple routine or ritual to get your day started.

If you know that you enjoy your sleep as much as Keyona does, you want to make sure that you keep your morning routine as simple as possible.

This happens when you’re preparing in the evening so that there’s only the bare minimum to do in the morning.

A sample evening routine

Your evening routine is the key to success in the morning. Start your evening routine as soon as you get home.

Here is a sample evening routine that Keyona uses that you can modify depending on the age of your kids and how much time you have.

When you get home, allow your kids to have some time to play freely.

Quickly go through the mail and see what is on the menu for dinner that day.

Review any recipes that you are using and prep any ingredients that need to be chopped or prepared first to reduce the amount of time it will take when you start cooking.

Next, change your clothes and spend some one on one time with your little one. I

promise. When you take time and play with your kids before you get heavy into cooking, it reduces them coming into the kitchen and asking you a million questions.

I don’t completely understand it, but kids just need a little attention, and then they will go off and play independently without interrupting you.

For the bigger kids, this would be time to tackle homework.

After one on one time, it is time for independent play. While your child is playing by themself, you start cooking dinner.

Then it is dinner time. Everyone eats, then it is bath time.

Bath time is a perfect time to let the kids take their time and play while you wind down.

I love to take some time to stretch, get new ideas on Pinterest, or catch up on social media while the kids are in the bath.

Once the kids are dress, read and book and then it is time to go to bed.

Once the little ones are in bed asleep, this is your time.

Quickly go back to the kitchen and clean up. Then check the weather for the next day.

Based on what the weather we are like, pick your clothes and the kid’s clothes for the next day.

If the kids have a backpack or you have a bag that you are going to take in the morning, put it near the door so that you don’t forget anything.

Once you have everything ready for the next day, take a shower and spend some time doing something that you enjoy before head off to bed.

The magic of a family command center and home management binder

A family command center and a home management binder are two things that work together concurrently that will help simplify your life.

The family command center is typically visual for everyone to see.

But the Home management biner contains essential information that everyone needs to see.

Family command center

If you are not familiar with a family command center, it is a designated place that helps to manage the chaos in the house.

A family command center typically includes a family calendar, folders to keep documents and mail, and a menu for dinner.

Also, make a space for each child to put their backpacks and any other documents that you need to review.

It is helpful to have a monthly calendar with an overview of significant events and holidays to remember.

And also have a weekly calendar, so that you are aware of activities and events happening each day.

You can make this a fancy as you like. Some families use color to coordinate activities.

Or you can simply write out what is happening each day so that you know what is going on at a glance.

It is helpful to have a menu for the week so that you are not always eating out or wasting time trying to figure out what to eat each day.

Creating the menu for the weekly is something I like to do during my Sunday prep routine.

For the monthly calendar, it is helpful to update the upcoming month’s calendar around the 3rd Sunday.

Preparing at this time allows you to have time to have a relatively up to date calendar that you can add to as activities and events come up.

You can also include an outline of morning and evening routines so that if you have a baby sitter or a family member helping out, they know what to do to maintain your habits.

If you need help with getting your command center together or you don’t want to spend time figuring out what to print out, get printable from Keyona’s shop to save you time.

Home management binder

This day and age, not all families are traditional families.

Having a home management binder helps to keep everyone on the same page with all the information that keeps the home running smoothly.

Keyona has created a printable that you can purchase that has everything that you need to get started, including:

  • Emergency contact for mom and dad
  • Emergency contact for a family member or close friend (in case of an emergency)
  • Password tracker
  • Bill tracker
  • Chore chart
  • Cleaning schedule
  • Recipe cards
  • Reminder sheet
  • Notes

Having a home management binder will give you peace of mind if something were to happen to you.

Everything will be taken care of because it is all mapped out in the binder.

Plus, many husbands want to help, but they don’t know what to do.

Having a home management binder will help with that.

The levels the playing field so that the house will not come crumbling down if you are not there if you leave for a girl’s trip.

About Keyona

Keyona is a full-time working mom of an energetic toddler girl.

Her journey with the Professional Momma began when she was caring for her infant daughter and found many resources for the stay at home mom, but not many resources for the ambitious working mom.

Keyona wanted to create a space for moms who love their careers and love being a mom with the tools they need it to excel at both.

Check out the resources that Keyona has at the Professional Momma.

Make sure to get the printables for the Home Management Binder or the Family Command Center with the promo code RealHappyMom30 for 30% off.

If you want to connect with Keyona, join her Facebook group, Confessions of Professional Moms.

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Links mentioned in this episode

Timestamp
01:18 – Mommy with Alexis from @livinglifetheherringway
03:52 – Why you need routines
09:06 – The secret to a good morning routine
13:17 – A sample evening routine
18:42 – Preschool activities
21:14 – Setting up a family command center
26:57 – Contents in a home management binder
33:29 – Keyona’s favorite recipes

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