Every year as a mother and business owner I make some parenting resolutions that I wish I would keep: Be the out-of-this-world mom that always has snacks on hand. Arrive everywhere early, with a flawless blowout and my impeccably well-behaved children smiling next to me. Basically, be Beyonce. I’d love to reach my goals but let’s be fair, I ain’t Bae.
So this year I’ve made a big decision. I’m over it. I am so over the idea of having to be the “perfect” mom that crushes it at every school event. (Who’s with me?!) But here’s the thing: Even though I’m no longer striving for perfection, I’m still going to try my darnedest to improve. So, here are the realistic parenting resolutions I refuse to break this year…
I won’t let chaos get me down. Having three kids under the age of 10 is stressful. There’s so much to remember: Paperwork — both the kind that accumulates in massive piles during the first couple of weeks BTS and the permission slips and sign-up forms that I find shoved down deep in backpacks throughout the year. Field trips and performances. Bake sales and carnivals. Drop-offs and picks-ups and banking days where they get out an hour early and if my eldest child, Jackson, (God bless him!) didn’t remind me I’d likely forget every single one. What stresses me out the most is the idea that the other moms (at school or out there in the wild world) are somehow way better at this than I am. Organizing my boys’ lives, running my own company, and balancing all of the other relationships in my life – all at the same time – can feel chaotic. But I’m going to do my best to roll with it all and make it work.
I will wake up early. Some people think my early morning wake-ups are kind of crazy, since I’m usually up by 6 a.m. at the latest. Here’s the thing though: If I don’t wake up before everyone else, then I wake up to craziness, and I carry that with me throughout the day. Yes, waking up early was important before I had kids, but now it’s completely necessary. I need that peaceful time to get myself organized before my day starts. Time management for working moms is all about finding extra time, and that might mean you sacrifice a little sleep. Use the extra hour to enjoy your coffee, pray, pack the lunches and backpacks and, oh yeah, work on your daily list (see #3).
I will make a list. I’m the queen of the list! I’m a former party planner, and since becoming a mom, I’ve really put my list making skills to good use. I’m constantly making them and then revising them inside my notebook. It’s like my schedule, and I use the same one for both work and home so, “Get black t-shirt for Jackson’s class project,” is on the same list as, “Finish organizing your fridge post.” That way nothing (okay, almost nothing) falls through the cracks.
Check out my five other resolutions by clicking HERE
