The past 6 weeks have been completely chaotic. We enrolled our kids in 3 different schools, decided to move, put an offer on a house, moved into new house, put our house on the market, received an offer on our house that required us to do some repairs (our house is over 100 years old), and started our kids in 3 different schools. I also was out of town for a week during that time. On top of that, I fell in love with an anti-aging product and decided to start selling it. And the list goes on and on. Just writing about it makes me feel tired! 🙂
As a busy mom, I know that there are times when life feels completely overwhelming…and sometimes it's so chaotic that you feel stress paralyzed. {I watched Mom's Night Out again last night (I saw it twice in the theater and if you're a mom, you need to watch it!) so I know that stress paralyzed is a thing. If you didn't watch Mom's Night Out, you need to watch it. It's totally worth buying and watching again and again. Or consider inviting your mom friends over for a mom's night out! }
I digress…
I know that you can't always control the circumstances you find yourself in, but I have some suggestions for finding calm in the chaos.
1. Create a plan or a schedule.
Everyone functions better with a routine. I created morning and evening routines for the twins and a daily docket for myself. I laminated all of these so we can use them day after day. Everyone has their own clipboard and laminated list on it. Even the twins know exactly what is expected of them and that leads to smoother mornings and evenings! Make sure you include chores on these lists so that you're not trying to handle everything on your own.
2. Create a meal plan.
When our life gets chaotic, I tend to grab fast food or go for something in a box or a can. None of these things are good for myself or my family. This week, I took 2 hours and made 20 freezable crockpot meals. It makes life easy when you can pull a bag out of the freezer at night and pop it in the fridge. In the morning, I just dump the ingredients into my crockpot, set it, and I'm good to go. If you want to make crockpot clean up a breeze, these Slow Cooker Liners are AWESOME! Also, if you're looking for a great crockpot, this is the one that I have and I love it. Although I'm thinking about asking for this Smart Crockpot for Christmas.
If you need help with menu plans, here are a few that I can vouch for.
20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150
3. Get moving!
When things are chaotic, the last thing you may feel like doing is carving out extra time in your day to exercise, but you need to do this. Take 15 minutes to go for a walk outside. Better yet, get a friend to join you.
Looking for something you can do in the privacy of your own home? Here are a few videos that are under 30 minutes that will still give you a good workout.
T-Tapp Basic Workout Plus (18 minutes)
Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (20 minutes)
P90X3 (30 minutes)
If you don't have 15-30 consecutive minutes that's ok. Take 2-3 minutes every hour to do jumping jacks, pushups, knee lifts, squats, and lunges.
4. Take time to recharge and refresh.
Spend time recharging your batteries. Take time to read the Bible, pray, read an encouraging book and/or journal. You may need to get up 15 minutes before the kids get up or stay up 15 minutes after they go to bed. If you need a few books to add to your list, here are a few to check out.
Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe
Restless: Because You Were Made for More
Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence
5. Get Some Sleep!
The difference between hope and despair is often a good night's sleep. When life is crazy and busy, your body needs more sleep than it usually does. Make it a priority to get sleep!
While these tips aren't going to make your life peaceful overnight, they will certainly help! If you find yourself in a chaotic season of life, please comment or send me an email. I'd be honored to pray for you!
What are your tips for finding calm in the chaos?