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Tips from 100+ moms on how to make life easier

Being a mom or other type of caregiver is hard work, and it’s especially difficult if you’re also trying to handle all of the other responsibilities that come with running the household. To help you out, we’ve put together some tips (compiled from over 100 real moms facing real overwhelm!) on how to make life easier as a mom/caregiver, including how to effectively delegate tasks, create me time, and keep up your energy levels. Snag a couple of these tried-and-true tips from real moms to help keep your sanity!

Cleaning tips

Housework can be overwhelming. There’s always more dishes in your sink than you feel like doing, and dust seems to magically collect itself on everything. As hard it is to admit, sometimes there just isn’t enough time in our days or energy in our bodies for housework. That doesn’t mean that you don’t love your home or your children! The number one suggestion here, by far, was to hire a house cleaner to come on a regular basis. As mom Mary Moerlins said, she pays “a king’s ransom to have a stranger clean my house every two weeks in exchange for sanity. It was cheaper than therapy and has proven more effective to date.” For people who didn’t spring for a house cleaner, others raved about their Roomba (with a self-emptying dock?!), and tossing a load of laundry in between Zoom calls.

“I pay a king’s ransom to have a stranger clean my house every two weeks in exchange for sanity. It was cheaper than therapy and has proven more effective to date.”

= Mary Moerlins

Meal Planning tips

The majority of the moms talked about how they handle meal planning. Some of them opt for a meal delivery service like HelloFresh or Full Belly Fare (for Portlanders), but others rely on Trader Joe’s dinners and lists of family-approved recipes they can easily prep for in advance. Not surprisingly, many moms mentioned planning their meals a week in advance (some even longer!) and leveraging grocery delivery (or even just pickup). One mom said she gives her teens a $50 allowance each week to pick out the foods they’ll eat. Another mom said she takes care of all of the morning tasks (setting the coffeemaker, packing lunches, etc.) while she’s making dinner at night, to make life easier in the morning. And no special meals for the kids– they eat what the family is eating.

Lower your standards

Catherine Melton said that one way she makes life easier is that she “lowered my standards for meals I feed my family. Lowered my standards about a lot of things, actually 😬” She wasn’t the only one to mention lowering standards. Several moms said they’ve given up the fight with their kids about wearing pajamas at night, letting them wear their clothes for the next day or even just their underwear. Another mom said she doesn’t care what her child wears. Lots of moms were in favor of never ironing again… or even folding clothes. At least one mom said she used paper plates to reduce the number of dishes to wash. Another mom agreed, “I cut corners in different (and messier) ways, but I am managing to hang on. I prioritize what absolutely HAS to happen in order to survive that.day.only.” Most importantly, there was general agreement about not worrying about things so much– “tell mom guilt to go f*ck itself!”

“I lowered my standards for meals I feed my family. Lowered my standards about a lot of things, actually 😬”

– Catherine Melton

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

One of the best ways to simplify your life and reduce stress is by eliminating clutter. Whether it’s decluttering your home or just getting rid of things you don’t need, we all know that less stuff means less work. But for moms and caregivers, keeping an organized household (and mind) can be vital in reducing stress and ensuring your loved one has what they need when they need it. One mom mentioned setting calendar reminders for recurring tasks like trash night, oil changes, and prescription medication. Several moms said that their kids don’t do sports or other extracurricular activities (or have scaled way back) to maintain family sanity. And, while many moms talked about how they divvied up chores with their significant other, at least a few moms mentioned “staying single” or not dating as a way they made their lives easier! That’s one way to simplify…

Self care FTW

Many of the moms mentioned getting enough sleep, whether that is going to bed early, napping during the day, or sleeping in on the weekends. They also mentioned creating a (streamlined) skin care routine and prioritizing time for rest & recovery. Several moms prioritize sex to relieve stress and connect better with their partner. Other self care methods included yoga, listening to music, a hot tub, a weighted blanket, cutting out one-way friendships, and just giving themself time to cry. And one mom wisely reminded everyone that after taking time off, that doesn’t mean you have to make that time/work up later. Time off truly means time off, and allows you to prioritize, since “family is most important, because it is the only thing you cannot replace.”

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