Staying in Balance as a Mom

Finding the Balance between Parenting and Household Management for the Recovering Perfectionist: Random Thoughts & Quotes

“Learn to cherish the “doing” rather than the “getting it done”.

“People before Things”

Make everyday life a participatory family oriented event.

Make breakfast for your family in the mornings.

Read to your kids.

Spend dinner together; eat together as often as possible.

Volunteer in their classrooms. Get to know their teachers and friends.

Help with their homework.

Have kids help with dinner.

Talk to each kid at bedtime. Check in with them and their day.

Find out what your kids interests are.

Dedicate 30 minutes after dinner to family time.

Schedule one Saturday as family day.

Bake cookies with the kids.

Give them your utmost attention when they are talking to you.

Let it go… your home will never be immaculate… just remember a family lives here.

Let the kids help…whatever you are doing.

Let go of the need to have to control everything.

Author Anna Quindlen, “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less” (Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).

Take advantage of the times they are naturally absorbed in something and try to sneak off and get some things done.

Keep a box of not-seen-very-often toys and get it out when you need time for a phone call or a task.

Progress Not Perfection

The lists shouldn’t rule your life.

Keep a fun box” in our house. Fun Box can have play dough, glow sticks, bubbles, crayons, finger paints - anything novel (and inexpensive) and looks like fun.

Don’t make excuses…just do it.