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I knew life as we had known it would change the day my child was born. It was no longer just me and my husband watching out for ourselves. God had entrusted us with another human life to love, shape, mold, and keep safe. And what a blessing to be given this responsibility!
My son quickly became my number one priority. This little life so dependent on me needed my attention before anything else.
But before he was born I knew it was going to be difficult for me to put some things on the back burner: cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, my blog.
You see, I want to be Supermom. I want to take care of my son and put him first while also keeping the house spotless, making sure a healthy meal is always on the table, the fridge and pantry are full, and I’m cranking out a blog post every week.
But this is not reality.
When my son naps, I only have so much time to get things done. I work quickly to finish what I can before he wakes up (this often includes taking a nap myself, which means I’m not getting any work done!). And why does it seem that when you don’t have a lot of time to get things done, everything suddenly becomes so time consuming? Not to mention I’m going back to work soon, which means I will have even less time.
I have a wonderful baby, I really do. In fact, he’s amazing š He’s a good sleeper and is pretty quiet. But of course he still has his days where he is only content if he is being held. And when I put him down to nap, he wakes up shortly after. By the end of those days I look back and see that I accomplished little.
Not getting as much done as I’d like has been quite an adjustment for me. According to StrengthsFinder 2.0, one of my top strengths is responsibility. Among other things, I think I always looked at maintaining an orderly household as something responsible I needed to do. It just made sense to me and made me feel better to do so. I feel so much less stress when my house is clean and uncluttered.
Of course, taking care of my son is my absolute greatest responsibility! It brings me so much joy and I never want to go back to before he was here. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t get stressed out by a messy house or trying to figure out what to put on the table for dinner.
I have been trying my best to have peace with these sacrifices, but the truth is, it isn’t always easy.
But here are some things I have learned that have most certainly helped:
Have a plan
In order for me to get things done, I often need to plan it out ahead of time. It just makes me work better to write things down and stay organized. So every night I put tasks down on my to do list that I’d like to accomplish the next day. I don’t always get it all done, but having a plan helps me get more done than I would have otherwise.
Related Posts:
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Grocery pickup
Very recently I have been using Walmart’s FREE grocery pickup service. This has been a lifesaver and so I cannot let this post go by without recommending it! What a great way to save time by not having to spend an hour inside the store shopping and is also great that I don’t even have to take my baby out of the car.
If you don’t like to shop at Walmart or don’t have one near you, many other grocery stores have a pickup service as well that I highly suggest looking into. Some aren’t free, so you will need to decide if it’s worth it for you to use.
Related Post: 8 Reasons You Should Use A Grocery Store Pickup Service
Ask for help
If you’re anything like me, I often have a difficult time asking for help. I think this might be true for many women. My husband will often say that he wants to help me but I won’t ask him and so he doesn’t know what he can do (it’s perfectly normal for me to want certain things done that would never occur to him in that moment). But he is so great to help me when I do ask him! Sometimes I have him just sit with the baby for an hour when he gets home from work so I can work around the house.
If you are struggling to get done all that you’d like, don’t be afraid to ask for help. And it doesn’t just have to be from your husband. It can be your mother or mother-in-law, a sister or aunt, or even a good friend. Sometimes having someone come to just sit with the baby for an hour, do your dishes, or drop off a meal can make all the difference! Don’t be afraid to ask – the worst thing that could happen is they say no!
If you walk into a house that is perfectly clean and organized and there are children on the premises, chances are a little help was involved š
Give myself grace
Giving myself a break when I don’t cross off everything on my to do list in a day is an area I am trying to get better in. Because of that responsibility strength I have, I often feel like I fail if my house is a mess or I don’t get a healthy dinner on the table. For some reason I think I need to be able to do it all. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!
I want to be Supermom. And I am learning that to be Supermom doesn’t mean everything needs to be perfect. It means learning to give myself grace if it’s not all done (because it’s OK if it’s not all done!). It means to ask for help when I need it and to find other ways to do things such as a grocery store pickup service. Above all, it means taking the very best care of my son that I can, which is my most important responsibility. THAT is being a Supermom!
How have you tried to be a Supermom? What has worked for you and what has not? Please comment below!
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