Make your morning less stressful as a mom

This blog post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx on behalf of Oroweat Organic Bread

If you are a mom to a toddler and you’re reading this, we’re on the same page. Mom life, especially new mom life, is full of chaos and unpredictable things. Sometimes, I found myself being washed out only at noon. And day by day, I have learned some ways to help with that and those ways work great for us. Today in this blog post, I am going to share some of the tips to make your morning less stressful as a mom. Before reading, make sure you read my previous post on How I stay sane being a full time stay at home mom

There are somethings to do the night before

Yes, this is key! I found cleaning the house and putting toys away the night before makes a huge difference. Trust me on this, waking up to a clean tidy home helps you to feel a lot weightless. You can also prepare things you need for making breakfast the night before and save you time in the morning. 

Easy breakfast is a game changer!

Do yourself a research and find all the easy breakfast ideas. Sandwich is never a bad idea since you can do a lot of different sandwiches and you and your little one(s) will love. My daughter loves the sandwiches I made for her using Oroweat Organic White Made with Whole Wheat Bread. Garlic & green onion toast, Simple toast with butter, jambon and dried shredded pork sandwich, and grape jelly sandwich are some of my daughter’s favorites. 

Be clear on playtime

If your little one is not currently in childcare or school, and is staying home with you full time, you might struggle finding time to do house work. My daughter is a clingy baby, who always asks for attention. One method I found works best is to have a talk with her about playtime-with-mommy. Morning is when I get the major of must-do-things of the day. I made a deal with my daughter that I will play with her only after this or that work is done. Meanwhile, I set a sensory play area for her to be able to play by herself. 

Find indoor activities for your kids

This is an important addition to the tips above. You know how short a kid’s patience is. Here is what you can do to “deal” with your demanding-for-attention-child. Go online and search for indoor activities you can set up for your kids. My daughter loves hunting for hidden items. I sometimes hide her small animal toys around the house and her mission is to search for them.

Cooking with your little one is another fun activity. Ask him/her to make breakfast with you and get creative on what to make. I am sure it’s one great way to give him/her the attention he/she wants while encouraging him/her to enjoy breakfast. 

Take a deep breath!

If the tips above don’t work out for that day, don’t stress! I know this is harder to do than it sounds, but take a deep deep breath and remember this: Motherhood is unpredictable. Somedays are harder than others and we’ve got this. Just forget what needs to be done (if you can) and enjoy some fun time with your little(s). And you know what, I did this sometimes, and those mornings turned out very productive surprisingly. 

Those are the simplest tips to make your morning less stressful as a mom. I am so proud to be partnered with Oroweat in this post and sharing ways to help other moms out. Their Oroweat Organic White Made with Whole Wheat Bread is my daughter’s favorite since it features Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. This bread is delicious and has a soft and smooth texture while also providing great nutrition for kids, and that’s why it’s perfect for picky eaters like my daughter. Plus, Oroweat breads are sustainably baked renewable wind energy. 

Xo,

Vannie

How I stay sane being a full time stay at home mom

Having kids literally is not easy. It’s even harder and crazier sometimes especially being a full-time mom. After such a while being a mom of my beloved daughter, I’ve finally got some experiences to tell now. I’m gonna share some survival tips for all the moms out there who are struggling with your motherhood problems. In this post I’m going to share how I stay sane being a full time stay at home mom?

Stay organized and make peace with the mess

A house with kids is surely messier than it was before so what you have to do is being prepared to face the situation. You should set up a certain cleaning schedule on a daily basis so as not to see all the clothes piled up or a sink full of dishes waiting for you to wash them all. Cleaning every day is needed and it helps a lot. 

As your home is where you and your kids spend most of the time in, keeping it clean and fresh can make your mind more relieved and stress-free. 

Ask for help if you need to

You may want to surround yourself with all the supportive people who are always ready to give you a hand whenever you ask for. Raising a child, especially a newborn, requires so much effort and sacrifice, so do not hesitate to ask for help if you feel tired and exhausted. Don’t push yourself so hard. You totally can share all the work with your husband or your mom. This is an important tip to stay sane being a full time stay at home mom.

Listen to your favorite music every day

Music is magic, it’s amazing in healing your inside soul and boosting your mood positively. That’s why I advise you to listen to music every day. A piece of your favorite rhythm can wash away all the unhappy feelings and replace them with happiness again. Let the music fill your entire house with positive vibes, believe me, it can change your life. 

Stay away from negative people

Avoid those negative people who don’t have your back. They have problems in everything you do and don’t allow them to drain your energy. Being a stay-at-home mom makes you more sensitive to others’ opinions and comments about how you raise your child or how to take care of the house. What you have to do is to keep yourself calm and just turn a deaf ear to all that toxic unhelpful comments. 

Do not isolated yourself

A stressed mommy often stays alone thinking about all the bad things that have happened. Don’t ever do that. Share your feelings with a friend or someone you trust and look for a solution. Socialize yourself in a group of people or a small community where you feel comfortable to share things with, you can hang out once a week having dinner with friends and get space for yourself. Or you can just walk your baby around in a stroller to get some fresh air outside and that’s enough. 

Consider yourself as top priority

If you put your kids above yourself, you’re totally wrong. Taking care of yourself is most important. Remember this, you can’t love anyone else if you don’t even know how to love yourself right. Make time to nurture your soul and take good care of your body, take part in some social activities or do regular exercise to keep yourself healthy and balanced. 

You love your kids, I know, who doesn’t. However, you have to be happy, healthy and mentally positive first to give the best to your children. 

Seek for a home-based job

This is my biggest tip on how I stay sane being a full time stay at home mom. Being able to make money from my blog (as well as my Instagram) is such a blessing.

Money is crucial. I know how it feels when you can’t make your own money and live dependently on your spouse’ income, that’s bad. During the time being a stay-at-home mom, why don’t you try to seek for some home-based job such as content writer or work-from-home customer service or some other positions which allow you to work for a living and be mom at the same time. Getting yourself busy with work can also keep you away from stress and mental illness. And of course, spending the money made by your own strengthens your courage and confidence as well. 

You know what, motherhood is wonderful. Your home may be filled with toys and your hair may be a mess every day, but some couple of years later, what you and your child remember is not that messy house or dirty hair, what stays in your mind is all the happy time you’ve spent together. Life has its highs and lows, keep your head straight and never give up. God has plan for you and he saves the best for last. 

Toy ideas to keep your toddler busy

As a work at home mom, and as a first time mom, my most struggle is having my daughter play by herself. She is a very impatient toddler who easily gets bored. So we have been spending lots of money buying her new toys and I have to say I got a list of items that she actually likes and plays with them longer than others. I guess we are not the only parents who struggle with this so by sharing this, I hope to help you parents have some free time while your kids playing by themselves, also save some money by not trying so many.

All the items in this list are items that my daughter owns and truly LOVES. Okay, here we go:

  • Kidzlane 12 piece – DOCTOR KIT My daughter has this kit for a long while and it’s one of the toys we would never put away. It’s always there for her and she keeps reaching to it everyday for over a year already. I highly recommend this kit.
  • Kidzlane Karaoke Microphone with Bluetooth This is another Kidzlane toy that she loves. I feel like toys from this brand is so playful and my daughter loves them. It’s super cute and fun watching her throwing her wild dance move and sings along with the nursery theme songs in this karaoke toy.
  • Hasbro FurReal Roarin’ Tyler Playful Tiger This toy is actually a little in a pricey side. However it looks so real and so cute. We have lots of stuffed toys from cheap to expensive and this turns out to be the one she reaches to the most. If your kids love interactive animal toys, this would be one of the best choices.
  • Cheap bandages with cute designs for kids I bet your kids love bandages as much as my daughter does. Some cute bandage would be best to go with a doctor toy kit. Since it’s just for them to play with, get the cheap one. I found this set of 100 pieces for a very good price on Amazon.
  • Puffy 3D stickers stickers is always the best toy for either in door or on the go. We always have some ready. We also use them as the ‘final power’ whenever she throws major tantrums. Tips: puffy stickers is life saver. If you don’t want to spend time and hold your breath taking those flat stickers off your wall and furnitures, get the puffy ones. It’s way easier to take them off.
  • LeapFrog Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart line up teddy bears and stuffed animals along the wall or bench. Have your toddler pushing this cart around and selling ice cream to each of her stuffed friends. That’s what we like to do, and my daughter LOVES it. We sure have a good free time to finish some works.
  • Water Beads OCEAN SENSORY KIT If your toddler gets over the habit of putting things into her/his mouth, this would be the best affordable sensory play idea. My daughter has never put things in her mouth except for food on her plate (I feel so lucky for that). So we have been letting her play with water beads for a long while now. She LOVES it. Anything involved by water keeps my daughter busy for over an hour. This kit is cheap and it can be drained for next time use.
  • Little Tikes Spiralin’ Sea Waterpark Play Table We actually have this water play table to play with the water bead kit above. Sometime we just let her play water with it. However I would recommend having them play with this toy outside (patio, backyard) since water can be all over the place.

Those are the toys that my daughter has been loving. Again, my daughter always ask me and my husband to play with her. The toys above are the ones she can play by herself so I am sure your kids would too.

I hope this blog post is helpful. If you have any toy ideas that you think would fit the list, throw it in the comment below.

Thanks for stopping by,
xo
Vannie