I\u2019m not necessarily someone who would be described as organized: <\/span>\u00a0perhaps scattered<\/span> would be more accurate.\u00a0 I am always looking for suggestions on how to manage my family, but I find that the advice of the \u201cexperts\u201d on the morning television shows often leave me feeling discouraged.\u00a0 Is it just me or does anyone else ever wonder how many assistants these people have to help them coordinate their schedules, do their hair and makeup, cook their meals, and tend to their children so they can sit on the television telling me how to find balance?<\/p>\n I am not an expert of anything, and I am not a complainer. \u00a0I am a mostly-try-to-stay-at-home mother of four children who have hectic school and work schedules and swim team practices, play rehearsals, and piano lessons to attend. \u00a0I work two part-time jobs, keep the books for our home business, volunteer for my church, help my aging parents whenever I can, and occasionally get a few minutes to exercise or clean my house.\u00a0 My husband works out of town for months at a time, so the bulk of the homework duty, yard work, errand running, housekeeping, and day-to-day peacekeeping fall on my shoulders as well.\u00a0 In other words, I am busy.<\/p>\n In trying to manage my busyness, I am learning the hard way that life is all about being realistic in our expectations.\u00a0 The key to being more organized is to recognize and then manage the current motherhood phase we are experiencing.\u00a0 When my children were small, I found it much easier to create chore charts, meal plans, and study schedules for my family. Life was busy and chaotic then, but it was a different \u201cbusy\u201d as I could somewhat control everyone\u2019s schedules. I\u2019ve moved into a different chapter now. While \u00a0I have not given up on trying to be more organized and continue to make lots of lists, here are a few things I have learned that help me to be a more effective, not to mention happier, mom.<\/p>\n #1) \u00a0Motherhood is not a competition!<\/span>\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter how clean my neighbor\u2019s house is, how polite her children are or how manicured her fingernails are. \u00a0That perfect neighbor feels just as inadequate as I do some mornings.\u00a0 I am not living her life, and she is not living mine, so I try to ignore the temptation to make comparisons.<\/p>\n #2)\u00a0 \u00a0It is okay to be human.\u00a0 Moms wear a dozen different hats interchangeably. \u00a0I remind myself to accept that I am NOT going to accomplish every task for every role I play every day.\u00a0 At the end of the day as I review my not-completed to-do list, I also make a mental list of everything I did accomplish that day. If no one else noticed, that\u2019s okay.\u00a0 I can give myself a pat on the back.<\/p>\n #3)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Utilize mini-bursts of \u00a0efficiency. \u00a0I have learned to take on tasks for brief intervals if I don\u2019t have time to tackle the entire project.\u00a0 I am amazed at how much housework I can accomplish when I allot myself 30 minutes of\u00a0 committed cleaning.\u00a0 Then when I\u2019m done, I\u2019m done. I may not have finished cleaned every closet, but I can take pride in the fact that I got those toilets sparkling clean.\u00a0 Sometimes, enough is enough.<\/p>\n #4)\u00a0 \u00a0Learn to relax.\u00a0 Sometimes the most resourceful thing moms can do is to just take a 30 minute breather to read a book, watch a mindless television show or go for a quiet walk.\u00a0 Remember the advice of the flight attendants? \u00a0We moms have to \u201csave\u201d ourselves before we can help anyone else with their oxygen masks.<\/p>\n #5)\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget Serendipity.\u00a0 Some days it might not appear I got anything done.\u00a0 But, often those are the days I was truly at my best.\u00a0 An hour spent listening to a teenager or a lonely friend is more important than dusting or fixing a gourmet dinner.\u00a0 I\u00a0 ask myself, \u201cIs this going to matter five years from now,\u201d whenever multiple tasks are screaming for my attention simultaneously.<\/p>\n #6)\u00a0 Write it down.\u00a0 The simple act of putting the list on paper (whether it\u2019s the shopping list or packing list or cleaning list) helps me to unclutter my mind and regain focus when I am toiling and spinning.\u00a0 Having a written list relieves the pressure to remember everything and minimizes the stress level.\u00a0 Oftentimes it doesn\u2019t look quite so bad on the sheet of paper compared to what I\u00a0 had visualized inside of my head.<\/p>\n #7)\u00a0 \u00a0Adjust those expectations.\u00a0 \u00a0Real children leave their shoes and backpacks on the floor and forget their homework. Real moms run out of milk on Monday mornings and have lots of unmatched socks in the laundry room. \u00a0Real moms lose their patience and have to apologize. Real moms know it is okay to use paper plates now and then.<\/p>\n #8)\u00a0 Accept help.\u00a0 I am independent by nature and want to do it all by myself.\u00a0 But, the fact remains that I physically can\u2019t be in more than once place at a time. Neighbors are more than willing to give my kids a ride now and then when I\u2019m at work. \u00a0My children are usually very willing to help. Teenagers can help the younger ones with homework, fix dinner or do the grocery shopping.\u00a0 Younger children can sweep floors, set the table, or color handouts for Sunday\u2019s lesson<\/p>\n #9) \u00a0\u00a0Learn to laugh! \u00a0Humor is the best tension diffuser I have found.\u00a0 It works with husbands, teenagers and toddlers. \u00a0The most stressful moments make the funniest stories.\u00a0 When I feel like screaming sometimes I actually remember to grab the camera first. \u00a0Stains eventually fade, two-year old haircuts grow back, and yes, someday this will be funny.<\/p>\n #10)\u00a0 Enjoy the (amazing and yet exhausting) journey.\u00a0 A few years from now, I know I will look back and will miss this stage.\u00a0 My house will someday be clean and quiet, and\u00a0 I will miss the dishes in the sink and the bantering at the kitchen table. I am happier when I don\u2019t take things too seriously and enjoy the fact that I am needed.\u00a0 It is a good thing to be needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m not necessarily someone who would be described as organized: \u00a0perhaps scattered would be more accurate.\u00a0 I am always looking for suggestions on how to manage my family, but I find that the advice of the \u201cexperts\u201d on the morning … Continue reading