How to be a Successful Stay at Home Mom

You might think that successful stay at home moms have it all together.

You know, the moms who always have full on hair and makeup even when they make a quick trip to the grocery store.

Oh and don’t forget the trendy clothes to match!

Their kids are always perfectly behaved, they serve home cooked meals every night,  and their houses are always spotless.

But as a career stay at home mom myself (yes that’s my official title, and yes, I made it up) I’m here to tell you that’s just not true!

Succeeding as a stay at home mom is about so much more than that.

So I’m here to offer up a few tips that can help you go from just surviving to thriving in your role as a stay at home mom.

 

How to be a Successful Stay at Home Mom

 

SAHM Schedule

A crucial tip on how to be a good stay at home mom- schedule your day for success!

That’s right, having a schedule can not only help keep you on task, but it requires you to make good use of your time.

It also can help the kids stay on task if there is a chart they can look at themselves and know when certain activities take place.

If they know what to expect, the day often goes smoother.

Scheduling your day also gives you a sense of achievement as you get to look back at what you’ve accomplished that day.

 

Benefits of a To Do List

This goes along nicely with setting a schedule.

But a to-do list can be one off tasks that need to get done that day only, rather than the things that get done daily.

For me, to-do lists are what keep me an organized stay at home mom. I seriously don’t function well without them.

My family knows that I love making lists so much that I often receive To-Do List Pads as gifts.

I’ve actually created a FREE TO DO LIST that you can print out and use if you’d like. Sign up here to download your free copy!

 

Focus on the Positive

Your day won’t always go perfect. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee you it won’t.

That’s just the reality of having kids, whether you’re a SAHM or not.

But my best advice for stay at home moms is to focus on the good stuff.

What you focus on grows and can set the tone for your entire day.

If you’re always looking at things from a negative point of view, that’s what you will notice more of.

We all have bad stuff in our lives. Kids misbehave. Bills come due. We have no clue what to cook for dinner.

But there’s also a whole lot of good stuff. Hugs from our children. A roof over our heads. Food in our bellies.

The way to be a happy stay at home mom is to focus on the positive.

More Tips to Be a Successful Stay at Home Mom

 

Family Always Comes First

What I mean by this is that you chose to be a SAHM so you could be the one taking care of your family.

Although this doesn’t mean that you can never have any alone time (read more about that next) it does mean that your family comes before any outside responsibilities or activities.

There have been plenty of times I said no to things that I could have done if it interfered with something my family had planned.

It’s also easy for people to expect us to be available anytime for any reason because we stay at home.

Um, I don’t think so!

Although volunteering and spending time on outside projects is wonderful, over committing yourself to the point that it interferes with your ability to be a good mom isn’t worth it.

Now please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m all for helping others.

But I’ve seen some moms become so busy ‘doing good’ or being available for this and that, that their kids aren’t getting enough time and attention.

I’m not a SAHM so I can do favors for people all day or watch other people’s children (unless of course you do babysit, totally fine and not what I mean here at all).

But I’m a stay at home mom so I can focus on my family.

Family comes first, always.

 

The Importance of Me Time

This is actually one of my best survival tips for stay at home moms.

Taking alone time as a mom is key  to your success as a SAHM.

Now this might seem contrary to what I just said above, but hear me out.

It’s really not.

Family does always come first before any outside obligations.

But you cannot be a good mom without taking time for yourself.

You need time to unwind, relax and recharge.

Read more of my best tips on how to find me time here.

 

Stay at Home Mom Support

More and more millennial women are becoming Stay at home moms.

Many moms find themselves without support, and this can be tough. Especially if you’re a new mom.

Although it’s not absolutely necessary to have that support to be a successful stay at home mom, it sure does make it much easier.

Having people in your corner that can help when you need it is a blessing.

If you do have friends or family that will babysit when you need to go out or run a quick errand,  please let them.

If they want to cook for you, clean for you, or fold that laundry that’s been sitting in the basket all week, allow them to do it.

You don’t have to be supermom and you don’t have to do it all alone.

 

Sometimes the biggest support when you’re a SAHM is other stay at home moms!

Find yourself a SAHM support group. Whether it’s in real life or an online support group, having trusted friends who are going through some of the same struggles as you are is priceless.

There will be times when you’ll need someone to talk to, and no one else will understand you like a fellow stay at home mom.

When we stay at home moms support each other it helps us all be successful!

The bottom line is, at the end of the day if you’ve done your best, you my friend are a successful SAHM!

Even if:

You didn’t spend as much time playing with the kids as you had planned.

Dinner came in a box (or by delivery!)

There are still five loads of laundry to fold.

You raised your voice or lost your temper.

Showering never happened.

You’re still in your pajamas at 6 PM.

The house looks like a bomb went off.

Your kids fought.

You didn’t get everything done on your To-Do list.

Other people or projects got more of your attention than your kids.

You didn’t stick to the schedule.

You were ungrateful and let negativity win.

You felt like a failure.

 

Because you see, in the eyes of your child you are already a success!

They love you no matter what, even when you:

Didn’t  spend as much time playing with them as you had planned.

Fed them dinner that came in a box (or by delivery!)

Didn’t fold those five loads of laundry.

Raised your voice or lost your temper.

Didn’t shower.

Are still in your pajamas at 6 PM.

Never got around to cleaning the house.

Let them fight it out.

Didn’t get everything done on your To-Do list.

Gave other people or projects more of your attention than your kids.

Didn’t stick to the schedule.

Were ungrateful and let negativity win.

Feel  like a failure.

Throughout it all, you sweet mama don’t need to worry about how to be a successful stay at home mom. Because chances are if you’re reading this, you already are.

 

Feel free to leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts about being a SAHM.

 

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