Homemaking Tips for Mom

With the titles of 'Mom and Homemaker' comes a demanding job with enormous responsibility. Whether you are a SAHM or juggle a day job and keep house -- you face a challenging task. Hopefully, these homemaking tips will help your home run a little smoother.

Get up early in the morning. This will give you time to mentally prepare yourself for the busy day ahead. Check your planner to verify the activities you have scheduled for the day.

Start your laundry first thing in the morning. Laundry seems to pile up quite rapidly when you have a houseful of children. You can have a couple loads washed and hung on the close line (or through the dryer) in several hours time.

Clean up the kitchen. This is an area where mothers need to be consistent. Wash your dishes by hand or put a load through the dishwasher. Wipe your stovetop, counters and the interior of your microwave. Sweep the floor if necessary. If you keep at it on a daily basis it will take less effort to keep it clean. Why? Because food is easier to remove if it is not dried onto whatever surface it happens to be clinging to.

Keep the meals simple. Most moms do not have the time nor can they financially afford to cook gourmet meals. Make nutritious meals for your family. Plan your meals for several weeks at a time. That will give you time to purchase the groceries you need. Look at the sale bills and purchase what you can on sale. Stock up your pantry with items you use frequently when they are on sale. Clip and use coupons whenever possible. Keep a grocery list on your refrigerator and add items you are low on throughout the week. A running grocery list will help to eliminate unnecessary trips to the store for a forgotten item.

Keep your desktop clutter free. Papers and junk mail that is strewn everywhere in piles give an unkempt appearance. Each day set aside some time to spend on bookwork. Sort and file all statements and bills in their designated folders. Pitch junk mail.

Keep the toys picked up. Children tend to scatter their toys here and there all day long. Go through the house several times a day and pick up toys. Ideal times are just before naptime (for preschool children) and just before bath and bedtime at night. Your children can help you with this job.

Listen to your children. While you chauffer your children to and from school, to soccer practice or music lessons -- talk to your children. Never give your children the impression that you are too busy for them. They need the security of knowing that they are the most important people in your life.

Have a daily 'to do' cleaning list. Divide your weekly list of cleaning jobs up into a few jobs per day. It is much simpler to accomplish a few tasks each day than to be overwhelmed by a huge to do list one day each week.

Make a designated grocery shopping and errand running day. Compile a list ahead of time including all the places you intend to stop. Then, group your stops by location. This will save on both time and gas. If possible schedule doctor, dentist or hair appointments with your errand day. That way you have one day spent in town instead of wasting numerous hours several days a week.

Give yourself some 'me' time. Sometime throughout the day take a short break. Spend some time reading the newspaper, a book, email, scrapbook, or exercise. Just find something to do that you find relaxing. You will discover you have more energy after you take some quiet moments for yourself.

The best of luck being SUPER MOM!