How to Save Your Sanity as a Stay at Home Parent

If you have small children and do not work outside of the home, you might be wondering if your mind is still in check after you notice yourself singing the Wonder Pets theme song every time the phone rings. You might look to see what time it is and it's already 4:00 and you're still in your pajamas. You remember feeding the kids lunch, but can't really remember what you ate if you ate anything at all yet. Your favorite part of the day might be when your spouse comes home and lets the kids slobber and climb on him or her for awhile.

It can be tough to keep your sanity as a stay at home parent. Sometimes you might feel overtired, like you never get a break - and if you hear the Backyardigans come on the televising again you will really go bonkers.

Fortunately, there are ways to keep your sanity. Here's what I do and what you can do to reclaim your sanity and remember why you wanted to be a stay at home parent in the first place:

1. Develop some sort of routine. Routine is vital in staying sane with your children all day. It doesn't have to be perfect. There are days every routine will go straight out the window. But it helps if you have some sort of schedule to follow - like wake up at 8 am, eat breakfast before 10 am, eat lunch before 1 or 2 pm, start dinner around 5 pm or whatever it is that might work for you and your family. The kids will get used to an idea of the routine and will hopefully be less likely to protest when it is something they do every day.

2. Never skip nap time. Nap time is another crucual element in staying sane. You can either take a nap also or catch up on some work or maybe even relax a little during nap time. If your children are older or beyond nap time, make them have "quiet time" where they are allowed to sit in their rooms and play quietly with toys or books for about a half an hour. Turn off all TV's, video games, toys that make noise, etc. Your ears will thank you for the half hour of peace.

3. Leave your house twice a week. You should aim to get out of the house at least twice a week. Take the kids for a walk or to the park or even make a trip to the post office. Go out to a kid friendly place for lunch or go visit Grandma. Many libraries have reading programs as well. It is important to see and talk to other people - even if they are complete strangers.

4. Find solace online. Online groups and forums can really help in giving you adult conversation sometimes. Even just a half hour a day that you can squeeze in can give you a much needed break.

5. Invent and find new ways to entertain the kids. Always have something different for the kids to try. You can make up a game with just about any random object in your house, and the kids will probably love it, even if it does seem lame to you. The more the kids are entertained, the less likely they will start to fight or get crabby or decide they need to rip every cushion off the couch to build their castle.

7. Don't load up on sugar or caffeine all day. It's tempting to drink a lot of coffee or soda when you are home with the kids. You may even be tempted to let your kids have sugary drinks or treats. Don't do it! The sugar and caffeine can cause wild mood swings and heighten your impatience or make you and the kids feel restless. Opt for water or high protein foods all day. A banana is a good energy booster from the potassium it gives your body. Eating healthy will make a big difference in your energy level, overall mood, and your ability to stay level headed when the kids get down to your last nerve.

If you stay on top of these things and try doing them for a solid two weeks, hopefully you will slowly start to see a vast improvement not only in your mood as a parent but the way your children behave as well. Good luck!