Every Working Mom Deserves a Happy Hour!

By Shannon Hughes, the HappyHourMom
A series to help every mom become a Happy Hour Mom!

Step Two | An Organized Home is an Organized Mom

Organized [STANDARD DEFINITION]-wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
1) formed into a structured or coherent whole
2) methodical and efficient in arrangement or function

Organized [MOTHER’S DEFINITION]
1) homes of moms with nannies
2) homes of moms with superpowers (real ones)
3) homes of moms who follow simple steps to try to achieve methodical and
efficient arrangements in their homes

Let’s face it, a cluttered home is the first sign of a chaotic lifestyle. Scatterbrained, frazzled mommies are more likely to have cluttered, unorganized homes. Have a look at these facts found on MomAdvice.com:

• The average disorganized person has 3,000 documents at home.

• It can take from three hours to three days to organize a home office.

Now that really makes you think. An entire year of your life wasted looking for lost objects? Now that you’ve got a job, a family, and a so-called life, you have no time to go on scavenger hunts (especially when they don’t involve alcohol, your college sorority event, or a high school sleep over). It is time to take that “3 hours to 3 days” worth of work and organize your home, before you waste the equivalency of a year looking for random objects around your home.

It is time to get your life in order!

1) Start in one room and work your way through the house.

You may decide to start in the bedroom, most likely your closet. Clean out the clothes you haven’t worn in the last year– chances are you won’t be wearing them any time soon, and no don’t save them ecause “when you lose weight they’ll fit.” If you lose the weight treat yourself to a new pair of pants, you deserve it! Finish one section or room and move on to the next. As a working mom, take your time and be thorough. Even if it takes you a month to get through your home, you will feel great when it is all said and done!

2) Clean up the clutter.

Get rid of those little nicknacks you picked up in the clearance aisle at Home Goods and TJ Maxx. While they were must-haves at the time, over the years your shelves and furniture are getting cluttered and it is time to clear out the junk. Yes, I said it, junk! This may not apply to all women, but I have a feeling we all have a little bit of the clutter gene in us.

3) Make it a family affair and teach your kids to help out.

Even your young children (starting at 2!) can help out around the house. In fact, they will probably love it. My 2 year old helps me do laundry (she loves to help me transfer the clothes into the dryer), make the bed (well, not really, but she thinks she is helping!), and put her toys in the baskets we have in her room.

Simple tasks, but keep it fun and your children will grow up knowing what it means to help out, and eventually you won’t even have to ask. Sit down one afternoon with the entire family and figure out who will be doing what, and try sharing the work with the entire family. As a working mom, you need to share the responsibility at home–unless you have super powers
that is.

4) Devise a system and stay consistent.

Lists, labels and charts seem basic but they will be the key to your success as an organized mom. Keep lists, or try my cork board method to make sure you don’t leave anything out of your weekly schedule. Between work, spouse, kids, and you, it is easy to forget a thing or two. By getting everything down on paper, you can follow up throughout the week to stay on track. The labels are great to keep everyone on the same page. If you are labeling areas for the kiddos, make sure you accompany any text with little drawings that the nonreaders will understand. You can even let them draw the pictures if you’d like–we love the 3M post-it and label options.

Consistency. Designate days/times to complete certain, weekly tasks. Make Saturday vacuum and grocery day. Sunday family day. Friday pizza and family movie night (or date night!). By knowing that you are going to vacuum the house and go grocery shopping every Saturday, you won’t have to worry about it for the other 6 days of the week.

5) Remember to keep your priorities in order, and don’t lose site of the BIG picture.

Yes, life can get a little crazy, and schedules can be very overwhelming–but please don’t lose site of what is most important. No, I am not talking about your work deadline or how much money you will make this year. I am referring to the importance of enjoying the company of those you love. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, there are many womensharing their stories online. Read just one story and you will be taking a second look at your life and how appreciative you are of those around you. We often get so caught up in deadlines, financial stresses, and “lists” that we forget to just breathe and enjoy those we love.

Remember, every mom deserves a happy hour, and you are no exception!! By using these tips you can work to get your home and life in order, thus creating more time for you! Make sure you incorporate time for yourself to do something you enjoy each day. Whether it is for 10 minutes or an hour, you must make time for mom!

Check out HappyHourMom.com for great ways to spend your Happy Hour!