Loving your days as a Mom

Organize to Thrive as a Mom at Home
Whitney Hopler
The following is a report on the practical applications of Cindy Sigler Dagnan's book, Who Got Peanut Butter on My Daily Planner?: Organizing and Loving Your Days as a Mom, (Harvest House, 2006).

As a mom, you want to give your best to your kids – but you don’t want to lose yourself in the process. Staying home with your kids doesn’t have to be an ordeal to endure; it can be an adventure to love if you organize your life wisely.

Here’s some helpful tips:

Recognize the importance of your job. Know that your efforts as a mom are vitally important to your kids and will shape their lives in crucial ways.

Aim to be productive. You can actually accomplish a lot beyond parenting while you’re home with your kids. Work toward other goals such as learning a new skill, exercising, reading, and doing volunteer service projects.

Get out of the house regularly. Give yourself the gift of a change of scenery as often as you can. Take the kids to a library, park, museum or other place to give both them and yourself relief from cabin fever.

Establish and maintain friendships. Get together with other women frequently to support and encourage each other.

Cultivate a sense of humor. Try to laugh frequently. Whenever you confront stressful situations, look for the humor in them to help you relax.

Pray often. Talk with God regularly about your thoughts and feelings. Make a prayer a habit to model faith in action to your kids.

Put situations in perspective. Ask God to give you His perspective on all you’re facing so you’re not stressed unnecessarily.

Plan well. Understand that if you don’t plan your days, circumstances will end up planning them for you. Every night, draw up an action plan for the next day, spending your time and energy doing what most helps you fulfill God’s purposes for your life.

Use time well. Turn downtime (such as time spent waiting in lines or in traffic) into productive time by writing notes or reading whenever pockets of time open up for you. Exercise regularly and get eight hours of sleep each night to boost your energy. Do your shopping at odd hours to avoid crowds. Don’t hesitate to say "no" to people who ask you to do something you can’t do your best on right now. Remind yourself of your blessings often, thank God for them, and continue to rely on God’s strength to help you with whatever you need.