How to Survive Being a Stay at Home Mom

I have essentially been a stay at home mom for the last seven years. There was a year break where I sold insurance part time while my daughter was in pre school. However, when I got pregnant with my second daughter I decided I would stay home with her full time as well.

With that being said I would consider myself a expert at surviving being a stay at home mom. I will be honest though, becoming a stay at home mom was quite the adjustment at first. No one really prepares you for what life will be like when you’re a stay at home mom. You can easily get lost in the hustle and bustle of the day to day responsibilities.

I always found it really important to maintain a flexible schedule, stay in touch with my girlfriends, make friends with other stay at home moms, and continue with my hobbies. Each helped add a little balance and organization to being a stay at home.

Maintain a Flexible Schedule. I am not saying you need a minute to minute daily schedule, but I think maintaining some sort of schedule gives you a sense of accomplishment or accountability. It also gives you an idea of what to expect each day, so that each day is not a free for all. I believe in doing your best to take control of the day and not letting the day take control of you!

Stay In Touch With Friends. This is uber important. You need grown up conversations. You need to talk about more than the ABCs or Sesame Street. Its important to stay connected to those around you otherwise you can end up feeling pretty isolated pretty fast. And feeling isolated leads to some pretty tough stuff to work through.

Make Friends With Other Stay at Home Moms. Having people to relate to is so important. They will become your support system and understand the day-to-day struggles of being a stay at home mom. Being a stay at home mom is not the same as being a working mom. You need people in your life who can relate to you. Join play groups, mom circles, or mom clubs. Its not easy making friends as an adult, but it is so worth it. Some of my best friends are the mom friends I have made after having children.

Continue With Your Hobbies. The absolute worst thing you can do is stop doing everything you were doing before you decided to be a stay at home mom. Sure its harder to make it to these activities. Theres suddenly so much more planning and scheduling but trust me you will be more rounded and happy to have other things going on in your life other than staying home with your children.

Most importantly remember… Enjoy the years at home, they go fast!