Balanced Routine Pt. 2
Earlier this week, you got a tell-all about how I manage my schedule to keep a level-head and provide a predictable life for my family.
Today, I’m going to share some of my top hacks, products, and must-haves to maintain my schedule! Don’t forget, make sure you start your day saturated in God’s Word! Reading the bible and a devotional passage, or going through a Bible Study- this step is pivotal to a balanced day! These are the two Bibles I use and the Bible study I’m working through right now!
Cleaning
Some people can manage to thrive with mess around them. That, unfortunately, is not me. I have lingering OCD that’s stayed around since my childhood, and mess stresses me! While I acknowledge that comes with toddler territory, and I refuse to spend a majority of my life cleaning and re-cleaning, there are a few helpful hacks I’ve added to my regular routine or adapted into our lifestyle that have really helped me. The first is this wonderful guy- my robot vacuum I got for Black Friday!
If you are about to be a first-time mom or even a new wife, put this little buddy on your registry! I promise you won’t regret it. My house has never been cleaner, seriously. I feel so productive washing dishes when this guy is doing his business cleaning up all the crumbs and dust! I have even noticed an improvement in my allergies not having so many dust-bunnies living under my furniture.
Next, I implemented what I like to call “Cleaning Monday’s.” All it means is that I clear my schedule of work and hanging-out to do my chores, just like when I was a young one. I clean my bathrooms really well, change the sheets, clean the sink, take out the compost, trash, recycling, whatever! Now, all I need to do the rest of the week is maintain, and now my whole life isn’t feeling like it’s revolving around cleaning up mess after mess.
As for what I use to clean- this is one of my favorite parts. I use Thieves Cleaner Concentrate to make my home sparkle! ( Visit my Young Living website to get a bottle of your own!) I love how versatile this concentrate is. You can use it on every surface safely- toilet, sink, floor, counters, high chairs, spray it over the baby toys to disinfect, cleaning fruits and veggies, literally everywhere. No more finagling for the right spray for the right surface. One capful and fill to the top with distilled or filtered water, and WHA-LA, done!
Meal Planning
If you didn’t know, my college degree was in Kinesiology, or in simpler terms, “exercise science.” With that degree comes a small amount of nutrition background that I am allowed to talk about without overstepping my bounds. Here is that nutrition logic I’m allowed to share- EAT.
It’s as simple as that! What goes in ( meaning food) has to come out. And if it doesn’t that stored energy stays stored. That is, it turns into extra weight.
It’s so important to me that I take advantage of the information I’ve gained and that the average American has access to concerning food! With that said, I’ve learned as a mother that if you don’t take initiative to plan, eating can fall by the wayside and not be a priority. My hack? Keep it simple!
Last year, I compiled a rotational menu that coordinates with the seasons, are relatively simple, and fairly healthy! What it looks like is our favorite salads and Mediterranean- inspired pasta recipes in the summer, and hearty stews, soups, and pies in the winter. (Follow me on Pinterest to see my favorite recipes!) I choose 10 recipes per season, so we don’t get bored. Sometimes, I go off the menu rotation to try a new recipe, and last year, I started cooking through this cookbook too!
Organization
For my Type-A, slightly OCD personality, this piece is a biggie for me. I need the accountability of a schedule and calendar, or else I’ll spend the day aimlessly meandering around, not remembering what on earth I’m doing with my time. I get stressed if I can’t find something I’m looking for. Everything in my house needs a place, or else I’ll never be able to find it when I need it!
To make life easy for myself in this area, we life a semi-minimalist lifestyle. We keep “capsule” wardrobes (we buy only what we need, and make sure it’s quality and our absolute favorite!) I started slowly adding organizational baskets to our pantry to keep our food organized. We only buy kitchen gadgets we’ll actually use. We try not to buy much at all, honestly. I rotate out the kid’s toys, keeping 10 stuffed animals, 10 toy-toys, and their books in their little closet library to avoid clutter and them getting bored too quickly from being overstimulated with toy options.
Every Sunday, I write out the next week’s calendar and to-do list, carrying over anything missed the week before. This is my favorite planner! It’s so beautiful, simple, and inspiring. It makes me WANT to write out my schedule because I look forward to getting to look at it on my refrigerator.
Exercising
Just as important as it is to eat well and enough, moving your body is a priority too! When I’m pregnant and nursing, I’ve been known to cut myself some slack, just because it takes so much energy out of me. But, now I’ve got to get these last few pounds off to keep my body and heart healthy! But that’s a lot to squeeze into life with two littles, three businesses, dinner prep, and eight hours of sleep.
So what I commit to is 15 minutes a day to stop what I’m doing, turn on a YouTube HIIT workout, and MOVE! I’ve lost two pounds in about three weeks by doing this at least twice a week in combination with paying tight attention to my food choices and snacking tendencies.
My favorite investment in this area- quality sports bras and a good jogging stroller! I know, it’s silly, but feeling like you can stop for a quick workout in whatever you’ve got on makes me look forward to working out! And being able to stroll my toddlers around the neighborhood keeps me accountable for moving and getting fresh air!
I also have the opportunity again to attend adult swim once a week for about 30-45 minutes for adult swim! That has been so good for my mental health as well as my physical health!
Here is my favorite exercise YouTuber, where I’d suggest getting a jogging stroller, and a decent suit for my swimmers over 20 (things need to stay put if you get what I mean).
Having Fun
This part is the kicker! Since we’re now debt free, we hardly know what to do with ourselves! We’ve enjoyed family time by hitting up half- price taco night at the grocery store for so long, finding actual activities hasn’t come naturally to us yet. But, something we’ve been saving up for is a state park and zoo family pass! The adventures that’ll await us! We can’t wait!
We make space in our schedules to pursue our friends and maintain closeness with them! We love to collaborate on dinners and bring games for game night and let the kids watch a movie while we play Catan or Ticket to Ride! We are looking forward to getting to travel again and have a few places on our list to visit this year!
I’m excited to get to do some travel blogging again, and inquire some places to visit these upcoming years! This part is so important. We’re social beings, and need to gather! Don’t neglect this, even if you’re an introvert. Don’t let yourself withdraw and isolate. Have that friend for coffee, or go get it yourself! Take a walk with a friend, or go for that weekend trip if your budget allows!
That’s it, friends! I told you, I’m a simple gal! I hope this inspires and encourages you!
