Finding the joy in each day as a stay-at-home mom.

Becoming a stay-at-home mom is a huge change for a woman.

Whether she was working in a fast paced career or simply staying at home as a homemaker, everything changes with the introduction of kids.

Each day the mother wakes up and is needed. Everyone needs her to take care of them.

A mother has endless responsibilities:

Cooking, cleaning, scheduling appointments, driving, entertaining, bathing, managing the home, cuddling, cleaning wounds, comforting, nursing, sleep training, grocery shopping, playing, and the list goes on…

One of the biggest perks of being a stay-at-home mom is having more time to take care of everything and everyone.

Even though there is more time, there is still an endless to-do list.

It can sometimes feel overwhelming and discouraging. Waking up feeling like your time is not your own and knowing that it is your sole responsibility to take care of these little humans can be a large burden to carry.

But, it doesn’t have to feel this way.

There is joy to be found. You can love your life as a stay-at-home mom.

RELATED: Stay-At-Home Mom Schedule (2 Under 2)

How to love being a stay-at-home mom

From the outside, someone might wonder why anyone would ever choose to be a stay-at-home mom.

From the inside, I wonder why anyone would ever want to do anything else.

Change your thinking

Start saying “I get to” rather than “I have to.”

This simple shift is enough to change your entire day. Realizing that not everyone has the privilege of doing these things can make you thankful for each of them.

I get to wake up in the middle of the night and feed my sweet newborn baby because I have a baby.

I get to make the family breakfast and make sure my husband has coffee before he leaves for work because we have food and he has a job.

I get to clean the house because we have somewhere to live.

I get to take them to their doctors appointments because we have doctors we can trust to take care of the kids.

I get to do laundry every day because we can afford clothes and a washing machine.

I get to make dinner so we can eat as a family because we have food and time to be together.

I get to put my kids to bed every night because we have beds for everyone.

Realizing how good we have it, helps bring a new perspective to even the most tedious tasks.

Connect with other moms

We’re not meant to do this alone. They say it takes a village for a reason.

Finding other moms that are in the same stage of life as you can be so refreshing.

You can get together for playdates. Everyone gets to socialize and a weight is taken off your shoulders as you talk to someone who knows exactly what you’re going through.

But how do you find mom friends?

When we moved to Texas, we didn’t know anyone. We didn’t have any friends or family around when we first got here.

So I put myself out there. I had never used Facebook to meet people, but that turned out to be a great resource for meeting other moms. I joined moms playdate groups for my city and got to meet many wonderful moms with kids the same ages as my own kids.

I also went out and met my neighbors. Our neighborhood is full of young families and this was the perfect place to meet other moms. I made a playdate group for our neighborhood so the moms can get together each week.

Another way to meet other moms is to go to toddler time at the local library. Most libraries have this each week. Not only is it a great opportunity for toddlers to hear a story and sing songs, it’s a great place for moms to meet each other too.

Church is another great way to meet other moms who share your values. Kids get the chance to play with others their age and the parents can catch up and get support from each other too.

Put yourself out there and meet some people! Something helpful to remember is that most people are looking for friends too, and they will probably be happy that you reached out.

RELATED: How to Take a Toddler and Baby to Church

Exercise

Being a busy stay-at-home mom can sometimes make it feel impossible to find time to exercise.

Incorporating exercise into your weekly routine can significantly improve your mood, boost your energy levels, and even help you sleep better. It also will boost your confidence because you’ll feel better in your clothes too.

Read more about the benefits of exercise here.

My kids love going on walks, so an easy way for me to get regular exercise is by taking them out on daily walks.

Another way I like to incorporate exercise is by doing workout videos from YouTube. There are so many amazing men and women who make great workout videos that are easy to follow along with. I really like to do postpartum workout videos for the first few months after having a baby.

I usually do the workout videos right after I put the kids to bed so I can just relax for the rest of the night.

Trust me, it’s worth it to fit exercise into your routine. I feel so much better when I am working out regularly.

Set limits

As a stay-at-home mom it’s easy to feel like you never get a chance to rest. Your home is your job, therefore you never get to “go home” and be done working like someone with a typical job.

Setting limits for yourself and your time can help with this feeling.

Decide when the start and end of your “work day” are and make sure you get everything done during that time.

I set my “work day” to be when the kids are awake. So my day usually begins at 6am and ends at 7:30pm. During this time I get all the cooking, cleaning, and everything else that needs done completed so I can have 10+ hours to do what I want each day.

Of course, most of that time is spent sleeping. But the idea that it’s up to me to choose what I do with that time is liberating.

I love to get to spend time with my husband each night. We often will do date nights at home after the kids go to bed. This is such an important time for us to connect and check in with each other each day.

RELATED: Date Night Ideas At Home

Leave the house

When you are a stay-at-home mom to babies and toddlers it can be easy to get into such a routine with meals and naps and cleaning that suddenly you realize that you haven’t left the house in a week.

It sounds shocking, but I’ve done it more than once.

While getting babies to nap well and sleep at night is important for everyone in the house. Every now and then it’s okay to break the pattern to get out of the house. Allowing baby to nap in the stroller or baby carrier is okay.

I’ve found that the best time of day for us to leave the house is mid morning, after my youngest’s first nap. This is his longest nap of the day so I prefer him to have it in the crib.

We like to go to the park or visit friends at least once a week during this time.

It’s also super fun to pack a lunch and have a picnic somewhere.

RELATED: Diaper Bag Essentials- From a Mom of 2 Under 2

Find rest

Finding rest and revitalization is important for every mother.

As a stay-at-home mom, we don’t usually get breaks during the day so we have to find the things that make us feel refreshed.

Make a list of all the things that make you feel refreshed and renewed after doing them.

-Watching the sunset

-Reading the bible and praying

-Watering the plants

-Calling a friend

-Taking a bath

-Going to the river or beach

-Taking a walk

-Listening to a podcast

Once you have your list, make sure you do at least one of those things each day.

It can seem impossible to make time for those things. But notice how simple some of the things on my list are? Watching the sunset is so easy.

The more you think about your list, the more things you will realize make you feel refreshed. There have to be little moments of time during the day that renew your strength to carry on taking care of everyone.

Find those things.

Do those things.

Don’t expect a typical weekend

This one is hard.

As a mom, you can’t expect to get to sleep in and do whatever you want on the weekends.

Setting real expectations about what your weekends will look like can help you appreciate the time you get together as a family, without making you resentful of your spouse because they get to rest differently than you do.

As soon as I realized that I don’t get to have the same kind of weekend as my husband, my whole attitude changed for the better.

RELATED: 50 Boredom Cures for Kids at Home

I make the weekends as restful and refreshing as possible for my husband because he works hard all week to provide for our family, so I can stay home with the kids. He deserves that time to relax.

He also makes sure I get time to rest if I want it too. He takes great care of me and the kids anytime he is home.

I look forward to family time on the weekends. We get to connect and do something fun together.

A little secret: I make my own rest day during the week too.

Fridays. That’s my day.

On Fridays, I take the morning slow with my boys. I make coffee and sit outside. We cuddle up and watch cartoons and eat snacks in the afternoon.

We read books and go on walks.

We don’t go grocery shopping. We don’t have doctors appointments. We don’t rush.

I still do laundry and dishes and some prep for the actual weekend, but all the big chores (like cleaning the bathrooms, and vacuuming) are done earlier in the week so I can rest.

Learning to not expect a normal weekend is an adjustment, but if I remind myself that it’s only for this season of life, it’s not only manageable, but enjoyable.

RELATED: Becoming a Mother