Are you a sleep-deprived mom having a hard time keeping up with chores around the house? Here are some tips to keep up with housework!
There are lots of reasons moms are tired: a new baby at home, a toddler waking up multiple times to go to the bathroom or ask for a snack, sick kids that demand your attention during the night, or waiting up for your newly licensed teen to get home safely. Moms are no strangers to functioning on little sleep. Being sleep-deprived takes a toll on the housework and watching dishes and dust pile up can be frustrating. Here are some tips for keeping up with the chores around the house while you are short on sleep:
Simplify
The best way to avoid messes piling up when you are sleep-deprived is to minimize the number of messes made. During the season of sleeplessness, take some shortcuts to make your life easier. Use paper plates so you won’t have dishes to do. Buy pre-packaged meals so you don’t have to cook. If possible, spend more time out of doors so your kids don’t make messes inside the house. You may not spend your entire life ordering out and using paper plates, but if it makes your life easier on those days when you just didn’t get any sleep, go for it.
Ask For Help
Don’t try to be a hero and do all the housework yourself! If you were up with the baby all night and your spouse was able to sleep, ask if they can do the tasks you normally do. If you have a new baby at home, friends and family will probably offer to help. Let them! They might watch the baby for you so you can take a nap, or better yet, maybe they can load your dishwasher or fold some baby laundry.
Let the Kids Help
If you have older kids and they aren’t doing chores yet, now is a great time to start. Not only will your kids learn responsibility and how to help take care of the house, they will be taking on some of your work so you can take your sleep-deprived self up to bed a little earlier.
Lower Your Standards
It’s very possible that your house just might not be as tidy as you’d like it to be when you are sleep-deprived. If you have a new baby at home or a houseful of sick kiddos, messes are going to accumulate. Remember this is a short season in your life. You won’t always have a new baby, a toddler who doesn’t want to sleep, or a teen that you are waiting up for and worried about. Be easy on yourself. Don’t beat yourself up because the house isn’t as clean as it was before you had kids.
Being a mom can be difficult. It requires a lot of sacrifices and one thing we often sacrifice is our sleep! Hopefully these tips will help you keep the clutter and mess under control when you are sleep-deprived. And, when the messes pile up, remember to be kind to yourself. This will only be short period in your life. Now, go take a nap!
