Mom Magic: Simple Mom Hacks That Make Life Easier
Sometimes being a mom means doing things that are less than glamorous, like doing the laundry for the third time in one day (yes, I know you do it too). But on those days, when I feel overwhelmed by the everyday chaos, I remind myself that this is just a small part of being a parent. The important part isn’t always the big job of taking care of my kids or putting together their birthday party, but rather all the little moments that make up each day—the ones I miss if I let the mundane tasks take over. Here are some of my favorite simple mom hacks that make life easier and have taken the stress out of my day to day that my kids also love!
A Child-Lock For Your Phone
As a parent, chances are you’ve been in a situation where you needed to hand your phone off to one of your children to keep them occupied. Maybe it’s while you finish up an important appointment, conversation etc.
You really don’t want to have to worry about whether they’ll go into your text messages or change your settings or even worse, lock you out completely (it happens!). Thankfully, iPhones have a child-lock like setting that allows you to lock the screen with whatever app is in use such as YouTube Kids. You can focus on what you need to do without worry.
This mom hack is simple, all you have to do is:
- Go To your Settings, Tap Accessibility
- Tap Guided Access
- Go to the App you want your child to focus on. Make sure it’s playing in full screen!
- Click the button on the right 3 times, you’ll see Guided Access pop up
- Select options – make sure all the buttons have been turned off (not green!)
- Go back, and you’ll be prompted to type in your password twice.
- Enjoy Stress Free Screen Time!
Take Snack Time Up A Notch With My Self Serve Fridge
“Mom, can I have a snack?” is a question I used to hear multiple times a day, (sometimes an hour!). Having kids interrupting every 5 minutes can really fracture your focus and making ticking off your to do list tough! Thankfully, this hack has made all the difference in our house!
I purchased a bunch of containers that fit perfectly in the door of our fridge and at the start of the week, I’ll chop up all sorts of fruits and vegetables (we love peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery, grapes, apples and oranges), place them in their own containers, and put them in the fridge. Add in string cheese and yogurts, even some water bottles and your kids will have everything they need to take care of their snack cravings all by themselves!
This mom hack is simple, all you have to do is:
- Find/Purchase containers that fit your fridge door
- Cut up Fruits and Vegetables that your kids love to snack on
- Place them in the door with extra snacks like cheese and yogurt
- Enjoy the peace and quiet!
MakING Breakfast A Breeze with Self Serve Breakfast Station
The first thing on your mind in the morning is usually your kids and how you can get them fed, dressed, and off to school. When I was a new mom, I quickly learned that if I wanted to sleep in just a few minutes later than my children did, I needed to make sure that breakfast was ready for them by the time they woke up. It was easiest for me to prepare everything at once—fruit, cereal, milk, honey—and put it all out in mess free containers so that it could be mixed up easily and my kids could take care of themselves.
My favorite part about this system is how self-serve it is. My kids are capable of making their own breakfasts without my help, which means that I have time to do other things like take a shower and get ready for the day or even squeeze in some exercise while they eat (it helps me start my day off on the right foot!). It also gives me time to breathe and enjoy a moment alone with my coffee before I have to face all the craziness
This mom hack is simple, all you have to do is:
- Gather your kids favorite breakfast foods: fruits, condiments etc. Don’t forget to bake anything you’d like to add into the mix!
- Place them in containers that allow for easy storage and easy serving – especially the milk!
- Prep your breakfast station for the morning
- Enjoy!
Know That You Have The Rest Of Your Life To Clean The House
There are days when you feel so behind. You have a list of chores that feels like it could take hours, days, or even weeks to complete—and for some reason, the time always seems to run out before you can finish. It’s okay! You’re allowed not to be perfect. You’re allowed not to have everything together all the time. You’re allowed to put the list down and just play with your kids.
They may not remember how much laundry you did for them or how often you vacuumed the floor, but they will remember how much fun they had running around the backyard with you or dancing to Taylor Swift in the kitchen. The mess can (and will) wait.
