As a stay at home mom you still have tons to do, even once your kids are in full time education. With chores to complete, bills to pay, school runs, cooking, grocery shopping and more, you will pretty much always have your work cut out for you- right up until your kids leave home later down the line. However, when they start school and are out of the house for a number of hours a day, it does give you a little extra time to focus on you again, as well as get organized so everything at home runs as smoothly as possible. If you find that you have a couple of hours free in the week after your children start full time education, here are some proactive ways you can spend that time!
Get your groceries right
A weekly meal plan can make life so much easier. Rather than it getting to 5pm and realizing you don’t know what to make and don’t have the right ingredients in, you can prepare ahead of time. Plan meals that suit your schedule, for example if you have days in the week that are particularly busy then go with something quick and easy on those evenings. Once you’ve decided on your menu, you can create a shopping list based on exactly what you need. Doing this is likely to save you money on your groceries as you’re only buying what you know you will use and nothing is being left to go bad in the fridge. If you already have a good store cupboard of basic ingredients then you can just go out and get the fresh items you’ll need for the upcoming days.
Start an exercise regime
Most moms are able to stay active just by looking after their kids. Cleaning the house constantly burns a lot of calories, running around and playing at the park and generally just being up and on your feet might feel exhausting, but it’s extremely good for you. However, with some spare time in your schedule, why not take it a step further? You could do a dance class, go swimming or buy some exercise equipment to use at home. Higher intensity exercise like this releases endorphins therefore boosting mood and relieving stress (something any mom would appreciate!) It burns calories and tones muscles, giving you a better shape which can improve your confidence.
Revisit your old goals
When you become a parent, all of your focus and energy goes on your children. While this is important, it doesn’t mean you have to give up on yourself. Keeping up with your own goals and ambitions is great for your mental health, and can also help you to maintain a sense of ‘you.’ You could take a class in something new, or improve on the education you already have. For example, if you already had a nursing degree you could do an online fnp. It’s always good to continue learning, and it could improve your employability too when you return to work later down the line.
What do you do to be productive during the occasional spare hour you get?
