from Circle of Moms
Organize Family Papers
“My mom was always super-organized with our family finances and paper files. I have to work a lot harder at this! I have recently put together a Family Home Management binder and am still working at training myself to use it regularly. Again, once all of your papers are organized and have a specific place to go, it is just so much easier to stay on top of things.”
Meal Plan
“The most important thing my mom taught me about home management was the value of meal planning and the joy of a good meal with your family after a long day of work or school. My mom always had meals pre-planned and a hot dinner was on the table every night. It was our special family time to reconnect while enjoying a healthy, home-cooked meal. I think this ritual is so important for families, and children need this quality family time. Meals don’t have to be elaborate, because it’s the connection of belonging together that is important. For the 10 or 15 minutes it takes to plan a week’s worth of meals, the benefits are immeasurable.”
Work Together, Play Together
“‘Many hands make light work.’ I was taught this and try to instill the same value in my children. When we work together, we have more time to play together.”
Don’t Spend Money You Don’t Have
“My mother was a single mom raising three children so we learned at an early age that we all had to contribute to the management of our home. She also taught me indirectly the importance of budgeting money and not spending money that you just don’t have.”
Cook as a Family
“My mom has told me a couple of times that she regrets how she fed us as kids (we ate our fair share of canned soups and Hamburger Helper). We didn’t grow up cooking together and it was an activity I found I enjoyed once I lived on my own. Learning from her mistake has been invaluable.”
Tidy Up Often
“Tidying up regularly. I used to think it was the most ‘boring’ thing ever, but now I realize that if you clean as you go and pick up after yourself, the house looks so much cleaner and is much easier to organize as well.”
Don’t Be a Perfectionist
“One of the important life lessons I learned from my mom is realizing that life is not about being totally organized and living in a museum. People are much more important than things. The mark of an organized home is not a perfect home. Sometimes we get so focused on perfection that we miss what is important in life — and a perfect home is not it! It is very possible to have an organized home and no friends. So, make the choice to let go of things and remember that people are more important! An organized home should be used as a vessel for creating and building relationships, not destroying them by obsession.”
Keep Smiling
“Whether she realizes it or not, my mom taught me to keep home joyfully without making it seem like work. She managed to juggle so much, and I don’t ever remember seeing her drop the ball. That doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen — it just goes to show that she always kept on top of all of the needs of our family with a smile on her face. She taught me through her actions to put family first, and it’s an example that I strive to follow every day.”
Keep Things in Perspective
“With rare exception, the house isn’t as messy as you think. The kids really don’t mind the crazy that much.”
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Read this piece in Popsugar
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.
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