Some Moms’ Tips to Help Cope Just a Little Better

Let’s get real. We’re not coping. We’re surviving. But sometimes, we all come up with strategies and tips to make it all just a little easier. 

Now that we’ve been staying home and staying safely, we’ve asked some moms what practical tips they’ve implemented that are helping them on a daily basis. 

Share your tips with readers by leaving a comment. 

1. A tight schedule will only stress you out. Figure out what you must do, and keep everything else optional. This post regarding schedules for children might be helpful.
2. If you feel like the days are going by and you aren’t getting things done, you can start your mornings or start of the week with “What are the top 2-3 things I need to do?” It’s much easier to cross off 2 important things you need to do than endless lists. A daily top 3 things list may be things like, “Plan groceries, place meat order, wash bathrooms” or “Print children’s homework sheets, pay bills, and bake cookies for Shabbos.” (Remember, we’re in survival mode, not productivity mode).
3. Plan your menu, even if you never planned one, now you need to have groceries and menus planned because you can’t keep running to the supermarket. The easiest way to menu plan is to decide on the main for each day of the week, and have plenty of options for sides in your fridge and pantry. 
4. Schedule do nothing time – there is nothing wrong with doing nothing. These days may seem like days lead into days with nothing happening, but you really need to sit and do nothing (preferably alone) to relax and decompress.
   
   
5. Encourage older siblings to take over some of the teaching. As long as a child is one step ahead of his sibling, he can teach them. An 8 year old can teach a 5 year old how to tell time. Some ideas, riding a bike, rhyming, tying shoes, counting money, jumping rope, Aleph Bais… May as well utilize the time everyone home and it will keep them busy without you! 
6. Get family members to pitch in. Charts with jobs work for some, assigning different nights to clean the kitchen works for others (see this post). The easiest way to get cooperation is to give jobs that are suited to family members based on personality. Some kids are great with kids – they can bathe and put pjs on a younger child, others prefer to talk on the phone while they sweep the kitchen, cook dinner…