I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for 11 years. Quitting my job was a no-brainer, but what I wasn’t prepared for was how much work I had ahead of me! Taking care of a home and family is tough work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a single parent, a dual-income family, childless, or seasoned parents. There are just things that need to be taken care of, and having the right routines makes life SO much easier.

Over the next five weeks, we’re going to share what we do to make things run smoothly in our home. You can keep reading to see what each week will entail, but I just want to make sure you understand one important thing. Our tagline at Kaloway is, “There’s a better way,” not “There’s a best way.”

Even though we’ve found things that work well for us there’s no perfect system. We still drop the ball on a regular basis. If we share something that you can immediately implement in your life, great. If we just get your wheels turning, that’s also great. The point of this series is not to say, “Look at us. We have it all together.” Because we don’t.

We just continue to ask the question, “Is there a better way?” Whatever you’re dealing with in your life we would encourage you to ask the same question. Be inquisitive. Be ever learning. If you do that, you may end up at the same conclusions we have. You may not, and that’s ok. Figure out what works well for you and your family, and go with that! And with that, here’s what our Collective Members have asked us to cover over the next five weeks:

5 Simple Routines That Make Family Life SO Much Easier

1. How do you keep your house so tidy?

• Create a Daily Top 3
• Minimize Your Inventory
• Pick Up Throughout the Day
• Get Rid of Your Laundry Hampers

2. How do you limit screen time?

• For kids:
  • Assign required tasks to unlock screen time
  • Use a time limiting app
  • Assign voluntary tasks for additional screen time
  • Revoke screen time when behavior is bad
• For yourself:
  • Use time limiting apps
  • Change routines
  • Just turn it off
  • Have someone hide your device

3. How do you discipline your kids?

• It depends on the age
• Quickly
• The punishment has to fit the crime
• Know your why
• When you screw up, apologize

4. How do you stick to your spending plan? (aka budget)

• Start with a reasonable plan
• Find a teammate
• Set goals and rewards
• Just do it

5. How do you meal plan?

• Create a master list
• Plan for the month
• Shop for the week
• Stick to the budget

From before I can remember I’ve always asked the question, “Why?” I ended up going to college to study math, and it’s because it was just so intriguing to me. When I’d learn a formula I’d wonder, “Why does that work?”

That question has served me well in relationships: Why are they acting like that?
In my own behavior: Why am I acting like that?
And in my routines: Why is this not working?

Whether or not you choose to read any of the blogs in this series I would encourage you to just start asking the question, “Why?” If you do, and you commit to it until you find the answer, you’ll be surprised at where you’ll end up.

Because there’s always a better way,
Sarah

QUESTION: WHICH WEEK ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR? IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC YOU HOPE WE COVER? LET US KNOW IN A COMMENT! YOUR SUGGESTIONS JUST MIGHT MAKE IT INTO THE BLOG.

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