Time Flies--Why the Laundry Can Wait

They say the days are long, but the years are short (actually it’s a real quote by Gretchen Rubin). It’s such a perfect description of motherhood. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at the clock in the middle of the afternoon, willing it to be closer to bedtime. Only to notice that my baby doesn’t look like a baby anymore because she’s a full grown toddler and have my heart broken just a little bit that the baby stage has passed. Society tells us that we have to do it all. Pristine house, perfecting parenting, pre-baby body. I am here to remind you (and myself) that the laundry can wait. 

That being said, it can only wait for so long before you are out of clean underwear, right? So here are some tips for enjoying these precious days with your little one, while still feeling like you accomplished some things.

Notice the little things

Their little hands. Their beautiful skin. The little noises they make while sleeping. They way they smell. How tiny their nostrils are. Take moments during the day to notice these things. It will ground you as a mama, and give you no choice but to be present in that moment.

Let it go

Just like Elsa, LET IT GO. The dishes will get done. So will the laundry. But you won’t get this day back with your baby. Tomorrow will come and she will be a little bit older that yesterday. So if your load of laundry has to wait until tomorrow, or the beds didn’t get made, it’s okay. There will be plenty of days for bed making when your baby is grown.

Make a done list 

This is all well and good, but someone needs to buy the groceries and make the well-check appointments, right? What I like to do is have a notebook of things like appointments, bills, etc.--things that have actual “due dates” attached to them. Then when I have some time to take care of things, I start there. But for household chores, etc. I do things as I can, and I reward myself with a done list at the end of the day. What is a done list? Well it’s kind of the opposite of the to-do list. I write down everything I did that day. Even things like “I took a walk”, or “I fed the baby 4 times”. All of these things count! When you see how much you actually do in one day, it will be easier to let go of the guilt of whatever you think you should’ve done.

Carve out Chunks of time 

If you know at 11am your baby will be content to play on the floor for a little bit, then carve out 15 minutes to do some pressing things. When you have an infant, these chunks of time will be shorter, but get longer as they are able to keep themselves occupied a little bit more. Give yourself several of these throughout the day, because we all know as moms, you will get interrupted. And that’s okay. If you get interrupted, save your task for the next chunk of time.

We are tired. We are trying to do it all. And the magical moments are passing us by. Instead of feeling guilty for everything you “aren’t” getting done, try feeling proud of yourself for being an amazon mom. Enjoy every day with your baby in some way. Because just like the hard moments, these too shall pass.