Oh, that time of year. The lunches are packed and the backpacks are ready.
You’re a stay at home mom and this moment is a little bittersweet because everything that annoyed you yesterday, you’re already missing. But another side of you is like, “YES, FINALLY!”
If you have other kids at home then not a whole lot is going to change. You still have naps to work around, diapers to change, activities to plan, etc.
There was a day just a month or so ago. If I had a chance to look in the mirror I would have seen the classic “hot-mess mom” looking back at me. The baby woke up unusually frequently the night before, the toddler was in a toddler-y mood where nothing made him happy.
My hair was a mess, I hadn’t showered, my shirt already had no-idea-what-that-is stains all over it.
By nap time I was done.
And by the time my husband came home, I was ready to pull all my hair out.
But then the next day, we dropped my son off with his grandma for the night. When we got home, we basically did a happy dance. Two hours later I was all sappy, sipping from my wine glass, flipping through pictures of him on my phone. Insane right?
Toddlers have an incredible ability to walk that fine line.
Anyway, my son is a few years away from starting school but I can only imagine what kind of mess I’m gonna be.
So, here’s some back to school hobbies if you are looking to fill the time…
1. Get crafty
I feel like there are a million Pinterest-inspired crafts I’ve planned on doing and then never end up having time to do. Also, if you find one you really love to do, maybe you can start an Etsy shop and making some extra money!
2. Finally master meal planning
Finally! You now have a little extra time where you can sit down and really master meal planning. You can either do it the super quickly, like using Freezeasy (they basically do it for you) or you can do it the old fashioned way of writing out your recipes for the week, determining the ingredients and creating a shopping list. Bonus points if you include some freezer meals. Plus, now you can take the extra time to print out coupons and save money on groceries.
3. Get your budget straight!
YES. Now is the time to get that budget right! Maybe you can start a budgeting plan or use an app like YNAB. Time your time to establish routines and implement your budget strategy so that you can finally stick to it. Before you know it, you will be saving money and paying off any debt you might have!
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4. Start a blog
Whether you want it to be a business or not, starting a blog is a great outlet. It gives you something to focus on, it helps you organize your thoughts, and it’s a great stress reliever (especially if you enjoy writing!). You can also easily monetize it for extra passive income, or you can just use it as a hobby. Learn more about starting a blog here.
5. Conquer your goals
How many times have you been like, “I’m going to start running” or “I’m going to start doing yoga”. Whatever it might be, pick one of your goals that you have said you’re going to start doing (but never do) and DO IT. Now is the perfect time, so make the most of it. If you are looking for some inspiration, I highly recommend Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy!
6. Start a fitness routine
If you have wanted to get in shape or lose some weight, now is the time to get to it! Start a routine (and start slow if you are not used to it) and stick to it until it becomes a habit. Pretty soon it will feel weird if you skip your run or don’t go for that swim.
7. Establish a cleaning routine
If you wipe down the surfaces of your house, use a Swiffer on your hardwoods, and make sure your dishes are done every single day- you will be surprised how much easier it is to keep your house clean. Establish a routine; after your morning exercise to run through your house wiping things down. Clean your kitchen counters, use the duster, wipe down the bathroom sink, and run through your rooms with the Swiffer.
Then, on a weekly basis, do a good scrubbing (toilets, floors, etc). You will be amazed how much quicker and less of a hassle this becomes when the rest of your house is already clean.
And if you feel like being an overachiever, make a checklist to keep posted on your fridge!
8. Learn how to coupon
Go ahead, be the person with the binder of coupons. I don’t judge that person.. I’m totally jealous of that person. I wish I had the time and energy to coupon that hard. But now is the time, and if you need a place to start (coupon-wise), check out the “save money on groceries” section of our save money resource page.
9. Start a hobby
If blogging isn’t your thing– start a different hobby! Maybe it’s listening to podcasts, gardening, hiking, or reading a good book. There are so many budget friendly hobbies out there that you can do! I love this list of 30 Inexpensive Hobbies!
There are most likely about a hundred things that I think I’m going to do, or try, on a weekly basis. But between working from home, being a stay at home mom, attempting to keep the house remotely clean while also making time to have fun with kids and grow my blog…
I think it’s safe to say that not much else gets done.
So as I can already predict that I will be sappily sipping wine from my wine glass while swiping through pictures of my son whining about how much I miss him when he heads off to school. But I’m sure that at the same time, I’m going to be a little excited to have some time to do the things that I want to do.
So now it’s your time to shine. What are you going to conquer today? Are you going to master your budget? Are you going to start a craft or a new hobby? Make goal and stick to it, get it done, momma!
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Some of the links included may be affiliate links, I never promote products I don’t LOVE and personally believe in. I only promote products I feel would genuinely help my readers.
