Sometimes as mamas it is helpful to know that we don’t have to do it all or be good at it all. Am I right?  I’ve found that it’s really beneficial to learn from each other and glean wisdom from other mamas that are gifted in areas that we are not. That’s why I’m really excited to introduce you to Lacey Rabalais! A couple of months ago I reached out to Lacey after watching her implement some systems & rhythms for her family. When I asked her to share with you, it was because I selfishly wanted to learn about her systems too! Lacey has become such a wonderful friend and it’s been really inspiring to watch her simplify her home and create more space for life. She is full of wisdom and her tips are so practical. I’ve been very encouraged by her and know you will be too. Today she is sharing the 5 things she’s changed to create intentional life at home. Sweet friends, meet Lacey!

As a mom I want to be intentional with my time. Especially as a mom that is busy. I don’t want my children to remember me always working or being busy. I don’t want my kids to remember me running around once a week to clean the whole house. I don’t want them to remember their childhood with a mom that continued to have anxiety over the little things. So I have to be intentional with my time and be aware of what triggers my anxiety and really make the best of each day. It’s my job to set the tone of the home and I wasn’t doing a great job. So I had to make some changes.

This year I chose my word of the year and it was anchored. Yes I’m obsessed with anchors and it fit as I originally was going to pick grounded but anchored fit also. I made it my mission to set my mind on how I could focus on making things better. There were a lot of changes but here’s what I’ve narrowed them down to.

1. Cleaning Routine

I personally don’t want to spend the day cleaning my whole house. It’s exhausting and can become very frustrating with children. Each time I finally got everything clean I could hear that dreaded sound of something being poured out and scattered. All over the freshly cleaned room. You know what sound I’m talking about. So instead I adopted a routine of small steps each day to keep things tidy. First off, my home is by no means spotless. The tumbleweed of my postpartum hair and dog hair quite often reminds me to vacuum. We pretty much have a weekly routine so I made the cleaning routine flow with that. Monday- dust, clean bathrooms, and pick up our grocery order every other week. Tuesday – vacuum, mop, clean fridge, and take all trash out. Wednesday – boys’ rooms, sheets, & laundry. Thursday – master bedroom, sheets, & towels. Friday – anything extra. Daily chores include normal upkeep like dishes, laundry, and picking up.

2. Nap Time Usage

I know there’s people in the world that view stay-at-home mom life as easy and boring. But along with our life we all have commitments and extras. For nap times I’ve realized that I cannot do everything in that allotted time while also doing it well. So Monday-Thursday have designated tasks. When I’ve finished those I move on to the next stuff. This isn’t written in stone but it has significantly changed the way I work. Each day I work on one category. (Activity/homeschool prep. Blog content. Editing. Business/home important tasks. Extra activity to dos.) If I complete all that needs to be done in a certain category, I move on to the next.

3. Waking Up Before Kids

This month this has been hard for me. But I think there’s been late nights of life and then a teething babe that keeps me from resting well. But when I wake before my children instead of being awaken by them, it’s a game changer. My coffee is hot and my prayer time is quiet. I can get a jump start on chores and emails without feeling guilty for being distracted from my kids. My mood is better which in turns makes the day better.

4. Kid Dates

Now that the littlest isn’t just sleeping and eating all the time we’re working on spending intentional time with each kid one on one. One month my husband took our 3 year old golfing while the 1 year old and I went to Hobby Lobby and Chick Fil A. Last month, I took the 3 year old to see Paw Patrol live while my husband went bike riding with the littlest. This will obviously change as they grow but so far it seems to really be important and help with some little behavior issues we were having.

5. Simplifying Life

I call it leaving room for life but it’s just keeping things simple. I know that too many options give me anxiety. Too many things to take care of is overwhelming. Too many things means I’m focusing on those things and their care instead of what is most important. I can potentially talk about this for a while. I simplified a lot this year. My closet, the kids’ closets, the kitchen drawers, and most of the counter space in our home. I used the following tools to help give me some breathing room to actually live life.

• Simplified Planner // I’m a pen and paper kinda gal. I think paper, pens, and words are my love language. So I use my planner all day everyday to collect my thoughts, my to do list, and my life. I’ve been a Simplified Planner user for years and I don’t think I will switch. I love the blank pages in the back. I have a page for my routines, important things, and a list of gift ideas for birthday and Christmas for the year.
• Power Sheets // Goal planning and organization is important to me and this way to plan goals has changed my life. I’ve accomplished more in the last years of using them than I had ever accomplished before. This is intentional and productive and not overwhelming like a random list.
• Prayer Journal // I want to be intentional about my prayer life and I love my quiet time but I want to make sure to pray about certain things each day and month. So I invest in this journal and use it! As long as the weather is enjoyable, my favorite time to use it is by throwing it on top of the stroller and walking with the kids. They enjoy looking at trucks and I get time to pray.
• Google Calendar // I might be a paper and pen gal but I still use my google calendar to have a few (ok, probably 10) calendars to organize things. Family, business, personal, blog, meals, etc.

I don’t know about you, but I am so inspired by these tips and can’t wait to make some changes of my own. Thank you for sharing what you’ve done to create more space for life at home, Lacey! If you loved what Lacey shared here, be sure to go check out her blog where she shares so many fun things. I love her posts on motherhood, The Rab Farm, her favorite finds, and I especially enjoy her book recommendations. I have loved getting to know her on Instagram and watch her journey of simplifying life unfold. I’m always so encouraged by her and know you will be too. Be sure to stop by her blog to say hello!

You can follow along with Lacey here:

Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter

If you enjoyed this post you might be interested in the other posts in this series:

• 3 Tips to Make Meal Planning Work for You
• 4 Tips to Cultivate Connection With Your Kids Outside
• 4 Tips for Connecting With Your Kids Through Intentional Play
• 5 Tips to Create a Simple Morning Basket

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