As a mom, I used constantly feel under pressure to do everything well. I am by nature a perfectionist, which means that I can sometimes unnecessarily increase the amount of pressure I put myself under. 

By trial and error, there are certain things, that I practice every day, which have become habits and brought a deep sense of peace in our home.

I wanted to share with you 5 things that I changed, which have brought a lot of peace and contentment to myself and to my home.

• Decide what is valuable to you and make time for those things. My personal time alone is very important. Time to read my Bible and pray, and to prepare my mind, body and soul for the day ahead. This helps me to not be serving my family from an empty, tired place. The solution is to wake up earlier than everyone in my household. The stillness and silence gives me enough time to just be quiet. When everyone is up, I can meet their needs from a place of rest and not be stressed by the rush.
  
• Meal planning! This has been a game changer!!! There is nothing worse that a tired mom who is being asked a thousand times what is for dinner.  I do all my meal planning over the weekend and purchase the ingredients as the week starts. My family gets to have a healthy meal every night and I don’t have the stress and the pressure of coming up with meals ideas at last minute. 
• Have a daily evening cleaning routine. There is nothing more beautiful and peaceful than waking up to a clean kitchen! The whole morning goes smoothly because you are not looking for dishes in a dirty sink and not having to wipe the kitchen counter before making that important first cup of coffee in the morning.  Or worse still, fish for a teaspoon from dirty, mucky water. Our kitchen is always clean before going to bed. The kids can help themselves to breakfast in clean space. And on those mornings that you are running late, you have one thing less to worry about.  Make it a family affair. Once you get into the habit, it becomes easier.
• Teach the kids to pack their sport bags, and pack out their uniform the night before. There is nothing more stressful on the kids and the parents when trying to find that pair of socks or swimming costume in the morning when running late!  It’s very stressful for everyone, which ruins the day before it has even begun. Teach the kids to unpack and repack their school bags after they get home. It teaches them personal responsibility and organisational skills. It is fantastic way to reduce the stress of rushing in the morning.
• Pack lunches the night before.  Packing lunch the night before has changed my life. This takes place as the kitchen is being cleaned after the evening meal. If the kids and husband help too, all the better. The counter-argument I often hear is that the sandwiches will be soggy the following day. However, I have discovered a way to make them so that they are not soggy at all. There are plenty videos on YouTube that can assist you.
  
  

The above are not impossible to practice. They may be initially challenging, but once you get the hang of it and get your family involved, you will reap the benefits. It will result in less yelling and rushing in the morning. It will set up the whole family to have a more peaceful, less anxious and a better chance at a great day!

You are welcome!

Try them out, practice them for a few weeks and let me know how your life changes. it has certainly worked for me.
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Yours,

Sandra