How to Be a Happy Mom

“Son, how can I be a better mom?” I asked my eight year old at the table one night. I needed to know, needed to hear something plain and simple from a child. 

He looked at me with that boyish, sunny grin. So full of life and love. The kid is beautiful.

“Just…” he shrugged his shoulders sideways, like things really are this easy. “Just be happy.”

He’s sitting there beaming, not asking for an iPad or a trip to Disney World or a family fun night each week. He’s not asking for laundry stacked nicely on his bed or for meals to be home cooked or for glass doors to be free of smudge marks.

The precious kid just wants a happy mom.

The weight of it smacked me between the eyes: A happy mom is what makes a good mom.

 5 proven, practical ways to fight for your happy:

1. Protect Your Time with Jesus

I know this sounds so simple and we all know it… but it’s HARD.

There are so many distractions, shiny objects, and rabbit trails in life to steal our time and attention. One of the practical ways I protect my time with Jesus is by having a plan.

By making decisions before I ever sit down with my Bible, I’m able to get right to the task at hand. I know what my devotional time is going to look like because I have a daily Bible and use journals such as Praying the Promises of the Cross (included in this year’s Ultimate Homemaking Bundle) to help keep my attention where it needs to be. Something as simple as writing out scripture each day and journaling my prayers helps me focus and keeps me centered.

2. Plan Your Meals

Seriously, not having a meal plan is a huge stressor for me! I have a feeling I’m not the only one. Good news: this one is easy to fix! We as moms owe it to ourselves and our families to take the time to meal plan. Imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t have to wonder what’s 4 dinner again?!

Tip: If you are struggling with this one, don’t stay stuck! Erin Odom’s “What’s 4 Dinner” course (included in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle ) will show you how to meal plan. Also, I love using the crock pot as it saves me time in the afternoons when things can get really crazy around our home. I’m always looking for new recipes to try and will be diving into the Slow Cooker Recipes included in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle.

3. Eliminate the Clutter… and then have a system for ongoing Organization

Okay so this is where I need to focus most right now. My house is so cluttered it’s driving me bonkers. Since we are moving soon, I’ve let everything pile up (you know the rule “A place for everything and everything in it’s place”? Well, that is NOT my home right now.) If you live with clutter you know how draining it can be and the time wasted simply looking for stuff. Ugh!!

Fortunately for me (and I do mean this!) this is where the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle shines. There are about 12 fantastic resources in the bundle to help with clutter and organization. Yep, you can bet I’ve looked closely at every single one, lol! A couple of the ones I plan on using are Clutterfree with Kids: Change Your Thinking. Discover New Habits. Free Your Home (mainly because this one is by a MAN and I’d love to hear his perspective) and 14 Days to Opening Your Front Door to Guests. 14 days sounds totally doable, yes? After I de-clutter I’ll set up my organizational systems. I feel relieved just typing that out!

4. Address Mommy Anger

I don’t know of anything more damaging to our homes than anger. We love our children. And we’re brokenhearted after we’ve blown a gasket and lashed out at our kids. We feel guilt, remorse, even shame but this is another area where many moms get “stuck.” It’s not something we talk about either, so getting unstuck can be difficult. I want biblical truth on the topic so Minding Your Mouth: A Biblical Study on Taming the Tongue by Jenn Thorson is a resource I appreciate.

I’ve also heard many good things about The Temper Toolkit: How to Take Control of Your Temper Before You Lose it! by Lisa-Jo Baker. This toolkit is included in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle and is a collection of practical strategies, honest stories, and Biblical resources from one mom to another to help you take control of your temper BEFORE you lose it. I know firsthand that having a strategy beforehand makes all the difference!

5. Surround Yourself with Beauty

I used to laugh at this idea, mostly because I lived in a place where beauty wasn’t easy to come by. Candles, flowers, and trinkets seemed.. shall I say this? Un-necessary and unspiritual. But then I stayed in a guest home that was put together well. It wasn’t perfectly decorated or of Joanna Gaines caliber, but special touches had been added to make it home. And you know what? That place became a real sanctuary for our family. Just walking in the door found us breathing a sigh of relief. I learned that little things can go a long way in creating a place of hospitality, beauty, and relaxation. I want my family members to WANT to be home so I’m much more intentional now about doing what I can to make it lovely.

This year’s Ultimate Homemaking Bundle includes 3 helpful resources for creating a home you’ll love:

• Cozy Minimalist Decorating Class by Myquillyn Smith (reg $39.00)
• Don’t Wait, Decorate!: An Encouraging Guide to Decorating by Chelsea Coulston (reg $24.00)
• Yellow Prairie Academy Lesson 1: The Living Room – How to Create a Cozy, Pulled-Together Feel in Your Own Living Room. by Janna Allbritton (reg $25.00)

I can’t wait to use what I’ve learned from these courses in our new home!

So how about you? I hope this gave you some ideas for fighting for your happy. As you know, I highlighted resources from this year’s Ultimate Homemaking Bundle because the folks at Ultimate Bundles understand women and have carefully put together this bundle to provide you with solid tools and resources you need to thrive at home. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, be sure to take advantage of this offer while you can… it will be gone in a few days!

Grab your Ultimate Homemaking Bundle here. When you do, you’re also eligible to get a BONUS from yours truly :)

Here’s What You Need to Do to Receive my BONUS:

1. Click here to purchase the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle.

2. Then, fill out this form and tell me which BONUS you’d like from me.

My BONUS options are described below:

BONUS OPTION #1: A print copy of Praying the Promises of the Cross Prayer Journal mailed right to your door. Surprise! By popular request, I’ve been working hard on this and it is ready!! Isn’t it beautiful?

Want a copy of this mailed to you? While the print journal is not available to the public just yet, I’ve got 100 copies for the first 100 people who purchase the bundle through my link here.

Hint: These will go fast so grab your bundle now!

BONUS OPTION #2: Bible Study Methods course– Many of you requested this as a bonus so I’m happy to say the 7 session video + workbook course is yours when you purchase the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle and choose Bible Study Methods as your bonus! Plus, you’ll get the Ephesians Bible Study Plan and Coding Bookmark with it! This course alone is regularly $29 so it’s a no-brainer for anyone who’s had their eye on it!

BONUS OPTION #3: Community class on prayer– The more I study prayer, the more I realize how pitiful, individualistic, and worldly minded my prayer life is; yet I know this is where I need to camp out for awhile (I’ll share the back story of how this came about in the class.)

I’m still working on the materials for this class so can’t give many details just yet but will say I am convinced our country and world desperately need fervent, effective corporate prayer and God is calling His people to just that. I’m not sure what all He has in store for this class but I know this is something very, very special. He is going to show up and do abundantly above and beyond. This class is exclusively for those who support this blog by purchasing the Ultimate Bundle this week, as my thank you. Y’all. I’m anticipating God to form the perfect group for this class. I cannot wait to watch it unfold.

AJ

Now… back to reclaiming our happy…

AJ