“Hi Sarah and Meagan, this is Sheena from Oregon, and I have two questions that both relate to time management. I have a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old and I’m finding that I’m always behind, and I’m wondering if you have any tips for how to get ahead? Also, how do you find time in the day to play? I find that I’m always just trying to get the kids busy so I can get on to my next task, and I never have time to just sit down and play. Thanks for your advice!”
This is the question we got in our Speakpipe mailbox a couple weeks ago, and in Episode 60 we sat down to answer Sheena’s questions. Want to hear our responses? Listen now in the player below, or keep reading for more!
Links we mentioned (or should have) in Episode 60
- Leave us a question via SpeakPipe like Sheena did!
- Episode 10: We Hate Fun!
- The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed (Jessica Lahey)
Perfect timing as usual. Love these tips especially about making a list before sitting down at the computer. And it was so refreshing hearing you give tips instead of just saying “enjoy the mess” I can’t enjoy the mess. And the part about playing with your kids and redefining it. I loved it! Loved this whole episode! Think I’m going to go listen again and make sure to share around with other mamas. Thanks Again ladies!
So glad you loved it, Miranda! And sharing with other moms is the BEST compliment you can give us (and we hope it helps them, too!). xo
Sarah, thanks for the tip about printing out your Google calendar one week at a time! I’m a long-time Google calendar user and I love it for so many reasons but I know there is always more I can learn about how to make it work better for me and my family. I just printed next week’s calendar and I’m going to give it a try! It’s a good week to try this because my kids are going to be at VBS the whole week and I do have a few appointments scheduled but there are lots of other things I want to do during the week but they don’t need to happen at a specific time on a specific day. Let’s see how this goes! Thanks for the tips – my kids are 6 & 8 and I still need help figuring out how to “make time for it all”!
Renee, I’m so glad you found that helpful – I hope it goes well! I’ve been doing this forever, and one time wrote a REALLY detailed post about it in case you want more info… http://www.thehappiesthome.com/calendar-planning-for-moms/. Have a great week!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question! I was so excited to hear you had gotten it. I loved the advice you guys gave. Thank you for not just giving the stock answer of give yourself a break. I also love the idea of reframing what I think of as playing with the kids. It helps me to think of it that was because I do so much with them that I don’t count as playtime. Felt like you guys were visiting with me at my house helping me hash out a problem. Thank you again! Love this podcast! Keep up the great work!
I just found your podcast and wish i found it sooner!! I just listened to “HOW DO I MAKE TIME FOR IT ALL? THE MOM HOUR, EPISODE 60” and finally someone said what i have been wondering, that its ok not to play pretend, its ok to just engage, point out squirrels, etc. LOVE your show!
Pointing out squirrels TOTALLY COUNTS, Jennifer. 😉 So happy you found us! Thanks for taking the time to comment!