The ride of motherhood is something that we love, but let’s face it, it is just that, a ride, and comes with plenty of ups and downs. Sometimes the ride of motherhood can get a little bumpy, but other times, it is plain sailing and there is great fun enjoyment to be had.

So here are some tips and tricks to help things to run much more smoothly, and to avoid too many scared screams, and lots of fun and laughter instead.

• For your own child or for their friends, buying presents in bulk is a really great idea. If you find something that is a really good price (such as some reduced LEGO, for example), then get a few packs to stash away for children’s parties that year. Sale shopping for your own child’s birthday and things like Christmas will be a great way to save money, as well as mean you’re more organised.
• When you have a child at school or nursery, preparing lunches the night before is much better, simply because you are less likely to be rushing around and working to strict timings on an evening.
• If you find that you need some more time to yourself after work, then make sure you check out the closing hours of your child’s nursery. Places like Wandsworth nursery have quite long opening hours, so it can be worth using. Just because you normally collect your child at a certain time, you don’t always have to. Then you could quickly pop to the supermarket before picking them up, for example. Make the most of the child care that you have.
• When you are planning your meals for the week and going to the supermarket, make sure that you plan to have enough in so that you can cook double. Then you can keep half in the fridge or freezer, to have the next day, or just later down the line. Batch cooking is a great way to make sure you have some good food to have in during those hectic times.
• On a similar note, if you have babies, the weaning process can be quite stressful as there is so much food to prepare and get ready. Spend time batch cooking things for your baby, and then they can also be frozen in things like ice cube trays. Then it makes it easy to pop them out and defrost them when needed.
• It can be hard to get up before your children do, but even doing it a couple of times a week means that you can get ready by yourself, eat breakfast alone, or just get to have a coffee without distraction. A little but of ‘me’ time before the children are awake can set you up for the day.
• When heading out of the house, there are quite a few things that you need to take along with you. Wipes, nappies, colouring books, hand sanitiser, snacks, and crayons, are always good things to have with you. If you do have those things ready to go near to the door, and have that set up all the time, then it can make leaving the house much simpler.

Image by thedanw from Pixabay