NEW YEAR — MOM GOALS !!!!
Happy New Year Mommies!! It’s day 1 of 365 days within 2020. Your clean slate has officially arrived. What are your “Mom Goals” for the new year? Do you want to be a better Mom? Create a better home life? Work on yourself individually?
Whatever you’re hoping to change in 2020 will start with the thought, then action and consistency in order to create change on a long term basis. We know that having the thought and intention does not always equate to change. But having a solid support system, consistency and seeing results can feel rewarding and allow you to power through.
Here are some “Mom Goals” and ideas that might make 2020 easier or at least get your mind going to create new ideas and thoughts around the aspect of parenting, personal development and home life.
Set parenting goals for yourself.
- Listen to your children more. It’s important to let our children know that we care about their opinion, thoughts and feelings. Show that by listening intentionally and over talking less.
- Use affirming words to help validate your child(ren) for all the wonderful things they do outside the home and also for the things they contribute to the home. Every child wants to feel appreciated and validated.
- Plan at least one family outing a month. Whether that’s dinner at McDonald’s play place or a FREE event out in the community.
- Try a parenting class. Learning and exchanging parenting skills, advice and support from others parents and professionals could aid you in a positive way.
Get yourself some support.
Make sure you as a Mom has a solid positive support system and outlet for your personal frustrations outside of your parenting frustrations. You are human, life happens and it’s especially frustrating when you’re a single mom managing the frustrations of life on your own. Find a compassionate friend, mentor, support group or counseling.
Balance & stabilization at home.
- Organize your house. Take a day or a few days to go through your home and declutter. Fold your laundry and put it all away. Wash all your dishes and put them up right away. Go through all your old papers and mail, toss out what you don’t need and get folders for everything that is important. Start with an organized clean slate.
- Create routines and schedules for your children. Children need to get used to routines and schedules. When your children are at school — they have an assigned amount of time for each class, recess and lunch right? So home should mirror this concept to some degree. My children have a bed time routine, a wake up routine and scheduled bedtime. (I’ll post the blog with more in-depth information later.)
- Create a chore chart. If you’re children are big enough to help around the house, recruit them to join you. Children are very competitive and love to earn rewards. You can make it really fun, offer them stars or stickers for every chore they do. In return, let them turn their stars in or stickers in for a toy, McDonalds or ice cream.
Financial advice and support.
Create a monthly budget. If you’re currently not earning enough money to sustain your household, make a plan to change that circumstance as soon as possible. You’re not alone, a lot of single moms struggle with finances. In this new year finding new ways to earn more income or looking into the community for resources and temporary support will change the future. Which might mean taking a work preparation course, finding a new job or speaking with a career counselor.
Grab your notebook or laptop and let’s start writing some “Mom Goals” for 2020 that focus specifically on ourselves as Moms, supporting our children and creating a healthy household.
Happy New Year!!!
