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The Raw Reality of Motherhood: When Everything Seems Impossible
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The Ultimate Survival Guide for Moms with Young Children: An Honest Confession and 10 Life-Saving Tips for Raising Children Under Two
Dear fellow warrior mom! If you’re reading this blog about motherhood while hiding in the bathroom thinking about your previous cocktail-filled days and free life, or during breastfeeding instead of watching others’ perfect Instagram stories, I know what you’re feeling. As a mother of two boys under two, I’ve been through the trenches in recent months, and now I’m sharing the unvarnished truth about how to survive this beautiful chaos while keeping our sanity. So let’s approach this challenging period not just from a financial perspective, but from a human one as well.
The Raw Reality of Motherhood: When Everything Seems Impossible
Let’s be honest – sometimes even getting everyone dressed, especially in winter, feels like climbing Mount Everest. You’re dripping with sweat in the battle just to get some fresh air. Between endless diaper changes, synchronized crying (how do they always manage to cry at the same time like hungry piglets?), and trying to remember if you’ve brushed your teeth today, life with kids can be truly exhausting. But meanwhile, like every decent mom, I’ve discovered some strategies that actually work, and I’m not talking about those Pinterest-perfect solutions that only make you feel worse and – I’ll say it: like a crappy mom. Because that’s how one feels. That’s just how it is.
Time-Saving Tricks That Actually Work with Two Kids
1. Master Food Preparation: Breakfast is Important
The situation with breakfast is that it’s the most chaotic time of day in a family’s life when everyone is hungry and cranky (including you).
My solution? Weekly breakfast preparation that changed the chaos.
Pre-prepared breakfast hot sandwiches, tortillas, pancake batter (Stored somehow, like wrapped in foil, frozen, in microwaveable containers)
Overnight oats in mason jars (make 5-6 at once) or it can be pudding, yogurt… anything within arm’s reach against hunger
Pre-portioned smoothie bags in the freezer, or even soups, cut vegetables, frozen pastries, pancake batter in jars in the fridge
Hard-boiled eggs (boil a dozen when you get home from the store) – I also prepare salad immediately when I bring it home and if I can, I cook the next basic portions right away
Pro tip: Keep emergency granola bars in your nightstand. Sometimes breakfast happens in bed during breastfeeding, and that’s completely fine. Remember, we don’t want to be perfect, we want to be HAPPY!
2. The “Grab and Go” System
I was sick of my life while taking out clothes from the closet for two kids every morning, then I heard something clever – pre-sorting – and it worked!
Make a weekly clothes basket for each child containing:
– 7 complete outfits (including socks!)
– 14 diapers (trust me on this number)
– 2 spare outfits for “accidents” (because we know they happen)
– Weather-appropriate accessories
This is roughly a three-minute performance and believe me, it’s worth a lot in the midst of chaos. Place these baskets in easily accessible spots, like next to the crib. No more rummaging through drawers at 3 AM while your baby is crying – you’ll be grateful for this later.
3. Shopping Strategy: The Power of Weekly Big Shopping
Multiple store trips per week with two kids under two practically means public meltdown (either yours or theirs), obviously you can order online, but you always forget something. Here’s my battle plan, and as I mentioned, food preparation is very important, and as soon as something runs out, it goes straight on the list. Not tomorrow, but immediately in your phone’s notes:
– Keep an ongoing list on your phone
– Order groceries online if possible (the depleted item can go straight to the shopping list)
– Shop outside peak hours if you must go in. Like Sunday evening. I usually run through the store with one child an hour before closing
Always, BUT ALWAYS bring extra diapers, drinks, and snacks, and start your journey after eating so you don’t spend unnecessarily because you’re hungry
4. The Great LIFE Cleaning: Minimalism with Kids (Yes, it’s possible!)
Remember: less stuff = less mess = less stress
Here’s my four-box method:
1. Keep (things you use weekly)
2. Donate (good condition but unused items)
3. Sell (expensive items worth the effort)
4. Throw away (be ruthless, seriously)
Attention: What you don’t wear or use has no place at home, the 30th towel won’t make you happy! Sell excess bedding and such online in one big package because you won’t use it. Order begins inside the closets, not outside!
5. Kitchen Optimization
Your kitchen is the center of life with kids – and that’s okay because you eat, it’s the same for others. But organize it to work well:
Think about whether the glasses are closest to the coffee maker, how to have the least items out front, and where to store spices and plates for the shortest path when you act, cook, need something
– Keep baby equipment at adult height (no unnecessary bending!)
– Create a snack station for quick access
– Store frequently used items at eye level
– Use drawer organizers for bottles and their accessories too
– Ruthlessly cut out everything you don’t use
I went through this too, took everything out of the kitchen one morning and thought about where the sink is, where the coffee maker is, why I don’t have enough surface area, what I have too much of, and how it could be most livable. I’ve been so much calmer since then, it’s incredible!
6. The Laundry System That Saved My Sanity
Stop the daily washing chaos. Instead:
– Sort clothes into color-coded baskets
– Wash on designated days, when you feel like it is also good as a designated day. Don’t stick rigidly to a certain day
– Fold directly from the dryer into the basket if you don’t have a dryer, or throw everything into large baskets and do it all another day
– Never iron baby clothes (simply don’t – life is too short)
7. The “One Room, One Day” Cleaning Method, on the “As You Feel Like It” Principle!
Here’s an example, but of course, I know there are daily tasks with kids, like vacuuming, putting things away, etc.:
Monday: Living Room
Tuesday: Kitchen
Wednesday: Bathroom (this can be your laundry day too!)
Thursday: Bedrooms
Friday: Floors
Weekend: Basic maintenance
The truth is, sometimes just keeping the kitchen counter clean is a victory. Celebrate these small victories in life!
8. The Magic of Paper Plates
Yes, I’ll say it: Sometimes use paper plates when you’re fed up with everything and don’t feel like washing dishes.
My environmentally conscious self shudders of course, but believe me, there’s that mental state where you as a mom need to choose happiness over dishwashing:
– Choose biodegradable options
– Use strategically (not for every meal, but if today it’s just fish sticks with potatoes, well, that’s a perfect solution)-
– Remember: Survival mode is temporary, and you’ll eat Sunday lunch from gold-rimmed plates years from now
9. Understanding Sleep-Wake Windows: The Holy Grail of Parenthood
Understanding babies’ sleep patterns is crucial: Their nervous system is still weak and sometimes they can only stay awake for half an hour, then this gradually increases. The little one is much happier if you don’t overstress their nervous system.
– Follow natural sleep times
– Watch for signs of tiredness
– Plan activities around sleep times
– Accept that sometimes all plans fail
For example, my baby falls asleep excellently in the stretchy wrap and knows that when I put it on, sleep follows. It works wonders in five minutes and I have two free hands too.
10. Minimalism in Toys Too: Quality Over Quantity
Keep only these:
– Objects appropriate for your child’s current developmental stage, so if you don’t want another child and your child is already two years old, there’s no need for baby rattles, but rather a Montessori climbing frame to tire them out. They can rattle an empty plastic bottle if they want to.
– Favourites they actually play with, so if they have a plush toy, then that one, and the rest aren’t needed. Yes, you’re overstimulating children with too many objects. If they can’t clean up their toys after themselves at age two, it means there’s too much stuff out.
– Rotate toys weekly to maintain interest. For example, I keep other toys in the bedding storage, and if I see they’re bored, we open it, I put away the rest, and they can take out what they like. This way I’m not walking ankle-deep in toys.
Let’s Be Vulnerable for a Minute…
Some days you’ll perfectly implement every tip from the above under-two mom survival list. Other days you’ll eat dry bread corners from your toddler’s plate and the laundry pile will practically come alive. That’s completely okay too. At these times, it’s better to focus on yourself, get some sleep, order some food, and definitely go outside or do something that makes you happy! There’s no antidote for these days, they come, you have to survive them.
But here are some money-saving tips for really sensible moms, since raising children is expensive enough:
Join local “take it for free” groups
I personally can’t bring myself to do it, but many swear by cloth diapers
Accept used clothes, we received and passed on lots too
Buy seasonal clothes out of season
Create baby item swaps with other moms
The point is: You’re doing amazingly, mommy! These tips aren’t about perfection – and these are only Life-Saving Tips for Raising Children Under Two – they’re about making life easier so you can enjoy more moments with the little ones. Sometimes survival itself is success. Other days you feel like a superhero. Both are perfectly fine. For the superhero days, I highly recommend the 12-week year planner, because I used it to implement most of the above tips in my life.
Never forget that this phase is temporary. Your kids won’t care if their socks matched or if they ate from paper plates. They’ll remember feeling loved, secure, and happy.
Keywords: motherhood, parenting tips, time management with children, organization with babies, mom tricks, survival guide for mothers, children under two, baby organization, food preparation with children, minimalist parenting
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