A Guide To Getting Organized As A Hot Mess Mom

I am here today to stand up and proudly say my name is Roxanne and I am a hot mess mom and I am proud of it!

It wasn’t until I had my first precious angel (now 5 years old with the sass of a 16-year-old) that I started to feel like I was fighting a losing battle every day trying to get everyone up and out of the door with both shoes and brushed teeth. I knew something had to give so I started making small changes that had a huge impact on my routine and my sanity. Somehow now we all make it out the door everyday with probably 97% of everything we need and for that 3% I miss I always keep a toothbrush, deodorant, and hairbrush in my file cabinet at work. Some of these suggestions may be old news to you, but this is what works for us and if I can help save the sanity of one mom then I feel like I have done my job.

Clothing

The first thing I focus on is what each of us girls will wear the next day. From the diaper the baby will be changed into to the hair ties I will try to wrestle the kindergartner’s rat nest into it is all set out and ready to go. This way I can get myself ready first, the kindergartner can get herself dressed because we all know kindergartner timing is quite a bit slower than regular timing, and my husband can get the baby ready when it is time for them to leave.

Food

Prepping breakfast and lunches the night before is my biggest time-saving tactic. The days I do not have this completed are the days I am the most frustrated in the morning because I am running around trying to feed myself and everyone else. I am a firm believer in meal prep so I spend most Sunday afternoons making a week’s worth of breakfast and lunches for myself, and on a good day I will make 2-3 lunches for the oldest. Next I pack everything up and throw it in the fridge and all we have to do is throw an ice pack in the next day and we are ready to roll.

10,000 Bags Filled With Stuff

On a typical day I myself carry a laptop, my pump, and my school bag which holds my lunch, purse, and other necessities. The kindergartner has her backpack that holds her school notebook, a Ziplock bag with a weeks worth of snacks, and whatever she needs for after school activities each day (dance clothes, girl scout vest, etc.) Last but not least that baby’s daycare bag is cleared out each night and restocked since we use cloth diapers. That means I have to make sure to clean out the wet bag each night and replace with a new set of fresh inserts, covers, and a new wet bag.  

Now that baby number two has arrived and sleep is hit or miss you would think I would have learned my lesson about being prepared. Sadly there has been many nights that I have come home completely exhausted and gone to bed without having everything done. Let me tell you there is not enough coffee in the world on the days I have only gotten 3 hours of sleep and I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to find everything everyone needs in the morning. Thankfully my husband is a very helpful and understanding man (he’s a therapist and knows how to handle my brand of crazy) because there have been a few mornings where I could have ended up in the fetal position in the corner rocking back and forth while he tosses coffee grounds at me.

Hopefully some of these suggestions help make life a little easier for someone out there. Remember you are not alone and it is OK if you are a hot mess mom. We are out there, and if we all stick together we can make it through with a little wine and a whole lot of dry shampoo.

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