Support for Busy Moms: Simple Organization, Easy Meals and Real Encouragement
- Kay
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
Real encouragement and systems for busy moms.
Hi, I'm Kay.
I share simple organization, easy meals, and real encouragement for busy moms juggling home, life, and the entrepreneur within.
NEED TO KNOW: The Cottage by Kay Blog
Home and kitchen organization hacks
Easy and quick meal ideas for busy schedules
Meal planning and recipes that save time
Tips for managing daily routines
Encouragement to keep moving forward
Free Printable Meal Planner -Welcome gift (see below)
Busy mom, simple organization, easy meals and real encouragement
There is no experience that truly parallels motherhood. Nothing is quite as transformative, emotionally demanding, and yet deeply fulfilling. The challenges of motherhood stretch you in ways you never expected. It can be joyful yet isolating, exciting yet exhausting, heartwarming yet mentally draining — sometimes all in the same day.
Even before your child is born, you are managing their care. Knowing that your expecting, you may change what you eat, drink, even your daily habits. you are ever-aware of the delicate little one developing inside. You do your best to accommodate and prepare for their arrival because the major change is yet to come.
Let's jump forward and your child is born. Your daily and nightly routine has changed along with your physical body still going through the healing process after delivery. Nevertheless, you push-on because you are a mom. Many days, you are doing this with very little sleep unless you have access to assistance. Sometimes, as women, we put more pressure on ourselves than others do.
We set goals and get an idea as to how things should go and if those goals are not met, we feel like a failure. We feel disappointed and that leads to discouragement which can easily slip into an overwhelming feeling of depression.
You're always welcome at THE COTTAGE by Kay
How to manage your new life as a parent
Create a healthy mindset
First, we need to take the pressure off of ourselves. We, as women often shoulder the responsibility of ensuring every factor of our families lives run smoothly one-hundred percent of the time. Changing this system is the first step in setting up a healthy mindset for motherhood. It is the foundation that you will build your new organized, smooth-running home on. It may not be perfect everyday, but that's okay. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You will be fine.
Here at THE COTTAGE, I post strategies for busy moms, simple organization, easy meals and real encouragement on Pinterest and my website.
Remember, this is a long term state of being. You have to play the long game and that requires self-preservation and self-preservation requires planning. But, before we get to that step, let's talk about how to get a healthy mindset about motherhood.
Important fact, you are changing your mindset about your responsibilities. It doesn't mean that the responsibilities themselves change.
Example: You have 5 things on the to-do list.
Old mindset: "I have to get all of them done. If I don't, I failed... I am a failure".
So, let's examine this. Your responsibilities have not changed. You still have five tasks to do, however, you are going to eliminate the if I don't, I failed, mindset. A healthy mindset stops tying value and worth to achievements. You are valuable, special and capable even if all five tasks are not completed as planned.
Give yourself some grace and set realistic goals for your days. Often, as women, we tend to put ourselves last on the schedule. However, caring for yourself is a key factor. Overwhelmed moms need time off. You are a better mother, daughter, sister, wife, friend and overall person when you are rested.
Here's a tip to help get you some self-care time.
Set realistic goals for your day
Schedule in at least a 15 minute breathe time for yourself
Lastly, clear your head at night by writing down things.
Don't overload your day. You may have five things to do, but realistically consider how long each item may take and then write it on your today list. Whatever does not fit, write it on tomorrows' list.
Often a planner, paper-to-pen helps. Having little children or an infant, you may not have your phone on hand all day. Writing your next day's to-do list at the end of the day can act as a brain-dump and be pretty relieving. It also helps to look up and see it posted, perhaps on the refrigerator or inside your pantry. Somewhere you frequent.
Not over-thinking the things that were not done isn't a careless mindset. This is necessary for the mother who is extremely aware of her responsibilites and put their completion ahead of her value. Often, we see other mothers and compare ourselves to our precieved image of them. We have to narrow our focus right now and zoom-in on what matters for us and our family. Your family needs you healthy and whole. When mom is okay, the mood and flow of the house feels right.
Why am I so emotional after having a baby?
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, you are not losing your mind when your emotions feel like a rollercoaster. One moment you want to hold your child and never let them go, and the next you are overwhelmed with fatigue and simply need a break. The reality is that motherhood is a twenty-four-hour job. Whether you work outside the home, work from home, or are building your own business, you are never truly off duty.
Not to mention the fact that your hormones are rebalancing and your physical body is healing.
"Postpartum starts immediately after childbirth and generally lasts six to eight weeks. Your body goes through many physical and emotional changes during this time, with some symptoms lasting months after you give birth. Getting rest, allowing your body time to heal and eating nutritious foods can help you recover from childbirth." -The Cleveland Clinic:Postpartum:Stages, Symptoms & Recovery
Get the help that you need and don't forget to go to your doctor post delivery as well. It is really easy to get caught up in caring for the baby and forget ourselves. Talk to your doctor about what you are feeling physically and mentally.
Stay at home mom vs Working mom
Stay-at-home moms face unique emotional and mental challenges that are often overlooked. While many assume that being home makes life easier, the truth is far more complex. Like working moms, stay-at-home moms are constantly searching for easy dinner recipes, simple home organization solutions, practical time management tips, and realistic self-care ideas. The responsibilities may look different, but the weight of motherhood is shared.
The comparison between stay-at-home moms and working moms often creates unnecessary division. Neither situation is easy. Both have their own nuances. Every season of motherhood comes with its own pros and cons. In some ways, being home full-time feels easier; in others, it can feel more isolating and emotionally demanding. The mental load of motherhood does not disappear simply because a mom stays home.
Being a stay-at-home mom comes with emotional challenges that few women are fully prepared for. So does being a working mom. Neither role is easy. Both require sacrifice, resilience, and strength.
Motherhood — in any form — deserves understanding, encouragement, and grace.
You need to know yourself as a mom. If you are feeling unusually overwhelmed or experiencing intrusive thoughts about harming yourself or your child, it is important to seek professional help immediately. While these feelings are not uncommon, getting help early can make a significant difference.
Simple organization ideas for busy moms
No matter the age of your children, they are always your responsibility. Managing home organization, cooking meals, and caring for your children falls on your shoulders around the clock. If you are running a business or planning to, balancing work, relationships, and household responsibilities can feel overwhelming. The good news is that the systems that help your home run smoothly — like meal planning, time management, and organization strategies — can also support other areas of your life.
Home Organization. Create Calm.
For the next step to work, you can't skip this one. Organize your home and make it family friendly decor yet calming. Creating systems that work for your family can prevent that morning scramble.
Store toys and crafts in labeled bins to make cleanup easier
Create a family command center with calendars and planners
Establish a 15 minute clean up time where everyone pitches in
Put your frequently used items where they are easy to reach to save time
📌Mom-to-Mom Tip:
We tend to jump in and do everything ourselves. Even tasks that could be deligated. Release some responsibility and let kids help with age appropriate tasks.
Brace yourself. It may be messy at first and no, they may not do it with the efficiency that you would, but if you let them continue to try they will build self confidence and a new skillset. It's a great confidence booster for children and will eventually be a much-needed relief for you.
Practical Tips for Managing Day-to-Day Life
By the way, if you find a clock that has 72 hours in it for the day, link it in the comments below, because I know many mothers who could use it. Life with children is busy regardless of their age. Small changes to your system can make a big difference.
Is it affordable? Yes. There are affordable, budget friendly organizers that help bring your home together. In The Cottage, I go into detail and share actual items that I have used, tried, and reviewed so that you don't have to deal with trial and error.
Simple Meal Planning with Quick, Delicious Recipes
Batch cooking on the day that works for you. Ready-to-go meals during the week
One-pot dishes with minimal clean up
Simple snacks you can pre-cut or pre-package as grab-n-go
Remember: you are not alone. Many busy moms face the same challenges, and creating practical routines and self-care habits can make motherhood more manageable and fulfilling.
Real Encouragement
It takes a village to raise a child
From mom-to-mom. Let's share laughter and talk about real issues we face, from weight gain to self care. Here are some topics The Cottage by Kay blog touches on.
How to start a business from home
Don't give up on your personal dreams while helping your kids fulfill theirs.
Celebrate small victories
Many times, especially when our children are young, mothers put their personal needs, even our health after the needs of our children, family and home. Being a mom does not mean that you stopped having dreams and aspirations. So how can you balance that without burn out? If you have access to help, a spouse, family or friends, this can be a great structure, if not, know that you can do this. Encouragement when days feel tough sometimes makes all the difference.
In addition, our own parents are still well... parents. They never stop caring, however, you may have found that your parents crave more of your attention as they age. Not selfishly so, they just love you and want to spend time with you. There may not always feel as if there are enough hours in the day.
Your attention may be split between caring for your family and your aging parents. There are easy things you can do that make a really big difference to them. Often elderly parents can feel forgotten, unappreciated, useless and sad. As kids, with children, we can hold their hands when they need it most.
Remember, no matter how busy your schedule is, there is a way to show love. Here is a quick read with real tips: Show Your Parents you Care Even With a Busy Schedule.
Ideas to simplify your routine
A place to laugh at the random chaos of motherhood
Validation that your feelings are real and okay.
This blog, THE COTTAGE by Kay, gives you the community where you can drop by anytime for advice, inspiration and relief. It is a judgement-free zone to get ideas and even share some.
Welcome Gift: Free Printable Meal Planner
It's all in the planning. To get you started, here is the printable meal planner with grocery list that I use. It's free. It is three pages. You will get a weekly meal planner with grocery list, a weekly meal plan to post and a categorized grocery list. I hope it helps. See if it's a fit for you.
The point of it is to set a plan that reduces trips to the grocery store during the week which ultimately saves you time and energy. Mom preservation is key here. Having a clear plan of what you will serve is just one less thing to think about and frees you to focus on other things. You could just write it out, that's fine if it works for you, but being visual, I created this because I wanted something pretty, clean and practical. Also, I found that kids like to see what's coming next. It saved them from asking every day and made them feel a bit independent.
📌Time-Saving Tip:
Print the planner and slip it into a glass 8"x11" glass picture frame. Use a wipe-away marker to write on it and you can reuse it over and over.
How to Join the Community
Every voice matters and hearing from you is so special. Moms don't have much free time and I know it. So, thank you for investing in this blog by spending your time reading it.
Here's how you can stay connected.
Subscribe to the email list to be updated on new posts and member only offers. https://mailchi.mp/kabryant.com/join-the-cottage
(Coming soon) Youtube: thecottagebykay
by Kay
"Making busy moms lives easier".
Simple solutions for moms juggling home, life, and the entrepreneur within.
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10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. -Isaiah 41:10 KJV
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