What's your SaH sanity checklist?

[HeliMom]

I have a few things I do have on my to do list every day to feel like a sane adult.

1. Put my bare feet on the ground outside.

2. Clean beyond diapers and dishes 4 x 15 minutes.

3. Work out for 1 hour

4. Stretch or Yoga

5. Cook a hot breakfast for everyone in the house.

6. Read at least one article of local news, one of national news and one international news.

7. Brush my hair beyond what is necessary for a bun.

I'm thinking of adding some more but I'll have to actually accomplish the first seven. I haven't gotten the working out and stretching part back into my routine, but this week I have accomplished 1,2, and 5. I'm often iffy on  the others, but a worthwhile goal.

Do you have a sanity checklist?

If you did what would be on it?

[newcastlemama]

Something that helps me a lot is just getting out--going to a park, for a walk, visit someone, go do an errand. Other ones are getting dressed (+ make-up) and reading intellectual material. Jen

[tracyamber]

1) have a cup of coffee

2) check my email...though i usually don't have any

3) take a shower and comb hair by 11am

4) keep kitchen clean and organized no matter what

then im good

great question

[happyhats]

coffee, defenitely.  I've been really enjoying my half hour/hour of alone time before the kiddoes wake up.  I need some alone or adult only day everyday.  Some kind of intellectual stimulation, be it a book or a documentary or even just a nice conversation with another adult.  I'm thinking about how often I need some lengthy time away from the children too-maybe a couple hours/afternoon every couple weeks.  I haven't had any childfree time, beyond my morning ritual, in a couple months and I'm starting to feel it. 

[MrsGregory]

I don't feel sane unless I've worked out for a minimum of 40 minutes and taken the baby for a hour-long walk, done my prescribed housekeeping (the entire house is cleaned top to bottom, soup to nuts weekly, day by day, so it's about 2 hours or more daily), cooked dinner or baked a treat for the neighbors or for hubby, taken a shower and dressed myself, and spent at least 1 hour doing nothing but playing with my daughter.  I also would like to add staying in touch with friends to that list.  Oh, and tending my plants.  And the cats.  Eventually I'll add some kind of crafting to this.  I'm thinking knitting.

[Peony]

Drank all my required coffee to get through the day and read the newspaper. At least washed my face, applied a little makeup, brush hair. The rest of the day is spend frantically driving kids around to school, therapies, and sports, cleaning up after them, cooking constantly, and more cleaning. 

[mom2anangel]

Originally Posted by MrsGregory 

I don't feel sane unless I've worked out for a minimum of 40 minutes and taken the baby for a hour-long walk, done my prescribed housekeeping (the entire house is cleaned top to bottom, soup to nuts weekly, day by day, so it's about 2 hours or more daily), cooked dinner or baked a treat for the neighbors or for hubby, taken a shower and dressed myself, and spent at least 1 hour doing nothing but playing with my daughter.  I also would like to add staying in touch with friends to that list.  Oh, and tending my plants.  And the cats.  Eventually I'll add some kind of crafting to this.  I'm thinking knitting.

I have to say I'm a bit envious.  I never seem to have it all together enough to accomplish that much in a day.  My sanity check list would be :

1) Laundry done

2) Kitchen clean

3) Time outside (working on this I recently moved to New England from Texas Brrr!)

4) 'Me Time' if there is such a thing (read a book, sew, watch a TV show)

5) I also try to cook a good dinner (my wish would be from scratch every night, but I'm not the best at planning it out time wise) 

6) Shower and clean cloths 

[CherryBombMama]

To stay sane:

1)Coffee in the morning. 

2) Basic make up (for me, that is liquid eye liner and eyebrow pencil. Otherwise I look like my mom haha)

3)Boys need to either get out of the house and play outside for a bit or we need to go run an errand.  I go crazy when we spend the entire morning inside, and then I am forced to stay inside during their nap. Bah.)

4) Food in the fridge. Preferably food that I have made.

To stay happy:

1)Breakfast 

2)A bath within the last 2-3 days

3)Another coffee in the afternoon

[tracyamber]

oh i like everyone's list.

i forgot to add music in my day. gotta listen to atleast one song!!!

lately..."you make me smile" by aloe blacc

and "i love you sweet baby by kimya dawson

[MrsGregory]

mom2anangel, no need to be envious, I don't make it through my list often enough, and then I have to go to bed feeling like a completeandtotalfailure or I stay up past midnight finishing up.  Or I drop making dinner from the list, and make hubs fend for himself.  Heh.

[MrsBone]

Needs to stay sane:

I need to cook a good dinner most nights to feel sane(most nights =5-6)

Get out of the house for at least an hour each day, even it it means just a walk to the park,

Listen to music

afternoon coffee or tea (decaf)

Time to veg out on the computer during naptime(this rarely happens lol)

Nurse the baby down for nap while toddler is watching Caillou. Just me and baby time :)

[Sweetserene]

My sanity checklist:

1. A shower in the morning (meaning, before noon)

2. A walk outside, no matter what the length

3. Food in the kitchen

4. A yoga mat unrolled so I can stretch, even if I can't practice full-on yoga

5. A morning cup of tea

[bookwise]

what a great idea for a thread. it's been helpful seeing what other women need - it's remarkably similar to what i need i like that. ;)

daily:
1. get myself and baby girl dressed, hair brushed, contacts in after we wake up in clothes that would be ok for outside (or at least mostly ok, like maybe just have to change pants)
2. go outside for at least 10 minutes walking with baby in sling
3. be online, relaxed, browsing, for at least an hour
4. cook something that'll last for several meals (pasta, rice, or quinoa plus a dish with veggies or beans in it to accompany)
5. stretch. ideally, every day - so much happier then! but it's hard to do it regularly
6. learn something new, usually politics and involves lots of wikipedia-ing. ;)
7. tidy up, esp. bedroom

weekly:
8. call at least one of my sisters
9. do something creative
10. listen to music & dance around
11. read one good book
12. cuddle with my guy for a nice long while.. he more often, the happier i am.

[Hattie'sMama]

OH this is a great idea! I'm new to being at home full time and I'm so glad I came over here!

I just made this list, here is what I think I need to do every day to help me feel ok about my progress as a full-time mommy:

1. My daughter's therapy activities
2. One other fun activity with my daughter (finger painting, sensory table, etc)
3. Stretch
4. Blog & reflect
5. Dishes are washed!!
6. 15 minutes of non-dishes cleaning
7. Interact with hubby before he goes to work
8. Family Dance Party (we really like to put on pop or rap music and rock out. Its a thing.)
9. Everyone dressed before 10am, even knowing that we will have wardrobe changes through the day :)

I think this is a good balance of tot school(the reason I stay home) caring for me, staying connected as a family and keeping the house from becoming a mutated blob of nastiness.

[jes h]

Love this thread!

Here's what I need:

1.  Waking an hour before DS for tea, yoga, a devotional and possibly write one note to mail to someone else (this is new.  I love it.  I try to send out 2-3 cards a week to people who could use it).

2.  Brushing my teeth/hair first thing-even if I wear the yoga pants for half the day, clean teeth and neat hair make the day OK.

3.  Doing a mini-calendar routine w/ DS including writing out the schedule for the day.

4.  Taking a bath while DS naps.  Every day.  I used to feel guilty about the water waste, but I decided I am green enough in other areas to compensate.

5.  Streaming something girly (which no one would guess about me) while I do chores during naps (right now it is Downton Abby episodes.  Chickflicks and cooking shows are also acceptable).

6.  Tea/wine with DH after DS goes to bed.

Right now, these all get done daily.  Sometimes DS wakes early, but he just got an alarm clock and now he stays in bed till it goes off even if he is awake because he thinks it is soooo cool.  Wish I had thought of this earlier.

We used to have some sort of adventure to get out of the house every day; we are lucky to live in walking distance of my parents, the library and children and state museum.

Monday:  shopping/park

Tuesday: drive to a nearby town and visit a friend, as well as shop at our co-op

Wednesday:  A museum of some sort, or park

Thursday: Storytime at the library

Friday: Breakfast with my parents.

This isn't consistent anymore, though.  We had a couple foster kids and I never recovered my weekly routine. Trying, though.