There’s a misconception that stay-at-home moms spend most of their days sitting down, watching TV and relaxing. We know the truth, however: being a stay-at-home mom is a never-ending, busy life. Regardless of how busy you are, though, there are ways that you can simplify your life and make it easier.

Let Good Enough Be Good Enough

We have kids to raise, houses to clean, laundry to do, meals to cook, shopping to do, and errands to run. Perfection simply shouldn’t be a part of the equation. Let good enough be good enough. The house doesn’t have to be model home clean, just clean enough. The kids won’t die if you let them have hot dogs, chicken nuggets or ice cream for dinner now and then.

Too often, stay-at-home moms feel pressured to do everything to perfection, and this leads to more stress and exhaustion than anything else. With all you have to do, it’s better to settle for good enough than to wear yourself out and miss out on the important things because you were striving for an unattainable goal of perfection.

Shop and Schedule Online

Anytime you can, look for online options for shopping and scheduling things to eliminate unnecessary trips out with the kids. For example, if you need to have your car serviced, see if a dealership such as st george hyundai dealership has an online scheduling tool that will let you set up an appointment. You may still need to go out, but at least you’ll know that when you get there, they’ll be ready for you and get you in and out as quickly as possible. Some even allow you to do much of the shopping and purchase work of buying a new car on their websites, as well.

Get Things Delivered

Use the same concept as the previous tip to have certain items, such as paper towels and toilet paper, delivered to your home at regular intervals. Find a local grocery store that allows you to shop online and have your groceries delivered to your home when it’s convenient for you. This can make your life easier on a daily basis, but also comes in very handy when you have a houseful of sick kids and have run out of milk.

Similar to Uber, many areas also have services whereby people will grocery shop, run other errands, or even pick up food such as pizza or burgers and deliver it to your home for the cost of the items and a delivery fee. If you have one in your area, this can also save you time and trips out.

Team up with another Stay-at-Home Mom

Sometimes the best weapon in your arsenal to make life easier is the help of another mom who knows your pain. Team up with another stay-at-home mom to swap services. Offer to pick up items for each other when you’re running to the store, or swap babysitting services so you each get a chance to run errands or even just clean the house without the kids immediately recreating the mess as you go.

This can also be helpful so you have someone to rely on in an emergency or even on those days when life just gets incredibly overwhelming and you could use a shoulder to cry on. Knowing someone is there for you who understands your situation can often be enough to ease a lot of your stress.

Being a stay-at-home mom is often the most rewarding job there is. But it can also be stressful, busy and even overwhelming. Take the time to find little ways to make life easier for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Meghan Belnap / Blogger, Researcher and Freelance Writer

Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.