My life, Matthew’s life, and even little Augustine’s life are about to experience a big change. A huge one actually! We’re about to welcome our second baby and to say I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed is an understatement! I haven’t been sleeping well, haven’t prepped my delivery bag, and I still have so many things I want to do before the baby arrives. Ah! Well I thought writing a blog post about all of the ways I’m prepping for our big change would help keep me focused {and hold me accountable}! Whether you’re pregnant, or just trying to get your life in order, I hope some of these tips help you too. We can work on them together!
How I’m Prepping for The Big Change Ahead
HOME
Kitchen:
I love to cook, so over the years, I’ve accumulated my fair share of kitchen gadgets. I don’t normally think to purge my kitchen when organizing my home because everything in it feels utilitarian, not frivolous. Of course, I was inspired by Marie Kondo’s new Netflix show and realized my kitchen could use a little tidying. I’ll be making some tough calls on which items we realistically do and don’t use while cooking {I know we’ll be keeping these items!}. Hopefully we’ll have a super tidy and organized kitchen when we’re done that will make cooking so much easier.
Pantry:
Again, like our kitchen supplies, it feels weird to throw out perfectly good food. But I know there are so many items in our pantry that just won’t be used like tea we tried and didn’t like or ingredients bought for just one recipe. I’ll be tossing any food that’s gone bad and donating any unused cans and dry goods to our local food bank. I’m also going to try to not buy things just because. If it’s a staple I use regularly, that’s one thing, but anything else can just be bought when I’m making the dish. Our grocery is 5 minutes away after all!
Car:
I know that when our new baby arrives we won’t have time for a lot of the chores and activities we usually do. So really, why would we have time to clean out our cars?! My car isn’t too messy, but I still want to remove any unnecessary items from the car, update our emergency kit (extra diapers please!), and give the interior a good vacuuming and dusting. I’ve also noticed that a lot of Augustine’s toys get left in the car so I’m going to start having a designated toy car bag that will help keep them in one place. I’m hoping that will be helpful!
source: Pinterest
STYLE
Closet:
I’ve realized that between work and being a busy mom that there are certain pieces in my wardrobe that I reach for all the time, but some…not so much. In an effort to clear some closet space and make it easier to get dressed in the mornings once the baby comes, I’ve been cleaning out my closet. I try to take action right away on items I’m not going to keep (that’s a Marie Kondo tip!) by either donating or selling them on my Poshmark account. Remember, readers get a little beauty product so message me on their once you order so I know to include it!
Beauty:
I know I can’t be the only woman who struggles with this, but I can rarely finish makeup, hair, and skincare products before they’re supposed to expire. I didn’t want to use old products that could be full of bacteria while pregnant so a few months ago I did a big beauty product cleanse. I think it’s time to do another one and make sure my bathroom is organized, my makeup brushes are washed, and that I’m only holding onto products I’ll actually use. I realized I have this one basket under my sink that I rarely reach for. What’s in their anyway?! Obviously not products I use regularly or even miss.
source: Pinterest
WELLNESS
Setting a Routine:
I am a big fan of routines, but lately things have been so hectic that I’ve been letting mine slip. I know I can’t fully predict what my routines will look like once the baby comes, but I know I want to start planning ones that will work for our growing family. In the past, these were the morning and evening routines I followed. I also try to be consistent about these wellness practices, I find they really help keep me relaxed and feeling centered.
I would love to hear from moms of multiple children how you found time for yourself and for wellness once your second baby arrived in the comments! This has definitely been on my mind lately!
Staying Present:
I have been trying to decrease my time spent on technology and these tips have really helped me! I think I’m going to be spending the next few weeks before the baby arrives really making a habit out of limiting technology. The new iPhone feature “screen time” has been helping me pay attention to how much time I’m spending on my phone, as well as on certain apps. It’s actually kind of scary when you look at the numbers. My best friend Lizzie just deleted Instagram and Facebook from her phone, and while I wish I could go to that extreme sometimes, I think I just need to find a better balance since social media is a huge part of my job.
Well that’s about all I think I can squeeze in before our big change! I think we’ll be able to get our home and lives in a good place before then and I can’t wait to welcome our little girl {I still can hardly believe we’re having a girl!}. With January coming to an end, I’d love to hear what self-improvement projects you worked on this month and how your resolutions are going! I found these items really helped me stick to some of my resolutions!
xox
