Don't sweat the small stuff

I've been thinking a lot about working mom stuff lately.  I've had a few friends without kids (yet) ask me about how hard it is.  And I had a friend go back to work after staying home since before her daughter was born, and she says it hasn't been easy.

I don't claim to have a magic formula or anything, but I think I do a pretty good job of balancing work + family without being too stressed and I realized there are a couple of things that really make a big difference for me.

1.  Preparation + think ahead
Coming home from work and making dinner from start to finish can seem like a huge task - IF you don't prepare ahead of time.  On Sundays I roughly plan meals, grocery shop and do some meal and snack prepping that makes the week days easier.  Its also the day I do laundry - 3 or 4 loads is all I need to do on Sunday for the whole week.  1 for H, 1 for The Husband's dirty work clothes, 1 for me and 1 sheets/towels/other.  I might be crazy but I get a special high from getting a ton of stuff done on Sundays and it makes me start the week off right.

2.  Don't try to do too much
Call me selfish, but I really only care about a few things.  My family, work and a small handful of friends.  I don't like to feel stressed so I don't over commit myself.  No Junior League for me.  I would love to have more time to volunteer/do girls nights/etc, but I also don't like feeling stressed so I have committed my time to just the things that matter.  Its OK to say no and be selfish for your family.

3.  Keep it in perspective
I wanted to call this #whitepeopleproblems but that sounds bad :).  But really, The Husband and I tell ourselves this all the time.  We lead incredible fortunate lives, part of that due to our families, but an equal part due to hard work.  If the biggest decision I am facing at the moment is what flight/how am I going to get to NYC on an upcoming trip, then I'm doing pretty good.  Be grateful for what you have.

I'm going to a presentation at the end of the month about mindful based stress reduction.  Sounds new-agey, I know.  But I am really interested to learn more about it, I assume I already do some of the techniques, I just don't know it.  But I will be sure to share the details and what I learned!