Are you a mom who is feeling overwhelmed and like you can’t do it all?

As a stay at home working toddler mom with a pilot husband who is gone a lot, I often find myself overwhelmed, overstimulated, and exhausted.

In this blog post I’m sharing my secret and ultimate mom hack to getting more done, reclaiming your sanity & having more time and joy in your life: OUTSOURCING!

We can’t do it all and that’s ok!

Step 1 is acknowledging that you are overwhelmed and need help. If you’re type A like me, this is going to be hard, but… you’re going to need to let some things go. 

My best secret to combat the feelings of overwhelm and get ish done is to outsource as much as you can. 

Some of these will depend on your financial situation, but I hope that you are able to implement a few of these ideas and that they help make your life a little easier and more joyful! 

By having someone else do things for you, it will take some of the load off of you to spend more time with your kids and not get burned out.

MEALS

We all have to eat. 

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
If you want a smooth week, you’ve got to plan your meals out – or at least plan a few in advance and have snacks and breakfast stuff on hand.

Here are a few ways to outsource groceries and meal prep and take the stress of dinners off your plate (pun intended):

Outsource your grocery shopping:

Instacart – Have someone else do the grocery shopping for you and deliver it straight to your door! Sometimes it’s worth spending the extra money in exchange for your time. I have used Instacart since I had Jett, and it’s a lifesaver. I like to schedule our delivery for Sunday or Monday.

Get $30 off your first order with code AUSER3559301EB.

Target drive up – Another lifesaver! This service is free, just requires you driving to the store! I like this option because I can add other things that aren’t necessarily grocery related. I try to stack the pickup with other errands so I’m not making an extra trip.

DoorDash/Uber Eats – I used restaurant delivery apps a ton when I was newly postpartum. I would get Starbucks, McAlisters & Chick fil A delivered to my door. It was worth spending the extra money to me because I was so tired, not looking cute, and my baby slept so much, sometimes it’s just easier to pay for the convenience! When sickness hits our house, you better believe I’m getting my Starbucks coffee and breakfast delivered!
Doordash: get $5 off your first order
UberEats: get $20 off your first order with code eats-alyssar9172ui

Takeout or drive thru – Don’t feel like cooking? Order takeout from a local restaurant. Choose a restaurant with curbside pickup or a drive thru! As a mom, whether or not a restaurant has a drive thru is a big factor in where we eat. Hello Chick-fil-A…

Breakfast pro tip

For breakfast I like to make a casserole or egg bites at the beginning of each week. That way I can just pop it in the microwave in the morning instead of cooking and cleaning it up before school.
Casserole recipe: tots, eggs, meat (diced ham or bacon), sometimes cheese & a veggie + salt & pepper

Egg bite recipe (in a muffin pan): tots, eggs, diced ham, cheese
Bake on 350 for 20-25 min & store in the fridge for the week. I like to put the tots in by themselves first for about 10 minutes so they get crispier.

Ready meals – Costco, Target, and most grocery stores have ready made meals that you just pop in the oven or microwave! No cooking required & you can throw away the pan after. Or look in your local area for some companies or restaurants that cook fresh ready made meals. Think tacos, stir fry, chicken alfredo… and they may be a bit healthier than a drive thru option.

Crockpot – outsource your cooking to a crockpot! My favorite easy meals are chicken breasts with salsa verde to make fajita chicken. Load in the crockpot after lunch, and you’ll have dinner ready in a few hours. And it makes the house smell so good! 

Buy pre-cut fruit or veggies – save yourself the time by buying already cut fruit/veggies. I love the berry fruit bowls from Whole Foods or HEB, and I buy bags of already cut broccoli or pre-cut fajita veggies to save time.

Batch chop – Maximize your efficiency by prepping ingredients on one day at the beginning of the week. For example: take out your cutting board and get all your fruits, peppers, potatoes, whatever you need to cut for meals that week, and chop them all at one time. Then store it in the fridge and they are ready to go for the week!

Some other ideas are to keep some frozen meals on hand for a change of plans or a night you really don’t feel like cooking. Things like a frozen pizza, Trader Joe’s teriyaki chicken & minute rice, or chicken tenders & fries.

CHORES

LAUNDRY

Personally, laundry is the task I struggle with the most. I’m fine washing things, but transferring to the dryer and folding…I never seem to find the time, and then it all piles up until I can’t remember what’s clean or dirty! 

I don’t have a magic solution to this, but some things that have helped me are hiring a Mother’s Helper, and folding directly from the dryer (aka not putting in a bin to get wrinkled)

A Mother’s Helper is someone who comes and helps with household tasks – they are not a babysitter and not a housekeeper, but do tasks like laundry, light dishes, walking the dog, running errands etc.

Another option I’ve been seen more of on social media is signing up for a laundry delivery service. Look up in your area to see what options there are. I haven’t personally used this, but I have looked into it. Basically, once you sign up they will give you a laundry bin. You load the bin with your dirty clothes and place it on your porch for the “washer” to come pick up. They will wash them at their house, and deliver it back to you folded within a day or two. 

If you have a housekeeper, they will likely change your bed sheets & crib sheets for you. 

DISHES

• Mother’s Helper: hire a mother’s helper to help unload/load the dishwasher

• Load & run every night: regardless of how full, this has helped me stay on top of dishes. I actually prefer it to not be as full, because it seems like a more manageable task when there’s less to put away!

• Involve your kids: I have Jett help me put away the things he can, and as he gets older and taller, hopefully he can take over this chore!
  
• Paper plates: Use paper plates & plastic silverware or foil tins to cook in so you don’t have any dishes!

VACUUM

• Roomba – outsource vacuuming to a robot! Here’s the one we have. You can schedule it to go automatically at certain days and times. We have ours run while I am dropping Jett off at school.

• Mother’s Helper – hire a mother’s helper to vacuum

• Housekeeper – hire a housekeeper 1-2x per month

GENERAL CLEANING

Some people say to let the cleaning go or leave the toys out, but personally for me I get overwhelmed and more stressed out if my environment is messy. So I try to keep on top of it instead of letting it pile up.

If your budget allows, hire a housekeeper to come 1-2 times per month. 

Pomodoro/time block method – Choose a room and set a timer for 15 minutes. Get as much tidying or cleaning done before the timer goes off. Then decide if you want to keep going or be done.

I often find I want to keep going after the timer goes off and I get more done! But if you only have 5-15 minutes to clean, whatever you can get done in that time is better than when you first started! Here’s the time cube I use.

Habit stack – put on a podcast or TV show while you fold the laundry or do the dishes to make the task more enjoyable.

CHILDCARE

Most of these will cost money, but sometimes it is necessary and worth it for your sanity and getting things done!

• Gym with childcare – my gym offers 2.5 hours of kid care per day. This was a lifesaver this summer!

• Drop in daycare – we haven’t done this yet, but is a great option if you just need to go to a dr. appt kid free, or get something done where you can’t bring kids. The one I know of in DFW is called Adventure Kids Playcare. There’s another in Coppell, just be sure to read reviews. 

• Babysitter – get a babysitter for date nights, or to have someone to watch your kid(s) while you get stuff done.

• Mother’s Day Out program or preschool – If you are like me and don’t want to go the daycare route but need something, look into a Mother’s Day Out program through local churches. These are typically offered a few days a week (2, 3, or 4) and are half days. Ours is from 9-2. It’s much less expensive than daycare, but obviously is not full time. 

• Nanny share – I know some people who share the cost of a nanny. In our area nannies are very expensive (more than daycare), but maybe you could link up with another mom and share the cost. 

• Childcare swap with a friend – Also haven’t done this, but it’s been on my mind! I’ve thought of asking a friend to swap Saturdays – we watch their kiddos at our house while they go out, then we switch the next weekend. It gets tricky with young kids’ bedtimes which is why I haven’t asked anyone, because we want Jett to be at our house in his own bed so we can go out…maybe when he’s older and can stay up later it might work.

Fill your cup!

One of my favorite quotes is “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” And this is so true especially in motherhood! If I am not filled up, I have nothing to give to my children or my husband. I have to focus on myself and doing things that fuel me so I can love my family well. For me, this is scheduling things like massages, getting my nails done, getting coffee with a friend, getting Starbucks, and working out. If all you are doing is childcare and chores all day, it’s easy to get burned out.

Remember, mama, you don’t have to do it all alone. By outsourcing chores and tasks strategically, you can create more time for self-care, your family, and reduce the stress that comes with trying to do everything. 

Which of these are you excited to try?! Tell me in the comments!