My Biggest Tip to Simplify Motherhood

my dress + hat + bracelets  ||  harper’s  dress  ||  houston’s similar top + pants

Every time I do a question box over on Instagram, I get some form of question in regards to how I “do it all”.  Usually I have a good laugh when I see them, because it is so far from the truth!! If anything it is a reminder to me that Instagram never shows the full picture. And while I like to think I do a decent job, I am far from perfect!! With that in mind, I did make a major mindset change and really lifestyle change over the last year or two to help simplify, that has made all the difference, and I wanted to share that with you today.

About a year or year and a half ago I basically had a melt down. Picture your blockbuster style mid life crisis or mental breakdown and that was me. I felt like everything was piling up and out of my control. It felt like it was all too much, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was ready to throw in the towel and give up on anything I didn’t absolutely have to do to function and keep my family afloat. Deep down I knew that wasn’t a place I could stay in mentally, so I called my friend Kristin Andrus.

If you know or follow Kristin, you know she is basically wonder woman. She is a mom of 6, owns Traeger Grills with her husband, and volunteers thousands of hours to serve those around her. She has always been a huge example to me, and I knew she had to have some secret to doing it all and so flawlessly! Her first piece of advice was something that has stuck with me since and something I repeat to myself regularly. It was DO WHAT YOU LOVE, HIRE OUT THE REST.

For me that was such a lightbulb moment though it seems so simple. Society and the world tend to tell us we are allowed to ask for help via a babysitter or nanny. But to me, that is taking away the thing I want to do most out of my “tasks”…be with my family. Why can’t I flip flop it and choose that for me and hire out the errands and other things I despise? So I did just that and made some changes to simplify.

couch + chairs  | leather pillow covers  |  rug  |  round planter  |  coffee table

: CLEANER + LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

First I hired cleaners. If you know me, you know I function 100 times better in a clean and organized space. So this one was huge for me. We hired cleaners that come just twice a month to help me stay on top of things. Do I still clean all the time? Yes, but this was a way for me to simplify the task. Joe also hired landscape maintenance as well. His time off is so limited, and it felt like we were spending every day off doing yard work. His time was most important.

: PERSONAL ASSISTANT

One thing I completely despise is returns, grocery shopping, and just the run around of errands. I’ve done Walmart delivery for years to help avoid most of that, but there are always those last minute items. Instead of hiring someone to watch the babies while I did all of that, I chose what I love (my kids) and hired out the rest. I hired a senior in high school that comes and runs errands for us AND helps run kids to different practices. My kids all love her so much and she feels like part of the family. This was another way to simplify the process.

: WORK TEAM

When I first started out online, I tried to go it all alone. I put all of the weight on myself and started to dislike it pretty quick. I knew things had to change. Just like anything in life there are parts of this job I love and parts I don’t. So again I chose to delegate. I have a “manager/assistant” that is the other half of my brain. She has been with me for 5 years now and keeps me sane. Her primary role is handling all of our contracts, campaigns, brand relationships, scheduling, and basically to simplify what I see and do to keep me on task. Ha! We also have a newsletter  + course specialist, my amazing photographer, and a LTK manager. They keep the motor running on everything so that I can make the connections and enjoy the relationships this community brings.

. . . 

I’ll say it again and a million times, I am not perfect at this. My goal is to help you simplify motherhood and avoid the overwhelm that creeps in. But you also need to consider your stage of life too. Never in a million years could I have done all of this when we were in school. But know that it is ok to say no to adding more if you feel full. Or taking one of these things and giving yourself grace.