By Nadine Hall

Before motherhood came along most women worked in a variety of professions, from managing their own businesses, performing shift work, or just doing long hours or having late nights in general.

By the end of the week exhaustion would set in so the weekend was the perfect time to catch up on much-needed sleep.

But then those women embraced motherhood, had children and any form of sleep became a distant memory. Those blessed weekend sleep-ins were most certainly a thing of the past.

Then there was learning to juggle the cost of living on a reduced income, possibly taking on a part-time job or starting up an at-home business, looking after children, doing the housework, book-work, cooking, cleaning shopping and trying to spend quality time with their partner.

It all sounds too hard to deal with, but it doesn't have to be.

Follow these 10 tips on how to make motherhood more manageable.

1. Stop feeling guilty. Everyone will have an opinion about what you should and shouldn't do and it will never stop. Only you know what is best for you and your child.

2. Make online shopping your best friend. Supermarket shopping on line is great, no more standing in queues, putting your back out steering the trolley with the dodgy wheel and trying to get there first thing so you can get a car park.

3. When cooking meals make, double serves if possible, casseroles, soups, spaghetti, etc. and then freeze so when you're too tired and don't feel like cooking you can pull it out and just reheat.

4. Buy marinated meats or roasts and readymade stir fries that you can cook quickly. Just add rice or steamed vegetables and you have a delicious, healthy meal with minimal cooking time.

5. If you have a young baby on solids, then save yourself cooking time by making their meals while cooking yours e.g. steam some vegetables and grill some fish fillets, to which you can add the steamed vegetable stock and blend.

6. Buy enough fresh vegetables for the week, wash and cut them, and then put them in air-tight lunch bags and into the crisper. If you feel like a stir fry get them out, already washed and chopped, and into the wok, steamer or roast them. It saves time and dishes.

7. If you can financially afford to get a cleaner or ironing lady or both, what is stopping you? Does your house really need to be cleaned weekly or can it go a fortnight?

8. Prepare lunches, breakfast dishes and clothes the night before to limit the morning chaos. If you have made spaghetti or casserole and have leftovers, give this to your child for lunch. It will not hurt them and in winter there is nothing better than a hot meal.

9. Pay bills online, again it is quick and can be done at anytime of the day.

10. If you work from home, outsource some of your business tasks like bookkeeping, sales, admin, and marketing.

Most importantly, look after yourself, eat a healthy diet, take a multivitamin, have a laugh and give yourself a pat on the back for getting through another day without going too crazy.

Nadine Hall is an Aromatherapist, Creator of Nature Within, Organic Skincare and Sleepwear for babies and mother of two.

By Nadine Hall Visit her website: http://www.naturewithin.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nadine_Hall

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