OVERVIEW: How I’m simplifying my life for motherhood so that it is full of peace and my presence.
In roughly a month, Baby Girl will be here, which means life is about to look a lot different.
I’ve already shared what’s on my Baby Registry and how minimalism is helping me prepare for maternity leave.
Now I want to share specific ways I’m simplifying my life for motherhood so that I can be present with my daughter.
5 Ways I’m Simplifying My Life for Motherhood
1 // Simplifying my finances
While I audit my finances regularly, there are a few things I’m changing.
The first thing I’m doing is setting up a new Roth IRA.
I have needed to move a retirement account for a few years and never got around to it until now.
I cannot expect my daughter to be good with her investments if I am not leading by example, so now I’ll be able to tell her that I had my ducks in a row before she was born. 😉
The second thing I’m doing is auditing my spending.
While I’ve always been a savvy saver, it never hurts to see where I can save even more, especially since we’re entering into an era of less sleep and time for activities.
So far, I’ve found that meals and subscriptions are where I can save the most.
I hope to start meal prepping for postpartum in the next week or so until Baby Girl arrives. By meal prepping, I mean cooking a double recipe and freezing leftovers, as well as baking some muffins and freezing them.
I’ve canceled two subscriptions, which saves me about $50 per month! That money is being reallocated to my new automated investments account.
2 // Simplifying my routines
I’ve heard from enough mamas about being on the routine of your newborn for the first few months, so I’ve consciously removed routines from my day.
It isn’t easy being a Type A Personality who thrives with a routine, but I know it is far more important to have flexibility and not be rigid with my day.
What I’m doing instead is creating a small list of things I want to accomplish and working through that as I can.
I used to start my day jumping straight into work, but now I may start work at 7 am or 12 pm. It just depends on my energy levels and what needs to be done that day.
3 // Simplifying my home
I will never stop decluttering and improving how my home works for me.
It is a life-long journey that I enjoy.
Recently, my house has gotten noisier with shelves needing to be lowered, backstock needing to be reorganized, and just being in nesting mode.
My growing belly has been a big help in letting me see what needs to be adjusted, and I’ve slowly changed to make things easier.
I shared in a recent newsletter five things I’m decluttering before Baby Girl arrives, and here’s a quick list if you’re interested:
- Clothes I won’t wear as a mom
- Books for pregnancy I won’t need again
- High-maintenance plants
- Closets & Storage Cabinets to help them function better
- Pantry – got to get rid of expired foods
4 // Simplifying my phone
My pregnancy hasn’t been easy, and I added apps that helped me pass the time when I was bedbound.
Since then, my phone has become a distraction, so I’m removing the apps that I added at the beginning of my pregnancy.
I’ve done this before so if you’re interested in how I dumb down my phone, you can check out this post.
5 // Letting go of the old me & welcoming the new me
There are things I didn’t accomplish before getting pregnant. Some dreams only aligned with the person I was before becoming a mom.
In just a short amount of time, I’m going to be an entirely new person who relies on God in completely different ways.
I have no clue what to expect, but I know that taking feelings about how I feel about the old me won’t serve me.
When an old dream pops up into my mind that I wish I had tackled before pregnancy, I wonder if there’s a way to adjust it to bring it into my motherhood journey or if I need to let it go for good.
Most of the dreams will never be reality, and that’s okay!
Not only does letting go of the old me bring about peace, but getting to think about all the things I’ll get to do as a mom brings me joy and excitement!
Yes, it is okay to grieve the past, enjoy the present, and be excited about the future all at the same time.
Entering this new chapter of motherhood has brought a newfound confidence that I didn’t know needed to be born, which has allowed letting go to be easier than ever before.
Final Thoughts
The ways I’m simplifying my life for motherhood may not seem like much, but it is the small shifts that make the largest impacts.
I’ve been on my minimalism journey since 2015, and I continue to find new ways to simplify my life.
I’m truly excited to enter motherhood, as this has been a dream of mine since I was a child.
Now I feel I’m as prepared as I can be and am ready to welcome my little one.
I’d love to know what things you simplified as you entered motherhood and what things you wish you would have done differently.
We can learn so much from each other, so let’s connect below in the comments.
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