I’m a mom-of-four – 5 tips to keep the family calm during school spring break, which are all cheaper than a babysitter
WHILE for children spring break means leaving responsibilities behind, for parents, having the kids at home from school all day brings its own set of challenges.
Certified high-performance coach and mom-of-four Jenna Hermans knows how easy it is to get overwhelmed and overworked with everyone under one roof, but she wants moms and dads to harness their power, stay calm, and make the most of their time at home with family.
After getting married, becoming a mom, and moving to a new city all in one fell swoop, Jenna felt chaotic, anxious, and lonely.
She found herself searching for a way to stay grounded while also managing a full household and her own business.
Using everything she’s learned from her formal education in psychology and organizational management, her 15 years in HR, and her five years of running her own preschool, she came up with the “Five Pillars of Calm” to lead a more mindful and fulfilling life.
After hearing the same question over and over again – “How do you do it?” – from those who watched her seemingly handle it all with such grace and ease, Jenna decided to write a book on these pillars and more.
Chaos To Calm: Five Ways Parents Can Break Free From Overwhelm, as the book is titled, comes out on May 2nd and will be available on her website, as well as on Amazon and in major bookstores.
She opened up to The U.S. Sun about the five pillars and the tangible ways to put them into practice.
EFFICIENCY
Jenna’s first pillar of calm is efficiency.
“It means getting the things done that we have to do in a more efficient way, so that we can open up space, time, and energy for the things that we want to do,” she said.
One way Jenna practices efficiency is by meal-planning before the week begins – even if that means just knowing you’re going to order in pizza one night, make burritos the other, and go to dinner the next.
“This way, at least you have the food stuff under control and there’s no last-minute panics there.”
She also recommends getting the whole house’s laundry done before the break begins and buying games that you think the kids will enjoy during their long stint at home ahead of time.
“Toys can be a lot cheaper than babysitters.”
HABITS
Getting necessary tasks done efficiently leaves room for you to continue nurturing the daily habits that keep you in a happy routine.
“Don’t let your good habits get curtailed or overrun by the holidays,” Jenna advises.
Whether you like going to the gym every morning, having tea at night, or squeezing in some reading time, Jenna says healthy habits can help you stay calm in the day to day.
“So, make sure that they’re still at top of mind even during spring break.”
COMMUNITY
Jenna’s third pillar of calm is one that she speaks about emphatically: leaning on your community.
In addition to scheduling playdates to keep your kids at bay while you cook, one of her favorite ways to tap on her community is by utilizing what she calls “communal babysitting.”
“It’s like a time share.
“Let’s say you have four families in the neighborhood where the kids all know each other. One night, I will take everyone’s kids out for pizza so that the other parents can have their own night out.
“Then another night, those parents have the kids over for a movie night so that my husband and I could have our own date night. You trade off.”
The best part? It’s free.
COMMUNICATION
Regardless of how old your children are, Jenna says walking them through the weekly plan can help the whole house adjust to this new routine.
“Talk to your family about what they can expect out of these next eleven days. Even with babies and young kids, discuss things like, ‘Are we taking a long road trip somewhere? Are people coming to us? Who will we be spending time with?’
“The kids might not fully comprehend the concept of scheduling yet, but there is still a part of them that is grasping onto these little things, so it’s important to prime their minds.”
Jenna recommends explaining that while things may be different this week, they will go back to standard protocol once school resumes.
“So, saying things like, ‘If you get extra screen time this week, it’s because it’s a special time,’ is helpful.
“And us as parents have to also let it go and realize that it’s ok for the routine to be different for a few days.”
SELF-CARE
Jenna’s final pillar of calm is practicing self-care, as she says mental health checks are crucial to a well-running household.
“Talk to your partner about rotating who puts the kids to bed on different nights so that the other person could read, get a massage, put on a face mask, whatever fills their cup.
“If everyone takes care of themselves, we’re good, right? Especially as parents, we need to take care of our minds and bodies so that we can show up as the best version of ourselves for our families.”
The super-mom’s personal forms of self-care include meditating, gratitude journaling, sleeping, and trying to get out into nature.
As for Jenna’s parting words of wisdom? “Remember that this is temporary. This will pass. Yes, it may get challenging, may get chaotic, but it is not long at all and you will get through this. You’ll be on the other side and you’ll be back in routine.”