Life is busy for moms. That's no secret. But what we aren't always prepared for is just how much we have to manage. From trying to be masters of time management for ourselves and our family, to not forgetting to care for our spiritual life and marriage... we have a lot on our plate. So how do you manage life's busy schedule? Today on the podcast.

Question 1: Karen, what is your go-to way for keeping the calendar and schedule organized? Do you use any special apps or a paper calendar? Please share your secrets.

Karen's Answer: I’m a paper girl! I also use my calendar on my phone.  I’m also a work in progress. If you want my secrets, my biggest secret is I’m married to Greg Stubbs! Greg is in fact the most organized calendar/scheduled person I know.  Seriously! I’ve learned all my tricks from him.  Greg writes everything on our calendar.

Another secret, the second you get a ball schedule, Dr appointment, Dance schedule, work related events, PTO events, write them instantly on a calendar. Keep one calendar that everyone can view. I would have my calendar for the month, but then on Sunday I would look at the week ahead and see what days were crazy and what days I would have breathing room. On the weeks Greg was away, I would not kill myself over dinner, but would make easy things like chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, hot dogs, etc. When Greg was home, I would make a more balanced healthy meal because I had more time.

Question 2:  With multiple kids, how did you balance the seemingly endless parent volunteer responsibilities for school, church and sports activities?

Karen's Answer: I learned how to say no.  Saying no is hard for this Georgia girl, because I wanted everyone to be happy with me, but at the end of the day, I had to stay sane as well. I would always do my mandatory duty, but when my children were little, I didn’t over commit.  The negative side of that is you more than likely will not be one of the “popular” moms, but somethings got to give, so I had to learn to be okay to not be noticed with those moms. (I know that sounds silly, but it’s true)

Question 3: How do you manage dinner, cleanup and bedtime with the kids and still have time for your yourself at the end of the night?

Karen's Answer: I may not have had a great system with calendaring things, but on this question, I rocked! I was really good with schedules.  I think the key to night time routine is to start early. Once you get behind it just sort of goes downhill from there. Here is what a typical night looked like for me:

• 5:30-6:00- Dinner

  1. 6:00- 6:30- Bathtime

  2. 6:30- 7:00- T.V. Time (I would clean up the kitchen while they watched a show.)

  3. 7:00-7:30- Brush teeth, pick a book, read a book tuck everyone in bed, say prayers, and lights out at 7:30

  4. 8:00 - 11:00- Karen time ( I didn’t do one thing after 8:00 other than sit and relax, watch my show, talk on the phone, or whatever I wanted to do. NO housework.

Sit down and map out a schedule that will work with your family and tell your children, then start.

Question 4: What are your tips for keeping a marriage and spiritual life alive when we are tired and stressed? We've started to work out to get physically healthy, but we are trying to find a healthy, disciplined routine for our family to reach a happy balance.

Karen's Answer: Well, marriage, I think you should date your husband on a regular basis. Go on a date, once a week, or once every other week. Even if you just run to Starbucks and walk through Target together. Or go sit at a park and talk.  It is SO important.

For our spiritual life: We always went to church weekly, we were very consistent with that. When my children were young, I’ll be honest a daily quiet time didn’t always happen. As the children got older, I became more consistent and these days I absolutely crave that time in the morning with the Lord.  And in terms of connecting spiritually with Greg: Greg loves the Lord, he is a man of God, but he doesn’t like doing things together. He is private. I’ve had to accept that and not push him one way or another. Like I said, Greg leads very well on attending church, serving in church.  

Be intentional, these two areas will not grow on their own.  We must be intentional and prioritize them.

The Soar conference bring 1000+ moms together for two days. The event will feature brand new content in three main stage sessions and multiple breakout sessions to deep-dive into topics that meet moms where they are.

Join us for three inspirational main stage sessions by Karen Stubbs on this year’s theme of Grace. You won’t want to miss this time of learning, laughing, and celebrating our role as moms.

Register today!