Cutting Myself Some Slack

In an ideal world, I would always stick to our schedule, eat only homemade organic food, and never  let my toddler watch mindless cartoons. But one thing I've learned from motherhood is that  it's okay to be less than perfect. It's okay to take shortcuts now and then (or every day), particularly when I am extra tired (or have a migraine). In this season of mothering, I am learning to cut myself some slack and extend a little grace to myself. Here are a few practical ways that I do this.

1) Paper plates - I don't know about you, but some days I feel like all I do are dishes. So I've started using paper plates every now and then (OK, like every other day). It's probably not great for the environment, but it sure makes cleaning up easier for me.

2) Pajamas - Changing Lucas can sometimes be like running a marathon. It's exhausting and nearly impossible. So sometimes I just leave him in his pajamas for a good part of the day. (I do change his diaper). I know I probably can't get away with this one for too much longer.

3) Baths - I don't give my boys a bath every night. Especially not in the wintertime. They don't get dirty when it's cold out, right?

What shortcuts do you take to make life easier with little kids?