Do you often feel overstimulated in your home? I have been there MANY times and I know the challenges that come with being home with multiple small children: clutter, noise, children fighting, toys, to-do lists, meal prep, snack clean up, is that a booger sticking to the wall?!! The list is truly endless. But what if there is another way? What if there is a way to instill peace, calm, and simplicity among the chaotic days of being at home with little ones? Is it really possible? Yes, it is! I know this because I have lived it. Here are my top 10 tips for creating calm at home. The best part? They are all completely FREE!

1. Put on music that calms your body. For me this is usually Sufjan Stevens. For you it might be something else. Maybe a spa music playlist or some Jazz music? It truly does not matter what it is but put on something that will allow your brain to get out of thinking mode and into being present mode. If your kids are asking you to put something else on tell them that this right now is “Mommy’s music time” and explain to them why you like this artist or this particular song. Maybe there is a memory associated with what you are listening to and you can share this with your kids. Most likely even if they protest initially after you do this for multiple days they will understand that sometimes we listen to Mom’s music and they may even grow to like the songs. In the beginning it might be helpful to put on a 5-10 minute timer to let them know that we are listening to Mommy’s music until the timer runs out and then we will listen to whatever they want to hear. (You will increase this time as this becomes a routine so don’t worry you will get to listen to more than 5 minutes of your music!)
2.  Create a room in your house where no toys are allowed or where the toys are severely limited. We used to have our toys in our living room but every time I wanted to sit on the couch at the end of the day I was cleaning up a huge mess of toys. Now we keep toys in a playroom upstairs (we don’t have a basement) and occasionally small toys (magnatiles, cars, or playsilks) can come downstairs but 95% of the toy mess is contained. It has been game-changing to feel like we have a sort of “grown-up” room that is also flexible to have a few toys bopping around it occasionally. 
3. Have tea time! Yes even with toddlers! I started having tea time with my girls when my son was napping to keep everyone quiet. He was 1 and the girls were 3. I always make decaf tea and put some ice cubes in it so the toddlers can drink from it. And I even let them use real china. This was china my husband had found on the curb someone was getting rid of-would highly recommend getting thrift store china or something that you don’t mind potentially getting broken. We all sit down and have a cup of tea and a cookie and talk about our day. Yes the tea got spilled and there were a lot of crumbs but it also made me sit down and take a break to chat with my 3 year olds. Here is a post I wrote about toddler tea time and some tips when you are just starting this fun tradition.
4. Declutter! I know you have probably heard it before. But let me assure you that less things to manage gives you back so much time, energy and calm. Especially with multiple kids running around. And they play better with less toys! Grab a trash bag and look for broken toys, crayons that have seen better days, old coloring books, the things that are easy and almost decision free to toss. Check out my trash day decluttering hack to build momentum in an easy and sustainable way.
5. Cuddle up on the couch and read a stack of books together. And do you know the toddler book hack? They can’t read so you can skip words, sentences or whole paragraphs if needed. Make the book silly if you want. Change the names to be something goofy, or read the book as is!  Sometimes this seems daunting or exhausting to do before you do it but I promise you and the kids will feel more connected and calm after reading together. 
6. Do a meditation or yoga together. You can say it out loud and make it up or listen to/watch a video. Talk about calming your bodies together and take deep breaths. You can even just snuggle all the kids together and take a deep breath practicing gratitude for the snuggles. This is especially good if you are feeling extra rushed throughout the day. Try to find 5 minutes to connect in this way it will bring you peace! There is a free app called Insight Timer that my family loves. We use this for bedtime meditations as well.
7. Do a middle of the day bath with your kids. If your bath tub is big enough, get in it too! If not, make yourself a warm drink, pour plenty of bubbles for the babes and sit in the room while they have a bath. Kids think anything out of their normal routine is both hilarious and exciting. They won’t believe they are getting to take a bath right before (or after) lunch and it will feel like a special treat. Plus this is one less bedtime item you need to do that night. Double win.
8. Have a special snack together. Popcorn (if your kids are old enough and have good enough oral strength) apples and nut butter, granola, ants on a log, something you know will be special for your kids. Again I know this can create mess and if that is not where you are today, that’s ok! But the aim here is connection and being present to create calm. Pick and choose what works for you today.
9. Have a playdough and drawing table. Break out the dot markers, crayons, playdough and any other low mess but entertaining items. You can sit down and feed a baby while the other kid(s) create art. Combine this with calming music and you can have a really nice afternoon together. Simple is best. Start with tracing hands or drawing circles for really little ones and then move up to letters for bigger kids. My girls at age 5 love to write letters with me dictating the letters. So they will say “How do you spell Happy Birthday” and then write the card themselves. 
10.  Send cards and letters to friends and family. Tell the kids you are going to mail letters to loved ones. Kids love mail. You can literally send coloring pages or you can write a card and have them draw a picture or sign it. You can also teach them about the mail while doing this. And you never know you might get something sent back in return! 

I hope you found some of these tips helpful. What else works for you to create calm among the chaos? I would love to know-let me in the comments! Wishing you a lovely day filled with some moments of peace.

In Solidarity,

Meg