Grace cut her sister’s Barbie’s hair, and blood curdling screams are ringing. (Rage-eyes look extra creepy on four-year-old faces, but here we are.)

Max has been crying for 45 minutes because he can’t find his blankie. You feel for the kid…but compassion fatigue is real, and Mama is zapped.

You’d love to ditch this place for a mani/pedi, but a babysitter is nowhere in sight. And salons are shut down…So you’re stuck in this day for the long haul. 

What’s an overwhelmed mom to do?

We’ve all had these days. As a mom and foster mom of six kids, I have two very basic, completely free and magically effective reset buttons. They cost nothing and most importantly they WORK. You know these tricks because you’ve used them before. But sometimes in the height of our mom-stress, we forget about them and instead rub our temples and say, “Guys! Stop fighting!” while we scurry off to hide in the pantry with a Snickers bar. But we need not. Instead, remember these simplest-in-the-world mom-reset buttons. 

• Bath time. Draw a bath and dump in some toys. I don’t care if it’s 10am or 2pm. Even the term “bath time” has instant toddler mood-boosting properties. If your very small kids are similar ages and can fit without flooding the bathroom, let them all in there. (Of course you will be standing next to the tub.) If they’re too old to bathe together, let them bathe in batches. Even the older kids who say they hate baths become instant converts as soon as they settle in the water. Forty minutes later and that kid’s a zealot. No matter the age, a freshly-bathed child is a very happy child. Instant reset.

• Read aloud. The second summer magic reset button requires three ingredients: A blanket. A snack. A great book. Spread that blanket on the lawn under some shade, hand each kid a popsicle or a cheese stick. Open the book and start reading. We already knew the long-term benefits of reading aloud to your kids—it helps with bonding, builds vocabularies, instills a life-long love of reading, promotes empathy. But for the desperate mama needing a short-term fix, reading aloud is as close to a magic trick as it gets. When you read a story aloud, all the kids switch from rivaling each other, to rooting for the same character. Laughing at a shared joke builds rapport between siblings. Reminding the kids of a biblical principle through story can re-center their hearts and minds on the truth they already know, but sometimes forget in practice. (For example, don’t body-slam your brother, don’t bite your friends, etc.)

Not all books are created equal, of course. But the good ones? Oh, man. For kids and adults alike, a great kids book speaks to mom’s heart as much as to the kids’. And when you share it aloud with your favorite tiny folk, it feels like you just passed out little friendship bracelets for your hearts. Cheesy but true. 

Some of our faves: The Jesus Storybook Bible, You Are Special by Max Lucado, Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems, Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty. (Affiliate links)

What are your favorite, easy, go-to mom-reset buttons for when the kids are acting extra? Do share!

If you’re looking for more at-home summer activity ideas for your kids, here are 15 free and screen free ideas that our family loves.   

If this was helpful or encouraging for you, please feel free to share with a friend. We mamas are all in this together!