Need Advice from WORKING moms!

[susy]

I know that all moms work. I have been a SAHM for six years now. My baby is going to Kindergarten and I am going back to school! I will be getting my teaching certification plus master's degree in elementary ed.

Our schools are right next door to each other, so this should be really convenient. I plan to take classs and study in the library all day while DS is in school. I should have one day with no clases, so I will study all day. My mom can watch him if he gets sick, so I don't have to miss class.

My main concern is being able to do everything I have to do.

Here is a schedule I made for myself. I pretty much do a lot of this now, since DS goes to preschool half day and I usually go to my mom's during that time.

Evening before...
-check calendar/schedule for next day-pack backpacks
-help DS- lay out clothes, put away toys, bathe, read a book before bed.
-take 10 min and straighten up house, put away dishes, take
out garbage, take down meat for next day.
-lay out my clothes

Morning....(I will get up 2 hours before I have to leave- I do that now)
make beds, feed fish, water plants
work out (20 min)- I do this now, hope I can keep it up
make breakfast (eat), make lunches, wash dishes (this takes me about 20 min now)
shower, get dressed
get DS dressed -he pretty much does this himself. I comb his hair.

Afternoon... we will get home about 4pm

throw in load of laundry
make dinner/ DH cleans up
fold and put away load of laundry (I have been doing one load everyday for years now. )

6pm- bathe DS- he likes to take showers, so it's very quick.

workout-weight training/ Pilates(like I said, I hope I can keep this up!)-20 min

start evening routine again...
shower and pass out studying... Oh yeah, when I was an undergrad I got straight A's... not too much to live up to!
DH and I will split up daily chores and cleaning on weekends.

 

[browneyes]

You might have some areas of adjustment when you start this schedule, but you'll find the time to do everything you need to do. Good luck with your new job.

 

[Mishetta]

And what doesn't get done...just gets carried over to another day, or the weekend (when you will try to cram everything in.)

Good luck! You can do it!

 

[Pete's Mom]

All I have got to say is, bye bye exercise workouts!

 

[Christine]

Hello Superwoman!!! I work full-time and there is no way I could do all that--but that is my personality. My friend manages to do that but she is a fanatically obsessed housekeeper and she will tell you that freely! I have to be at work at 6:30 a.m. and I have about an hour commute. So, when I get up at 4:40, I really can't even imagine making a bed. I do shower, get dressed, wake the kids up, make their breakfast, make sure they have all they need, and maybe try to clean up the kitchen counter clutter. That's about all I can do.

When I come home at 4 p.m., I immediately start cooking dinner and we usually eat by 5:00. I then try to workout, or balance my checkbook, or do a load of laundry. Then by 7:00 it is time for everyone to bathe/shower, etc, and the kids are in bed by 8:30. My two vices are that I watch the day's episode of General Hospital from about 7:30 to 8:15 and then I read for 20 minutes. I go to bed between 8:30 and 8:45.

Point is, after working all day, I'm pretty stressed and chores are not what I'm interested in. I don't know if you'll feel that way once you are out all day. It really depends on your personality. I just love to relax in the evening. I usually catch up on Friday night and Saturday morning.

 

[Trish Bessette]

Susy~

You CAN do it. Reading your schedule I am so much like you! However I have two girls in school. I wake at 5:00 a.m. and don't stop until bed around 10:00. I have a clean house as well as participate in several things (school PTO, girl scouts, etc)

So the long and short of it and don't worry. If that load of laundry does not get done or the dishes don't get washed until the following morning that only means that you were busy enjoying your family instead.

Good luck at school. Sounds like you will be just fine.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

All I have got to say is, bye bye exercise workouts!

All I got to say is
SCHEDULE?
FOLD Laundry?

You are a funny woman.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I'm a single mom back in school. If I don't do it, nobody does. LOL! What gets back logged just moves to a different day. Don't sweat it when it happens. You need to be flexible. Just an observation.

 

[susy]

Thanks for all the responses and keep the suggestions coming. I guess I need to leave room for flexibiity. I am actually not doing any "cleaning" during the week. I am the type fo person that can hop out of bed at 5am and get lots done. I am a morning person. I actually get out of bed, turn around and make the bed right then and there. Before even going to the bathroom.

 

[December99]

Make bed before bathroom....oh that would be a problem for me - I'd have to then get the mop out!!!!!

I also have to say - be flexible. Although I don't go to school yet I work full-time, have a daughter that is older (thank goodness) and I have a routine but not a fit "schedule" although some would probably call it a schedule. I do no laundry or cleaning until the weekend because I frankly have no time. This week I have been doing laundry each night because for some reason - we had alot this past week and I didn't get it all done in one day like I usually do.

Your dh might also need to be very patient. This might put some stress on you until you get figured out what you CAN do on a daily basis in between studying. He might have to pitch in more than you might be thinking....just so that you don't make yourself so sick from pure exhaustion!

 

[Cthia]

It sounds like you will be able to do your schedule. Just remember to be flexible and don't give yourself a hard time that you didn't get everything done that day.

I do laundry during the week. I put a load in before I leave and my DH gets home he puts it in the dryer and folds. I work from 9-5 so my DH is home before me. Luckily he cooks dinner during the week. I will pick up the house during the week but do my major cleaning on the weekends. Dishes are done nightly after dinner, thank goodness for a dishwasher.

You will find a schedule that works for you. We all do.

Good luck in school.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

You'll find a routine, don't worry. It'll happen naturally.

We let a lot go during the week. Sometimes breakfast dishes are done with the dinner dishes and sometimes the dinner dishes sit until the morning. Beds made? hahahahahaha! My beds get made on Saturday when I change the bedding and that's it. No one cares, and it makes life easier to not even attempt to do it all.

 

[cdnmickeylover]

I went back to university when my DS was 6 (he's 16 now so it's been a while). The one thing that I did was put on a big calendar in the kitchen was the date of all my exams and assignments. I don't know how many of those you will have but I had plenty. I then explained to him that during the days marked on the calendar Mommy was going to be rushed and very busy. I also marked on the calendar the last day of exams and he got to pick where we ate out for dinner. He also got to pick out a new toy for being nice to Mommy during the days that she was really busy. As a single parent I did everything but this helped him understand the stressed out periods that always come with school.

He ended up counting the days til the end of exams more than I did. I was thankful too because he didn't always pick McDonald's for dinner on the last day of exams.

Good luck. For me it was the perfect time to go back to school when he entered grade one and was in school full time.

Just remember you can't pull allnighters this time around.

 

[bsnyder]

I went back to school when my DS's were 4 and 5, after my first husband and I divorced.

The boys were in pre-school, in the mornings, while I attended classes and I picked them up at 12:00 or 1:00.

One of the things I had to learn to do was to make use of every spare minute, for studying.

When I was in college, as a traditional student, I preferred to have big blocks of time, where I would get everything out and organized and really go at it hard. As a single mom student, I didn't have that luxury. But I got really good at doing 15 & 20 minutes here and there (in addition to the longer work sessions for papers/studying for tests, etc.) and I got almost straight A's!

 

[susy]

WOW! Really great advice.

I am thinking the beds can be let go and we ae going to have to get a new dishwasher! Ours hasn't worked in forever and it's been "repaired" to death! Breakfast dishes can probably soak until we get home. That way , they can just have a quick rinse after soaking all day.

I forgot that DH said he will take care of bathing DS and helping with the "toy clean-up", which DS is getting better at. He is also great at keeping DS busy while I'm cooking and he will either clean up after dinner OR fold the laundry. I don't have to do both. Now, we live in a condo and our laundry room is down the hall with 1 washer and dryer for our floor, so doing it all on one day or leaving it in there isn't an option. DH will also be doing the weekly shopping (which isn't much) , while I start the weekly house cleaning. Poor DH. I don't think he realized what he agreed to!

The bulk of my studying I would like to get done at school. I will drop DS off about 8:30 and pick him up at 3:30. At night I may do some additional reading. I was never the type to stay up late studying. The absolute LATEST I've ever stayed up studying for an exam was 11pm.

I'm afraid I won't have time for the DIS!!!!!!!

 

[bobcat]

Looks like you have a plan! I went back to school when my kids were small and as a single mom I had to decide what my main priorities were. Having a spotless house wasn't one of them! LOL Don't beat yourself up if things don't get done around the house.

I would also have some of my work with me so that when I had down time, waiting for a class, doctors office, etc., I could do some reading.

 

[audflash]

susy,

I think it shows a lot of organization and great mothering/wifeing on your part that you have made a schedule and put so much thought into how to make this work.

I am going to share with you the very best advice I received when I was a young mother of three:

RELAX YOUR STANDARDS ALREADY!! YOU ARE ONLY ONE PERSON!!


Given to me by my dear sweet mother - who was also a perfectionist, in theory anyway. I'm not making fun, I promise. It's just that I hope you will value you mental health above all else. Save the housework for Saturday morning and do something nice for yourself every week. Spend time with your dh - go for walks and out to dinner and don't feel guilty when things don't get done. Trust me - the house will be clean when the kids move out!

I took a parenting class recently (better late than never ) and one thing I learned is that even very small children can do lots to help around the house. It is great for them because they feel invested in the family and even though things won't be done as well as you would do it the object is to teach those kids to be self-sufficient - A lesson I learned about ten years too late. I thought I was being such a great mom by doing everything myself .

Good luck and keep us posted!
Audrey