Working mom's - how do you manage everything?

[offwegotoneverland]

Figure out what the big things are for you and focus on those (it could be dinner, it could be the laundry it could be the mopping only you know!)

For me it's dinner so we make a weekly meal plan and mostly (with the odd exception) stick to it. I'm another big fan of the slow cooker.

We have had cleaning ladies in the past (not right now) but DH's shift doesn't make that easy (midnights). We likely will add it back in the new year.

I'm a big list person as it lets you feel like you finished something if that helps.

 

[kinntj]

I'm going back to school next semester, so I'll start knowing how pressed for time I'll be. When I go back to work in a few years, you bet there'll be a hired cleaning lady to help with the deep cleaning.

If money is tight, there's prioritizing things. I would think food and clean clothes would come first and then broaden from there. I tried flylady and that didn't work for me. I got frustrated and distracted by emails flying at me, so I had to find my own way.

My house is not clean every day and I SAH now, but I do have a life and I'm not expected to be supermom. I do the best I can.

 

[aprincessmom]

Single mom, work full time. We leave the house at 7:30 for the bus and don't get home until 6:30. I have global responsibilities so I need to do work at home in the evening (concalls, meetings, email, etc.) as well so there is never enough time in the day for everything. Prioritize and stick to that priority list. Pick what you love to do and farm out the rest if you can. I hate mowing the lawn so other than having the lawn guys mow my lawn, I do everything else -- but I like doing it so it's easier for me to do it. KWIM?

You shouldn't be the only person doing things around the house. Everyone lives there and everyone should be contributing. DD has been helping around the house since she was 3. She's 10 now and has her chores and responsibilities because that's part of being a good citizen in our house. She takes her lunch to school each day and I haven't made her lunch in over 3 years. Sometimes she even makes mine for me. Setting the table, helping clear the table, putting away laundry, tossing wet laundry into the dryer, taking care of the cat -- these are just some of her chores. Everyone should be helping out. Even my boyfriend helps out when he is here because that's just the way the house runs. If he gets to the house before we get home, then he starts dinner. If it's trash day, he'll put the barrels out for me. It's a team effort -- you may need to be the captain of the team but you shouldn't be the captain AND the only team member.

I find planning meals for the week works really well for me. I do a big thing on the weekend (a roasted chicken, a lasagna, a roast pork loin) and that way I have leftovers at the ready for quick nights. There's always a leftover night to clean up the week. Knowing what is planned is half the battle for me -- I know I have what I need to make the meal and some of it is usually prepped ahead (chop onions on the weekend and keep them in the fridge, peppers the same, garlic ditto, always have a green salad made and in the fridge, etc.). I love my slow cooker and couldn't live without it.

I'm a clean freak so I do small cleaning each night -- I pick a room and do it after DD gets to bed. I do my big cleaning on Saturday but it doesn't take too long because I clean during the week (tubs and sinks daily, sweep floors daily, vacuum and dust at least once before Saturday, etc.) and everyone has to participate.

I must admit that me time is at a premium but I try to give myself at least one half hour a day to do something that I choose -- it could be reading or exercise or watching a show on my DVR. I'm not big on spending time on solitary things so spending time with DD is more appropriate "me time" for me.

You are not alone...just remember, lists are your friend and you'll do fine

 

[Minnesota!]

Somehow, you just manage. We get home at about 545 each evening. 3 nights a week, DH has to work his 2nd job at 630. So, on those nights, he watches DS for 15 minutes while I start dinner. Just getting water boiling or something, and then enough time for me to slip into something comfy and throw a load of laundry in. Then he leaves. DS and I will usually eat close to 7. Then it's bath time, play/reading time and then we head to bed at 8. (I used to stay up after he went to bed, but being pg has drained me). DH will clean up when he gets home. In the AM, I usually do another load of laundry, the dishes from the night before, and then DH will vacuum. Weekends are for the bigger jobs - bathrooms, floors, etc. On nights DH isn't working, it's pretty much the same schedule, but the house is cleaner, since he stays up/is available while I am cooking to clean, etc.

 

[virginiamama]

My DH is a firefighter, so I'm pretty much a single mom for 24 hours at a time, but thankfully that is usually only every other day. I have to second the flylady.net. I also bought the book Sink Reflections (written by the Flylady). I know it sounds weird but check it out. I started out with the checklists, but have gotten into some good habits that have just become a part of my life. I do my main cleaning on the weekend, sometimes I get a jump on it Friday night, sometimes I'm rushing to finish on Sunday evening. Either way, as long as I get the main stuff done on the weekend, and spend a few minutes each day staying on top of things, it doesn't get but so dirty. If I keep up with it, I only have 1 days worth of mess to clean up. If I let it build up it's a monumental task to complete. For me, I figure in the long run it is more important for me to have spent quality time with my kids, and husband than to have had a spotless house. My next priority that goes along with quality time is schoolwork, and my essential paperwork, like bill-paying. Then come meals and keeping up with the house. I use my work lunchtimes to run errands so that we don't have to do that in the evening, and especially so that I can get these things done much quicker than with my boys along in the evening when we should be having fun and doing homework. When I have a weekend that I know I'll be home all day, I'll go a couple of days ahead of time and get enough ingredients to make soup or spaghetti sauce, chili, etc. Sometimes I only do one at a time, sometimes I make two things at the same time. I package them in sizes that will serve the whole family, keep one in the fridge and freeze the rest. That way we can have a nice dinner in a hurry. When it's just me and the kids home, we have soup and sandwiches, or something simple like that. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, they have really good frozen complete meals without preservatives and artificial ingredients. Another thing I try to do is put everything on a calendar and make a habit of looking at the calendar a couple of times a day, and look ahead, not just at what is on tap for today. I haven't managed to do this yet, but if you can get the kids in bed and have just a few minutes to do whatever you like to do to relax. I like to look at magazines, so I end up doing that while I eat breakfast before the kids have gotten up. I have a couple of tv shows that I love to watch and that is my "me" time. The problem is they come on at 9 or 10pm (Lost, Desperate Housewives and Greys Anatomy), so I've started taping them (don't have TiVo or DVR yet) and watching them while I'm on the treadmill before work. It gets me motivated to get on the treadmill and also I can fastforward through the commercials so I get through the show quicker. So by the time the kids get up, I've flipped through a magazine while eating breakfast and watched my favorite show while exercising. It's a great start to the day and I find myself hitting the snooze button much less. I've come a long way to get to where I am now, and I'm by no means satisfied with the number of hours in a day. We all have overwhelming days, just do what you can and try to make little improvements. You'll be surprised how they add up. You are not alone!