I was curious how other working moms manage to get housework done, cooking, cleaning, shopping, exercising, and still time with child after working full time ...
Right now I work PT. When I worked FT (when he was very little) I quickly discovered it's all about priorities. And planning ahead. And organization and a game plan.
Cook ahead if you can. (Sometimes I would put stuff in the crock pot at night so it could be refrigerated in the morning and warmed up after work.)
O. load of laundry per day worked for me so it didn't get to the overwhelming MOUND for the weekends.
A big meal made on Sunday eve that will last for 2 more days.
Hire somebody to clean the house 1x a month.
One load of laundry a night.
This morning from 8am-9am... I emptied all the garbages, dry-swiffered the floors, lightly cleaned the kitchen, wiped down the bathrm we use most, put laundry away and wiped the stairs as I was coming down them. One set of sheets are in the wash. I'm done w/ chores until 5pm tonight !
I scream, "Don't make a mess" and they scream back, "I didn't do it". So the house is a mess.
Hahahahaha! When I was working full time, I didn't! For shopping, I shopped once a week and my son came with me. Exercising was a walk with my son, or just playing outside with him for a half hour after dinner. We also lived close to a lot of shops, so I would walk whenever possible (if I wasn't doing big grocery shopping). And I'm ashamed to admit...dancing with the Wiggles. For cooking, I only cooked dinners, and my son would play in the kitchen around me while I prepared dinner. I usually made extras so we could have leftovers for lunches or so I could take a night off cooking. We cleaned as we went as much as possible. I would try to do laundry a load at a time as it amassed, instead of letting it pile up during the week. At one point I also paid a teen girl $10 to clean for an hour each week. She would do the bathroom, vacuum, and if she had extra time she'd do whatever else needed doing. (I had to show her what I wanted done at first and check her work, but she caught on pretty quick to my standards) I would play with my little man for that hour. My house wasn't spotless, I couldn't have run a marathon, and my son watched too much tv, but we did the best we could.
It's not possible to get it all done. "Supermom" is a myth. A "super mom" is one who shows her children she loves them, whose house is clean but probably not spotless, and who knows what things to let slide and when. We all have different priorities, so you just have to know what you're ok with letting go and what absolutely must be accomplished no matter what.
Best wishes!
Lol - I don't.
My husband is a stay-at-home Dad and though I am sure there are some wizard SAHDs out there when it comes to housekeeping - mine - not so much.
I spend every few Sundays doing my laundry. I spend every holiday doing laundry. I get groceries unique to me on the way to/from work. I've given up on the house being organized - or even picked up - until the kids are older. I excercise after the kids are in bed and right before I go to bed - so until they were all 2 +, I just didn't. At best, I'd go for a walk if I got a lunch break.
This has not been ideal. But it's my reality for now and it's either this or not get time with my babies.
I save almost all cleaning for the weekends. I do light upkeep during the work week (dishes, sweeping) but I save all the big cleaning for the weekends & we do it together as a family. That way after work I pick my daughter up & we spend our evenings having fun. As far as cooking, we eat out a lot (too much). I pick dinner up on the drive home, or I have pre-made food in the freezer that we pull out & reheat. When you work, you don't get as much time for anything but you find a way to make it work. Good luck!
It's true what the other gals said about it being almost easier sometimes when we're not all home. Other than that, here's what keeps me sane when trying to balance it all:
1. Hubby and I give a lot of grace! We seem to have a moderate tolerance for the messiness when we're so busy / exhausted that it's not reasonable to push the issue - put your health and relationships first. We're pretty good about switching on and off when it comes to who cooks, etc. There is a LOT of give and take daily for us and we seem to be a pretty good team.
2. Little bits: try to be disciplined about not letting things pile up in the first place - mail, clothes, etc - try to deal w/them in the moment so they're not piling up and stressing you out. (I'm terrible about this MOST of the time - HA! - but when I'm good with it, it really makes a difference in my mood / stress level)
3. Multi-task: If your LO likes to watch a show, you can sweep the room (s)he is in and clean around. When my son is in the tub, I clean the rest of the bathroom. If I have to clean the office / table, he'll be in the same room working on something. That way, we can still be together and talk and connect - and I can teach him to help!
4. I shop / do laundry on the weekends.
5. We do not schedule many activities during weekend mornings - we really take it easy so we can be together, sleep in, take our time, have breakfast, etc
6. I usually work out 5-10 min before my morning shower (core / planks & abs) and at night while watching TV after DS is in bed. Even when I'm exhausted, I'm always glad I made the effort. Even though the amounts of time are small, my job keeps me pretty busy during the day, so it all adds up. Workout efficiently by combining weights w/cardio to up your calorie blast and maximize each minute!
7. After shopping, I try to work up a menu for two weeks worth of dinners so I don't have to think about what's for dinner when I come home. Also, if hubby gets home before I do, he can get things started. It's saved a lot of time and money.
That's about it! My house is NOT spotless, but we don't have people over too often, so I don't feel pressured about it. Also, i just discovered this site:
She has some great ideas. I'm still checking them out.
I'm looking forward to hearing others' ideas, too. Good luck finding the "groove" that works for you and your family!
I managed my house FAR better when no one was in it!!
As far as kid time, it depended on the hours I worked, and his schedule (aka if he was in preschool until 1pm, and I got off at 2pm... We had 6+ hours together. Off an hour before bedtime? Only an hour. In k and i started work at 3pm, but he didnt come home until 4pm? NADA. Off at 2pm? Off at 2am? Off at 7pm?
Delegate, divide and prioritize.
I'm a huge fan of the crock pot. We also shop once a week, typically. If you don't want to always hit the store, then consider something like PeaPod for those weeks when you know you just need the same old basics. And sometimes, just don't do the laundry and instead play with the kids.
My house just gets dirty until I can get it cleaned. I am working overnights so I have Saturday and Sunday to clean. My kids have chores they do throughout the week to at least keep everything picked up.
The beautiful thing is if the family is not in the home, the house can't get as dirty or messy!!
I am also in the camp who just doesn't get everything done.
We do only minimal cleaning during the week (dishes maybe picking up, occasionally a quick vacuum). I don't have time for exercise at all. When my DD was little I ran with a stroller now that she is too old for the stroller that's out too. There is just not enough time for it.
All the cleaning, laundry and shopping is done on the weekend. We do it as a family, so it is still time spent together and cleaning goes faster as well. our washer and dryer run non-stop Saturdays and Sundays. I plan meals ahead for the week for most weeks, planning quick and easy meals for night when we come home late and meals that require more prep for when we get home earlier - and we often use paper plates and cups to keep the dishes down... this is something I was really reluctant to do for a long time, but it does make things easier (and I use the compostable kind for my bad conscience).
But still - there is always stuff that doesn't get done... but honestly - who cares?
You don't. You do the best you can and try not to go crazy. It's hard. Good luck.
Hubs does a massive cook and does all our laundry once a week. I go to the gym during my lunch hour. We had a house keeper coming every 2 weeks, but to cut costs, we now emply robots (Roomba and a Scooba), we both run tidy so we clean up as we go along, plus I tackle one extra cleaning job a day. We have company over all the time, keep up with family, and take DS for outings. We shop at the local market and have stuff delivered. Everything else, whether it is appliances, sneakers, or diapers, we buy online.
Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
Myself, we pay someone to clean the house. With baby 2 she helps with laundry and is now once a week. It's not cheap but we worked it in our budget as a cost of me working. As for food I shop Sunday's for the week. Kids lunches and school stuff is ready to go the night before. I pre make waffles and freeze them for breakfast. Dinner I have try to cook 3 weeknights and have leftovers the fourth. Or I'll make somethinng big Sunday. Shopping we do Sunday for groceries. Other stuff Saturday, and I bring the kids. It's hard though. Oh exercise. I started this year an go at lunch during work. I started running and shoot for 3 days a week which is hard. I signed up for some races to keep me motivated. I also started logging my food through an app on my iPhone to help lose weight.
If I didn't have such a helpful husband, I don't think we'd get by.... He does a couple loads of laundry during the week, tries to help with various things around the house, sweeps the carpet daily etc. He works midnight shift, and I work 8-5, and our kids start bedtime around 7pm, so we barely have time to keep up during the week. Only thing I never have time for is the exercise!!!!!!
Yeah, I could do it all & spend all my time trying to be perfect. But, really, I just don't care about being superwoman. In the end, our kids won't care how perfect we are. If our house is messy & we get takeout because we're too tired to cook, is it really that big of a deal?
I think it helps if you have a partner that helps. Does your DH help with all that you listed above? My DH cooks a lot & help with other things. I think an equal load on both partners, as well as being okay with being imperfect makes it easier for working parents.
Hm, good question. The real answer for me is that it's a juggling act, and sometimes the balls get dropped... Housecleaning, beyond the basics, is touch & go. I can fold a basket of laundry while participating in play in a vocal way. Or, I turn on cartoons for 20-30 min and do a quick clean/run a load of laundry. I try (try being the operative word) to plan the next day's dinner the night before & do prep work for it. On the weekends, I try to get in some exercise, when DH is available to watch him, so I can go for a walk (I should exercise more, but it's first thing that loses it's place when time gets tight).
shopping on the way home from work
cleaning one day a weekend
cooking - husband does
DH and I share 50:50. I would not have had a child without this being a given. Nobody seems to wonder how working dads manage. We also have a cleaning lady once every 2 weeks - helps a lot. Also - it helps hugely to have a single child.
Is your partner doing half the work? That includes the organization and delegation of jobs. If not - a discussion is in order. Just asking for 'help' implies that the work is yours and you are not cutting it. That is not the case. The two of you have a family and a home and it is the family's job to make this run smoothly.
