Working mums, How do you do it?

larmy16

Pinkylouloubell wrote: »

Larmy

Just out of interest how much do you charge per hour for cleaning??

i am a single mum and I work full time in a school

I seem to have no time o myself at all or to spend with my son so was wondering about possibly getting a cleaner in for a couple of hours a week.[/QUOTe

Most jobs £10 per hour. One I have at £7.50 per hour and another at £8.00.

I have been laid off from two due to the recession - non-one is safe. It eventually filters down.It depends where you live. I live in a poshish area but there are plenty of people undercutting and advertising for as little as £6 ph. Hopefully my clients would prefer me to stay as they know me well. Some I have been with for 12 years!!

Morgan_Ree

If it wasn't for my my parents and my ex's parents I've probably have been buried alive under a mass of clothes waiting to be ironed and other random housework that accumulates over the days

I'm a student nurse so when I'm on placements i have to work stupid hours, and for some reason I always end up with long days!!
Plus I have a part time job so I'm doing about 49 hours a week

Internet shopping is the only way I manage to have food in the kitchen
And my ex's mum comes round a lot to look after my little boy whilst I'm at Uni or work. When she's here she does everything! She's a total godsend and I'd be lost without her

I think when I'm no longer a poor student I'll have to do something nice for them
Hmmmm not quite sure what could compare to 3 years of babysitting and house cleaning?

sazza42

I don't have any children, but my mum and dad both worked full time while we were growing up and I remember that my sister and I tended to help our parents out a lot, right from being small.

Also, mum used to sometimes ask us at the weekend which we would prefer - a day out or a clean house - we couldn't have both. We'd all have to stay in and help if we wanted a clean house. Guess which option we always used to go for!!

larmy16

Most of the houses I clean are so untidy that they get very little cleaning value for their money. You cannot clean a room that has barely a postage stamp space clear on the floor. Same with surfaces cluttered up with no space to clear them.

Still musn't complain as without the chaos they would not need me.;)

knithappens

Courgette wrote: »

I try to treat the job like a M-F 9-6 job, as in I do everything I can do at school, don't work at weekends unless it's an emergency (coursework marking time for example). The best decision I ever made for our family was not to bring work home especially at weekends. I'm fairly new too, M2

However, regarding the original question I don't feel like I do manage to balance everything (especially at the mo as I'm 10 weeks pregnant and knackered). I think it's a question of priorities - as long as we're fed and clean and happy then that's enough for me

i get to work for 8 (sme days 7.45), registration is at 8.30 i use that 30-45 mins to prep or mark, i work through most lunches and stay after work to prep mark, that way i dont bring anything home unless at really busy times, like exmams coursework marking I have a cut off point, on lat meeting night which is a tuesday i dont do anything extra, i mak sure i prep for the next day during break before school. i also make sure i use my ppa, so hide away to get work dont so no onestops and chats to me.before you know it time is waisted, i am on mat leave at the moment, but will be returning to work in 2 weeks, had bubba number 3 6 months ago, so going part time, making some drastic cuts budget wise so i can spend more time at hoe with kiddos now i am a single parent

coco1980

well I got up half an hour earlier this morn than usual and I feel so much better for it, had decent brekkie got wm on brekkie dishes all done, chicken in sc and ds was out of the door to school 30 mins earlier than usual( he likes going to brekkie club so he can get a game of football before school starts) must do this every day:D

Poodlecrazy

This is a really interesting thread!

Well I'm a single mum to a 6 year old DD, working full time and then some with a 3 hour roundtrip commute as well as far too many horses to look after. If it wasn't for my parents I'm not quite sure how it would work.

We live in adjoining properties with a connecting door so I can open it up for instant babysitting

I get up at 5:30 / 6 sort horses back in by 6:45, shower and out by 7. DD doesn't wake till 7:30 so I lay out her stuff and head off. Mum does the morning stint and gets DD off to school for 8:00.

During the day work is pretty hectic, where possible I do admin and shopping lunchtime. I theoretically work a 9 - 5 but tend to arrive by 8:30 and leave anytime up to 6:30 / 7. Then I get home as quickly as possible. Mum has collected DD at 5 and if I can make it back before 7:30 (means leaving work by 6) I do, if not then I'll go to the gym on the way home as DD goes to bed at 7:30. I'll also do my food shop one night as well.

Get in food, one bit of cleaning every night then I tend to do another couple of hours work before hitting the sack.

Weekends however I do nothing around the house, DD and I go out riding, for food or whatever takes our fancy. DD goes to her dad on a Sunday and that's me day or more often it's doing horse things that I can't do with her around / catching up on housework / catching up with work.

Phew, my Mum is a godsend! x

munkiemunkie81

Right...

I'm a natural whirlwind of chaos generally so i'm not sure I will be able to offer any advice!! Flylady is unfortunately not for me - for starters - i'm not that bothered about having a shiny sink!! lol

I work full time 8am - 5pm Mon-Fri. 3 days in office, 2 days at home.. (well I try!)

A normal working day goes like this...

I get up at 6.30am, invariably waking up DS (2yrs) when I fall over thin air!!

I have quiet argument with him to play in his room for a little while mummy has a shower. Usually at some point halfway through the shower just when I have lathered up he'll shout that he needs a poo. I clamber out of shower nearly breaking neck run the naked gauntlet to grab him over the gate plonk him on the toilet, back in shower, wash shampoo out of hair and shave one armpit, jump out dry myself scruff hair and then wipe his bum. Use towel I have just dried myself with to drag along the floor with my feet mopping up the mess I made running the gauntlet. Remember about the other armpit shave that one too!

Now cuddled up in my dressing gown, we go downstairs. DS shouts want eeeryooohs mommy, want weetbix mommy, want yoghurt too mommy. I say ok, fling a bit of milk in a cup, slop an assortment of breakfast on his table. He shouts want 'else' mommy. I say tough - eat it up or go hungry. He shouts - want cup with lid mommy - I say I've thrown the lids away, have that one. nooooo, right well mummy will drink it then. noooooo. Want beebies on mommy - OK have beebies on.. Now I make the dash while he is occupied to run upstairs slap my face on and dry my hair. Grab some clothes - NEVER ironed - everything in wardrobes is crinkly ironed as needed, run down stairs, turn iron on, shout to him to eat up or we'll be late for nursery - he ignores, we then have what I can only discribe as a game of tennis , me lurching to and from the telly threatening to turn it off if he doesnt eat up and various balls of breakfast flying around the room.

Iron clothes, put his on the floor run upstairs tell him to get dressed when he is finished and get myself dressed, teeth brushed and then remember deoderant, white marks appear on top... waft baby wipe at them carelessly in hope they disappear shrug and give up.

Back down stairs - he's still eating grrrr. Grab extra spoon and start shovelling into his shocked face!! When theres just a bit left I shout finished and we then have a tug of war me pulling the dishes one way him another saying he wants more. I win

Throw dishes in sink with half hearted attempt to clean up sloppy milk mess left in a 2m diameter area from his seat. He takes clothes off screams that its cold - I say do some running - fling breakfast soaked Pj's in laundry basket. Throw clothes on him, take them off again and put them on the right way this time, shoes on, teeth brushed coats on and into car - by now my alarm on my phone is hurling abuse (through the means of loud horns) at me to hurry up - i'm already 15 mins late.

Drive up the road, realise I dont have his nursery bag, reverse scarily up the road dash into house, grab bag, this time i lock the door on the way out. 10 mins driving later arrive at nursery with a childs head poking through my crotch and a pair of hand determined to pull my jeans down, prise boy off throw at girls with an air kiss and run for the hills. Get to work 5 mins later - only 40 mins late today - not bad at all I think smirking to myself!! lol

Work work work, mse mse mse, work, mse mse mse. At about 5.30pm I decide I have worked over enough and make the dash home! Pickup boy he falls asleep in car, get home wake him up and wish I hadn't. Boy wants to spend the next hour whinging it seems. Whilst i'm trying to empty dishwasher the boy randomly comes up requesting yet another thing to eat. Every dish I put away I have to get back out again. Finally kitchen is in a clean state to mess it all up again for dinner.

Bath time give boy a scrubbing brush to help my efforts at cleaning the rest of the bathroom, he does a good job. Tidy up his room, brush teeth, stories then to bed - AND RELAX, might have a glass of wine!

Who needs dinner anyway, i'm just going to sit here and CHILL!

Half 10 I realise I haven't eaten a proper meal all day, make toast. leave dishes.

Go to bed sometime around 1am sleep and start all over again.

You could say I cope very well!

chops22

My top tips would be:

*Never let gym, swimming, footy kits etc go upstairs once washed. Put them straight back in the kit bag. Means you always know where it is and are ready to go.

*Spend ten mins emptying dishwasher, doing lunches, quick tidy of lounge etc at night before bed...will save you half an hour in the morning!

*A quick sweep of the kitchen after dinner and wipe of the sides keeps it clean.

*Meal plan and use the slow cooker...this will save you an hour a niight after work.

* No matter how tired, never go to bed with dirty hair....as this would be the one morning you sleep in!!:eek:

Don't stress, you can only do what you can do, don't be too hard on yourself , it wont help and will give you wrinkles!:)

mouche

I don't have kds yet but planning to soon. One thing always worries me - when I was little (under 10), bed time was 8pm. I don't get home from work till 7.30pm! Any mums who get in latish and how do you cope with feeding/ spending time with your children and still getting them to bed at a reasonable hour. Especially if your OH works similar or worse hours and there is no family nearby.