Working f-time with kids -tips

Spendless

Out of the blue I got a phone call asking me to do some temping work, starting the following day for a few weeks. It's the 1st work I've had since losing my job at Xmas, so I took it, but it's the 1st time I've worked full-time as in 9-5 Mon-Fri since going on maternity with eldest and oh my gosh how quick evenings go, sometimes we aren't having tea till turned 7pm. 9yo is going to breakfast and asc, 12yo sets off for school before I do and is by himself for around 1.5 before I get in. Mr S is sometimes here, sometimes away o/night and sometimes very late home 9pm ish, with no set pattern. For me, since it's only a few weeks work so we'll be fine, but am wondering how others manage their time if they work f-time either both parents, or working f-time as a single parent.

Spendless

Am bumping this as ummm no-one answered me last time.

I have recently found out I will be temping again for around 5 weeks, starting the last 2 weeks before kids go back to school.

As I have a bit of notice this time, I'd like to use the days till I start to get ahead of myself.

Childcare is pretty much covered as DH is off the last full week of the hols and hol club plus relatives helping sorts out DD. DS who is 12 I will need to leave for the odd day.

So any advice, tips for organising my days when I'm back working f-time?

Flee_2

Hi Spendless I am a full time working Mum to a 11 year old and an 8 year old.
I am lucky to have a teaching job that allows me to spend all holidays with my children. I have a childminder for my 8 year old and I pick them up at 5.30pm. My 11 year old walks home from school and either plays out with friends, asc, library or comes home and plays until I return home. He loves it and keeps me informed of what he is doing.
My kids have managed since 2008 with me working full time and have not complained about not seeing me. They enjoyed asc or with the childminder.
I wonder about going part time but I would probably be on my own whilst kids are at school.
If you have young kids it is harder to work full time because of childcare costs and the essential time with younger children. But when they are older they want to be more independant and they prefer to be active and busy.
Weekends are free for me and this is when we spend all of our time as a family. Evenings are from 6pm.
Best thing I do is prepare and cook meals the evening before or morning before, so that when I return I have little to do. A slow cooker is brilliant in winter and lots can be cooked in it. Like a curry and cook rice before and warm in the microwave. Summer can be salads or a BBQ in the garden.
Hope your new temping job goes well and sorry I have waffled on.

Grumpygit

What do you have to organize???

Get a list and see if there are shortcuts to any jobs, see if you can allocate some tasks to either OH or the children - they are old enough to be able to help.

I work f/t and have done since dd was 4 months old - my ex was on shift work and to be fair he was quite good with jobs around the house..hoovering especially as we had dogs and their hair was everywhere.

However, my current OH - he doesn't do anything (or hardly anything) so not only am I working ft, I am studying, working extra hours at work (I go back in the evenings at quarter ends) do the washing, ironing, cleaning and 99% of the cooking and clearing up afterwards

No matter how much I moan, gripe lay the law down to him he is just the same...but that's off topic

What I am trying to say is, especially if you're not used to it, you need to just prioritize the stuff into have to, need to, want to, should do and then just work out if there's stuff to share out.

Unless you're going to be superwoman and do absolutely everything all the time stuff which you may have thought was important suddenly isn't as much - I certainly don't clean every week - if there's dust on the tv cabinet then it's not the end of the world - there are obviously some things which do get cleaned all the time - but that's just common sense.

You need time for you as well

Grumpygit

I agree with Flee re the slow cooker - brilliant in winter - or batch cook stuff and then just take it out of the freezer in the morning for warming through in the evening

liney

Washing goes in the machine in the AM and comes out while tea is cooking.

Accept you can't be spending an hour cooking dinner, and plan 30 minute meals in advance.

Make packed lunches whilst you cook dinner and refridgerate.

Have enough school uniform so that you are not constantly washing and ironing on the week.

Assign age apprioriate jobs - cleaning shoes, laying the table, hanging washing, making packed lunches, etc.

Try and clean one room per day so that you don't spend all weekend scrubbing.

averagemummy

I work full time, OH is away Mon to fri, and I have an 8 yr old and a 2 yr old.

It's amazing what you can prepare in advance food wise. Mashed potato can be frozen and got out again if you need to.

Once a week is pizza night, after swimming when we get home at 6.30pm.

Once a week I also do a really easy dinner of cold mattesons sausage, pasta and veg.

Frozen veg I always get of the freezer in the morning and let it defrost in a bowl of water in the fridge all day. Quicker to cook in the evening.

The hardest thing I find is keeping awake once the kids are in bed to do anyhouse work :rotfl:

averagemummy

liney wrote: »

Have enough school uniform so that you are not constantly washing and ironing on the week.

Definitly this. I refuse to do any washing during the week so we all have to have enough clothes for the week!

Northern_Princess

I've worked full time since DD was 12 weeks old - it was needs must back then to keep a roof over our heads.

I got into a habit of batch cooking and meal planning, I still do. It's easier for me to do stews, curry's, etc for the freezer than spend ages cooking when I get home. My slow cooker is a Godsend (mostly in winter) as well as batch cooking. Washing and ironing are done daily as is cleaning. I do 2 rooms a day and the bathrooms every day. I do my shopping on a Friday on the way home from work. A routine works well for me as do lists. My OH works very long hours, therefore I do everything in the house as some days he works 16 hours and he barely has time to sleep

Being organised for me is the only way I can fit everything in.

Mojoworking

I just do what I feel like really. I'm not a fan of wasting my weekends cleaning etc so I try and stay on top of stuff in the week - if I don't then I have to use up the weekends to do that.

Like someone else said, do the lunches while your cooking tea, always throw a load through if you've got a line or maiden with space on, I iron after 9pm with half an eye on the TV (which I've sneakily planned to watch!!) - I'm also more particular about what I iron now and only do what I need, I used to make work for myself. I stopped watching soaps about 9 years ago and now I've loads more time on my hands (2 nights a week was enough!!)

OH also works full time so if either of use see something that needs doing we do it. If I've not had time the evening before I get up early to do the dinner and lunches and put a load on and hang a load up.

I guess I've just stopped worrying so much about the detail, is my daughter going to rave about how immaculate the house was when she's older or a day out at the beach or the bbq with the paddling pool in the garden.

As long as it looks ok and I can invite someone in if they turned up unexpectedly I'm not worrying too much.

The slow cooker is a god send in the winter as all I want to do is hibernate.

DD wanted a cat so she has to feed and water it daily (although I'm sure OH does it for her at times!) and she lays the table.

I swoosh round the bathroom every morning after my shower as no one seems to like to do this.

Child care is all school related so whoever finishes work first goes for DD, nightmare as it doesn't cover the full 6 weeks and no family near by but between taking days off between us and some good friends we'll make it through.

FatVonD

I have for long stints at a time opted to take only half an hour for lunch so I could leave half an hour earlier. If your eldest leaves before you anyway (and the school breakfast club opens early enough) would your employers be prepared to be flexible and allow you to grab back another 15/30 minutes in the morning too?

I agree that you need 5 sets of school uniform (shirts at least.)