How to find the time...

debtmess

I am seriously struggling to fit everything in.

How do those who work full time with children fit in cooking a from scratch meal, cleaning the house, washing and fitting time in to read/play with the children.

As I look round my house I feel disgusted, cobwebs sit in corners, skirting boards and doors could do with a good clean, windows and frames are going to walk on there own soon.

I spend a good 2-3 hours daily just dusting, cleaning sides and floors, hoovering cleaning loo etc to then try and tackle the other things I want to do on top (would be cleaning a full 24 hours)

Today I started cleaning at 5.30 and still have far too much today, kids tea was soup:o fruit and yoghurt

How do others manage it all.

kahunababy

I can't offer any advice I'm afraid as I am in exactly the same boat. I leave the house at 0745 and usually get home around 1900 (kids got to after school club whilst I am at work). I spend each evening preparing for the next day (this is me just sitting down now & I still have packed lunches to make) and I spend all weekend cleaning the house. I worry that I don't spend enough time with the kids just being mum. Hope someone can offer some advice as I really need pointing in the right direction too x

miss_corerupted

TBH I don't. I work full time, doing a uni course and I live on a farm. Our house is a tip. As long as we have dishes and clothes I'm not bothered to much (that sounds disgusting)

I get annoyed every so often and will blitz

Alton_Towers

It's all doable, I have been in your position. Can you batch cook at weekends for during the week? There is no law that says mums must cook a meal every night, so soup, toasted sandwiches, jacket pots etc are just as filling and quick to prepare.

How old are the kids? Can they help? Housework you can do bits once the kids are in bed, but set yourself a time limit to do x,y or z so you get some downtime. Ad breaks are good for doing 5 minute jobs like cleaning the loo etc. only iron stuff that's necessary.

You can only do so much, don't be to hard on yourself, I used to frequently say when I start wearing my knickers over my trousers then you can call me WonderWoman! :-)

miss_corerupted

here we go

Boring women have clean houses. Go by these rules lol

http://www.momeomagazine.com/mommy-mojo-boring-women-have-clean-houses-getting-over-the-cleanliness-guilt/

counting_down_the_days...

I'm in the same boat and it's really depressing me at the moment I have two children, aged 1 & 3 and work full time. I do have a cleaner, but only for 2 hours every second week which isn't enough, however, I just don't clean in between! Well obviously the day to day stuff, but that's all. By the time we get in, get tea & get the kids to bed, then tidy up the kitchen, it's at least 8pm before I sit down.

OK, I am sitting on my laptop and should make better use of this time, but this is the 1-2 hours a day, I have to myself. I am absolutely shattered. So much so, I have two parcels sitting at the front door (this used to be the highlight of my days) I can't even be bothered opening them

Then at weekends, we either have grand parents visiting, or have to go visiting. This mother's day, I just want to stay in bed all day!

Sorry, not a very helpful post - but I do sympathise. I don't know how people manage either. xx

peachyprice

Does your house really need that much cleaning every day?

I clean every Saturday morning, mop the hall floor during the week if it's rainy, sweep the kitchen floor mid-week only if it needs it. The one and only thing that gets done every day is toilets. I can't imagine that it would ever need cleanig daily, there just wouldn't be anything to clean.

That leaves me plenty of time for scratch cooking most nights, taking children to activities and spending time with the family.

Life is just too short for housework.

TheThriftyScrumpers

Hi, I can really recommend a slow cooker. This week 3 meals on the meal plan are from sc :

1- beef in beer - adapted from Delia. Put cubes of stewing steak in a bag with 2tbsp plain flour. Shake bag to coat meat and tip it all in slow cooker. Chop an onion and chuck it in with 2 bay leaves, some thyme and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Add salt, pepper and a bottle of pale ale and leave all day. Nice with rice or mash and veg. If kids wouldn't like this you could omit ale and add stock instead and veg.

2- bolognaise -put mince, onions, celery, carrots, tinned tomatoes, red wine, garlic and herbs in sc.Leave all day. I use this as shepherds pie base, spag Bol, lasagne, or add chilli and kidney beans.

3- roast chicken. Get a piece of kitchen roll dab with oil and wipe round inside of sc. then plonk a whole chicken in either on its own or with a lemon in. Leave all day. Meat will fall off the bone. I also do gammon in sc. put in sc and half fill with water or apple juice.

No need to brown or Pre-cook anything. Takes minutes in the morning and lovely meal to come home to. Freeze some for another day if there are left overs.

Really speedy dinners my two kids like are pasta with grated cheese on and/or mixed with some pesto from a jar or French bread pizza (can be done on a muffin too) spread with some tomato pur!e, grate some cheese on and add toppings of your choice - ham, sweet corn, pineapple etc.

For packed lunches make a whole weeks worth and freeze in individual portions (I wrap in foil). Each morning take out of freezer and it will have defrosted by lunch. Obviously better with dry fillings (cheese, ham, chorizo, chicken etc). I always have some sausage rolls individually wrapped in freezer. Again get one out each morning and it will be defrosted by lunch. There is nothing worse than the feeling of being so tired you could fall asleep standing and then realising you still have four pack ups to prepare.

Internet food shopping helps me to save time and money (you might already be doing this)

Cleaning and washing really gets me down too. I put a wash load on each night and then hang out in the morning. This week I have tried to do ironing little and often as I seemed to be spending most of Sunday afternoon/evening doing it. Everyone with kids is in the same boat. I can't believe the amount of cleaning, washing and ironing we generate as a family of four.

Above all don't be too hard on yourself all we can do is try to do the best we can. Hope that helps. Good luck x

Pink.

These threads have lots of advice that should help:

Can you do OS and work full time too?

Money Saving Tips from Full-time Mums

I'll add this thread to the first link later to keep the advice in one place.

Pink

bluebag

Cleaning the house while the kids are still growing is like shoveling the path while it's still snowing, Pointless.

Ya aint Superwoman, take a good look around, you have a full time job, you play with your children, you do the washing and put healthy meals on the table.

This is a massive achievement....do you hear ME??? massive.
A house is a place to make memories, cobwebs included. That's all that really matters. The rest is fluff.

suki1964

How the heck are you spending that much time cleaning and still say the house is a tip?

I've a five bedroom , 3 bathrooms, three receptions and no way do I spend so many hours cleaning

Dirt I don't have

Untidiness means a house is lived in

I do the floors twice a week, and I've a dog and his muddy paws. Ceilings, door frames etc, - take mere minutes with a feather duster and damp duster

Same with sills, and light fittings

Hoovering, maybe weekly, if the floors look real bad or I'm expecting guests


Windows are done once a month , window cleaner, well worth the tenner

Washing , one load a day, ironing, one afternoon a week with a good film

Cooking, mornings, batch if possible, but no more then two hours cooking twice a week


Dishwasher

Most time is spent cleaning kitchen and bathrooms, perhaps 2 hours a week all told on them

And you aren't the only one living in the house, rope them in to help, no matter what age or how many hours they work out the house