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Full time working mum. Time management tips needed

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  • GwylimT
    GwylimT Posts: 6,530 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    By can't cook, do you mean he has a disability that prevents him from cooking, or is it just laziness. I wouldn't care if he disliked what I cooked, he eats it or cooks himself.

    I also wouldn't cook a child a different meal, children are infact human beings, so why aren't you all eating the same meal.?
  • GwylimT
    GwylimT Posts: 6,530 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    For a long time I was a single parent of a toddler, working full time and attending university.

    It really doesn't take more than 15 minutes to prepare a meal, a jacket potato with beans takes less than 5 minutes, chuck some potatoes in the oven, and hour later microwave some beans. If he wakes up at 5 ignore him and give him breakfat at a time you think is reasonable, if his dad doesn't like crying then he can get out of bed and get him breakfast. If you prevent your son from playing alone how will he learn that skill?

    If you both continue to not discipline your son, not only will he become destressed when he realises he is nothing special, but you are likely to end up with a son who is unpleasant to be around and lacking friends.

    Loving your children means preparing them for life, a lack of discipline will prevent this.
  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,699 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    amalis wrote: »
    I wake up at 5am becausemy son wakes up at this ungodly hour. I feed him and then usually he watches a cartoon or he wants to play with me. Either way i have to be in same room because he need to ve watched and he would cry immediately if i leave. I also try to have a nap and manage sometimes. Make breakfast for oh and i. At 7 the childminder comes. My oh leaves home at 7am amd i have 45 min left to prepare myself to work.
    You are working long hours. Something you do have as an advantage is the CM collecting from your house, usually you have to drop off yourself en-route.
    There is possibly time to be gained there, from the 45 minutes you now have to get ready. It sounds pedantic but if you could detail what you do during this time, collectively we could probably come up with some time saving solutions.

    Also when you say make breakfast for both of you, are you meaning a slice of bread popped in the toaster or something more leisurely?

    I find the 2 biggest chore builders are what I dub 'the washing and the washing up' I find if I tackle these including the associated tasks, most other things can be done quickly. I would also increase your cleaner to weekly.


    To the posters who are commenting about 2 evening meals made, it wasn't the OP wol said this, it was a reply by someone else as to what works in their house.
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,378 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Tonight I'll hoover our bedroom properly as DH complaint that someone must've died under the bed judging by the amount of dust :rotfl:.
    You'll WHAT? I'd have told mine he knew where the vacuum cleaner was ... or throttled him with the cord ...
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • amalis
    amalis Posts: 532 Forumite
    Spendless wrote: »
    You are working long hours. Something you do have as an advantage is the CM collecting from your house, usually you have to drop off yourself en-route.
    There is possibly time to be gained there, from the 45 minutes you now have to get ready. It sounds pedantic but if you could detail what you do during this time, collectively we could probably come up with some time saving solutions.

    Also when you say make breakfast for both of you, are you meaning a slice of bread popped in the toaster or something more leisurely?

    I find the 2 biggest chore builders are what I dub 'the washing and the washing up' I find if I tackle these including the associated tasks, most other things can be done quickly. I would also increase your cleaner to weekly.


    To the posters who are commenting about 2 evening meals made, it wasn't the OP wol said this, it was a reply by someone else as to what works in their house.


    As a breakfast I mean just coffee and a toast with cheese.
    In morning about 15 minutes goes for make up. about 20- breakfast (but during this time I might change a pampers or change clothes for my son as well). and 10 for hair and dressing up.
  • Jox
    Jox Posts: 1,652 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic
    I do my make up at the bus stop or on the train, annoying for other people but it's the only time I have to myself :)

    Have you spoken to your hubby amalis about helping a bit more?
  • ska_lover
    ska_lover Posts: 3,773 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Personally, I think that having a leisurely, grown up dinner with your husband at a sensible time is worth a bit of effort !

    I understand that once in a while/date night/once a week, etc but every night is just not family life
    The opposite of what you know...is also true
  • ska_lover wrote: »
    I understand that once in a while/date night/once a week, etc but every night is just not family life
    Sorry to disagree but its a bit of a sweeping statement, some people absolutely do make time for family meals, every day.
    Some do, some dont, its what fits your own version of family.
    ,
    Fully paid up member of the ignore button club.
    If it walks like a Duck, quacks like a Duck, it's a Duck.
  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,699 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    amalis wrote: »
    As a breakfast I mean just coffee and a toast with cheese.
    In morning about 15 minutes goes for make up. about 20- breakfast (but during this time I might change a pampers or change clothes for my son as well). and 10 for hair and dressing up.
    Maybe it's just me but 25 minutes to put on clothes and do hair and make up sounds quite leisurely for someone who is time strapped. :cool:

    Also have you over estimated the time you have because you initially said you have 45 mins to get yourself ready from the time your son leaves the house, so you wouldn't be changing clothes or nappies within that time?

    I have a friend who worked in a cosmetic shop and had to wear 8 different make up items every day. She got herself down to a 5 minute routine. You could probably make some time savings there (ask on the beauty board)
  • Andypandyboy
    Andypandyboy Posts: 2,472 Forumite
    We always had "tea time" for the kids followed by dinner for us. By that I mean that one of us sat down with the kids as they ate, then the other did the bath and bed routine whilst the one who had sat with them cooked dinner. It worked well. The kids were too hungry to wait till the commuter got in from work and so were fed earlier.
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