2017 Working Mum keeping on top of it!

stressedoutmumof1

Ooh - I'm very interested in this thread too!! I work full time, and am really struggling to keep on top of things whilst being MSE


Regarding the rice, I cook a big saucepan of it at the weekend, and then freeze it in either bags or plastic containers (Wilkos do them £1 for 6 ) I'll get out what I need in the morning to defrost, and then once I've cooked my meal ie curry or chilli, I put the rice in a colander and pour a kettle of boiling water over it and it's piping hot ready to eat

Islandmaid

I really feel for you all - I was a single Mum to 3 kids (now all adults) and worked shifts including Christmas Day, nights etc. I ended up employing an Au Pair which worked well for me, but is not easy.

My biggest piece of advice is to not be too hard on yourselves, you can't be the perfect Mum, Housewife, employee, look wonderful and provide homemade gourmet meals every night - make sure you get some time for you as well as to spend time with the kids. For me it was one day a week where I did no housework, we either had a 'ping' meal or takeaway and I did my nails etc and we either went out to the park/beach or whatever the kids wanted to do, or if yukky weather a DVD and a bucket of microwave popcorn.

I bulk made sandwiches for lunches, made slowcooker spaghetti Bol etc and froze in portions and they all pitched in with basic cleaning and bed making.

CAZBEAR

I would definitely second the advice about combining jobs...I do the ironing and/or make the packed lunches while doing the tea....i also make it a rule not to leave the ironing to mount up but do it as soon as I get it off the line!! Then it doesn't become a huge chore and it's easier to iron when still slightly damp (then it goes on airer to finish drying) AND I don't need a fancy(expensive)steam iron !!


We have the shopping delivered or click and collect usually so that saves a few hours a week and if you chop and change with different supermarkets you find they often send you coupons to try and win your custom back when you haven't used a particular one for a while!! Last year I think I had money-off my groceries shop nearly every week.. Loyalty definitely doesn't pay so make them work for your custom !!


DD's pocket money is dependent on her cleaning her own room and dusting at the weekend but that means if Nan and Grandad have been generous I have to do it myself !! There's no harm in giving them jobs to do..DD went on a school trip to an activity centre when she was 10 and was very proud that she was the only one who could change her own duvet cover!!


I agree about not being hard on yourself... it's your life too and you deserve some 'me-time'!! so don't feel guilty if stuff doesn't get done..I think if the kitchen and bathroom are clean the rest is just cosmetic not hygienic!! and I heard some-one say once "if a jobs worth doing it's worth doing badly" so it doesn't have to be a deep clean every time. My DH cooks midweek and I do a quick hoover/dust/bathroom clean while he does that to keep on top of everything(especially pet hair!) and then a proper clean at the weekend..


I like to keep a couple of emergency meals in the freezer like lasagne or casserole (batch made) for those days when it all goes wrong ..I did invest in some more large dishes for this which helped. But there's nothing wrong with a chippy tea once in a while either..me and DH will share a fish usually and have some bread and butter to keep costs down..we also have the instant curry sauce which saves a pound or two a time!
My general rule when cooking is to make enough for that day and a lunch/dinner for another which is money saving and saves on washing up and time !!
I've worked full time since DD was 4 months old and I'm still reasonably sane so there is hope !!
It gets easier in some ways as children get older (although harder in others!) so even if it all feels a bit overpowering now just try and keep going and it will get better !! Hope some of this helps !!

liuhutOz

I've been working full time for 18 months, after working part time for 12 years when the kids were little. I really need to get more organised as I started to struggle before Christmas.

I try to keep on top of the washing by putting a load on each morning and then hanging it out when I get home. DD15 loves cooking so I get her to help with prep but I could do with dragging the slow cooker out as not used it for a good few years!

I try to do any admin jobs on my lunch break at work.

this year I need to try to do the pots each night before I sit down, hopefully that will help make the house feel tidier!
And I want to get youngest DD more involved in the kitchen.

weesmiler

Oh this is the thread for me!

I have a very boisterous 18 month old boy. I work part time (2 or 3 days a week) and thankfully the two grans look after him, so I don't need to pay for nursery.

Even with quite a few free days, I find keeping on top of the housework g
hard! And I'm terrible at meal planning, so DH and I often end up with takeaways. I batch cook for lo, so he is always fine, but by the time he is in bed, we are often too shattered to think about cooking. I need to be more proactive with this and plan for those days.

At the moment, I try to get lo involved when I'm doing washing etc - he puts things in the machine and puts dirty things in the washing basket etc. He does tend to undo any work I've done though - like pulling all the clean clothes off the airer, so sometimes its double the work, but I think its important that he gets used to being involved in the daily routines!

Here's to a more organised 2017!! xx

determined_new_ms

I totally stole that saying "don't put it down, put it away" when I read it the other week and it definitely is helping - we are naturally very untidy!

in terms of electricity bill I think the things that are real energy drains are things that heat up - so microwave/toaster/kettle. Given that when we need to replace these items we will get the most energy efficient we can afford.

I tend to do some baking/cooking at the weekend - so usually do a batch of cakes/sweet treats and also a savory thing. Today I made scones and am intending on making a big batch of wraps either today or tomorrow. I usually make 22 and then freeze in 3 batches of 6 and have 4 to eat.

I was going to say I always freeze rice, then with meal plan you know what you need to get out in the morning. Always aim to make an extra portion of a meal for oh for lunch. And have recently been reading about basing a week's meals around a joint of meat on a Sunday, as well as cooking extra veg so it is just a simple matter to reheating Monday and Tuesday's. another thing I found we were reaching for a takeaway once a week so then started buying in something a bit more special and easy - often a nice pizza and freezing for the night the inevitable cbb attitude came

chopping certain veg (food processor ) and freezing straight away stops wastage, and the same with yogurts. Means in the morning I just need to grab one for lo's packed lunch

If you haven't got one (and are so inclined) think about getting a food processor makes all of the baking/cooking things I do such a simple job. Scones took me about 10 mins and then cooking time.

I also am a fan of doing a job while waiting for another - I get get quite a lot done while waiting for kettle or microwave!

Broomstick

If your children are old enough, it makes it very much easier and more motivating for everyone in the household to do the general house-wide cleaning and tidying at the same time. That way nobody feels resentful that they are the only one doing it and, as they get older, it's done quicker.

Try using a timer and see if everyone can do their putting away job within 15 minutes or whatever.

If you also have a cylinder vacuum cleaner with a stick and hose, you can reduce the stick size down to half. My children at 4 or 5 years old were able to do a very good job of vacuuming when it was made child size.

If you can trust them to steer clear of plug sockets, give the children damp cloths and get them to wipe all the marks off doors, cupboards and skirtings that they can reach. Most of them will have been due to them anyway so they will be able to reach them!

If they are of an age where you still supervise bathtime, do the toilet and basin and tidying while they are in the bath and when you empty the bath you can give that a quick swish too.

They can learn to put laundry in one place rather than leave it scattered and put away easy clean clothes like underwear. Playing games with matching socks and counting them in pairs is a cheats way of learning the 2x table without realising!

Bx

Siebrie

A very silly thing that has helped me: do not sit down when you come in from work. No catching up, no cuppa to relax, no feet up for five minutes. Just hang up your coat, change into homegear (if you do that), empty your handbag or lunchbag, and start dinner or whatever task is waiting for you.

emylou

This thread is just what I was looking for!

I have a husband who is not great at domestic jobs, am Mummy to a 2yr old, 16.5 weeks pregnant & I work as a teacher Weds-Fri. I am trying to meal plan rather than shop willy nilly. I use Tesco saver delivery and get at least 2 big shops delivered/month and then try to just do small "top up" shops in between- milk, bread, fruit etc but usually end up grabbing something for dinner or an ingredient I need. Hubby is very good at just going to buy what we need rather than looking around & spending a small fortune each time like I do!

Have already got some great tips from you lovely people- especially the "don't put it down, put it away!" and not sitting down when I get home lol!

Looking forward to learning more great ideas

babes21

Great thread, I would like to join in too please.

I'm currently 8 months pregnant, work full time and due to go on maternity leave in 6 weeks time. I've been feeling extremely tired throughout the duration of my pregnancy and the housework as slipped, therefore I need to get a firm grip back on that. My husband has tried but isn't the most domesticated, and can be extremely untidy.

We're having quite a lot of work done to the house in the next month or so, a big declutter will definitely be needed.

I also want to get back into doing my food shop online and meal planning. I spend far too much on too many little shops here and there which need to stop.