Working mum organisation tips

Ashworks

I have a small whiteboard in the kitchen and if things run out then the person who realises needs to write it on the list (my family seemed to think I psychically knew). We also keep a list on it of jobs to do. I never iron anything unless it's linen clothes or something I can't avoid (DH is not to be trusted with an iron). The kids have to do their own bedroom, the dishwasher, their own bedsheets and take their own stuff upstairs, they also help with hoovering and washing up if needed. 

I completely agree about not trying to do housework on calls, I would find that really stressful. Since I've been working at home we both do housework in our time off or weekends, or quick jobs in breaks. It depends what works for you, but keeping separation is much better for me. I also turn my laptop and work phone off outside my working hours and block non-working time  out in my Outlook diary.

tooldle

I also keep a strict separation between work time and other requirements, whilst working from home. I do a few things whilst having my lunch break, if i am able. 
Everybody takes a turn with the cooking, and we have at least one easy meal each week i.e. something on toast, leftovers from the freezer etc. My daughter had to cook a meal to get the cooking badge in Brownies. I can’t remember what age Brownies are, but it does show that kids and kitchens do mix, with a bit of support. 
By using a slow cooker, doubling or tripling a normal portion is effortless. Throw those extras in the freezer for days when a bit of convenience is needed. 
I try to take a little and often approach to housework. I’ve definitely found that the less ‘stuff’ there is, the easier it is to keep on top of the cleaning, washing etc. 

I have a sticky blackboard on the fridge door, used for meal ideas / suggestions, noting items needing to be replaced etc, and jobs that need attending to.

Savvy_Sue

Ashworks said:

I have a small whiteboard in the kitchen and if things run out then the person who realises needs to write it on the list (my family seemed to think I psychically knew). 

My alternative to this was to print multiple copies of the 'standard shopping list'. When the boys were home it took up an A4 sheet. Excel spreadsheet, grouped in the order in which I went round the supermarket, so all fruit and veg first, then bread and cereals, then cleaning stuff and so on, leaving fridge and freezer stuff to the end:

• narrow column which showed 'minimum stock level' - I filled that in, so eg we needed 15 bananas
• Wider column with the item: 
• narrow column in which to write difference between 'minimum stock level' and 'what we actually have' - so if we only had 2 bananas, you'd write 13
• narrow column left blank for me to tick off
• another narrow blank column
• repeat the first four columns

If you took the last banana, or you realised we needed anything not on the list, it was YOUR responsibility to write it down. Like you, my psychic powers were limited. 

So on shopping day, it took me a minimum amount of time to check off the list, and as the boys grew up I could even say "can you prep the shopping list for me please!"

If we were in a hurry, DH and I would tear the list down the middle and he'd take one half and I'd do the other. 

SootySweep1

Hi
We tend to have a roast dinner on a Sunday so I'll often cook a curry / casserole in the oven at the same time so I know I've got one meal sorted for the week and a pan of soup for lunches. 
My freezer always has things that can be bunged in the oven for an easy tea eg chicken pieces can be roasted with little new potatoes & steam some veg.
I also employ a cleaner to help keep on top of the house.
Jen

Spendless

If you have an Amazon Echo you can tell them what you want on a shopping list. You can then print this out before going shopping. . If you duplicate something it'll tell you  Be careful if you have a teenager though, we found a chanel handbag had been added to our list.   

Bluegreen143

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Re DH - luckily he’s very hands on and already does tons of housework (does that make me sounds like a v lazy SAHM?!). He’s not naturally the tidiest but already does cooking some nights, the kitchen half the time (the other half he will be bathing the kids etc - we alternate), hoovering, cat tray/cleaning out chickens, most of the gardening, all the DIY/car related stuff, pitches in with the laundry etc. I don’t iron - if he wants something ironed he does it.

Re kids - I’m a very firm believer in kids learning to pitch in. They are only just 5 and only just 2 so not yet at cooking independently or anything really useful 😆 but they both put away their own coats & shoes, dirty washing in the basket at night, tidy up their toys before dinner (well mainly the 5yo, but the 2yo helps a bit). The 5yo has to keep his own room tidy, make his bed and help clear the table after meals. They are both still of the age that they love helping with cleaning tasks but you need to do it with them really and with the 2yo it’s usually less than helpful, however still worth doing. The 5yo can usually be prevailed upon to feed the chickens and collect the eggs too.

I’m trialling a new meal planning system this week which I’m hoping makes things quicker and easier. I printed off a spreadsheet of around 30 meals we like and another list of the most common groceries we get weekly & need for the meals (not including rarely bought items like spices). So I just went through with a highlighter, highlighted 6 meals (we always have soup night on Mondays) and then quickly highlighted the stuff we needed on the shopping list (writing the few extra random things we needed below). My plan is to print a new sheet out each week as running down the list with a highlighter was SO much faster then my usual process of grabbing a handful of cookbooks, spending an hour hunting for recipes, then trying to think of all the stuff from the shopping list from scratch.

Done a big declutter this week and my husband and son have been commenting on how tidy the place is! The thing that makes the biggest difference I find with decluttering is doing the clothes and the toys. I was quite ruthless with the toys (not all have been permanently evicted, some went to a rotation box in a cupboard) and as always the kids are playing better and making less mess too. 

Retireinten

Sounds like your husband is fully on board which I think is half the battle tbh.  I've always worked, usually 4 or 5 days a work since having children (oldest is nearly 16) and even now hubby doesn't contribute to household chores consistently... and I just don't know how to change it!

He works probably an hour a day longer than me but I have the more high pressured role and my energy levels are affected by this. Most things fall to me...food shop, cooking, the bulk of the cleaning and running the kids around, the last bit very stressful when I have work deadlines. He does wash up but again not consistent and there lies the main issue for me!  The household chores are perceived as entirely my responsibility I think, he's simply  'helping' me out when he decides to chip in. If he chooses not to do the dishes (he's hasn't done any since Saturday this week, for instance) it is naturally then my job to do it!  If I can't be bothered to cook one night it's a takeaway, he doesn't think to cook himself. 

He does have other redeeming qualities, thankfully but he gets an easy ride as far as I'm concerned. 


So in summary I can't offer any advice other than to do things completely differently to me

Bluegreen143

Oh that’s not so good @Retireinten!

We’ve always been good at sitting down and making a plan for housework responsibilities every time circumstances change. We do have quite clear cut “rules” which may sound a bit too structured for some but works for us. Eg Red KNOWS it’s his job to do the kitchen when I put the kids to bed and likewise I know it’s my job to do it when he’s putting the kids to bed. I mean we will both pitch in occasionally with extra help if we know the other has had a long day but in general we stick to whose “turn” it is to do something and it’s very clear cut when it’s my responsibility and when it’s his.

pinkshoes

Bluegreen143 said:

Thanks both of you - hadn’t thought of doing housework while on calls, and that thread is brilliant!

I always talk to myself whilst sorting clothes so that would make an interesting call for me "daddy pants, socks, mummy bra" etc...  

I have a "to do" book which I use to constantly write down ideas or things I need to do, with little tick boxes. I review it in the evening before I go to bed so I know what I need to do the next day. 

Cooking meals with the kids is quite fun, so can be a bonding activity at the weekend e.g make a batch of bolognaise or something, or make pizzas (then freeze a batch).

I also make my 5 year olds sort the laundry out. 

I run round with a vacuum every day whilst DH takes the 3 kids upstairs to get ready for bed. 10 minutes of cleaning 7 days a week means the house stays quite clean and I don't get bored doing it.

My biggest issue is finding lesson planning time, as the kids are home schooled on my non teaching days, which means I have now only have evenings once all the kids are in bed to do any marking and planning!

Siebrie

Cook double and freeze half, in small portions. We freeze in 2-people portions as they are faster to defrost and heat, easier to handle, and comes in handy in a pinch, for instance when the children or partner eat elsewhere.

Tidy up the living room before bed every night: cushions plumped, blankets folded, magazines and toys where they belong. Preferably exactly where they belong, but for me, the general area works, too. I then put everything in its proper spot once a week.