Can you do OS and work full time too?

doddsy

My one tip would be to get plenty of sleep. I work 37 hours a week and drive 36 miles a weekday. I find that if I have had a good night sleep then I can get up, start a batch of hm yogurt, make lunches, load wm etc, go to work and come home to an organized tea. HOWEVER! if had a few late nights the whole thing goes to pot (but we muddle through somehow). Please look after yourself and get those zeds:D

taplady

I think you have to accept that there's no way you'll be able to do everything a SAHM could do but with a bit of organisation you'll be suprised what can be achieved!

I work on average 37 hours a week.I find meal planning a must and with the menu pinned up at least everyone knows what we're having and can always make a start on tea if I'm at work. I do a quick blitz either morning or evening depending on my shifts then extra hours on my days off.
I wash daily and iron every couple of days so that it doesn't mount up. Nothings more offputting than a huge pile of washing and ironing.

As others have said your kids wont remember how clean the house is but they will remember time spent together and dont forget to fit in some time for yourself;) also if your kids are old enough delegate some chores to them!

I like to visit my friend's house which is always a tip! makes mine look clean:D :rolleyes:

Just do what you can and dont feel guilty! lifes to short;)

Prudent

It can be very tough going. I do os 'when I can'. Sometimes we buy a deli pizza. On wednesdays we always have tea at Morrisons when we do the shop. I can have enough in the food budget for this by shopping at this time of night because all 'fresh' products I buy are reduced from about 9 -30p. I get a small trolley full for about a fiver.

I try and do a bit of housework every night, but have given up pushing myself if I am really exhausted. I don't have OH, but get teenage dd to help a fair bit. I do this by giving her only the jobs she likes most. Fortunatly she loves dusting (?!). I have quite social weekends, but try to have one weekend in three that is fairly quiet and catch up on the jobs then. Jobs that can wait, like tidying out cupboards I do in the holidays. Time with friends and too relax is my priority.

SammyD_2

I am at a bit of an extreme cos I work a 50 plus hour week (not always that bad, but often is), and have a two hour commute each day. On the weekends I cook a larger than usual meal and freeze half. I don't do much cleaning unless someone is coming over - the toilet of course, the bathroom and the kitchen get cleaned, but apart from that I try to keep on top of the washing and ironing, which is unsuccessful. I try to get my three year old involved in the chores at the weekend which he loves, and my 11 month old is starting to enjoy the game too.

But as much as I try, I can't do everything, and on the weekends it is a choice between cleaning/mending/cooking or the kids, I choose the kids. Similarly, I just can't manage to take my lunch to work - I know theoretically making a sandwich only takes a minute, but I am so exhausted at night and the mornings I am on a really strict timetable to get everyone out the door that I can't do it.

When I was on maternity leave I had so much more time! I think do what you can, but don't beat yourself up over it

klare_2

Just had to add onto this thread to say "thank god! my life looks fairly normal"
I have two babies ( 2 and 3) plus two step children ( 7 and 10 ), I work 40 hours a week with a 1 hour journey at each end of the day - 2 year old isnt currently doing sleep at all, so neither am I ! I am always battling to sto our house become a health hazard . Makes it worse because partner is ex forces so starts to get a tad fidgety when it gets in a mess - but give him his dues he does as much too as well as working 45 hour week with the same commute as me. No wonder im always flippin ill!:eek:

apple_mint

Similar long work hours but youngsters are now adult.

We try and develop a 'semi-routine' of batch making meals over the weekends - eventually you create enough meals to provide variety. OH has adopted scratch cooking to the hilt and will go through the cookery books with me and has lately started making meals for the freezer himself. He finds it quite therapeutic ... it's appeals to the engineer in him - all that measuring and slicing!

We always make sure we wash up the dishes and clean down the kitchen after meals and this keeps the kitchen looking tidy.

So what if there is a little dust here and there. We have a mad cleaning session every once in a while (especially when we have visitors!) but we are happy in our lifestyle. As someone else said .. make sure you get plenty of sleep ... it makes it far easier to cope

gwinnie

Not my thread, I know but really found all the posts here useful. DH and I work for ourselves, mainly from home though we also do onsite contracts. DS is now 6mo and it's been tough me being on maternity leave and I've started working again around his sleeps. I come from a family of clean freaks, and even though for me too life, family and friends are more important than the odd stack streak of dust (:D ) on the telly, I still need to hear it from others to overcome the guilt!

Aril

Thanks everybody as usual for all the tips. I think I will be able to manage with OH's help. Fortunately he's very domesticated and has always pulled his weight. It'll just come as a bit as a shock to the system as haven't done full time for 10 years and that was without a child and a much smaller flat. Oh well one of life's little challenges I guess!!
Aril

Chipps

Well, it's finally happened! Youngest DS has finished home education and after 25 years as a SAHM, I am starting work full time.
I looked on the index thread but no luck in finding any advice there, so if anyone has any ideas I would be grateful.
I am so used to having plenty of time to do things (but no money!!!) but now it will be the other way round. On the other hand, I don't want to waste all my hard-earned wages on "convenience" and junk!
Any advice gratefully accepted!

newlywed

Hi, I'm full time worker and find many of the OS tips invaluable

I meal plan so at weekends we have things that take longer to cook, during the week we have meals that take no longer than 30 mins to cook.
Meal planning also helps with the food shopping list - I do most of the weekly food shop in my lunch hour and put stuff in the fridge at work.
I have just got a slow cooker so I chuck food in it in the morning, go to work and come home to casserole/curry etc ready made
At weekends I chop a bag of onions up and freeze in individual portions ready to save time in the week for each meal (obviously don't need to do this every weekend). I also peel, chop and parboil carrots, parsnips and potatoes ready to save time later in the week.
Haven't yet found the time to make my own bread and don't have a bread maker but I find most of the tips on here have helped me so much.

So yes you can still be OS and work full time - but how strictly you OS will be up to you (I still buy bisto and smash for emergencies ).