How do you balance it all?!

Aubs0009

I just started back at work on Monday and my house is already in chaos. Dishes, laundry, toys, and pumping stuff all over the house. How do you make it all work? I need some ideas and or a plan of attack.

aglenn

Some ideas:

Housekeeper!  So worth it, even if you only have them do a few things to save on cost.

Pump parts:  use the dishwasher.  This may be obvious but it took me a while to realize that I really could toss everything in there.  I had an extra set of all parts so that one set could be in the dishwasher/drying rack and the other already packed for the next day before I went to bed.

Dishes:  I put DH in charge of this for a while when the kids were little because he had more two-handed time since I was nursing.  Now he loads the dishwasher at night and I unload in the morning.

Laundry:  I just do it all on the weekend.  I know some people hate that but I can't keep up with it during the week.

SLGILL1978

I clean and do laundry on the weekends. I may do some wash during the week but that's mostly my husband's military stuff.

Do as much as possible the night before. Get yours and little one's clothes ready, have the diaper bag packed, your lunch fixed etc.

For dinner(s), I use my crock pot a lot during the week and/or I cook some meals that are easy to freeze over the weekend. My lunch the next day is usually leftovers.

The only thing I make sure is clean before I go to bed is usually the kitchen. I just make sure there's no dishes in the sink.

mommaoftrips

Make a weekly meal plan, knowing what is for meals takes that 'I don't know what is for supper - 15 minutes of looking out of the picture. I use a crock pot a lot too like PP.

I load of laundry after dinner, switch to dryer before bath and fold in front of TV once the kids are down.

Pumping - have several sets of parts and use dishwasher.

I do a quick pick-up of everything each night too.

Having your house organized and knowing where things go, helps to keep it clean, as you are putting things away as you go.

Good luck, the first few weeks are the toughest but I promise you will find your groove.

laurakaz13

aglenn said:

Some ideas:

Housekeeper!  So worth it, even if you only have them do a few things to save on cost.

Pump parts:  use the dishwasher.  This may be obvious but it took me a while to realize that I really could toss everything in there.  I had an extra set of all parts so that one set could be in the dishwasher/drying rack and the other already packed for the next day before I went to bed.

Dishes:  I put DH in charge of this for a while when the kids were little because he had more two-handed time since I was nursing.  Now he loads the dishwasher at night and I unload in the morning.

Ditto this.  We do small loads of laundry every night so we never have hours of laundry to do.  It's worth it to us. 

Cleaning service comes and deep cleans every two weeks.  We are very clean and neat, so we only have to wipe up counters, etc. 

We don't cook big meals during the week.  We do easy meals.   Sandwiches, grilled chicken, steamed veggies, salads, pasta, quesadillas, soup, eggs, and take-out at least once per week.

Pack all bags the night before and have them at the door ready to go. 

Ditto running the dishwasher with pump parts, bottles, etc. every night. 

You'll find your rhythm! 

ccam

Lots of great suggestions above! You will find your groove, its hard at first. You can't do it all either. My house is definitely not as clean as it was before kids. But we are all happy, fed and have clean clothes on so I consider it a success

Aubs0009

Thanks for the ideas and tips. I do need to give myself a bit of a break I think. Thanks again!

traveltheworld

I find that I do better if I try to do one thing at a time. So I do laundry every Thursday night and then we do a "family folding party" every Friday evening - DS is 18 months and loves to help. I do sheets and towels every Sunday night. On Mondays we eat whatever I pre-cooked on Sunday so I use that extra time to thoroughly clean the stoves/counter-tops.

I wash, chop and prepare all the base ingredients for the week's meal on Sunday night, while having a glass of wine or two

When I used to pump, I bought extra pump parts and ran them through the dishwasher every few days.

DH does the dishes and takes care of the cats. He also does the general cleaning. Our house is not always very clean but we entertain a lot so DH is motivated to clean to a respectable level.

We only put out one giant box of toys for DS at a time and those stay in the living room/kitchen, and we make him put them away (with our help) every night before bed. He has no toys in his bedroom, only books.

skibunny59

Honestly, I've just come to accept the fact that this is my life for awhile.  I do the best I can but I can't do everything so what I can't do I just let it go.  Working full time with a little one is super hard.  Just do what you can and don't beat yourself up.  Don't forget to take care of yourself also and give yourself a break every once in awhile.

tbmadeamistake

I don't balance, the house suffers.  I do a deep clean every two weeks and obviously we keep up with the dishes and laundry (DH does laundry and is a big help with dishes). The rest of the house...meh.  C is finally old enough to understand cleaning up, so she's becoming a big help with her toys every night.  But things like vacuuming, eh.  I am getting better and we are de-cluttering a lot lately, so I'm hoping that helps.  It was actually easier initially when C was tiny because she'd sleep, or lie on the floor wherever we put her, and I could get things done.  Once she got mobile and was awake longer, oooh boy. 

A good exercise that I used was to write down everything you have to do tomorrow.  Literally everything (get baby up and dressed, make lunch, eat breakfast, etc).  Then immediately go through it and cross three things off the list.  It's a great way to relax a little bit and realize that not everything has to get done.  You will find a groove and it'll adjust as LO grows and things change.  You'll learn what you're comfortable letting go of and what you're not. 

dizzycooks

I hired a housekeeper who comes every other week.  It takes the pressure off of me so I don't feel like I need to dust and if the bathroom doesn't get cleaned every week, oh well, it'll get done when she comes.  It also gaurantees the floors get mopped because sometimes it just doesn't happen when it's up to me.  However, with the arrival of DD2, I will have to give her up (does that make ANY sense??) because it's that or find a new daycare.

I have found planning ahead, decluttering, making sure things have homes, and making lists helps a ton.  DH is perfectly capable of helping and doing chores, he just doesn't see them.  He does see a list though and he'll work on it until it's done which I appreciate.

thedash

For day to day help I really had to get DH on board. Especially while you are BF'ing and pumping you just don't have time to do everything. He actually came home one day and told me that his male boss with two kids said that washing bottles and pump parts was his job every night. Then DH just kind of started doing it. After a few days he asked what else he could do. Now he not only cooks 99% of our dinners he also does most of the cleanup, washes bottles and pump parts and makes the bottles for the next day. I focus on baths and outfits, diaper bag, and backpack for the next day. Most nights I do a 5 minute sweep through the house putting things away and moving clutter to where it belongs. By Friday things are getting rough around here but we have a house cleaner every Saturday which is how we get back on track. Some weekends we are busy both days but sometimes we just stay home to catch up on organizing and other house projects. It definitely takes time to find your groove but it will get easier!

djm31012

For me, outsourcing has made all the difference in the world. We have a cleaning lady every other week so besides wiping down counters in the kitchen and the bathroom every night or every other night and picking things up...I dont clean my house, she does. We send DS to daycare and I do EVERY single thing for him the night before (make his lunch, prep his bottles, lay out his clothes, pack his bag, etc).  The house is messy most nights and I am so type A and a neat freak, but since having DS a year ago, I have just let it go and really dont care. I spend 100% of my time with DS while hes awake. Once he goes to bed, I start my night.  I also do crockpot meals and when I cook, I make enough for leftovers so i dont need to cook every night. DH and I alternate laundry and food shopping over the weekend and sometimes we use delivery like Fresh Direct or PeaPod (not sure what grocery store you have but whole foods also has delivery). 

For me, having time with DS is my #1...everything else gets done eventually. Give yourself a few month to adjust into a routine.

Aubs0009

For those that have housekeepers or cleaning ladies. How much do you pay per visit?

dglvrk2

Aubs0009 said:

For those that have housekeepers or cleaning ladies. How much do you pay per visit?

$80-$100 depending on what I ask her to do.  She comes as needed; once every two to three weeks.  I have a very small house in the SF Bay area.  Prices will depend a bit on where you live and the size of your house.  

I didn't read many PP's, so I may sound redundant.....but I don't do it all.  Cleaning - much gets left to the cleaning lady.  I usually cook pretty simple meals during the week.  DH has specific responsibilities with DD (2 and 1/2), which helps a lot.  He always gets her dressed and gets her breakfast in the morning.  He also reads her stories and tucks her in at night. I'm sure there's more I could do at work these days too.

Big thing I've learned since having DD - if it doesn't have to be done and you don't feel like doing it, DON'T.  Hence - there's laundry in the dryer that hasn't been folded in three days, a shelf of kitchen gadgets that needs de-cluttering and a toilet that could use a scrubbing at my house :-)  It's all good!

scrappingcat

I've pretty much given up on having a clean house!  I would so much rather play with DS than dust. Bathroom and kitchen surfaces get wiped down weekly.  Vacuuming and laundry are done regularly due to having pets in the home.  Dusting...not so much!  DS does like to help with dusting so he gets a fair amount of it with a swiffer duster and earns a quarter for helping.

Now that he is older I am trying to get back into a regular routine with cleaning but it is still hard with juggling work and evening activities!

MammaBear81

I'm very mathematical/logical in the way I think- 24 hours in a day, 8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep, and the rest is divided up between kids and cleaning.  I throw clothes in the washer/dryer throughout the week but don't sort or put away until the weekend.  We have the motto "don't put it down put it away" which works wonders, it really prevents things from piling up.  The kids pick out their clothes for the next day at night so there is no "I have nothing to wear" or "I don't want to wear this" etc in the morning.  We meal plan and cook some of the meals on the weekend, and I straighten a "section" of the house each night.  There are times when I don't get to it, or don't finish, but if I have a schedule and a goal in mind, it helps me a lot.

you will figure out what works for you, good luck!

laurakaz13

Aubs0009 said:

For those that have housekeepers or cleaning ladies. How much do you pay per visit?

$120 every 2 weeks.  They deep clean one room per visit, do windows, blinds, wash all floors, change the sheets on our beds, and I can pay extra and they'll do things like clean the inside of the fridge, etc.  They are bonded and have a key to our house.  It's awesome!