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August 2011 Moms
eatmorecupcakes
member
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For those of you that SAH.....
eatmorecupcakes
member
OMG, how the hell do you get anything done??!! I just started the new school year with my new part time contract and while I love it I feel like I should be doing more at home. Due to the nature of my job staying at home is much easier than working, but that's not to say that I am doing this SAH thing well 
Right now I work on lesson plans, grading, projects, etc while LO is napping but I need to figure out how to step it up around the house. Any tips? I guess the problem is that my days off aren't really "off," - I'm still doing work. I've tried getting up before LO but I swear that kid is on to me. Anytime I set an alarm for earlier than his usual wake up time he wakes up 10 - 15 minutes before the alarm goes off. Every. Single. Time.
I'm hoping we fall into a better routine soon. I'm sure my husband would agree....he's getting tired of cereal for dinner. 
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Re: For those of you that SAH.....
I really struggle with it. I never intended to SAH, but that's how things worked out for now. I try to approach it with the mindset that it is my job (meaning the cleaning part, not the fun mommy part). I set goals for myself each week, and have certain things that I try to do each day.
And as far as cooking, DH does that unless he works late. He is the better cook anyway.
I've been home for a year and I'm still struggling! Okay, tips that work for me:
1. I pick three chores to do around the house each day (not counting cooking/cleanup for meals). Any more than that, and I'm setting myself up for failure. I keep expectations low so I don't get disappointed, haha.
2. Figure out what household chores you can accomplish while DS is awake. For example, I can fold and put away laundry while DD is playing, empty the dishwasher while she eats, wipe down the bathroom while she is in the tub. That will lessen the pressure to cram everything in while he's sleeping.
3. Meal planning. I'm super haphazard about it, but putting in a tiny bit of thought at the beginning of the week truly does help. On Sundays, I take 10 mins try to think of five meals to make for the week, check for ingredients, make a list of anything we may need. This way, I only make one trip a week to the supermarket. If you are making a casserole, make two and freeze one for later. A little planning ahead also helps save on the grocery bill, too!
It is really hard, I worked part time during the summer and I almost pulled my hair out. I just had to accept that the house was going to be a little messier than I would like. The initial transition is tough to adjust to, but you will find a routine that works for your family.
I'm home most of the time, but I do some contract work that keeps me busy outside of the house about 12 hours a week or so (sometimes more)
I fully admit that I could be much better at cleaning the house during naps and cooking meals ahead of time, but I'm not. I try to make a to-do list everyday and cross off as many as I possibly can. I try to be realistic about it. I usually keep major cleaning for the weekend when DH can take DS out for a little while.
These are some great tips. I do similar things. In addition, if I HAVE to clean (say for a house showing) I put dd in the pnp. She tolerates it. I've also baby proofed well enough that dd can be left unattended for a few mins at a time while I change over laundry, clean a toilet, etc. I do loud chores (unloading dishwasher, vacuuming) as soon as I put dd down for a nap and before she falls asleep. Anything that requires any thought (writing an email, paying bills) has to be saved for nap time.
My house is definitely not the cleanest, dinners aren't as gourmet as they used to be and the most simple of projects take at least three days.
Feels like a juggling act, right? And it sounds like you're more of a WAHM than a SAHM mom. That's a lot tougher. You have to work and provide childcare simultaneously. Who has the time much less the energy for chores in that situation? Don't be so hard on yourself!
If you're going for superwoman status, you've already received a lot of good advice from PP's. I do a lot of the things they've suggested, but I thought I'd throw in my 3D system:
Drink coffee
Enough said.
Declutter
Pare down and purge. The less stuff you have, the less you have to maintain. I keep most of my surfaces bare because they're easier to wipe down. I do have some sentimental wedding gifts and childhood tchotchkes, but I keep them in a bookshelf with glass doors.
The same kind of idea applies to friends, hobbies, and clothes I've outgrown. I don't keep anyone or anything around that isn't going to work for me within the next year. Now I have more time and space for close friends, hobbies I enjoy that make sense right now, and clothes that fit well and don't make me feel like a fatass when I'm not.
Delegate
Basically I take all the help I can get! And just because you "stay home" does not mean you have to do everything. My house is the cleanest home I've ever been in, but DH still thinks it's a little too messy (he's a total OCD bleachaholic) so he absolutely helps out.
His chores (by choice): the floors and the bathrooms daily, the kitchen, trash, recycling, yard work, and grocery shopping weekly, and he helps with the dishes and cooking occasionally. He does everything related to our dog and our vehicles. And he gives Lilu her dinner and bath every night while I clean up and prepare the rest of her bedtime routine.
My chores: 1 load of dishes daily, 2 loads of laundry daily (one clothes, one cloth diapers), cooking, lunches, and meal planning, dusting, organizing, researching and buying everything for our household that isn't food (including gifts), doing our finances, bills and taxes, all holiday, travel and event planning, and maintaining our social calendar/scheduling.
I'm also the executor of my mother's estate so I have a lot of bill paying, paperwork, phone calls, and trips to the bank going on. Sometimes I hire a nanny or ask a friend to watch Lilu so I can get those things done or have some alone time with DH. It helps my sanity and keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.
I hope you strike a good balance soon! Keep us updated and let us know what's working for you.
Well, my house is typically a wreck. But, I'm going to respond anyway. I work part time. I teach Spinning and Pilates classes, usually teaching 1-4 classes 3-4 days a week. I also sell Stella and Dot, I am doing Trunk Shows a couple of times a month. We have 3 dogs and 1 geratric cat. Our house is for sale, so if we have a showing I put the baby on my hip and Liam kind of helps me clean. I give him little jobs like picking stuff up, etc.
- I do one to two loads of laundry daily. I put them in the morning, switch at nap and fold after they go to bed at night.
- I start dinner during afternoon nap and finish it at dinner time. I also freeze a ton of stuff. For example, I'm cooking something by first chopping and cooking celery, onion and carrot, I'll do extra then freeze it already cooked so I can use it next time I need that combination of veggies. Same goes for plain onion or celery. I also always make leftovers and will throw together a casserole and put it in the freezer so I have a quick meal that doesn't require cooking or much clean up.
- I clean the bathroom while the kids are in the tub.
- The kitchen gets cleaned at breakfast and again in the evening before I go to bed.
- I vacuum in the morning while they are sitting eating breakfast...if I can do that and put away dishes.
- I pull weeds while they are playing outside, which is really easier said than done. I can do it while Liam is out with me, but Jack requires 110% of my attention outside.
- I pay bills, deal with taxes, work on my Stella and Dot stuff, do any other cleaning, pick up, go to the bank, do all of the grocery store, post office, and run any errands when I can.
My DH's "jobs" are to take the trash out and cut the grass. Everything else is my responsibility. Including the animals, and pretty much anything kid related. He's in school and works more than full time.
I didn't get any school work done today because LO was in rare form and only took a 45 min nap, but now that I have a clean kitchen I'll feel better about sitting down to work once he goes to bed.
DH is never ever critical of the way the house looks, but it was nice to hear him say that it looked really good when he came home today. We'll find our rhythm eventually!!! ;
Well, I guess I'm technically not a SAHM anymore, but I will still put in my 0.02
There are certain chores I can turn into games with DD. Folding laundry, for instance. So those "fun" chores I do with her while she's awake.
DD really enjoys meal time, so I can often clean up the kitchen while she's still happily eating.
I agree with Tuna about getting started with chores as soon as the baby is down for her nap, too.