Working Outside the Home: Tips? Advice?

[LeeAndra]

I just started working full-time this week and am already frazzled/frustrated by how little time I have with my kids in the evenings.

What tips/tricks/advice do you have to maximize the time that I do have with them while still getting them fed, bathed, and to bed on time?

[SeattleSheri]

I maximize the time I spend with my kids but postponing chores and other activities until after they've gone to bed or to the weekends. I also accept that things just aren't going to be as clean and tidy as they would be if I was home full time. It can definitely be overwhelming at time, especially when you want to fit time in for yourself

[LoriJ]

Honestly, evenings it is just a matter of getting through it all and spending a few minutes with each one at bedtime. By the time we get home in the evenings, it is homework, supper, showers, bedtime a lot of nights and that doesn't count when girl guides or whatever is going on. It is tough. I try to maximize the time on the weekends to do some fun activities, but during the week, I call it a good one if I don't forget one of them at school! LOL!

[KristinCB]

I just want to say kudos to you moms who work outside of the home. I honestly can't even begin to comprehend how hard it is. Yes, It's not easy for stay at home moms or moms who work at home but.. moms who work outside of the home have to do the things stay at home moms do too.. cleaning, chores all of it has to be fit into a much smaller time chunk. just kudos.

[carrie1977]

Originally Posted by SeattleSheri

I maximize the time I spend with my kids but postponing chores and other activities until after they've gone to bed or to the weekends. I also accept that things just aren't going to be as clean and tidy as they would be if I was home full time. It can definitely be overwhelming at time, especially when you want to fit time in for yourself

This...exactly this. We had to come to terms with the fact that weekends were made for cleaning and laundry. Between homework and dinner and showers and reading and such you just can't do it all on the weeknights.

[carrie1977]

Originally Posted by KristinCB

I just want to say kudos to you moms who work outside of the home. I honestly can't even begin to comprehend how hard it is. Yes, It's not easy for stay at home moms or moms who work at home but.. moms who work outside of the home have to do the things stay at home moms do too.. cleaning, chores all of it has to be fit into a much smaller time chunk. just kudos.

I honestly don't know how you SAHM & WAHM's do what you do. I'd go crazy. So kudos to you, too!!

[Tronesia]

When I was working, I handled household chores on the weekends (Friday evenings/Saturday morning) and my husband would do what he could on his days off during the week or at night. I didn't worry about everything looking perfect during the week cause I just knew that was not going to happen. As Aida got older, around 3 or years old she would start to ask if she had to go to day care every day. So, I would save up my time and make sure we had at least one free day off each month to do nothing but hang out together.

[jacinda]

Easy dinners - use the crockpot. Have all the kids help with a quick tidy before bed, but save the rest of the cleaning for the weekend. Have the whole family help with Saturday cleaning - don't try to do it all yourself.

[jak]

My main tips (that work for me) are:
- meal preparation: cook extra on less busy days so you only have to heat leftovers and cook a few veggies or make salad at dinner time. I also prepare the next day's breakfasts and school lunches while I'm preparing dinner (though that's mainly because I get up so early to go to work (4.30am) before anyone else is awake).
- have the kids help with jobs around the house. Mine take turn to help with the dishes (we don't have a dishwasher - shock, horror I know!!) and I figure while I'm standing there washing and they're next to me drying, we're kind of spending time together/chatting anyway.
- do the bare minimum housework on a weekly basis (vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, laundry, etc). The bigger jobs can wait until the dirt/mess becomes a little more obvious, then I'll tackle them if I have spare time on a weekend or in the holidays. I've long since stopped stressing that my house isn't spotless.

[misfitinmn]

I am lucky in that I work part-time and have several days off a week, but the days that I do work are very long days that start early and end late. On those days, I barely see my kids. I hardly touch the housework. I just try to survive. On the days I don't work, I try to catch up on housework - I'll be honest, my kids don't help with that much (yet), but it's a goal. I try to do some fun thing with them each weekend, even if it's just getting to a park in town.

My goal, at one point, was to pick one cleaning task to do each day so that it wouldn't all pile up but some things can't work on a schedule for our household - like laundry, dishes, vacuuming even (because we have 2 dogs and there is ALWAYS dog hair everywhere). So I just try to take a few minutes each night when the kids go to bed to tidy up and maybe take care of one chore - emptying dishwasher, wiping down counters, vacuuming, etc. And then the rest of the night I get to myself - because without my "me" time I'm no good to anyone!

I know none of that is really very helpful - honestly, I just keep myself afloat and call that good enough most of the time.