I feel like I'm in a washing machine!

amother

Indigo

Fri, Aug 05 2016, 4:04 pm

My life is just so fast paced. Always rushing and never getting anywhere! Always tired and misorganized.. It shouldn't be that way. I have just one baby and work from 11 till 5. My morning are always rushed like crazy with taking care of the baby and pumping and makings supper and I don't know but I just can't make it to work by 11! I don't know what's wrong with me. I wake up soo tired and have no energy all day.. My house flies.. Any tips on how to be calm relaxed punctual and neat and organized?? I just don't feel human any more

piegirl

Fri, Aug 05 2016, 4:23 pm

I find that no matter what time you have to leave mornings are always hectic. What can you do in advance to make your mornings easier?
Can you prepare supper in advance? Like freezer meals that you can dump in the crockpot and forget about? Make a big pot of rice or pasta on Sunday that can last the whole week?
Can u pump before your baby wakes up, or pump one side while he nurses on the other?
Can you simplify your wardrobe or your babies so that it's easy to pick out clothes? Or prepare it all when you do laundry and put outfits in hangers so you can just take out a whole outfit at a time?
It really is hard to get everyone out the door in the morning- I would try to make myself leave 10 minutes early. It doesn't help you be at work early, but those 10 minutes are your leeway for forgetting a bottle and having to run back in, or traffic, or wanting that one extra smushy hug before you say goodbye.
All this takes energy though Sad

amother

Mistyrose

Fri, Aug 05 2016, 6:59 pm

Have you ruled out physical reasons for being tired? Blood work, vitamin levels, etc?

How old is your baby? Perhaps your sanity is worth more than nursing if the baby is past the vital stage.

And the obvious one... are you sleeping decently? If not, what's keeping you up? Even a baby nursing at night should not cause complete exhaustion and confusion, unless you are getting into bed late or having trouble falling asleep.

BTW, it used to take me 2 hours to get ready to leave the house with a newborn, up to about 6 months.

Cut yourself some slack if baby is younger than that.

amother

Lemon

Fri, Aug 05 2016, 7:41 pm

Ok, first calm down.
2. You need to do less in the am.
3. The only things you need to worry in the am is the bottles.

This means everything else will have to be done after dinner from 8-11.
Have everything ready for the next day before you go to sleep

This means prep dinner the night before or prep on Sunday's for the rest of the week.

Also prepare the baby's bag the night before, and lay out your clothes including stockings and shoes.

Tidy up the night before you should wake up to a clean kitchen and living room. Not be greeted to a sink full of dishes.

Lunches and anything else you or DH needs to take the next day needs to be done the night before.

Make easier meals, no more gourmet cooking, frozen meatballs (store bought, or homemade in big batches and frozen) cooked in jar marinara sauce, takes less than 1 min., that gives you 15 min to make pasta and salad, whatever pasta cooks the fastest.

You are going to need cleaning help 1 day a week. I prefer Mondays.
You can do your big cooking prep on Sundays, and have the help clean it all on Monday, but whatever works best for you.

Your DH is going to have to give you a hand. If he can't then he needs to get you more cleaning help.

Freezer crockpot meals, take out, cleaning help.
Make yourself a weekly menu, Monday's we eat pasta and meatballs, Tuesday chicken and rice, Wednesday quinoa and fish, Thursday falafel and scrambled eggs. Just an example.

One last thing, from 5-8, your off household duties. This is your time to enjoy your baby and DH. Everything will have to get done between 8-11, which, with DH help it can.

If your really tired I would get your thyroid checked, I heard people that are running around usually have low thyroid, don't know if this is true.

willymom

Sun, Aug 07 2016, 12:29 am

amother wrote:

the thyroid part! Check that out..always felt sluggish and found out my thyroid slow...also felt like im on a roller coaster and not managing...also our phones waste alot of time..I should be cleaning now... Confused

It takes so much self control but try to limit it till u finish ur chores..I should really practice what I preach lol

HonesttoGod

Mon, Aug 08 2016, 11:52 am

You need a schedule and structure.

Freezer meals are your best friend.
Make sure you are eating and drinking well throughout the day.
Get to bed early (by 9:30/10 latest).

Dont wake up late. Just because you start work late doesn't mean you can sleep late.
I like to give myself at least 1.5-2 hours of up and awake time before I have to leave.
Meaning if I have to be in work at 930 I need to leave at 8:50. Which means I have to be out of bed by 7/720 latest.

You are much calmer this way.
Make a detailed time schedule how you feel the mornings should work. The first few days use an alarm clock to remind you when to move on (to be done getting dressed by, to dress the baby etc). This can help your mornings.

Prepare all bottles, snacks, foods, lunches, diaper bags and supper for the next night, the night before.
If you get home at 5:30 there is plenty time to stick the supper in the oven and rest a little. Once you are done with supper, clean up, wipe down, do the next day preps and head to bed.

I am guessing your dh comes home around the same time as you, make sure he helps you too.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Aug 08 2016, 1:46 pm

Thanks so much everyone! My day is so far great here's what I did
Told hub he should pls take care of baby from 8-830 so that I can clean up the kitchen without getting distracted. Then he goes to learn at 830 and I can bathe the baby feed, iron and chat on the phone or even sit down a few min. I can start prep supper for next day.. By 10 I must head t shower. 11 must be in bed. Have baby's bag prepared a night before. Wake up at 8. Prepare supper until 10. At 10 am stop and drop whatever is done will b for dinner and if didn't get to it will hafta buy. By 1030 leave the house

amother

Orange

Tue, Aug 09 2016, 11:39 am

im married for almost a year, and finally figuring things out, and thats just with the 2 of us!
for everyone saying to clean up dishes at night, how do u do it?! (I know everyone does it.. id love tips!) I defrost chicken in the morning, get home from work at 5 spend an hr/ hr and a half making dinner.. using 2/3 pots on a reg day.. im finally finished and exhausted, and then I eat and were done 10 min later, and I have dishes and pots and bowls sky high, and im exhausted and I want to spend time with my husband, and im not gonna start washing dishes.. so I soak the pots overnights, and do it in the morn. but I know thats not realistic long term.
how do u do it?

amother

Pink

Tue, Aug 09 2016, 9:44 pm

amother wrote:

Why are you cooking a new hot meal every night for two people? Cook enough for three or four meals, serve one and freeze the rest. Do this every night for a week and you'll have frozen meals for a month. I barely cook at all, except for Shabbos and YT, especially not in summer. Once every few weeks I make a big pot of some sort of soup and serve it every night for as long as it lasts, but you could make several different types of soup and freeze them in small portions so you can alternate. Sometimes I melt shredded cheese on top of the soup, sometimes I plop in a dollop of plain or vanilla yogurt for color contrast and added nutrition. For protein I serve simple things requiring little or no cooking like tuna salad, salmon salad, hummus, cheeses, omelettes, occasionally poached or microwaved fish. We don't turn up our noses at plain cottage cheese on the plate though sometimes I jazz it up with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon. For starch I go with microwaved potatoes, some form of pasta, microwaved or steamed corn on the cob, tortilla wraps filled with things like garden veggies, salsa from a jar, tahini, canned fish, shredded cheese, maybe hummus. Plus I serve lots of veggies. If I don't have them already cut up, I have no problem cutting a pepper, tomato and cucumber in quarters and plopping those big pieces on a plate. We're both capable of cutting our own veggies into smaller pieces. I'm ravenous when I get home from work and there's no way I'm spending an hour and a half getting dinner on the table.

BTW--why aren't you asking your dh to do the dishes? you both ate; if you cooked, it's only fair that he clean up.

also, learn to use fewer utensils. After you use a utensil, don't set it aside and take a new one for the next step. rinse it out and reuse it. You're allowed to use your cooking pot as a mixing bowl, mash soft foods with a spoon, "mince" garlic with a grater...you get the idea.

HonesttoGod

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 10:43 am

amother wrote:

Give yourself a "resting period".
Basically eat, relax, chat, watch a tv show etc and then make a time that you will get up and do it. For example you eat at 6:30, at 7:30 get up a wash up. You each take a sink or one does the dishes the other does the table, floor, counters etc. Chat while you do it. Shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes then you have the rest of the evening to do whatever you want. Or prepare supper for the next night.