Exhausted | Imamother

cooksallday

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 10:01 pm

What is it about this week in particular but in general. I'm so tired by the time I come home from work. I can barely get dinner on the table! I work as a manager and usually get home at 6, sometimes later. I'll sometimes have a second wind and be able to take control of the kitchen but usually not. Bh my husband helps and washes dishes sometimes but the kitchen is never spotless at the end of the night and there's usually dishes in the sink. I get so upset about having a messy kitchen and feel like a bad wife but my exhaustion overrides these feelings. How do all of you get it together? I don't even have kids yet lol.
I started the week on Sunday baking and food prepping so I was good Monday and Tuesday but after that it just spun out of control. How do you all regain energy after being exhausted from work? Is it possible???

imeinu

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 10:06 pm

cooksallday wrote:

Disposables and cleaning help.
And as far as having kids, food prep does get quicker over time.
I remember spending an hour making supper in shanah rishona - the same supper that now takes 5 minutes to put up!

SuperWify

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 11:07 pm

Me too.
Work is very tiring.
I make a dinner schedule on Sunday and I shop then.
Every morning I look at the schedule to see what I can do. For example it if shnitzel I take a (prepared) bag of cutlets from the freezer to defrost. I have a really easy recipe from the Binah- no frying or dipping- just dump everything ( cornflake crumbs , spices and cubed small chicken) into a 9x13 and drizzle with oil and honey in 350’ after ten minutes shake and drizzle more oil. I usually make with mashed potatoes.
Tonight was stew. I took out the meat in the morning and threw it into a crock pot with some potatoes. During my lunch break I came home and added water and spiced it. So tonight was a free night!
I do dairy once a week which is usually something from frozen pizza dough ( pizza, vegetable calzones, pull apart pizza etc) a soup if I have time or just a quick salad.
Another quick idea is to grill. Invest in a grill pan. I make burgers that I freeze and ill take out 2 for DH each grill night. I also take out a few hotdogs. I keep buns in the freezer. It’s his favorite supper. For me I make myself salmon with lots of grilled vegetables (yum!).

My dinners take me 10-20 minutes. Max. They are delicious filling and look gourmet.

The key is to find SHORTCUTS.

Do laundry once a week. Trust me.

Major cleaning one day a week. ( bathrooms, mop, vacuum etc)

You come home pretty late so don’t beat yourself up. You are doing the best you can!

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 11:38 pm

cooksallday wrote:

He should absolutely help. Don’t make it all your responsibility or he will get used to things being that way.

challahchallah

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 11:52 pm

I totally sympathize. I also work long hours and find myself exhausted after work.

For me, the key is to try to schedule some nights that I can just relax more--usually Monday and Wednesday. On Sunday I do the laundry and cook enough to last to Monday. Tuesday I try to cook enough to last for Wednesday. Monday nights I just chill, and Wednesday nights I stop at the store to stock up for Shabbat but then I try to take it easy once I get home.

And yes, as others have said, you need to figure out a fair split of chores with your husband. If you're both working then the house is both your jobs. I struggle to let go of my standards some and let him handle kitchen cleaning how he does it, but the truth is I just can't (and shouldn't) do everything.

debsey

Fri, Dec 01 2017, 9:30 am

Shortcuts like baking the orzo under the chicken so it's a one pot prep, cleaning help, disposable dishes, and convenience items like pre-cut veggies. It's the only way to manage. Don't beat up on yourself for not being able to do two full-time tasks in the same hours! That's just crazy.

ra_mom

Fri, Dec 01 2017, 1:25 pm

cooksallday wrote:

You're doing amazing!!!
See if there are ways to make things a bit easier for you like using disposables dishes and tablecloths, Clorox wipes for wiping things down, prepping raw dinner the night before and then utilizing the oven or crockpot in the morning to cook the dinner while you are out. There's nothing like walking through the door all exhausted and smelling that delicious cooked food all ready. If you need help with ideas please let us know.

amother

Maroon

Fri, Dec 01 2017, 1:47 pm

This time of year I love sheet pan meals-- roasting everything if possible. I line the pan with foil so cleanup is easy. We use paper plates more than I'd like, especially for dairy since our dishwasher is meat. I also try to plan ahead and have things in the freezer that are easy to make and don't require defrosting (frozen flounder, veggie burgers, etc.)

As far as the cleaning, I'm not great about it either. I try to get some of the big things (vacuuming, laundry done motzei shabbat or Sunday). And I also do bursts of cleaning (that works for motivation for me)- ex: during a commercial, wash some dishes, wipe the counters, and somehow most of it gets done without seeming as tiring. If I say I'll do five minutes of cleaning, usually I can get myself to do a little more.