How do you all do it?

acccdac

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 10:33 am

Btw....I read a suggestion somewhere to use the concept of a money budget to help your time. For one week keep a running record of your time. You can do it in a little notebook or on the computer (excel) try and account for every moment (3:05-3:15 chech and respond to emails, talke a look at imanother). After a week see where your time is being lost.

amother

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 5:45 pm

OP here... Thanks for all the replies Smile

You all have some great suggestions. I know I need to be more organized with my time, but I dont seem to be able to. Like, have a certain day where I go grocery shopping, a day to do this or that, you know, be very organized. What would happen is I would buy stuff and then need something else the next day, needing to go again. I do laundry when the baskets fill up, when there is a loads worth, and the folding gets done when I have the time, usually at night. The only problem with a schedule is that after school hours are very hard to manage. I cant coordinate all the different ages so that everything gets done. I cant give them baths, dinner and do homework with them all by myself. It becomes a balagan. We cant ALL go upstairs for baths at the same time because the older ones get in the way of putting the younger ones to sleep. I need help to make a schedule.

amother

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 5:47 pm

One more thing, do you have a set menu for the week so that your shopping list is easier to compile and you know exactly what you're making on any given day? I thought about doing this to make it easier for me to know whats going on. Only thing is, some of the kids wont eat anything I make....thats a whole other story....

black sheep

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 5:56 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

chocolate chips wrote:

Saw50 I just want to say you are my role model! Seriously I don't know how you do it, I wish I could be so scheduled and busy plus working full time!

That just shows you that you can fool all of the people some of the time

You are impressed because you haven't seen the 4" thick blanket of dust under the beds or the horrific mess in the basement LOL. I am a work in progress and by no means neat and organized. I really do the bare minimum to keep my life in order and my kids happy, fed and clean.

saw, I also used to work full time with three little kids, and I was up at 5 to nurse and start my day, left to work at 7:30, and came home at 5. it was NOT easy. but like you, my limited time at home was focused on keeping the kids fed, clean and happy. it was not worth wasting time tidying up all the time. dishes have to be washed, certain messes cannot be ignored. but I never dusted or reorganized a closet while I worked full time. my time at home was too precious to waste on these things..

amother

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 6:23 pm

My husband gets up at 4:00 each morning and does the laundry and cleans the house. Kids are responsible for having their beds made and their rooms in order. I have cleaning help twice a week. I also have a handiman most Sundays to work and maintain home.

I make lists of what needs to be done for parnosa. I exercise in the a.m. after kids go to school. I get up around 6:30 to cook breakfast. My son wakes me after his shower. I straighten the house if no help that day. Then I do my list.

I generally wish my husband good morning through text because he left for shul.

I pay full attention to the kids when they get home from school. I have my supper cooked by the time they get home. I also hate the last minute demands of school.

I also visit my mom everyday. She has dementia and is not well.

The answer is we do it all - not me.

imamiri

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 7:30 pm

I DON'T do it all.

My marriage is 2 people, therefore we BOTH are responsible to housework and child care. I do not espouse that 50s notion that a woman does all the housework and then man sits there with his feet up. It's your home too, it's your child too. Help or get out.

chocolate chips

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 9:05 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

chocolate chips wrote:

Saw50 I just want to say you are my role model! Seriously I don't know how you do it, I wish I could be so scheduled and busy plus working full time!

You are right I haven't seen that but guess what? I also have 4" of dust underneath my beds and my ds room has not been cleaned in 2 weeks and my guest room cannot see the bed! and I don't work half as much as you.
I am impressed with how organised you are in your day to day life. Sure there are always things that get left behind but those things are not vital to day to day living Smile

Just complimenting you lol

saw50st8

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 9:14 pm

amother wrote:

I don't have a set menu, but I do generally get the same ingredients. I also do large orderes of protein (meat, chicken, fish) so I buy those once a month or so. Then we do fresh produce every 1-2 weeks. We eat whatever is in the house.

saw50st8

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 9:17 pm

imamiri wrote:

Yes. I couldn't survive without my husband. He takes care of all three kids in the morning (since I leave at 6), gets the dressed, ready and packed and out to daycare.

At night, while I am working, he is too. Not neccesarily at the same time (he may take a break at different times, but he does his fair share).

saw50st8

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 9:18 pm

chocolate chips wrote:

saw50st8 wrote:

chocolate chips wrote:

Saw50 I just want to say you are my role model! Seriously I don't know how you do it, I wish I could be so scheduled and busy plus working full time!

Just complimenting you lol

Thanks but I feel like a fraud! Tonight I am being lazy and I haven't done anything but unload/load the dishwasher.

chocolate chips

Tue, Jun 26 2012, 9:25 pm

same. lol.

ps: my dh helps tons too! I feel bad sometimes making him do stuff after a full day at physical work but hey...he lives here too and its his kid/house as well as mine Smile