SCMommyof2 asked:
I am 26 and have a 4yr old and 7 month old. I work from 8 – 5 and they go to daycare. I pick them up from daycare, go to the gym. When I get home I make dinner, clean the house, bathe them, get them ready for bed, put them to bed, then I get on the computer to do bills, etc. Now …im wondering your opinion on making things a little easier on myself as I have no time for anything else and I dont like being so stressed all the time and I want to spend more time with my children. What do you do to keep up with your crazy schedule yet spend enough time with the children?
I do have a husband but he works crazy hours from like 7am till 8 or 9 pm because he is the director of transportation at our job…so he helps when he can.
and to answer your question chief I am at work so I cant do the chores at this time…so thanks for your smart @ss answer.
Im not worried about me time…Im trying to spend more quality time with my children. I dont want them to be pushed to the side until everything is done…im thinking of hiring a maid or something
quiting my job is not an option…We live comfortably and want to stay that way for our children…and the kids love the gym because it has lots of fun things for them to do…so not stopping that either…
Megan
I am 26 and have a 4yr old and 7 month old. I work from 8 – 5 and they go to daycare. I pick them up from daycare, go to the gym. When I get home I make dinner, clean the house, bathe them, get them ready for bed, put them to bed, then I get on the computer to do bills, etc. Now …im wondering your opinion on making things a little easier on myself as I have no time for anything else and I dont like being so stressed all the time and I want to spend more time with my children. What do you do to keep up with your crazy schedule yet spend enough time with the children?
I do have a husband but he works crazy hours from like 7am till 8 or 9 pm because he is the director of transportation at our job…so he helps when he can.
and to answer your question chief I am at work so I cant do the chores at this time…so thanks for your smart @ss answer.
Im not worried about me time…Im trying to spend more quality time with my children. I dont want them to be pushed to the side until everything is done…im thinking of hiring a maid or something
quiting my job is not an option…We live comfortably and want to stay that way for our children…and the kids love the gym because it has lots of fun things for them to do…so not stopping that either…
Megan
Gracie
Honestly, you are doing a great job. I am in the same boat as you, I work a 50 hr a week job, have 3 kids, and go to school full time online, cook, clean and so on. My husband work anywhere from 8-16 hrs per day and does not have time to help me out. Your best bet it to give the kids a strict bed time, maybe an hour or longer before you go to bed. Try and make sure everything you need to do in the day is done before they go to bed, this way you will have atleast that hour to yourself each night. You need your own time. It is hard to find it but you need to.
Caden
I only have one child, age 16. He’s pretty much able to fend for himself while I’m at work, but I have to threaten his life to get him to help me around the house. I try not to stress too much about the house being neat and tidy all the time, which it is not. I would only suggest that maybe get your husband to help you more and try not to get stressed too much if something on your to do list doesn’t get done. I know it’s hard!!!
Mia
I don’t know what you do at the gym but maybe look into mommy and me classes. and have the four year old help you straighten the house and make dinner, may take a little longer but your spending time with her/him and getting what you need to get done. My toddlers have their own brooms and while one picks up toys the other sweeps while i handle the big trash, laundry etc. both my kids love to help cook breakfast and dinner. they are great stirrers and love to measure out the ingredients (teaches math in the process)
Hunter
lol. you have to learn to just let some things go. i am 22 with a 2 year old and an 8 month old. and i work 9-5. i do as much as i can either while they are sleeping or playing quietly/wathing tv. your 4 yr old may be able to help do little things like put clean silverware away, sort and fold socks. i know how hard it is, but don’t stress out about having an immaculate house. with 2 kids it’s not gunna happen lol =)
Miguel
why dont you cut down on your hours – say work part time??
you probably can live with out a lot of the stuff you think you need (and will lower day care bill) – eg. do you have a car you make payments on or one that was cheap and fully paid for – a vechicle is transport NOT status… get the cheaper fully paid for one and save your payments.
whats your cable bill like?? I had no cable and I survived (my husband died when my daugher was 5 yrs – you have to learn to cut corners)
simply put – whats more important – your kids or having new shoes?? kids raised in day cares have more problems in life and a higher divorce rate as adults (due to ‘bonding’ issues – they learn not to bond through day care)
going to the gym?? why not just take the kids to the park instead???
dont have more kids – I am sick of people complaining about how exhausting kids are – yet they have 3 or more – they should have thought about it after 1 kid.. more kids = more drain, financially, emotionally and physically.
Joshua
I have 3 kids. They don’t go to day care as I am staying at home at the moment with my little one. My kids are 11,4 and 13 month. I don’t go to gym as I don’t have time for it. If I would be working we would coordinate our schedule so someone is always with the kids me or my husband. My husband is the only one working but we are not always tight with the bills. He is in transportation too. I am not suggesting on quiting the job or gym or anything else. I am just saying what I do. But I am sometimes sick of it too. And would love to go to work. I guess the person always want ssomething he doesn’t have.
Wyatt
my dear, here’s my suggestions:
1.maybe you can prepare food in the morning which can still be good to eat for dinner? pasta maybe? that saves one chore
2. schedule your gym at least twice a week
3. bills can be paid online nowadays, so that saves time too..
Julia
truthfully, I have someone come to my house every other week to do the cleaning so I can spend more time with my son.
Blake
You SO need the Flylady aka Marla Cilley. Her site is free:. Check it out for inspiration – you are not alone!
Brandon
I had the same problem. I cut back going to the gym to 3-4 days a week, and on the days I don’t work out, I spend time with my daughter. I love my workouts, but 3-4 days a week is plenty. And just make sure you spend quality time with them on the weekends. And make quick, simple dinners that don’t require much prep time. Oh, and a crock pot has been wonderful! You put everything in the crock pot in the morning and when you get home, dinner is done! No time spent in the kitchen except to wash up.
Eric
I just realize that somethings don’t matter. If I have to pick between doing the laundry or feeding my baby I will feed my baby and save the laundry for another day. My house doesn’t have to be completely spotless. I have a child and when you have children it will never be clean again. Don’t stress yourself out too much on the trivial stuff. Take care of yours kids that is the most important thing.
Anthony
I have a 5 yr old and a 15 month old and I work full time and so does my husband. We work opposite shifts too so there really isn’t a time when one of us can watch the kids while the other is knee deep in laundry. We just try our best to keep up on the house work. I unload and reload the dishwasher before work in the morning and dinner is something quick or a crockpot meal. The house is a little messy but overall it is clean. I spray down the shower while I’m in it in the morning once a week and then my husband will rinse the cleaning stuff of before his shower later on. I clean up the bathroom while my son is taking his bath. I pick up the living room while the kids are playing in the other room and quickly vacuum before they come back in and make a new mess. We always have a lot of dirty clothes to be washed and a lot of clean ones to be put away. We do our best to keep up but put most of our energy on spending time with the kids and each other when we get the chance. The chores will always be there but we will never get these years back with our kids again.
Kyle
I am a mom of 4 and very thankful that I don’t have to work. You sound like you are doing a great job already, but here are my suggestions:
1. utilize the crockpot as much as possible. That way dinner is practically cooked for you. Throw out a salad for a side and some bread and you are set!
2. Set up your bills on auto payments, so you don’t have to sit down and pay them.
3. Instead of going to the gym why not do something fun and physical with the kids. Go for a bike ride, or a walk or something together. My kids like to try to do aerobic videos with me too. That is fun family time. I pull the kids around the neighborhood in a wagon and they love it.
You didn’t mention your husband. Is there one in the picture? If not, why not consider a room mate or someone and make part of their responsibility keeping the house clean? Give them a break on rent if they do the chores.
Good luck and I hope my suggestions helped.