Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

I just recently went back to work and I have to admit, it's very tough in terms of getting chores done. I have 2 kids so they occupy a lot of my time and leaving the weekends to do stuff just doesn't cut it. And forget about doing stuff at night when they go to sleep..I am just soo exhausted..I wind up going to sleep right after they do.

On Sat I decided to make a big pot of sauce and pot of chicken soup so I froze a lot so it would be easier during the weeknight. I am just trying to see what else I can do to make things easier for me.

How do you ladies do it?

Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

First, I promise it gets easier. You'll find your groove after a while.

I only have one DC, but she is at my feet nonstop and most of the time it's just me and her. I rarely cook during the week. Especially in the beginning after I returned to work I would cook on the weekends for the week. I also do a load of laundry just about every night so it doesn't pile up. I clean the bathroom while DD takes a bath. And really, DH pitches in with a lot of the cleaning because he is home for a few hours by himself and can get it done, where as I can't with DD at my feet.

I am so exhausted at night and find that once I sit, I'm done. So after DD goes to bed, which is luckily early, I just push myself to get everything done so after I can sit and go to sleep if I want.

Re: Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

Once you get into a routine, it WILL get easier.

* You're already doing bulk cooking - keep at it. I do a lot of cooking on the weekends and freezing. I also use my crockpot a lot. We keep meals in the freezer all the time so we can just heat and eat. I make a list and plan out what we're going to eat for the week and only really aim for 3 home-cooked meals with enough for leftovers.

* I clean the bathroom when DD takes a bath. I wipe everything down while she's playing. This saves a lot of bathroom cleaning time.

* I do laundry throughout the week. I actually put a load in before I leave in the mornings most of the time and stick it in the dryer when I come home.

* I pack up everything we need for the morning at night. I also take out clothes for the next day the night before.

* I clean as I go. I found that relegating cleaning to one day a week took up a lot of time and ended up in a bigger cleaning project, so I pick up as I go. We sweep at the end of the night and mop the floors on the weekends unless there was something gross during the week. Lysol wipes are my friend because it makes it all so convenient.

* DD's toys that have parts or a little go into ziploc bags. So, she takes a bag and opens it if she wants to play with the Thomas trains and then puts it back in the bag when she's done. This minimizes clutter and dealing with little toys all over the place.

* DH will help out with cleaning because, frankly, he's better at it than me.

Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

Thanks for the great ideas, ladies!!!

Re: Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

Husband cooks. We do lots of healthy, easy meals. Grilled chicken lasts for a few days.

We keep things neat. We don't necessarily clean all the time.

Weekends are sacred. We don't mess with those. I will do some cleaning after kids are sleeping, but really it takes two.

We make cleaning a game for DS.

My parents, who watch DC will keep things neat too.

As for other stuff,.. I just put away my maternity clothes and I'm 9 months out.

Message edited 9/25/2012 9:39:07 AM.

Re: Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

I do all my cooking on Sunday. Like a previous post said, do as much as possible before you sit down. Once you sit, it's all over. Can you get up 15 minutes early to do some spot cleaning. Get DH to help, honestly most people can't do it all.

Re: Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

can you guys share what you make and how you freeze it? This is probably a silly question... but I would love to cook for a few nights on Sunday but have no idea what freezes well, what to store it in etc. etc.
TIA

Re: Question for working moms re: making things easier on you

Most these freeze well. Look up once a month cooking blog. Great ideas. I cook chicken parm, curry chicken, fish (freeze the fillets in marinate), chicken or beef for tacos, pasta (all pastas work), cutlets, pierogies, steam dumplings, spring rolls, quick breads, muffins, rice (make a big batch then portion out into serving size in zip lock - this is a lifesaver). I also have chopped onion and sliced peppers that I freeze to add to a stir fry.

Re: Question for working moms re: making things easier on you