Re: How does everyone keep up!

DH and I say this alllllll the time! We dont even have kids yet and we cant even keep up. I am the queen of multitasking too!

Re: How does everyone keep up!

i go to grad school full times on the weekends in addition to working full time, but i have pretty much given up cooking elaborate meals. i'll make a huge turkey or chicken cutlets for sunday so we have tons of leftovers for the week...we'll make burgers or stuff like that...and i only clean on the weekends. it's rough though.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Prioritize. That's how.
Obviously I have to go to work, so that's not optional.
Once all of the baby's needs are met, I just go down the line...
Dinner? I cook if I have the time, eat something leftover or a frozen meal if I don't feel like it.
Cleaning? Hahaha, come on, who cares if my place is clean? Ava's just going to mess it up again.

No, but seriously. I handle it by not worrying about it all. On Sundays I usually make at least one meal and freeze it so that if I have a rough day, then I can just defrost it. We also keep Lean Cuisine's in the freezer for that reason. We also have decided a clean house doesn't always have to be a priority. Being happy and relaxed is a priority. If we can fit in cooking and cleaning, great, if not, too bad!

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Re: How does everyone keep up!

It's tough.....I do all that PLUS 2 months ago I took the gym on too and try to go 4 times a week. I am there AT LEAST 1 1/4 hours at a minimum!!

MY DH has school, internship & work AND he is MINIMAL help in the kitchen. He does help with the cleaning when asked, so it makes it a LITTLE easier......

...........but it is difficult to really keep up with it all & not get to where it is all of a sudden 11PM at night & time for bed

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Re: How does everyone keep up!

With us, DH helps w/the cleaning (we live in a condo so its not like he has outside chores) and I do all the laundry on the weekends. I cook only 2-3 nights/week, and I don't worry too much about it b/c DH can fend for himself if he has to.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

all I do is work, work at my job, I have 3kids, run the house, class mom for 2 of my kids, a private practice,yada, yada, yada, it is tough, I wish I was 25 again

Re: How does everyone keep up!

We have a small apartment, and we dont have busy lives yet...

My theory is to keep organized. If I go to the store and get a reciept, I put it in the file when I get home. If I use a dish I clean it right after I use it (no dishwasher)...

Saturday is usually the big cleaning day and dh helps. This is when I vacuum, dust, ect....

I usually sweep the floors everyday and also spray the countertops...

But we have a small space right now.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Posted by emilain

all I do is work, work at my job, I have 3kids, run the house, class mom for 2 of my kids, a private practice,yada, yada, yada, it is tough, I wish I was 25 again

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Since DD was born, I have slacked in the cleaning department. I try to at least keep the house organized. DH cooks which is a plus for me. Unfortunately, cleaning has now become an "on the weekend" thing. But once summer hits that too will go out the window since I will be playing in my pool on the weekends! Honestly...anyone who says they can keep up with it all is a BIG LIAR!!!

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Well, my solution is:

Don't cook every night - soup and sandwiches can be delicious...

and my house is never as clean as I would like it to be, but clean enough that it is livable.

Seriously, I do NOT want to spend every moment of my weekend cleaning and doing laundry, so I don't. If that means some things have to slide, so be it. I can't half a$$ the full time job that pays, so the other things have to suffer.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I cant keep up anymore. that's why i am quitting my job and taking a break.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I have no clue!!!

I have two full time jobs and I tutor once a week........ my apartment sometimes is a mess but I just do what I can do.

I have some sleepless nights and long days but you make it work.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I always say, my house is a house/home not a museum. If it's not spotless, so what. I clean it when I can. I have the cleaning day every two weeks. I love her. She's coming tomorrow so we finished cleaning up for her.

We don't eat at home a lot either. 4 jobs and a house with two kitties is a lot. Something will have to give if we have a kid.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Its tough. I will be honest here, with both of us working full tilme and me in school, we get very tired after work and don't "cook" full meals every day. We have prepared food (prepared chicken from Waldbaums) and frozen veggies most days or order in or cook once or twice on the weekends. Sometimes we have the stirfry from Trader Joes.

As for cleaning, we have a cleaning girl who comes in every other week.

I sometimes feel guilty that we don't do it all ourselves, but then I think about how anxious I would feel, and don't feel as bad.

I don't know how people do all this with babies and toddlers.

Message edited 4/3/2007 10:57:19 PM.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

If I worked FT I couldn't. We had a housekeeper and ate out a lot more. Now that I'm home I'm able to get more done but even still it's a challenge with a toddler running around.
I make lists and have decided I can't get it all done in one day. So I clean downstairs one week and upstairs the other so each gets a good cleaning every week. I spot clean and vaccuum in between.
I usually do laundry every day or every other day so I don't get behind.
I try to cook meals that have leftovers or make sure we have easy stuff for a night or two during the week. Like sandwiches or throwing a burger on the grill.
It's hard. Don't be too hard on yourself. Give yourself credit for all the things that you do get done. You deserve time to relax. Some things just have to wait.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

yep...I feel that way too. Especially since Jacob was born..its tough to balance everything

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I just do a little everyday to keep the house in "clean" terms. Every weekend I make it a point to do the "major" cleaning. During the week, while cooking dinner, I will throw a load of wash in the machine & straighten up a bit. I have found it truly makes it easier & I don't have to spend an entire day cleaning.

But it would explain why I am in bed by 8 every night

Re: How does everyone keep up!

Re: How does everyone keep up!

It looks like everyone is in the same boat!

We try to keep up with things as much as possible but it gets difficult sometimes. I generally cook Sunday through Thursday and we eat out on the weekends.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I can admit that having a big house is too hard. Even though my kids are older & not here all the time I never seem to have enough time to clean all the rooms the same day. So if i do some on Wed when I'm off by Sunday when I'm ready to clean the rest the others are messed up again. Shedding pets don't help either.
When I was a single mother I was so type A about my house & everything being perfect. I'm much more relaxed about it now.

On weekends we cook three meals a day-which means the dishwasher runs 6 times.
During the week DH goes to work very early so sometimes I'll straighten up a bit.
DH gets home much earlier than me most days so he'll cook dinner & then I'll clean up.
Its easier now that my kids are bigger.
For me the hardest times were the age when we are dinner, then they needed homework help, then help with baths & bedtime reading.
Those days were the toughest for me.

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I used to try to keep up, but since I got pregnant, I really don't even try anymore. DH has started to help a lot, which is great. I clean on the weekends, so Friday night this place is a disaster and I just don't care.

Mainly during the week, I just try to make sure that nothing is disgusting and we have clean clothes. Dishes and laundry get done, but who cares if the mail piles up for a couple of days??

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I keep up by having a maid... it has made my life so much easier and stress free.. Now I have time to do other things. Soooo worth the extra money

Re: How does everyone keep up!

I just said this to DH the other night. I hate being a "grown up". I dont even work full time and run out of time to everything. I was doing laundry the other night at midnight so DH could have tshirts clean.