FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

I have 7 month old twins and go back to work in 2 weeks.

What are your best tips for staying organized and getting it all done (babies ready, you and DH ready and out the door, dinner, bedtime, etc..) during the week?

I get everything ready for the next day now when they go to bed so the mornings are easier on us.

Any great tips for multitasking?

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

I no longer work, but when I did I had a pretty good routine. Problem was it was just getting exhausting and my paychecks went to healthcare, my commute and daycare. Left work in May.
I have a 1 yr old and 3 yr old. I left right before DS turned 3 and the baby was about 10.5 months.
Woke at 5:30am... Showered, markup, dressed, etc
Woke up toddler at 6am
Got baby, gave to DH to give bottle and dress
Back to grumpy toddler to wake around 6:15am
Got him dressed and quick breakfast
While one had a bottle and the other ate I loaded the car with my purse, boys lunches. Bags, etc
DH took 1 and I got the other and buckled in car and out by 6:45
Daycare a little after 7 and work at 8 (w a stop at DD)
Pick them up 5:15pm
Quick dinner for them 5:30
Bath and bed around 6:30 - 7ish w quick playtime
DH and I ate then put together their stuff for the next day and usually passing out by 9:30
Sometimes quick cleanups and big cleanup on weekends
Had a cleaning person at the time every other week to help

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

since my husband has been working day shifts all summer, we would get up at 5:30am which was when my ds#2 would get up (6 months old).

My husband would give him his medicine, pack ds#1's lunch, do bottles while i showered. Then i'd come down and he'd shower. I'd pack the bags, feed the animals, feed ds#2 and everything before #1 gets up at 6:30am.

We're BIG on team work. Even after work. We rotate baths. Sometimes i give both kids a bath at the same time. Sometimes he gives #2 a bath and i give #1 a bath later. He makes dinner while i feed #2.

We take turns and help each other out a lot. You have to!!! especially with more than 1.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Posted by aliwnec10

since my husband has been working day shifts all summer, we would get up at 5:30am which was when my ds#2 would get up (6 months old).

My husband would give him his medicine, pack ds#1's lunch, do bottles while i showered. Then i'd come down and he'd shower. I'd pack the bags, feed the animals, feed ds#2 and everything before #1 gets up at 6:30am.

We're BIG on team work. Even after work. We rotate baths. Sometimes i give both kids a bath at the same time. Sometimes he gives #2 a bath and i give #1 a bath later. He makes dinner while i feed #2.

We take turns and help each other out a lot. You have to!!! especially with more than 1.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

I am struggling..been meaning to google tips myself or post.

I mostly work for the affordable family health insurance my job offers. some of the money i have must be used to make my life easier. but I am lucky to live with extended family.

What I have figured out is:

sometimes dropping off laundry for the laundromat to do- they fold perfect! Like $1 a lb I believe. I usually only spend 10$ - stuff I dont want to iron - so its worth it - paying for cleaning, drying and iron time saved.

peapod

frozen meals for me (smart ones and lean cusine) I was trying to do cottage cheese and fruit for lunch.. but even putting that into a tubberwear was too much for me with 46 hour week plus 10 hour commute

purdue chicken for husband. rice. mac and cheese.

take out, not the healthiest choice

run small errands at lunch break (going to the bank, cvs)

husband picks up items target and bjs for house and baby

baby gets bath usually every other night


This is all I figured out. good luck

Message edited 8/15/2012 7:49:09 PM.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

also I find this step helpful, If babies r formula feed, what i have been doing is prepouring/measuring the formula in one of those circle measuring formula pour cups and the water in bottle bring to bed room so first bottle in morning I just mix and feed them in bed without going down to kitchen.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

My only tips are to have everything ready the night before-your lunch/work stuff, babies' meals/daycare stuff, etc. and during the school year (I am a teacher) I do almost all of my cooking on the weekends. I usually cook 2 things that will feed us 4 nights, and then on Fridays I make or get pizza. That way, when we get home, I can warm dinner up quickly, and still get a little play time with DD before bath/bed.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Posted by jenheartsrob

Posted by aliwnec10

since my husband has been working day shifts all summer, we would get up at 5:30am which was when my ds#2 would get up (6 months old).

My husband would give him his medicine, pack ds#1's lunch, do bottles while i showered. Then i'd come down and he'd shower. I'd pack the bags, feed the animals, feed ds#2 and everything before #1 gets up at 6:30am.

We're BIG on team work. Even after work. We rotate baths. Sometimes i give both kids a bath at the same time. Sometimes he gives #2 a bath and i give #1 a bath later. He makes dinner while i feed #2.

We take turns and help each other out a lot. You have to!!! especially with more than 1.

Thanks ladies!

did I mention that DH works until 10ish every night so I'm pretty much on my own with them at night?

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Posted by aliwnec10

Posted by jenheartsrob

Posted by aliwnec10

since my husband has been working day shifts all summer, we would get up at 5:30am which was when my ds#2 would get up (6 months old).

My husband would give him his medicine, pack ds#1's lunch, do bottles while i showered. Then i'd come down and he'd shower. I'd pack the bags, feed the animals, feed ds#2 and everything before #1 gets up at 6:30am.

We're BIG on team work. Even after work. We rotate baths. Sometimes i give both kids a bath at the same time. Sometimes he gives #2 a bath and i give #1 a bath later. He makes dinner while i feed #2.

We take turns and help each other out a lot. You have to!!! especially with more than 1.

Thanks ladies!

did I mention that DH works until 10ish every night so I'm pretty much on my own with them at night?

what about in the mornings?

FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

DH works a decent number of nights too.

I have easy things on hand to prepare for me and DS 1 for dinner. We get home around 645 and I heat up dinner for the both of us and make DS 2 cereal.

We all eat and then I get DS 2 bathed and ready for bed while DS 1 plays. Then DS 1 bathed and gets ready for bed. I am done between 745 and 8.

DS 2 goes down at 8 and DS 1 watches a show while I wash and prep DS 2 bottles for the next day. Luckily my daycare prepares meals for DS 1 so I dont have to prep him every night.

DS 1 goes to bed between 830 and 9. After he's in bed I shower and layout my clothes for the next day.

I get up around 530am each morning and lay out ds clothes for dh or Fil to take them to daycare and make my breakfast and lunch.

It's crazy in the brginning but its better once you have a routine.

FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Routine!

Errands right after work (with or without baby depending on weather ease of the errand), play (at park or at home), dinner, bath, tv show, books, bedtime.

Once dd goes to sleep prepare baby bag and the next days lunch for dh and me. Meals during the week are quickly prepared or reheated leftovers from the weekend (when I tend to cook in larger quantities).

I clean the bathroom/kitchen while dd is in the tub. I do laundry as it comes in j don't wait until it piles up. I vacuum every other day as dd watches her nighttime show. I'll do my big cleaning on sat or sun for 1-2 hrs while dh is home.

Crockpot is great for quick meals in big quantities. In the winter I make chili, stew, and soups.

I'm best when I am organized and structured and this is how it works best for me.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

When I went back to work after I had the twins, on Sundays, I wold lay out ALL of our outfits for the week. (Yup, even for DH...lol).

We also planned meals that could be used for 2 nights. Make a lasagna on Sunday. Cook Monday. Eat for leftovers on Tuesday. Chicken cutlets on Wed. Eat leftovers as chicken sandwiches on Thurs. Fri = pizza.

I set up my coffee pot the night before.

Get Target red card so you can get free shipping and have diapers, wipes, other Target stuff delivered so you don't have to waste time going there on the weekends.

Good luck!!!!

ETA: We only did baths on the weekends and sometimes 1x during the week. That helped a lot too!

Message edited 8/16/2012 7:10:06 AM.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

I agree with getting as much as possible the night before, its a huge stress relief in the morning.
I would also add lists. Im big on lists to help me keep organized. Grocery lists, to do lists, etc. I keep them on my phone so they are always handy.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Routine and scheduling!

5:30am - wake up, shower, dress, make-up (DH wakes up before I do)
6:15am - wake up DD (if she isn't already awake) and wash up, dress her and give her something small to eat (I hate sending her in without having something small first even though they provide her with breakfast)
6:45/7:00am - get out of the house to drop off DD and head to the train station for work
6:00pm - pick up DD from parent's house (they pick her up from daycare) and head home
6:30/6:45pm - light dinner, play time, clean up
7:30/7:45pm - bath time
8:00/8:30pm - bed time for DD

We get everything ready the night before (both for us and for DD). I also do a lot of cooking on the weekends and portion off meals so that I can just pop them in the oven or re-heat or do a quick cooking to save time and make sure that we aren't eating take out all the time. I aim for at least 3 cooked meals a week (I make enough for leftovers to cover us).

FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

I assume you have child care set up, but for me the biggest thing is having a nanny. This way we don't have to worry about getting DD up and ready in the morning. The nanny does all of our laundry (folds and puts away) and does light cleaning. She also makes all of DD's food. She sometimes bathes her too. I don't know what I would do without her! This way when DH and I get home the house is clean, the baby is clean and we can just have dinner and relax and play until bedtime.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Message edited 8/16/2012 10:28:55 AM.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

i get up at 6:20 to be out the door at 7:30.
right now i have a 14 month old that goes to a sitter and 2 SS's (7 & 8) that go to DH's mom's.

6:20-7am is my time to get ready and get the baby's food ready for the sitter. 7am is when the 2 older boys wake up, they have breakfast and then go get dressed (their clothes are laid out for them the night before).
i wake up my lil guy at 7 and get him dressed. he eats breakfast at the sitter's house.

do what you can the night before but dont exhaust yourself either. picking out clothes the night before def helps. also during school i always have the bigger boys' lunch made. i also always have in mind what i will pack for the baby.

my best advice to you is get yourself ready before the kids wake up. its peaceful and so much easier. when the kids wake up early while im getting ready i am so frazzled.

FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

My biggest advice - Don't try to be perfect!!!!!!!!!!!

My house is clean - not spotless.
Cooking - What is that - didn't cook before DS so I'm not doing it now.
For daycare days we pack the bag the night before so DH isn't crazy in the morning for drop offs.

And I never let things pile up whether it be junk mail onthe table, landry, garbage or dirty bottles.....always clean as you go through the week so its never horrible.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

I wouldnt say that I "keep it all together", but I try anyway! LOL

As others said - get yourself ready before they get up, getting things ready the night before is a huge help too. Cleaning gets done on the fly, and a little at a time.

I havent mastered the cooking in advance issue, but DH and I get home around 5:15, so we have a good amount of time to prepare. DD eating it is a different story and I end up being a short order cook most nights. thank goodness she loves quesadillas and pasta!

I am trying really hard to get exercise into my routine, but i'm finding that to be extremely difficult during the week.

I only get a 1/2 hr lunch, so I do all my bill paying then, and my errards are done on the weekend unfortunatley...

Message edited 8/16/2012 1:31:21 PM.

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Meal planning for the week and grocery shopping on the weekend.
All laundry done and put away on weekend so it's ready for the week
I iron several outfits for myself for the week
I do EVERYTHING the night before....lunches, bags packed and at the door, etc.

FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Do things the night before and get AS much help as possible based on what you can afford and are ok with outsourcing! Cleaning, Ordering in etc. And dont be hard on yourself =)

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

I try to keep a schedule/routine going. I also have realized that not everything will work seemlessly. I work from home twice a week, but we still follow the schedule below.

5am - Wake up and Shower
5:30am DH showers while I get myself, bottles and daycare bag ready (most is done at night but there are always loose ends to tie up in the morning)
6am - start waking DS #1 up, then change him, get shoes on and get coat on
6:10 - get Ds #2 up and diaper changed and coat on
6:20 - all of us are out the door on our way. DH dropes off and picks up since I have to make a 6:56am train.
Both boys are in daycare from 6:30am-4pm
4pm - DH make dinner
5pm DH and boys eat
7pm -I get home, and eat dinner
7:30p;m - bathtime
8:30pm - both boy go to bed
8:45pm - I clean up after dinner, start the roomba, get the dishwsher going, pack daycare bag, decide what I might wear the next day
10pm - in bed

Re: FTWM - share your best tips for keeping it all together

thanks for the good ideas ladies!! :0)