Sitting down at night

Hi guys,

I am working 3 days a week and DP is as well. We currently overlap on Wednesdays. We are both going 4 days in the next month or so. I guess I"m just having some adjustment problems to balancing working, mothering and running a house. I probably don't sit down until about 8.30pm and DP about the same. We try and get most things done at night as it can be hard with DS to get things done during the day.

Our routine is:
6 - 6.30pm - eat and feed DS
6.30 - 7pm - bath DS and give a bottle
7 - 7.30pm - DS goes to bed, clean up the floor and table from DS dinner and ours, wash the high chair tray
7.30 - 8.30pm - pack up toys, take washing off line, fold and put away, put a new load on and then on the line, put nappies in the wash and iron work clothes
10pm - put nappies out on the line.

For those working how do things work in your household? What time do you sit down? Do you have any suggestions for how to improve our routine?

TIA

I only work 2 days and DH 5 so I don't have much idea really because I do the most of my stuff on my days off, but could you put a load of washing on as you leave in the morning so it's ready to hang at night - could save you a bit of time?? I am a bit useless on the days I work - I only cook and do dinner and kid stuff and the housework waits but I know as I work more this year that will change xoxox

good suggestion about the washing Tanstar. Thanks for that.

I was going to suggest you put the washing on before bed, on the timer, so it's ready to hang as soon as you wake.

Do you both do the bath and bottle? Can you take it in turns and the other can fold washing, clean up etc at the same time? I will often fold the washing while DH reads to DS. I'm still in the room, but multitasking!

Make Wednesdays meal an easy one so you dont have as much prep or washing up. Do you have to wash every night? Can you do an extra load one day so you can have a washing free day?

HTH

I use the delay on the washing machine too :) make a double meal once a week so later in the week you don't have to cook. If DH and I are tired sometimes we cheat and just give the girls a quick once over with a face washer instead of a bath. One of us does bath/bed time and the other tidies up at the same time so then we get to relax after

I iron as little as possible :)

I work 3 days a week but try and do extra lads of washing on my days off and if I've been busy I let the clean stuff pile up a bit before I put it away on a work free day

Like Jleigh has suggested, whilst one of you does the bath, bottle, bed routine, the other is cleaning.

At the moment I work 3 days, about to go to 4. DH is full-time. Whilst I only work school hours, there is after school stuff, so half the time I am not home till 5pm.

Just after dinner (normally around 6pm), DH runs the bath. I start cleaning the kitchen whilst the girls are still eating (DD1 is a sloooowww eater) and continue with the kitchen whilst they have their bath. I normally sweep the kitchen and lounge whilst DH deal with the pj's and then milk. I do try and do other things whilst cooking dinner, like unloading/loading the dishwasher, sorting the paperwork, taking out rubbish etc Amazing what you can get done between stirring and turning what ever you are cooking.

When we used to watch the girls in the bath, that is when I would try to get the bathroom clean (wiping the basin, sorting the through the crap the accumulates on the bench etc) Sometimes folding washing at the door way.

Try and also do what I can of a morning, so hanging out the washing. Sometimes some quick folding or just some general tidying.

Also along with the easy meal on your busy day, try cooking meals that go for two nights.

I am still working on getting on top of things. Best of luck

I know this is a bit late, but how about putting on a load of washing when you first get home, so the first one is ready to hang out when you first start the cleaning? The other load can then be going whilst you do the cleaning and then you wont be hanging out washing at 10pm lol!

For us, I tend to get home with DD at about 4:30-5.

5pm(ish) - Feed DD (we save a portion of what we ate the night before for her for the current day)
5:30-6 - Tidy up high chair, put on washing (if needed), do a load of dishes (if needed)
6pm (DH gets home) - Person 1: Bath DD, play with DD, give DD bottle. Person 2: Prepare dinner
7pm - DD goes to bed. Eat dinner
7:30-8 - Clean up kitchen, hang out washing, fold and put away other washing

TBH, apart from the kitchen and washing, not many other jobs happen on the 4 days I work. I try to catch up on other jobs on Fridays and over the weekend.

What about doing enough ironing to get you through 2 or 3 days at a time? You might end up with one busier night, but then you have 2 nights with more time for cuddling on the couch! We do a bulk iron and hang stuff up in the spare room wardrobe where there is lots of space and it doesn't get recrushed like it would in our normal wardrobe.

We also do the alternating jobs - one does bed while one washes up.
I try to fold the washing while supervising bath time.
Could you bring forward the toy tidy up so DS can help with that? although he's probably a bit small for that.

I'd also be saving up washing for the weekends or the days off. I tend to do 4 loads over the weekend and just a catch up one during the week so there's enough socks and undies to go round (we both work fulltime).

And definitely stock the freezer with food. We have at least one reheat meal a week, if not two and have our standard ones that can be pulled together in 20 minutes. A reheat is so easy if all you're doing is rice/pasta and a bit of a salad to go with it 9or if you're DH, save time and don't worry about vegetables!)

Just an added note, we are trying something new this week. On Friday night we cooked a 2 nighter meal, ate one and froze the other. We did the same thing on Saturday and Sunday night. We now have enough meals to get through til Thursday night (we go to the in laws for dinner every Wednesday). It made a huge difference to our time today - no preparation and barely any cleaning up!

I work full time so leave the house at 7.30am get home around 6pm. Dinner is on the table by 6.30 whether it's defrosted meal, freshly cooked etc. Homework starts next week so we will do that, Then DD is in the shower getting ready for bed while I'm sorting out clothes, lunches, school bag etc. Plus all diabetes supplies and paperwork for the next day for her. She is in bed 7.30pm and I sit down till around 9-10pm doing uni work then shower and bed myself. I have a cleaner come in once a week to do a big clean (fold clothes, mop, bathroom, change sheets etc) and then I just keep things neat. Weekends is spent catching up in washing (usually 2-3 loads) then all the fun stuff! And then I usually fit in more uni work as well. Oh and no partner here to help - but I'm used to it all and we seem to have a good routine - albeit not much time together but we manage.

Should also add - if you can prepare extra amounts of meals on weekends it eases a lot of stress through the week. Also I would often forget I had set my washing machine so clothes would sit there for a while (although laundry is outside so you don't hear it). Definitely try to make life as easy through the week but don't overdo it on weekends - you want to enjoy your family time