Tell me how you keep your house clean when working full-time?

[Starbear]

Circumstances have changed in the Starbear household and I might have to work full-time or 4 days in September (depends on boss!)Mum is going to collect Ds from school.
What is your schedule for keeping the house clean, feed your family, fresh, cooked food and deal with the ironing. AND still have a life!
Clothes have to be ironed as my & DH's job demands it. I will not be sending Ds to school in un-ironed clothes.
I think three days a week I'll be home at 6.45pm, Maybe, I'll collect Ds two days at 4pm (after school club) How do you fit in home work at that time? School demands 20mins every night! (Mum is very foreign & really education phobic) All tips welcomed

[MissisBoot]

Share ironing between you and dh otherwise you'll feel like you are constantly behind the ironing board.

Are dc's old enough to be doing chores - hoovering their rooms etc?

Do you have space in your freezer for batch cooking and freezing - meal planning is really helpful I think.

[Starbear]

Ds will be 3yrs what chores would you suggest? We can start training him now.
What do you batch cook? (Small freezer as I'm not good at this)
Good tip re ironing. He can iron if he wants to watch football.

[moondog]

Well I work f/t, have a business (as well) study for an M/Sc have 2 kids and a dh abroad for 6 weeks at a time.

This is how I do it:
Never go to bed leaving house untidy
Shoes off at door
Only eating at the table-nowhere else
Make kids help/put things away
Never leave house without beds made/everything put away
Don't worry too much about hot food every night (kids have that at school and something with childminder.If I do cook, it is something to last for 2/3 nights on the trot
Keep clutter nad possessions to a minimum
Deal with all paperwork straightaway.
Have all day cleaning/decluttering session every 6 weeks.

I don't have much free time or watch tv but it all ticks over.

[Starbear]

Moondog. What time to you get up and have to leave the house? Who drops the kids off at school?

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

I worked 4 days a week when pregnant with ds2.

Slow cookers are fantastic - good food ready as you arive home and you can freeze some too

Tidy as you go and don't leave the house in a tip at night - kids can help with this before bed.

Use shopping delivery services.

Only iron the absolute necessities.

Above all - could you afford a cleaner to give your place a good clean once a week?

[Starbear]

I have a cleaner. Thinking of dropping her to save money OR not!!!!! She doesn't do enough ironing & not that fab at cleaning. Haven't had her that long she is a friend of my lovely ex-cleaner that went to have a baby! Might ask her to do more ironing & sit down and chat with her about the rest of the cleaning! Two minds about it. As DH pays for her as he works long hours & 4 hrs at weekends. He really can't help much at night!

[Starbear]

Shopping delivery. Not keen but, might go down that route. Needs must and all that.

[Starbear]

Less TV for me, I think as well.

[Pollyanna]

I work 4 days a week,

My tips:

online food delivery
menu planning
cook meals the night before
don't do any ironing - in an ideal world I would have everything ironed, but this has been sacrificed in my household
deal with paperwork straight away
deal with bookbags/gym kit/packed lunches in the evening
ditch the cleaner unless she is good. I do have a cleaner - my alternative was to spend sunday morning cleaning every week
I have a schedule set out that the dcs have to tick every day which include things like homework, music practice, guinea pig feeding etc
Calendar for all arrangements etc

I don't know how old your ds is, but my dcs (From the 5yo up) have to help out:
they put their clothes away,
make their beds/open curtains in the morning,
empty the dishwasher,
sort and put the washing in,
feed pets
sometimes they push a hoover round (badly)

My dh also does his fair share - I wouldn't expect or tolerate anything less tbh, although I still feel that I am the one that runs the house

I get up pretty early to fit all of this in, but we do still manage to have evenings to slob around have a life!

[Pollyanna]

agree with shoes off at the door/only eat at the table.

My children know what to do with their coats/shoes/book bags/packed lunch boxes etc when they come in.

I don't allow tv in the morning until everyone is dressed (only the 4yo watches it - the others aren't allowed). and no tv on school nights either as they don't get anything done

I also get all clothes for the next day out before the children go to bed (the older children do this themselves).

[Starbear]

I omitted to say my DH has also had 4 hip operations! Gets very tired as he is on his feet all day (PE teacher) he does as much as he can in the circumstances. it would have been different otherwise, totally agree. He always helps out when he can cooks, laundry etc.. but not as a routine due to work and health. Does put Ds to bed everynight with a story. I'll ask him to give him a bath & teeth as well now. Will ask DS to get his stuff ready for the morning too.
Pollyanna thank you. What time do you go to bed and get up? Very important question for me. I like to see how other people time things.
No TV in the morning in this house anyway.

[mrsmaidamess]

Get a cleaner. The rest takes care of itself.

[Starbear]

mrsmaidamess. Yep! got one. I think we need a chat though as the cleaning and ironing isn't that fab. I also thought I could save the money! maybe that's a false economy

[Pollyanna]

up at 6.30 (sometimes earlier, but that's because of ds2 )

Bed at 11ish usually

we just have alot of lists, systems and routines in our house - lots of charts around the place. It is very dull here! (someone did liken my house to a care home once - but I do have 5 children so we need to be very un-spontaneous)

[moondog]

I get up at about 6:50 am Star.
Drop kids at school 2 days a week, other days, take them to childminder's.
Once your house is really organised, then it runs itself. I don't wash clothes unless absolutely necessary. (it wears them out fater anyway) School jumpers are often sponged rather thna washed.

The tv thing has been liberating. Haven't watched in years. I also go to aerobics twice a weeek and fit in a gym session onel unchtime.

Not saying it's all plain sailing. Sometimes I am exhausted. But it is do-able.

[McDreamy]

I have no idea. I can't keep my house clean and tidy and I'm a SAHM!!! I will be checking out your tips coz if you guys can do it I have no excuse!!!!

[TheFallenMadonna]

Online shop
Tumble dryer for dh's shirts and school uniform
Big cook at weekends for the week
Children have school dinners and also eat at after school club
Cleaner 2 hours a week
Low standards

[ABetaDad]

Agree with totally with all Pollyanna and moondog say. Its exactly what we do and then me and DW share the ironing.

Ruthless about washing clothes. Put a washer load on each morning of the week and then in the dryer when you come in from work and leave ready for ironing. We do the 'big iron' on Sunday night while watching TV as the kids are in bed early ready for school.

All the sheets and towels in our house are deliberately pure white so they can go on a bulk wash, in the dryer and then straight out without delay so they can back on the bed or on the towel rail without need for any ironing apart from pillow cases.

Above all, have a routine and be draconian and ruthless about sticking to it so mess and dirt do not build up. Throw away junk and clutter without mercy.

[theoriginalmummypoppins]

Slow cooker or bottom oven aga.

Star charts on bedroom walls for children with daily tasks.

cleaner is a must.

online shopping for most things and maybe a farm shop on sat am for fruit and veg.

Breadmaker so you can set it to cook overnight and have fresh for breakfast.

Ditch the TV. I never watch it.

Having said that I have a full time live in nanny. .

Having slogged for years when DC's were babies. Always full time with a huge house to renovate and little local family support I have earnt the right to be lazy !!

Im still up at 6am and out of the house by 7am and not back until 8am most nights so I couldnt do it any other way.

Good luck. You will find your own routine

[SlartyBartFast]

err

? less mumsnet me time frankly.

iron first thing.

i think the less time you have is easier,
i tend to rush around with a hoover, clean parts of the house in a manic moment

[Pollyanna]

In our house exercise has been the thing that has gone sadly as I have decided that my social life, such that it is, takes priority. I know I should go running or to a yoga class, but I just don't have the energy to do it come 8pm (I work until fairly late).
I still managed to go out with friends twice last week, otherwise life would just to too dull and list driven

[moondog]

I think the exercise stops me going mad actually so to me it is my social life.
It is so true about being better able to deal with stress when healthy and fit.
(Sorry, know that sonuds smug and priggish, which i am not at all-off to get legless next Saturday, so will suffer alone all w/end no doubt.)

[blueshoes]

moondog , Your expertise is needed here.

[blueshoes]

hi Starbear, loads of great tips on this site on how to organise your time.

But if you 'want a life', then an aupair is the way to go. Do you have an extra room?

An aupair can do the cleaning, ironing, school run, informal babysitting, shielding you from children whilst you do chores.

It costs me about £300 a month (all in, including groceries, higher utilities etc, but excludes top-up for extra hours) but gives me full backup for emergencies, flexibility, school holiday care and freedom from rushing around/dragging children around. She even helps my 5 year old with homework.

[Nighbynight]

I agree that an au pair gives invaluable backup, but would not ask them to do that much work.