Just started working & absolutely shattered!

[confusedofengland]

I have recently started a new job, after 10 years of being a SAHM to my 3 DSes. I am thrilled & really love my job, it's something I dreamed of doing when I was little, although sadly it is not well paid (just above NMW). It is a fairly physical job, usually either 4 hour or 8 hour shifts & I am standing/walking for 4 hours at a time & customer facing. I'm also on a zero hours contract so never quite sure when I will next have work - I'm working a lot right now & not saying no whenever I'm asked because we're skint.

However, I am finding working & running the house exhausting! I am just about managing to keep on top of cooking/dishwasher/washing/school & house admin (including loads of dressing up days atm ) & the usual clubs & activities. In the evening, I'd love to do some reading or something like that but I'm just too tired & end up falling asleep in front of the TV!

Do you ever get used to this & start to feel a bit more energetic? Are there any helpful tips? I already do easy dinners & DH helps out a bit, but he is currently working & job-searching, which takes up all his time.

You will absolutely get used to it - it's normal to be knackered for the first 2-3 months, it'll settle down after that. Congratulations on your new job!

That's good to hear! I've been starting to wonder if I can actually do this :-/

You can do this, but it sounds like your husband will have to do more. He shouldn’t be “helping” he should be doing a reasonable amount of activities to make up for the fact that you’re not at home full time anymore.

You will get used to it I swear.

However your husband's isn't 'helping', he lives there as well so delegate these woman's tasks you both see as yours to him. This is not your problem alone.

Working and job hunting indeed!

Get thee to the organised mum method. I don't follow it exactly but the principles really help. Also agree with pp that your DH and you have probably fallen into traditional roles. Write down all the household tasks divide by daily(dishwasher etc), weekly (bathroom scrubs, taking the bins out etc) and monthly (windows, hoovering under sofa cushions properly type cleaning) and allocate to each. Also ditch wife work - any of his family birthday he sorts etc. It is REALLY knackering at first but it will get easier the more ruthless you get.

I'll check out the organised mum method, thanks.

DH does do a fair bit & will have whichever DC at home who don't have activities (really handy as can be tricky with all 3 there), dinners, dishwasher, school runs etc but I think we're both so used to me doing everything as until now I've been at home & he's been out of the house 8am-8pm, so it's been logical, so it takes some getting used to.

I have to say things like Windows & hoovering under the sofa probably don't happen as often as monthly though, is that really slatternly?

Ha ha no not slatternley at all. No judgement here. My house is 'just good enough' cleaned most of the time. Definitely not up to most mumsnet standards I should imagine 😂. I tried having a cleaner but honestly tidying up the night before she came took 2 hours of my time when I was already knackered. Now I do 30 mins per day as per TOMM and its kind of do-able.