If you work FT with children, please share your daily schedule...

[mommathatwearspink]

If you work FT with children, please could you share your daily routine with me please?

I have just accepted a full time position (previously 5 days but around school drop off / pick up so classes as PT). The role is the step up I have been waiting for and a fantastic opportunity but I’m starting to worry how we will fit it all in. To make things worse, DP jokingly made a comment about how he thinks i haven’t made the right decision. My argument is that I want a career too and shouldn’t hold back just to make family life generally easier.

I have one DS who goes to nursery and DD who is in school. DD will go to breakfast and after school club. DP is unable to collect due to it being a works vehicle so I will still have to collect on the way home. We’ll probably arrive home around 5:45pm.

Me - up 530am.
Child 1 - up 550. Straight to music practice.
Child 2 and 3 up 630.
All out - 710.
Dreaded breakfast clubs.
Work and school.
Collect children at 1730! After school club required.
Home..dinner at 1830.
Homework 19.00 - 20.30
Child 2 music 1930-20.00

I work full time and have a five year old who has just started reception this year. She loves breakfast club and after school club... our routine is something like this..

Wake at 6.30, make coffee (v important) DD gets dressed sometimes by herself sometimes needs some help,
6.45 she has cereal and cartoons whilst I shower and dress

7.25 we leave for morning club at school 7.30 drop off and I run for the train to work
4.45 train back to home
5.45 pick up DD
6pm chill out or park depending on weather for twenty minutes then dinner ( at the moment she is loving pasta) - and a chat maybe some telly or drawing
7.30 - teeth pjs but earlier if it's a bath night.
7.45 -8.15 lying down reading till she falls asleep
Her father is very involved and she stays with him two nights during the week usually and every other weekend. Mostly on my weekend without my daughter i catch up on housework /admin/sleep but make time to relax. When she is with me it's parties or playing sometimes the cinema. It's totally doable.

I'm amazed how soon some of you manage to get out of the house after waking the kids up! Mine is capable of Olympic standard dicking about in the mornings and like to eat cereal individual piece by individual piece.

Our routine is:
630 get up
We give each other 45 mins to get ready so he has a shower and dresses while I get our daughter up, sort breakfast and feed cats and then I go for a shower while he gets her dressed and brushes her teeth
800 utter madness as we all try to leave the house at once - our nanny (from a nanny share) collects our daughter for the school run and we leg it to the station
900 work
Nanny collects from school and ferries to clubs, plus sorts dinner for daughter
One of us needs to leave work at 1730 to relieve the nanny by 1830 - we switch around, depending on commitments
1830-1930 bath, pjs, snacks, a few minutes of tv, teeth, bed
From 1930 - sort food for us, unload dishwasher, do laundry if needed, respond to work emails, collapse for an hour in front of the tv if we can
2130ish - bed. I try to do twenty mins of yoga at this point but tonight I'm failing and mumsnetting instead🤷‍♀️

6.20 get myself up & ready.
7.00 get dc up and ready
7.20 leave house to dc to nursery and school breakfast club
5pm nursery pick up
5.15 dc from childminder
5.20 home & cook/ eat dinner
6pm home work & showers
7pm dc to bed
7.10 tidy up
7.30-9pm do work if needed
10pm bed & repeat

Top tips;
Be super organised
Batch cook meals/slow cooker or quick meals like stir fry
Don’t wake the kids up any earlier than needed
Get a cleaner
Lower standards and accept you can’t do everything

Good luck and congratulations on new job

MitziK

I was exhausted just reading that.

Two at primary school

5.45 wake up, shower then wake the kids up for breakfast, getting dressed etc
7.15-7.30 start commute, arriving at work anytime between 8.00-8.30
8.00 DH drops kids off at childminder
3.00-4.00 commute home
4.00-5.30 work from home
5.30 cook dinner while DH comes home with kids, do homework
6.30 have dinner
7.30 bath and bed for younger one
8.30 bed for older one
10.30 bed for us adults

We have some after school activities too on 3 nights a week. They start at either 5 or 6. We just work homework and dinner around it. We also use weekend to catch up on homework.

It works fine if your DP is willing to step up

Definitely get a cleaner!
Ocado and meal plan and share drop offs and pick ups.
We both work FT and it’s very difficult sometimes! All the best and congrats to the new job.

I have a nearly 8 yr old and 3.5 yr old and work full time, locally as a deputy head. It does work, but sometimes it’s exhausting. I have a less than 15 minute drive to work. My husband mainly works away or has a long commute during the week. Routine is:
6.00 I get up, eat quick breakfast, do a few household jobs
6.30 kids wake up, 8 yo gets himself dressed and cleans teeth with usually minimal fuss, I get 3 yo dressed. They have milk and small snack downstairs
6.50 they watch tv while I shower & get ready.
7.25 leave house, drop 8 yo at breakfast club and 3yo at either nursery or my mums depending on day
8.00 get to work
Between 4.30-5.00 leave work, pick up kids, may pop to shop for any bits I need on way home
Between 5.00-5.30 get home, 2 days a week
8 yo does homework, 2 days he can play on ipad/switch, 1 day he does swimming. I cook
dinner and do housework (nothing that takes longer than 30 mins) while he does that and 3yo plays/watches tv
Eat by 6.00 at latest, then they eat pudding while watching one episode of whatever series they both currently like
6.30 bath time
6.50 story, song, bed for 3yo
7.00 hear 8yo read, watch a short youtube video and read him a story
7.30 lights out for 8yo. Both kids go straight to sleep once lights are out.
I then clean, get things ready for next day and collapse on sofa.
Tips: if you don’t have a cleaner follow the organised mum method, its on FB/instagram and I’ve found it really helpful. Get everything ready the night before so mornings run smoothly, make sure kids know the routine eg mine always watch cbbc in the morning and know they have to turn off as soon as Dennis and gnasher finishes. Do all food shopping online and have it delivered on Sunday, meal plan for the week. It can be stressful but you will find a way to make it work. Good luck!!!

You're not doing drop off and pick up for 2 kids in two places are you OP? Because doing that, plus working 8 hours in the middle, is almost impossible and leaves no room for error.

We are up at 7am, kids usually sleep until 7.30. I try and put a wash on before leaving at 8ish. DH takes them to school at 8.45. When dd2 was still in nursery I would take her and DH did the school run.

No tv unless they are completely ready including shoes.

I don't work full time but if I'm picking up I don't drop off. DH does one short day when he drops off at 8.45 and picks up from after school club at 6, the rest of the pickups I do.

6-6.30 - wake up, ds is natural alarm clock, don't actually need to be up til 7am.

6.30-7.30 - make and eat breakfast for everyone, tidy up after. Dh leaves for work 7.30.

7.30-8.30 - brush teeth (ds only 5 with asd, needs supervision), get washed and dressed, grab bags and lunches. Leave house.

8.45 - drop off at school, Yr 1.
9.15 - start work.

Dh picks up son at 2pm as he only works mornings. I finish at 5.30 pm, come home to dinner already being cooked.

The main thing for us is that we work together as equals in both parenting and all the other stuff. That means we take it in turns to do the pick up/drop off at the breakfast/after school clubs, one of us does the shopping including presents for the various parties, the other tidies up and does the laundry with the admin shared.

Also as we work as partners sometimes one of us gets tired so the other picks up the slack.

It doesn’t always work but for us that’s the main thing.

God these timetables have worn me out... where is the time to stand and stare...

I did the full-time teacher thing as a lone parent to two school aged kids and it near killed me. Never again.

Single mum to DD 13 and DS 9.

6.15 - get up and shower
6.45 - get kids up, wash dressed and breakfast
7.30 - drop youngest at brekfast club
7.35 - drop eldest at friends
7.50 - drop our trainee guide dog at school
8.15 - catch train to work

After collecting the dog i can be home any time from 3 till 6.30. Depending on the time depends where the kids are and who they are with. It could be friends family

I make packed luches and batch cook when they are doing homework or chilling.

7.00 reading and spelling with youngest
7.30 youngest to bed
9.00 eldest to bed

I have a tidy up and sort the washing and iron then go to bed shattered bo later than 10

And repeat...

@Mimilamore
For me - in my lunch break and at weekends. Dc do get downtime at after school club too. It’s not enforced activities, they might be chilling out in a den under a table. But mostly at weekends. We are normally at home doing nothing in particular on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings or afternoons. Only one activity on a Saturday morning and a family walk on a Sunday.

DH works PT so does most of the daily parenting when I am out of house, is how I do it.
My parents both worked FT & had house keeper/nanny (I guess an au pair, really, but that term didn't exist then).

6:45 alarm both DSs arrive in our bed
7:00 DH showers, I dress DS2 (3), DS1 (6) dresses himself
7:30 DH feeds DSs, I shower and dress
7:45 I grab breakfast while DH gets DSs into coats
8:00 all out the door, DH drops DSs to childminder then work, I head off in opposite direction to work
9:00 I get to work
5:00 leave work if I’m collecting
6:00 childminder drops DSs to me
6:00 DS1 does his reading
6:30 tablet time
7:00 bath
7:30 milk and stories
8:00 bed
8:00 cook supper for DH and me

Can you do admin at lunchtime? Have a cleaner if you can afford it. And your OH will have to pull his weight!

Our family routine is
6am I get up and get ready
7am (if lucky) get DS up and we have breakfast together
7.45am DH gets up
8am I leave for work
12pm DH drops DS off at nursery
4pm MIL picks up DS and gives him dinner at her home
6pm/8pm depending on what shift I'm on I finish work , 6pm we go home and I bath, read and play with DS, if 8pm MIL does the same
7.30pm DS goes to bed
10pm DH finishes work
My DS is 2 next month. I couldn't work full-time without the support of family and DH.
I have 2 weekdays off with DS and when I'm at work on a weekend DH has him.

I feel like I never see him and he spends most of his time with his dad but they have a great bond and I get to work on my career and buy nice holidays and experiences for us all to share. My DS is a very happy child and I'm happy with the choices I've made to work full time as I'm only in my mid twenties so wasn't ready to sacrifice my career, if we had 2 children it would be a lot harder and I would have to work part time i think.

Can’t remember the posters name, but OP doesn’t have the protection of marriage, so it’s important she doesn’t destroy her earnings and pension contributions etc, it’s up to her and her boyfriend to equally sacrifice their earnings, and parent their kid.

Does anyone work in London? I have never worked in a job, even pre kids, where i know anyone who gets home at 530 or 6pm. Ive been trying to get that kind of job or local work since i graduated... failed

645 wake, shower
700 get kids up
715 toast in car to breakfast club, home, then 1h10min commute to work
9-6 work
715 i get home relieve nanny, storytime, cuddles/chat
830/9 bedtime

DP leaves for work 6, back 8pm. I wfh a day a week.

I do @Fancydaisy.

Our routine goes:

6.30, I get up and showered, make packed lunches
7am, wake DC, get them dressed, hair, teeth. While they're faffing about putting shoes on (which is the longest part of the whole endeavour), I throw some clothes on
7.30(ish) we leave the house. Takes forever to get them into the car.
7.45 - I drop them off at breakfast club at school. They eat breakfast there (obvs) and play with their friends.
8.09 - I get the train to work
8.55 - I sit down at my desk

At lunchtime I do life admin including online food shopping, choosing HelloFresh dinners, priming birthday presents/random school requests, etc etc.

5.30 - leave work
6.15 - arrive at my local station
6.30 - collect DC from our childminder
6.45/7ish - get home, usually meet DH on the doorstep.
One of us cooks adult dinners (DC eat dinner at Childminder's), while the other does reading and spellings with the girls.

Eat dinner, then it's half an hour of cuddles on the sofa (or bathtime, depending on the day), then bedtime - 8pm for our 3yo, 8.30 for our 7yo.

I've written all of this out like I'm doing it all; this is an example of both ends of the day where I have the DC. In reality, DH does half the drop offs and pick ups. He also takes responsibility for about 95% of our laundry at the weekend, and does half the cooking. And we have a cleaner.

I have two DC: 5 and 2, but only work 4 days per week.

6.45am Get up, shower and dress
7-7.30am DH and DC get up and eat breakfast
7.30am DH showers while I get DC dressed and teeth brushed
7.50am I leave with DD
8am Drop DD at nursery. (DH drops DS at school for 8.55am and then works from home.)
8.35am Start work
4.40pm Finish work
5.10pm Pick DS up from childminder
5.30pm Pick DD up from nursery
5.40pm Home. DH finsihes work and one of us cooks dinner while the other watches the kids
6/6.15pm ish eat dinner, then clear up, sort laundry etc while kids play
7pm Upstairs for bath or just PJs and teeth. DS does his reading and both kids get stories (separately).
8.30pm Tidy up, put laundry away, sort lunches for the next day.
9/9.30pm Watch tv
11.30pm Bed

I would recommend splitting drop off and pick up between the two parents if possible as it is hard doing both by yourself. I find those days very stressful and there is little room for things going wrong. It's also easier if the two kids have the same routine/schedule I think. In my case, the older one gets jealous about me leaving early with the younger one, and the younger one insists on having breakfast at home because the older one is having breakfast, when really we could leave earlier and she could just have it at nursery. In our case it's not possible for DH to do the nursery run as we only have one car.

Two days a week, my parents look after DD and pick DS up from school. On those days I leave and return at similar times, but have a bit more flexibility over staying to finish a bit of work or taking a longer lunch break s9 I can go to the gym. I also use these days to make up any hours if there has been a school assembly, or someone had a doctor's appointment etc

How can i find a job that finishes at 4-5pm and live 30min away?!

Get a cleaner! Even if you can only afford a couple of hours every other week. It makes such a difference.

Dd is younger so is still at nursery, but a typical day goes like:

5:45am I get up, have coffee and read the news, get dressed, makeup.
6:30am wake up dd (if she’s not already up) get her breakfast, dressed, hair sorted. Pack nursery bag.
7:15am leave house and walk to nursery
7:45 walk to work

5:30 leave work
5:50 pick dd up from nursery
6:30/7 depending on if I need to pick up dinner on the way home, get home
7:30ish bath dd if filthy, pjs, milk, book, bed
8:45 eat dinner.
9:30-11pm stick a wash on, tidy house, catch up paperwork, do emails etc etc and then bed.

And start all over again! My parents have dd on a Thursday & Friday so those days are much easier as they pick up in the morning and I pick her up in the evenings, so the mornings are less rushed.

I'm in north Wales daisy and I work in a factory..it's days. My shift is 8.30 to 5pm with a 1.30 finish on a Fri.

They are out there but these days it's mostly shift work or weekend working as well.

I'm a single parent, I'm on minimum wage and spending 50 quid a week on a cleaner made me laugh..200 quid a month blown on paying someone to clean my house..if only!
I do everything myself ex is useless but my boyfriend who I don't live with is kind enough to pick my youngest up from after school club early and take to footie training once a week..after he's done a full shift too

The only thing I do is sod the housework. I keep the kitchen clean and the bathroom and make sure we've got clean uniform..the rest gets done on a Fri afternoon or weekend