Prepping for the week ahead is nonsense!

[Ryderweneedyou]

I mean it’s a good idea, and I’ll continue to do it, but it’s such a bloody waste of weekend.

DH and I both work FT, with 2 primary aged DC and evening after work are just for treading water - cooking dinner, homework, clubs, tidying. That means to keep things running smoothly I have to dedicate my Sunday to prep - set out clothes/ club uniforms/ equipment for the week ahead, meal plan and prep, getting through all the laundry, sorting a cupboard a weekend, bits of diy, etc etc. Saturdays are usually spent socialising (kids and DH extroverts, I’m in introvert) and I’m so bloody tired by Monday!!
Anyone care to join me in moaning or solve all my problems with a genius solution?

Same here, I would love to feel refreshed on a Monday to start another week but it never happens.
House is currently a tip, loads of jobs need doing that we just never seem to get round to. I hardly sit down before 9pm during the week and then I end up staying up till 11pm to feel like I've had an evening.
No answer just sympathy!

Yes. Why does it fall to you to devote your Sunday, what does Dh do whilst you are doing diy/laundry/meal planning/ setting out clothes for various activities? Worth thinking about.

This is pretty normal for many people.
I don't spend all Sunday doing this as we are more as hoc with meal planning, but Sunday is the day I make sure uniform and school stuff is sorted.
If you have children and work there are only so many hours a week you can do stuff in!
If you want to claw back some of that time though, perhaps you could do things differently? Outsource your DIY for example?

Yeah no idea here either- same situation, both working FT and two primary DC. I’m going PT in December which is dodging rather than solving the problem

Ruthless decluttering is my and DH’s favourite solution. Everything is much easier when there isn’t ten tonnes of crap in the way. Finding time to do the decluttering is then the problem… 🤨

yes, what does dh do? he is a parent too. and he also lives there.

dc can also do some chores like tidying up. putting away their own laundry.

now my dc are older and do their own school lunches, but when dc were little dh would make theirs as he also took a packed lunch to work.
dh also does half the cleaning and cooking.
only fair imo.

Get rid of as much stuff as possible.
Instead of asking if something brings you joy, ask if you can be arsed to keep it clean.

Also I blame Covid. We’ve just had such a long time where all my usual work had dried up and the DC couldn’t do any clubs or play dates or anything like that. Now all that stuff is back again and we’re desperate to do all of it, me to work and them to do every activity going and spend as much time as possible with their friends. Can’t manage it all

@FindingMeno

Get rid of as much stuff as possible. Instead of asking if something brings you joy, ask if you can be arsed to keep it clean.

Yes. This is such an excellent tip. Saves loads of time.

I've found meal prepping doesn't actually save me much time. I just buy stuff that can be chucked in the oven/cooked in one pan for days we are busy.

I try to stay on top of washing during the week by putting a load on each day and hanging it up to dry once the kids are in bed. Means I don't have a massive catch up at the weekend.

I think we are doomed to always be busy with young kids though. Free time comes later apparently!

I try to spread my prep throughout the week. So for example, Friday nights are swimming and tennis nights for my DC. As soon as they get home, DH makes sure all the kit goes in the wash and is dried overnight. The bags are then re-packed on Saturday morning. That sort of thing lessens the Sunday pressure a little bit.

I am just lying here thinking about all my jobs. I have about three hours of lesson planning then paperwork and then cleaning to do. Then pack lunch stuff to get. Joy!

I have four kids so I have learnt two key things. Lowering your standards and doing the key things every day.

So I wash every day. The club uniforms are sorted the night before and unless its dirty I dont wash them every week. Even better if you take club uniforms off as soon as you can.

Everyone fed, nobody dead. That's where I tick along sometimes 🤣. Honestly some jobs just do not need doing every day. I dont iron anything either.

Also 2 lazy dinners a week. Like pizza or sausage and chips. No prep required. If you do that on a Monday and a Thursday you regain time to do the prep for clubs.

Single working parent here of two children (one primary one year 7)

What you’ve listed…. I do on a Sunday, have my audio on in the background and potter about doing. Some things the children help with ie packing their kit bags (both do insane level of sport at school. Entire kit bag bought home filthy every Friday!) but the rest I just poodle about doing with a cup of tea and audio book on in background.
Is it really so exhausting?

Instead of asking if something brings you joy, ask if you can be arsed to keep it clean.

Love it, you’d outsell Marie Kondo with that slogan for sure

Same boat here. Solution for us is dh who's wfh some says does the washing during week and on a friday does rest of school uniform. I made cottage pie and few other bits yesterday in slow cooker so we have 5 dinners planned. We do have a cleaner every 2 weeks- but we have to tidy up for the cleaner today! My plan is to de lutter in half term as we cant cope!
Split the work load with dh. How old are dc? My 8 year old gets her beavers uniform ready, ages in charge of her school uniform and does her snack for the day. I usually do packed lunches as I take one- sometimes dh does them.

Get your DH to pull his weight.

My DS is an adult and whilst technically I have more time I still spend at least one day after weekend doing chores. I'm on my second load of laundry already today because it piled up whilst the weather was bad.

I think the key is less stuff. I've cut back on most things but we still have too much. Or being less bothered but I just cant relax if stuff is everywhere or needs cleaning. Everything i do generates work.

Tips that helped me:
Get everything ready the night before
Do all the ironing for the week on Sat or Sun
Declutter ruthlessly
If I'm a hurry I set a 5 min timer on my phone and spend 5 mins tidying each room, it's surprising how much you can get done
Have fun - children are only children for such a short time.
Get help - outsource if you can afford to.

@AllotmentTime - you are a star! That is my slogan from now on!

We used to spend Sundays like that but I got sick of it.
So I have have few sets of uniform and I make sure Thurs evening I sort Mondays at the same time as Friday.

Wash lunchboxes. Wipe shoes the min the kids get home Friday.
Easy packed lunch always on a Monday (crackers and cheese type thing)

I do a roast on a Sunday but to be fair I don't do everything with the kids on a Saturday anymore. Dh takes them to football. I often prep the veg and potatoes sat while house is quite and leave In icy cold water.

I also am sorting a cupboard or two a week (decluttering) it's tedious.

Exactly! I think we need three weekend days, one to socialise, one to prep, one to recover.

I am military about laundry (sod the environment on that one I’m afraid), no clutter, admin sorted on my lunch breaks etc etc

There is no one else to do it BUT me. Head down, focus, enjoy the results

@AllotmentTime

Instead of asking if something brings you joy, ask if you can be arsed to keep it clean.

Love it, you’d outsell Marie Kondo with that slogan for sure

Yes excellent. I read on here if you dont declutter it you are just saving it to tidy up another day. Makes me think too.

@AllotmentTime

Instead of asking if something brings you joy, ask if you can be arsed to keep it clean.

Love it, you’d outsell Marie Kondo with that slogan for sure

I see a bestseller and a Netflix deal in your future