To wonder how you structure your evening?

[Krakant]

When you're working full time with kids, but no money to outsource tasks, when do you get housework done? When do you get them to do homework? When do you play?

I'm only just starting to tame the house after Christmas and with the kids going back to school, I've realised that I've no idea how everyone else structures their time to get it all done - I'd love to know what a typical evening looks like for you.

I’ve known several parents who opt put of homework, we have - we just wrote to the school and gave some sensible reasons. No issues.

IB is International Baccaleaureate - alternative to A Levels

@Tomatoesand, @TipseyTorvey wasn't being funny but merely asking for no homework advice!

Tomatoesand
TT I’m not telling you anything because you’re being an ass.
What the hell is this about. I don’t see how she is ‘being an ass’ at all.

Tomatoesand how do you opt out of homework?? 😲

Everyone who recommends TOMM - I'm getting the house to the point where we (I) can do that. Hopefully this brutal de-clutter will make it possible to keep on top of it because it sounds like an excellent way to tackle the housework!

I get in at 6-6.30; put some washing on and then focus on DD until she goes to bed at 7.30 (she eats at childminder) then do the packed lunches, sort out whatever her dinner will be for the next day and make a fairly basic meal for me and DH.
DDs meals are all cooked and frozen in batches and I meal plan what she’s going to have and what we will have so in the week I don’t have to think. I do a quick clean of the bathroom while I’m showering in the morning and same with the kitchen; proper clean happens at weekends.
I also order all our food in and make use of my lunch break to do that order and pick up any other bits we need. DH works very long hours so a lot falls to me.
I feel like I’m only just keeping my head above water and I’ve lowered my standards to having a relatively clean house.

Most of the time when my children do homework it relates to things they will be doing in class and the teachers use it for assessment. I just don't understand how it would work in practice.

@iamyourequal - I can't see how she was being an arse either.

Both work ft, 2 primary kids and DH has other voluntary commitments. I collect DC from school about 5, home by 5.15. I start cooking, DC feed animals and watch TV/do school reading. We eat, tidy up and then do any other homework needed. DH comes home about 6.30pm. I run baths, while he has tea then we swap and he washes dc, reads to them etc while I tidy up downstairs, hang washing out, clean animals out.

We have 3 nights with activities where it's either picnic tea or heat up pre cooked batch meals.

At the weekend we do as much as possible. Put meals together for week ahead. Do washing, housework etc. DC have 5 sets of uniform.

We get food delivery which I order during lunchtime at work on a wed/Thurs.

We get home about 6.15pm, and generally sit the kids at the kitchen table and have a chat and make a (20 min max) dinner. They will usually play with something at the table (play doh, drawing, etc) - both still pre-school so no homework. DH will be sorting washing out, hoovering, etc.

We eat, and then DH or i will tidy up the kitchen while everyone else is still at the table.

By this point it's usually 7, so we will go upstairs and the kids will play while the bath runs.

One of us will watch the kids in the bath and the other will finish off the housework. Then we get them ready for bed, do stories and take one bedtime each. That's usually about 8.

By the time they actually fall asleep and we manage to extract ourselves it's nearly 9 most days. We keep saying we should be able to do it much quicker, but it's nice to spend a bit of time, and they don't need to be up that early.

I do need to be up early, so generally get the next days stuff ready, shower then straight to bed, often without going in the living room all day.

We both work FT though I do have a cleaner. I massively prioritise this and we go without takeaways etc to afford her. She buys me time with my family!
For all the bits she doesn’t do, hubby and I have set chores, a load of washing goes in every evening and is tumble dried every morning. It’s put away while DH supervises the kids in the bath. We try to do very little on weekends. Friday morning I’ll strip the beds every other week and make them up after work on Friday.

I just started TOMM this week as one of my New Years resolutions and I’m already seeing a massive difference! I used to get really overwhelmed with the mess generated by the DC in every bloody room and not know where to begin. I get really agitated living in a messy house but this has so far given me great peace of mind. I would really recommend giving it a go OP

Also very interested in the no homework thing! Come back and tell us tomatoes!

Tomatoes has disappeared... 🙄

Doing her homework?

@Barbie HAHA 😂

I just slob around in the evenings and spend most of the time on the internet. Normally in bed by 11.30pm and up again at 6am but still don't seem to get anything done before leaving for work at 8.30am! I hate housework but try to do some at the weekend, athough not nearly enough. I've just accepted that I can't do it all and have drastically lowered my standards. However, I am thinking of forcing myself to go on a bit of a tech detox so that I make better use of my evenings and will look into the organised mum method.

No homework is not an option from year 9 onwards unfortunately.
I have 3 boys aged 4,8 and 16 yrs. Get in from work between 4.45-5.30 depending on day of the week.
I do a major house clean every other Saturday, in between we all help out - either myself, DH or DS1 will hoover everyday (takes 10 mins). Toilets get a wipe with antibacterial spray every day, sinks get a wipe around every day. Kitchen surfaces are cleaned and bleached every evening after supper.
DS1 has been doing his own laundry since he was 14. DH and I do the rest between us, usually a wash every other day.
We have a dog to walk in evenings as well. One of us cooks tea while the other over see's homework/spellings/reading. Takes 30 mins max (obviously 16 yr old manages his own homework time).
After tea one of us walks the dog while the other baths the younger kids and does bed time.
DS1 helps with dishwasher and tidying up downstairs at end of day.
By 8.30pm it's usually all done and we're ready to sit down and relax. Feels like a military operation and endless chores but after it's done we can relax and the evenings ours.

What an utterly depressing thread. I too work full time and really struggle to have a tidy house, but when I see it all written down it makes me sad.

Get a handheld cordless Dyson. It will completely change your life.

We are still finding our feet. New flat, moved in with partner, new dynamics.

I've made a chores rota. Kids are 11 +7. Both must keep their room tidy and make their beds, hang towels up, keep their bathroom clean, put laundry in the hamper. Eldest has to take out the recycling. We help youngest to hoover and sweep and she is keen to hang up washing but she leaves it in 'lumps'. Everyone is responsible for putting stuff in the dishwasher but me or OH put the white goods on. It seems to mostly fall to me, which is irritating because I cook too. But we're working on it.

We have a new routine starting on Monday and I'm looking forward to it should make things a bit easier. Both FT, I work from home two days a week which saves my sanity. Dh teaches locally and is home by 6 at the latest, I get in 745 on office days.

Monday pil collect from school take to ballet and then come home and give them tea - dh does homework / reading when he gets in

Tuesday after school dance club my mum collects them at 1630 and brings them home does tea and homework

Wednesday - after school club until 6pm, homework / reading done here, dh collects.

Thursday / Friday I collect, Thursday is brownies and a bit frantic to get tea / homework done before they go. Love Friday we come home and chill out! I usually have to work for a couple of hours later in the evening.

I can get some cleaning / tidying / laundry done on my wfh days. Husband picks up a lot of cleaning, laundry and food shopping are 'my' jobs.

I work full time and travel for work too, so time is always tight.

I just do things as I see them - so while I was waiting for my toast this morning I folded a load of laundry from the tumble drier. When I go upstairs I never go empty handed, just take things and put them away as I pass the relevant bedrooms. If I nip to the loo and notice it needs a clean I just do it straight away (I have cleaning products in each loo). Yesterday I was waiting for dinner to cook so I emptied out one of the kitchen cupboards, chucked some junk from it, wiped it down and put everything back tidily. Took 5 mins.

I find that most jobs just take a few minutes if you do them regularly. I am very organised and have lots of practical storage and very little clutter so tidying is quick and the kids know exactly where everything goes.

I hate leaving things so I have to do a big tidy/clean at the weekend. I really resent it. I'd love a cleaner but can't afford it at the moment so little and often is the best alternative for me.

should have said - homework is done in the evenings during the week - never at weekends. I get them to do it while I make dinner usually and our kitchen/diner is open plan so they can ask me stuff while they do it. The kids have to help lay the table and they load and empty the dishwasher while I wipe down surfaces/put a wash on etc. Means we can all chill/watch tv etc about 20 mins after we've eaten