To ask how do you work full time with kids and NOT get knackered by midweek!

[OhThisLife]

I've just started working ft. Thank fuck it's only temporary. I'm in my 7th week and I can feel myself getting more and more tired earlier in the week.

I do have 3 kids- including a one year old who's still waking in the night but damn it - there's loads of mothers in the same position- how do you do it!

I can barely do anything in the evenings bar the odd bits of laundry etc.

Spending an hour and a half at the gym every day after work is a personal choice. It’s hardly a necessity. And it’s surely selfish to keep doing that when there are other things that should take priority.

it’s surely selfish to keep doing that when there are other things that should take priority.

It's an hour at the gym by the time I get home, say hi to DH and the kids, and change.

And what things should be taking priority over my health?

It gets significantly better when your children sleep through imo. Dc3 was 3 and a half by the time that happened though. I joined a gym as I had spare energy.

Leave the house at half 8, sch run, then off to work, back for pick up. Run in, get child ready for activities 4 of the five nights. Get in anywhere properly between 7:30 and 9pm

Spending an hour and a half every day on your hobby is not on. It’s only because you’ve got a SAHP at home doing all the home chores that allows you to do that. I’d be very unimpressed if I was him. This is about those who work full time, not those that voluntarily lengthen their day out of the house.

Again daisypond it's an hour, not an hour and a half, and I certainly do my fair share of house work and I cook and do homework/reading with the kids.

If I was on here complaining about being overweight I'd be told to make time for the gym. It's not a hobby, it's healthy living.

Daisy pond , stop being such a knob!

Hulks needs it for her own MH and all of us should be doing more things like that these days.

We all need to pay the bills but who gets to their death bed and wishes they'd worked more or had a cleaner house???

Do what you enjoy in life!

Everybody tends to feel knackered when they start a new job to be fair.

You get use to it, and find the routine that works for you.

I am up at 6, deal with all the chores 5 days a week, get ready in 10 mn max and leave around 7:30 most days.
Evenings are just the admin, diner, and folding laundry when I can be bothered to watch tv.

I go to the gym, or run or whatever either in the evening, or at the weekend, sometimes at lunch time but that's rare- I think 3 hours of exercise a week is the very bare minimum and I am less tired than if I slob in front of the tv doing nothing. I sleep better, and I am more relax.

online shop is done in the train
I do a quick wizz around the house before bed so it's aways tidy when I wake up.

DH and I share chores and don't bother the other one with our share - I mean we ask for help if needed, but no one needs to remind the other about stuff.

I have 2 primary kids, 2 secondary older ones.
I try to work from home as much as possible, save on commuting time and I can put a load of washing whilst I am there, but that's about it.

daisypond
your post just sound jealous

I used to do a job where I regularly worked 15 hour shifts, while it was awful it gave me perspective on what I could cope with, and made my 9-5 job seem positively refreshing!

I also some things go to bed straight after the children do.

Thank you Notstrongandstable. I work a very stressful job, so an hour of de-stress at the gym is certainly better than a bottle of wine on the couch! Otherwise I'd be up stressing all night.

I have no idea so if you find out please let me know

me and dh split everything pretty fairly except for nursery drop off as he starts work at like 6:45am so cant do it.

we are both knackered constantly!

I don't think it's selfish of @HulksPurplePanties

Including her gym she's home the same time as most full time working parents where she then cooks the dinner for her family and spends time with them. Assuming that while kids are at school/ weekends her husband presumably gets some time to himself as well so it sounds a very fair and healthy set up to me!

Wish I had your energy and motivation to gym it every day @HulksPurplePanties please feel free to send some to Scotland for me!

No idea why that's all bold sorry! lol

I work a 24/7 shift pattern which really makes life a lot easier. Yesterday I worked 1600 - 0200, got home at 2.30 and went to bed, got up at 9. I don't have to leave until 14.30 for today's late shift which means I feel rested to do the housework etc. Tomorrow I'm on nights so I will have the day to catch up with gardening and stuff.

I know people think shifts aren't family friendly, I find them absolutely brilliant. Dh Also works 24/7 pattern(we are both police) so we rarely have childcare issues either.

her husband presumably gets some time to himself

He gets all the time he wants. To be fair, his time is spent playing computer games not going to the gym, but to each his own.

Also, doing food shopping at 0300 on my way home from lates ? Bloody marvellous 😆, just me and the staff in the shop

@HulksPurplePanties

"He gets all the time he wants. To be fair, his time is spent playing computer games not going to the gym, but to each his own. "

Sorry I didn't mean for you to justify what I said in anyway I think you have a good set up! I'm jealous actually! Haha!

but you can't buy wine at 3!

sleeping in once a week.
dh sharing night duties once past bf.
going to bed insanely early some nights.

and coffee - loads of coffee

And also, I've had 14 years of doing it so I'm used to it lol

You can buy wine at 3, you can buy alcohol 24/7 now

It’s bloody hard.
We lower our standards, & have a cleaner weekly who changes bedding in addition to cleaning-so in between we just need to keep ontop of the bathroom & kitchen, vacuuming and washing.
We meal plan and have a lot of meat (chicken thighs/sausage etc) & roasted veg that can be thrown on a tray in the oven while we sort bathing the kids/walking the dog/going to the gym or whatever. I sometimes prep a few days worth at a time. Other days it’s simple stuff like pasta bake/slow cooker casseroles/pie & mash-which I buy pre made fresh during the week.

It’s chaos, we are exhausted, but we manage to both work ft with an 18 month old, currently pregnant with number 2, and two dogs. I am also a beaver scout leader which takes up one evening, and me and my husband have an explorer scout unit too which is another evening.
I try to go spinning 4 x a week too.

It’s utter chaos and absolutely exhausting, but it works. Just lower standards and if you can afford it get a cleaner! It saved my sanity! Meal plan for the week ahead each weekend and it won’t be too long before the kids can pitch in.

I just get knackered. Let the youngest climb into my bed in the night rather than invest the energy in taking him back to his own. Let the house go to hell in the week and spend the weekend washing and cleaning. Get the kids fed at after-school club and eat eggs on toast yourself once they're in bed. And yes, don't sit down. Sitting down when you get in means you probably won't get up again.

It's crap. I'm just resigned to exhaustion and severely reduced domestic standards until the kids are grown. I have no answers which don't include paying to outsource the domestic stuff.

It’s very tiring. I’m a single mum, kids are older now, but it’s still hard! What makes me sad is that I am exhausted by Friday and very often don’t do much at the weekends as I have to do all the chores and can’t cope with the organisation of adding in social activities as well. So I feel like my life is just work, chores and wine 😩