To think how am I going to manage??

[jollybobs89]

So going back to work in April after being on mat leave with two kiddies a 3 year old and a 11 month old at the moment.

And I am beginning to think how am I going to manage! Anyone got any tips or anything as to how to manage housework, cleaning, cooking, dog walking, washing, as well as working shopping I can barely manage it now and I'm on mat leave!

I am a bit of a clean freak but anyone any tips and life saving tips to juggle everything hahaha

As a lone parent, what sort of support do you already have?

You won’t be in the house making a mess all day though

Be very organised.
If they don’t already, work on a good bedtime routine so your kids go to bed and go to sleep with minimal input so you get an evening.
Meal plan, batch cook and online food shop.
Cleaner if you can afford it.

Are you a lone parent?

Also, good, reliable childcare

Shop online.
I’ve been working from home and using my commute time to clean. I appreciate that’s not an option for everyone.

@ThePricklySheep that's a very good point!!

I do have a partner who does pull his weight in terms of the kids etc but I just don't want our whole weekend being taken up of doing chores etc. I'm not moaning and I'm very lucky just wondered if anyone has any tips.

I think online food shopping is going to be a must by the looks of it.

It’s online or going in the evening during the week once the kids are in bed.

I do a load of washing daily. When I worked in the office it would be set to finish when I got home from work. I use a Dettol wipe on the bathrooms so they're always clean. Also have a robot hoover that goes off and his own at 7am daily.

Can you afford a cleaner?

We got one for the first time when DS was six months old. It’s a pretty big house and despite both of us trying our best it really felt like all of our free time when he was asleep was spent cleaning and tidying up. When DH was at work I was cleaning when DS slept. They say to sleep when baby sleeps or let stuff go but you still need a hygienic home and I was sacrificing sleep for cleaning, which wasn’t great when I was flat our exhausted already from a badly sleeping baby and triple feeding around the clock.

We pay £70 per month for two 3hr slots and it’s been the best thing we’ve ever spent on. The knowledge that no matter how bad it gets it’ll be all cleaned and reset to perfect again at some point within the next week or two has been invaluable. We have more time with our son and to relax, don’t argue about the house anymore, it’s a huge weight off my mind. I thought it’d be much more expensive than it is and I’d give up any other luxury before letting her go!

Took a big mental leap though, felt so weird about it like it was something posh or rich people did, never imagined me having a cleaner. But once I got over it and hired her I haven’t looked back.

May not be an option for you but thought I’d chuck it out there as I didn’t even consider it until a friend suggested it

Oh and food shopping done on a Friday evening when I've finished work and after kids are in bed. Really quiet then too. I hate online grocery shopping as they always subsidise stuff. Dogs would be walked before I left for work.

@ColdBrightClearMorning can I ask, for those 6 hours what cleaning do they do? Are you in the house when they do it? So, so tempted haha.

Yeah sure!

She cleans our three storey three bedroom/three bathroom home. Thoroughly cleans all bathrooms properly (fixtures, mods floors, polishes shower screen), hoovers everywhere, dusts surfaces like dressing table and side tables, and in the kitchen properly cleans the counters, table, sink, floor. Pretty much floors, surfaces and plumbing related things is how I’d summarise it.

I recommend booking a one off clean with someone to see if you gel before going ahead with a regular slot, our cleaner is a self employed lady with her own business working on her own so it’s always her which I prefer as I trust her and it isn’t someone new each time. I’m often in but stay in a different floor or room so she doesn’t feel breathed down, though we’ll often have a bit of a chat for a couple of minutes when she arrives. She doesn’t have a key as I’m in on her day but I wouldn’t hesitate to give her one.

Book a one off clean and then see if it’s up to your standards first, if it is go for it, and don’t ever be afraid to change cleaners if the standard drops or there’s something you’re not happy with that they don’t change (of course within reason).

Like I say, best thing ever! I still can’t get over how amazing it feels to come home from a walk with DS and the house be sparkling clean.

Sorry meant to add she does it all in three hours, sometimes 2.5hr. Two sessions per month.

I am organised. I meal plan, shop online and stick to the menu. I have help. My parents / sister do my school runs.
7am get up
7 - 7:30am coffee, shower, get dressed
7:30am get kid up
7:30-8:00am make breakfast and empty dishwasher
8 - 8:15am kid gets dressed, I run hoover round downstairs quickly
8:15- 8:55 walk dog
9am hit my desk
I put washing on in tea break, I grab a quick lunch and prepare things for dinner at lunchtime
5pm put dinner in the oven and walk dog
6pm dinner for me and kid
7pm kid goes in the bath and o tidy kitchen
7:30 - 8:30 kid and I read, play, chat etc..
8:30 kid goes to bed and I spend half an hour tidying
I spend 3 hrs on the weekend cleaning and sorting school bags.

It's much easier when you aren't in it messing it up!

Yes, online shopping and meal planning means we have a tesco shop delivered once a month and veg/meat box from a local company. Milkman means no rushing to the shop. I have started to follow the organised mum method (although DH and I do 15 min each rather than me doing 30 min) and this really helps to keep on top of the house so we have free time at the weekends.

@ColdBrightClearMorning amazing!!!!! Honestly! Definitely going to look into this! Thank you loads.

Online shop a must. Another one of my saviours is a slow cooker, they're amazing. Bung stuff in in the morning and voila by the time you get home. I put loads in and freeze the left overs.
I do one load of washing a day so not much left on the weekend.
You got this!

If you're all out all day at work/nursery the house stays FAR cleaner

We've just started doing online food shopping and it frees up our weekends. Could you get a cleaner in once you feel like it's safe enough? Even two hours every two weeks is enough to keep it going.

Agree that there will be a lot less tidying up to do if you're out of the house more!

I do a weekly online food shop. And try to make bigger portions of things like cottage pie, lasagne etc which lasts 2 nights.

Definite yy to cleaner and online shopping!

I dunno really other than that! I muddled through!

I leave the house at 7 so I don’t have time to do much in the morning so I make sure to do as much as I can as soon as I get home as I can’t get up once I sit down! Lol.

I focus on one/two chores per day or one room per day eg Monday my room, Tuesday DC room, Wednesday front room etc.
On Sunday I will do a proper hoover and mop and sort all of the clothes out for the rest of the week.