Not enough hours in the day - ideas for finding hours 25 and 26..

[MyAngels]

Hi all

I'm hoping you super organised lovelies can help me find another couple of hours a day as I'm so overwhelmed I could cry, so have decided something needs to be done.

I have 2 DC (DD5 and DS2.5) and work mornings Monday to Friday (9 to 1pm) from home (am able to put on washing/hang it out during this period, but not anything more timeconsuming housework wise). In the afternoons I have the kids to look after (including school run in term time of course), then tea to make, then clear up, before the kids' bath and bed. Then I usually do tidying up, ironing and gardening (if I have the time, weather and energy).

We have recently moved house into 200 year old cottage with large cottage style garden which is very overgrown in places and takes a lot of effort not to get worse. Need to paint fences, shed, weed etc etc. The new house is larger than I have been used to and takes more sweeping, hoovering, cleaning etc.

I do all shopping (usually online, till Lidl opened in our town, but have realised cost savings are lost in time taken to shop, load, unload so am abandoning Lidl), cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, bin sorting and putting out, lunchboxes as DH works ful time (except Fridays) and stays in bed in the mornings till its time to go to work is not a morning person.

I generally collect stuff and rehome it the correct room as I go, and like to keep the place not too cluttered, but just am not keeping on top of it all at the moment. I get up at 6.15am and finally finish jobs around the house about 9pm.

What are your best time saving and organisational strategies - so that I can clock off at 8pm, and have some lovely time to read my gardening books or go for a run? (both of which I would love to do, but am too exhausted to do at the end of the day)

Thanks for any tips

You don't need to find extra hours in the day, your dh needs to do more. Have a talk, soon, but when you both have time to really talk about the jobs that need doing in the week, what you've taken on with the house, and how you can make sure you both get down time, plus quality time as a family. Then make a plan together - if he's not a morning person, he can do the lunchboxes the night before and sort out the kids clothes to defer his jobs from morning to night. If the garden needs time every night, then he can cook dinner/do bath while you do a bit of that etc.

Watching with interest. I could do with 25 and 26 too. Am starting fulltime work in 2 weeks time and have 3 kids and a dh who works long hours too.

I am thinking one way is to outsource as much as possible.
Dh is getting a list and has to do at least 1 chore in the morning (not a morning person either). And be reliable about the evening/after dinner stuff too. I am a sahm at the moment so it's going to be a big change for all here.

Can you afford someone to come in and hoover, clean kitchen tops, bathroom etc once a week? Then you know it's done and you just need to maintain.

One of my friends has a diy guy coming in as and when. He's a student and is handy with the paintbrush and hammer and needs some extra money. So it's not expensive and he seems to do a decent enough job. They got the whole house painted - room by room over the course of a few months and shelves and things put in.

Get a cleaner- best £20 I spend all week
Give up ironing - dry and fold clothes
Employ use of daytime babysitter 1 afternoon a week and make a list of jobs you can do in 4 hours. Work through methodically.

Let's face it (sorry feminists) but men are not really going to do housework on a regular basis however, on occasions they are useful and tbh my dh does help with cooking

I recently wrote a list of everything that takes time or stresses me out and wrote a solution - bought some time saving items

I find a little bit everyday is better than doing hrs of work

I keep a microfiber cloth in bathroom and wipe surfaces when notice dust cos don't need chemicals, I also keep a pack of antibacterial wipes in kitchen

I have dishwasher, tumble dryer, and have a set morning routine before work

As for gardening, me and dh do it together most Sundays in am

Hi OP, are you actually me? I have an almost identical daily routine (except I work mornings outside the home, so have a small commute), and my house is a 1960's box.

Will watch with interest.

mrsbrooks I think you need to trade your DH in for a new model. My DH can use a washer, cook, wash up, run the hoover, change beds (and nappies) without being prompted. It's called being an equal partner in our relationship.

OP my DH works PT and I work FT so he does the lion's share of the housework. I do what I can in the evenings when I get home and at weekends. Your DH needs to chip in as well, working FT is not an excuse for not sharing in tasks. How does he think single people who work FT, or single parents, get on with house cleaning? Does the housework fairy come and do it for them?

In addition to working out a kind of rota for both you and DH, do the gardening at weekends when there's more than one adult home. That way you can either all join in or one does the garden while the other spends quality time with DCs and sorts lunch & snacks out.

"on occasion they are useful" yes dear.
Dh works long hours and still chips in when he can. In fact he is better than me at deep cleaning anything. Really thorough and doesn't miss a spot.
But since I've been a sahm I have been doing the lions share. Just needs a discussion and distribution. He sets up alarms in his mobile to help him remember the stuff that is his responsibility and I let him get on with it. He is more than capable of doing housework. It's not rocket science ya know...

Of course men will do housework, if you don't let them take the piss.

What time does he leave for work and what time does he get in? Does he have Fridays off?

Stop ironing for a start. It's really not necessary (with the possible exception of workwear if an important meeting is coming up).

Also, it's the summer holidays, so find yourself a local sixth former or university student and pay them a bit of beer money for hacking back your garden, painting the shed etc.

Train your kids to do simple jobs (tidying up toys etc) and your DH to do his share evenings and weekends.

Agreed, you don't need more hours, your DH needs to do more

If you are working half the day and taking care of the DC the other half then you are both effectively working full-time. Yes you can do more housework by virtue of being at home but it sounds like you are doing everything, why on earth would you accept that??

What does he do when he comes home from work? On weekends?

Hi all

Thanks for the suggestions.

DH is my DIY handy man and does all those things and like SweetGrapes does the cleaning to a much higher standard than I do. Its not that he doesn't contribute or help, its just that there is such a lot to do in general and we both have our specialisms (its a bit stereotypical 1950's household sometimes in a division of labour way - I don't ask him to iron the clothes and he doesn't ask me to completely strip the shower to its parts and rebuild it (which was last week's job). He saves us a fortune in tradesmen and is very handy with his hands (IFYWIM!!). And is much more imaginative with the children...

Bizarrely I actually quite like ironing, just not so often, so will organise it for only twice a week if I can (I couldn't possibly give it up - I come from a matriarchal line of women whose mantra is "if its worth washing, its worth ironing", my Mum irons pants and socks (I don't, but feel latent guilt about it!)

I like the idea of finding a student to help in the garden - a family friend is currently unemployed and might be persuaded to help, or a horticulture student might like my garden to practice in perhaps..

I have the wipes in the bathrooms already, always forget to use them....

Maybe I know the theory, just am rubbish at the practice, and therein lies the problem...

I don't know OP... you say you do all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, bin sorting and putting out lunchboxes. I don't think DIY on the weekends really makes up for that daily workload. Is your DH also on the go until 9pm every night? If not, then it's not fair. If you are only looking to finish an hour earlier, then surely he could pitch in a bit more, for example doing the dishes and bins after dinner.

Otherwise I would look to get some help in.

Does he do DIY every morning and evening ? I doubt it very much - so he needs to do more.

Sounds like you have self inflicted guilt about not being a perfect homemaker. Its not worth it. Forget anyone elses expectations - if its worth washing, it'll be clean is my mantra. I'd rather spend time with ds and dh doing stuff together than do housework.

Ironing is unnecessary, therefore a hobby. If you want ironing to be a hobby, go for it.

You need to delegate or eliminate more of the work.

Unless your DH is up at 6.15 and doesn't sit down til 9pm it isn't an equal division of labour.
Having specialisms is one thing, being in charge of only the regular crappy tasks in quite another.

I have just gone on a quest to find a non-fly lady way of keeping on top of it all. DP and I both work long hours. No DC though.

I have been using this: time-warp-wife.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/home-maintenance-schedule.html for the past week and my house is v clean and it basically takes 30 mins, though I have been spending an extra 30 mins deep cleaning or sorting something else as we have just moved. Also done loads of laundry just bacause I can as I have a garden and it is sunny

Just start from 'Monday' in the article and ignore the god bothering stuff and wifey bollocks (after my search anyone would think evangelical christians cleaned their homes) and it works v well.

Oh, Dp does a deep clean with me on saturdays if we have time and does all the ironing and cleaning up after dinner. we share making packed lunches ie 2 days me 2 days him 1 day just go to Pret!