People who “do all that AND work full time”. HOW??

[Mickeymackey]

Please share your secrets!

I’ve seen people say stuff like this a few times on threads and I’m baffled. I only work 20 hours a week and I’m pretty much flat out 6am-9pm as it is and my house isn’t anywhere near as clean as I’d like.
For example yesterday
Up at 5.45 with dc 4, stripped bed, emptied washing machine and put another load on, made breakfast for dc 3 and 4, emptied dishwasher, cleared draining board, wiped over sink, cleaned oven (just a wipe over). Hung out 1st load of washing, got dc 3 and 4 ready, got myself ready, wiped round bathroom, made dc1 breakfast. School run for dc3, home, hung out 2nd load of washing, remade bed, dusted one and a half bedrooms, made dc1snack, took dc4 to toddler group, came home made lunch for dc 1and 4, took dc1 to medical appointment, straight on to school run, got home, made dc1 and 3 snack, finished dusting remaining bedrooms, hoovered bedrooms, fed plants, listened to dc3 read, transferred not quite dry washing to tumble dryer, folded the rest, cooked dinner and made packed lunches for dp and dc2, tidied up from dinner, folded washing from dryer and put it all away, got dc3 and 4 into bath, read stories, put them to bed. Finished tidying downstairs, had a shower, made a drink, sat down at 9.15 and watched one episode of something. 10pm made dc1 bedtime snack, straightened up lounge, went to bed.
Today basically the same just different housework/appointments/activities. Tomorrow toddler group in the morning straight from school then a bit of housework, make lunch, get dinner in slow cooker, work for 3 hours (from home) pick up dc3, take them to club and work for another hour in the car while they’re at club. Come home, put away laundry, dish up dinner, go to yoga, come home read stories and put dc3 and 4 to bed, eat my dinner, make lunches for everyone, shower…Thurs and fri usual morning jobs, get dinner in slow cooker do school run and then go straight to work, home at 5.45 straight into dinner, clear up, bath and bed for dc 3and 4…

I must be missing a trick. How on earth do people do it all AND work full time hours. Are you all doing your housework at midnight? Any tips welcome because I’m meant to be upping my hours soon and I can’t see how without letting things slide around the house!

Are you a single parent ?

I work ft and my house is not great, and my DH does a lot !

You’ve got four children would be my answer to you

I only have 2 kids! and don't clean the oven

I only have one child. I don’t think I could have more than one child and work without having a cleaner TBH

Also how old are your children?

It sounds like you have small children at home with you all day? In which case, that is like a job! When the house is empty all day, no one's there making any mess to clear up. It's much easier to stay on top of things.

Also, where is your partner in all this? Sounds like you do everything yourself.

That seems like a lot of cleaning!

I'm assuming you have no husband/partner?
I have a cleaner who blitzes the place once a week. In between her visits I just about keep on top of things. STBXH has always been pretty useless but will sometimes do things if asked and given clear instructions.

I just don't stay on top of things. But I work 40hrs and am single parent.

@41sunnydays no not a single parent but my partner works 6 days a week. The days I woh he works from home and looks after dc4 (and currently dc1) at the same time which is quite a lot of juggling for him!

I think it's all them kids you've got

I do tidying, laundry and clean the kitchen every day and have a cleaner who comes once a week to do absolutely everything else. She does 4 hours. I then work full time from home and 2 DC at nursery (4 and 2).

I think it’s the four kids. I have one and she makes enough mess for me to cope with as a single parent that works full time. And my standards are not that high either.

an example of my day (work M-F 9-5)

Up at 6 with baby, bring him downstairs and fill washing machine with a load - set to start at 2pm.
ds1 usually up at 6:30
they have breakfast while I empty dishwasher from night before.
beds are only stripped Sunday.
Boil kettle, make a tea and fill washing up bowl with the rest - breakfast stuff in here quick wash and onto drainer.
Breakfast all finished by 7, get kids and me ready and dressed i do not clean the bathroom on a morning
Leave house at 8:15, drop baby at nursery, big at school (we get there for 8:30 so he reads his book in the car while we wait to go in)
I get to work for 8:55.
Work 9-5.
DH home at 4:30 - empties washing machine, puts away breakfast pots, runs hoover over downstairs and starts tea.
I collect kids from childminder and nursery, home for 5:30.
We eat at 6,
baby into bed for 7.
Ds1 into bed for 7:30. we run around like loons for 30 mins tidying up and sorting stuff for the morning.

We sit down together at around 8:45, watch an episode of soething. Go to bed, asleep by 10:30.

Rinse and repeat 5 days a week.
Saturday mornings DH takes boys out I clean house,
Sunday mornings DH keeps boys at home and I go do the food shop.

How old are the DC? 4 little ones is a LOT.

Definitely no dusting for starters! DP and I split the weekly tasks on a Sat, which is cleaning the bathroom, full kitchen wipe down (stove top NOT oven!) and hoovering. Rest of the week it's just making the bed and wiping kitchen surfaces as needed. Stuff like dusting happens once in a blue moon.

Sounds like you are doing a load. Do kids sleep through?
If not you are a goddess!

I have one son.
My house is as easy as I can make it to look after - small, 1 bathroom, laminate throughout.
I have low standards on cleaning because I hate doing it and it doesn't really matter.
I have a robot floor cleaner.
I change the beds about every 3 weeks.

I have 2dc
I have a husband who does 50%
I have childcare when I WFH
I have a cleaner ever second week to do all the big jobs

1. They don't have 4 children
2. They don't do that level of cleaning every day - you detail what sounds like a full week's clean in a day - spread it out over the week
3. They keep on top of things as they go e.g. spend 5 minutes cleaning kitchen after meals
4. They expect the children to pitch in. You don't mention the ages of your children, but surely at least 1 or 2 are old enough not to be a little bit self sufficient
5. Are ruthless about sitting down once DC in bed (by 8pm with little ones) so that they get a break. Everything feels better if you are not exhausted.

It's the four kids, I have four and the cleaning and tidying and washing is relentless.

Much different to having one or two.

What’s jumping out at me is that your DP and DC1 (who I assume is mid-late teens if they are snacking at 10pm) are not making their own lunches or snacks. Why are they not doing this or doing more around the house?

@RedskyThisNight

1. They don't have 4 children

1. They don't do that level of cleaning every day - you detail what sounds like a full week's clean in a day - spread it out over the week
2. They keep on top of things as they go e.g. spend 5 minutes cleaning kitchen after meals
3. They expect the children to pitch in. You don't mention the ages of your children, but surely at least 1 or 2 are old enough not to be a little bit self sufficient
4. Are ruthless about sitting down once DC in bed (by 8pm with little ones) so that they get a break. Everything feels better if you are not exhausted.

All of the above. Particularly keeping on top of things as you go - then the house stays vaguely clean. I sometimes miss my cleaner - you will never walk into a sparkling clean house, but then I have £40 more each week.

Communal areas I prioritise above the children's bedrooms. If they want to live in a pigsty then they can. Their washing doesn't get done unless it's in the basket however, and every 2-3 weeks I hoover their rooms, and if toys / lego are still on the floor at this point - they will get hoovered up...

WFH means I can do little and often as I wait for the kettle to boil, or for inspiration to strike regarding a work problem, that has been a game changer for me and means I don't feel guilty about sitting down of an evening.

My husband helps out a lot, there are certain chores that are just his and I don't have to think about. Working full time also affords us to get a cleaner once a week for the big cleaning job, I just wipe things down / hoover main areas in between. It's 100% saved my sanity and worth the financial sacrifices needed to make that happen.

Also I work from home, which I know not everyone is able to. I can more or less keep on top of the washing during my working day, make the admin calls/ trips to tip/ vets etc during lunch break.

I don't have four children.

I have a husband who does his share.

I have a cleaner and a gardener.

Seriously, you seem yo be doing way more than your fair share of the domestic stuff. Why isn't your partner doing breakfast and getting the children ready whilst you sort the washing in the mornings, or sorting the dishwasher whilst you do the school run?