Need a better household routine....

[violetcuriosity]

Hi,

Just looking for some suggestions really...

I am returning to work after Mat leave as an Assistant Headteacher in a special school (high stress job) after Christmas and really need to establish a better system/routine at home before then, basically to protect my mental health- I need to leave the house fresh and organised when I leave on a Monday morning.

I have always had Mondays off which has meant that on a Monday I have done the food shop, cleaned, done all the weekend washing and sorted packed lunches ready for me to work Tuesday-Friday. However, when I go back this time I'll be doing Monday-Wednesday which means everything I used to do will need to be done by Sunday evening. What's the problem, just do it Sunday, I hear you thinking.... Well, currently by the time the children have gone to bed on Sunday nights I am completely overstimulated, my house is a shithole again despite us cleaning it from top to bottom Saturday morning (when I say shithole, it prob just needs another hoover and washing done) and I have just about managed to get the food shop done. We are often slightly hungover too, which I know isn't great, just being honest. I have tried doing the food shop on a Friday but it just doesn't work as well for us and things end up being eaten that were meant for the week ahead. My partner plays football (he's paid well to do it, so this can't really change) most of the day Saturday, which means Sunday is our only family day to do something together. Basically, it's a busy and chaotic day.

I'm thinking an answer might be to send DP out with the kids to do the food shop on Sunday afternoons while I clean the house and get uniforms/packed lunches ready/sort the washing so that we are good to go for Monday.

Could anyone please share their systems/suggestions please? I really can't go to work on Mondays with the house not 'straight', it's just not me and will affect my mental health.

Thank you x

Do an online shopping order that arrives Sunday, do your prep jobs Sunday morning so in the afternoon you can relax and do a quick 10 minute hoover on Sunday evening before the kids go to bed. Prioritise washing etc on your days off.

I can’t quite get past that you have a baby/one year old tops and you’re often slightly hungover on a Sunday morning. I’m not the average munsnetter who thinks people with DC shouldn’t drink but that seems off to me and certainly isn’t helpful for your overall mental health.

Good ideas thanks 👍🏻 I know, I literally get hungover after 2 glasses of wine (still bf so that's the max I have) I think I might need to hydrate better. Didn't mean it to sound like we're on massive vodka binges 🙈🤣 my partner is an athlete so hardly drinks and I'm a lightweight- I'm talking a bottle of wine shared between us on a Saturday eve. Maybe we should cut it out but we do enjoy it.

Online shop scheduled for whenever is most convenient. Big clean Sat, quick sweep Sun Eve post bedtime. Leave other jobs to your days off if you haven't got the energy to do much on a Sun. Keep on top of it all a bit more over the weekend to reduce the amount to do in the eve. To be honest, my house is never not 'straight'. We tidy up as we go along, clean up things as needed and make sure everything is straight every evening. It might not be spotlessly clean all the time (no cleaner and we both work FT) but it's presentable enough I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone popped over!

I'm another who can't fathom dealing with a hangover every weekend - looking after kids is hard enough anyway frankly. But each to their own!