So how do you do it? Look after the DC in the day, get them in bed, housework and then study???

[FAQinglovely]

as I'm struggling right now. Admittedly I had a meeting here at 8pm which didn't finish until 9.30 - but I've still got the housework to do, and I really need to get on with my OU studies - it's the first proper week and I'd already given myself a "day off" to get the house straightened up a bit (having moved in just over 2 weeks ago).

I'm bloody shattered, not even sure I have the energy to get the house work done, let alone sit down and start dipping into my reader and Good Study Guide and the Unit one work.

How do you cope? Or don't you? Do I have to just resign myself to 9 months of being bloody shattered all the time???

with these

well that didn't work. With these

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Fark!
THESE

• yes I think I'll have to buy some of those.

Didn't help that DS3 didn't settle until 10pm either - had him up twice during the meeting.

Now next question, do I try and crack on and do some now, feeling unmotivated and snowed under. Or do I put it off one more day and have a fresh start tomorrow??

It's like adseiling, the hardest part is starting it. It's getting late now so best to start it tomorrow. In the meantime, write a study plan of things you wish to achieve and give yourself a time scale. You can do this now, it does help to know what you need to do, it makes you feel good when you work your way down the list and cross things off. It helps to see the light at the end of the tunnel

I know hwat I want to acheive, I'm just starting to wonder how the hell I'm going to manage it with having to do the bulk of the housework after the kids are in bed and then studying

Housework can wait. There will only be more to do tomorrow.

Childcare during the day for a day or two a week? I had ds1 whilst doing a fulltime degree and had him in the university nursery 3 or 4 days a week. A friend doing an OU masters and now a doctorate does it on Saturday mornings from early (c.7am) to early afternoon, while ex-dh or inlaws look after the children.

yes but it can only wait so long, at some point the clothes need washing and drying and ironing, the boxes need unpacking (we're still living out of suitcases!), the dishes need washing, the dinner needs cooking...........

And it certainly can't wait 9 months

You don't need to iron them if they have been in the dryer. Suitcases are fine, wash up when you are out of plates, dinner cooks itself, you just need to remember to stir the pasta sauce or it sticks to the saucepan and burns. Cooking takes 20 mins!

hermione - I can't afford childcare and DH only has the DS's every other weekend.

God what was I thinking deciding to do an OU course now????

I don't have a dryer and I'm slightly OCDish about un-ironed clothes - I CANNOT put clothes away in drawers (not that many are in drawers yet, nor most of the stuff out of boxese yet......) if they're not ironed

If you fold them then you don't need to iron them, the pressure of piling them on top of each other does the job. I did tell someone to put them under her matress once , does the same thing.

no it's just not the same I know if something isn't ironed - I know it's stupid, I don't even enjoy ironing (hence the reason it builds up until I have no clothes left to wear..........even worse at the moment as I ran out of suitcases so a lot of my clothes went into a box - which I haven't yet located ..........and then do a massive amount in one go).

I think I'm not going to do anything else tonight - not even the housework (thankfully sitting here at the computer I have my back to it all )) and then start afresh in the morning.........I have no meeting tomorrow night, and hopefully DS3 won't take 2hrs to settle again (he usually goes down at 8pm without any trouble at all)