What are your top tips for making life that bit easier once I'm back at work?

[HolidaysQueen]

I'm back to work tomorrow after 13 months off on mat leave. I'll be working 3 days per week, out 8am-5.30pm.

I kind of feel I have the big things covered, or at least on my radar - DS getting on well with nanny, broad agreement on logistics with DH etc. - but am wondering about all the little stuff that might make life that bit easier.

Some of the things I thought which might help are: planning menus for the week, making and freezing meals in advance, grocery shopping online (okay, i'm obsessed with food !), laying out clothes the night before etc.

Any top tips for me?

menu planning
don't iron
a cleaner
division of tasks - eg my dh does bins and dog poop clearing - I do NOT!!!

lists - when you think you need something write it down so you're not wandering about going 'now I KNOW I needed something' - a bad one of mine

specified time for family i.e time where you have no problem ignoring the housework/shopping etc so you can have family time

get to bed at a reasonable time so you're not constantly knackered

sky + its a wonder, you don't have to sit up watching tv programmes when they're on late at night, you can watch them when you choose lol

Thanks dizzydixies. Those are all really helpful!

Bed at reasonable time is probably the best idea for me - I haven't really been getting to bed until midnight recently as just faffing around, and I think it needs to be much earlier!

I am a terrible 'faffer' and being on here in the evening is a disaster I ended up on here the other night until about 1am and then had a horrendous night with the DC so on Friday I was ready for my bed at 8.30!!!

a good sleep really can make it all seem so much better

YES YES YES to laying out clothes night before. It saves me ages.

Decide what really matters in your house? Clean work tops, made beds, swept floors? and make sure they are the things that get done (by whoever) The rest can slot in at anytime.

Put loads of washing on first thing and hang out on hangers when you come in in the evening.

Make some time for you so you don't go doolally.

And good luck back at work!

Don't sit down in the evening until you have done everything for the next day. Once you sit down you won't want to get up again.

I get in from work, do dinner, time with girls, then bath and bed for them. Then I hoover downstairs, flick a duster around, put a load of washing on, make packed lunches, clean up kitchen, load dishwasher, sort out and restock bags for school, nursery etc. Sort out clothes for next day (mine and theirs).

I get up early enough in the morning so I can shower before the girls wake up, unload dishwasher, put out washing, have breakfast. Then I get the girls up and ready. Allow lots more time than you think you'll need - better to be up early and have time to spare than be running late and dashing round like a blue-arsed fly!

Definitely get groceries online (I use Tesco and Sainsbury's) and Sky Plus. I catch up on programmes I have recorded whilst ironing.

Good luck!

I have been back at work also PT for three months, after 13 months maternity leave. It is bloody hard work. Adrenalin and the excitement of being back got me through the first few weeks, and then it all starts to get a bit of a slog. My tips are...

One night a week go to bed at the same time as your LO(s). Sounds utterly ridiculous I know. But my god it works, in terms of avoiding burn-out. Take a book/ newspaper if it's too early for you to sleep. I read this on MN, thought it was rubbish but actually it is a great piece of advice.

Expect illness. Everyone. Don't be surprised by it. You may have less because of having a nanny, but still exposure to playgroups etc. = coughs, colds, conjunctivitis etc.

Talk to your boss and ensure that they are understanding about your situation.

If you work in an office, schedule in when you leave the office and be completely rigid about it, if necessary cutting off colleagues mid-sentence. Otherwise you will find yourself zooming out in a panic fifteen minutes or half an hour late, and then it all goes tits up at home. Make sure everyone knows your hours and don't get in the habit of doing work on your days off, it's a slippery slope.

Expect your LO to be annoyed to see you and strangely whiny at the end of the day. Sigh.

I appreciate seeing other people's advice too!

Good advice from wobbegong about getting into the habit of always leaving on time (not least because your nanny won't thank you for being late!). What do you do? I have found that leaving promptly works well as I then follow up on emails on the Blackberry on the way home, and occasionally log on in the evenings if need be. I find that means that leaving on the dot of 5.30 is better for everyone.

Not just grocery shopping online - I buy nearly everything online apart from children's shoes, and get it delivered to the office. My colleagues think I have some kind of shopping obsession.

Planning. Google Calendar is fantastic - dh and I can both update and view it from work, and if it's not in the calendar you don't get to do it. I put all sorts in there - vaccinations, paying holiday deposits, birthdays etc.

I plan on one day being organised enough to go to the shops and buy a stack of birthday cards for different permutations of sex and age, plus a heap of gender neutral presents and wrapping paper so we don't have the birthday party and no present panic (though if your ds is 13 months, you might get away with that for a while).

Will your nanny bath ds? Ours didn't to start with, but now she does, and that's great - I come home to clean, pyjama-ed children for playing and cuddling, which is lovely.

Thanks guys - all unbelievably helpful!

Should be able to leave at 5 on the dot as going in earlyish (for 8.15) while DH does nanny handover, and i'm largely in control of my own work as my boss is based in teh US. so i'm hoping that bit works okay most of the time.

right off to bed earlyish now. was meant to be earlier but didn't realise it was a double bill of 24 tonight

Another vote for on-line everything. Get the groceries delivered during nanny hours so she can put them away. Nanny to dress baby in the morning as part of her duties - this might be an easy task now but when baby has views about what to wear it can be one negotiation too many!

I have my handbag ready the night before too. That way however bad the night/hectic the morning I only need to get myself dressed, pick up my bag and leave.

Work out plan B (and C and D)if your carefully balanced child-care arrangements fail for any reason (typically, a sick nanny). A mate you can swap favours with? Another nanny (we have an emergency arrangement with my brother's nanny)? A creche near your office? Being able to work from home? Baby might not be happy all day with someone strange but it's reassuring to know that if you wanted to you could leave them somewhere safe for 2 hours while you did that one thing you really really had to do that day, which time obviously clashes with DH's similar emergency.

Two days in and it's gone okay so far - baby seems okay (more into his evening breastfeed but generally happy with nanny and us) so I'm okay. I think it will get harder as work gets busier but hopefully by then we'll be more settled into our routine. So far so good.

Getting my stuff laid out the night before and also not sitting down until it is all done has worked really well for the last two days! I'm going to set up internet shopping now

fridayschild - great tip on having plan B/C/D. We have in-laws an hour away who could cover if they had a day's notice but emergency cover not yet really worked out. I shall get planning that.

I'm working Tues, Weds, Fri so I have a breather tomorrow and time to do fun things with DS which is great

This is so helpful - thank you!

And amy be give up TV. I don't watch and you gain so much, so much time etc

Our internet shopping works well. Noqw 24 years in to being a mother we have a cleaner and I time the shopping to arrive when she's here so she puts it away and she dose all the washing and more importantly putting away clothse as well - that made a huge difference but we couldn't afford it for many years

enjoy your work time

write lists and prioritise tasks

pack handbag night before

book some you time eg hairdreser and stick to it

Yes bulk cook and freeze

Yes online groceries

on day off get all work clothes clean and ironed plan clothing and lay ready for week

charge phone overnight if reqd

standing order on bills

glad its going well

id add a cleaner - at least once a fortnight, else you'll end up doing it when tired or could be spending time with family

don't worry if you feel tired for a week or two - it will all fall into place!

you are right about the cleaner.i have that working class guilt about having/hiring staff

and as a result we do our own housework.pointless i know really,that is quality time i should use for boyfriend and lo

Another MNer told me this and it's been unbelievably helpful. Buy your child a selection of long sleeved bodies which are quite t-shirty rather than vest in style (GAP do really nice ones) and tracksuit bottoms. Put them in the body the night before then the next morning all you need to do is change their nappy and yank up some trackies. Takes seconds. You can chuck a zip up fleece over the top when it's chilly or swap for short sleeves in high summer. Genius.

hey i did that too,gap long sleeved bodies and clothes.great time saver