Juggling full time work, domestic stuff and family.

Does anyone else have trouble juggling work and home life.
I am exhausted. I have 3 children (Josh 8 , Maddi 5, and Hailey 21 weeks). My husband is a shift worker, so is only home on occasions.
By the time i get home from work and cook dinner, we don't eat until about 7.30pm - 8pm, the kids don't get to bed until about 9pm, I don't get to bed until about midnight by the time I clean up after dinner and get everything ready for the next day. Weekends are spent cleaning and washing. I hardly have time to spend with my kids - even to go through their homework with them, which is really depressing.

Oh scary stuff, I have only one baby, almost six months, yet I am going back to work full time shortly. I was wondering how other mothers do it and you have three children already. I feel for you, in the way of exhaustion.
Our normal routine at the moment is, clean during day, tend to baby etc, cook at 7.00pm, tuck baby in to sleep at 8.00pm, eat 8:30-9:00pm, clean up then sleep at 12:00pm. Wake up about 3:00am to feed baby, another wake up feed at 7:00am.
I wonder how my routine will change soon..
I cannot even imagine how your doing.
I hope you try not to look at it, as depressing because you have probably noticed the years are flying by quickly, especially when working. Your kids are growing up and before no time, they'll be leaving home to live their own lives with their own partners and you'll crave the time you used to have with them now. Sometimes if your spirits need lifting, have a late night bubble bath, eat chocolate and have some wine. Spend at least half an hour doing this before bed.
When you get up next morning you'll feel great that you've done something different for a change.

This would have to be the subject nobody wants to comment on.
Come on everyone, you can't all be perfect (or are you????).
Maybe its just Valuable and myself who can't get a decent routine together (thank you Valuable for taking the time to respond and comment on this topic)?

Were there classes we missed somewhere along the line?

A few more comments would be great.........PLEASE (even if just to tell me how unorganised your life is so i don't feel like the only one).

Hi Mel

I am new on the board, I have Twin Boys who are 11 months old and I know exactly how you feel, I work full time, my DH stays at home and looks after the boys as financially we were better off as I have a governement job, with perks etc, but I hate going to work, I am out of the house at about 7.00am get home at 5.00pm feed the boys then bath & bottle at 6.30 then back downstairs clean up from the days activites while we attempt to think about what to have for dinner, by the time we have dinner its about 8ish by then I am so tired I just want to go to bed, luckily we get a full night sleep so thats a bonus no getting up anymore.

I feel as though time is just passing by and I have no time to enjoy them I had the first 6 months off with them but we were so busy it just flew by, now they are at the stage were they are really funny and interesting and interacting and I have not time, its just not fair, but I suppose we can only do what we do and plod on, I bet you do a great job and even though you don't have much time I am sure your kids love every minute you spend with them.

Keep Smiling
Nicola

Hi, Im new here..

My name is Kelly and im 20 and my son Zach is 11 months old.... i stay at home at the moment but im always busy as i run 3 websites and im always working to keep them updated and looking good..

I try my best to keep Zach in some kind of routine.. i hope that these suggestions help you in some way Mel...

Maybe with your 2 younger kids you could think about mabe making there food on the weekend or just planning what they will have.. then set a basic time.. say in between 6.30 pm and 7 pm they younger 1s sit down to have dinner... then bath by 7.30 and bed by 8.... then think about your own dinner....

Im not sure if this helped but i really feel that its all about planning out your day and being organised... i find it so much easier to manage my time that way..

Kel

I read your own reply above and it made me laugh. I haven't even gone back to work. We don't have much money on one wage but the stress of me working as well would be worse!!! I have a soon to be one year old and I still can't keep up with everthing as it is.

I admire anyone that can do it all(if there is such a person) and anyone that tries.

I couldn't work full time.
I work part time(with fairly flexible hrs) study 4hrs a week which is at the same place that I work. There is a childcare on site so I get to pop over and see my son.I have a house cleaning job once a week also.
As I have two older kids I have after school sports and swimming as well as sports days and assemblies to attend.
My husband works full time but if I need him he can have time off for his family.
Its a rush here and there all the time, but I feel Im still enjoying seeing my sons grow up. We are doing OK financially, a bit of a struggle with bills at times but Id rather stress with bills than to stress with coping with the demanding job of running a house and raising my kids with no time to do it.
I just try to balance it all out, keep the house as tidy as possible, not let too much build up, make the kids responsible for their stuff like their clothes, changing their sheets, cleaning up their toys, etc. And they are a great help keeping the 6month old entertained.
For all the mums who have no choice but to work full time my hat goes off to you.

Hi, I suggest you do a lot of cooking on the weekend and freeze meals for the week. You can heat up the kids meals first and feed them, spend a little bit of time playing then put them to bed. That leaves time for you & hubby to sit down enjoy a meal together in peace without any cooking! I work part time and always cook up a batch of vegies for my son on the weekend then freeze portions. Things like vegie pies are healthy and freeze well.
I really feel for you. You need to make some time for yourself just to relax. Does your hubby help???

Hi,
I have actually just started preparing some meals on the weekend, and cooking up the babies food all on the weekend for the week as well. I've also started paying my mother in law to do some housework for me through the week (she is at my house looking after the baby through the day anyway), that way i have a bit more time on the weekends to spend with the family.

My hubby does help where he can, he is a shift worker and does long hours, so its not often that he's home when we are, and when he is home, he's generally asleep.

All I can say is 'Maggi' or 'Continental'. There are these packets of stuff that all you need to do is add the meat and vegetables and it has things ready from 10-40 minutes depending on what you pick. The advantage these things have over Chicken Tonight or anything else similar is that you can add fresh vegetables. They are so easy to make up as there usually is only 4-5 ingredients and that includes the packet mix and the meat.

Try the Tuna Pasta Bake and the Chicken Cacciatore and Lamb Ragout - they're winners!

Hope this helps.

I was working full time and will be again fingers crossed very shortly!! - I only have one boy who is 3.5 but my partner works away from home so isn't here often - I find it hard specially the spending time with my boy I hate missing out on time and feeling like he is in daycare more then at home! - I have had 3 months off and enjoyed it my son still goes to daycare 5days a week as I was meant to be studying but money became an issue so well im looking for a job, he is only in daycare about 5hours aday and its great the time i have with him is amazing! I'm not looking forward to going back to work but its got to be done! My main advice is worry a little less about housework and spend quality time with the kids and like everyone else plan meals and cook in advance it will help heaps! I also keep some canned food like sausages and bake beans or healthy quick meals for the freezer for nights I was completely unprepared, so he could have a nice and fast meal smile - I take my hat off to you doing it with 3 children its amazing you should be so prooud of yourself!!!!!

Hi!!

My son is 14 months old and I went back to my full time position as an Executive Assistant 3 months ago. I get paid to be organised and it rubs off at home.... sometimes a little too much says my DH!!! lol. Going back full time wasn't quite as hard as I imagined. I think once DH and I had our morning and afternoon ritual down pat it went pretty smoothly. I'm not sure if you guys live in massive cities but I live in a small city (approx 70,000) people and my commute to and from work (even with picking up and dropping Austin to day care) is only 20 - 25 minutes... I think this makes a huge difference! Also I saw that a few of you have hubands on shift work or they work away, so that would make it a lot harder!

I do little things to try to make the most of the time. Like EVERYTHING goes in the dishwasher, if its not dishwasher safe it goes in the bin! I cook all of Austin's day care snacks over the weekends and freeze. I tend to cut up vegies and get meat out for dinner that night in the morning so I have to just literally pop it on when I get home.

But in saying all that... sometimes it feels like everything is soooo rushed!!!!! No time to just sit! And then of course there is the mother guilt that you have left your child in care full time. Sometimes after cleaning the house at night DH and I literally just fall into bed. I'd love to just sit and watch Austin play for an hour...

P.S anyone with more then one kid... YOU ARE MY HERO smile