Housework. Children. Commute. Work. Commute. Children. Housework. Collapse in heap.
How on earth can working moms keep all those balls in the air without driving ourselves to complete exhaustion?
Part of the answer is just to be honest with ourselves and others.
We set ourselves impossibly high standards of being amazing earth mothers, domestic goddesses & career high fliers and it can't be done. Or at least not without a lot of money and a lot of help!
But many of us need to work.
Or actually just want to work because we're smart & talented and have got lots to contribute.
And even if we accept we are never going to be a domestic goddess, we still have to get food on the table, provide clothes and maintain some basic level of hygiene and order whilst getting the bills paid.
I have by no means perfected the art of juggling children, career & home ... never mind me-time! ... and I kind of accept that I never will.
But I have discovered there are some simple working mom survival tips that make it easier. These are my top 20 which keep most of the balls in the air most ... or at least some ... of the time.
All together they work out at about an hour a day ... that's 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening plus 15 to 30 minutes for an evening meal during the week.
When you're exhausted it seems a lot, but it is doable and will just about keep everything functioning.
20 Survival Tips for Working Moms
2. Do one load of laundry every day ... load up in the morning, use timer so finished when get home, put straight in drier, hang up or put away before bed. If don't have a drier, put on hangers wet on airer and transfer to wardrobe next morning.
3. Put dry clothes away, NOT in laundry basket ... hang up everything that can and ONLY iron essentials when needed
4. Create a shopping list of everything & if can order weekly delivery via smart phone
5. Each week clean each room for 15 mins max to put mess away, dust & vacuum
6. Blitz the kitchen for 20 mins max each week - wipe round stove, microwave & grill; spot clean cupboards; throw out waste food; wipe round fridge; wash floor; clean sink
7. Clean shower whilst in it with dish washing liquid & micro fibre cloth
8. Keep cleaning supplies incl bin bags, cloths & dish wash liquid in all bathrooms
9. Keep stain removers in bathroom & treat stains as soon as clothes come off
10. De-clutter for two hours every 6 months - donate stuff & blitz mail & paperwork
11. Do one 30 minute spring cleaning task every week from this complete list
12. Delegate the easy stuff that other half or children really can't get "wrong" e.g. dishwasher & bins, dry cleaning ... leave them to do it, don't interfere
13. If can afford one ask cleaner to do weekly & spring cleaning tasks not daily stuff like beds, bins & dishes as will still have to do them yourself the next day
14. Piggy back on SAHM friends - ask them to always book up e.g. window or bin cleaner when they book for themselves ... but remember you owe them big time!
15. Create a simple fortnightly meal plan of recipes you know how to make and most of which can be prepared in advance ... whenever you cook, make double & freeze one
16. Take 3 hours once a month to prep & freeze meals and vegetables
17. Clean up as you go when cooking ... as soon as something finished with put it in dishwasher, keep bin & compost crock right by you, have a cloth ready for immediate wiping
18. Open mail as it comes in - bin, file or put in action pile ... blitz action pile once a week
19. Blitz the mess bag once a week ... sort into pile for each room, take relevant stuff to each room, dump on floor & sort into piles for each bit of storage ... if you try to tidy an item at a time you will spend your whole life doing it!
20. Enjoy some time every week which is just for me ... not work stuff, not mom stuff, not housework, not relationship just me time
And if you're looking for more tips to keep the house under some kind of control, check out these posts from the Mommy Archive ...
18. Open mail as it comes in - bin, file or put in action pile ... blitz action pile once a week
19. Blitz the mess bag once a week ... sort into pile for each room, take relevant stuff to each room, dump on floor & sort into piles for each bit of storage ... if you try to tidy an item at a time you will spend your whole life doing it!
20. Enjoy some time every week which is just for me ... not work stuff, not mom stuff, not housework, not relationship just me time
And if you're looking for more tips to keep the house under some kind of control, check out these posts from the Mommy Archive ...
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