[purpleblackqueen]

I am waiting to hear back on a job, which I am fairly confident about getting.

My hours would be 8.30am-5pm M-F so we (inc kids) would have to walk out the door at 8am.

I am after routine examples from other working mums that have kids please- incl bedtimes etc

I have told the kids that they WILL have chores to do (not time specified) and that there will be consequences if they are not done.

I am planning to split up the housework (for me) over the week, even though that Tuesday night I will have TAFE and then the homework etc that comes with that, so that Shopping will get done Saturday, along with Lawns, Baking etc, so that Sunday can be family time.



This post has been edited by purpleblackqueen: 23/02/2013, 12:55 PM

[roses99]

Great news about your job, PBQ! Hope it comes through for you.

For me, it's all about being prepared the night before. If we are, the morning runs smoothly. If not, it can be disastrous. I make school lunches (mini quiches, muffins etc) weeks in advance and freeze. That makes life so much easier. I also have a week's worth of uniforms, which I iron and hang up on the weekend. I also pack the swimming bag, library bag etc on the weekend. Then once the week is underway, we're prepared.

Night before:
**Take lunch out of freezer and thaw in lunchbox in the fridge
**Pack school bag - sign diary, check for notes etc
**Get clothes ready for the next day
**Put out shoes/socks etc
**Clean kitchen (having a clean kitchen makes the next morning much easier)

On the morning:
**Get up and get the kids their brekky
**Get kids dressed and let them watch TV for a few minutes while I have a shower
**Clean teeth/brush hair and get out the door.
The morning routine can all be done in about an hour, if we're prepared.

In the afternoons:
**Try to cook in bulk several times a week. I rarely cook on the days I work. I reheat a casserole or lasagne or curry that I cooked and froze earlier. Then all I need to do is cook rice and chop and steam veggies. It makes that crazy hour before dinner so much easier AND there's less washing up to do. By being prepared, you can avoid resorting to takeaway
**Give the kids a definite routine: take off and put away shoes, unpack lunchbox and wipe out ready for the next day. Take out diary and check for notes etc. Check what homework needs to be done.
**When I work, I get home at about 5:30. The kids are hungry and dinner isn't ready yet, so I let them eat a carrot which means they're not filling up on other stuff before dinner. My son does his homework at the dining table while I get dinner ready.

[Ruffles]

I have been back at work part time for a few years and full time since late last year. Main advice OUTSOURCE.

I do my groceries online on Sundays, and they get delivered after 6pm on Monday. So all I need to do is put them away.

If you can afford a cleaner, it is money well spent. Even if I had to pay the same as I was earning, having someone else for 2-3 hours a week takes away SO much pressure (for me, anyway). I could not be without it.

If not, I suppose do a bit each night, and declutter. It is so much easier to keep things clean when it isn't messy.

Also a hand-held or easy access vaccuum. If I do the kitchen and dining area every day, the rest of the house doesn't seem so bad. And with a stick vaccuum in the kitchen, it takes 2-3 minutes, instead of lugging the big cleaner out of the cupboard.

Make lunches the night before, or make it one of the kids chores to make their own. Lay out uniforms etc the night before too.

My morning routine:
6.45 - 7am - Kids get up and dressed.
They eat breakfast while I have a shower.
Piano practice while I'm getting dressed/ready. (So I can hear!)
They pack bags and get organised while I tidy kitchen and make sure everything is organised.

Out the door by 8. (They can go on computer or hand held games if they are ready earlier. No TV though).

If they do as they are told and stay focussed, it goes very smoothly. (Maybe once or twice a week ). The secret is having it all done the night before - finding news, library books, etc etc etc.

At night we have a babysitter/Nanny, who takes them to things (sport, piano etc) or starts homework/dinner. I get in between 5-6. Finish up what they are doing, baths, pyjamas. Get ready for next day, lunches, uniforms.

Bed is around 8pm, lights out at 8.30, so I can watch TV!

Good luck with the new job!

[wallofdodo]

My routine has always been 'wing it'. As long as the son was fed and in bed by a reasonable time. This may have to change with two.

So Iguess my advice is have a list of things that MUST be done, and try to achieve those, then fit I what else you can. there is always tomorrow.

[gina70]

My children are older and I have been working full-time for a few years now. I have a large 'to do' list each weekend. The kids have their own chore chart on the fridge and on the weekend they help with the bigger jobs. I often pay dd2 to vacuum and mop. I don't do housework during the week, too tired and busy. I bulk cook every few months and freeze. Use the slow cooker and other easy meals. My morning routine:

5am: I get up and go for a walk/run
5:30: shower and coffee/check emails
6:dd2 gets up, she makes her breaky and gets dressed
6:20: dd1 gets up and gets ready (I pack her breaky to go)
I make lunches while they are getting ready, then get ready myself
6:50: leave the house


Afternoon routine:
We get home anything between 4:30 and 5:30
I usually start the dinner
Girls relax a bit/ I lie in a hot bath if dinner is organised otherwise after dinner
6: dinner
6:30: chores and showers
7: homework
8:30: dd2 into bed
9: dd1 into bed

I am also in bed by 9pm exhausted.

[CrazySingleMum]

Not working at the moment, but I did for the last couple of years.

Agree with PP about being prepared the night before, lunches, bags packed, notes checked, clothes laid out. Also, meal planning is invaluable ... eg, if you know Tuesday nights are busy, that will be leftovers or a quick meal. The absolute worst is getting home and THEN deciding what to have for dinner.

Vegies can be all chopped up in one big batch, if you store them in a tupperware container in the fridge, they'll stay good until used.

[~THE~MAGICIAN~]

Be careful Liz. Going from no work, to fulltime being on your own will be MASSIVE. You need to consider when you will get quality time with your kids too, when will you get time to help with homework etc?, who will mind the kids after school? During the school holidays (esp Christmas that goes on forever and ever) I wonder about the ability to keep up with everything and TAFE as well?

Seriously I would reconsider fulltime and look for part-time.

I only work 2 days a week (school hours) but my kids have after school activities Mon, Tues, Wed and then dance for a few hours on Saturdays. My DH is FIFO, and to be honest when he is away I get very very tired and find it hard to keep up with everything. I get up at 5:30am and go to bed between 9:30pm and 10pm.

[Pearson]

I cook things on the weekend (pizza muffins in the oven right now) for lunchboxes.
I have made sandwiches (meat and or cheese only) and frozen them, and put them in the lunchbox, they are defrosted by lunch
Are the kids going to after school care? If so, homework done there.
washing - one load a day, dinner, precooked? eg lasagne, butter chicken, reheated. Slow Cooker or pressure cooker is a good idea too. With the pressure cooker, you can do chicken and veg in 30 minutes max. You could do curries and or casseroles as well.
Burgers, grilled chicken or steak and salad or vegies.
Oven baked fish and chips? done in 30 minutes.
I try and get up before the kids and have my shower, then get them up, my kids dont have a shower in the morning 9 out of 10 times.
Pack their lunch the night before
Food shop online for pantry goods, fridge goods etc. Meat I buy in relative bulk, ($210 of meat feeds us for 5-6 weeks). Vegies I get on a Saturday at the fruit and veg shop, and sometimes pick things up on the day (if I am running low or something that has a short shelf life). If you can get to a shop while on lunch, that can help too.

[beljane]

4 kids here and we have to be out the door at 7am. I Do everything the night before so all I have to do in the morning is wake boys up and get them dressed. The older two have Breakfast at Before School Care and I send breakfast to Daycare for the younger two. I try and put a load of Washing on as soon as I walk in the door and it gets hung out on clothes airers under the house.

I give the house a quick clean every night (it is easier to keep clean when no one is home all day!). I also grocery shop online, sanity saver for me. I clean on Sunday afternoons as then it is nice and clean for the start of the week. I will usually do washing first thing Sat am (usually bed linen and towels as rest is done during week). And Bake just before cleaning so it can be cooking while I am doing other stuff. I do have a Dh, but he usually works 6 days per week, including 1 day on weekend,. We usually try to reserve half a day for family time and then get the kids involved with baking and things like that as well.

We pay someone to do the yard, otherwise there would be NO family time. I am only working three days per week now after returning from Maternity Leave, but we keep the same routine as the two days off are usually spent at appointments or helping at school and looking after our 6 month old ( except breakfast is had at home)

My kids have fixed chores during the week. These are not negotiable. The older two must clean room and make Bed every morning (usually kept pretty tidy so doesn't take long). And then they must put the dishes away that we're washed in the Dishwasher overnight. The younger one also cleans his room/makes bed and makes sure the playroom is clean (also kept reasonably clean......I am a bit of a neat freak lol). When we get home they must unpack bags and hang them up, put shoes away and put uniform in machine. They do homework while I cook and after we eat they must clear the table.

On weekends they have the opportunity to do "extra" jobs for pocket money.

It is never going to be easy, but these things at least make it easier

[whoisme]

I'm leaning toward a PP The Magician.

We are all excited you have found employment however I have two children 6 and 10 (think they are older than your children) and have gone from SAHM to Part-Time work from 8am to 2.30pm - this is just on the brink for me of being too much.

No routine is the best routine.

Get up, they have breakfast by such and such a time, then immediately after TV is switched off and they get their school uniforms on and clean teeth with sock and shoes. Then TV goes back on until DH leaves to drop them off at school.

I cannot make lunches the night before as my kids have Coeliacs disease and the bread/fresh cakes/slices etc go stale so we have to do that in the morning and freshen it up in the microwave to make it nice and soft again.

At night dinner is ready when dinner is ready, so long at the kids are in bed by 8.30pm, it is dinner, shower, hot drink with a story and bed (while the other child is being washed the other watches TV or does playdoh or lego).

I could not do FT work PBQ. However, I do absolutely applaud single parents who work full time, I just take my hat off to them, they are to be admired.