OMG, this is so hard and exhausting!

[Anonymous]

It actually gets harder. I’m assuming your kids don’t do extracurricular activities and sports yet because you did not mention rushing to practice after 2 pick ups and struggling with dinner.

I had your life. DH left for work at 6am and I was responsible for both drop off and pick up plus all extracurriculars. It was hard and I had zero time for myself.

Dh is a surgeon and he does make good money. I eventually stopped working and had a third child.

I suggest having k child start buying lunch at school. Also have kids wear clothes for next day to bed, especially the younger one. I do this with my youngest. It is so much easier to get her to preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It actually gets harder. I’m assuming your kids don’t do extracurricular activities and sports yet because you did not mention rushing to practice after 2 pick ups and struggling with dinner.

I had your life. DH left for work at 6am and I was responsible for both drop off and pick up plus all extracurriculars. It was hard and I had zero time for myself.

Dh is a surgeon and he does make good money. I eventually stopped working and had a third child.

I suggest having k child start buying lunch at school. Also have kids wear clothes for next day to bed, especially the younger one. I do this with my youngest. It is so much easier to get her to preschool.

It got a lot easier for us, but I have a super flex job and DH has a fair amount of flex too (though I WFH a lot more than him). I find the "grind" of extracurriculars etc. much easier than the baby/breastfeeding/toddler years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the comments on this thread are pretty dramatic. Yes, you can survive without a nanny. Daycare drop off/pick up is stressful, but Jesus, no one is dying. Kids are in bed by what, 8? How long does it take to prep for the next day?

If some of the blue collar and low wage workers you see every day saw all the fretting around stuff like this, you all would have an earful about the realities of the exhaustion.

You realize there are single mothers who take public transport, with more then 2 kids, at 2 different schools, bad credit, no extended networks and somehow will survive.

DCUM bubble is real

I agree PP. The whining of the wealthy DCUM parents is like nails on a chalkboard. No abilities to organize and run their own lives. Throw money at other people and still whine about how tired they are.

There are people who work, do drop offs and pick ups every day, spend time with their kids and spouses, clean their own houses, do their own laundry, and even still have time to come on DCUM.

Honestly.

Ok but that’s your decision to be unmarried, have 2 kids and bad credit.

I know several women who find themselves with kids and no spouse due to circumstances beyond their control.

But that's not me. Married, both work, 2 kids, excellent credit. If you have average or better intelligence, average or better finances, no debilitating health issues, children who don't have special needs etc., you and your spouse/partner should be able to take care of your house, your kids and yourselves.

[Anonymous]

OP: you need to find a routine that works for you. It may take some time and trial and error. And the routine will evolve as your kids get older and change from daycare to school or from school to school, add extracurriculars, etc. Do whatever you can the night before for lunches. Run a load of laundry each evening instead of all on the weekends. As your kids get older, include them in the routine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It actually gets harder. I’m assuming your kids don’t do extracurricular activities and sports yet because you did not mention rushing to practice after 2 pick ups and struggling with dinner.

I had your life. DH left for work at 6am and I was responsible for both drop off and pick up plus all extracurriculars. It was hard and I had zero time for myself.

Dh is a surgeon and he does make good money. I eventually stopped working and had a third child.

I suggest having k child start buying lunch at school. Also have kids wear clothes for next day to bed, especially the younger one. I do this with my youngest. It is so much easier to get her to preschool.

It got a lot easier for us, but I have a super flex job and DH has a fair amount of flex too (though I WFH a lot more than him). I find the "grind" of extracurriculars etc. much easier than the baby/breastfeeding/toddler years.

Your situation is different than OP. It sounds like her DH has a flexible schedule and neither does she. She doesn’t mention either works from home. Obviously if your kids are older and you work from home, it will be easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For food:
Make muffins for breakfast in bulk. Every weekend I make a big batch of something and freeze it and we have a few choices every week (“Hulk” muffins with spinach, blueberry, paleo poppyseed, bacon cheddar and cornbread, pumpkin walnut, etc). It takes barely more time to make 3 dozen than one dozen.

For lunch they get the same 5 “entrees” every week:
Pigs in blankets, pizza, pbj sandwich, larabars and veggie dino nuggets from aldis. I make the pigs in blankets and veggie pizza as part of my weekend rotation. Also in my rotation is mass-producing pbj sandwiches (I prep 2 loaves at a time and cut sandwiches in half so I can just grab it in the morning without getting everything out and getting crumbs on the counter). For snack and alongside their entree they get fruit. Berries and other time-sensitive things in the beginning of the week, freeze-dried fruit or applesauce pouches towards the end of the week.

For dinner:
We have veggies and hummus and cheese one night a week, breakfast-for-dinner one night a week, bean-dip with chips one night a week and pasta one night a week. Fridays we order out. I cook real meals on the weekend and DH and I take leftovers for lunch two days a week and then do packaged frozen meals the other days.

We wash a load of laundry daily. We all put our clothes right into the washer when they are dirty, then I start it with a delay in the morning and move to the dryer after bed. DH folds and puts away on the weekend. We have a housecleaner every other week and she changes the bedding then too.

For day-to-day mess we keep it from getting too bad by not wearing shoes in the house, being somewhat minimalist with our possessions, and doing a nightly cleanup routine.

Omg. Your food choices sound unhealthy and disgusting. Poor kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Omg. Your food choices sound unhealthy and disgusting. Poor kids.

OMG you are are real jerk, your poor spouse.

- NP

[Anonymous]

OP get a housekeeper that will do some of the laundry for you and help you. Teach your K to do her own laundry. Keep her clothes simple and let her manage it. We did laundry on Mondays followed by homework. Get into a routine of making the same meal on the same night. On Monday’s we have chicken, Tuesday is soup, etc. Remember that your nanny had a full time job and now you are doing it. Simplify and don’t be too hard on yourself. And BTW don’t loose your real job from exhaustion. Pace yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Omg. Your food choices sound unhealthy and disgusting. Poor kids.

OMG you are are real jerk, your poor spouse.

- NP

I wouldn't have said it similarly to PP, but bean dip with chips for dinner... no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Omg. Your food choices sound unhealthy and disgusting. Poor kids.

OMG you are are real jerk, your poor spouse.

- NP

I wouldn't have said it similarly to PP, but bean dip with chips for dinner... no.

Meh, once a week? Those kids are getting plenty of fruits and veggies based on what PP posted, a lot of homemade food, not tons of meat. It's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Omg. Your food choices sound unhealthy and disgusting. Poor kids.

OMG you are are real jerk, your poor spouse.

- NP

I wouldn't have said it similarly to PP, but bean dip with chips for dinner... no.

Meh, once a week? Those kids are getting plenty of fruits and veggies based on what PP posted, a lot of homemade food, not tons of meat. It's fine.

NP. Beans are an excellent source of protein. I doubt they're having Cheetos with canned bean-dip. We make a black bean dip that my kids love and eat it as veggie tacos, quesadillas, burritos, or yes, with tortilla chips. Gasp!