FT working moms: how do you stay organized so weekends aren’t a shitshow?

[Anonymous]

Moms with full time jobs outside the home: how do you stay organized so weekends aren’t a cluster**** of chores, meal prep and cooking? Any tips on maximizing time with the kids (I have a toddler, but tips from all ages appreciated.) thanks!

[Anonymous]

Just adding that FT jobs outside obviously included FT WFH which is nearly as many hours of work, minus the commuting.

[Anonymous]

We have a wonderful nanny who handles the kids laundry so DH and I do our laundry during the week. We only dedicate a couple hours to dinners prep on Sunday afternoon and clean during the week doing about 40 minutes every week night after toddler and baby are in bed. That leaves our weekends free (except for the couple hours we do meal prep).

[Anonymous]

Hmm, not sure I have any brilliant tips.

I do laundry on weekday evenings because it doesn't require focus or (too much) energy. I also do all grocery shopping and planning during the week (sometimes during conference calls like weekly updates from management that are so generic as to not require full concentration). On Saturday mornings I kick the kids out into the backyard for a good two hours, regardless of temperature (although I let them come in when they want if it's raining). That gives me time to have coffee and assess the situation while keeping an eye on them through the window. This is a pandemic tradition, otherwise we'd be out and about at that time.

The kids put away their own dishes and laundry and my older (6) has started to unload the dishwasher. They also help with sweeping although they don't exactly do a thorough job. But just getting them into the habit of helping out should pay off (I hope?).

[Anonymous]

Meal prep and cooking for a toddler means cutting up grapes and making fish sticks. Throw one load of laundry in every night and switch it every morning so you don't end up with tons of weekend laundry. Clearning? I clean one part of the house each week. Maybe two bathrooms one weekend and a bathroom and the kitchen the next weekend.

[Anonymous]

Any working dads want to chime in?

[Anonymous]

1) This is a question for working PARENTS, not working moms.

2) You can't save it all for the weekends, sorry. You have to at least run a load of laundry through in the evening (fold/put away the next morning, or the next day). Clean the powder room after the kids are in bed, as you listen to music or a podcast--little, 20-minute chores like that.

3) Meal prep doesn't have to be some huge thing. Just do something like make a salad the night before or the morning of, to serve alongside pasta or fish. Just something to set yourself up well, working a day or two ahead.

[Anonymous]

I am currently working from home, which can give more flexibility but also generates more dirty dishes and laundry. If I have a conference call I just need to listen in on, I pop in AirPods to listen and empty the dishwasher or get dinner started. I get up early and vacuum or do laundry while the kids eat breakfast and play or watch cartoons. After they get in bed at night I finish up work and clean or prep for the next day. It still leaves some stuff for the weekends, but not a ton. Mostly weekly tasks like cleaning humidifiers, or small house repairs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any working dads want to chime in?

DH vacuums every day, makes dinner every night, does his own laundry and weekly grocery shopping during the pandemic. Nanny does kids laundry. I do my laundry and towels/linens a couple times during the week. We have a housekeeping team come in every other week for floors, dusting, and bathrooms. We definitely keep our weekends just for the kids.

[Anonymous]

Honestly I let a lot go.. like deep cleaning. Should do more but don’t and feel ok about it. Husband does laundry throughout the week. We meal prep together and then at some point one of us goes to the store sometimes an evening. With wfh we haven’t had to meal prep as much since there is time to cook simple meals each night which is so nice. I’m sure there is more I should be doing but I need to reset on the weekends and spend time with my kids and especially during the pandemic when no one is coming over if our bathrooms are in need of a deep clean a little longer than ideal, I just let it go. Try to wipe them down quickly so it’s not too bad

[Anonymous]

I have gotten really lazy about meal prep. Really phoning it in these days

[Anonymous]

Instacart, doing laundry during the day since now I WFH (a win for covid), sharing with husband, way less kid committments so home more.

[Anonymous]

Flamethrower

[Anonymous]

Outsource what you can afford to. We have a cleaning lady every other week and I do groceries via instacart.

I usually meal plan everything I’m going to serve for a week, including lunches/breakfast and try to make something on Sunday that will make the week easier, usually pizza or sauce. Laundry gets done on weeknights.. I try to have a designated day for every family member. DH does his own and helps with folding.

Let stuff go as much as you can stand. My mom told me once, there is no 8pm clean house check! And that is true. So sometimes I don’t pick up the toy mess or straighten their rooms.

[Anonymous]

Laundry in the evening when there is enough for a load. We have a 3 bin sorter, when one is full I do a load from start to finish.

Meal prep is hit and miss. I do keep some hard boiled eggs on hand for whatever we want them for. Or I'll mix up meatloaf, and freeze it in the pan. Some weeks I'm on top of it, others not so much. I do like curbside pickup for groceries. Sunday morning I clean out the fridge, and then pick up the groceries. Kids play while I do that.

On nights I don't do laundry I clean a room. We also have a roomba... that keeps the main area tidy.