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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, it takes 5 minutes to load a dishwasher! I load everything and there are 5 of us!

It takes about 5 minutes to fold laundry - I do it daily for 5 of us. It's one load! EASY

10 minutes in the evening!!!
--------------------------------
It takes 2 minutes, if even, to load a washer

Yes, it takes about 5 minutes to unload my dishwasher in the AM. 5 minutes!!!

Total time is 7 minutes in the AM!!!

I think u have 17 minutes a day to make y our life easier. It's not a big deal. Just do it EVERY day so stuff doesn't pile up!

[/quote]

I'm a SAHM with a preschooler and elementary school aged child. Our cleaning lady comes every other week. I'm a SAHM and still my dishes and laundry pile up. It does not take 2 minutes to load the dishwasher. It takes me longer to clear the table, wipe table down, wipe down counters, get pots and pans into the sink. This does not include time to rinse and load the dishwasher.[/quote]

Your kids are preschool / elementary and your dishes pile up?  Have them help!  Or is work as foreign to them as it is to you?[/quote]

I admit I am a lousy housekeeper and cook. We had a PT housekeeper but she recently moved. We need to hire a new one. I am newly pregnant too so we need to fine more help anyways.[/quote]

It is so hard to find good help these days, isn't it?

Are you newly rich? [/quote]

No, I'm a new SAHM though. We had the PT housekeeper before I quit my job. I am one of those moms who quit after older child started elementary school. It was much more difficult for our family to juggle all the time off school and afternoon activities, which is exactly what this thread is about.

When I was a working mom, we outsourced most of our housework. I was a lousy housekeeper when I was a working mom and still am a lousy housekeeper now that I am a SAHM. I plan to hire a FT housekeeper/mother's helper when our new baby is born. This will allow me to spend time with the baby during the day and spend quality time with my older kids in the afternoon and take them to their activities, do homework, etc.[/quote]

Still in the honeymoon phase. Check back in when you've been home for a year or two.[/quote]

I've been home for about 1.5 yrs. I quit my job when my child was in the middle of kindergarten. He has just finished first grade.[/quote]

Are you making this up as you go along?  You just described yourself as a new sham.[/quote]

Why would I make this stuff up? Fine, I'm a newer SAHM. I didn't just quit my job yesterday but I feel it is still new to me. We had our PT housekeeper when I was still working.  She stopped working for us last month. That is true.[/quote]

Right, we believe you.[/quote]

What do you not believe? This thread is about whether it becomes more difficult for working parents when children start elementary school. I quit my job when my child was in kindergarten and he is now in first grade. Before I quit my job, we had a PT housekeeper/cook/nanny that many working parents on this thread seem to have. After I quit my job, we kept the PT housekeeper but cut her hours. Her mother became ill so she moved back to her home country to take care of her mom. I am also newly pregnant. When DH and I discussed having a third child, we said it would be doable if I have help so my older kids won't get shortchanged. DH earns a high income, which is why we can afford help and for me to stay home. Not sure why this is so unbelievable to you.[/quote]

I haven't been responding to you and I believe what you're saying because I think it's this weirdly prevalent way of thinking around here - this idea that you have to hire help if you have multiple children, even if SAH, in order not to "shortchange" your children. Great that you have the resources to do it, but don't make the mistake of thinking your children need you to be hyper-involved in every last detail of their lives. It's okay, and healthy, for children to have to entertain themselves sometimes, learn to do homework independently, etc. it's okay for them to sometimes play Legos and run around in the backyard while you deal with a baby or make dinner. I guess it just seems so foreign to me because I had my third when my older two were around the ages of yours, and it never would have crossed my mind to hire a nanny/full time housekeeper even if we could have easily afforded it. We do have a house cleaner every other week, but I can't imagine feeling like I needed more than that. I don't think any of my children have suffered or felt shortchanged; in fact, I think we are thriving! I don't begrudge you for wanting tons of help or for being able to afford it, but this idea that it's somehow required in order to have another child is really strange.[/quote]

PP here. My DH did not want to have a third originally because he wanted to focus on our two children. He has a very demanding job and works 60+ hours per week. He said he didn't think he could do diapers and sleepless nights again. I actually don't mind the house being a bit messy. DH is the neat freak. Our family compromise was that the third child was doable if we got help. We have not worked out the logistics of who we will hire. I do know I want afternoon coverage plus some night coverage in addition to housekeeping/cooking. I want to be able to work out a few times a week. Preferably this person can be the same person so we could have one FT employee.[/quote]

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