Reply to I feel like I'm drowning. How do two full time working parents do it?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, you are in the thick of it now but it will get easier, not because you will have less to do but because you will get better at it.  My kids are 10 and 7, two full time working parents and we've never had a nanny.

Here's how you do it.

Analyze your day.  What are the sticking points?  Where can you streamline things and make them more efficient?  Set yourself up to succeed.  Clorox wipes in every bathroom for quick touch ups, buy a Dustbuster and keep it easily accessible, and do a quick "declutter" every night with your husband for like 10 minutes.  We have a laundry basket in every bedroom and one in the laundry room (which is on our main living level) so any laundry is easily collected.

Meals are a big issue.  You need a plan there and you need to develop a quick roster of easy "go to" meals.  Soup and sandwiches, omlets, pasta, salads that kind of thing.  This is not forever and you can cook nice meals on weekends if you are so inclined, or eat out.

Figure out how your husband can contribute.  I worked in BigLaw for years and the best part of that job is the flexibility.  Yes, you work a lot, but you can also carve out time to run errands and no one will care as long as you are billing your time.  Your husband is lying to you or really inefficient if he can't get some things done during the day.  Trust me, all the dads I worked with seem to find time to go to their kids sporting events or stand around in the halls and shoot the shit when they feel like it, so he needs to be responsible for making doctor appointments, running to the pharmacy, etc.

Don't turn on the t.v.  I repeat, don't turn on the t.v.  You think you need to come home and chill but it will just drain you.  The only time to watch tv is while you are folding laundry.  Then you are efficient AND get a treat!

Wake up 15 minutes earlier every morning.  You'll see what I mean if you do this.

Exercise and make time for yourself.  I know this is easier said than done, but you cannot cannot cannot allow yourself to burn out.  You will feel so much better and more energetic if you are having some fun.  So figure out how you can fit this in, even if for just 15 minutes every other day.

When you get home, drop everything and snuggle your baby for a few minutes.  I find that if I come home and rush right into the routine I feel frenzied, whereas if I take a few minutes to breathe and relax, it energizes and refreshes me.

Good luck, you can do it!  [/quote]

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