Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have money to outsource? I plucked low hanging fruit first with mighty meals dinners and grocery delivery (I haaaate all things cooking). I’m working on trying to find a job where I can work from home one or two days a week just so I can throw in laundry while I work.

Some things have just fallen through the cracks too. My kid eats cereal for dinner more than I want to admit. Sometimes (a lot of time) clean laundry isn’t folded before it’s reworn. It’s okay. Prioritize your mental health.

I never ever fold laundry. I just throw it in a drawer that is only half full so that the clothes don’t wrinkle.

I don't fold either. I hang absolutely everything up. Socks, underwear, workout clothes, leggings and pjs don't need folded. They have specific drawers.

Dh travels a lot and I'm really feeling this OP. I realize I'm not a single mother, so don't jump on me. He's gone this entire month and often M-F. I have 3 kids- 6, 4 and 1.

I telework 3 days a week, which truly helps me a lot. Dinners are simple but healthy: rotisserie chicken, subs, soups with easy vegetables like broccoli, carrots, green beans, asparagus. Mornings are like the wild wild west because my oldest's school starts at 7:10 and then I have 3 drop offs, but I pack as much as possible the night before, my kids get themselves completely ready all on their own (other than the baby obviously). All 3 eat breakfast and lunch at school/daycare and I don't eat. I pick up at 4:30 and we talk to different grandparents on the way as I drive the "bus" (which is time saving because then these people aren't nagging me to facetime which I absolutely don't have time for!).

I've been messing a lot with automation- kids' lamps come on at 6:40am, coffee maker starts brewing at 6:55. The entire house (at least the switches we turn on often) is wired to turn off lights when I leave.

Cleaning- kids both keep their rooms clean. My dd is a mess maker so we both spend 10 min cleaning her room every single night. I'm hoping that she will learn to stop ripping her entire room apart, but so far it's been unsuccessful. I do the laundry on one of my telework days during lunch and it's nbd to me. I clean/cook/prep for 2 hours after they go to bed at night before I crawl into bed. I shower on a lunch break every other day. Something I struggle with is groceries. We're often out of food. I can't grocery shop during the day and it's so hard at night with 3 kids to do it (they want to play with me or read together, not shop!). On weekends the grocery store is a mess with long lines everywhere. I just try to fit it in when I can, but haven't found a good solution.

I kind of feel crazy, but if I drop the ball, I know I won't be able to pick it back up. My house got torn up over Christmas and putting away Christmas, but once cleaning is under control, I usually put in 2-3 hours of work when the kids go to bed.

Sometimes I get a babysitter on Sunday afternoon for 3 hours to run the kids to the playground and back. I'm so, so worn out by Sunday and the kids really enjoy it. It helps me regroup.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you look good in a Versace dress?

Lol. Op here. That ship sailed LONG ago.

Versace looks great on anyone. If you enjoy the look, that’s what matters

Single parent here, too. It’s really hard. I make an effort to let my child see me performs self-care, because I want to model it for my child; if that makes sense. Sometimes I will intentionally talk about nice things that I do for myself purely for the benefit of my young child.

Anonymous wrote:Following. About to be a single parent with a demanding job.

Of course you are.

Following. About to be a single parent with a demanding job.

Anonymous wrote:Do you have money to outsource? I plucked low hanging fruit first with mighty meals dinners and grocery delivery (I haaaate all things cooking). I’m working on trying to find a job where I can work from home one or two days a week just so I can throw in laundry while I work.

Some things have just fallen through the cracks too. My kid eats cereal for dinner more than I want to admit. Sometimes (a lot of time) clean laundry isn’t folded before it’s reworn. It’s okay. Prioritize your mental health.

I never ever fold laundry. I just throw it in a drawer that is only half full so that the clothes don’t wrinkle.

How old are your kids, OP?

And there's a lot of wisdom in this.....

Anonymous wrote:Teach your kids to help in all areas of the house if they are old enough. As I get older, I'm glad I taught my son how to do everything. I'm a single parent and a teacher. He started doing his laundry when he was 8 which helped a lot. I also never really made dinner from scratch. It was easy crockpot recipes or heating stuff up like frozen lasagna, making spaghetti, breakfast for dinner, etc. Dinner on Friday night was whatever we had. Soup and sandwiches or waffles. I never had any money for cleaning or anything else so my house is never clean all at once. Oh well.

While I'm not a single parent, I have two good friends who are and I see them often. One, even with a lot of help from local family, still doesn't quite have it down. The other, with two boys in early ES, has a "plan" and it revolves around time limitations/management. I have so-many-minutes to do [chore/activity] on [this] day. And she says the word 'NO' a lot to her boys and, sadly, to herself.

As for a specific routine, a lot depends on what you have to get done. Do you drive your kids to school or do/can they ride the bus? How long is your commute and are there any opportunities to have a WFH element? And, what can you spend just 5-10 minutes on tonight that will make tomorrow go smoother (lay out clothes, pack lunch, shower!)?

Finally, if your child's other parent/parent family is not or cannot or should not be involved with your kids, try to find another similarly situated household and trade off a Friday night sleepover. What's one (or two more kids), esp when they "should" be sleeping for much of the time?

Hang in there. It will (eventually) get better.

Do you have money to outsource? I plucked low hanging fruit first with mighty meals dinners and grocery delivery (I haaaate all things cooking). I’m working on trying to find a job where I can work from home one or two days a week just so I can throw in laundry while I work.

Some things have just fallen through the cracks too. My kid eats cereal for dinner more than I want to admit. Sometimes (a lot of time) clean laundry isn’t folded before it’s reworn. It’s okay. Prioritize your mental health.

Teach your kids to help in all areas of the house if they are old enough. As I get older, I'm glad I taught my son how to do everything. I'm a single parent and a teacher. He started doing his laundry when he was 8 which helped a lot. I also never really made dinner from scratch. It was easy crockpot recipes or heating stuff up like frozen lasagna, making spaghetti, breakfast for dinner, etc. Dinner on Friday night was whatever we had. Soup and sandwiches or waffles. I never had any money for cleaning or anything else so my house is never clean all at once. Oh well.

Anonymous wrote:Do you look good in a Versace dress?

Lol. Op here. That ship sailed LONG ago.

Do you look good in a Versace dress?

Also a single parent here. Lots depends on the age of your kid. No magic advice from me. I always manage to shower but never manage to work out. Priorities priorities!

I do have a house cleaner and do grocery delivery, which helps a little. I also do meal delivery, but my picky kid leads to the food delivery not being as helpful as I thought it might be

Are you a single parent? It is hard with kids even with 2 parents. I would outsource anything you can if you can afford it.

I'm exhausted. Between my job, single parenting, household chores, meal prep, and the need a full 8 hours of sleep to function, I'm burning both ends of the candle. I can barely find time to shower on some days. What do others do?