I'm starting back at work next week and I keep thinking about all the stuff around the house that I get done throughout the day I won't have time for anymore. I'm thinking of starting a weekly cleaning schedule to help sty on top of things. Do you have any recommendations on what I can do ahead of time to make the back to work transition easier?
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Hands down the best thing was hiring a cleaning lady. Then I just try and get as much other house stuff, laundry, day to day cleaning, done after LO goes to bed. This way we can spend our weekends doing stuff together.
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It def took a while for me to adjust! We don't have the budget for a cleaning lady (and I'm kinda OCD anyway for someone else to clean my house). DH def had to step up and help, and I either try to get as much as possible done when she is napping on the weekends (helps that her naps are much longer now), or I break them out to do week nights after she goes to bed. Again, it helps tremendously as she got older and got on a more predictable schedule!
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@Smurfette: Yes on the cleaning lady!! We found one through a friend recommendation. It's the best thing ever. She's priced awesomely and does a good job. There are certain things I'm like I wish she would..., but big picture/stuff wise, she gets it done. I'd totally rearrange our budget to accommodate her, if we had to! It's nice coming home to a clean house and it smells clean!
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The best tip I got was to do as much as you can the night before, even if that means packing your car with the bags you need. You won't believe how much time I can lose in the morning with little stuff!
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@Smurfette: @Alivoo01: unfortunately we do not have the budget for house cleaning. I'm temporarily going back to work part time so our money is already slashed.
@looch: good thinking! I'm going to have a hard time as it is getting up early just for work.
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@looch: @Eko: Definitely agree on getting bags, etc. packed and ready to go at night before. I have a ton of bags right now with my pumping supplies, milk bag, and lunch bag. Having these ready to go makes getting on makeup, etc. faster in the morning. I pack E's school bag too if there's important notices that need to be signed or paid like this morning.
Cleaning wise. I would focus on one thing a night and then a couple more on the weekend. Clean the dishwasher one night, then a load of laundry, the next. I work better if I just piece out what I want to do instead of getting overwhelmed by it.
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As much as you can let go of the house cleaning (easier said than done) Give hubs specific tasks to do (ours was he cleaned up from dinner and washed all the bottles and pump parts while I nursed and put LO to bed) Do as much as you can the night before (Get clothes ready, pack bags, pack car, shower) Have a check list of things you need to remember (or put your car keys in the fridge with baby's milk and your lunch) Get hubs to do any morning pet care (my hubs leaves much earlier that I wake up so he's in charge of setting out pups food and water for the day)
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This is only our second week so far... We do have someone come in to clean which helps. We're still working on dividing chores out. But, generally speaking... Weekends I meal plan for two weeks and have groceries delivered (just did for the first time). I would like to start prepping a meal or two on the weekends too. I make 2-3 sandwiches for lunch during the week - other days are leftovers or freezer items. Bottles are done nightly. Pump parts are washed every 2 nights. I have 2 sets for work, which I wash there, and 1 set at home. On Sunday we lay out DD's clothes for the week. I put my clothes out each night. I basically have as much ready for the morning as I can. I shower, get ready, dressed, etc. but our bags are mostly packed, I just have to put breakfast/lunch from the fridge in them and bottles for that day. So, really, I'm echoing a lot of the other recommendations above!
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@LindsayInNY: thanks! It's helpful to see how much you actually prep for the week
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@Eko: I was really stressing myself out thinking about it ahead of time... I literally made two lists - things I wanted/needed done each night and things I wanted to do on the weekends. It's still a work in progress... DH doesn't cook really so dinner is on me most nights. I even started making lists of meals so I don't find myself needing the same frying pan every night and having to constantly wash it. So, ideally, one dinner in frying pan, one in crock pot, one in oven, etc.!
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@LindsayInNY: that's a good idea on rotating dish pans and meals.
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@LindsayInNY: Thats an organized meal plan!
We find it hard to do laundry during the week but it does help if I at least get a load of towels done by Thursday night. I usually start kids laundry (with their sheets from school) Friday night or first thing Saturday morning. Then Saturday any other regular clothes and then lastly Sunday we do work laundry (delicates and things that need to hang dry). The routine seems to work for us.
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@Eko: My mom also suggested just having one night a week that you eat off paper plates. Maybe its take-home pizza night or something. But one night you dont have to mess up the kitchen and can focus on other things.
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@T.H.O.U.: I've just started it so we'll see... Putting together the menu and ordering groceries seemed to take the longest! But otherwise I just started writing things on a notepad under: frying pan, pot, crockpot, over or misc (grill top). Even simple things like soup and sandwich or spaghetti! Also, like the paper plate suggestion, we have made Friday night pizza need for almost all of 2015 now. I love it! And, as it gets cooler, I can do chili or something on the weekend too.
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@LindsayInNY: We use these for packing lunches. They are great for kids and adults. And cheap so we could have 4 of them!
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The biggies I do are that I pack the bags the night before. I set them all right by the fridge so that I can grab T's milk and my ice pack, put them in, then load the car up before the kids get up. I used to load my car the night before when E was on formula, but I can't do that with breastmilk.
I prep meals for the week on the weekend. I don't mind carving out an hour or two to do this because it frees up my evenings (minimal dishes!) SO absurdly much. I work until 3, then go to the gym, and basically walk in the door right around 5, and just plop dinner down
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Routine. Get into one.
Wednesday I meal plan. Thursday I grocery shop. Sunday we make lunches for the week (mason jar salads). This way we always know what we're going to eat. Sometimes I meal prep on weekends (usually in winter).
I lay out my LO's clothes for the whole week Sunday night. We have hooks for our keys and a table for wallets and phones at the front door. I get our bags ready and sit them by the front door before bed.
But we don't do dishes every day. The house is not dirty but it's not always presentable. I can live with that.
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@LindsayInNY: I have a "house notebook" that I have a list of meals/sides that we like, so I don't have to think too hard about what to make each week.
We also have an ongoing list of "to do" stuff on the fridge.
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@JennyD: That's basically what I'm trying to do! I should designate a specific notebook for it. Smart idea!
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