With summer here, the last thing that I want to do is spend all weekend running errands and chores. Typically did laundry during the week and deep cleaning on the weekend, and saved most of our errands for the weekend. This is just not working for us now. My new tactic is to cram it all into the week and enjoy the weekends.
How do WOHM do it?
persimmon / 1233 posts
My husband does all laundry, usually a load every other night and a couple on weekends. We have a housekeeper once a month and just do minimal stuff in between. It's not easy! We basically just let a bunch of stuff go.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
Um...deep cleaning takes a back seat when it's nice outside. When we have a rainy day or a really scorching hot day, then we do inside things. It sucks, though. It truly does. There is never enough time for everything. I end up doing laundry in the same room as my LO so we can spend some time together. Sometimes I'll let her watch a show while I fold and put away so she's happy and not nagging me while I'm doing things I have to get done.
But seriously. Weekdays? I'm so burnt out at the end of the day, I find myself putting laundry and dishes off way too often.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Well, I can't speak for currently b/c I'm still in my 1st trimester so nothing is getting done...
But usually, I don't really deep clean, I clean continuously to avoid having to deep clean. Besides basic clean up at night we try to tackle some cleaning/laundry too. But I also look at the calendar to see if I can afford SOME time on the weekends to clean. I mean, DD has to nap so there is time to get stuff done without sacrificing "fun" time.
pomelo / 5573 posts
We have a cleaner come every other week. Laundry is pretty simple, just throw a load in and then do something else - two loads takes all day because I forget to switch it, but that's fine. We plan our meals a week at a time and do the shopping Sunday afternoon. I try to run errands on my way home before I pick up from daycare.
watermelon / 14467 posts
There is never enough time. So I've been ordering my groceries online. My cleanliness threshold has raised. I do what I can and make sure we don't live in a pig pen, but it's not as clean as we would like.
ETA: We are getting a lawn service this summer.
eggplant / 11716 posts
Right now, my husband does his own laundry, I do my own laundry, and the nanny does the girls' laundry. We clean together on weekends, but if we buckle down and just do it, we can easily do everything in 2-3 hours. But, since we have kids and they need stuff and we procrastinate, sometimes it takes a whole day to clean.
We always take 1 weekend day "off" and not really do anything at all except child care/feeding.
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
It's a constant battle. I decided to invest in a monthly cleaning service so that I don't have to worry about really cleaning (beyond occasional dusting and picking up toys). We do laundry on the weekends, but usually do it around times that we're home anyway (ie, first thing in the morning, while we're eating breakfast and getting ready). I meal plan and make a grocery list, and if we want to do something that doesn't allow us much time to cook, I'll plan for quick meals during the week. If we do have some time at home, I like to take a couple hours to make meals for the week.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
DH works from home a few days a week, so he gets a lot of the stuff like dishes and laundry done during that time. I usually do some laundry on the weekends while LO naps. We outsource, too. We have a cleaning lady who comes every other week and we just got a lawn service that comes every week. For the longest time DH refused to get a lawn service, but he would spend hours doing the lawn on the weekends and it just wasn't worth it...so much family time lost. He even commented the other day that it's so awesome having that off his plate and said they do a better job than he did anyways 
eggplant / 11861 posts
We try to do little things during the week, but thankfully DH has 1-2 days off during the week when DD and I are at work/daycare he cleans that day!
bananas / 9229 posts
We also outsource a lot. We don't have laundry in-unit so I send a good amount out, do the rest every other week or so on a day that I work at home. I order groceries online, have someone clean. And yet the house is still a mess...
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
We also outsource. We have a cleaner that comes twice a month year round. I still do the laundry on the weekends, I haven't figured out a better way to do it, during the week it literally doesn't get done (there is a dry load in my dryer, it's been there since Sunday night).
We also streamline our meals, so no complicated dinners, which in turn means our grocery shopping can be done in bulk and ahead.
nectarine / 2797 posts
Cleaner every other week for deep clean, and catch up on laundry and cooking on days I WFH. Crock-Pot meals and leftovers on busy days. Amazon prime for anything I can.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
We dont really mind grocery shopping on the weekends. The kids are usually ok to come with us. We have a rough idea of what we need each week so shopping doesn't take a lot of thought.
persimmon / 1445 posts
@avivoca: I LOVE online grocery ordering! I haven't been using it as much since I stopped WOH but I miss it. SO much easier to just go pick up everything than go to the store with kids. I also like meal delivery services like Blue Apron and Plated. They are a little expensive, but so worth it if you like to cook but don't have time to go to the store.
On the same note, I also recommend looking into some other online services to order things that are not groceries. I have Amazon Prime and also a Target RedCard... I get pretty much everything online- toilet paper, shampoo, straws, diaper can liners- you name it. There is also a service called Boxed that is basically online CostCo. Not going in physical stores saves me a lot of time (and also money since I'm not tempted/ window shopping).
I would totally get a cleaning lady and outsource my laundry if I was still working!
grapefruit / 4988 posts
We divide and conquer, and have pretty set habits for everything, so it doesn't seem so bad. I do my laundry, DH does his, and we sort of switch off with LO's and house stuff (sheets, towels). We usually do that during work nights after LO has gone to bed. The kitchen and living/dining room get wiped, picked up, and vacuumed pretty much continuously, so they never get too dirty. Grocery lists and meal plans are made in advance and we always shop early on Sat mornings to get it out of the way for the weekend. We usually cook really easy things that can be reheated and tend to eat the same thing two nights in a row.
The one issue that still bugs me is deep cleaning, which we've sort of let go. I try to do bathrooms during LO's naps on weekends but I often want to shop or workout or just veg during those times, and DH usually needs to get work done then, so it's tough. It really seems like most people have a house cleaner come at least once per month so I am considering that.
grapefruit / 4291 posts
So I've only been back at work for two weeks but so far cleaning up as we go has been helpful because it seems to prevent a big mess accumulating!
But that's it, that's all I got!
persimmon / 1396 posts
Thanks everyone. I think I am just struggling since having our second baby. She is very demanding and is about to start crawling, so I'm starting to really need to pull things together. I am trying to keep her from choking on some random item she finds on the floor so it makes me super nervous not having a super clean house. I think I'm gonna have to be like Elsa and Let it Go.
Hiring outside help isn't really an option right now with double daycare.
persimmon / 1322 posts
We try to keep up with daily cleaning, so deep cleaning isn't as urgent. I do laundry every other day, but it usually sits unfolded for a day or two. I grocery shop on my way home from work. I try to get something done at night after baby goes to bed: fold laundry, mop the floor, dishes. And I try to be ok with things not getting done.
pear / 1586 posts
We have a cleaner who comes twice a month so she handles most of the deep cleaning. For laundry, I will often run up and start a load before dinner, then switch to the dryer while DH and I tag-team bedtime, and then fold while watching TV before bed. We also have a delay start option so if I really have my stuff together it goes in the washer in the morning, it runs right before I get home, then into the dryer before dinner and I can fold during bedtime (usually works best with LO's laundry).
cherry / 174 posts
@babynumber1: We've barely got it together, and we have just one. I can't imagine how much more difficult it is with two!
Like the other ladies, we do a lot of our shopping on Amazon Prime (diapers, wipes, baby formula, lotion, etc.). Meals for the week are planned in advance and then we buy all the week's groceries in one trip on Saturday or Sunday.
Picking up the house is done nightly by whomever ISN'T bathing/putting baby to bed (we take turns). Though I know that probably isn't an option for you with two.
What errands to you find yourself running on the weekend? Is it an option to choose delivery for some of them?
Also, maybe you could get a Roomba and run it once a day?
persimmon / 1101 posts
@babynumber1: Yeah, definitely no outside help here either, but thankfully my lo enjoys running errands--we try to pair a fun activity (park) with an errand (Target) on the way back. It helps that my husband is a super fast and thorough cleaner, but weekend naps are full of cleaning for both of us. We pretty much have no weekend downtime, but pretending that errands are "fun" does help!
nectarine / 2262 posts
I don't 
I'm exhausted with a baby who still wakes up many times a night, super behind at my job, house is a wreck... I don't know what the answer is. It's pretty depressing feeling like I'm so wrung out and at my breaking point all the time.
nectarine / 2148 posts
@babynumber1: we definitely don't have outside help either. I try to get things done as much as I can but my threshold for what's acceptable at a cleaning level has gone up. It still stresses me out having a dirty house sometimes but I'd rather relax or spend time together then worrying about cleaning. I will throw a load in the wash when I wake up and put it in the dryer before leaving for work. I'll fold after LO goes to sleep..sometimes a couple days later. I do dishes when LO is in his high chair eating. I have a designated kid area I try to vacuum daily. Rest of the house isn't frequent. Then as things get to an unacceptable level DH and I will both try to get stuff done together on weekends.
kiwi / 573 posts
We outsource nothing for same reason of double daycare. I do a lot of Friday night grocery shopping (and price matching!), meal plan well in advance. Meal prep either while kids eat brekkie or when home on my lunch. Sometimes after work while one of us cooks dins and kids are playing (they are 2 and 3) the other will tackle cleaning something/somewhere. We do the dishes every night as the kids finish dins, pack lunches, kitchen stays pretty tidy, but we are ok with letting other things slide. Know we are doing the best we can and its all we can do! Soooo much harder since the nice weather has arrived and the 1st trimester for me, haha. Some nights I am beyond useless and asleep before he kids!
watermelon / 14467 posts
@babynumber1: We also don't have outside help generally. The only reason we are hiring a yard service is because my husband isn't home in the summers and I'm pregnant. With double daycare starting in January, we won't be able to for a long time. So we clean less because there just isn't enough time. Laundry gets done when we need it, but it might not get folded. The bathrooms are cleaned every other week or so. We try to vacuum weekly, but I don't mop very often. I only order my groceries when I have a busy weekend or my daughter is sick.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
Check out the Flylady, the premise is you can do anything for 15 minutes, so once you have a plan, you execute...rather than waste brain space in coming up with the plan.
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