working mums - how do YOU do it?

Different working situation, but I can come home at lunchtime sometimes and get some washing done, and make dinner then so that when we get home the boys have that time with us. Sometimes when Nigel is working mornings I go back into work at night to do stuff so I can take time off during the day (nice boss I have to do that).

I have a nanny and a cleaner, so between them they do most of the housework . I know that makes us sound a) rich and b) pretentious, but in reality we are neither - having a nanny is the cheapest form of childcare when you have four kids, and the cleaner is $60 a week and worth every cent as it means I can spend my 'spare' (ha ha) time with the kids doing fun stuff and not worrying about how long it is since the bathroom was cleaned.

I love being a working mum, love, love, love it. Yes, it is stressful and sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day, but finding a good balance means that I can exercise my brain doing a job I enjoy as well as getting to hang out with the kids, plus the extra $$$ it brings in means we have a bit more flexibility with stuff like extracurricular activities, we've even managed a holiday on the Gold Coast right now

unfortunately the money is well-stretched right now and a cleaner just doesn't fit....although give me a few months and I may change my mind

I work part time (32/hr week), 3 days in the office and 8 hours from home over the rest of the week. 18-month old DD goes to daycare those 3 days. DH works full time 5 days a week, and the odd weekend as well. I really love it, it's the best of both worlds here.

On office days we all get up around 7:30am and drive into the city together - DH works close to me so he drops DD and I off, I take her to daycare then walk to the office 5 mins away. DD will often eat breakfast in the car if we're running late, toast is pretty portable! I pick her up at 5pm, DH picks us up about 15 mins later and we drive home, have dinner together around 6pm, playtime after dinner, then DD goes to bed 7pm - 7:30pm. I then lie on the couch for the rest of the evening!

I'm really fortunate that my work is flexi-hours and I'm in a senior position so get a bit more tolerance for coming in late and leaving early - it wouldn't work otherwise. I've found easiest thing is to be organised and plan out your dinners for the week in advance and make sure it's quick/easy cook things on office days. Housework is saved mainly for weekends, although I try to catch up on laundry on my non-office days. Once bubba #2 is here and I go back to work, we're going to get a cleaner in once a week to help out.

I can honestly say that I don't find life particularly stressful although I do get a bit grumpy when the house is a mess - DH is very good at recognising when I'm about to have a hissy fit about it and telling me to go and sit down while he tidies up. It would more stressful if I was working 5 days a week in the office, so again we are lucky that I'm able to just work 3 days a week. I imagine things are going to get a bit more complicated when bubba #2 is here, but I'm sure we'll make it work.

Edited by Febgirl

Right now Im on mat leave but before this I worked 8-5 mon-fri and about every 3rd weekend, DH works splits tue-sat so hes barely home, we have 5 children 10,7,4,2,1. I would put the washing in before I left and Dh would hang it out and do veges for dinner or put on a crockpot before he went to work. After picking everyone up after work I'd get home turn dinner on, bath the younger ones while dinner was cooking. After T hang time with the younger ones then bed for them at 7. Time to help older ones with homework hang with them till bed at 9. Then I would get in washing and fold it, tidy up kitchen, vacuum and any housework. Then It would be time to sort out work for the next day. By this stage it was about 1130. DH would arrive home and so we would spend a bit of time together and hit the hay about 1am. I was pretty much knackered all the time especially once I got preggie with this one which is why Ive finished work so early, but we found keeping to the same routine got everything done and everyone got some time with me.

we work full time long hours and sometimes weekend work or work commitments after hours and are setting up a new web business to run alon gisde our work...I would love to have a cleaner etc..and may do that in time

we make sure we spend quality time with bubs after work and on weekends and are very involved i her daycare etc etc - often this means leavign housework etc to the side...oh well...

i work 8.30-2pm mon - fri ( by choice as DH is always reminding me)
and dh works 8-6 pretty much 7days a week, we own a business DH works for himself which gives him a bit of flexability, but he still doesnt really help me out, im up at 6am then i get ready kids are up 6.45-7 then its the breakfast & getting dressed battle, have to be out the door by 7.50 to drop jett off accross town , then sarah at school then i have to find a park for work im usually at work 8.30-40 then when i finish at 2pm i pick j up & sarah from school then its home, dinner, homework, bath bed, then i get all their stuff ready for the next day, clean & do the washing . . . . . . ahhhhh exhausting just typing it all . .
the house is usually a mess, which dh likes to moan about.

On Mondays and Tuesday's here, the kids are in daycare from 8.30ish until 5.30pm. Wednesday I have a day "off" from uni and study so I get to spend the day looking after the babies and trying to get on top of the mess... I actually love having that day to spend with the kids. Thurs and Fri I'm back at uni, but Friday is DH's day off work and he does what I do on Weds (look after kids and washing etc... although the house is generally a shambles after he looks after the kids, lol).

Generally we chuck washing on in the morning whilst getting breakfast and stuff, and it sits there until the evening after the kids are in bed, when we hang it on clothes horses (not enough sun down here atm to bother with hanging washing outside).

Vacuuming gets done whenever the house badly needs it and the kids are happily doing something, sometime so that DH or I can get it done. Toys are tidied as we go, like as we move on to another room (eg. toys in lounge get chucked back into toybox just as we are going to have dinner, etc).

Dinner is always something re-heated from the night before, for us. DH and I eat once he gets home at 7.30pm, after the kids bed-time, and we muck something up if it hasn't been done during the day. Otherwise it is default quick food (frozen veg, fruit, rice, heated meals from freezer, just easy quick things). I would totally love a crock pot, I'm into stews that are easy to chuck together and ignore until it's time to eat.

I do the dishes from during the day, while Chloe is eating her dinner, in between getting Ollie tended to as well. DH does the night time dishes when he is having breakfast with Chloe and Ollie in the morning.

The bathroom and toilet and stuff get done at the weekend.

Things like the kitchen floor are badly neglected... ours hasn't been cleaned for nearly a month and REALLY needs it.

I generally only get a shower every few days but have one in the evening if I really need it.

The house is never pin-neat and I'm always feeling exhausted but I really enjoy being back at Med School as well... and I really appreciate spending time with the kids more.

When the babies want attention, generally I give it to them and ignore housework, and then do the housework when they are happily distracted, or asleep for the night. Keeps us happy that way and I still get to "spend time" with them while they are awake. Just means the house stays messy sometimes.

I would totally love to get a cleaner in, it would make a world of difference.

Sorry for the mammoth post!

ETA: I don't know how I would cope if DH left all the housework to me... he does just as much as I do. Everything is a shared task in our house.

Edited by LittleBug

Both DH & I work full time.
DH starts quite early - at 7am so he's out ofthe door at 6:30am. I wake up then and have a shower & cup of coffee before the kids wake up at 7am
They have thier bottle and then we muck around until 8:30am - I get them dressed during this time and we play - this is our time
I give them b'fast at 8:30am and get ready for work while they eat. We leave the house just before 9am and I drop them off at daycare.
DH picks them up from daycare at around 4pm and brings them home for a snack & play time. He gets dinner ready and I come home at around 6pm - we then eat dinner.
More play time after that until the girls have bottles & go to bed.
Working fulltime is not that bad - it actually works quite well for us

ETA - I do all clothes washing on Wednesday night and on the Weekend. We do a big house clean on the weekend too and run the dishwasher every night. I cook dinner 3-4 times a week and DH does the rest - he's quite a good cook actually.

Edited by yummymummy

I keep looking at this thread and wanting to answer... but I'll have to get back to you on this.

We leave the house at 07h00 and get back at 18h15. I manage to juggle work, Isabella, cooking, bath time etc but the cleaning and stuff is either done by my DH late at night or over a weekend.